4,597 research outputs found
Farmer participatory evaluation of eight elite clones of cocoyam (Xanthosoma sagittifolium L. Schott)
Twenty cocoyam farmers from the Ejisu-Juabeng municipality were involved in a farmer participatory on-station evaluation of cocoyam at Fumesua (a rainforest agro ecological zone of the Ashanti Region of Ghana) for 2 years (2009-2010) major growing seasons). Eight elite clones of cocoyam were evaluated for high yield, tolerance to major diseases and pests and culinary properties. Phenotypic attributes evaluated at peak vegetative phase 24 weeks after planting (24 WAP) were plant height, number of leaves and leaf area. At harvest, 12 months after planting (12 MAP), variables evaluated included number of cormels, weight of cormels, and yield per plant. Season × clone interaction for all variables evaluated were significant. The clones also differed significantly in all the parameters evaluated. Leaf area, number of cormels and weight of cormels were all positively correlated with yield. Based on farmers’ recommendation and performance of the clones, four clones (3 purple and 1 white) yielding between 5.3 – 6.2 t ha-1 ( higher than the locally cultivated 4 .2 t ha-1) and tolerant to major diseases and pest, and having acceptable culinary properties have been proposed for release to farmers in the Ejisu-Juabeng Municipality
The benchmark aeroelastic models program: Description and highlights of initial results
An experimental effort was implemented in aeroelasticity called the Benchmark Models Program. The primary purpose of this program is to provide the necessary data to evaluate computational fluid dynamic codes for aeroelastic analysis. It also focuses on increasing the understanding of the physics of unsteady flows and providing data for empirical design. An overview is given of this program and some results obtained in the initial tests are highlighted. The tests that were completed include measurement of unsteady pressures during flutter of rigid wing with a NACA 0012 airfoil section and dynamic response measurements of a flexible rectangular wing with a thick circular arc airfoil undergoing shock boundary layer oscillations
Anhedonia modulates benzodiazepine and opioid demand among persons in treatment for opioid use disorder
BACKGROUND: Benzodiazepine (BZD) misuse is a significant public health problem, particularly in conjunction with opioid use, due to increased risks of overdose and death. One putative mechanism underlying BZD misuse is affective dysregulation, via exaggerated negative affect (e.g., anxiety, depression, stress-reactivity) and/or impaired positive affect (anhedonia). Similar to other misused substances, BZD consumption is sensitive to price and individual differences. Although purchase tasks and demand curve analysis can shed light on determinants of substance use, few studies have examined BZD demand, nor factors related to demand.
METHODS: This ongoing study is examining simulated economic demand for alprazolam (among BZD lifetime misusers based on self-report and DSM-5 diagnosis; n = 23 total; 14 male, 9 female) and each participant\u27s preferred-opioid/route using hypothetical purchase tasks among patients with opioid use disorder (n = 59 total; 38 male, 21 female) who are not clinically stable, i.e., defined as being early in treatment or in treatment longer but with recent substance use. Aims are to determine whether: (1) BZD misusers differ from never-misusers on preferred-opioid economic demand, affective dysregulation (using questionnaire and performance measures), insomnia/behavioral alertness, psychiatric diagnoses or medications, or urinalysis results; and (2) alprazolam demand among BZD misusers is related to affective dysregulation or other measures.
RESULTS: Lifetime BZD misuse is significantly (p \u3c 0.05) related to current major depressive disorder diagnosis, opioid-negative and methadone-negative urinalysis, higher trait anxiety, greater self-reported affective dysregulation, and younger age, but not preferred-opioid demand or insomnia/behavioral alertness. Alprazolam and opioid demand are each significantly positively related to higher anhedonia and, to a lesser extent, depression symptoms but no other measures of negative-affective dysregulation, psychiatric conditions or medications (including opioid agonist therapy or inpatient/outpatient treatment modality), or sleep-related problems.
CONCLUSION: Anhedonia (positive-affective deficit) robustly predicted increased BZD and opioid demand; these factors could modulate treatment response. Routine assessment and effective treatment of anhedonia in populations with concurrent opioid and sedative use disorder may improve treatment outcomes
Subharmonic bifurcation cascade of pattern oscillations caused by winding number increasing entrainment
Convection structures in binary fluid mixtures are investigated for positive
Soret coupling in the driving regime where solutal and thermal contributions to
the buoyancy forces compete. Bifurcation properties of stable and unstable
stationary square, roll, and crossroll (CR) structures and the oscillatory
competition between rolls and squares are determined numerically as a function
of fluid parameters. A novel type of subharmonic bifurcation cascade (SC) where
the oscillation period grows in integer steps as is found
and elucidated to be an entrainment process.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure
Evidence of local superconductivity in granular Bi nanowires fabricated by electrodeposition
An unusual enhancement of resistance (i.e., superresistivity) below a certain
characteristic temperature Tsr was observed in granular Bi nanowires. This
superresistive state was found to be dependent on the applied magnetic field
(H) as well as the excitation current (I). The suppression of Tsr by magnetic
field resembles that of a superconductor. The observed superresistivity appears
to be related to the nucleation of local superconductivity inside the granular
nanowire without long-range phase coherence. The phenomenon is reminiscent of
the Bose-insulator observed previously in ultra thin two-dimensional (2D)
superconducting films and 3D percolative superconducting films.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures. submitted to PR
Molecular Model of the Contractile Ring
We present a model for the actin contractile ring of adherent animal cells.
The model suggests that the actin concentration within the ring and
consequently the power that the ring exerts both increase during contraction.
We demonstrate the crucial role of actin polymerization and depolymerization
throughout cytokinesis, and the dominance of viscous dissipation in the
dynamics. The physical origin of two phases in cytokinesis dynamics ("biphasic
cytokinesis") follows from a limitation on the actin density. The model is
consistent with a wide range of measurements of the midzone of dividing animal
cells.Comment: PACS numbers: 87.16.Ka, 87.16.Ac
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16197254
http://www.weizmann.ac.il/complex/tlusty/papers/PhysRevLett2005.pd
Worm Structure in Modified Swift-Hohenberg Equation for Electroconvection
A theoretical model for studying pattern formation in electroconvection is
proposed in the form of a modified Swift-Hohenberg equation. A localized state
is found in two dimension, in agreement with the experimentally observed
``worm" state. The corresponding one dimensional model is also studied, and a
novel stationary localized state due to nonadiabatic effect is found. The
existence of the 1D localized state is shown to be responsible for the
formation of the two dimensional ``worm" state in our model
Spontaneous emission and lifetime modification caused by an intense electromagnetic field
We study the temporal evolution of a three-level system (such as an atom or a
molecule), initially prepared in an excited state, bathed in a laser field
tuned at the transition frequency of the other level. The features of the
spontaneous emission are investigated and the lifetime of the initial state is
evaluated: a Fermi "golden rule" still applies, but the on-shell matrix
elements depend on the intensity of the laser field. In general, the lifetime
is a decreasing function of the laser intensity. The phenomenon we discuss can
be viewed as an "inverse" quantum Zeno effect and can be analyzed in terms of
dressed states.Comment: 25 pages, 6 figure
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