Diversity Characterization of Optimized Two-Antenna Systems for UMTS Handsets

This paper presents the evaluation of the diversity performance of several two-antenna systems for UMTS terminals. All the measurements are done in a reverberation chamber and in a Wheeler cap setup. First, a two-antenna system having poor isolation between its radiators is measured. Then, the performance of this structure is compared with two optimized structures having high isolation and high total efficiency, thanks to the implementation of a neutralization technique between the radiating elements. The key diversity parameters of all these systems are discussed, that is, the total efficiency of the antenna, the envelope correlation coefficient, the diversity gains, the mean effective gain (MEG), and the MEG ratio. The comparison of all these results is especially showing the benefit brought back by the neutralization technique

Seismic Assessment of Rammed Earth Walls Using Pushover Tests

AbstractRammed earth (RE) construction is attracting renewed interest throughout the world thanks to its sustainable characteristics: a very low embodied energy, an advantageous living comfort due to a substantial thermal inertia, good natural moisture buffering, and an attractive appearance. This is why several studies have been carried out recently to investigate RE. However, there have not yet been sufficient studies on the seismic performance of RE buildings.This paper presents an experimental study on the static nonlinear pushover method and its application on the seismic performance of RE structures. Several walls with two height/length ratios were built and tested to obtain the nonlinear “shear force–displacement” curves. By transposing to the “acceleration-displacement” system and by using the standard spectra presented in Eurocode 8, the performance points could be determined which enabled to assess the seismic performance of the studied walls in different conditions (seismicity zones and soil types)

Eye Care Providers' Attitudes Towards Tele-ophthalmology

Background: The rapid rise of e-health and remote care systems will likely change the practice patterns of ophthalmologists. Although telemedicine practices are thriving in many specialties of medicine, telemedicine for ophthalmology has been limited primarily to asynchronous care for diabetic retinopathy. The goal of this research was to evaluate perspectives on and familiarity with telemedicine among eye care providers at a large tertiary-care medical center via an anonymous, descriptive survey. Results: In total, 58 eye care physicians completed surveys (response rates of 86% for physicians-in-training and 49% for faculty physicians, respectively). Although a majority of both faculty and physicians-in-training were willing to participate in telemedicine services, trainees were more likely to be willing to interpret photographs than faculty (p=0.04). Most respondents (71%) indicated that they did not use telemedicine. Over half had received photographs (via phone or e-mail) for interpretation from referring physicians (54%) or patients (56%) within the past 3 months. A majority of providers (82%) would be willing to participate in telemedicine for consultations and for interpreting photographs, but a majority (59%) had low confidence in remote care for providing an opinion on patient care. Conclusions: Most eye care providers viewed telemedicine as part of the future of eye care but were concerned about the use of telemedicine. Although most providers did not practice telemedicine, over half of them were comfortable managing eye care consultations (including patients' photographs) via the Internet.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140282/1/tmj.2014.0115.pd

Dams and Dynasty, and the Colonial Transformation of Balinese Irrigation Management

This article takes issue with Stephen Lansing’s bottom-up model of Balinese irrigation management. Based on archival research and extensive fieldwork in the former south Balinese kingdom of Mengwi, it is argued that in pre-colonial days large scale irrigation depended largely on dynastic involvement. During the colonial period (1906–1942) the Dutch took over the role of regional irrigation management while they strengthened the autonomy of local irrigation associations

Teaching Africa and international studies: Forum introduction

Africa has often been defined and represented by outsiders. In International Studies, the continent is frequently viewed as peripheral and uninteresting. This is clearly a problem, and an increasingly apparent one as the number of courses on Africa and IS grow, both in Africa and beyond. Many academics who run these courses are keen to challenge the continent’s traditional marginalisation and perceived dependency, but they are limited by the resources available to them, and the fact that many are establishing new courses from scratch. This article outlines some of the key debates around teaching Africa and IS, setting the scene for the articles that follow

The Pyrimidine Nucleotide Biosynthetic Pathway Modulates Production of Biofilm Determinants in Escherichia coli

Bacteria are often found in multicellular communities known as biofilms, which constitute a resistance form against environmental stresses. Extracellular adhesion and cell aggregation factors, responsible for bacterial biofilm formation and maintenance, are tightly regulated in response to physiological and environmental cues. We show that, in Escherichia coli, inactivation of genes belonging to the de novo uridine monophosphate (UMP) biosynthetic pathway impairs production of curli fibers and cellulose, important components of the bacterial biofilm matrix, by inhibiting transcription of the csgDEFG operon, thus preventing production of the biofilm master regulator CsgD protein. Supplementing growth media with exogenous uracil, which can be converted to UMP through the pyrimidine nucleotide salvage pathway, restores csgDEFG transcription and curli production. In addition, however, exogenous uracil triggers cellulose production, particularly in strains defective in either carB or pyrB genes, which encode enzymes catalyzing the first steps of de novo UMP biosynthesis. Our results indicate the existence of tight and complex links between pyrimidine metabolism and curli/cellulose production: transcription of the csgDEFG operon responds to pyrimidine nucleotide availability, while cellulose production is triggered by exogenous uracil in the absence of active de novo UMP biosynthesis. We speculate that perturbations in the UMP biosynthetic pathways allow the bacterial cell to sense signals such as starvation, nucleic acids degradation, and availability of exogenous pyrimidines, and to adapt the production of the extracellular matrix to the changing environmental conditions

Circulating microRNA Profiles during the Bovine Oestrous Cycle

Up to 50% of ovulations go undetected in modern dairy herds due to attenuated oestrus behavior and a lack of high-accuracy methods for detection of fertile oestrus. This significantly reduces overall herd productivity and constitutes a high economic burden to the dairy industry. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are ubiquitous regulators of gene expression during both health and disease and they have been shown to regulate different reproductive processes. Extracellular miRNAs are stable and can provide useful biomarkers of tissue function; changes in circulating miRNA profiles have been reported during menstrual cycles. This study sought to establish the potential of circulating miRNAs as biomarkers of oestrus in cattle. We collected plasma samples from 8 Holstein-Friesian heifers on days Days 0, 8 and 16 of an oestrous cycle and analysed small RNA populations on each Day using two independent high-throughput approaches, namely, Illumina sequencing (n = 24 samples) and Qiagen PCR arrays (n = 9 sample pools, 3-4 samples / pool). Subsequently, we used RT-qPCR (n = 24 samples) to validate the results of high-throughput analyses, as well as to establish the expression profiles of additional miRNAs previously reported to be differentially expressed during reproductive cycles. Overall, we identified four miRNAs (let-7f, miR-125b, miR-145 and miR-99a-5p), the plasma levels of which distinctly increased (up to 2.2-fold, P < 0.05) during oestrus (Day 0) relative to other stages of the cycle (Days 8 and 16). Moreover, we identified several hundred different isomiRs and established their relative abundance in bovine plasma. In summary, our results reveal the dynamic nature of plasma miRNAs during the oestrous cycle and provide evidence of the feasibility of using circulating miRNAs as biomarkers of reproductive function in livestock in the future

Climate-smart agriculture practices for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions

Agricultural lands make up approximately 37% of the global land surface, and agriculture is a significant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Those GHGs are responsible for the majority of the anthropogenic globalwarming effect.Agricultural GHG emissions are associated with agricultural soil management (e.g. tillage), use of both synthetic and organic fertilisers, livestock management, burning of fossil fuel for agricultural operations, and burning of agricultural residues and land use change. When natural ecosystems such as grasslands are converted to agricultural production, 20-40% of the soil organic carbon (SOC) is lost over time, following cultivation.We thus need to develop management practices that can maintain or even increase SOC storage in and reduce GHG emissions from agricultural ecosystems. We need to design systematic approaches and agricultural strategies that can ensure sustainable food production under predicted climate change scenarios, approaches that are being called climate-smart agriculture (CSA). Climate-smart agricultural management practices, including conservation tillage, use of cover crops and biochar application to agricultural fields, and strategic application of synthetic and organic fertilisers have been considered a way to reduce GHG emission from agriculture. Agricultural management practices can be improved to decreasing disturbance to the soil by decreasing the frequency and extent of cultivation as a way to minimise soil C loss and/or to increase soil C storage. Fertiliser nitrogen (N) use efficiency can be improved to reduce fertilizer N application and N loss. Management measures can also be taken to minimise agricultural biomass burning. This chapter reviews the current literature on CSA practices that are available to reduce GHG emissions and increase soil C sequestration and develops a guideline on best management practices to reduce GHG emissions, increase C sequestration, and enhance crop productivity in agricultural production systems

Visuomotor Cerebellum in Human and Nonhuman Primates

In this paper, we will review the anatomical components of the visuomotor cerebellum in human and, where possible, in non-human primates and discuss their function in relation to those of extracerebellar visuomotor regions with which they are connected. The floccular lobe, the dorsal paraflocculus, the oculomotor vermis, the uvula–nodulus, and the ansiform lobule are more or less independent components of the visuomotor cerebellum that are involved in different corticocerebellar and/or brain stem olivocerebellar loops. The floccular lobe and the oculomotor vermis share different mossy fiber inputs from the brain stem; the dorsal paraflocculus and the ansiform lobule receive corticopontine mossy fibers from postrolandic visual areas and the frontal eye fields, respectively. Of the visuomotor functions of the cerebellum, the vestibulo-ocular reflex is controlled by the floccular lobe; saccadic eye movements are controlled by the oculomotor vermis and ansiform lobule, while control of smooth pursuit involves all these cerebellar visuomotor regions. Functional imaging studies in humans further emphasize cerebellar involvement in visual reflexive eye movements and are discussed