Participation and Strategic Communication of Saudi Food Banks through Twitter to Enhance Food Waste Awareness among Saudi Arabian Citizens

Twitter is a platform service that has quickly risen to prominence as the social media platform most preferred for strategic communication campaigns. It is used by most of the Non-Profit Organizations (NPO) in Saudi Arabia, making it the most popular social media platform in the country. Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs) use Twitter to raise awareness of social issues and to communicate with stakeholders. Despite the features Twitter has recently introduced, this paper investigates how NPOs (Foodbanks) in Saudi Arabia use Twitter to raise awareness of food waste, as well as their posting behaviour over a two-year period. By the end of the research, we were able to provide a framework for using Twitter which new or existing NPOs can adopt, as well as helping NPOs (Foodbanks) to recognize and become aware of the impact of Twitter

Generating photon-encoded W states in multiport waveguide-array systems

We propose a versatile approach for generating multipartite W states in predesigned on-chip multiport photonic lattices. It is shown that is possible to produce photon-encoded W states where exactly one photon is coherently shared among N optical modes by judiciously adjusting the coupling coefficients involved in one-dimensional arrays of evanescently coupled single-mode waveguides. Two-dimensional waveguide configurations are also investigated as possible avenues to produce W states with equal probability amplitudes and equal relative phases

Northern Bobwhite Age Ratios and Productivity at the Individual Property Scale in South Texas

Annual adult survival rate (Sˆ) and finite rate of population growth (k) are critical parameters that must be considered when subjecting a species to annual harvest. We used a data set of 148 estimates of northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) juvenile: adult age ratios (R) derived from hunter-harvested wings in the South Texas Plains to estimate these parameters. Data were collected from 1940 to 1976 and from 1983 to 2008. We used adjusted estimates of R to account for higher harvest vulnerability of juveniles, and the regional estimate of Sˆ (30.6% based on a stable population) to calculate estimates of k at the ranch (~800 2,000 ha) scale. Mean (6 SE) adjusted R was 2.79 6 0.13 juveniles: adult. Assuming a stable population (i.e., k 1⁄4 1), mean (6 SE) regional Sˆ was 30.6 6 0.1%. Given an annual Sˆ of 30.6%, mean regional k was 1.16 6 0.04, and single year k estimates ranged from 0.40 to 3.03 among individual properties. These data have important implications for bobwhite harvest management because they identify the potential for highly variable population growth rates (k) at a localized scale. There is an increased probability of overharvesting the population when local populations are declining. Our data indicate using only a regional estimate of k may mask local population trends, which has the potential for mismanagement of harvest within a given property by making harvest recommendations that are too high (overharvest) or too conservative (loss of opportunity)

Our Sun. IV. The Standard Model and Helioseismology: Consequences of Uncertainties in Input Physics and in Observed Solar Parameters

Helioseismology provides a powerful tool to explore the deep interior of the Sun: for example, the adiabatic sound speed can be inferred with an accuracy of a few parts in 10,000. This has become a serious challenge to theoretical models of the Sun. Therefore, we have undertaken a self-consistent, systematic study of sources of uncertainties in the standard solar model, which must be understood before the helioseismic observations can be used as constraints on theory. We find that the largest uncertainty in the sound speed in the solar interior, namely, 3 parts in 1000, arises from uncertainties in the observed photospheric abundances of the elements; uncertainties of 1 part in 1000 arise from (1) the 4% uncertainty in the OPAL opacities, (2) the 5% uncertainty in the basic pp nuclear reaction rate, (3) the 15% uncertainty in the diffusion constants for the gravitational settling of helium, and (4) the 50% uncertainties in diffusion constants for the heavier elements. (Other investigators have shown that similar uncertainties arise from uncertainties in the interior equation of state and in rotation-induced turbulent mixing.) The predicted pre-main-sequence solar lithium depletion is a factor of order 20 (an order of magnitude larger than that predicted by earlier models that neglected gravitational settling and used older opacities), and is uncertain by a factor of 2. The predicted neutrino capture rate is uncertain by 30% for the Cl-37 experiment and by 3% for the Ga-71 experiments (not including uncertainties in the capture cross sections), while the B-8 neutrino flux is uncertain by 30%.Comment: LaTeX, 38 pages (including 8 figures); ApJ, in press. Added figures/color figurea available at http://www.cita.utoronto.ca/~boothroy/sun4.htm

Comparative efficacy between atorvastatin and rosuvastatin in the prevention of cardiovascular disease recurrence

Background: There is no randomized clinical trials with recurrence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) as a major outcome with rosuvastatin. In order to analyze potential differences in the clinical response to atorvastatin and rosuvastatin in secondary ASCVD prevention, we have analyzed the clinical evolution of those subjects of the Dyslipemia Registry of the Spanish Society of Arteriosclerosis (SEA) who at the time of inclusion in the Registry had already suffered an ASCVD. Methods: This observational, retrospective, multicenter, national study was designed to determine potential differences between the use of atorvastatin and rosuvastatin in the ASCVD recurrence. Three different follow-up start-times were performed: time of inclusion in the registry; time of first event if this occurred after 2005, and time of first event without date restriction. Results: Baseline characteristics were similar between treatment groups. Among atorvastatin or rosuvastatin users, 89 recurrences of ASCVD were recorded (21.9%), of which 85.4% were coronary. At the inclusion of the subject in the registry, 345 participants had not suffered a recurrence yet. These 345 subjects accumulated 1050 person-years in a mean follow-up of 3 years. Event rates were 2.73 (95% CI: 1.63, 4.25) cases/100 person-years and 2.34 (95% CI: 1.17, 4.10) cases/100 person-years in the atorvastatin and rosuvastatin groups, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups independently of the follow-up start-time. Conclusions: This study does not find differences between high doses of rosuvastatin and atorvastatin in the recurrence of ASCVD, and supports their use as clinically equivalent in secondary prevention of ASCVD

Wannier-Bloch Approach to Localization in High-Harmonics Generation in Solids

Emission of high-order harmonics from solids provides a new avenue in attosecond science. On the one hand, it allows us to investigate fundamental processes of the nonlinear response of electrons driven by a strong laser pulse in a periodic crystal lattice. On the other hand, it opens new paths toward efficient attosecond pulse generation, novel imaging of electronic wave functions, and enhancement of high-order harmonic-generation (HHG) intensity. A key feature of HHG in a solid (as compared to the well-understood phenomenon of HHG in an atomic gas) is the delocalization of the process, whereby an electron ionized from one site in the periodic lattice may recombine in any other. Here, we develop an analytic model, based on the localized Wannier wave functions in the valence band and delocalized Bloch functions in the conduction band. This Wannier-Bloch approach assesses the contributions of individual lattice sites to the HHG process and hence precisely addresses the question of localization of harmonic emission in solids. We apply this model to investigate HHG in a ZnO crystal for two different orientations, corresponding to wider and narrower valence and conduction bands, respectively. Interestingly, for narrower bands, the HHG process shows significant localization, similar to harmonic generation in atoms. For all cases, the delocalized contributions to HHG emission are highest near the band-gap energy. Our results pave the way to controlling localized contributions to HHG in a solid crystal

Postharvest control of Rhizopus stolonifer on blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) by blackberry native crop bacteria

The potential of four native bacterial strains of blackberries cv. Brazos (Rubus fruticosus): Bacillus subtilis (BSS), Bacillus subtilis (BSL), Bacillus licheniformis (BLI) and Leifsonia aquatica (LAQ), was evaluated for the postharvest control of soft rot caused by Rhizopus stolonifer in blackberry fruits. The fruits were treated with cell suspensions (CS) and cell-free supernatants (CFE) from each bacterial strain and were infected with two strains of R. stolonifer (RSA and RSC). The severity and inhibition percentage of the disease were determined. Additionally, the inhibition by siderophores and the inhibition percentage of R. stolonifer spore germination were analyzed as possible control mechanisms. The CS of BSS inhibited RSA by 45.8%, followed by CFE of LAQ which controlled the same strain by 39.7%. The CS of BLI inhibited RSC by 37.7%, whereas the CFE of BSS and LAQ controlled it by 47.7 and 41.8%, respectively. All bacterial strains inhibited RSA and RSC by siderophores production (38.7 to 48.6 %) and the inhibition of spore germination of RSC was higher than 93% after 48 h. This work is one of the first to report R. stolonifer control by native bacteria CS and CFE, particularly LAQ in postharvested blackberry fruits. These results show the combination of mechanisms used by bacteria to control both R. stolonifer strains.The potential of four native bacterial strains of blackberries cv. Brazos (Rubus fruticosus): Bacillus subtilis (BSS), Bacillus subtilis (BSL), Bacillus licheniformis (BLI) and Leifsonia aquatica (LAQ), was evaluated for the postharvest control of soft rot caused by Rhizopus stolonifer in blackberry fruits. The fruits were treated with cell suspensions (CS) and cell-free supernatants (CFE) from each bacterial strain and were infected with two strains of R. stolonifer (RSA and RSC). The severity and inhibition percentage of the disease were determined. Additionally, the inhibition by siderophores and the inhibition percentage of R. stolonifer spore germination were analyzed as possible control mechanisms. The CS of BSS inhibited RSA by 45.8%, followed by CFE of LAQ which controlled the same strain by 39.7%. The CS of BLI inhibited RSC by 37.7%, whereas the CFE of BSS and LAQ controlled it by 47.7 and 41.8%, respectively. All bacterial strains inhibited RSA and RSC by siderophores production (38.7 to 48.6 %) and the inhibition of spore germination of RSC was higher than 93% after 48 h. This work is one of the first to report R. stolonifer control by native bacteria CS and CFE, particularly LAQ in postharvested blackberry fruits. These results show the combination of mechanisms used by bacteria to control both R. stolonifer strains

Structural stability of Fe5Si3 and Ni2Si studied by high-pressure x-ray diffraction and ab initio total-energy calculations

We performed high-pressure angle dispersive x-ray diffraction measurements on Fe5Si3 and Ni2Si up to 75 GPa. Both materials were synthesized in bulk quantities via a solid-state reaction. In the pressure range covered by the experiments, no evidence of the occurrence of phase transitions was observed. On top of that, Fe5Si3 was found to compress isotropically, whereas an anisotropic compression was observed in Ni2Si. The linear incompressibility of Ni2Si along the c-axis is similar in magnitude to the linear incompressibility of diamond. This fact is related to the higher valence-electron charge density of Ni2Si along the c-axis. The observed anisotropic compression of Ni2Si is also related to the layered structure of Ni2Si where hexagonal layers of Ni2+ cations alternate with graphite-like layers formed by (NiSi)2- entities. The experimental results are supported by ab initio total-energy calculations carried out using density functional theory and the pseudopotential method. For Fe5Si3, the calculations also predicted a phase transition at 283 GPa from the hexagonal P63/mcm phase to the cubic structure adopted by Fe and Si in the garnet Fe5Si3O12. The room-temperature equations of state for Fe5Si3 and Ni2Si are also reported and a possible correlation between the bulk modulus of iron silicides and the coordination number of their minority element is discussed. Finally, we report novel descriptions of these structures, in particular of the predicted high-pressure phase of Fe5Si3 (the cation subarray in the garnet Fe5Si3O12), which can be derived from spinel Fe2SiO4 (Fe6Si3O12).Comment: 44 pages, 13 figures, 3 Table