A high-density, well-distributed, and consistent historical weather data series is of major importance for agricultural planning and climatic risk evaluation. A possible option for regions where ...weather station network is irregular is the use of gridded weather data (GWD), which can be downloaded online from different sources. Based on that, the aim of this study was to assess the suitability of two GWD, AgMERRA and XAVIER, by comparing them with measured weather data (MWD) for estimating soybean yield in Brazil. The GWD and MWD were obtained for 24 locations across Brazil, considering the period between 1980 and 2010. These data were used to estimate soybean yield with DSSAT-CROPGRO-Soybean model. The comparison of MWD with GWD resulted in a good agreement between climate variables, except for solar radiation. The crop simulations with GWD and MWD resulted in a good agreement for vegetative and reproductive phases. Soybean potential yield (
Yp
) simulated with AgMERRA and XAVIER had a high correlation (
r
> 0.88) when compared to the estimates with MWD, with the RMSE of about 400 kg ha
−1
. For attainable yield (
Ya
), estimates with XAVIER resulted in a RMSE of 700 kg ha
−1
against 864 kg ha
−1
from AgMERRA, both compared to the simulations using MWD. Even with these differences in
Ya
simulations, both GWD can be considered suitable for simulating soybean growth, development, and yield in Brazil; however, with XAVIER GWD presenting a better performance for weather and crop variables assessed.
Conservation laws are deeply related to any symmetry present in a physical system
. Analogously to electrons in atoms exhibiting spin symmetries
, it is possible to consider neutrons and protons in ...the atomic nucleus as projections of a single fermion with an isobaric spin (isospin) of t = 1/2 (ref.
). Every nuclear state is thus characterized by a total isobaric spin T and a projection T
-two quantities that are largely conserved in nuclear reactions and decays
. A mirror symmetry emerges from this isobaric-spin formalism: nuclei with exchanged numbers of neutrons and protons, known as mirror nuclei, should have an identical set of states
, including their ground state, labelled by their total angular momentum J and parity π. Here we report evidence of mirror-symmetry violation in bound nuclear ground states within the mirror partners strontium-73 and bromine-73. We find that a J
= 5/2
spin assignment is needed to explain the proton-emission pattern observed from the T = 3/2 isobaric-analogue state in rubidium-73, which is identical to the ground state of strontium-73. Therefore the ground state of strontium-73 must differ from its J
= 1/2
mirror bromine-73. This observation offers insights into charge-symmetry-breaking forces acting in atomic nuclei.
The lifetimes of the first excited 2^{+} states in the N=Z nuclei ^{80}Zr, ^{78}Y, and ^{76}Sr have been measured using the γ-ray line shape method following population via nucleon-knockout reactions ...from intermediate-energy rare-isotope beams. The extracted reduced electromagnetic transition strengths yield new information on where the collectivity is maximized and provide evidence for a significant, and as yet unexplained, odd-odd vs even-even staggering in the observed values. The experimental results are analyzed in the context of state-of-the-art nuclear density-functional model calculations.
Physical inactivity is a key contributor to the global burden of disease and disproportionately impacts the wellbeing of people experiencing mental illness. Increases in physical activity are ...associated with improvements in symptoms of mental illness and reduction in cardiometabolic risk. Reliable and valid clinical tools that assess physical activity would improve evaluation of intervention studies that aim to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour in people living with mental illness.
The five-item Simple Physical Activity Questionnaire (SIMPAQ) was developed by a multidisciplinary, international working group as a clinical tool to assess physical activity and sedentary behaviour in people living with mental illness. Patients with a DSM or ICD mental illness diagnoses were recruited and completed the SIMPAQ on two occasions, one week apart. Participants wore an Actigraph accelerometer and completed brief cognitive and clinical assessments.
Evidence of SIMPAQ validity was assessed against accelerometer-derived measures of physical activity. Data were obtained from 1010 participants. The SIMPAQ had good test-retest reliability. Correlations for moderate-vigorous physical activity was comparable to studies conducted in general population samples. Evidence of validity for the sedentary behaviour item was poor. An alternative method to calculate sedentary behaviour had stronger evidence of validity. This alternative method is recommended for use in future studies employing the SIMPAQ.
The SIMPAQ is a brief measure of physical activity and sedentary behaviour that can be reliably and validly administered by health professionals.
High-density lipoprotein (HDL) plays an important role in lipid metabolism and especially contributes to the reverse cholesterol transport pathway. Over recent years it has become clear that the ...effect of HDL on immune-modulation is not only dependent on HDL concentration but also and perhaps even more so on HDL function. This review will provide a concise general introduction to HDL followed by an overview of post-translational modifications of HDL and a detailed overview of the role of HDL in inflammatory diseases. The clinical potential of HDL and its main apolipoprotein constituent, apoA-I, is also addressed in this context. Finally, some conclusions and remarks that are important for future HDL-based research and further development of HDL-focused therapies are discussed.
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Neutron-deficient selenium isotopes are thought to undergo a rapid shape change from a prolate deformation near the line of beta stability towards oblate deformation around the line of N=Z. The point ...at which this shape change occurs is unknown, with inconsistent predictions from available theoretical models. A common feature in the models is the delicate nature of the point of transition, with the introduction of even a modest spin to the system sufficient to change the ordering of the prolate and oblate configurations. We present a measurement of the quadrupole moment of the first-excited state in radioactive ^{72}Se-a potential point of transition-by safe Coulomb excitation. This is the first low-energy Coulomb excitation to be performed with a rare-isotope beam at the reaccelerated beam facility at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory. By demonstrating a negative spectroscopic quadrupole moment for the first-excited 2^{+} state, it is found that any low-spin shape change in neutron-deficient selenium does not occur until ^{70}Se.
Proton capture on the excited isomeric state of ^{26}Al strongly influences the abundance of ^{26}Mg ejected in explosive astronomical events and, as such, plays a critical role in determining the ...initial content of radiogenic ^{26}Al in presolar grains. This reaction also affects the temperature range for thermal equilibrium between the ground and isomeric levels. We present a novel technique, which exploits the isospin symmetry of the nuclear force, to address the long-standing challenge of determining proton-capture rates on excited nuclear levels. Such a technique has in-built tests that strongly support its veracity and, for the first time, we have experimentally constrained the strengths of resonances that dominate the astrophysical ^{26m}Al(p,γ)^{27}Si reaction. These constraints demonstrate that the rate is at least a factor ∼8 lower than previously expected, indicating an increase in the stellar production of ^{26}Mg and a possible need to reinvestigate sensitivity studies involving the thermal equilibration of ^{26}Al.
Is the Structure of Si 42 Understood? Gade, A.; Brown, B. A.; Tostevin, J. A. ...
Physical review letters,
06/2019, Letnik:
122, Številka:
22
Journal Article
The hydrolysis of PEtOx is studied to evaluate the potential toxicity of partially hydrolyzed polymers that might interfere with its increasing popularity for biomedical applications. The hydrolysis ...of PEtOx is studied in the presence of digestive enzymes (gastric and intestinal) and at 5.8 M hydrochloric acid as a function of temperature (57, 73, 90, and 100 °C). It is found that PEtOx undergoes negligible hydrolysis at 37 °C and that thermal and solution properties are not altered when up to 10% of the polymer backbone is hydrolyzed. Mucosal irritation and cytotoxicity is also absent up to 10% hydrolysis levels. In conclusion, PEtOx will not decompose at physiological conditions, and partial hydrolysis will not limit its biomedical applications.
Poly(2‐ethyl‐2‐oxazoline) is shown to be stable against hydrolysis under physiological conditions. Up to 10% hydrolysis may occur before the thermal and solubility properties are significantly altered. Partially hydrolyzed PEtOx with up to 10% hydrolysis does not induce slug mucosal irritation and shows no cytotoxicity, demonstrating that partial hydrolysis does not limit biomedical applications.
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