Absolute photoionization cross sections of atomic oxygen

The absolute values of photoionization cross sections of atomic oxygen were measured from the ionization threshold to 120 A. An auto-ionizing resonance belonging to the 2S2P4(4P)3P(3Do, 3So) transition was observed at 479.43 A and another line at 389.97 A. The experimental data is in excellent agreement with rigorous close-coupling calculations that include electron correlations in both the initial and final states

Incidence of anthelmintic resistance in cattle farms in Northern Germany – first results

Anthelmintic resistance (AR) is an increasing problem worldwide especially for small ruminants and it is also rising in cattle. To maintain the efficacy of anthelmintics is an important objective. The current project aims at the investigation of the current efficacy of macrocyclic lactone anthelmintics for strongylid nematodes in first season grazing (FSG) calves in Northern Germany. On 8 participating farms in Northern Germany faecal egg count reduction tests (FECRT) with ivermectin (IVM) were performed. On 3 farms the efficacy of IVM was found to be ≤90% and on only 4 farms it was > 95% at 14 days post treatment (d.p.t.). Only 2 farms showed a reduction ≥ 95% at 21 d.p.t.. This survey reveals a rising problem of AR. The problem of drug resistance places the welfare of animals at risk. In organic farming, without a preventive treatment, livestock may harbour high worm counts. Therefore it is necessary to maintain powerful anthelmintic drugs to guarantee the welfare of animals that need salvage treatment. To investigate the AR problem in cattle more surveys with different anthelmintic drug classes are urgently needed

Remotely controlled mirror of variable geometry for small angle x-ray diffraction with synchrotron radiation

A total-reflecting mirror of 120-cm length was designed and built to focus synchrotron radiation emanating from the electron-positron storage ring at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SPEAR). The reflecting surface is of unpolished float glass. The bending and tilt mechanism allows very fine control of the curvature and selectability of the critical angle for wavelengths ranging from 0.5 to 3.0 Å. Elliptical curvature is used to minimize aberrations. The mirror is placed asymmetrically onto the ellipse so as to achieve a tenfold demagnification of the source. The bending mechanism reduces nonelastic deformation (flow) and minimizes strains and stresses in the glass despite its length. Special design features assure stability of the focused image. The mirror reduces the intensity of shorter wavelength harmonics by a factor of approximately 100

Peritraumatic distress and perceived mental healthcare needs among residents of a community housing during COVID-19

Introduction: The consequences of lockdown, quarantine, and uncertainties of COVID-19 pandemic has not only caused physical sufferings but affected the mental health of the people around the globe. Peritraumatic distress is a strong predictor of posttraumatic stress disorder that may further lead to depression and suicidal risk. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess peritraumatic distress and perceived mental healthcare needs among the residents of a gated community in Kathmandu Valley. Method: This was a quantitative online cross-sectional study conducted during June 2020 among adult residents of a gated community in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. COVID-19 peritraumatic distress index and perceived mental healthcare questionnaire were used to find out peritraumatic distress and mental healthcare needs of the residents. Ethical approval was obtained. Statistical analysis of data was done using SPSS. Results: A total of 45 residents returned the completed forms. Male were 62.2%, 53.3% belonged to 36 to 55 years and 46.7% had at least one comorbidity. Mild to moderate peritraumatic distress was found among 17.82%. Fisher’s exact test showed no association between age, gender, presence of comorbidity and peritraumatic distress (p > 0.05). Perceived mental healthcare needs were felt by more than 91% of the participants. Conclusion: One sixth of the participants had mild to moderate level of peritraumatic distress. Almost all the participants felt they have mental healthcare needs. Study highlights the need for counseling for distress and mental health during COVID-19 pandemic

Total and dissociative photoionization cross sections of N2 from threshold to 107 eV

The absolute cross sections for the production of N(+) and N2(+) were measured from the dissociative ionization threshold of 115 A. In addition, the absolute photoabsorption and photoionization cross sections were tabulated between 114 and 796 A. The ionization efficiencies were also given at several discrete wave lengths between 660 and 790 A. The production of N(+) fragment ions are discussed in terms of the doubly excited N2(+) states with binding energies in the range of 24 to 44 eV

INFLUENCE OF EDUCATIONAL AND SOCIAL FACTORS ON UPTAKE OF AVOCADO IMPROVED PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES: CASE OF KISII AND NYAMIRA COUNTIES REGION, KENYA

The study was carried out to evaluate influence of social and educational factors on uptake of  improved production technologies in avocado smallholder farming. The study was done in Kisii and Nyamira counties region, Kenya.The general objective is to improve avocado production. The specific objective is to assess influence of farmer’s social factors; gender roles, age and level of formal education on upake of improved production technologies in Avocado smallholder farming. Low avocado production in the study region is attributed to low uptake of improved  production technologies by  small scale farmers, among other factors. The study hypothesised that the low  uptake could be due to  chance and there is no  significant influence  of the farmer’s social factors; gender roles,age and level of formal education  on  the  uptake  hence the study. Descriptive survey  research design  was used.Stratified and  purposive sampling procedures  and Morgan’s table of sample size determination were applied in obtaining respondents. There was one sub county  purposively sampled from each  of  the 4 agroecological zones in the region.Thus from 4 sub  counties with 1,211  house holds, a sample of 291 respondents was accessed  using Morgan’s table. Reliable structured questionnaires with  Cronbach Alpha, α=0.724 were  used to collect  field data from 291  small scale avocado farmers.The data was analysed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) computer software. Descriptive, analysis of variance, least significant difference and regression outputs were obtained. Results show that where male farmers  control family resources more than females, influence of  the gender roles has more significant  mean difference and positive  correlation  with uptake  of avocado improved production technologies hence better for the uptake. Although influence of farmer’s age of over 70 years has more significant difference on uptake of the technologies, their correlation is not significant. Thus, farmers’ uptake of  the technologies non-significantly decreases with both decrease and increase in age. Influence of  farmer’s secondary level of formal education has more significant  difference and positive correlation on uptake  of avocado improved production technologies hence better for the uptake. Gender inclusivity should be encouraged and  there is room for offering extension services even to the aged farmers involved in production of improved production technologies such as avocado. Secondary level of formal education should be prioritized for the citicenry for increased  uptake of  avocado improved  production technologies

Chronic exposure to neonicotinoids increases neuronal vulnerability to mitochondrial dysfunction in the bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)

This work was funded jointly by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Natural Environment Research Council, the Scottish Government, and The Wellcome Trust, under the Insect Pollinators Initiative (United Kingdom) Grant BB/ 1000313/1 (to C.N.C.).The global decline in the abundance and diversity of insect pollinators could result from habitat loss, disease, and pesticide exposure. The contribution of the neonicotinoid insecticides (e.g., clothianidin and imidacloprid) to this decline is controversial, and key to understanding their risk is whether the astonishingly low levels found in the nectar and pollen of plants is sufficient to deliver neuroactive levels to their site of action: the bee brain. Here we show that bumblebees (Bombusterrestris audax) fed field levels [10 nM, 2.1 ppb (w/w)] of neonicotinoid accumulate between 4 and 10 nM in their brains within 3 days. Acute (minutes) exposure of cultured neurons to 10 nM clothianidin, but not imidacloprid, causes a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor-dependent rapid mitochondrial depolarization. However, a chronic (2 days) exposure to 1 nM imidacloprid leads to a receptor-dependent increased sensitivity to a normally innocuous level of acetylcholine, which now also causes rapid mitochondrial depolarization in neurons. Finally, colonies exposed to this level of imidacloprid show deficits in colony growth and nest condition compared with untreated colonies. These findings provide a mechanistic explanation for the poor navigation and foraging observed in neonicotinoid treated bumblebee colonies.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

An exploratory study on emotion regulation strategy use in individuals with Williams syndrome, autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability

BACKGROUND: Individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders often have atypical emotion profiles, but little is known about how they regulate their emotions. While several studies have examined emotion regulation strategy use in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), only a few have included individuals with intellectual disability (ID) or focused on specific syndromes such as Williams syndrome (WS). METHODS: A parent-reported survey launched during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic allowed to exploratorily study emotion regulation strategy use and its link to anxiety in individuals with ASD with (N=785) and without ID (N=596), WS (N=261), and Intellectual Disability not otherwise specified (N=649). RESULTS: Using multilevel analyses, besides revealing specific group differences in emotion regulation strategy use, a variety of strategies (e.g., rumination, avoiding information, repetitive behaviors) were found to be linked to elevated levels of anxiety, while focusing on the positive was linked to lower anxiety levels in all groups. Moreover, only autistic people without ID used humor more frequently while experiencing lower anxiety levels. CONCLUSION: This study sheds light on an underexplored area of emotion regulation strategy use in different neurodevelopmental disorders. It also paves the way to further examine emotion regulation in more rigorous ways to better understand emotion regulation in different neurodevelopmental disorders as well as the impact on outcome measures such as anxiety. This exploratory study may help to develop and validate adequate measures to study a broad array of ER strategies used by individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders