Structural and functional responses of xylem in Rhizophora mucronata Lam. seedlings under drought and hypersaline conditions

Water translocation in mangrove seedlings is often affected by water stress conditions such as drought, hyper-salinities and their frequent variations. This study was therefore aimed at studying the wood anatomical responses of xylem tissue and hydraulic conductivity of Rhizophora mucronata Lam., a common species in mangrove planting, under different levels of drought [25%, ~50% and ~100% of water holding capacity (WHC)] and soil salinity [high salinity (35 psu), moderate salinity (15 psu) and freshwater (0 psu)]. As wood anatomical responses, significantly higher vessel density, vessel grouping (P<0.001) along with narrow vessel elements (P<0.001) were observed in plants grown in the 25% and 50% WHCs and high salinity treatments. All these anatomical responses are more directed towards avoidance of vessel cavitation which is commonly found under water deficit conditions. The results showed that R. mucronata plants failed to maintain efficient transportation of water when the field capacity was 50% of WHC or lower and the level of salinity was 35 psu or greater, as evident by the reduction of water conductive areas, vessel areas and hydraulic conductivity (P<0.05). Overall, water use efficiency of R. mucronata seedlings under the imposed water stress conditions has remarkably reduced and it further indicated that such imposed stress conditions directly affect the survival of planted seedlings as depicted by the significantly low survival in 25% and 50% of WHCs and high salinity. Therefore, in-depth study on lagoon hydrology including inundation levels, water depth, salinity and the selection of correct tidal positioning is highly recommended as prerequisites in mangrove planting

Replenishment Mechanism atVerugal Beach Heavy Mineral Deposit

Eastern coast of Sri Lanka is abundant with heavy minerals, particularly at Pullmuddai where Sri Lanka’s only heavy mineral processing plant is situated. Verugal is one other areas where there is a rich, heavy mineral deposit that has the potential to be exploited.Heavy mineral beach sand deposits are dynamic in which the composition and the amount of reserves vary with time due to changes in coastal waves and currents. Therefore, a proper understanding of the replenishment dynamics is required to develop a comprehensive mine plan for the extraction of heavy mineral sand. This study focuses on the understanding replenishment mechanism at Verugal Beach Heavy Mineral Deposit. Samples from test pits were collected along the transect perpendicular to the beach at approximately 500 m interval from visible deposit at Verugal area representing bothsouthwestern monsoon and northwestern monsoon. Collected samples were subjected to sieve analysis to understand the grain size distribution and grain counting through reflected microscope to understand the heavy mineral concentration. Variations in deposit dimensions with seasonal weather changes along withspecific heavy mineral concentrations andreplenishment rates can be used to develop a proper mining plan to commence sustainable extraction

Constraints to rare earth elements supply diversification: evidence from an industry survey

Rare earth elements (REEs) are crucial to accomplishing renewable energy targets throughout the world, including electrical vehicles and wind energy. Despite the extensive requirements of REEs, current supply chains are mainly fulfilled by the Chinese rare earth (RE) industry. This has resulted in price volatility, supply chain uncertainties, and RE trade disputes. The authors identified 13 factors as constraints to develop RE supply chains outside China and these constraints were rated by the major RE companies outside China, including RE industry experts. The survey results obtained from RE industry experts have been statistically analysed to ascertain the key factors that affect the development of independent rare earth (RE) supply chains outside China. 4 key factors were identified as statistically important, among them, business uncertainties within the RE industry and the Chinese RE influences on global supply chains being the dominant factors

Long-Term Fluticasone Propionate/Formoterol Fumarate Combination Therapy Is Associated with a Low Incidence of Severe Asthma Exacerbations.

BACKGROUND A primary goal of asthma management is the reduction of exacerbation risk. We assessed the occurrence of oral corticosteroid-requiring exacerbations (OCS exacerbations) with long-term fluticasone/formoterol therapy, and compared it with the occurrence of similar events reported with other inhaled corticosteroid/long acting β2-agonist (ICS/LABA) combinations. METHODS The occurrence of OCS exacerbations was assessed in two open-label trials of fixed-dose fluticasone/formoterol administered for between 26 to 60 weeks in adults and adolescents with asthma. The incidence of OCS exacerbations with fluticasone/formoterol was compared with those reported in three recent Cochrane meta-analyses of other ICS/LABAs. RESULTS The pooled incidence of OCS exacerbations with long-term fluticasone/formoterol was 2.1% (95% CI: 1.1, 3.2%, n/N = 16/752). In only two of the nineteen treatment arms summarized by Cochrane did OCS exacerbation incidence approximate that seen in the two fluticasone/formoterol trials (single-inhaler fluticasone/salmeterol [2.9%]; separate inhaler budesonide, beclometasone, or flunisolide plus formoterol [3.4%]). In Lasserson's review the pooled incidence of OCS exacerbations for single-inhaler combinations was 9.5% (95% CI: 8.4, 10.6%; n/N = 239/2516) for fluticasone/salmeterol, and 10.6% (95% CI: 9.3, 11.8%; n/N = 257/2433) for budesonide/formoterol. In Ducharme's and Chauhan's meta-analyses (primarily incorporating separate inhaler combinations [fluticasone, budesonide, beclometasone, or flunisolide plus salmeterol or formoterol]), the pooled incidences of OCS exacerbations were 16.0% (95% CI: 14.2, 17.8%, n/N = 258/1615) and 16.7% (95% CI: 14.9, 18.5, n/N = 275/1643), respectively. CONCLUSIONS The incidence of exacerbations in two fixed-dose fluticasone/formoterol studies was low and less than in the majority of comparable published studies involving other ICS/LABA combinations. This difference could not be readily explained by differences in features of the respective studies and may be related to the favorable pharmacological/mechanistic characteristics of the constituent components fluticasone and formoterol compared to other drugs in their respective classes

Phase diagram of YbZnGaO4 in applied magnetic field

Recently, Yb-based triangular-lattice antiferromagnets have garnered significant interest as possible quantum spin-liquid candidates. One example is YbMgGaO4, which showed many promising spin-liquid features, but also possesses a high degree of disorder owing to site-mixing between the non-magnetic cations. To further elucidate the role of chemical disorder and to explore the phase diagram of these materials in applied field, we present neutron scattering and sensitive magnetometry measurements of the closely related compound, YbZnGaO4. Our results suggest a difference in magnetic anisotropy between the two compounds, and we use key observations of the magnetic phase crossover to motivate an exploration of the field- and exchange parameter-dependent phase diagram, providing an expanded view of the available magnetic states in applied field. This enriched map of the phase space serves as a basis to restrict the values of parameters describing the magnetic Hamiltonian with broad application to recently discovered related materials