Invariant imbedding theory of mode conversion in inhomogeneous plasmas. II. Mode conversion in cold, magnetized plasmas with perpendicular inhomogeneity

A new version of the invariant imbedding theory for the propagation of coupled waves in inhomogeneous media is applied to the mode conversion of high frequency electromagnetic waves into electrostatic modes in cold, magnetized and stratified plasmas. The cases where the external magnetic field is applied perpendicularly to the direction of inhomogeneity and the electron density profile is linear are considered. Extensive and numerically exact results for the mode conversion coefficients, the reflectances and the wave electric and magnetic field profiles inside the inhomogeneous plasma are obtained. The dependences of mode conversion phenomena on the magnitude of the external magnetic field, the incident angle and the wave frequency are explored in detail.Comment: 11 figures, to be published in Physics of Plasma

Less is more: Antibiotics at the beginning of life

Antibiotic exposure at the beginning of life can lead to increased antimicrobial resistance and perturbations of the developing microbiome. Early-life microbiome disruption increases the risks of developing chronic diseases later in life. Fear of missing evolving neonatal sepsis is the key driver for antibiotic overtreatment early in life. Bias (a systemic deviation towards overtreatment) and noise (a random scatter) affect the decision-making process. In this perspective, we advocate for a factual approach quantifying the burden of treatment in relation to the burden of disease balancing antimicrobial stewardship and effective sepsis management

Growth and yielding of several Saskatoon berry (Amelanchier alnifolia Nutt.) genotypes in central Poland

The results of the assessment of morphological traits of plants (growth vigor and shrub habit), yielding and fruit weight of seven Saskatoon berry (Amelanchier alnifolia Nutt.) genotypes are presented in the paper. The research was conducted in 2017–2018. The cultivar trail experiment was established in 2011 in the field of the Experimental Orchard of the Research Institute of Horticulture – in Dąbrowice, near Skierniewice (central Poland). Four Canadian cultivars (‘Martin’, ‘Pembina’, ‘Smoky’ and ‘Thiessen’) and three breeding clones of the Research Institute of Horticulture (clone 5/6, type N and type S) were assessed. The results of the studies showed that the shrubs of the clone 5/6 produced the tallest plants and grew the strongest. The shrubs of the cultivar ‘Pembina’, which produced short and narrow plants, grew the weakest. The shrubs of the breeding clone 5/6 had the most erect habit. The highest fruit yields were given by shrubs of clones type S and type N, and the lowest – by ‘Pembina’. The cultivar ‘Martin’ had the largest fruit, the smallest – ‘Pembina’ and clone 5/6. The results obtained in 2017–2018 largely confirmed the results obtained in the years 2015–2016