scholarly journals Quantification of the influence of different Mini Disk Infiltrometer (MDI) suction settings when measuring infiltration across various soil types

Author(s):  
Nathaniel Revell ◽  
Craig Lashford ◽  
Matthew Blackett ◽  
Matteo Rubinato

Defining the infiltration characteristics of an area is beneficial for understanding soil compaction, determining soil health, and measuring the rate of surface water infiltration, which is needed for hydrological modelling. Single and double ring infiltrometers (SRI, DRI) are commonly used to determine infiltration characteristics in the field, however these are frequently impractical due to the required water volume, the weight and the intrusiveness of measurement, hindering the ease of replication. The Mini Disk Infiltrometer (MDI) offers a lightweight, portable and non-intrusive method of measuring infiltration, however no previous research has explained the influence of changing the tension settings on the collected infiltration data. To address this gap, this novel study tested the relationship between infiltration data collected using all tension settings of the Mini Disk Infiltrometer (MDI), against infiltration data collected using a 100mm Single Ring Infiltrometer (SRI). Three soil textures (sand, silt and clay) were collected from different geographical areas of the UK and deposited within the experimental facility designed for this study. Controlled infiltration measurements were taken with both the MDI and the SRI for each soil type, to further define the impact of MDI tension settings on derived infiltration, in comparison to the SRI. For the first time, the results show that the MDI tension setting of 0cm most closely replicated the findings of the SRI across all soils, which was supported through applying the Nash and Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) analysis. The accuracy with which the MDI replicated the infiltration of the SRI reduced as tension increased. Consequently, the previously assumed ideal tension setting of 2 cm, as defined by the MDI handbook and used in previous research, does not offer an accurate representation of derived infiltration.

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (13) ◽  
pp. 6845
Author(s):  
Rebecca L. Pratt

The buzz about hyaluronan (HA) is real. Whether found in face cream to increase water volume loss and viscoelasticity or injected into the knee to restore the properties of synovial fluid, the impact of HA can be recognized in many disciplines from dermatology to orthopedics. HA is the most abundant polysaccharide of the extracellular matrix of connective tissues. HA can impact cell behavior in specific ways by binding cellular HA receptors, which can influence signals that facilitate cell survival, proliferation, adhesion, as well as migration. Characteristics of HA, such as its abundance in a variety of tissues and its responsiveness to chemical, mechanical and hormonal modifications, has made HA an attractive molecule for a wide range of applications. Despite being discovered over 80 years ago, its properties within the world of fascia have only recently received attention. Our fascial system penetrates and envelopes all organs, muscles, bones and nerve fibers, providing the body with a functional structure and an environment that enables all bodily systems to operate in an integrated manner. Recognized interactions between cells and their HA-rich extracellular microenvironment support the importance of studying the relationship between HA and the body’s fascial system. From fasciacytes to chronic pain, this review aims to highlight the connections between HA and fascial health.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Tofigh Maboudi ◽  
Ghazal P. Nadi ◽  
Todd A. Eisenstadt

Abstract Since the third wave of democracy, term limits have become a popular fixture of most constitutions intended to constrain the executive. Yet, recent constitutional reforms around the world show that presidents seeking re-election sometimes overturn the entire constitutional order to extend their power. What is the impact of these constitutional manipulations on the longevity of the executive in office? Using survival analysis of all political leaders and national constitutions from 1875 to 2015, this article demonstrates, for the first time, that when ‘authoritarian-aspiring’ presidents remove constitutional term limits, they increase their stay in office by more than 40%. Our findings contrast with a widely held position in the comparative authoritarian literature suggesting that dictators survive longer under institutional constraints. On the contrary, we argue that by removing constitutional barriers, rulers consolidate more power at the expense of their most ambitious allies and can stay in power longer.


2008 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 479-486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharlene R. da S. Torreias ◽  
Ulisses G. Neiss ◽  
Neusa Hamada ◽  
Ruth L. Ferreira-Keppler ◽  
Frederico A.A. Lencioni

The last-stage larva of Bromeliagrion rehni Garrison in De Marmels & Garrison, 2005 is described and illustrated and bionomics and habitat information on this species are provided. The study was conducted in the Reserva Florestal Adolpho Ducke, located near Manaus, state of Amazonas, Brazil.Twelve samplings were done between April, 2003 and April, 2005: six in the rainy season and six in the dry season. In each sampling month, 12 bromeliads (Guzmania brasiliensis Ule, 1907, Bromeliaceae) were collected, six of which were terrestrial and six epiphytic, yielding144 samples. A total of 75 specimens of B. rehni were collected. The relationship between larval B. rehni abundance and the measured environmental parameters (volume (ml), pH, season and stratum) was significant (ANCOVA, F = 5.296, d.f. = 130, p < 0.001). Larvae were most abundant in the rainy season (p < 0.01) and water volume was positively related to the abundance of B. rehni. Larvae of B. rehni can be distinguished from those of B. fernandezianum (the only species in the genus with described larvae) by the number of setae in the prementum and by the color of the apical region of the femur. The association of this species with phytotelmata of G. brasiliensis is reported here for the first time.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasaman Sarabi ◽  
Matthew Smith ◽  
Heather McGregor ◽  
Dimitris Christopoulos

PurposeThe relationship between interlocking directorates and firm performance has been increasingly debated, with a focus on whether firm's centrality in interlock networks is associated with performance. The purpose of this study is to examine not only how a firm's position in this network is associated with performance but also how the performance of network partners can impact a firm's performance. This study examines how firms effectively utilise the interlock network to achieve the goal of higher market capitalisation – termed market capitalisation rank (MCR).Design/methodology/approachThe premise of the study is the UK FTSE 350 firms from 2014 to 2018. The paper makes use of a temporal network autocorrelation model to examine how firm characteristics, the structural position in the interlock network and the performance of network partners affect MCR over time.FindingsThe analysis indicates that firms with ties (via the interlock network) to firms with high market capitalisation are more likely to enhance their own MCR, highlighting network partners have the opportunity to play a critical role in a firm's dominance strategy to optimise firm value.Originality/valueThe value of this research is that it does not only look at the impact of a firm's position in the network on performance, but the impact of the performance of network partners on a firm's market performance as well.


2013 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 20-36
Author(s):  
Mike Fisher

This paper concerns the impact of social work research, particularly on practice and practitioners. It explores the politics of research and how this affects practice, the way that university-based research understands practice, and some recent developments in establishing practice research as an integral and permanent part of the research landscape. While focusing on implications for the UK, it draws on developments in research across Europe, North America and Australasia to explore how we can improve the relationship between research and practice.


2020 ◽  
pp. 154-178
Author(s):  
Sylvia de Mars

This chapter focuses on the relationship between EU law and national law. It first explores the jurisprudence on what is known as the doctrine of supremacy of EU law of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). When a national court observes that a national law clashes with an EU law, they must set aside that national law. The EU legal order would not work without a doctrine like supremacy: not only would domestic courts not be compelled to apply EU law instead of conflicting national law, but it is likely that different domestic courts would take different decisions as to whether to apply EU law over national law in a given scenario. The chapter then considers how supremacy has been received in Germany and the UK, looking at how the German and UK legal orders interact with EU law. It then addresses whether ‘parliamentary sovereignty’ is compatible with EU membership, and examines the impact of Brexit on the supremacy of EU law.


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1868
Author(s):  
Wim Calame ◽  
Laura Street ◽  
Toine Hulshof

Vitamin D status is relatively poor in the general population, potentially leading to various conditions. The present study evaluates the relationship between vitamin D status and intake in the UK population and the impact of vitamin D fortified ready-to-eat cereals (RTEC) on this status via data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS: 2008–2012). Four cohorts were addressed: ages 4–10 (n = 803), ages 11–18 (n = 884), ages 19–64 (n = 1655) and ages 65 and higher (n = 428). The impact of fortification by 4.2 μg vitamin D per 100 g of RTEC on vitamin D intake and status was mathematically modelled. Average vitamin D daily intake was age-dependent, ranging from ~2.6 (age range 4–18 years) to ~5.0 μg (older than 64 years). Average 25(OH)D concentration ranged from 43 to 51 nmol/L, the highest in children. The relationship between vitamin D intake and status followed an asymptotic curve with a predicted plateau concentration ranging from 52 in children to 83 nmol/L in elderly. The fortification model showed that serum concentrations increased with ~1.0 in children to ~6.5 nmol/L in the elderly. This study revealed that vitamin D intake in the UK population is low with 25(OH)D concentrations being suboptimal for general health. Fortification of breakfast cereals can contribute to improve overall vitamin D status.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Ordóñez ◽  
David Barriopedro ◽  
Ricardo García-Herrera ◽  
Pedro M. Sousa ◽  
Jordan L. Schnell

Abstract. This paper analyses for the first time the impact of high-latitude blocks and subtropical ridges on near-surface ozone in Europe during a 15-year period. For this purpose, a catalogue of blocks and ridges over the Euro-Atlantic region is used together with a gridded dataset of maximum daily 8-hour running average ozone (MDA8 O3) covering the period 1998–2012. The response of ozone to the location of blocks and ridges with centres in three longitudinal sectors (Atlantic, ATL, 30º–0º W; European, EUR, 0º–30º E; Russian, RUS, 30º–60º E) is examined. The impact of blocks on ozone is regionally and seasonally dependent. In particular, blocks within the EUR sector yield positive ozone anomalies of ~ 5–10 ppb over large parts of central Europe in spring and northern Europe in summer. Over 20 % and 30 % of the days with blocks in that sector register exceedances of the 90th percentile of the seasonal ozone distribution at many European locations during spring and summer, respectively. The impacts of ridges during those seasons are subtle and more sensitive to their specific location, although they can trigger ozone anomalies of ~ 5–10 ppb in Italy and the surrounding countries in summer, eventually exceeding European air quality targets. During winter, surface ozone in the northwest of Europe presents completely opposite responses to blocks and ridges. The anticyclonic circulation associated with winter EUR blocking, and to a lesser extent with ATL blocking, yields negative ozone anomalies between −5 ppb and −10 ppb over the UK, Northern France and the Benelux. Conversely, the enhanced zonal flow around 50˚–60˚ N during the occurrence of ATL ridges favours the arrival of background air masses from the Atlantic and the ventilation of the boundary layer, producing positive ozone anomalies above 5 ppb in an area spanning from the British Isles to Germany. This work provides the first quantitative assessments of the remarkable but distinct impacts that the anticyclonic circulation and the diversion of the zonal flow associated with blocks and ridges exert on surface ozone in Europe. The findings reported here can be exploited in the future to evaluate the modelled responses of ozone to circulation changes within chemical transport models (CTMs) and chemistry-climate models (CCMs).


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Sharp ◽  
Monica McCowat

Heart failure is one of the most prevalent long-term physical health conditions. It is suggested that up to 26 million people are living with it worldwide including approximately 920 000 people in the UK. Evidence has consistently demonstrated the links between cardiac health and mental health; therefore, this article will explain depression and its presentation in heart failure, as these two conditions have been strongly and consistently linked. The prevalence of depression in heart failure will be reviewed from epidemiological studies and an overview of the impact of comorbid depression in heart failure will be provided, with a particular focus on mortality, morbidity and quality of life outcomes. The relationship between depression and heart failure will be discussed by examining pathophysiological and behavioural mechanisms, as well as evidence regarding the appropriate identification and subsequent management of heart failure depression will be reviewed.


2010 ◽  
Vol 213 ◽  
pp. F66-F70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ray Barrell ◽  
Simon Kirby

The UK is restructuring the fiscal policy framework once again, with an intention to move toward independent assessment and forecasting in the budget process. At the same time a large-scale, if delayed, fiscal consolidation is planned at a time when there is significant spare capacity in the economy. Economic growth is also projected to be below trend, at least this year and perhaps next. It is unusual to see a fiscal tightening when the output gap appears to be widening. These policy settings should be seen in the context of the most radical change in the nature of the relationship between the government and the economy for at least thirty years. This note assesses the impact of the new programme on the economy as well as setting out a projection for the medium-term public finances.


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