Caudal cervical vertebral morphological variation is not associated with clinical signs in Warmblood horses

Background Variation in equine caudal cervical spine morphology at C6 and C7 has high prevalence in Warmblood horses and is suspected to be associated with pain in a large mixed-breed group of horses. At present no data exist on the relationship between radiographic phenotype and clinical presentation in Warmblood horses in a case-control study. Objectives To establish the frequency of radiographically visible morphologic variation in a large group of Warmblood horses with clinical signs and compare this with a group without clinical signs. We hypothesised that occurrence of morphologic variation in the case group would not differ from the control group, indicating there is no association between clinical signs and morphologic variation. Study design Retrospective case-control. Methods Radiographic presence or absence of morphologic variation of cervical vertebrae C6 and C7 was recorded in case (n = 245) and control horses (n = 132). Case and control groups were compared by univariable Pearson's Chi-square and multivariable logistic regression for measurement variables age, sex, breed, degenerative joint disease and morphologic variation at C6 and C7. Odds ratio and confidence intervals were obtained. A P <= 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Morphologic variation at C6 and C7 (n = 108/377 = 28.6%; Cases 58/245 = 23.7%; Control 50/132 = 38%) was less frequent in horses with clinical signs in univariable testing (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.3-0.8, P = 0.001). Age, sex, breed and degenerative joint disease were not retained in the final multivariable logistic regression step whereas morphologic variation remained significantly less present in horses with clinical signs. Main limitations Possible demographic differences between equine clinics. Conclusions Morphologic variation in the caudal cervical spine was detected more frequently in horses without clinical signs. Therefore, radiographic presence of such variation does not necessarily implicate the presence of clinical signs

The effect of building geometry on aeolian deposition patterns:a field experiment

Worldwide, beaches are popular for recreation. As a result, people have built (holiday) houses, restaurants and other buildings at the land-sea interface. These buildings affect the wind field and wind-driven sand transport in their surroundings, thereby shaping the development of the beachdune system. Currently, society is facing a growing demand for buildings on the beach, but at the same time it lacks knowledge on the effect these buildings have. Therefore, we aim to understand the effect of buildings on the beach-dune interface. In this contribution, we present the results of a field experiment that, as a first step, documents the effect of building geometry on the size of aeolian deposition patterns around buildings in an open sandflat setting.<br/

A Real-Time Ethernet Network at Home

This paper shows the current state of our research into a home network which provides both real-time and non-real-time capabilities for one coherent, distributed architecture. It is based on a new type of real-time token protocol that uses scheduling to achieve optimal token-routing in the network. Depending on the scheduling algorithm, bandwidth utilisations of 100% are possible. Token management, to prevent token-loss or multiple tokens, is essential to support a dynamic, plug-and-play configuration. Our network will support inexpensive, small appliances as well as more expensive, large appliances. Small appliances, like sensors, would contain low-cost, embedded processors with limited computing power, which can handle lightweight network protocols. All other operations can be delegated to other appliances that have sufficient resources. This provides a basis for transparency, as it separates controlling and controlled object

Социально-экономическое развитие Кировского района

В статье раскрывается социально-экономическое развитие Кировского района, сравниваются показатели района с показателями по Автономной Республике Крым в целом. Раскрывается туристско-ресурсный потенциал города Старый Крым и делается предположение, как эффективно использовать имеющийся потенциал для развития Кировского района в целом.В статті розкривається соціально-економічний розвиток Кіровського району, порівнюються показники району з показниками по Автономній Республіці Крим в цілому. Розкривається туристсько-ресурсний потенціал міста Старий Крим і робиться припущення, як ефективно використовувати наявний потенціал для розвитку Кіровського району в цілому.In the article is described the social and the economic development of the Kirovsk district of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and are compared the parameters of the district with the parametrs in Autonomous Republic of Crimea in the whole. In this article are shown tourist's and spa resorts of the town Stary Krym and is made the proposal how to use the potential of the town for the development of the Kirovsk district in the whole

Aeolian Sediment Flux Derived from a Natural Sand Trap

In 2011, a mega-nourishment (the ‘Sand Motor’) was constructed along the Dutch Coast. Since it is a pilot project, its evolution is closely monitored. This paper presents first results on the temporal variation in aeolian sediment transport across the nourishment, based on (a) the rate of infill over a 4 year period of a small lake in the nourishment, (b) one year of semi-hourly collected video imagery and (c) four year of hourly-averaged wind data. It appeared that, apart from approximately the first half year, the infill occurred quite linearly over time at an average rate of about 1.9·104 m3/yr. The rate of infill in the first half year period was equivalent to an annual rate of 8.4·104 m3/yr. From the combination of video image data and wind data, it was derived that aeolian sand transport (by saltation) was only observed at hourly averaged wind speeds of at least 7 m/s. The monthly frequency of occurrence of above 7 m/s wind speed, was reasonably well correlated with monthly frequency of occurrence of aeolian transport (r=0.79). Nevertheless, when hourly wind speed exceeded 7 m/s, transport was only observed about 23% of the time, indicating the importance of supply limiting conditions for aeolian transport from the Sand Motor

Biophysical Modeling of Mangrove Seedling Establishment and Survival Across an Elevation Gradient With Forest Zones

Mangrove forest development critically depends on the establishment and survival of seedlings. Mechanistic insights into how water levels, waves and bed level dynamics influence the establishment process of individual mangrove seedlings are increasing. However, little is known about how spatial and temporal changes in water levels, waves and bed level dynamics across elevation gradients in mangrove forests facilitate/limit seedling dynamics. For this study, a new seedling establishment and growth model was integrated into a process-based hydrodynamic and morphodynamic numerical model. This biophysical model was applied to a fringing mangrove forest located in the southern Firth of Thames, Aotearoa, New Zealand. This study quantifies the increasing establishment density and survival probability of mangrove seedlings from the lower-elevated unvegetated intertidal flat toward the higher-elevated mature mangrove forest. Three cross-shore zones with distinctive seedling dynamics were identified: (a) a zone with daily tidal inundation where seedling dynamics are episodic and limited by the dispersal of individual propagules that rapidly anchor to the substrate by root growth, (b) a zone with daily to bi-weekly tidal inundation where seedling dynamics respond to variations in spring-neap tidal cycles and, (c) a zone with less than bi-weekly inundation where seedling dynamics are governed by high propagule supply and seedling survival probability. The seedling establishment density and survival probability are dominated by annual extremes in tidal hydroperiod and bed shear stresses, respectively. The obtained parameterizations can be used to incorporate seedling dynamics in decadal-timescale mangrove forest development models that are instrumental for mangrove management and restoration

Mangrove forest drag and bed stabilisation effects on intertidal flat morphology

Mangrove trees influence their physical environment by exerting drag on tidal flows and waves while also stabilising the sediment bed of intertidal flats. These processes influence sediment accretion, the mangrove habitat and their resilience to sea level rise. However, little is known about the magnitude and spatial extent of the effects of mangrove forests on sediment transport and the morphology of the intertidal flat. We use manipulated simulations with an extended process-based numerical model, to study the influence of mangrove forests on intertidal flat morphology on a yearly timescale. The model includes the influence of mangrove trees on tidal flows, waves and sediment dynamics. The model is calibrated and validated with a comprehensive set of measurement data including hydrodynamics, sediment transport and morphological processes from an expanding mangrove forest in the sediment-rich Firth of Thames estuary in Aotearoa New Zealand. Sediment accretion on the upper intertidal flat is predominantly influenced by the characteristic morphology of the established mangrove forest, with increased bed stability at higher mudflat elevations related to prolonged aerial exposure and drying of the bed. Our results show that, in comparison to the situation without mangroves, sediment accretion increases in the most seaward fringe area of the forest. The unvegetated intertidal flat fronting the mangrove forest captures less sediment compared to the situation without mangroves. The mangrove forest drag triggers the development of a steeper, convex-up-shaped, upper intertidal flat profile, especially during periods with higher water levels and waves. These effects are expected to influence the development and storm-recovery of natural and restored mangrove forests and may contribute to the resilience and persistence of mangrove-vegetated intertidal flats for coastal flood risk reduction.</p

Засади та історія становлення соціального вчення Українського католицизму

In equine medicine the use of Botox® is experimental. Dosages are determined from human treatment-protocols and limited numbers of equine studies. Determination of target-muscle volume can be helpful to extrapolate human dosages. The aim of the study was to calculate a formula enabling the estimation of the deep digital flexor muscle (DDFM) volume based on distances between anatomical landmarks. Nineteen cadaveric limbs were collected and distance A (top of olecranon to Os carpi accessorium) and B (circumference of limb) were measured. Converting mathematical formulas, C was calculated: π × (((0.5B)/π)(2)) × A. DDFM volume was determined by water displacement. Linear Regression Analysis was used to analyse data. The line best fitting the observed points was: Ln(volume[ml]) = -1.89 + 0.98 × Ln(value C[cm(3)]). Correlation was highest when natural logarithm was applied to both variables and was 0.97. The calculated formula enables estimating DDFM volume of a living horse. This estimated volume can be useful to apply human Botox® treatment-protocols

Twitter Flood Mapping Scripts: First Release

The increasing number and severity of floods, driven by phenomena such as urbanization, deforestation, subsidence and climate change, create a growing need for accurate and timely flood maps. In this paper we present and evaluate a method to create deterministic and probabilistic flood maps from Twitter messages that mention locations of flooding. A deterministic flood map created for the December 2015 flood in the city of York (UK) showed good performance (F(2) =  0.69; a statistic ranging from 0 to 1, with 1 expressing a perfect fit with validation data). The probabilistic flood maps we created showed that, in the York case study, the uncertainty in flood extent was mainly induced by errors in the precise locations of flood observations as derived from Twitter data. Errors in the terrain elevation data or in the parameters of the applied algorithm contributed less to flood extent uncertainty. Although these maps tended to overestimate the actual probability of flooding, they gave a reasonable representation of flood extent uncertainty in the area. This study illustrates that inherently uncertain data from social media can be used to derive information about flooding