Braving the elements

Being outdoors in cold, wet and windy weather is not everyone's first choice. Does this come from our own preferences or the values we have been brought up with? And most importantly, what values and attitudes are we subconsciously passing onto the children in our care?

Population dynamics of the sea snake Emydocephalus annulatus (Elapidae, Hydrophiinae)

For sea snakes as for many types of animals, long-term studies on population biology are rare and hence, we do not understand the degree to which annual variation in population sizes is driven by density-dependent regulation versus by stochastic abiotic factors. We monitored three populations of turtle-headed sea snakes (Emydocephalus annulatus) in New Caledonia over an 18-year period. Annual recruitment (% change in numbers) showed negative density-dependence: that is, recruitment increased when population densities were low, and decreased when densities were high. Windy weather during winter increased survival of neonates, perhaps by shielding them from predation; but those same weather conditions reduced body condition and the reproductive output of adult snakes. The role for density-dependence in annual dynamics of these populations is consistent with the slow, K-selected life-history attributes of the species; and the influence of weather conditions on reproductive output suggests that females adjust their allocation to reproduction based on food availability during vitellogenesis.

On the unsteady dynamics of synthetic leaves: Laboratory experiments using synchronized PIV and DIC

The unsteady 3D dynamics of various synthetic leaves and the induced turbulence are systematically studied experimentally for representative Cauchy numbers in a wind tunnel under nearly uniform incoming flows. Synchronized digital image correlation (DIC) and high-frame-rate particle image velocimetry (PIV) are employed to track the structure dynamics simultaneously and the surrounding flow field to uncover the fluid-solid interaction. A high-resolution six-axis load cell is also used to quantify the synthetic leaves' induced force and torque under various flows. The shapes of synthetic leaves inspected are representative of selected environments (e.g., calm to windy weather; tropical to temperate climate). The Cauchy number is set to resemble those observed in natural conditions. This presentation will discuss insights from synchronized PIV-DIC techniques on the synthetic leaves' distinct behavior and wake flow response. Particular emphasis is placed on characterizing flow instability and the leave shape's role in the motions and force. For this purpose, we inspected the instantaneous force and torque as well as their structure. We will also discuss the relationship between leave shapes with force and torque fluctuations linking them with the leaf motion obtained from DIC measurements. In particular, the results show that selected leaf shapes experience significantly larger and distinct force and torque fluctuations and larger pitch magnitude, as shown in Fig. 5. A shared monotonically decreasing trend of the nondimensional frequency (Strouhal number, St = fL/U) is evidenced for standard environmental conditions.

A Shared Journey To a Better Future: Mutual Support Among Breast Cancer Survivors and Their First-Degree Relatives

Purpose Breast cancer affects survivors and their first-degree relatives. They face breast cancer together as a unit. This study aimed to explore the mutual support of breast cancer survivors and their first-degree relatives in their joint coping with breast cancer. Methods A qualitative case study with purposeful sampling was conducted. Ten breast cancer survivors and 21 of their first-degree relatives were recruited for in-depth interviews. Data were analyzed by thematic analysis using MAXQDA software. Results Three themes were extracted under the overarching theme “a shared journey to a better future”: 1. “Mutual support is needed as we are in the same boat,” suggesting mutual support in responding to breast cancer; 2. “We experience stormy and windy weather during our journey,” emphasizing challenges encountered in providing support; and 3. “Sunny and breezy days are a gift for both of us,” indicating they perceived reciprocity during the process of mutual support. Conclusions Mutual support was an important feature of breast cancer survivors and first-degree relatives coping with breast cancer and beneficial to both groups. However, significant challenges in supporting each other were reported, indicating the necessity of external support in coping with breast cancer. Health professionals should not ignore first-degree relatives of breast cancer survivors, and need to support both of these groups.

Expressway Traffic Accidents Involving Human Injuries and Fatalities in Ethiopia: Negative Binomial Regression Model

Objective The purpose of this study is to provide insights and to model significant determinants of accidents involving injuries and fatalities using Ethiopian Toll Roads Enterprise data. Besides, we utilized recent dataset recorded from September, 2014 to December, 2019. We applied the most appropriate but forwent statistical model. Moreover, we examined the significance of the effects of drivers’ age and gender that have not been the cases in the literatures. Results We found that the number of injuries in accidents were significantly determined by type of vehicles, ownership status of vehicles, accident time weather condition, driver-vehicle relationship, drivers’ level of education, and drivers’ age. Heavy trucks were more likely to cause more number of injuries than medium or small vehicles. Hot and windy weather conditions were associated with higher probability of the number of injuries. The likelihood of the number of injuries were lower when drivers are owner of the vehicle; drivers level of education is above secondary school; and the age of the driver is between 18 and 23 years old. Moreover, due concern needs to be given for traffic road rules.

Morphological features of the leaves in clematises as a reflection of their ecological peculiarities

Quantitative morpho-anatomical features of leaves of nine Clematis taxa (C. alpina ‘Pamela Jackman’, C. macropetala ‘Maidwell Hall’, C. integrifolia ‘Aljonushka’, C. ispahanica ‘Zvezdograd’, C. fargesii ‘Paul Farges’, C. texensis ‘Princess Diana’, C. tibetana, C. viticella, and C. heracleifolia) were determined with the aim to analyze their adaptation to the environmental conditions.Among investigated clematises, there were plants with hypostomatic (C. viticella, C. fargesii ‘Paul Farges’, C. heracleifolia, C. texensis ‘Princess Diana’, C. macropetala ‘Maidwell Hall’, and C. alpina ‘Pamela Jackman’), and amphistomatic leaves (C. ispahanica ‘Zvezdograd’ and C. tibetana). In C. integrifolia ‘Aljonushka’ leaves were hypostomatic, but few solitary stomata were also present on the adaxial surface. In the leaves of investigated taxa, the palisade coefficient ranged from 27.3% (C. alpina ‘Pamela Jackman’) to 49.9% (C. tibetana). The leaves also differed significantly in size. In particular, leaves of C. integrifolia ‘Aljonushka’ were almost ten times smaller than such of C. heracleifolia.As a result of UPGMA clustering, the plants that can survive in severe windy weather in open rocky areas, Clematis tibetana and C. ispahanica ‘Zvezdograd’, were joined in a separate cluster. The second cluster combined C. alpina ‘Pamela Jackman’ and C. macropetala ‘Maidwell Hall’ – cultivars blooming in the spring, during a period of significant difference in daily temperatures. A relatively small leaf area in plants from these two clusters may indicate an adaptation by reducing the transpiration area and general windage. The third cluster united the rest of investigated taxa, mostly – the mesophytic plants with a relatively large leaf area. However, due to similar morpho-anatomical structure of the leaf, the third cluster also comprised C. integrifolia ‘Aljonushka’ with the smallest leaves.

Results of monitoring hail-damaged soybean crops

Studies of the impact of hailstorm on the productivity of soybean agrocenoses were carried out in 2020. Hail damaged and undamaged areas sown with the same soybean variety or sample have been compared. The analysis was carried out on 60 variants (varieties and samples). The aim of the studies was to assess yield losses due to the following factors: reduced density of agrocenosis, leaf surface defoliation, damage to plant stems, weather conditions during the rest of the growing season after the hailstorm. It has been established that hail precipitation negatively affected the productivity of all damaged areas, regardless of the phenotype and ripeness group of varieties and samples. Defoliation of the most part of the leaf surface (from 70 to 80 %) and stems breaks led to decrease in the average yield in nurseries of preliminary and competitive variety testing from 1.85 t/ha to 1.34 t/ha (by 27.6 %), in seed and industrial sowings – from 2.04 to 1.53 t/ha (by 25.0 %). The average height of undamaged plants was 92.5 cm before harvesting, and 67.4 cm for damaged plants. Phenological observations showed that the closer to the end of the growing season the soybean crops are damaged by hail, the more negative the results. No plant lodging was observed at any of the damaged areas. There were no diseases affecting soybean agrocenoses, despite the significant accumulation of potentially pathogenic plant mass in the row spacing. This was probably due to dry and windy weather conditions during the rest of the growing season after the hailstorm.

THE PROBLEMS OF INCREASING THE EFFICIENCY OF SORGHUM SEED PRODUCTIONIN THE ALTAI REGION AND THE SOLUTIONS

The yield potential of sorghum crops is reached through the varieties. The crops under study use atmospheric pre-cipitation very economically and efficiently; high carbohy-drate content in their herbage makes them valuable com-ponents of multi-species agrophytocenosis with high-protein crops. One of the reasons of insufficient distribution of sorghum crops is a problem of seed production. The use of seeds with low germinating ability leads to high produc-tion costs and low yields. Early ripening, mid-early and mid-ripening varieties persistently mature and produce full val-ue seeds in the Altai Region. They produce good quality seeds practically on any years regarding heat supply; their seed production causes no problem.However, they signifi- АГРОНОМИЯ28Вестник Алтайского государственного аграрного университета No8(202), 2021cantly underperform regarding forage production as com-pared to mid-late and late varieties. Large seed losses (up to 50-70%) are caused by seed cast in windy weather. The average seed cast losses in upright standing plant forms reach 48.0% while in dropping forms the losses are three times lower. The solution is the optimization of plant forms. Other approaches should be applied to seed cast problem solution. A direction of the plant breeding is the develop-ment of the varieties resistant to seed cast characterized by high seed tear-away force from panicle branches. Seed production plots of sorghum crops should be sown on ear-lier dates. Delayed sowing prevents from meeting the growing season timeline, especially of late forms. The seeding rate of 2.5 million seeds per hectare was optimum not only for seed production, but also for forage production. Special attention should be paid to the phosphorus nutrition of maternal plants. Early varieties should be harvested in two-stages; late varieties -by straight-cutting.

СОЗДАНИЕ И ИССЛЕДОВАНИЕ ГЕЛИОТЕХНОЛОГИЧЕСКОЙ УСТАНОВКИ С ПОЛИКАРБОНАТНЫМ ПОКРЫТИЕМ

The proposed solar dryer (S / D) has a polycarbonate coating, which is actually a combined dryer. By drying an agricultural products in the proposed apparatus, it is possible to get ecologically pure and high quality food. The "greenhouse effect" in S / D ensures the temperature under the glass is 15-25°C, higher than the ambient temperature. In windy weather, the product to be dried cannot be left in the open air due to strong winds, in this device drying in windy weather occurs no less intensively than in hot weather, although the air temperature in S / D is not high. During wind it is recommended to locate the S / D with the inlet towards the wind. The high drying speed occurs due to the increased convective movement. The wind creates a fan effect both at the inlet S / D and at the outlet - at the end of the pipe. In the proposed installation, it is possible to dry various agricultural products, both in direct sunlight and without them.

Efficacy of warming systems in mountain rescue: an experimental manikin study

Mountain accident casualties are often exposed to cold and windy weather. This may induce post-traumatic hypothermia which increases mortality. The aim of this study was to assess the ability of warming systems to compensate for the victim’s estimated heat loss in a simulated mountain rescue operation. We used thermal manikins and developed a thermodynamic model of a virtual patient. Manikins were placed on a mountain rescue stretcher and exposed to wind chill indices of 0 °C and − 20 °C in a climatic chamber. We calculated the heat balance for two simulated clinical scenarios with both a shivering and non-shivering victim and measured the heat gain from gel, electrical, and chemical warming systems for 3.5 h. The heat balance in the simulated shivering patient was positive. In the non-shivering patient, we found a negative heat balance for both simulated weather conditions (− 429.53 kJ at 0 °C and − 1469.78 kJ at − 20 °C). Each warming system delivered about 300 kJ. The efficacy of the gel and electrical systems was higher within the first hour than later (p < 0.001). We conclude that none of the tested warming systems is able to compensate for heat loss in a simulated model of a non-shivering patient whose physiological heat production is impaired during a prolonged mountain evacuation. Additional thermal insulation seems to be required in these settings.