770 research outputs found
Low Input Fungicide Programmes for the Control of Late Blight in Potatoes.
End of Project ReportField and farm trials were carried out between 1996 and 2000 to determine the
efficacy of the NegFry and Met. Ăireann decision support systems (DSS) in
controlling late blight of potatoes compared with routine fungicide treatments.
The trials were also used to determine the potential of the systems to reduce
fungicide inputs.Hardi Internationa
Signatures of exciton coupling in paired nanoemitters
An exciton formed by the delocalized electronic excitation of paired nanoemitters is interpreted in terms of the electromagnetic emission of the pair and their mutual coupling with a photodetector. A formulation directly tailored for fluorescence detection is identified, giving results which are strongly dependent on geometry and selection rules. Signature symmetric and antisymmetric combinations are analyzed and their distinctive features identified
Corporate Social Responsibility and Islamic Financial Institutions (IFIs): Management Perceptions from IFIs in Bahrain
Islamic finance is gaining greater attention in the finance industry, and this paper analyses how Islamic financial institutions (IFIs) are responding to the welfare needs of society. Using interview data with managers and content analysis of the disclosures, this study attempts to understand management perceptions of corporate social
responsibility (CSR) in IFIs. A thorough understanding of CSR by managers, as evident in the interviews, has not been translated fully into practice. The partial use of IFIsâ potential role in social welfare would add further challenges in the era of financialisation
Exploring the equity of GP practice prescribing rates for selected coronary heart disease drugs: a multiple regression analysis with proxies of healthcare need
Background
There is a small, but growing body of literature highlighting inequities in GP practice prescribing rates for many drug therapies. The aim of this paper is to further explore the equity of prescribing for five major CHD drug groups and to explain the amount of variation in GP practice prescribing rates that can be explained by a range of healthcare needs indicators (HCNIs).
Methods
The study involved a cross-sectional secondary analysis in four primary care trusts (PCTs 1â4) in the North West of England, including 132 GP practices. Prescribing rates (average daily quantities per registered patient aged over 35 years) and HCNIs were developed for all GP practices. Analysis was undertaken using multiple linear regression.
Results
Between 22â25% of the variation in prescribing rates for statins, beta-blockers and bendrofluazide was explained in the multiple regression models. Slightly more variation was explained for ACE inhibitors (31.6%) and considerably more for aspirin (51.2%). Prescribing rates were positively associated with CHD hospital diagnoses and procedures for all drug groups other than ACE inhibitors. The proportion of patients aged 55â74 years was positively related to all prescribing rates other than aspirin, where they were positively related to the proportion of patients aged >75 years. However, prescribing rates for statins and ACE inhibitors were negatively associated with the proportion of patients aged >75 years in addition to the proportion of patients from minority ethnic groups. Prescribing rates for aspirin, bendrofluazide and all CHD drugs combined were negatively associated with deprivation.
Conclusion
Although around 25â50% of the variation in prescribing rates was explained by HCNIs, this varied markedly between PCTs and drug groups. Prescribing rates were generally characterised by both positive and negative associations with HCNIs, suggesting possible inequities in prescribing rates on the basis of ethnicity, deprivation and the proportion of patients aged over 75 years (for statins and ACE inhibitors, but not for aspirin)
Control of metallo-supramolecular assemblies via steric, hydrogen bonding and argentophilic interactions; formation of a 3-dimensional polymer of circular helicates
This work shows how multiple non-covalent interactions are employed to control metallosupramolecular architectures and we demonstrate that a ligand, which contains two bidentate domains separated by a ArOH spacer, forms a mesocate when complexed with Ag(I). However, changing this to an ArOCH2CH2Ph spacer unit results in a 1-dimensional helical polymer upon reaction with the same cation. Reaction of Ag(I) with the ArOMe derivative gives a hexanuclear circular helicate which forms inter-assembly AgâŻAg interactions resulting in a 3-dimensional honeycomb-like polymer of hexanuclear circular helicates
Observation of the Dynamic Beta Effect at CESR with CLEO
Using the silicon strip detector of the CLEO experiment operating at the
Cornell Electron-positron Storage Ring (CESR), we have observed that the
horizontal size of the luminous region decreases in the presence of the
beam-beam interaction from what is expected without the beam-beam interaction.
The dependence on the bunch current agrees with the prediction of the dynamic
beta effect. This is the first direct observation of the effect.Comment: 9 page uuencoded postscript file, postscritp file also available
through http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS, submitted to Phys. Rev.
A selfâassembled anionâbinding cryptand for the highly selective liquidâliquid extraction of phosphate anions
The ligands L1 and L2 form trinuclear selfâassembled complexes with Cu2+ (i.e. [(L1)2Cu3]6+ or [(L2)2Cu3]6+) both of which act as a host to a variety of anions. Inclusion of long aliphatic chains on these ligands allows the assemblies to extract anions from aqueous media into organic solvents. Phosphate can be removed from water efficiently and highly selectively, even in the presence of other anions
Detectability of giant planets in protoplanetary disks by CO emission lines
In this paper we intend to provide an indirect method to detect Jovian
planets by studying near infrared emission spectra originating in the
protoplanetary disks around T Tauri stars. Our idea is to investigate whether a
massive planet could induce any observable effect on the spectral lines
emerging in the disks atmosphere. As a tracer molecule we propose CO, which is
excited in the ro-vibrational fundamental band in the disk atmosphere to a
distance of ~2-3 AU (depending on the stellar mass) where terrestrial planets
are thought to form. The synthetic molecular spectral line profiles were
calculated by an own developed semi-analytical double layer disk model. 2D gas
dynamics were incorporated in the calculation of synthetic spectral lines. We
demonstrate that a massive planet embedded in a protoplanetary disk strongly
influences the originally circular Keplerian gas dynamics. The perturbed motion
of the gas can be detected by comparing the CO line profiles in emission, which
is emerge from planet-bearing to those of planet-free disk models. The planet
signal has two major characteristics: a permanent line profile asymmetry, and
short timescale variability correlated with the orbital phase of the giant
planet. We have found that the strength of the asymmetry depends on the
physical parameters of the star-planet-disk system, such as the disk
inclination angle, the planetary and stellar masses, the orbital distance, and
the size of the disk inner cavity. The permanent line profile asymmetry is
caused by a disk in an eccentric state in the gap opened by the giant planet.
However, the variable component is a consequence of the local dynamical
perturbation by the orbiting giant planet. We show that a forming giant planet,
still embedded in the protoplanetary disk, can be detected using contemporary
or future high-resolution near-IR spectrographs like VLT/CRIRES and ELT/METIS.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figure
A new view of electrochemistry at highly oriented pyrolytic graphite
Major new insights on electrochemical processes at graphite electrodes are reported, following extensive investigations of two of the most studied redox couples, Fe(CN)64â/3â and Ru(NH3)63+/2+. Experiments have been carried out on five different grades of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) that vary in step-edge height and surface coverage. Significantly, the same electrochemical characteristic is observed on all surfaces, independent of surface quality: initial cyclic voltammetry (CV) is close to reversible on freshly cleaved surfaces (>400 measurements for Fe(CN)64â/3â and >100 for Ru(NH3)63+/2+), in marked contrast to previous studies that have found very slow electron transfer (ET) kinetics, with an interpretation that ET only occurs at step edges. Significantly, high spatial resolution electrochemical imaging with scanning electrochemical cell microscopy, on the highest quality mechanically cleaved HOPG, demonstrates definitively that the pristine basal surface supports fast ET, and that ET is not confined to step edges. However, the history of the HOPG surface strongly influences the electrochemical behavior. Thus, Fe(CN)64â/3â shows markedly diminished ET kinetics with either extended exposure of the HOPG surface to the ambient environment or repeated CV measurements. In situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) reveals that the deterioration in apparent ET kinetics is coupled with the deposition of material on the HOPG electrode, while conducting-AFM highlights that, after cleaving, the local surface conductivity of HOPG deteriorates significantly with time. These observations and new insights are not only important for graphite, but have significant implications for electrochemistry at related carbon materials such as graphene and carbon nanotubes
Influence of Damming on Anuran Species Richness in Riparian Areas: A Test of the Serial Discontinuity Concept
Almost all large rivers worldwide are fragmented by dams, and their impacts have been modeled using the serial discontinuity concept (SDC), a series of predictions regarding responses of key biotic and abiotic variables. We evaluated the effects of damming on anuran communities along a 245âkm river corridor by conducting repeated, timeâconstrained anuran calling surveys at 42 locations along the Broad and Pacolet Rivers in South Carolina, USA. Using a hierarchical Bayesian analysis, we test the biodiversity prediction of the SDC (modified for floodplain rivers) by evaluating anuran occupancy and species diversity relative to dams and degree of urbanized land use. The mean response of the anuran community indicated that occupancy and species richness were maximized when sites were farther downstream from dams. Sites at the farthest distances downstream of dams (47.5 km) had an estimated ~3 more species than those just below dams. Similarly, speciesâspecific occupancy estimates showed a trend of higher occupancy downstream from dams. Therefore, using empirical estimation within the context of a 245âkm river riparian landscape, our study supports SDC predictions for a meandering river. We demonstrate that with increasing distance downstream from dams, riparian anuran communities have higher species richness. Reduced species richness immediately downstream of dams is likely driven by alterations in flow regime that reduce or eliminate flows which sustain riparian wetlands that serve as anuran breeding habitat. Therefore, to maintain anuran biodiversity, we suggest that flow regulation should be managed to ensure water releases inundate riparian wetlands during amphibian breeding seasons and aseasonal releases, which can displace adults, larvae, and eggs, are avoided. These outcomes could be achieved by emulating preâdam seasonal discharge data, mirroring discharge of an undammed tributary within the focal watershed, or by basing realâtime flow releases on current environmental conditions
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