Cardinal Points Research Articles

Soil Chemical Characteristics in Wet and Dry Season at Iva Long Wall Underground Mined Site, Nigeria

In a bid to diversify the sources of revenue generation in Nigeria, the Government of the Federation has initiated plans to resuscitate coal mining. This study, therefore, assessed the impact of previous mining activities on soil chemical characteristic of the abandoned site. A single factor experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications to obtain information on soil status of Iva mined site. Soil samples were collected randomly from ten different sampling points at 0-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm soil depth in four cardinal points at north (N), south (S), east (E), west (W), and at the centre (c) of crest, middle slope, and valley of Iva mined site. The samples were analysed for heavy metals, macronutrient, soil pH, and organic matter content. The organic matter values ranged from 0.00 ± 0.00 to 1.14 ± 0.02% in dry season and 0.00 ± 0.00 to 1.04 ± 0.06% in wet season, with higher levels of organic matter in the valley (OM ≤ 1.14 %). Soil pH values ranged from 3.98 to 6.00 in wet season and 3.82 to 5.34 in dry season, with higher levels of acidity in the middle slope (pH ≤ 4.37). The range of values of soil macronutrients (K, Mg, N and P) were higher in wet season than in dry season with higher levels of K, Mg, N and P, at middle slope. Similarly, the values of the concentration of heavy metals (Ni and Pb) in soil were higher in wet season than in dry season with higher levels of Ni and Pb at middle slope. The levels of Ni, Pb and Cd in this study are above their allowable limits in Austria, Germany, France, Netherlands, Sweden, and United Kingdom. The high concentrations of Cd and Ni in soils could be taken up in plants via the roots, thus, exposing both man and herbivores to serious health risks.

A novel multi-period double frontier network DEA to sustainable location optimization of hybrid wind-photovoltaic power plant with real application

Due to the harmful pollution releasing from fossil fuels burning, a growing trend to use renewable energies has been emerged. Nevertheless, using only one renewable energy resource fails to meet electrical power demands on account of its intermittent nature. To overcome this problem, hybrid power plants are developed. The present paper makes an attempt to determine the suitable locations to establish hybrid power plants which can guarantee the feasibility of these systems. Thanks to the availability in the most regions and complementary characteristics, hybrid wind and photovoltaic (PV) systems are taken into account. Geographical and sustainability criteria including economic, social, and environmental aspects are defined to assess the efficiency of candidate locations for hybrid power plant establishment. A novel algorithm utilizing double frontier network data envelopment analysis (NDEA) has been proposed in which both single-period and multi-period programming models are considered. This algorithm sets out to determine the suitable location for hybrid power plant establishment by calculating the efficiency of each candidate locations. Subsequently, the presented approach can rank the candidate locations’ priority to establish hybrid power plant. To evaluate the performance of the presented approach, a real case study in Iran is investigated. The results reveal that selected locations are closely nearby cardinal points. On the other hand, selected locations are in neighborhood by the provinces with highest electricity consumptions. Based on these findings, the proposed approach manages to meet decision-makers’ expectations.

Estimation of leaf area for open-grown urban trees in Great Britain using HemiView

Ecosystem service provision by urban trees depends on a range of factors including the tree total leaf area, which itself is related to canopy size and health. Consequently, a quantification and valuation of ecosystem services delivered by urban forests is more accurately made if based on correct leaf area values. The measurement of leaf area using direct methods is however unrealistic for urban trees; hemispherical photography offers an alternative. We photographed the canopies of fifty-one open-grown Acer platanoides, Fraxinus excelsior and Platanus x hispanica trees of different sizes, growing in public urban greenspaces in southern Great Britain (GB) and estimated their leaf area using HemiView 2.1 (Delta-T devices). For each tree, photographs were taken from four cardinal points and the subsequent individual leaf area estimates were compared to assess the variance associated with photographing a canopy from different orientations. This variance was highest for larger trees than for small ones, particularly those with estimated leaf area >400 m2; still, it remained always under 10% of the mean leaf area. The relationships between the tree’s leaf area estimate and its biometric variables were also found. All relationships tested were significant, especially those using tree height and crown height. Finally, leaf area estimates achieved using HemiView were compared to estimates achieved using published allometric equations and found to be significantly related to those for two of the three species. Differences between estimates (HemiView vs allometric equations) tended to be considerable for larger trees, but for most small trees estimates were broadly approximate. Leaf area estimated using HemiView or other indirect methods should be undertaken in future through comparison to empirical leaf area measurements.

Ebola’s Fatal Hemorrhagic Fever from Discovery to Vaccine

The Ebola Virus (EBOV) causes a hemorrhagic fever that is distinguished by a sudden onset of intense headaches, fever and severe hemorrhages which can be fatal in less than a week. The largest Ebola outbreak to date is currently underway, with 28.488 confirmed, probable and suspected cases reported, 15.239 laboratory confirmed cases and 11.297 fatalities as of October 11th, 2015. Most of the cases have occurred in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. The Ebola virus genus has five species: Zaire, Sudan, Tai Forest, Reston and Bundibugyo. The Zaire virus has caused ten epidemics since its identification in 1976, with a mortality rate of 57%-88%. Fruit bats appear to be the natural reservoir of EBOV, while human to human transmission is spread through direct contact of infected bodily fluids; patients only acquire the ability to infect others when symptomatic. Once inside the host, EBOV infects immune system cells directly and begins to replicate inside them while severely compromising it. Recent evidence shows EBOV alters cytokine expression while expressing its own viral proteins causing significant lymphopenia and lymphapoptosis, as well as endothelial damage. Massive hemorrhages throughout the body are one of the cardinal points of EBOV infection; however, it is not as present in patients as it is believed. The current outbreak has affected countries where sanitation is inadequate, resulting in the inability to control its spread. This review aims to give a broad spectrum of the current findings in several fields to better comprehend Ebola´s fatal Hemorrhagic Fever.

Diversity of Coral Fish At Saebus Island, East Java, Indonesia

Coral reef ecosystem is known as an important place to live various types of fish, where coral conditions will affect the diversity and abundance of the fish. In healthy coral reef ecosystems generally can be found many types of fish with high density. This research aims to investigate the diversity and abundance of coral fishes at Saebus Island, East Java. The observation conducted at 4 stations, according to cardinal point by UVS (underwater visual census) methods with belt transect with the visibility of 2,5 m horizontally, and 5 m vertically. The length of transect was 100 m parallel with coastline, with the area of observation is 500 m2. The censuses were conducted at 2 different depths (3 and 10 m). This study found 70 kinds of coral fish originated form 20 family at all stations. These fishes were from 3 different fish categories i.e. 7 target fishes, 13 indicator fishes, and 50 major fishes. Three different fishes that dominated target fish, indicator fish and major fish wereEpinephelus fasciatus, Chaetodon baronessaandAulostomus chinensis,respectively. There was similar value of fish diversity index at two different depths which were 3.635 and 3,623. While uniformity index at the depth of 3m was 0.153 and at 10m was 0.217, and domination index at the depth of 3m was 0.11 and at 10m was 0.167. These values suggest that diversity of coral fish at Saebus island can be categorized as high diversity.

Life on the Hyphen or Bolívar's Undying Promise

Life on the Hyphen or Bolívar's Undying Promise Brantley Nicholson Keywords "Carta de Jamaica," globalization/globalización, Hemispheric Studies/estudios hemisféricos, Pan-America/Panamérica, Simón Bolivar, World Literature/literatura mundial What does a successful America look like? Is it national? Is it regional? Is it trans- or subcultural? Is it caramel, white, or brown? Is it stability? Is it fluctuation? Is it a success that stands alone? Is it an equality that belies difference? Pertinent as they are, these questions are not new ones. In "Carta de Jamaica" of 1815, Simón Bolívar hypothesized the birth of a region that would inherit humanity, proffering antidotes to these very criteria. Borrowing from Adam Smith, and preceding G. W. F. Hegel and Marx, Bolívar was among the first of many pan-American theorists to claim that the rising tide of prosperity would raise all ships. The inevitability of the Western Hemisphere would blur all borders and bandage all wounds. Why then, at "Carta de Jamaica's" bicentenary, is identity politics and its cultural canon in expanse? The article in this collection, "Transnational US Latino/a Literature: From the 1960s to the Twenty-First Century," offers a catalogue and review of a recently booming corpus of work that proves Bolívar wrong. Ranging from recent criticism on gang and cartel Central America to Spanish speaking US literature, the uniting factor in an otherwise disparate group of writers is that it presupposes an underdog-ness that "derives from a hybrid background." The article sets aside a cultural block and highlights that the growing body of work, siphoned off from other literary studies, is successful in its own right. This is what unites Junot Díaz with transnational Latinas and Sandra Cisneros with Central American nomads. This analysis has been necessary for what critical theorists would call the dialectical positioning and projecting of future hope through culture, what decolonial theorists would refer to as the unearthing of the analectic, or pure underlying self, and what the layperson might simply refer to as a desire to feel represented authentically. Is it trauma? Is it triumph? Many world literary theorists would argue that the real moment of empowerment would come when this snapshot of framed culture is woven into the whole and shown to hold up to, if not exceed, the rigor of wider comparisons and criticism. If what is at stake is an attempt to come to terms with a tension that originates elsewhere, retreating to particularisms has its limits. Walt Whitman, William Faulkner, and Flannery O'Conner were influential for prominent Latin American writers throughout the twentieth century. The argument would hold, then, can one not presume that the writers highlighted in this article can be important to American(o/a)s of all backgrounds and still have an acute resonance? [End Page 173] Is it mutual understanding? Is it narcissism? The current moment presents a discord not out of line with that of the beginning of the nineteenth century. Geographical borders may have worn away, but cultural mores and their differences, be they performative or ontological, shine as bright as they ever have. These borders that social critics as differing in opinion as Samuel Huntington and Gloria Anzaldúa have viewed as a wound, one can only hope, will become more a cardinal point to guide Americanos to understanding what has been, until now, a violent twenty first century. For Bolívar, American success comprises a citizenry that would be "ni indio ni europeo." He is not right two hundred years later. Will he be right two hundred years from now? Brantley Nicholson Georgia College WORKS CITED Anzaldúa, Gloria. Borderlands/La Frontera. San Francisco: Aunt Lute, 1991. Print. Google Scholar Bolívar, Simón. "Carta de Jamaica." Buenos Aires: El Aleph, 1999. Web. 2 Mar. 2016. Google Scholar Casanova, Pascale. The World Republic of Letters. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 2004. Print. Google Scholar Damrosch, David. What is World Literature? Princeton: Princeton UP, 2003. Print. Google Scholar Dussel, Enrique. Philosophy of Liberation. Maryknoll: Orbis, 1985. Print. Google Scholar ———. Twenty Theses on Politics. Durham: Duke UP, 2008. Print. Google Scholar Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich. The Phenomenology of Spirit. Oxford...

What in the World Is North? Translating Cardinal Directions across Languages, Cultures and Environments

What in the World Is North? Translating Cardinal Directions across Languages, Cultures and Environments

The ‘Historiated’ Neolithic Stele of Saint-Samson-sur-Rance (Côtes-d'Armor, France)

The stone of Saint-Samson is a Neolithic stele of 70 tons and 10 m of probable length. Its intriguing leaning position and its very regular morphology have aroused curiosity since medieval times. Three of its four faces—oriented towards the cardinal points—display engravings that were discovered in the 1970s. Now, a new recording protocol has combined 2D techniques for emphasizing the contrast of the engravings (oblique rotating lights) and 3D methods for restoring the volumes of the support (photogrammetry, structured-light scanner). The results obtained have made it possible to implement the first structural analysis of the stone. The north and west faces show an opposition between domestic (cattle, goats) and wild animals (suidae, cervidae, birds, cetaceans), depicted confronted and with their horns or tusks clearly visible. The south face was reserved for the human figure and for iconic artefacts (polished axe, throwing stick, ring disk, steering oar). The four faces have in common the presence of boats. The relationship linking the monument to waterways and the sea is approached by analysing both local legends and the phenomenon of the tidal wave.

Tráfico internacional de menores: aspectos penales

This paper isaimed at providing the reader with a descriptive summary of the main international and domestic legal instruments for the prevention and punishment of international traffic of children, specifically focusing on the Inter-American Convention on International Traffic in Minors as the most significant regulation on this matter. The objective is to pose questions regarding some of the regulatory assumptions of this instrument from two core aspects on its legislative design: the technique for the description of criminal offences and its impact on international cooperation mechanisms in criminal matters. This framework intends to explore the features of this criminal activity based on some materials not usually found in specialized discourse. Finally, the purpose of this paper is to capture an interdisciplinary synthesis at the intersection of Private International Law and International Criminal Law, just at a cardinal point of regulatory convergence: the best interests of the child.

Paraxial ray solution for liquid-filled variable focus lenses

We propose a general solution for determining the cardinal points and effective focal length of a liquid-filled variable focus lens to aid in understanding the dynamic behavior of the lens when the focal length is changed. A prototype of a variable focus lens was fabricated and used to validate the solution. A simplified solution was also presented that can be used to quickly and conveniently calculate the performance of the lens. We expect that the proposed solutions will improve the design of optical systems that contain variable focus lenses, such as machine vision systems with zoom and focus functions.

Selective Manifestation of Sesmogenic Stress Field within the Mediterranean Belt (Based on Earthquake Focal Mechanism Solutions)

Separate domains of the Mediterranean belt (Zagros, Vrancea, and the Crimea-Caucasus-Black-Sea region) are discussed to argue for a diversity of earthquake-generation mechanisms as an impact of very variable systems of tectonic stresses, which are at the same time characterized by selectiveness in the orientations of the principal axis. We give stereographic models of earthquake-generation mechanisms, as well as the results from parameterization and structural kinematic identification of elements in the internal structure of seismogenic regions. We have identified a discrete character of earthquake-generating stress fields both with respect to the cardinal points (to the Earth’s axis of rotation) and with respect to the ground (horizontal) surface. We show that the diversity of seismogenic settings results from the transformations of stress fields that occur both at the regional and at local levels in the zones affected by the impact of major seismogenic structures in the study regions.

Sailing through marketing: A critical assessment of spatiality in marketing literature

Marketing has historically been entangled with the study of geography, which has become a very popular focus in the marketing literature nowadays. However, spatially-oriented perspectives in marketing tend to rest on a conceptual divide between place-oriented and space-oriented thinking, thus inhibiting the production of more eclectic and creative spatial knowledge. This conceptual paper endeavors to overcome this dichotomy by rethinking spatiality in terms of boundedness, openness, functionality and expressivity. These constitute the four cardinal points of a “compass rose” that marketers can use to reassess and combine different appreciations of spatiality. The paper suggests the idea of “sailing” as an appropriate metaphor to explore pioneering multi-dimensional appreciations of geography in marketing and go beyond the divide between place-oriented and space-oriented thinking.

Non-destructive measurement of soybean leaf thickness via X-ray computed tomography allows the study of diel leaf growth rhythms in the third dimension.

Present-day high-resolution leaf growth measurements provide exciting insights into diel (24-h) leaf growth rhythms and their control by the circadian clock, which match photosynthesis with oscillating environmental conditions. However, these methods are based on measurements of leaf area or elongation and neglect diel changes of leaf thickness. In contrast, the influence of various environmental stress factors to which leaves are exposed to during growth on the final leaf thickness has been studied extensively. Yet, these studies cannot elucidate how variation in leaf area and thickness are simultaneously regulated and influenced on smaller time scales. Only few methods are available to measure the thickness of young, growing leaves non-destructively. Therefore, we evaluated X-ray computed tomography to simultaneously and non-invasively record diel changes and growth of leaf thickness and area. Using conventional imaging and X-ray computed tomography leaf area, thickness and volume growth of young soybean leaves were simultaneously and non-destructively monitored at three cardinal time points during night and day for a period of 80h under non-stressful growth conditions. Reference thickness measurements on paperboards were in good agreement to CT measurements. Comparison of CT with leaf mass data further proved the consistency of our method. Exploratory analysis showed that measurements were accurate enough for recording and analyzing relative diel changes of leaf thickness, which were considerably different to those of leaf area. Relative growth rates of leaf area were consistently positive and highest during 'nights', while diel changes in thickness fluctuated more and were temporarily negative, particularly during 'evenings'. The method is suitable for non-invasive, accurate monitoring of diel variation in leaf volume. Moreover, our results indicate that diel rhythms of leaf area and thickness show some similarity but are not tightly coupled. These differences could be due to both intrinsic control mechanisms and different sensitivities to environmental factors.

Variação da temperatura de superfície na cota do pedestre na Avenida XV de Novembro, São Carlos-SP, Brasil

Este trabalho procurou verificar a variabilidade dos fluxos de energia de grande comprimento de onda na superfície do solo e edificações de São Carlos, uma cidade tropical de altitude de porte médio. A metodologia fundamenta-se na utilização de um termômetro digital infravermelho fixado em um tripé, com a aferição manual de pontos cardeais e colaterais nas angulações de 10º, 0º, em diversas classificações do uso do solo urbano definidas pelo Laboratório Quadro do Paisagismo do Brasil - QUAPÁ. Realizaram-se seis experimentos de campo ao longo de uma via na cidade de São Carlos-SP em episódio climático representativo de inverno. Os resultados revelaram que as temperaturas de superfície superaram 50ºC enquanto que a temperatura do ar limitou-se a 25,9ºC.

FUNCTIONING PECULIARITIES OF THE CONCEPTS OF NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, WEST IN JOHN CHEEVER’S WORKS

The purpose of this article is the analysis of the verbalized concepts EAST, WEST, SOUTH, NORTH in the individual world image of a contemporary American writer John Cheever. The object of the present study are the individual image and axiological associations and also unique semantic components of the concepts EAST, WEST, SOUTH, NORTH, that are immanent to the conceptual world-image of the writer John Cheever and are refl ected in his works. The subject of the study are the lexemes that verbalize the concepts EAST, WEST, SOUTH, NORTH, and also contexts where they function. The material of the study is represented by a book of stories The Stories of John Cheever, from which a body of text fragments (138 items) of discursive usualization of all four concepts comprising the macro-concept CARDINAL POINTS OF THE GLOBE have been extracted by means of continuous sampling method. The relevance of this study is determined by the anthropocentric trend prevalent in the modern scientifi c paradigm, in other words the study of linguistic phenomena within the ternary «language-culture-knowledge». The result of the study was the establishment of the peculiarities of the perception of the cardinal points of the globe in the general American linguistic world image and the transformation these notions have undergone in the individual conceptual system of the writer John Cheever.

Influence of orientation, glazing proportion and zone aspect ratio on the thermal performance of buildings during the winter period

The objective of this study is to assess the effect of orientation, glazing proportion and aspect ratio of building zones on heat fluxes through their surfaces, under specific environmental conditions. The investigation is carried out for thermally-insulated building zones with a varying facade orientation corresponding to each cardinal point, during the winter period in the northern Greek region. For this purpose, three glazing-to-facade ratios (GR) are taken into account; along with the glazing ratio the influence of the glazing U value is also considered. Regarding the impact of the fenestration layout geometry, five different building aspect ratio profiles are examined. Thermal fluxes are assessed for two different indoor temperature settings, while the operation of the heating unit is assumed to be continuous. The transient thermal analysis with its mathematical formulation and solution are based on the thermal-network modelling approach, while the solar heat gain through glazing relies on the sunlit-pattern approach; in this way, the stricken by the solar rays glazing area is projected onto any interior surfaces to form the so called "sunlit" areas. As the orientation, glazing proportion and aspect ratio of the building zone vary, so do the sizes and shapes of the illuminated "sunlit" areas. Accordingly, the delivered into the zone direct solar energy and its diffused and ground reflected components can be determined. The adopted methodology provides a more accurate determination of solar heat gain with respect to glazing proportion and orientation as well as zone aspect ratio. With regard to surface orientation, glazing proportion and aspect ratio, computer results demonstrate the improvement of the thermal performance for a building zone with a south oriented glazing surface, as well as the deterioration for the other surface orientations; relative increases/decreases in the energy fluxes of a rectangular shaped building zone compared to a square-shaped building zone can reach up to 50%/100%.

Expansión de la mancha urbana de la Ciudad de Chihuahua 2000-2012

En el presente trabajo se pretende dar a conocer el acelerado crecimiento de la mancha urbana de la ciudad de Chihuahua que se ha generado en tan solo diez años, mediante los Sistemas de Información Geográfica lo que hace una investigación novedosa e interesante, con estos sistemas podemos ver que, si bien la ciudad ha tenido un crecimiento en su espacio, económico y social no se ha dado un desarrollo equilibrado sobre su territorio. Por lo que el objetivo de esta investigación es conocer las acciones políticas, sociales, ambientales y económicas, que produjeron la expansión de la mancha urbana en sus diferentes puntos cardinales de la Ciudad en los últimos 10 años, representados con los SIG. Generado problemáticas sobre todo en el tema de los asentamientos humanos en espacios carentes de características viables para una buena calidad de vida, dejando consecuencias en la estructura de la ciudad, tanto física como social, puesto que no se dio una adecuada planeación para el crecimiento de la mancha urbana.

Vector Beam Polarization State Spectrum Analyzer

We present a proof of concept for a vector beam polarization state spectrum analyzer based on the combination of a polarization diffraction grating (PDG) and an encoded harmonic q-plate grating (QPG). As a result, a two-dimensional polarization diffraction grating is formed that generates six different q-plate channels with topological charges from −3 to +3 in the horizontal direction, and each is split in the vertical direction into the six polarization channels at the cardinal points of the corresponding higher-order Poincaré sphere. Consequently, 36 different channels are generated in parallel. This special polarization diffractive element is experimentally demonstrated using a single phase-only spatial light modulator in a reflective optical architecture. Finally, we show that this system can be used as a vector beam polarization state spectrum analyzer, where both the topological charge and the state of polarization of an input vector beam can be simultaneously determined in a single experiment. We expect that these results would be useful for applications in optical communications.

Cardinal and anti-cardinal points, equalities and chromatic dependence.

Cardinal points are used for ray tracing through Gaussian systems. Anti-principal and anti-nodal points (which we shall refer to as the anti-cardinal points), along with the six familiar cardinal points, belong to a much larger set of special points. The purpose of this paper is to obtain a set of relationships and resulting equalities among the cardinal and anti-cardinal points and to illustrate them using Pascal's ring. The methodology used relies on Gaussian optics and the transference T. We make use of two equations, obtained via the transference, which give the locations of the six cardinal and four anti-cardinal points with respect to the system. We obtain equalities among the cardinal and anti-cardinal points. We utilise Pascal's ring to illustrate which points depend on frequency and their displacement with change in frequency. Pascal described a memory schema in the shape of a hexagon for remembering equalities among the points and illustrating shifts in these points when an aspect of the system changes. We modify and extend Pascal's ring to include the anti-cardinal points. We make use of Pascal's ring extended to illustrate which points are dependent on the frequency of light and the direction of shift of the equalities with change in frequency. For the reduced eye the principal and nodal points are independent of frequency, but the focal points and the anti-cardinal points depend on frequency. For Le Grand's four-surface model eye all six cardinal and four anti-cardinal points depend on frequency. This has implications for definitions, particularly of chromatic aberrations of the eye, that make use of cardinal points and that themselves depend on frequency. Pascal's ring and Pascal's ring extended are novel memory schema for remembering the equalities among the cardinal and anti-cardinal points. The rings are useful for illustrating changes among the equalities and direction of shift of points when an aspect of a system changes. Care should be taken when defining concepts that rely on cardinal points that depend on frequency.

Association between electromagnetic field exposure and abortion in pregnant women living in Tehran

With great interest, we have read the article by Abad et al. entitled “Association between electromagnetic field exposure and abortion in pregnant women living in Tehran” that is published in International Journal of Reproductive BioMedicine Vol. 14. No. 5. pp: 347-354, May 2016. In this article, the authors evaluated the possible associations between electromagnetic waves exposure level and the rate of miscarriage in pregnant women. The electromagnetic radiation, in this study, had a significant association with the increased abortion in women who were exposed to these radiations. These findings were based on the measurements of electromagnetic waves within the residential locations of the 413 samples, very close to the entrance door of their home, according to the standard instructions of ICNIRP. Over the past several years, our laboratories at the Ionizing and Non-ionizing Radiation Protection Research Center (INIRPRC) have expanded their focus on studying the health effects of exposure to some common and/or occupational sources of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) such as cellular phones (1-9), mobile base stations (10), mobile phone jammers (11, 12), laptop computers (13), radars (2), dentistry cavitrons (14) and MRI (15, 16). Although the paper authored by Abad et al. is a well-structured article and addresses a very challenging issue, it has some major shortcomings. The first shortcoming of this paper comes from this cardinal point that the authors have simply ignored the role of exposure to extremely low frequency EMFs (e.g. exposure of the pregnant women living in houses close to power lines). It is worth noting that the NARDA SRM-3000 used in their study operates in the frequency range of 27MHz-3GHz and cannot measure extremely low frequency EMFs. It is also worth mentioning that previous studies conducted in Iran indicated that the exposure to extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields is probably related to early spontaneous abortions (17). Another shortcoming of this paper comes from ignoring the role of mobile phone/cordless phone use by pregnant women in evaluation of the risk of abortion. It should be noted that some studies conducted in Iran showed that the use of mobile phones can be linked to the early spontaneous abortions (18). We hope that our comments help better understanding of the effects of EMF on the pregnancy outcome.