Higher Number Of Days Research Articles

Challenges in the Practice of Sexual Medicine in the Time of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom

BackgroundOn 23rd March 2020, the UK government released self-isolation/social distancing guidance to reduce the risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2. The influence such guidance has on sexual activity is not known. AimTo investigate levels and correlates of sexual activity during COVID-19 self-isolation/social distancing in a sample of the UK public. MethodsThis paper presents preplanned interim analyses of data from a cross-sectional epidemiological study, administered through an online survey. OutcomesSexual activity was measured using the following question: “On average after self-isolating how many times have you engaged in sexual activity weekly?” Demographic and clinical data were collected, including sex, age, marital status, employment, annual household income, region, current smoking status, current alcohol consumption, number of chronic physical conditions, number of chronic psychiatric conditions, any physical symptom experienced during self-isolation, and number of days of self-isolation/social distancing. The association between several factors (independent variables) and sexual activity (dependent variable) was studied using a multivariable logistic regression model. Results868 individuals were included in this study. There were 63.1% of women, and 21.8% of adults who were aged between 25 and 34 years. During self-isolation/social distancing, 39.9% of the population reported engaging in sexual activity at least once per week. Variables significantly associated with sexual activity (dependent variable) were being male, a younger age, being married or in a domestic partnership, consuming alcohol, and a higher number of days of self-isolation/social distancing. Clinical ImplicationsIn this sample of 868 UK adults self-isolating owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalence of sexual activity was lower than 40%. Those reporting particularly low levels of sexual activity included females, older adults, those not married, and those who abstain from alcohol consumption. Strength and LimitationsThis is the first study to investigate sexual activity during the UK COVID-19 self-isolation/social distancing. Participants were asked to self-report their sexual activity potentially introducing self-reporting bias into the findings. Second, analyses were cross-sectional and thus it is not possible to determine trajectories of sexual activity during the current pandemic. ConclusionInterventions to promote health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic should consider positive sexual health messages in mitigating the detrimental health consequences in relation to self-isolation/social distancing and should target those with the lowest levels of sexual activity.Jacob L, Smith L, Butler L, et al. Challenges in the Practice of Sexual Medicine in the Time of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom. J Sex Med 2020;17:1229–1236.

Effects of the FIFA 11+ on injury prevention in amateur futsal players.

To examine the effectiveness of the FIFA 11+ in reducing injury in futsal players. Ninety-one male futsal players from six amateur futsal clubs were recruited and assessed for eligibility, and 71 were randomized to the 11+ group (n=37, age: 27.0±5.1years) and a control group (n=34, age: 26.0±5.1years). The 11+ program was executed twice a week for 20weeks, separated by a 10-week period where both groups executed their regular warm-up. Data on match, training exposure, and injuries were recorded during the regular season. The players sustained a total of 58 injuries during the futsal regular season, with 24 injuries in the 11+ group and 34 injuries in the control group; the overall incidence of injuries per 1000 player-hours was significantly higher in the control group (11.6 vs 6.5; mean difference (95% CI) -5.1 (-9.1 to -1.1), P=.014). The 11+ group had a significantly lower incidence of acute (11.2 vs 5.7; -5.5 (-9.4 to -1.6), P=.007) and lower limb (8.7 vs 4.4; -4.2 (-8.1 to -0.4), P=.032) injuries per 1000 player-hours. Players from the control group had a higher number of days injured (20.4±17.3 vs 10.5±9.1, P=.036). The FIFA 11+ is an injury prevention program suited for injury reduction in amateur futsal players, as it reduces the incidence of overall, acute, and lower limb injuries during the season.

Clustering methods assessment for investment in zero emission neighborhoods’ energy system

This paper investigates the use of clustering in the context of designing the energy system of Zero Emission Neighborhoods (ZEN). ZENs are neighborhoods who aim to have net zero emissions during their lifetime. While previous work has used and studied clustering for designing the energy system of neighborhoods, no article dealt with neighborhoods such as ZEN, which have high requirements for the solar irradiance time series, include a CO2 factor time series and have a zero emission balance limiting the possibilities. To this end several methods are used and their results compared. The results are on the one hand the performances of the clustering itself and on the other hand, the performances of each method in the optimization model where the data is used. Various aspects related to the clustering methods are tested. The different aspects studied are: the goal (clustering to obtain days or hours), the algorithm (k-means or k-medoids), the normalization method (based on the standard deviation or range of values) and the use of heuristic. The results highlight that k-means offers better results than k-medoids and that k-means was systematically underestimating the objective value while k-medoids was constantly overestimating it. When the choice between clustering days and hours is possible, it appears that clustering days offers the best precision and solving time. The choice depends on the formulation used for the optimization model and the need to model seasonal storage. The choice of the normalization method has the least impact, but the range of values method show some advantages in terms of solving time. When a good representation of the solar irradiance time series is needed, a higher number of days or using hours is necessary. The choice depends on what solving time is acceptable.

Analysis of Corylus pollen season in Poland in 2020

In Poland hazel is one of the earliest flowering plants and in phenology it belongs to indicator plants that mark the beginning of early spring. Hazel pollen grains contain allergens that are a cause of pollen allergy during the early spring period. The aim of the present study was to compare Corylus pollen seasons in 2020 in the following 11 cities located in different regions of Poland: Szczecin, Bydgoszcz, Zielona Gora, Wroclaw, Opole, Sosnowiec, Piotrkow Trybunalski, Warsaw, Lublin, Olsztyn, and Bialystok. This research was conducted using the volumetric method and Burkard or Lanzoni pollen samplers. Pollen season duration was determined by the 95% method. This study analyzed the specific parameters of the pollen season (start, end, peak value, peak date, annual total) and also determined the number of days with a concentration exceeding the threshold values at which the first allergy symptoms in people sensitized to hazel pollen and symptoms in all allergic patients occur, respectively. The hazel pollen season in 2020 began relatively early, between January 11th and February 2nd. The season start was recorded earliest in Opole and latest in Olsztyn and Bialystok. The study found that the pollen season started earlier in the western part of Poland than in the eastern regions. The highest maximum Corylus pollen concentration was recorded in Lublin (388 P/m3), whereas the lowest one in Bydgoszcz (48 P/m3). The maximum daily concentration of Corylus pollen grains was recorded in different periods in the individual cities, while the peak concentration values occurred between January 31th and March 4th. The highest risk of allergy in people sensitive to the pollen of this taxon was found in Lublin since the most days with a pollen concentration exceeding the threshold value were observed in this city. Lublin was found to have the highest annual total values and they were 1.6–5.6 times higher than in the other cities. The highest annual pollen sums and peak values as well as the highest number of days with a concentration exceeding the threshold value had also been recorded in Lublin previously.

Hotspot Distribution Analysis In East Kalimantan Province 2017-2019 to Support Forest and Land Fires Mitigation

Forest and land fires that have occurred in the territory of East Kalimantan Province have caused immediate disaster to the area from year to year and become a global concern in recent years. Hotspots that potentially cause forest and land fires can be detected using satellites such as NOAA-20. The purposes of this study are to analyze the distribution pattern of hotspots in East Kalimantan Province during 2017-2019, identify areas with the highest risk of fires caused by the high intensity of hotspot. The method used in this study is the Nearest Neighbor Analysis and Kernel Density Estimation analysis. The results showed that the distribution pattern of hotspots in East Kalimantan Province during 2017-2019 was clustered with the highest intensity of hotspots were in Berau, East Kutai and Kutai Kartanegara Districts. And from the result of the analysis, the highest number of days has a peak hotspots on September each year.
 Keywords: forest and land fires, hotspots, Nearest Neighbor, Kernel Density Estimation

EFFECT OF NIGHT BREAK DURATION AND PACLOBUTRAZOL ON GROWTH AND FLOWERING OF DENDRANTHEMA GRANDIFLORA POT PLANT PRODUCTION

The experiment was conducted in Tikrit city, Iraq during the period from May to December 2019 on Dendranthema grandiflora. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of night break to prolong marketing period of the plant. Two factors were included, the first factor was night break (NB) at five levels (natural day, 5 seconds (flash light), 30, 60 and 120 minutes) starting at 10:00 p.m. for one month. The second one was spraying paclobutrazol at three levels (0, 500, 1000 mg l-1). The experiment was designed as split plot design, night break was set in the main plot. The results showed that NB had significant effect on values of vegetative growth characteristics. It also delayed the date of initiation and opening of the inflorescences. The treatment of 120 minutes had highest number of days to initiation and opening of flower (167.73 and 183.55 days, respectively), while natural day treatment gave lower number (133.25 and 165.73 days, respectively). The treatment of paclobutrazol at 1000 mg l-1 concentration gave lowest plant height: pot ratio and highest plant diameter (1.25 and 56.60 cm, respectively). Highest shelf life was 45.10 days at the treatment of interaction between night break of 120 minutes and spraying with paclobutrazol at 1000 mg l-1.

Effects of multilocation on intra-row spacing and nitrogen rate on growth and yield of Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) in North Eastern Nigeria

Field experiments were conducted in 2015 rainy season at Teaching and Research Farms of Department of Crop Production and Horticulture, Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola and Department of Crop Science, Taraba State College of Agriculture, Jalingo to investigate the effect of multilocation on intra-row spacing and nitrogen rates on the growth and yield of Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranean (L.) Verdc) in Northern Nigeria. The experiments were laid out in split-plot design with three replications and three nitrogen rate, 20, 25 and 30 kgNha-1 as main plot treatment while four intra-row spacing, 20, 25, 30 and 35 cm as the sub plot treatment. The sub plot size was 3 m x 2 m (6 m2). The nitrogen rate doses were applied a week after emergence of the seedlings. Data collected were, percentage seedlings emergence, number of leaves per plant, number of branches plant, plant height, number of nodules per plant, number of effective nodules per plant, number of non-effective nodules per plant, days to 50% flowering, days to 95% maturity, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per plant, 100 seeds weight, grain yield per plot and grain yield per ha. Data collected were subjected to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), means were separated using Least Significant Difference (LSD). The results showed that nitrogen rate applied had no significant influence on growth and yield characters in both trial locations. However, significant influence was recorded of intra-row spacing on number of leaves per plant and number of branches per plant at 6 WAS at Jalingo trial location with the mean values of 48.24 at 35 cm and 16.80 at 35 cm respectively. Intra-row spacing, 25 cm gave the highest mean number (3.14) of non-effective nodules per plant at 30 DAS at Yola trial location while at Jalingo, 25 cm gave the highest number of days to 50% flowering. The result of the interaction revealed that there were significant interaction between Nitrogen rates and intra-row spacing on the number of leaves at 3 WAS at Jalingo location, 6 WAS at both locations, number of nodules and number of non-effective nodules at 30 DAS at Yola trial location. It is recommended that nitrogen rate of 20 kgNha-1 and intra-row spacing of 35 cm be adopted in the study areas for higher yield to the farmers.

Classification of cucumber germplasm based on agronomic traits under natural climatic conditions

Vegetables have been known from ancient times as fresh and edible parts of herbaceous plants. They play vital role in maintenance of health and help in prevention from a number of diseases. Vegetables have been main source of carbohydrates, vitamin and mineral. Vegetables can be available in different edible forms such as roots, stems, leaves, fruits and seeds. Each edible group have its own contribution. Cucumber is cultivated all around the world and held an important position in cucurbitaceous crops. Seeds of cucumber have cooling, tonic, diuretic and anthelmintic effect. There were total 12 different varieties and central devoutness of the study was to compare all these varieties and to know about the best variety among all. After comparing means from data it was conducted that in terms of days of germination, the fastest germination rate was observed that three varieties C-571, Cucumber Vega and Desi cucumber respectively followed by C-3429 and remaining varieties showed almost same trend, but the variety which took highest number of days to germinate was C-574. All the varieties showed almost similar trend in length of stem and days of flowering. C-3479 possessed highest number of fruits and Sialkot local had lowest number of fruits. Three varieties C-571, 574 and C-3429 exhibited highest yield. The biggest size of leaf was variety WANDRI-700. This study revealed the germination rates and the fastest germination rate was observed that three varieties C-571, Cucumber Vega and Desi cucumber. In terms of Numb of leaves C-3479, C-571 and Sialkot local beard highest number of leaves.

The Effects of Tillage and Fertilizers on Growth Characteristics of Kabuli Chickpea Under Mediterranean Conditions

Abstract Mediterranean semi-arid region is sensitive to physical, chemical and biological soil disturbances related to intensive tillage. Presented field experiment was conducted at Razan district, Hamedan, located in central west zone, Iran during the 2017–2018 growing season. It dealt with the effects of different tillage methods and treatments on growth, yield and yield contributing characters of spring Kabuli chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) under irrigated condition. Effects of two tillage methods – inversion tillage (mouldboard ploughing – T1) and non-inversion tillage (chisel ploughing – T2) – in combination with five different fertilization treatments (C: complete fertilizer; 20FYM: 20 Mg·ha−1 farmyard manure; 40FYM: 40 Mg·ha−1 farmyard manure; NPK: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium at 2-1-1 ratio; 0: no fertilizer for the control purposes) were studied. The experiment was carried out in split block design with three replications. Results showed that application of 40FYM under T1 condition significantly decreased the number of days to seedling emergence. The highest number of days to flowering was recorded for plants cultivated with inorganic fertilization and reduced tillage. Application of large amounts of FYM significantly increased the ground cover and canopy width for both tillage methods. The highest number of secondary branches was recorded for combination 40FYM – T1, which was followed by C – T2. The pod number per plant was considerably sensitive to different combination of treatments and the best results were recorded for combinations 40FYM – T2; 20FYM – T2; and 40FYM – T1. A similar trend was also recorded for the total dry matter. The heaviest seeds were observed in cases with the application of high levels of FYM. The highest seed yield was observed for plants cultivated using 40FYM – T2. Furthermore, the highest harvest index was recorded for 40FYM – T2, and C – T2. The results indicate that non-inversion tillage together with high-level FYM application can significantly affect the yield levels.

Performance evaluation of ozone and particulate matter sensors

ABSTRACTAs public awareness and concern about air quality grows, companies and researchers have begun to develop small, low-cost sensors to measure local air quality. These sensors have been used in citizen science projects, in distributed networks within cities, and in combination with public health studies on asthma and other air-quality-associated diseases. However, sensor long-term performance under different environmental conditions and pollutant levels is not fully understood. In addition, further evaluation is needed for other long-term performance trends such as performance among sensors of the same model, comparison between sensors from different companies and comparison of sensor data to federal equivalence or reference method (FEM/FRM) measurements. A 10-month evaluation of two popular particulate matter (PM) sensors, Dylos DC1100 and AirBeam, and a popular ozone (O3) sensor, Aeroqual 500, was performed as part of this study. Data from these sensors were compared to each other and to FEM/FRM data and local meteorology. The study took place at the Houston Regional Monitoring (HRM) site 3, located between the Houston Ship Channel and Houston’s urban center. PM sensor performance was found to vary in time, with multivariate analysis, binning of data by meteorological parameter, and machine learning techniques able to account for some but not all performance variations. PM type (i.e., size distribution, fiber-flake-spheroid shape and black-brown-white color) likely played a role in the changing sensor performance. Triplicate individual Aeroqual O3 sensors tracked reasonably well with the FEM data for most of the measurement period but had irregular periods of O3 measurement offset. While the FEM data indicated 4 days where ozone levels were above the NAAQS, the Aeroqual ozone sensors indicated a substantially higher number of days, ranging from 9 to 16 for the three sensors.Implications: This paper evaluated the long-term performance of several commercial low-cost sensors (PM2.5 and ozone) as compared to federal equivalence method (FEM) monitors under a range of meteorological and air quality conditions. PM2.5 sensors performed well on low humidity days with winds indicative of sea salt or dust PM sources but had poor correlation with FEM data under other conditions. Two types of PM sensors were studied (Dylos 1100 and AirBeam) and data only correlated well between sensors of the same type. Sensor networks with multiple PM sensor types would not be as useful for comparative purposes as sensor networks of the same type. Relative humidity corrections alone did not increase sensor agreement with FEM to acceptable levels, specific information about PM sources and sensor response in the area measured is needed. Low-cost ozone sensors tested (Aeroqual) performed well but were biased high and overestimated days above ozone NAAQS.

Characteristics of Surface Ozone in Five Provincial Capital Cities of China during 2014–2015

Ozone (O3) pollution has become an increasing concern in China since elevated surface O3 concentrations were observed in recent years. In this study, five provincial cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xi’an, and Hefei) located in different regions of China were selected to study the spatiotemporal variations and affecting factors of O3 concentrations during 2014–2015. Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou had suffered more severe O3 pollution, yet Beijing had the highest number of days that exceeded the Chinese MDA8 (maximum daily 8 h average) standard of 160 µg m−3. MDA8 O3 exhibited different seasonal patterns among the five cities. In Beijing and Xi’an, MDA8 O3 showed the highest in summer and lowest in winter. Guangzhou also had the highest O3 concentration in summer, but had similar levels in other three seasons. The O3 levels were similarly high in Shanghai during spring, summer, and autumn, while in Hefei, O3 concentration peaked in autumn. No significant difference between weekend and weekday O3 levels was observed in all the five cities. The diurnal cycle reached a maximum in the afternoon and a minimum in the early morning, which was consistent in the five cities. Correlation analyses showed that the associations between O3 and the other five criteria air pollutants, as well as meteorological parameters, were substantially different among the five cities. Air mass cluster analyses during episodic days revealed that the short-distance transport of O3 and its precursors had a greater impact for high O3 pollution in the five cities. Overall, our results demonstrate that O3 pollution exhibited great divergence among different regions and thus region-oriented control measures are suggested to reduce O3 pollution in China.

Evaluation of open pollinated and hybrid maize varieties in Dhading district of Nepal

Five maize varieties namely Rampur composite, Arun-2, Manakamana-3, Rampur Hybrid-4 and Rajkumar were evaluated in randomized complete block design with four replications at farmers field at Nilkantha Municipality-09, Aashikhola, Dhading from February 2018 to June 2018 to identify high yielding maze varieties. Significant variation was observed for grain yield, silking and tasseling, number of kernels per cob and cob length.The largest cob length was found in Rampur composite (19.550 cm) and highest number of kernel row per cob was found in Rajkumar (17.25) and Manakamana-3 (17.25).The highest number of leaves above cob was found in Rampur composite (5.678). The number of days for 50% tasseling and number of days for 50% silking had a highly significant and positive correlation with plot yield. The highest number of days for 50% tasseling (78.50 DAS) and days for 50 % silking (82.50 DAS) was observed in the genotypes Rampur Hybrid-4. Similarly, the number of leaves above the cob , thousand kernel weight and length of the cob had a significant and positive correlation with plot yield. Rampur Hybrid -4 was the highest yielding genotype (7.79 t/ha) for such domain area with a B:C ratio of 1.48.Thus, Rampur Hybrid-4 genotype is recommended for spring season in Dhading.

Standardization of sowing date and covering material under low tunnels for early harvest of longmelon

The field experiment was conducted at research farm of ICAR-Central Institute for Arid Horticulture, Bikaner, Rajasthan during 2017-18 and 2018-19 to standardize the date of sowing and covering material. Under different dates of sowing and covering material long melon took 41-50, 44- 55 and 50-62 days after sowing for first male flower, first female flower and first harvest at marketable stage, respectively. The treatment T3 (20th December with polythene sheet) recorded the highest number of days for last harvest followed by T4 (20th December with non-woven cloth), while the least number of days for last harvest was recorded in T9 (10th February under open condition). The crop raised unde (T2-10th December with non-woven cloth) attained the harvestable maturity on 9th February in comparison to open filed sowing (T9) came in harvesting on 2nd April which was 49 days later than the tunnel. The sowing on second date of sowing with polythene covering (T3-20th December with polythene sheet) recorded the highest yield and fruiting duration followed by the sowing on same date with nonwoven cloth covering (T4-20th December with non-woven cloth). An advancement of 24 50 days was recorded with first two dates of sowing as compared to normal season which fetches higher price in the market.

A Latent Profile Analysis of Young Adult Lifestyle Behaviors.

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify lifestyle profiles of young adult males and females based on their alcohol, diet, and exercise behaviors and then link these profiles with health. Method: We used the nationally representative 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS; N = 17,286; 47% female; Mage = 23.22; SD = 3.16; 65% white) to examine profiles of alcohol use, daily fruit and vegetable intake, fried potato intake, and exercise per week using latent profile analysis. Participants also reported the days their general, physical, and mental health were poor and BMI. Results: Five distinct profiles for both males and females were identified: Healthy Eaters/Exercisers, Moderates, Unhealthy Eaters, Medium Drinkers, and Heavy Drinkers. Heavy Drinkers and Unhealthy Eaters reported the most days of poor mental and physical health. Conclusions: Heavy drinkers and unhealthy eaters had the highest number of days of poor health, which also places them at risk for a host of health adversities throughout adulthood. Examining motivations behind young adults' patterns of consumption and activity is an important future direction to identify mechanisms for healthy lifestyle promotion during the transition to adulthood.

Assessing Seed Vigor Characters of Selected Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Genotypes Using Accelerated Ageing Method

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is an annual grass with the third-highest world production after sugarcane and maize. However, due to losses in vigor caused by poor seed storage, global consumption has surpassed production. Preservation of germ plasma both in-situ and ex-situ is the key to the conservation of rich biodiversity. Seed vigor is a key element of seed quality and high vigor seeds give uniform plants stand and higher yields per area. Accelerated ageing tests enable testing the vigor of stored seeds by subjecting the seeds to a particular temperature and relative humidity over time and then performing standard germination tests. Viability of most seeds normally reduces with the storage period, storage temperature and relative humidity. There is limited information on the duration of storage for rice seeds. Accelerated ageing is considered an excellent option as a vigor test when compared to seedling emergence and index of emergence speed because of the shortest time of acquisition and efficient results. Accelerated ageing tests at 0, 24, 48 and 72 hours (45ºC and 98% RH) were carried out JKUAT post-harvest laboratory using eight rice varieties’ in four replications of 100 seeds each. Data were analyzed using GENSTAT statistical package. ANOVA and T-tests at 5% significant level. Results showed that there was significant variation in both coleorhiza and coleoptile formation among rice varieties (p<0.001), treatments (p<0.001) and interaction between rice varieties and treatment (p<0.001). The difference between all treatments was significant with 72 hours’ treatment having the highest number of days to coleorhiza and coleoptile formation. The present study has shown that prolonged duration of higher temperatures results in a reduction of seed viability. The earliest coleorhiza formation was observed on day 2 and the latest on day 6. Results from this study will guide farmers and seed processors on considerations regarding storage period and storage temperature to ensure high-quality seeds.

Objectively measured physical activity and depressive symptoms in adult outpatients diagnosed with major depression. Clinical perspectives

Physical activity (PA) is linked to reduced risk of depression, but research on the objectively measured PA in clinically diagnosed adult outpatients with major depressive disorder (MDD) is scarce. This study aimed to examine relationships of objectively measured PA with depression and mood. A total of 19 outpatients (6 males) with MDD, a mean age of 47.79 ± 11.67 years and mild-moderate depression participated in the study. To record PA, participants wore a triaxial accelerometer device on the right hip during waking hours for seven consecutive days. Depression and mood were assessed with self-reports immediately after day seven. Participants wore the accelerometers for a high number of days (M = 6.26 ± 1.24 days) and hours per day (13.40 ± 2.61 h), recording light (266.01 ± 100.74 min/day) or moderate (31.19 ± 24.90 min/day) PA, and sedentary time (515.33 ± 155.71 min/day). Stepwise regression analysis yield a significant prediction (p < .05) with only moderate PA contributing to the prediction of depression (Beta = −0.47, p < .05). The model explained 22% of the variance of depression. Our findings provide valuable preliminary evidence regarding the relationship between objectively measured PA and lower depression in clinically diagnosed outpatients with MDD, suggesting moderate PA may help alleviating depressive symptoms.

Evaluation of concomitant peripheral arthritis in patients with recent onset axial spondyloarthritis: 5-year results from the DESIR cohort

Background(a) To describe the prevalence and incidence of peripheral arthritis during 5 years of follow-up in recent axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), (b) to evaluate factors associated with their appearance and (c) to assess their impact on treatment, patient-reported outcomes and sick leave after follow-up.MethodsData from the early axSpA patients from the DESIR cohort (first 5 years of follow-up) were analysed. Prevalence and incidence of peripheral arthritis at each study visit were calculated. A multivariate analysis was performed to evaluate baseline factors associated with the development of the arthritis. The use of drugs, the impact on patient-reported outcomes and days of sick leave were compared in both groups over time.ResultsOut of the 708 patients included in DESIR, 255 (36.0%) showed at least one episode of arthritis (151 before the inclusion visit and 104 during the follow-up), with an incidence of 3.7 cases per 100 person-years. Patients with peripheral arthritis were more likely (OR, 95%CI) to be aged ≥ 33 years (1.60, 1.12–2.27), non-smokers (1.58, 1.10–2.27) and HLAB27 negative (1.47, 1.04–2.08) and have presented with at least one episode of dactylitis (8.50, 4.96–14.60) and enthesitis (2.00, 1.41–2.84). Patients with peripheral arthritis showed a significant greater use of TNFb, csDMARDs and corticosteroids over follow-up; higher levels on BASDAI (40.46 vs. 34.28) and BASFI (27.89 vs. 22.52); poorer quality of life; and higher number of days of sick leave (17.97 vs. 12.78) over time.ConclusionIn recent axSpA, 36% of patients reported peripheral arthritis at any time of the disease, being associated with negative HLAB27, non-smokers and with other peripheral manifestations. Patients with arthritis showed a higher burden of disease.

SOIL ATTRIBUTES AND INITIAL CORN DEVELOPMENT AS A FUNCTION OF FERTILIZATION AND INTERCROPPING SYSTEMS

ABSTRACT Fertilization systems that allow higher sowing speeds have been used in areas of grain production, as well as the use of intercropping to improve soil physical quality and provide better soil cover. This study aimed to evaluate soil attributes and the initial corn development and intercropping (corn + velvet bean, corn + pigeonpea, and corn + bonavist bean) as a function of fertilization systems (pre-sowing and sowing). The experiment was conducted in an Oxisol in a randomized block design in the 2 × 3 factorial scheme, with four replications. The number of days for emergence, plant stand, intercropping dry matter, soil straw cover, soil straw permanence index, penetration resistance, soil moisture, soil density, degree of compaction, and total soil porosity were measured. The percentage of soil straw cover was affected by fertilization system, mainly by pre-sowing fertilization. Soil physical attributes were not affected by fertilization and intercropping systems, except total porosity, in the 0–0.10 m layer, which has a combined effect of factors. The initial corn development was not affected by fertilization and intercropping systems. Velvet bean presented the highest number of days for the emergence and lower dry matter.

The impact of climate change on barley yield in the Mediterranean basin

Abstract Barley is an important cereal crop for the arid and semi-arid Mediterranean environments. Future climate projections show that Mediterranean countries will get drier and hotter. The objectives of the study are to: i) simulate the impacts of different climate projections and different sowing dates on yield; ii) quantify the importance of heat and drought on barley yield at different growth stages and sowing dates; iii) quantify the contributions of sources of uncertainty among inter-annual variability, adaptation options and climate projections. Nine locations across the Mediterranean basin were used to calibrate and evaluate the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) model. At each location the 40 Global Circulation Model (GCM) outputs (RCP4.5, Mid of the Century) showed an increase in mean growing season temperature between 0.9 and 2.16 °C, while changes of growing season rainfall were between -24 and +24%. Therefore, at each location a drier (Dry), mid (Mid), and wetter (Wet) projection was selected. Overall, there was a 9% reduction in grain yield under climate change; but the mean yield change was -27%, +4%, +8%, for the Dry, Mid, and Wet scenarios, respectively. The results of the simulations under the Wet scenario showed a higher variability of yield response. There was an interaction between the soil type, the amount of rainfall, the extractable soil water content and the maximum air temperature. Because of these relationship water-stress during the vegetative stage was experienced, affecting expansive growth. At the same time, the high number of days with Tmax>34 °C caused higher soil water depletion by the plant and therefore lower yields under the Wet scenario. The inter-annual weather variability impacts barley yield irrespective of the sowing dates and the future projected climate. In conclusion, the impact of future climate on barley yield in the Mediterranean is negative but some locations will be less affected than others.

AIR QUALITY AT THE TERRITORY OF THE CITY OF LESKOVAC

The protection of the environment and people’s health from negative influences of the pollution of air as a medium of the environment requires constant observing of the air quality in accordance with international standards, the analysis of emission and imission of polluting matters in the air, and their connection with the sources of pollution. Having in mind the series of laws and delegated legislations which define the field of air pollution, it is necessary to closely observe these long-term processes, discovering cause-and-effect relationships between the activities of anthropogenic sources of emission of polluting matters and the level of air degradation. The relevant evaluation of the air quality of a certain area can be conducted if the level of concentration of polluting matters characteristic for the pollution sources of this area is observed in a longer period of time. The data obtained by the observation of the air pollution are the basis for creation of the recovery program of a certain area. Leskovac is a town in South Serbia where there is a bigger number of anthropogenic pollution sources that can significantly diminish the air quality. The cause-and-effect relationship of the anthropogenic sources of pollution is conducted related to the analysis of systematized data which are in the relevant data base of the authorized institution The Institute of Public Health, for the time period between the year of 2012. and 2017. By the analysis of data of imission concentrations of typical polluting matters, the dominant polluting matters were determined on the territory of the town of Leskovac, the ones that are the causers of the biggest air pollution and the risk for people’s health. Analysis of the concentration of soot, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides indicates their presence in the air of Leskovac town area in concentrations that do not exceed the permitted limit values annually. The greatest pollution is caused by the soot content in the air, especially in the winter period when the highest number of days with the values above the limit was registered. By perceiving the influence of natural and anthropogenic factors, it is clear that the concentration of polluting matters can be decreased only by establishing control over anthropogenic sources of pollution, and thus it can be contributed to the improvement of the air quality of this urban environment.