Guide to the use of Mariner images

Planetary imaging from unmanned spacecraft, almost exclusively done by digital systems, is examined. The Mars Mariner 9 television camera, representative of such systems, is considered. Each image consists of 700 lines, each containing 832 picture elements, or pixels. Each pixel contains nine binary bits of information capable of displaying 512 discrete brightness levels. Several problems inherent in television systems are discussed. These include nonuniform target response, residual images, noise, and blemishes. These defects can be removed to some extent by decalibration of the image. The final product is geometrically corrected for camera distortion and photometrically corrected. Several versions of the decalibrated images are available. The most generally useful are the geometrically corrected images with enhanced contrast. The Mariner 10 imaging of Mercury is briefly discussed

Tropical shelterwood system of forest regeneration its development and application in the Benin Division of Southern Nigeria and a consideration of factors affecting its success

It is the purpose of this paper to give a description of the development of a system of natural regeneration for the Benin forests, to measure the success of the work, and to set out some of the factors which appear to limit or to assist the regeneration. Between the latitudes 6 and 7 degrees north and the longitudes 5 and 6 degrees east in Western Provinces, Kigeria,is situated Benin Division, the most southern and western of the four political Divisions which together form Benin Province. The area of Benin Division is approximately 4,000 square miles, and in 1931 (the latest census figures available) the population was taken to be 111,000, although there is no doubt that during the last two decades this latter figure has greatly increased due to a rising birth -rate and an influx of labour, mainly from the south and east, to the prosperous rubber estates and expanding timber industry. The provincial and divisional capital, Benin City, lies in the centre of the Division. With a population of over 20,000 it is the hub from which radiate the several roads which serve the many small and few large villages of the area and which link the capital with neighbouring Provinces. GEOLOGY: Crystalline rocks (the "undifferentiated basement complex" of gneisses and granites) occur in the extreme north-west of the Division, but the remainder is entirely sedimentary, being part of the extensive Benin Sand Series. In parts this formation consists of a homogeneous layer of quartz sand several hundred feet thick, but the Benin Sands may be part of the Lignite Series, in which unevenly distributed strata of sandstone, shales and clays occur in the red sands. RAINFALL AND DRAINAGE: The average rainfall of the whole Division is probably about 75 inches per annum, distributed in the typical two-peak fashion of the coast of West Africa. The rainfall in the south averages 110 inches per annum (probably higher in the extreme southwest) but that in the extreme north may be as low as 60 inches. The figures for Benin City show that the months of November, Decembers January and February have precipitation below 3 inches per month, but the relative humidity (especially in the forest) remains fairly high throughout the year, and the effect of the dry Harmattan wind from the north is weak and is obvious on only very few, isolated days. The table (t ore p. 3 shows average rainfall, temperature and relative humidity figures for Benin City which is not itself in the forest. Within the forest the mean relative humidity, particularly at 3 p.m., is higher and probably without such large fluctuations between months. The area of the Benin Sands is characterised by a scarcity of streams and the rain water appears to drain to considerable depth, the rivers flowing in deep trenches cut below the general level of the almost flat plain. Except on land which has been completely cleared of vegetation there is little run-off, and the streams, fed by underground drainage, generally hold deep and very clear water. Chukwuogo and other writers have stressed the severe water shortage which exists in the country districts, in the dry season, away from the limited number of streaa. FARMING: The local food farming technique involves the practice of a bush fallow system; the number of years for which a farm is cropped is small, usually two, or possibly three years if the land proves to be of high qw l ity, and this is an index of the rapidity at which the Benin Sands lose their fertility after the removal of the forest vegetation. The farmer cuts, heaps and burns almost every tree on the new farm, and this practice of leaving no high shade has important ecological and economic repercussions. There is a sharp contrast with the practice in other parts of West Africa where the largest trees remain as a high shade, an important reservoir of timber, a source of seed and a skeleton of forest structure. There are practically no cattle in the Division owing to the susceptibility of all but a few strains to trypanosomiasis. The most common domestic animal is the goat, which is here a village or compound animal, living by scavenging and seldom, if, ever, found either it forest or farm. An important plantation crop of the Division is rubber and considerable areas have been planted with Heavea brasil,iensis. During the 1939 - 45 war the plantations prospered, and were largely extended Owing to the inflated price of rubber following the Japanese occupation of Malaya, but the present prices are subject to large fluctuations. TIMBER. By far the most important industry, apart from food farming for local use, is timber working. On this trade, whether for the export market or the Nigerian market, the prosperity of Benin largely depends. A result of the rising standard of living of many Nigerian people, and the growing needs of industry in West Africa and abroad, is that the demand for Nigerian timber has increased. At the same time the area of non reserved forest (forest land not included in Forest Reserves) has been greatly reduced in the last fifteen years owing to the destructive work of farmers and the planting of permanent cash crops. The supply of timber outside the gazetted Reserves dwindled rapidly, particularly because of the clear-felling technique of the farmers, and the Forest Department was faced some years ago with the need to allow the exploitation of Forest Reserves to begin; such exploitation had to be accompanied by regeneration, either artificial or natural. Artificial regeneration, while important in certain limited areas and for special purposes, could not be attempted on the scale necessary to ensure the future of the forests and thus natural regeneration had to be attempted on an enormous scale. The intention in this paper is to describe briefly the technique of natural regeneration adopted and to examine in some detail the success obtained in different forest associations in a single compartment with the object of assessing the suitability of the technique for the maintenance of the forest

Incorporating patient preferences in the management of multiple long-term conditions: is this a role for clinical practice guidelines?

Background: Clinical practice guidelines provide an evidence-based approach to managing single chronic conditions, but their applicability to multiple conditions has been actively debated. Incorporating patient-preference recommendations and involving consumers in guideline development may enhance their applicability, but further understanding is needed. Objectives: To assess guidelines that include recommendations for comorbid conditions to determine the extent to which they incorporate patient-preference recommendations; use consumer-engagement processes during development, and, if so, whether these processes produce more patient-preference recommendations; and meet standard quality criteria, particularly in relation to stakeholder involvement. Design: A review of Australian guidelines published from 2006 to 2014 that incorporated recommendations for managing comorbid conditions in primary care. Document analysis of guidelines examined the presence of patient-preference recommendations and the consumer-engagement processes used. The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation instrument was used to assess guideline quality. Results: Thirteen guidelines were reviewed. Twelve included at least one core patient-preference recommendation. Ten used consumer-engagement processes, including participation in development groups (seven guidelines) and reviewing drafts (ten guidelines). More extensive consumer engagement was generally linked to greater incorporation of patient-preference recommendations. Overall quality of guidelines was mixed, particularly in relation to stakeholder involvement. Conclusions: Guidelines do incorporate some patient-preference recommendations, but more explicit acknowledgement is required. Consumer-engagement processes used during guideline development have the potential to assist in identifying patient preferences, but further research is needed. Clarification of the consumer role and investment in consumer training may strengthen these processes.Journal of Comorbidity 2015;5(1):122–13

“Going with the flow” in modeling fibrinolysis

Funding CSW and NJM are supported by the British Heart Foundation (PG/20/17/35050) and a NC3Rs-British Heart Foundation Studentship (NC/W001810/1).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

uPA-mediated plasminogen activation is enhanced by polyphosphate

Funding This research was supported by grants FS/11/2/28579 (NJM) and PG/11/1/28461 (NJM, CSW) from the British Heart Foundation.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The limits of process: On (re)reading Henri Bergson

This article offers a reading of the work of Henri Bergson as it pertains to organizations through the lens of ideas drawn from critical realism. It suggests an alternative to interpretations based on a stark division between process and realist perspectives. Much of the existing literature presents a rather partial view of Bergson’s work. A review suggests some interesting parallels with themes in critical realism, notably the emergence of mind. Critical realism has a focus on process at its heart, but is also concerned with how the products of such processes become stabilized and form the conditions for action. This suggests that attention might usefully be paid to the relationship between organizational action and the sedimented practices grouped under the heading of ‘routines’. More attention to Bergson’s account of the relationship between instinct, intuition and intelligence provides a link to the social character of thought, something which can be mapped on to Archer’s work on reflexivity and the ‘internal conversation’. This suggests that our analyses need to pay attention to both memory and history, to building and dwelling, rather than the one-sided focus found in some process theory accounts

Genotoxic effect induced by hydrogen peroxide in human hepatoma cells using comet assay

Background: Hydrogen peroxide (H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>) is a common reactive oxygen intermediate generated by various forms of oxidative stress. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the DNA damage capacity of H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> in HepG2 cells. Methods: Cells were treated with H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> at concentrations of 25 mM or 50 mM for 5 min, 30 min, 40 min, 1 h, or 24 h in parallel. The extent of DNA damage was assessed by the comet assay. Results: Compared to the control, DNA damage by 25 and 50 mM H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> increased significantly with increasing incubation time up to 1 h, but it was not increased at 24 h. Conclusions: Our findings confirm that H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> is a typical DNA damage-inducing agent and thus is a good model system to study the effects of oxidative stress. DNA damage in HepG2 cells increased significantly with H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> concentration and time of incubation but later decreased likely due to DNA repair mechanisms and antioxidant enzymes.Keywords: DNA damage; hydrogen peroxide; HepG2 cells; comet assa

Location, location, location : Fibrin, cells, and fibrinolytic factors in thrombi

Funding Information: Figures were created with BioRender.com.Peer reviewedPublisher PD