105 research outputs found
Investigation of plant growth and transpiration-induced matric suction under mixed grass-tree conditions
Although evapotranspiration-induced matric suction for single species has been widely studied, little is known about how mixed-species planting would affect the plant growth and induced matric suction. This study aims to explore the effects of grass-tree interaction on their growth and induced matric suction during evapotranspiration (ET) and rainfalls. Field monitoring was carried out to measure matric suction responses in compacted soil that was vegetated with (i) single tree species, Schefflera heptaphylla and (ii) mixed species of the trees and a grass species, Cynodon dactylon. In each condition, three tree spacings (120, 180 and 240 mm) were planted. When tree spacing increased from 120 to 240 mm, the peak tree root area index (RAI, for fine roots with diameterThe accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author
Getting Better Hospital Alarm Sounds Into a Global Standard
The reserved set of audible alarm signals embodied within the global medical device safety standard, IEC 60601-1-8, is known to be problematic and in need of updating. The current alarm signals are not only suboptimal, but there is also little evidence beyond learnability (which is known to be poor) that demonstrates their performance in realistic and representative clinical environments. In this article, we describe the process of first designing and then testing potential replacement audible alarm signals for IEC 60601-1-8, starting with the design of several sets of candidate sounds and initial tests on learnability and localizability, followed by testing in simulated clinical environments. We demonstrate that in all tests, the alarm signals selected for further development significantly outperform the current alarm signals. We describe the process of collecting considerably more data on the performance of the new sounds than exists for the current sounds, which ultimately will be of use to end users. We also reflect on the process and practice of working with the relevant committees and other practical issues beyond the science, which also need constant attention if the alarms we have developed are to be included successfully in an updated version of the standard
Marginal Fermi liquid analysis of 300 K reflectance of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x
We use 300 K reflectance data to investigate the normal-state electrodynamics
of the high temperature superconductor BiSrCaCuO
over a wide range of doping levels. The data show that at this temperature the
free carriers are coupled to a continuous spectrum of fluctuations. Assuming
the Marginal Fermi Liquid (MFL) form as a first approximation for the
fluctuation spectrum, the doping-dependent coupling constant can
be estimated directly from the slope of the reflectance spectrum. We find that
decreases smoothly with the hole doping level, from underdoped
samples with ( K) where to overdoped
samples with , ( K) where . An analysis of
the intercept and curvature of the reflectance spectrum shows deviations from
the MFL spectrum symmetrically placed at the optimal doping point . The
Kubo formula for the conductivity gives a better fit to the experiments with
the MFL spectrum up to 2000 cm and with an additional Drude component or
an additional Lorentz component up to 7000 cm. By comparing three
different model fits we conclude that the MFL channel is necessary for a good
fit to the reflectance data. Finally, we note that the monotonic variation of
the reflectance slope with doping provides us with an independent measure of
the doping level for the Bi-2212 system.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figure
Anaesthesia, surgery, obstetrics, and emergency care in Guyana
AbstractThe surgical and anaesthesia needs of low-income countries are mostly unknown due to the lack of data on surgical infrastructure and human resources. The goal of this study is to assess the surgical and anaesthesia capacity in Guyana.A survey tool adapted from the WHO Tool for Situational Analysis to Assess Emergency and Essential Surgical Care was used to survey nine regional and district hospitals within the Ministry of Health system in Guyana.In nine hospitals across Guyana, there were an average of 0.7 obstetricians/gynaecologists, 3.5 non-OB surgeons, and 1 anaesthesiologist per hospital. District and regional hospitals performed an annual total of 1520 and 10,340 surgical cases, respectively. All but 2 district hospitals reported the ability to perform surgery. An average hospital has two operating rooms; 6 out of 9 hospitals reported routine medication shortages, and 4 out of 9 hospitals reported routine water or electricity shortages. Amongst the three regional hospitals, 16.1% of pregnancies resulted in Caesarean section.Surgical capacity varies by hospital type, with district hospitals having the least surgical capacity and surgical volume. District level hospitals routinely do not perform surgery due to lack of basic infrastructure and human resources
RNA Interference-Mediated Silencing of the Hsp70 Gene Inhibits Human Gastric Cancer Cell Growth and Induces Apoptosis in Vitro and in Vivo
Effects of Cd compensation on the photoluminescence of Cd1-xZnxTe single crystals grown by the modified Bridgman method
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