Farm Family Household Production and Rural Development

Community/Rural/Urban Development, Farm Management,

Complexities of atomic structure at CdO/MgO and CdO/Al2O3 interfaces

We report the interface structures of CdO thin films on (001)-MgO and (0001)-Al2O3 substrates. Using aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, we show that epitaxial growth of (001)-CdO∥(001)-MgO occurs with a lattice misfit greater than 10%. A high density of interface misfit dislocations is found to form. In combination with molecular dynamics simulations, we show that dislocation strain fields form and overlap in very thin heterostructures of CdO and MgO (<3 nm). On the c-Al2O3 substrate, we find that CdO grows with a surface normal of [025]. We show that three rotation variants form due to the symmetry of the sapphire surface. These results contribute insights into the epitaxial growth of these rock-salt oxides

Patterns of bacterial diversity across a range of Antarctic terrestrial habitats

Although soil-borne bacteria represent the world's greatest source of biological diversity, it is not well understood whether extreme environmental conditions, such as those found in Antarctic habitats, result in reduced soil-borne microbial diversity. To address this issue, patterns of bacterial diversity were studied in soils sampled along a > 3200 km southern polar transect spanning a gradient of increased climate severity over 27° of latitude. Vegetated and fell-field plots were sampled at the Falkland (51°S), South Georgia (54°S), Signy (60°S) and Anchorage Islands (67°S), while bare frost-sorted soil polygons were examined at Fossil Bluff (71°S), Mars Oasis (72°S), Coal Nunatak (72°S) and the Ellsworth Mountains (78°S). Bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences were recovered subsequent to direct DNA extraction from soil, polymerase chain reaction amplification and cloning. Although bacterial diversity was observed to decline with increased latitude, habitat-specific patterns appeared to also be important. Namely, a negative relationship was found between bacterial diversity and latitude for fell-field soils, but no such pattern was observed for vegetated sites. The Mars Oasis site, previously identified as a biodiversity hotspot within this region, proved exceptional within the study transect, with unusually high bacterial diversity. In independent analyses, geographical distance and vegetation cover were found to significantly influence bacterial community composition. These results provide insight into the factors shaping the composition of bacterial communities in Antarctic terrestrial habitats and support the notion that bacterial diversity declines with increased climatic severity

The multiplicity of organizing visions

© 2017 Elsevier Inc. Research has shown that information systems adoption decisions are often influenced by organizing visions. Organizing visions provide a legitimation for technology related decision-making and involve a range of influences and perceptions from consultants, industry bodies, policy makers and other firms. This paper is concerned with identifying the mechanisms that underlie the structure of an organizing vision. A range of case studies and a morphogenetic approach, underpinned by critical realist philosophy, are used to demonstrate how organizations respond to organizing visions and how different response communities emerge. We identify and explain the characteristics of the shaper, resistor, coerced, follower and ambivalent communities, their relationship with an organizing vision and the importance of pre-existing conditions

A one -Year Multicenter Study of Simvastatin in the Treatment of Hypercholesterolemia

A 1-year prospective study was conducted in 475 hypercholesterolaemic men and women who received simvastatin monotherapy 10-40 mg daily for 3 months followed by additional lipid-lowering medication after this period, if necessary, to reach a target of plasma cholesterol <5.3 mmol/l. Of these, 403 subjects completed 1 year of follow-up. By the end of the 3-month monotherapy period, the following percentage mean changes were seen (with 95% confidence intervals): total cholesterol (TC) -31% (-30 to -32%), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol -39% (-38 to -40%), triglycerides -14% (-11 to -17%) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol +12% (+11 to +14%). These levels were maintained for the remainder of the study. When subjects with a baseline TC of 6.5-7.8 mmol/l were considered (n=89), 42.7% achieved the target TC levels on simvastatin monotherapy alone. Additional hypolipidaemic medication had no Significant impact on plasma lipid and lipoprotein levels. Simvastatin was well tolerated both as monotherapy and in combination