Size-resolved aerosol fluxes above a temperate broadleaf forest

Aerosol fluxes were measured by eddy-correlation for 8 weeks of the summer and fall of 2011 above a temperate broadleaf forest in central Ontario, Canada. These size-resolved measurements apply to particles with optical diameters between 50 and 500 nm and are the first ones reported above a temperate deciduous forest. The particle spectrometer was located on top of the flux tower in order to reduce signal dampening in the tube and thus maximize measurement efficiency. The 8-week data set extends into autumn, capturing leaf senescence and loss, offering a rare opportunity to investigate the influence of leaf area index on particle transfer. A distinct pattern of emission and deposition that depends on the particle size is highlighted: while the smallest particles (dp  100 nm) are preferentially deposited (62% of the time). For the size bins with detection efficiency above 50% (68–292 nm), the median transfer velocity for each bin varies between +1.34 and −2.69 mm s−1 and is equal to −0.21 mm s−1 for the total particle count. The occurrence of the upward fluxes shows a marked diurnal pattern. Possible explanations for these upward fluxes are proposed. The measurements, and their comparison with an existing model, highlight some of the key drivers of the particle transfer onto a broadleaf forest: particle size, friction velocity, leaf area index and atmospheric stability.We are grateful to the Haliburton forest staff and owner for their support, as well as Ting Zheng and Jing Ming Chen (Dept of Geography, Univ. of Toronto) for sharing the TRAC instrument LAI data. The UHSAS and SMPS instruments were contributed by the Canadian Aerosol Research Network, funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation. (Canada Foundation for Innovation)First author draf

Constraints in Production and Marketing of Arecanut in Salem District of Tamil Nadu, India

Arecanut is an important cash crop in our country. The study was carried out to ascertain the constraints faced by arecanut farmers in Salem district of Tamil Nadu with a sample size of 120, by employing proportionate random sampling technique. Majority of the respondents expressed lack of specific grading of nuts in marketing as a constraint. More than three-fourths of the respondents suggested that there should be a mechanism to regulate import of nuts from other countries and to create market potential for nuts in the local markets

The alcohol purchase task in young men from the general population.

BACKGROUND: The alcohol purchase task (APT), which presents a scenario and asks participants how many drinks they would purchase and consume at different prices, has been used among students and small clinical samples to obtain measures of alcohol demand but not in large, general population samples. METHODS: We administered the APT to a large sample of young men from the general population (Cohort Study on Substance Use Risk Factors). Participants who reported drinking in the past year (n=4790), reported on past 12 months alcohol use, on DSM-5 alcohol use disorder (AUD) criteria and on alcohol related consequences were included. RESULTS: Among the APT's demand parameters, intensity was 8.7 (SD=6.5) indicating that, when drinks are free, participants report a planned consumption of almost 9 drinks. The maximum alcohol expenditure (Omax) was over 35CHF (1CHF=1.1USD) and the demand became elastic (Pmax) at 8.4CHF (SD=5.6). The mean price at which the consumption was suppressed was 15.6CHF (SD=5.4). Exponential equation provided a satisfactory fit to individual responses (mean R(2): 0.8, median: 0.8). Demand intensity was correlated with alcohol use, number of AUD criteria and number of consequences (all r≥0.3, p<0.0001). Omax was correlated with alcohol use (p<0.0001). The elasticity parameter was weakly correlated with alcohol use in the expected direction. CONCLUSION: The APT measures are useful in characterizing demand for alcohol in young men in the general population. Demand may provide a clinically useful index of strength of motivation for alcohol use in general population samples

Recovery from addiction: Behavioral economics and value-based decision making.

Behavioral economics provides a general framework to explain the shift in behavioral allocation from substance use to substance-free activities that characterizes recovery from addiction, but it does not attempt to explain the internal processes that prompt those behavioral changes. In this article we outline a novel analysis of addiction recovery based on computational work on value-based decision making (VBDM), which can explain how people with addiction are able to overcome the reinforcement pathologies and decision-making vulnerabilities that characterize the disorder. The central tenet of this account is that shifts in molar reinforcer preferences over time from substance use to substance-free activities can be attributed to changes in evidence accumulation rates and response thresholds in the context of choices involving substance use and substance-free alternatives. We discuss how this account can be reconciled with the established mechanisms of action of psychosocial interventions for addiction and demonstrate how it has the potential to empirically address longstanding debates regarding the nature of impairments to self-control in addiction. We also highlight conceptual and methodological issues that require careful consideration in translating VBDM to addiction and recovery

Towards a novel carbon device for the treatment of sepsis

Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory response to infection in which the balance of pro- andanti-inflammatory mediators, which normally isolate and eliminate infection, is disrupted[1]. Gram negative sepsis is initiated by bacterial endotoxin release which activatesmacrophages and circulating monocytes to release TNF and IL-1β followed by IL-6 andother inflammatory cytokines [2]. As the disease progresses, an unregulatedinflammatory response results in, tissue injury, haematological dysfunction and organdysfunction. Severe sepsis, involving organ hypoperfusion may be further complicatedby hypotension that is unresponsive to adequate fluid replacement, resulting in septicshock and finally death [3].Despite improvements in anti-microbial and supportive therapies, sepsis remains asignificant cause of morbidity and mortality in ICUs worldwide [4]. The complexity ofprocesses mediating the progression of sepsis suggests that an extracorporeal devicecombining blood filtration with adsorption of a wide range of toxins, and inflammatorymediators offers the most comprehensive treatment strategy. However, no such deviceexists at present. A novel, uncoated, polymer pyrolysed synthetic carbon device isproposed which combines the superior adsorption properties of uncoated activatedcarbons with the capacity to manipulate porous structure for controlled adsorption oftarget plasma proteins and polypeptides [5]. Preliminary haemocompatibility andadsorptive capacity was assessed using a carbon matrix prototype

Automatic Detection of Laryngeal Pathology on Sustained Vowels Using Short-Term Cepstral Parameters: Analysis of Performance and Theoretical Justification

The majority of speech signal analysis procedures for automatic detection of laryngeal pathologies mainly rely on parameters extracted from time domain processing. Moreover, calculation of these parameters often requires prior pitch period estimation; therefore, their validity heavily depends on the robustness of pitch detection. Within this paper, an alternative approach based on cepstral- domain processing is presented which has the advantage of not requiring pitch estimation, thus providing a gain in both simplicity and robustness. While the proposed scheme is similar to solutions based on Mel-frequency cepstral parameters, already present in literature, it has an easier physical interpretation while achieving similar performance standards

Meaning in life: investigating protective and risk factors for harmful alcohol consumption

Background Individuals with greater meaning in life tend to consume less alcohol. However, research elucidating pathways through which meaning in life influences consumption is lacking. Behavioral economic theories posit that distortions in valuation processes, whilst negative reinforcement models posit that avoidance or regulation of negative internal states, are central in decisions to consume alcohol. Method Pre-registered, cross-sectional design. Five hundred forty-six regular alcohol consumers (≥18 years old) completed an online questionnaire which asked about alcohol use, meaning in life, alcohol-free reinforcement, alcohol value, depressive symptoms, and drinking to cope motives. Results Presence of meaning had a significant negative association with AUDIT scores (β = −.26, p .53). Subsequent path analyses revealed a significant indirect effect of presence of meaning on AUDIT scores through lower alcohol value (95% CI = −.17 to −.08) and drinking to cope (95% CI = −.07 to −.00), and a serial mediation effect through both lower depressive symptoms and drinking to cope (95% CI = −.09 to −.04). Although search for meaning was not a direct predictor of AUDIT scores, there was a significant indirect effect through greater drinking to cope (95% CI = .01 to .06) and a serial mediation effect through both greater depressive symptoms and drinking to cope (95% CI = .01 to .04). Conclusions Meaning in life subscales predict alcohol consumption indirectly via individual differences in alcohol value, depressive symptoms, and drinking to cope

Restenosis, reocclusion and adverse cardiovascular events after successful balloon angioplasty of occluded versus nonoccluded coronary arteries: Results from the multicenter american research trial with cilazapril after angioplasty to prevent transluminal coronary obstruction and restenosis (MARCATOR)

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to compare the frequency of restenosis, reocclusion and adverse cardiovascular events after angioplasty of occluded versus nonoccluded coronary arteries. BACKGROUND: Angioplasty of chronically occluded coronary arteries is believed to be associated with a higher frequency of restenosis and reocclusion than angioplasty of subtotal stenoses. Whether this leads to adverse cardiovascular events is unknown. METHODS: The Multicenter American Research Trial With Cilazapril After Angioplasty to Prevent Restenosis (MARCATOR) was a placebo-controlled trial with angiographic follow-up to determine the effect of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor cilazapril on the frequency of restenosis. In this trial, restenosis was defined as 1) angiographic reduction of minimal lumen diameter > or = 0.72 mm between angioplasty and the follow-up visit; and 2) > 50% diameter stenosis on the follow-up angiogram. We identified

Tube-load model: A clinically applicable pulse contour analysis method for estimation of cardiac stroke volume

peer reviewedBackground and Objectives: Accurate, reproducible, and reliable real-time clinical measurement of stroke volume (SV) is challenging. To accurately estimate arterial mechanics and SV by pulse contour analysis, accounting for wave reflection, such as by a tube-load model, is potentially important. This study tests for the first time whether a dynamically identified tube-load model, given a single peripheral arterial input signal and pulse transit time (PTT), provides accurate SV estimates during hemodynamic instability. Methods: The model is tested for 5 pigs during hemodynamic interventions, using either an aortic flow probe or admittance catheter for a validation SV measure. Performance is assessed using Bland-Altman and polar plot analysis for a series of long-term state-change and short-term dynamic events. Results:The overall median bias and limits of agreement (2.5th, 97.5th percentile) from Bland-Altman analysis were -10% [-49, 36], and -1% [-28,20] for state-change and dynamic events, respectively. The angular limit of agreement (maximum of 2.5th, 97.5th percentile) from polar-plot analysis for state-change and dynamic interventions was 35.6∘, and 35.2∘, respectively. Conclusion: SV estimation agreement and trending performance was reasonable given the severity of the interventions. This simple yet robust method has potential to track SV within acceptable limits during hemodynamic instability in critically ill patients, provided a sufficiently accurate PTT measure. © 2021 Elsevier B.V

Large, binge-type meals of high fat diet change feeding behaviour and entrain food anticipatory activity in mice

Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.Peer reviewedPublisher PD