Impact of irrigation in the Po valley (Italy) on meteorological parameters through numerical simulation

Recent studies found that soil-atmosphere coupling features, through soil moisture, have been crucial to simulate well heat waves amplitude, duration and intensity. Moreover, it was found that soil moisture depletion both in Winter and Spring anticipates strong heat waves during the Summer. Irrigation in geophysical studies can be intended as an anthropogenic forcing to the soil-moisture, besides changes in land proprieties. In this study, the irrigation was add to a LAM hydrostatic model (BOLAM) and coupled with the soil. The response of the model to irrigation perturbation is analyzed during a dry Summer season. To identify a dry Summer, with overall positive temperature anomalies, an extensive climatological characterization of 2015 was done. The method included a statistical validation on the reference period distribution used to calculate the anomalies. Drought conditions were observed during Summer 2015 and previous seasons, both on the analyzed region and the Alps. Moreover July was characterized as an extreme event for the referred distribution. The numerical simulation consisted on the summer season of 2015 and two run: a control run (CTR), with the soil coupling and a perturbed run (IPR). The perturbation consists on a mask of land use created from the Cropland FAO dataset, where an irrigation water flux of 3 mm/day was applied from 6 A.M. to 9 A.M. every day. The results show that differences between CTR and IPR has a strong daily cycle. The main modifications are on the air masses proprieties, not on to the dynamics. However, changes in the circulation at the boundaries of the Po Valley are observed, and a diagnostic spatial correlation of variable differences shows that soil moisture perturbation explains well the variation observed in the 2 meters height temperature and in the latent heat fluxes.On the other hand, does not explain the spatial shift up and downslope observed during different periods of the day. Given the results, irrigation process affects the atmospheric proprieties on a larger scale than the irrigation, therefore it is important in daily forecast, particularly during hot and dry periods.

Biomechanical model of human cornea based on stromal microstructure

The optical characteristics of the human cornea depends on the mechanical balance between the intra-ocular pressure and intrinsic tissue stiffness. A wide range of ophthalmic surgical procedures alter corneal biomechanics to induce local or global curvature changes for the correction of visual acuity. Due to the large number of surgical interventions performed every day, a deeper understanding of corneal biomechanics is needed to improve the safety of these procedures and medical devices. The aim of this study is to propose a biomechanical model of the human cornea, based on stromal microstructure. The constitutive mechanical law includes collagen fiber distribution based on X-ray scattering analysis, collagen cross-linking, and fiber uncrimping. Our results showed that the proposed model reproduced inflation and extensiometry experimental data [Elsheikh et al., Curr. Eye Res., 2007; Elsheikh et al., Exp. Eye Res., 2008] successfully. The mechanical properties obtained for different age groups demonstrated an increase in collagen cross-linking for older specimens. In future work such a model could be used to simulate non-symmetric interventions, and provide better surgical planning.

Numerical model of the human cornea based on stromal microstructure: identification of mechanical properties for two age groups

The optical quality of the human eye mainly depends on the refractive performance of the cornea. The shape of the cornea is a mechanical balance between intraocular pressure and tissue intrinsic stiffness. Several surgical procedures in ophthalmology alter the biomechanics of the cornea to provoke local or global curvature changes for vision correction. Legitimated by the large number of surgical interventions performed every day, the demand for a deeper understanding of corneal biomechanics is rising to improve the safety of procedures and medical devices. The aim of our work is to propose a numerical model of corneal biomechanics, based on the stromal microstructure. Our novel anisotropic constitutive material law features a probabilistic weighting approach to model collagen fiber distribution as observed on human cornea by Xray scattering analysis (Aghamohammadzadeh et. al., Structure, February 2004). Furthermore, collagen cross-linking was explicitly included in the strain energy function. Results showed that the proposed model is able to successfully reproduce both inflation and extensiometry experimental data (Elsheikh et. al., Curr Eye Res, 2007; Elsheikh et. al., Exp Eye Res, May 2008). In addition, the mechanical properties calculated for patients of different age groups (Group A: 65-79 years; Group B: 80-95 years) demonstrate an increased collagen cross-linking, and a decrease in collagen fiber elasticity from younger to older specimen. These findings correspond to what is known about maturing fibrous biological tissue. Since the presented model can handle different loading situations and includes the anisotropic distribution of collagen fibers, it has the potential to simulate clinical procedures involving nonsymmetrical tissue interventions. In the future, such mechanical model can be used to improve surgical planning and the design of next generation ophthalmic devices.

Influence of nest site on the behaviour of laying hens

Low rates of nest acceptance by laying hens are a major problem in commercial poultry farming operations with aviary systems, leading to costly manual collection and cleaning of mislaid eggs. To gain knowledge about factors affecting nest use, laying hens' preferences for different nest locations were tested. Nests are normally installed at one of two sites: against a wall of the hen house or integrated into one tier of the aviary rack The preferences of laying hens for different nest sites have never been examined under commercial conditions. The aim of this study is to investigate whether behavioural differences can be detected between the different nest sites. The study consists of two consecutive trials involving 5027 Lohmann Selected Leghorn hens (LSL) and 601 layer hybrids selected for extensive housing conditions (EXT). The hens were randomly assigned to eight compartments per trial in groups of 355-360 LSL or 300 EXT in a laying hen house. Four compartments were equipped with a Volito Voletage (R) aviary system (VV), and four were equipped with a Rihs Bolegell (R) aviary system (RB), both of which contained either integrated or wall-placed nests when the experiments started. A strongly balanced crossover design with four periods was used. At 36, 44 and 52 weeks of age, the nest site in four out of the eight compartments was switched. Before each change, the fronts of half of the nests were videotaped during the light period, and the behaviour throughout the main laying period was analysed. Furthermore, the numbers of nest eggs and mislaid eggs in each compartment were recorded every day. No differences in the number of mislaid eggs between the two nest sites could be detected, except at the age of 20/21 weeks when hens in VV aviaries mislaid more eggs when nests were integrated (P = 0.0012). More hens stood simultaneously in front of the integrated nests than in front of wall-placed nests (P = 0.015). Activity of the laying hens increased (P = 0.0073), and stationary behavioural patterns declined (P = 0.0093), when the nests were placed by the wall. Hens inspected integrated nests for a longer duration than wall-placed nests, but wall-placed nests were visited more frequently. In addition to the nest site, the width of the platform in front of the nest influenced laying hen behaviour. Compared with narrower platforms, balance movements decreased on wider ones. Additionally, the platform design had to be taken into account as well, given that hens could not stand or walk as securely on wooden slats as on a grid floor. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Rwandan youth in the development of music industry

In this days for ever, the Rwandan youth are more active in the development of music industry, the recording studio are created every day, and the number of musician is increasing from one day to another day, it is too early to get the statistic; some of the youth are dropped out their studies to develop their career of music; the question was how many of them are developing their career to become the Professional? WHY IN THESE DAYS, RWANDAN YOUTH ARE WORKING HARDLY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF MUSIC INDUSTRY?” it was not easy for me to get the accurate answers; some questions remains in my mind like -Are they working for money-music as a job (professional)? -Are they willing to become célèbre-stars? -Is it for the entertainment/Relaxing? -Is it because they love music? -Are they escaping the problems-Music as an escape domain? -Are they exploring their free time? -Are they using the music as the way of expressing their views? Those questions require analysing each question deeply, and getting the answers from the singers and listeners of music or DJ, in order to confirm the causes of being more active in music industry for the Rwandan youth. I am not interesting to make a deep research but to analyze and I hope this article will help the students and many researchers to develop and find out the exact causes. As my aim is to open the door for the researchers, briefly let us analyze all those above questions one to one based on the main causes as the motivation of forcing the Rwandan youth to be in the industry music.

The Effect of Weight on the Perception of Political Candidates

Chris Christie recently visited the famous “Wailing Wall” in Jerusalem, Israel, during his first trip abroad as governor of New Jersey. The New York Post reported on his trip with the headline “The Whale at the Wall” (Campanile 2012). Given headlines like this, it is easy to see anecdotal evidence of the stigmatization that surrounds obesity within contemporary American society. What’s more important is that these social stigmas that Americans are faced with every day are not merely surface level jokes bantered about for a cheap laugh. They are often prejudices that permeate every aspect of human life. Whether it comes to finding a date, looking for a job, or trying to be taken serious by one’s peers, weight is always a topic of concern. In an effort to understand how far entrenched these biases are in society, this thesis studies the ramifications of obesity in politics. In this thesis, I attempt to understand to what extent, if any, obesity matters in regard to candidate appearance, voters' choices, and political behavior.

In need of psychiatric help--leave a message after the beep

Every day, a substantial proportion of the general population experiences the distressing and frightening signs of an upcoming psychiatric illness. The consequences can be enormous because severe psychiatric disorders typically cause the loss of the ability to work and often mean a long-term burden for both the patients and their families. Even though most developed countries have an exceptionally high density of general practitioners and psychiatrists in private practice, getting a mental health appointment and seeing a doctor is often very difficult for patients with acute psychiatric symptoms. This study aimed at quantifying the time delay involved in seeking medical attendance when psychiatric disorders begin to develop.

Spatio-temporal Associations Between GOES Aerosol Optical Depth Retrievals and Ground-Level PM2.5

We assess the strength of association between aerosol optical depth (AOD) retrievals from the GOES Aerosol/Smoke Product (GASP) and ground-level fine particulate matter (PM2.5) to assess AOD as a proxy for PM2.5 in the United States. GASP AOD is retrieved from a geostationary platform and therefore provides dense temporal coverage with half-hourly observations every day, in contrast to once per day snapshots from polar-orbiting satellites. However, GASP AOD is based on a less-sophisticated instrument and retrieval algorithm. We find that correlations between GASP AOD and PM2.5 over time at fixed locations are reasonably high, except in the winter and in the western U.S. Correlations over space at fixed times are lower. Simple averaging over time actually reduces correlations over space dramatically, but statistical calibration allows averaging over time that produces strong correlations. These results and the data density of GASP AOD highlight its potential to help improve exposure estimates for epidemiological analyses. On average 40% of days in a month have a GASP AOD retrieval compared to 14% for MODIS and 4% for MISR. Furthermore, GASP AOD has been retrieved since November 1994, providing the possibility of a long-term record that pre-dates the availability of most PM2.5 monitoring data and other satellite instruments.

Bayesian Hierarchical Distributed Lag Models for Summer Ozone Exposure and Cardio-Respiratory Mortality

In this paper, we develop Bayesian hierarchical distributed lag models for estimating associations between daily variations in summer ozone levels and daily variations in cardiovascular and respiratory (CVDRESP) mortality counts for 19 U.S. large cities included in the National Morbidity Mortality Air Pollution Study (NMMAPS) for the period 1987 - 1994. At the first stage, we define a semi-parametric distributed lag Poisson regression model to estimate city-specific relative rates of CVDRESP associated with short-term exposure to summer ozone. At the second stage, we specify a class of distributions for the true city-specific relative rates to estimate an overall effect by taking into account the variability within and across cities. We perform the calculations with respect to several random effects distributions (normal, t-student, and mixture of normal), thus relaxing the common assumption of a two-stage normal-normal hierarchical model. We assess the sensitivity of the results to: 1) lag structure for ozone exposure; 2) degree of adjustment for long-term trends; 3) inclusion of other pollutants in the model;4) heat waves; 5) random effects distributions; and 6) prior hyperparameters. On average across cities, we found that a 10ppb increase in summer ozone level for every day in the previous week is associated with 1.25 percent increase in CVDRESP mortality (95% posterior regions: 0.47, 2.03). The relative rate estimates are also positive and statistically significant at lags 0, 1, and 2. We found that associations between summer ozone and CVDRESP mortality are sensitive to the confounding adjustment for PM_10, but are robust to: 1) the adjustment for long-term trends, other gaseous pollutants (NO_2, SO_2, and CO); 2) the distributional assumptions at the second stage of the hierarchical model; and 3) the prior distributions on all unknown parameters. Bayesian hierarchical distributed lag models and their application to the NMMAPS data allow us estimation of an acute health effect associated with exposure to ambient air pollution in the last few days on average across several locations. The application of these methods and the systematic assessment of the sensitivity of findings to model assumptions provide important epidemiological evidence for future air quality regulations.

Design, construction, and testing of a research quality electric machine testbed

With energy demands and costs growing every day, the need for improving energy efficiency in electrical devices has become very important. Research into various methods of improving efficiency for all electrical components will be a key to meet future energy needs. This report documents the design, construction, and testing of a research quality electric machine dynamometer and test bed. This test cell system can be used for research in several areas including: electric drives systems, electric vehicle propulsion systems, power electronic converters, load/source element in an AC Microgrid, as well as many others. The test cell design criteria, and decisions, will be discussed in reference to user functionality and flexibility. The individual power components will be discussed in detail to how they relate to the project, highlighting any feature used in operation of the test cell. A project timeline will be discussed, clearly stating the work done by the different individuals involved in the project. In addition, the system will be parameterized and benchmark data will be used to provide the functional operation of the system. With energy demands and costs growing every day, the need for improving energy efficiency in electrical devices has become very important. Research into various methods of improving efficiency for all electrical components will be a key to meet future energy needs. This report documents the design, construction, and testing of a research quality electric machine dynamometer and test bed. This test cell system can be used for research in several areas including: electric drives systems, electric vehicle propulsion systems, power electronic converters, load/source element in an AC Microgrid, as well as many others. The test cell design criteria, and decisions, will be discussed in reference to user functionality and flexibility. The individual power components will be discussed in detail to how they relate to the project, highlighting any feature used in operation of the test cell. A project timeline will be discussed, clearly stating the work done by the different individuals involved in the project. In addition, the system will be parameterized and benchmark data will be used to provide the functional operation of the system.

Feasibility and acceptance of electronic quality of life assessment in general practice: an implementation study

Background Patients' health related quality of life (HRQoL) has rarely been systematically monitored in general practice. Electronic tools and practice training might facilitate the routine application of HRQoL questionnaires. Thorough piloting of innovative procedures is strongly recommended before the conduction of large-scale studies. Therefore, we aimed to assess i) the feasibility and acceptance of HRQoL assessment using tablet computers in general practice, ii) the perceived practical utility of HRQoL results and iii) to identify possible barriers hindering wider application of this approach. Methods Two HRQoL questionnaires (St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire SGRQ and EORTC QLQ-C30) were electronically presented on portable tablet computers. Wireless network (WLAN) integration into practice computer systems of 14 German general practices with varying infrastructure allowed automatic data exchange and the generation of a printout or a PDF file. General practitioners (GPs) and practice assistants were trained in a 1-hour course, after which they could invite patients with chronic diseases to fill in the electronic questionnaire during their waiting time. We surveyed patients, practice assistants and GPs regarding their acceptance of this tool in semi-structured telephone interviews. The number of assessments, HRQoL results and interview responses were analysed using quantitative and qualitative methods. Results Over the course of 1 year, 523 patients filled in the electronic questionnaires (1–5 times; 664 total assessments). On average, results showed specific HRQoL impairments, e.g. with respect to fatigue, pain and sleep disturbances. The number of electronic assessments varied substantially between practices. A total of 280 patients, 27 practice assistants and 17 GPs participated in the telephone interviews. Almost all GPs (16/17 = 94%; 95% CI = 73–99%), most practice assistants (19/27 = 70%; 95% CI = 50–86%) and the majority of patients (240/280 = 86%; 95% CI = 82–91%) indicated that they would welcome the use of electronic HRQoL questionnaires in the future. GPs mentioned availability of local health services (e.g. supportive, physiotherapy) (mean: 9.4 ± 1.0 SD; scale: 1 – 10), sufficient extra time (8.9 ± 1.5) and easy interpretation of HRQoL results (8.6 ± 1.6) as the most important prerequisites for their use. They believed HRQoL assessment facilitated both communication and follow up of patients' conditions. Practice assistants emphasised that this process demonstrated an extra commitment to patient centred care; patients viewed it as a tool, which contributed to the physicians' understanding of their personal condition and circumstances. Conclusion This pilot study indicates that electronic HRQoL assessment is technically feasible in general practices. It can provide clinically significant information, which can either be used in the consultation for routine care, or for research purposes. While GPs, practice assistants and patients were generally positive about the electronic procedure, several barriers (e.g. practices' lack of time and routine in HRQoL assessment) need to be overcome to enable broader application of electronic questionnaires in every day medical practice.

Eye-head coordination abnormalities in schizophrenia

Eye-movement abnormalities in schizophrenia are a well-established phenomenon that has been observed in many studies. In such studies, visual targets are usually presented in the center of the visual field, and the subject's head remains fixed. However, in every-day life, targets may also appear in the periphery. This study is among the first to investigate eye and head movements in schizophrenia by presenting targets in the periphery of the visual field.

Fabric-mechanical property relationships of trabecular bone allografts are altered by supercritical CO2 treatment and gamma sterilization

Tissue grafts are implanted in orthopedic surgery every day. In order to minimize infection risk, bone allografts are often delipidated with supercritical CO2 and sterilized prior to implantation. This treatment may, however, impair the mechanical behavior of the bone graft tissue. The goal of this study was to determine clinically relevant mechanical properties of treated/sterilized human trabecular bone grafts, e.g. the apparent modulus, strength, and the ability to absorb energy during compaction. They were compared with results of identical experiments performed previously on untreated/fresh frozen human trabecular bone from the same anatomical site (Charlebois, 2008). We tested the hypothesis that the morphology–mechanical property relationships of treated cancellous allografts are similar to those of fresh untreated bone. The morphology of the allografts was determined by μCT. Subsequently, cylindrical samples were tested in unconfined and confined compression. To account for various morphologies, the experimental data was fitted to phenomenological mechanical models for elasticity, strength, and dissipated energy density based on bone volume fraction (BV/TV) and the fabric tensor determined by MIL. The treatment/sterilization process does not appear to influence bone graft stiffness. However, strength and energy dissipation of the bone grafts were found to be significantly reduced by 36% to 47% and 66% to 81%, respectively, for a broad range of volume fraction (0.14 < BV/TV < 0.39) and degree of anisotropy (1.24 < DA < 2.18). Since the latter properties are strongly dominated by BV/TV, the clinical consequences of this reduction can be compensated by using grafts with lower porosity. The data of this study suggests that an increase of 5–10% in BV/TV is sufficient to compensate for the reduced post-yield mechanical properties of treated/sterilized bone in monotonic compression. In applications where graft stiffness needs to be matched and strength is not a concern, treated allograft with the same BV/TV as an appropriate fresh bone graft may be used.

State-of-the-art aortic imaging: part I - fundamentals and perspectives of CT and MRI

Over the last two decades, imaging of the aorta has undergone a clinically relevant change. As part of the change non-invasive imaging techniques have replaced invasive intra-arterial digital subtraction angiography as the former imaging gold standard for aortic diseases. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) constitute the backbone of pre- and postoperative aortic imaging because they allow for imaging of the entire aorta and its branches. The first part of this review article describes the imaging principles of CT and MRI with regard to aortic disease, shows how both technologies can be applied in every day clinical practice, offering exciting perspectives. Recent CT scanner generations deliver excellent image quality with a high spatial and temporal resolution. Technical developments have resulted in CT scan performed within a few seconds for the entire aorta. Therefore, CT angiography (CTA) is the imaging technology of choice for evaluating acute aortic syndromes, for diagnosis of most aortic pathologies, preoperative planning and postoperative follow-up after endovascular aortic repair. However, radiation dose and the risk of contrast induced nephropathy are major downsides of CTA. Optimisation of scan protocols and contrast media administration can help to reduce the required radiation dose and contrast media. MR angiography (MRA) is an excellent alternative to CTA for both diagnosis of aortic pathologies and postoperative follow-up. The lack of radiation is particularly beneficial for younger patients. A potential side effect of gadolinium contrast agents is nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF). In patients with high risk of NSF unenhanced MRA can be performed with both ECG- and breath-gating techniques. Additionally, MRI provides the possibility to visualise and measure both dynamic and flow information.

Predictors of Weight Loss Maintenance following an Insurance-Sponsored Weight Management Program

Intentional weight loss among overweight and obese adults (body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m2) is associated with numerous health benefits, but weight loss maintenance (WLM) following participation in weight management programming has proven to be elusive. Many individuals attempting to lose weight join formal programs, especially women, but these programs vary widely in focus, as do postprogram weight regain results. We surveyed 2,106 former participants in a community-based, insurance-sponsored weight management program in the United States to identify the pre, during, and post-intervention behavioral and psychosocial factors that lead to successful WLM. Of 835 survey respondents (39.6% response rate), 450 met criteria for inclusion in this study. Logistic regression analyses suggest that interventionists should assess and discuss weight loss and behavior change perceptions early in a program. However, in developing maintenance plans later in a program, attention should shift to behaviors, such as weekly weighing, limiting snacking in the evening, limiting portion sizes, and being physically active every day.