Agriculture is a major source of sediment and particulate phosphorus (P) inputs to freshwaters. Distinguishing between P fractions in sediment can aid in understanding its eutrophication risk. Although streams and rivers are important parts of the P cycle in agricultural catchments, streambed sediment and especially fluvial suspended sediment (FSS) and its P fractions are less studied. To address this knowledge gap, seasonal variations in FSS P fractions and their relation to water quality and streambed sediment were examined in three Swedish agricultural headwater catchments over 2 yr. Sequential fractionation was used to characterize P fractions in both streambed sediment and FSS. All catchments had similar annual P losses (0.4-0.8 kg ha-1 ), suspended solids (124-183 mg L-1 ), and FSS total P concentrations (1.15-1.19 mg g-1 ). However, distribution of P fractions and the dominant P fractions in FSS differed among catchments (p < .05), which was most likely dependent on differences in catchment geology, clay content, external P sources, and flow conditions. The most prominent seasonal pattern in all catchments was found for iron-bound P, with high concentrations during low summer flows and low concentrations during winter high flows. Streambed sediment P fractions were in the same concentration ranges as in FSS, and the distribution of the fractions differed between catchments. This study highlights the need to quantify P fractions, not just total P in FSS, to obtain a more complete understanding of the eutrophication risk posed by agricultural sediment losses.

Izhodišče: Katetrska vstavitev aortne zaklopke (TAVI) je v zadnjih letih postala prevladujoča metoda za zdravljenje degenerativne aortne stenoze pri starejših bolnikih. Prispevek prikazuje prve rezultate zdravljenja s TAVI v mednarodnem kardiovaskularnem centru MC Medicor in jih primerja z najpomembnejšimi mednarodnimi raziskavami zadnjih let. Metode: V retrospektivno raziskavo smo vključili zaporedno serijo bolnikov, pri katerih smo opravili TAVI. Podatke smo pridobili iz lastnega registra perkutanih kardioloških posegov. Rezulati: Med 12. decembrom 2016 in 6. junijem 2020 smo TAVI opravili pri 109 bolnikih s povprečno starostjo 81 let in EuroScore II 3.95. Srednji ultrazvočni gradient na aortni zaklopki je znašal 46 mm Hg, izračunana površina ustja pa 0,8 cm2. Pri vseh bolnikih, razen pri enem, smo uporabili perkutani pristop preko femoralne arterije. Balonsko predilatacijo smo izvedli v 36,7 %, novo zaklopko vsadili v 98,2 % in jo balonsko postdilatirali v 15,6 %. Srednji ultrazvočni gradient po TAVI je znašal 9 mm Hg. Zmerna aortna regurgitacija je bila prisotna v 3,7 % (95 % IZ 1,0–9,1 %), huda pa pri nobenem od bolnikov. Nov srčni spodbujevalec je potrebovalo 22,9 % bolnikov (95 % IZ 15,4–32,0 %). En bolnik je imel tranzitorno ishemično kap. Urgentno perikardiocentezo smo opravili v 2,7 % (95 % IZ 0,6–7,8 %), srčno operacijo v 1,8 % (95 % IZ 0,2–6,5 %), žilno operacijo v 0,9 % (95 % IZ 0,0–5,0 %) in hemostazo s prekritimi žilnimi opornicami v 1,8 % (95 % IZ 0,2–6,5 %). Bolnišnična in 30-dnevna umrljivost sta bili 1,8 % (95 % IZ 0,2–6,5 %), enoletna 3,1 % (95 % IZ 0,0–6,5 %), dvoletna 5,6 % (95 % IZ 0,0–11,4 %) in triletna 14,2 % (95 % IZ 0,0–29,6 %). Zaključek: Začetni rezultati TAVI v Medicorju so ugodni in primerljivi z najpomembnejšimi mednarodnimimi raziskavami zadnjih let.

Sweet corn ( Zea mays L. var. saccharata [Sturtev.] L.H. Bailey) is a thermophilic crop that is sensitive to cold stress and thus may be cultivated by raising seedlings. The aim of this work was to determine the impact of transplanting and direct sowing on the yield and earliness of the sweet corn crop. The treatment protocol used had a combination of two different cultivation technologies (transplanting and direct sowing) and two different sowing periods (8 and 15 May during both growing seasons). The results show that the different cultivation technologies both had significant effects on the productive properties and earliness of sweet corn. The transplanting variants had about 34% more plants per hectare compared with the direct sowing yield. The ear length and mass were higher in crops grown using transplanting (22.2 cm and 278.0 g, respectively) than in crops grown using direct sowing (21.2 cm and 270.3 g, respectively). During the research period, a significantly higher ear yield was noted in the transplanted variants (11.7 t ha -1 ) compared with those of direct sowing (7.6 t ha -1 ). The transplanting variants had earlier harvests by 18 and 16 d in the first and second sowing periods, respectively, compared with those of direct sowing.

The ginger family (Zingiberaceae) includes plants that are known worldwide to have a distinctive smell and taste, which are often used as spices in the kitchen, but also in various industries (pharmaceutical, medical, and cosmetic) due to their proven biological activity. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the chemical composition and antioxidant activity (AA) of essential oils (EOs) of four characteristic ginger species: Elettaria cardamomum L. Maton (cardamom), Curcuma Longa L. (turmeric), Zingiber Officinale Roscoe (ginger), and Alpinia Officinarum Hance (galangal). Furthermore, the total phenolic content (TPC) and AA of crude extracts obtained after using ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and different extraction solvents (80% ethanol, 80% methanol and water) were evaluated. A total of 87 different chemical components were determined by GC-MS/MS in the EOs obtained after hydrodistillation, 14 of which were identified in varying amounts in all EOs. The major compounds found in cardamom, turmeric, ginger, and galangal were α-terpinyl acetate (40.70%), β-turmerone (25.77%), α-zingiberene (22.69%) and 1,8-cineol (42.71%), respectively. In general, 80% ethanol was found to be the most effective extracting solvent for the bioactivities of the investigated species from the Zingiberaceae family. Among the crude extracts, ethanolic extract of galangal showed the highest TPC value (63.01 ± 1.06 mg GA g−1 DW), while the lowest TPC content was found in cardamom water extract (1.04 ± 0.29 mg GA g−1 DW). The AA evaluated by two different assays (ferric-reducing antioxidant power-FRAP and the scavenging activity of the cationic ABTS radical) proved that galangal rhizome is the plant with the highest antioxidant potential. In addition, no statistical difference was found between the AA of turmeric and ginger extracts, while cardamom rhizome was again inferior. In contrast to the crude extracts, the EOs resulted in significantly lower ABTS and FRAP values, with turmeric EO showing the highest AA.

Abstract The study has aimed to investigate and determine the anatomical position, shape, size, and histological features of the ductus venosus, and its role as a shunt in the fetal circulatory system in domestic ruminants. The research was conducted on 19 bovine, 11 sheep and 5 goat fetuses, aborted at the late stage of pregnancy or deceased just after delivery. The general anatomy of the ductus venosus was investigated by in-situ dissection of the corrosive cast obtained by injection of 25% solution of Vinylite mass through the umbilical vein. For histological examination, the fetal tissue samples were stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin, Masson’s trichrome, Verhoeff-Van Gieson and Gomoriꞌs silver stain. The results showed that ruminant fetal ductus venosus is a curved, trumpet-shaped vessel, situated in the central part of the liver, above the porta hepatis. Its ventral part is constricted in the form of an isthmus, having a prominent lip-like thickening at the junction with the portal sinus. Histological examination showed the dominant presence of collagen and elastic fibers in its tunica media, with thin bands of smooth muscle fibers oriented in a longitudinal and circular direction indicating ability for vasoconstriction and vasodilatation.

This article proposes a new robust dead‐beat controller for multivariable systems using multirate sampled data. Applying a discrete‐time higher order sliding mode control approach, the proposed dead‐beat controller design uses the state‐space nominal model (model without disturbances) of the system and its controllability indices to compute the state feedback matrix. The obtained control annihilates the system state in a minimal number of sampling periods. For example, a heuristic procedure for selecting a sampling time is considered in order to keep maximal amplitudes of control inputs within the allowable limits. Since the dead‐beat control has poor robustness, a new discrete‐time supertwisting disturbance observer is used to suppressed disturbance effects. Stability analysis of the proposed observer has shown that it is suitable for Lipschitz type of disturbances. The sampling period of the disturbance observer is generally smaller than the control sampling period. Properties of the proposed control system are demonstrated in simulation examples.

Abstract In the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), instructional leadership is measured by the self-reports of principals on three items only. When this measure is investigated together with teacher satisfaction with current work environment, no significant associations were found in the Nordic countries participating in the TALIS 2013 round. This paper argues that a potential reason for this might be the severely underrepresented construct of instructional leadership. As an alternative approach, teacher data from the same study are used to establish two important dimensions of instructional leadership at the school level: 1) managing the instructional program and 2) developing the school learning climate. Applying multilevel structural equation modelling (MSEM), we establish two shared cluster constructs at the school level and observe significant modest relationships between these constructs and teacher job satisfaction with current work environment. The paper brings to our attention the different approaches for interpreting, exploring, and making sense of instructional leadership in international large-scale studies, such as TALIS, from the joint perspective of teachers.

The main objective of this research was to propose a light and practical design solution for electric bike front drive with bottom bracket electric motor. The initial design needs to be redesigned so it can enable simultaneous use of the electric drive and pedal drive, with integration of the front gear shifter. After gathering the basic information linked to the problem and inspecting the initial design solution, the assets and flaws have been identified. The CAD models of the considered possible solutions were developed into FEM models which were used for structural analysis in CAD/CAE software system CATIA. On the basis of the FEM analysis and additional criteria, the optimal solution was chosen, and structural optimization, based on FEM model, was performed. A prototype was manufactured and a mounting process in a place of the initial design was performed. Afterwards, electric bike with mounted prototype was tested under real conditions.