Nitrogen symbiotically fixed by cowpea and gliricidia in traditional and agroforestry systems under semiarid conditions

The objective of this work was to estimate the amounts of N fixed by cowpea in a traditional system and by cowpea and gliricidia in an agroforestry system in the Brazilian Northeast semiarid. The experiment was carried out in a randomized complete block design, in a split-plot arrangement, with four replicates, in the semiarid region of the state of Paraíba, Brazil. Plots consisted of agroforestry and traditional systems (no trees), and split-plots of the three crops planted between the tree rows in the agroforestry system. To estimate N fixation, plant samples were collected in the fourth growth cycle of the perennial species and in the fourth planting cycle of the annual species. In the agroforestry system with buffel grass and prickly-pear cactus, gliricidia plants symbiotically fix high proportions of N (>50%) and contribute with higher N amounts (40 kg ha-1 in leaves) than in the traditional system (11 kg ha-1 in grain and 18 kg ha-1 in straw). In the agroforestry system with maize and cowpea, gliricidia plants do not fix nitrogen, and N input is limited to the fixation by cowpea (2.7 kg ha-1), which is lower than in the traditional system due to its lower biomass production.

Electrical source imaging for presurgical focus localization in epilepsy patients with normal MRI.

PURPOSE: Patients with magnetic resonance (MR)-negative focal epilepsy (MRN-E) have less favorable surgical outcomes (between 40% and 70%) compared to those in whom an MRI lesion guides the site of surgical intervention (60-90%). Patients with extratemporal MRN-E have the worst outcome (around 50% chance of seizure freedom). We studied whether electroencephalography (EEG) source imaging (ESI) of interictal epileptic activity can contribute to the identification of the epileptic focus in patients with normal MRI. METHODS: We carried out ESI in 10 operated patients with nonlesional MRI and a postsurgical follow-up of at least 1 year. Five of the 10 patients had extratemporal lobe epilepsy. Evaluation comprised surface and intracranial EEG monitoring of ictal and interictal events, structural MRI, [(18)F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET), ictal and interictal perfusion single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scans. Eight of the 10 patients also underwent intracranial monitoring. RESULTS: ESI correctly localized the epileptic focus within the resection margins in 8 of 10 patients, 9 of whom experienced favorable postsurgical outcomes. DISCUSSION: The results highlight the diagnostic value of ESI and encourage broadening its application to patients with MRN-E. If the surface EEG contains fairly localized spikes, ESI contributes to the presurgical decision process.

Language variation in source texts and their translations: the case of L3 in film translation

In addition to the two languages essentially involved in translation, that of the source text (L1) and that of the target text (L2), we propose a third language (L3) to refer to any other language(s) found in the text. L3 may appear in the source text (ST) or the target text (TT), actually appearing more frequently inSTs in our case studies. We present a range of combinations for the convergence and divergence of L1, L2 and L3, for the case of feature films and their translations using examples from dubbed and subtitled versions of films, but we are hopeful that our tentative conclusions may be relevant to other modalities of translation, audiovisual and otherwise. When L3 appears in an audiovisual ST,we find a variety of solutions whereby L3 is deleted from or adapted to the TT.In the latter case, L3 might be rendered in a number of ways, depending on factors such as the audience’s familiarity with L3, and the possibility that L3 inthe ST is an invented language.

Ignition of a human body by a modest external source: a case report.

A case of sustained combustion of a human body that occurred in 2006 in Geneva, Switzerland, is presented. The body of a man was discovered at home and found to have been almost completely incinerated between the knees and the mid-chest, with less damage to the head, arms, lower legs and feet. His dog was also found dead just behind the house door. The external source of ignition was most likely a cigarette or a cigar. The chair in which the man had been sitting was largely consumed while other objects in the room exhibited only a brown oily or greasy coating and were virtually undamaged. Toxicological analyses carried out on the blood from the lower legs showed low levels of desalkylflurazepam. Alcohol concentration was 1.10 per thousand, carboxyhaemoglobin levels were 12% and cyanide concentration was 0.05 mg/L. Toxicological analyses carried out on the dog's blood showed carboxyhaemoglobin levels at 65%.

Does land titling matter? The role of land property rights in the war on illicit crops in Colombia

This paper analyzes the role of formalization of land property rights in the war against illicit crops in Colombia. We argue that as a consequence of the increase of state presence and visibility during the period of 2000 and 2009, municipalities with a higher level of formalization of their land property rights saw a greater reduction in the area allocated to illicit crops. We hypothesize that this is due to the increased cost of growing illicit crops on formal land compared to informal, and due to the possibility of obtaining more benets in the newly in- stalled institutional environment when land is formalized. We exploit the variation in the level of formalization of land property rights in a set of municipalities that had their rst cadastral census collected in the period of 1994-2000; this selection procedure guarantees reliable data and an unbiased source of variation. Using fixed effects estimators, we found a signicant negative relationship between the level of formalization of land property rights and the number of hectares allocated to coca crops per municipality. These results remain robust through a number of sensitivity analyses. Our ndings contribute to the growing body of evidence on the positive effects of formal land property rights, and e ective policies in the war on drugs in Colombia.

Converter-flux-based current control of voltage source PWM rectifiers - analysis and implementation

Pulsewidth-modulated (PWM) rectifier technology is increasingly used in industrial applications like variable-speed motor drives, since it offers several desired features such as sinusoidal input currents, controllable power factor, bidirectional power flow and high quality DC output voltage. To achieve these features,however, an effective control system with fast and accurate current and DC voltage responses is required. From various control strategies proposed to meet these control objectives, in most cases the commonly known principle of the synchronous-frame current vector control along with some space-vector PWM scheme have been applied. Recently, however, new control approaches analogous to the well-established direct torque control (DTC) method for electrical machines have also emerged to implement a high-performance PWM rectifier. In this thesis the concepts of classical synchronous-frame current control and DTC-based PWM rectifier control are combined and a new converter-flux-based current control (CFCC) scheme is introduced. To achieve sufficient dynamic performance and to ensure a stable operation, the proposed control system is thoroughly analysed and simple rules for the controller design are suggested. Special attention is paid to the estimationof the converter flux, which is the key element of converter-flux-based control. Discrete-time implementation is also discussed. Line-voltage-sensorless reactive reactive power control methods for the L- and LCL-type line filters are presented. For the L-filter an open-loop control law for the d-axis current referenceis proposed. In the case of the LCL-filter the combined open-loop control and feedback control is proposed. The influence of the erroneous filter parameter estimates on the accuracy of the developed control schemes is also discussed. A newzero vector selection rule for suppressing the zero-sequence current in parallel-connected PWM rectifiers is proposed. With this method a truly standalone and independent control of the converter units is allowed and traditional transformer isolation and synchronised-control-based solutions are avoided. The implementation requires only one additional current sensor. The proposed schemes are evaluated by the simulations and laboratory experiments. A satisfactory performance and good agreement between the theory and practice are demonstrated.

Analysis of the voltage source inverter with small DC-link capacitor

IIn electric drives, frequency converters are used to generatefor the electric motor the AC voltage with variable frequency and amplitude. When considering the annual sale of drives in values of money and units sold, the use of low-performance drives appears to be in predominant. These drives have tobe very cost effective to manufacture and use, while they are also expected to fulfill the harmonic distortion standards. One of the objectives has also been to extend the lifetime of the frequency converter. In a traditional frequency converter, a relatively large electrolytic DC-link capacitor is used. Electrolytic capacitors are large, heavy and rather expensive components. In many cases, the lifetime of the electrolytic capacitor is the main factor limiting the lifetime of the frequency converter. To overcome the problem, the electrolytic capacitor is replaced with a metallized polypropylene film capacitor (MPPF). The MPPF has improved properties when compared to the electrolytic capacitor. By replacing the electrolytic capacitor with a film capacitor the energy storage of the DC-linkwill be decreased. Thus, the instantaneous power supplied to the motor correlates with the instantaneous power taken from the network. This yields a continuousDC-link current fed by the diode rectifier bridge. As a consequence, the line current harmonics clearly decrease. Because of the decreased energy storage, the DC-link voltage fluctuates. This sets additional conditions to the controllers of the frequency converter to compensate the fluctuation from the supplied motor phase voltages. In this work three-phase and single-phase frequency converters with small DC-link capacitor are analyzed. The evaluation is obtained with simulations and laboratory measurements.

Isotope ratio mass spectrometry as a tool for source inference in forensic science: a critical review

Isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) has been used in numerous fields of forensic science in a source inference perspective. This review compiles the studies published on the application of isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) to the traditional fields of forensic science so far. It completes the review of Benson et al. [1] and synthesises the extent of knowledge already gathered in the following fields: illicit drugs, flammable liquids, human provenancing, microtraces, explosives and other specific materials (packaging tapes, safety matches, plastics, etc.). For each field, a discussion assesses the state of science and highlights the relevance of the information in a forensic context. Through the different discussions which mark out the review, the potential and limitations of IRMS, as well as the needs and challenges of future studies are emphasized. The paper elicits the various dimensions of the source which can be obtained from the isotope information and demonstrates the transversal nature of IRMS as a tool for source inference.

A novel source for miR-21 expression through the alternative polyadenylation of VMP1 gene transcripts

miR-21 is the most commonly over-expressed microRNA (miRNA) in cancer and a proven oncogene. Hsa-miR-21 is located on chromosome 17q23.2, immediately downstream of the vacuole membrane protein-1 (VMP1) gene, also known as TMEM49. VMP1 transcripts initiate ∼130 kb upstream of miR-21, are spliced, and polyadenylated only a few hundred base pairs upstream of the miR-21 hairpin. On the other hand, primary miR-21 transcripts (pri-miR-21) originate within the last introns of VMP1, but bypass VMP1 polyadenylation signals to include the miR-21 hairpin. Here, we report that VMP1 transcripts can also bypass these polyadenylation signals to include miR-21, thus providing a novel and independently regulated source of miR-21, termed VMP1–miR-21. Northern blotting, gene-specific RT-PCR, RNA pull-down and DNA branching assays support that VMP1–miR-21 is expressed at significant levels in a number of cancer cell lines and that it is processed by the Microprocessor complex to produce mature miR-21. VMP1 and pri-miR-21 are induced by common stimuli, such as phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) and androgens, but show differential responses to some stimuli such as epigenetic modifying agents. Collectively, these results indicate that miR-21 is a unique miRNA capable of being regulated by alternative polyadenylation and two independent gene promoters.

An open source browser-based software tool for graph drawing and visualisation

In this research work we searched for open source libraries which supports graph drawing and visualisation and can run in a browser. Subsequent these libraries were evaluated to find out which one is the best for this task. The result was the d3.js is that library which has the greatest functionality, flexibility and customisability. Afterwards we developed an open source software tool where d3.js was included and which was written in JavaScript so that it can run browser-based.

WebGraphEd, an open source graph drawing editor for the web

WebGraphEd is an open source software for graph visualization and manipulation. It is especially designed to work for the web platform through a web browser. The web application has been written in JavaScript and compacted later, which makes it a very lightweight software. There is no need of additional software, and the only requirement is to have an HTML5 compliant browser. WebGraphEd works with scalable vector graphics (SVG), which it makes possible to create lossless graph drawings.