Shoulder posture and median nerve sliding

Background: Patients with upper limb pain often have a slumped sitting position and poorshoulder posture. Pain could be due to poor posture causing mechanical changes (stretch; localpressure) that in turn affect the function of major limb nerves (e.g. median nerve). This studyexamines (1) whether the individual components of slumped sitting (forward head position, trunkflexion and shoulder protraction) cause median nerve stretch and (2) whether shoulderprotraction restricts normal nerve movements.Methods: Longitudinal nerve movement was measured using frame-by-frame cross-correlationanalysis from high frequency ultrasound images during individual components of slumped sitting.The effects of protraction on nerve movement through the shoulder region were investigated byexamining nerve movement in the arm in response to contralateral neck side flexion.Results: Neither moving the head forward or trunk flexion caused significant movement of themedian nerve. In contrast, 4.3 mm of movement, adding 0.7% strain, occurred in the forearm duringshoulder protraction. A delay in movement at the start of protraction and straightening of thenerve trunk provided evidence of unloading with the shoulder flexed and elbow extended and thescapulothoracic joint in neutral. There was a 60% reduction in nerve movement in the arm duringcontralateral neck side flexion when the shoulder was protracted compared to scapulothoracicneutral.Conclusion: Slumped sitting is unlikely to increase nerve strain sufficient to cause changes tonerve function. However, shoulder protraction may place the median nerve at risk of injury, sincenerve movement is reduced through the shoulder region when the shoulder is protracted andother joints are moved. Both altered nerve dynamics in response to moving other joints and localchanges to blood supply may adversely affect nerve function and increase the risk of developingupper quadrant pain

On-Farm Research Trial on Iowa Strawberry Production with USDA/NRCS Soil Quality Test Kit

The profitability of strawberry production is dependent in large part on the condition, or quality, of the soil being used. Soils with poor physical structure, chemical properties, or biological activity require more cultivation, fertilizers, and other inputs to maintain economic viability. In general, cultivation of the soil for crop production degrades the soil. At some point, the cost of inputs will outweigh the value of the strawberry crop being produced. It is therefore essential for growers to monitor the productive capacity of their soil

Effect of FourWeed Management Systems on Soil Quality in Junebearing Strawberry Production

Few herbicides are registered for use in Junebearing matted-row strawberry culture. This study was conducted to explore alternative methods of weed management that are both economically and environmentally sustainable. The experiment evaluated the effects of two conventional and two alternative weed management systems on soil quality in Junebearing matted-row strawberry production. The experiment began in 2004 and was completed after the 2007 strawberry harvest

Comparison of Sustainable and Conventional Weed Management Systems in Junebearing Strawberry Production

Few herbicides are registered for use in Junebearing matted-row strawberry culture. This study was conducted to develop alternative methods of weed management. The experiment evaluated the effects of two conventional and two alternative weed management systems on Junebearing matted-row strawberry production

Effect of Living or Straw Mulch on Weed Management and Soil Quality in Grape Vineyards

The use of herbicides in vineyards has been a cost-effective way for in-row weed management. However, as public concerns about pesticide run-off, ground water quality, and soil erosion have increased, grape growers have become aware of a need for alternative methods of weed management. The overall objective of this project was to identify optimal weed-management practices that maximize grapevine growth and development as well as maintain or improve vineyard soil quality

Effects of Four Weed Management Systems on Soil Quality in Junebearing Strawberry Production

Few herbicides are registered for use in Junebearing matted-row strawberry culture. This study was conducted to develop alternative methods of weed management that are both economically and environmentally sustainable. The experiment evaluated the effects of two alternative and two conventional weed management systems on soil quality in Junebearing matted-row strawberry production. A soil quality index, based on chemical, physical, and biological properties of soil, was developed to help growers improve crop profitability and soil conservation

Soil Quality Interest Survey of Iowa Small Fruit Growers

The profitability of strawberry production is dependent on the condition, or quality, of the soil. Soils with poor physical structure, chemical properties, or biological activity require more cultivation, fertilizers, and other inputs to maintain economic viability. In general, cultivation of the soil for crop production degrades the soil. It is therefore essential for growers to monitor the productive capacity of their soil. Because the concept of ‘soil quality’ is a relatively recent development, a survey of Iowa berry growers was conducted to coincide with soil quality field research and outreach projects. A short questionnaire was mailed to participants to gauge their awareness of soil quality before the study began and after it was completed

Integrated soil and weed management production systems for perennial food crops

Several alternative weed management tactics for strawberry and grape production were tested for their effects on weed control, crop yield and soil quality enhancement

Photonic qubits, qutrits and ququads accurately prepared and delivered on demand

Reliable encoding of information in quantum systems is crucial to all approaches to quantum information processing or communication. This applies in particular to photons used in linear optics quantum computing (LOQC), which is scalable provided a deterministic single-photon emission and preparation is available. Here, we show that narrowband photons deterministically emitted from an atom-cavity system fulfill these requirements. Within their 500 ns coherence time, we demonstrate a subdivision into d time bins of various amplitudes and phases, which we use for encoding arbitrary qu-d-its. The latter is done deterministically with a fidelity >95% for qubits, verified using a newly developed time-resolved quantum-homodyne method.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure