Atlas des sols d'Afrique

Qu'est-ce qu'un sol et quelle est son origine ? Quelles sont les particularités des sols d'Afrique ? A quoi peut servir un sol pour les hommes et leur environnement ? Comment nos activités affectent-elles le sol ? Le tout premier Atlas des sols d'Afrique présente des cartes claires, des textes informatifs et des photographies exemplaires pour répondre à ces questions et à bien d'autres. D'éminents pédologues d'Afrique et d'Europe se sont mis ensemble pour éditer ce document unique. Utilisant des techniques cartographiques de pointe, l'Atlas des sols d'Afrique montre la nature changeante des sols à travers le continent. L'Atlas des sols d'Afrique explique les origines et fonctions des sols, décrit les divers types de sols que l'on trouve en Afrique et leur importance face aux défis locaux et mondiaux. L'atlas présente également les principales menaces les affectant et les mesures à prendre pour protéger leurs ressources. Ce volume est plus qu'un simple atlas: il se veut une réflexion sur une ressource naturelle souvent négligée, qui nous entoure et nous affecte tous. L'Atlas des sols d'Afrique est une référence essentielle sur une ressource non renouvelable, indispensable à la vie sur Terre. Les propriétés du sol varient énormément d'une région à l'autre. Les sols sous forêt ombrophile sont sensibles à l'érosion et à la perte de nutriments si la couverture végétale est enlevée. Les oasis des déserts et du Sahel démontrent que des sols apparemment infertiles peuvent être cultivés en présence d'eau. Les marécages du Congo et des autres grands bassins stockent le carbone organique et accueillent une faune importante. Les sols noirs argileux de la vallée du Nil au Soudan sont riches mais difficiles à travailler quand ils sont très humides ou très secs. Les sols fortement salés sont inaptes aux cultures, mais hébergent des communautés végétales uniques. Les plantes sont tributaires des sols pour l'eau, les nutriments et comme support. Le sol stocke, filtre, tamponne et transforme des substances introduites dans l'environnement. Cette capacité est cruciale pour la fourniture et la protection de l'eau et pour la régulation des gaz à effet de serre. Le sol est un pourvoyeur de matières premières. C'est aussi un remarquable habitat et une banque génétique. Le sol est un composant fondamental de nos paysages et de notre héritage culturel

The Association Between Spirituality/Religiosity and Well-Being in Young, Middle and Old Age in Switzerland

In contemporary literature, religiosity and spirituality are increasingly being recognized as important aspects of well-being. Spirituality and religiosity are multifaceted and highly interrelated constructs. In this chapter, we focus on two aspects: First, we explore the importance of religiosity and spirituality in the life of the participants of the Hope-Barometer 2015 by comparing groups of different demographic backgrounds (i.e., age groups, gender). Second, we investigate the associations between religiosity/spirituality on the one hand, and subjective and physical well-being on the other. Based on these results and further analyses, interesting insights into the role of religion and spirituality in the life of persons of different age stages can be gained. The chapter further discusses how religiosity and spirituality can play an important role in the context of critical life events and the adaptation to profound life transitions

A randomized trial to evaluate the effectiveness of an individual, education-based safe transport program for drivers aged 75 years and older

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There are concerns over safety of older drivers due to increased crash involvement and vulnerability to injury. However, loss of driving privileges can dramatically reduce independence and quality of life for older members of the community. The aim of this trial is to examine the effectiveness of a safe transport program for drivers aged 75 years and older at reducing driving exposure but maintaining mobility.</p> <p>Methods and design</p> <p>A randomised trial will be conducted, involving 380 drivers aged 75 years and older, resident in urban and semi-rural areas of North-West Sydney. The intervention is an education program based on the Knowledge Enhances Your Safety (KEYS) program, adapted for the Australian context. Driving experience will be measured objectively using an in-vehicle monitoring device which includes a global positioning system (GPS) to assess driving exposure and an accelerometer to detect rapid deceleration events. Participation will be assessed using the Keele Assessment of Participation (KAP). Data will be analysed on an intention-to-treat basis; the primary outcomes include driving exposure, rapid deceleration events and scores for KAP. Secondary outcomes include self-reported measures of driving, socialisation, uptake of alternative forms of transport, depressive symptoms and mood. A detailed process evaluation will be conducted, including examination of the delivery of the program and uptake of alternative forms of transport. A subgroup analysis is planned for drivers with reduced function as characterized by established cut-off scores on the Drivesafe assessment tool.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>This randomised trial is powered to provide an objective assessment of the efficacy of an individually tailored education and alternative transportation program to promote safety of older drivers but maintain mobility. Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12612000543886.</p

Open Data from the Third Observing Run of LIGO, Virgo, KAGRA, and GEO

Abstract The global network of gravitational-wave observatories now includes five detectors, namely LIGO Hanford, LIGO Livingston, Virgo, KAGRA, and GEO 600. These detectors collected data during their third observing run, O3, composed of three phases: O3a starting in 2019 April and lasting six months, O3b starting in 2019 November and lasting five months, and O3GK starting in 2020 April and lasting two weeks. In this paper we describe these data and various other science products that can be freely accessed through the Gravitational Wave Open Science Center at https://gwosc.org. The main data set, consisting of the gravitational-wave strain time series that contains the astrophysical signals, is released together with supporting data useful for their analysis and documentation, tutorials, as well as analysis software packages.</jats:p

Model-based Cross-correlation Search for Gravitational Waves from the Low-mass X-Ray Binary Scorpius X-1 in LIGO O3 Data

We present the results of a model-based search for continuous gravitational waves from the low-mass X-ray binary Scorpius X-1 using LIGO detector data from the third observing run of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo. This is a semicoherent search that uses details of the signal model to coherently combine data separated by less than a specified coherence time, which can be adjusted to balance sensitivity with computing cost. The search covered a range of gravitational-wave frequencies from 25 to 1600 Hz, as well as ranges in orbital speed, frequency, and phase determined from observational constraints. No significant detection candidates were found, and upper limits were set as a function of frequency. The most stringent limits, between 100 and 200 Hz, correspond to an amplitude h0 of about 10−25 when marginalized isotropically over the unknown inclination angle of the neutron star's rotation axis, or less than 4 × 10−26 assuming the optimal orientation. The sensitivity of this search is now probing amplitudes predicted by models of torque balance equilibrium. For the usual conservative model assuming accretion at the surface of the neutron star, our isotropically marginalized upper limits are close to the predicted amplitude from about 70 to 100 Hz; the limits assuming that the neutron star spin is aligned with the most likely orbital angular momentum are below the conservative torque balance predictions from 40 to 200 Hz. Assuming a broader range of accretion models, our direct limits on gravitational-wave amplitude delve into the relevant parameter space over a wide range of frequencies, to 500 Hz or more