Biomass and Wood Properties of Young Silver Maple Clones

Biomass properties were determined to characterize the differences between young silver maple clones as an energy source or fiber source feedstock. Size varied significantly among 25 maple sources evaluated, but larger trees generally had the better survival, which is highly important in clonal comparisons. Characteristics of the wood were similar to those of soft hardwoods; the mean value of gross heat of combustion was 19.6 kJ/g; the fiber length was relatively short (0.74 mm); the ash content was 0.291; and the specific gravity was 0.43. Clonal differences were significant

Rooting and vegetative growth of hardwood cuttings of 12 pomegranate (\u3ci\u3ePunica granatum\u3c/i\u3e L.) cultivars

Commercial pomegranate production area has increased substantially in the western hemisphere due to increased consumer interest in the fruit. Low nursery inventory has caused many growers to propagate vegetatively their own trees and the availability of only a few cultivars is believed to have played a role in a lack of diversity in the developing market. ‘Wonderful,’ the industry standard for pomegranate in several countries, has been propagated in the United States for over 100 years, yet there is limited scientific information regarding how to most effectively propagate ‘Wonderful’ and other important cultivars. This research included two experiments. Experiment 1 evaluated rooting percentages and vegetative growth attributes of hardwood cuttings of twelve cultivars (‘Ambrosia,’ ‘Desertnyi,’ ‘Eversweet,’ ‘Golden Globe,’ ‘Green Globe,’ ‘Haku Botan,’ ‘Ki Zakuro,’ ‘Loffani,’ ‘Nochi Shibori,’ ‘Parfianka,’ ‘Phoenicia,’ and ‘Wonderful’) utilizing a basal dip in a gel formulation of 3 g·L−1 indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). Experiment 2 evaluated auxin treatments which consisted of basal dip in water only (control) or a gel formulation of IBA (1.5 g L−1 or 3 g L−1) for hardwood cuttings of ‘Wonderful’ and two cultivars that rooted poorly in Experiment 1: ‘Ambrosia’ and ‘Green Globe.’ Measured response attributes included rooting success percentages, dry root mass, leaf area, plant height, number of shoots, apical shoot growth, total shoot length, branching, stem diameter, and relative chlorophyll content (SPAD value). ‘Wonderful’ and nine other cultivars rooted over 84% of the time using cuttings treated with 3 g L−1 IBA. Differences in plant height and branching could be detected early in production. The effect of IBA concentration on rooting percentage and growth attributes varied among cultivars. Cuttings of ‘Ambrosia’ rooted best with 3 g L−1 IBA versus 0 and 1.5 g L−1 IBA, whereas rooting of cuttings of ‘Green Globe’ was similar among IBA rates. Plants of ‘Wonderful’ had significantly greater leaf area compared to those of ‘Ambrosia’ and ‘Green Globe.’ Stem diameter had no effect on rooting on any cultivar in either experiment. There were significant differences among cultivars in terms of chlorophyll content, with ‘Haku Botan’ and ‘Loffani’ having greener leaves than ‘Eversweet,’ ‘Ambrosia,’ and ‘Desertnyi.

The experience of enchantment in human-computer interaction

Improving user experience is becoming something of a rallying call in human–computer interaction but experience is not a unitary thing. There are varieties of experiences, good and bad, and we need to characterise these varieties if we are to improve user experience. In this paper we argue that enchantment is a useful concept to facilitate closer relationships between people and technology. But enchantment is a complex concept in need of some clarification. So we explore how enchantment has been used in the discussions of technology and examine experiences of film and cell phones to see how enchantment with technology is possible. Based on these cases, we identify the sensibilities that help designers design for enchantment, including the specific sensuousness of a thing, senses of play, paradox and openness, and the potential for transformation. We use these to analyse digital jewellery in order to suggest how it can be made more enchanting. We conclude by relating enchantment to varieties of experience.</p

Span of control in supervision of rail track work

The supervision of engineering work on the railways has received relatively little examination despite being both safety-critical in its own right and having wider implications for the successful running of the railways. The present paper is concerned with understanding the factors that make different engineering works perceived as easier or harder to manage. We describe an approach building on notions of ‘span of control’, through which we developed the TOECAP inventory (Team, Organisation, Environment, Communication, Activity and Personal). This tool was validated through both interviews and questionnaires. As well as identifying the physical factors involved, the work also emphasised the importance of collaborative and attitudinal factors. We conclude by discussing limitations of the present work and future directions for development

The “Tango Argentino”: a metaphor for understanding effectuation processes

The authors use the analogy of the Argentine Tango to illuminate entrepreneurial effectuation as a process of becoming. Drawing on the metaphor of dance, the authors highlight seven areas for theory development that could further a performative theory of effectuation. These include the study of the micro-level movement and flow in the dance as “intimate steps,” and understanding the interplay between entrepreneur and ecosystem as “contextual rhythms.” They further propose that the study of changing leadership in the dance could illuminate how causal processes “become” effectual and suggest a concept of “attunement” to consider how inexperienced entrepreneurs learn contextual rhythms and, therefore, benefit for effectuation processes. Finally, they posit that the intimate steps leading to creativity in the dance relative to different levels of proximity and distance between the dancers should be understood alongside the movements and flows through which dancers maintain their individuality during such intimate movements and flows

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

Comprehensive mRNA Expression Profiling Distinguishes Tauopathies and Identifies Shared Molecular Pathways

Background: Understanding the aetiologies of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Pick's disease (PiD), Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) and Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is often hampered by the considerable clinical and molecular overlap between these diseases and normal ageing. The development of high throughput genomic technologies such as microarrays provide a new molecular tool to gain insight in the complexity and relationships between diseases, as they provide data on the simultaneous activity of multiple genes, gene networks and cellular pathways. Methodology/Principal Findings: We have constructed genome wide expression profiles from snap frozen post-mortem tissue from the medial temporal lobe of patients with four neurodegenerative disorders (5 AD, 5 PSP, 5 PiD and 5 FTD patients) and 5 control subjects. All patients were matched for age, gender, ApoE-e and MAPT (tau) haplotype. From all groups a total of 790 probes were shown to be differently expressed when compared to control individuals. The results from these experiments were then used to investigate the correlations between clinical, pathological and molecular findings. From the 790 identified probes we extracted a gene set of 166 probes whose expression could discriminate between these disorders and normal ageing. Conclusions/Significance: From genome wide expression profiles we extracted a gene set of 166 probes whose expression could discriminate between neurological disorders and normal ageing. This gene set can be further developed into an accurate microarray-based classification test. Furthermore, from this dataset we extracted a disease specific set of genes and identified two aging related transcription factors (FOXO1A and FOXO3A) as possible drug targets related to neurodegenerative disease

Mid-late quaternary fluvial archives near the margin of the MIS 12 glaciation in Southern East Anglia, UK: amalgamation of multi-disciplinary and citizen-science data sources

This paper presents an updated geological reconstruction of the Quaternary evolution of the River Thames at its downstream extremities, close to the North Sea coast, based on new data from multi-disciplinary and citizen-science sources. In this area, the interaction of the Thames with the MIS 12 (Anglian) glaciation is an important part of the Quaternary archive. The Anglian ice sheet, which reached parts of north and east London, was responsible for diverting the Thames southwards into its present course, although the footprint of the maximum ice sheet(s) does not reach the North Sea coast south of Hollesley, Suffolk. Further south, the coastal zone hosts pre-Anglian and early Anglian river-terrace deposits of the pre-diversion Thames system, superimposed upon which are products of later post-Anglian rivers, of both Middle and Late Pleistocene age. On the peninsula between the Stour and Blackwater–Colne estuaries, the lowest and most recent terrace of the pre-diversion Thames includes evidence directly pertaining to the glacial disruption event, for which geochronological data are reported here for the first time. The first post-diversion terrace of the Thames also reaches this peninsula, the river having essentially re-joined its original valley before crossing the alignment of the modern coastline. This terrace passes beneath Clacton-on-Sea, where it includes the type locality of the Clactonian Palaeolithic Industry. The area of interest to this paper, in NE Essex and southern Suffolk, includes a number of interglacial and Palaeolithic sites, the data from which assist in constraining the chronostratigraphy of the sequence. In some cases, there has been uncertainty as to whether these sites represent pre-Anglian environments and hominin occupations, part of the palaeo-Thames sequence, or whether they are the product of later post-Anglian streams, formed after the Thames had migrated southwards. This paper compiles evidence from a wide range of recent sources, including developer-funded archaeological appraisal and citizen-science activities, to explore and update the evidence from sites at Ipswich, Upper Dovercourt and Thorpe-le-Soken, as well as a number of localities associated with the Clacton Channel Deposits (host to the type-Clactonian), amongst others. The resulting new data are placed within the wider context of the Quaternary fluvial archives in southern Britain, with a discussion of how disparate sources of information, including the work of citizen scientists, have contributed

Prognostic model to predict postoperative acute kidney injury in patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery based on a national prospective observational cohort study.

Background: Acute illness, existing co-morbidities and surgical stress response can all contribute to postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery. The aim of this study was prospectively to develop a pragmatic prognostic model to stratify patients according to risk of developing AKI after major gastrointestinal surgery. Methods: This prospective multicentre cohort study included consecutive adults undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection, liver resection or stoma reversal in 2-week blocks over a continuous 3-month period. The primary outcome was the rate of AKI within 7 days of surgery. Bootstrap stability was used to select clinically plausible risk factors into the model. Internal model validation was carried out by bootstrap validation. Results: A total of 4544 patients were included across 173 centres in the UK and Ireland. The overall rate of AKI was 14·2 per cent (646 of 4544) and the 30-day mortality rate was 1·8 per cent (84 of 4544). Stage 1 AKI was significantly associated with 30-day mortality (unadjusted odds ratio 7·61, 95 per cent c.i. 4·49 to 12·90; P < 0·001), with increasing odds of death with each AKI stage. Six variables were selected for inclusion in the prognostic model: age, sex, ASA grade, preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate, planned open surgery and preoperative use of either an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or an angiotensin receptor blocker. Internal validation demonstrated good model discrimination (c-statistic 0·65). Discussion: Following major gastrointestinal surgery, AKI occurred in one in seven patients. This preoperative prognostic model identified patients at high risk of postoperative AKI. Validation in an independent data set is required to ensure generalizability