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Copyright of Food Technology & Biotechnology is the property of Food Technology & Biotechnology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Context. Modern video conferencing systems work in different noise environments, so preservation of speech clarity and provision of quick adaptation to changes in this environment are relevant tasks. During the development of embedded systems, finding a balance between resource consumption, performance, and signal quality obtained after noise suppression is necessary. Systems on a chip allow us to use the power of both processor cores available on the hardware platform and FPGAs to perform complex calculations, which contributes to increasing the speed or reducing the load on the central SoC cores. Objective. To conduct a comparative analysis of the noise suppression quality in audio signals by an adaptive filtering algorithm and a filtering algorithm using machine learning based on the RNNoise neural network in noise suppression devices on the technological platform SoC. Method. Evaluation using objective metrics and spectrogram analysis using the Librosa library in Python. Neural network training and model design are performed on the basis of Python and Torch tools. The Vitis IDE package was used for the neural network implementation on the platform SoC. Results. The analysis of two noise suppression methods using the adaptive Wiener filter and the RNNoise neural network was performed. In the considered scenarios, it was determined that the neural network shows better noise suppression results according to the analysis of spectrograms and objective metrics. Conclusions. A comparative analysis of the effectiveness of noise suppression algorithms based on adaptive filters and a neural network was performed for scenarios with different noise environments. The results of objective SIGMOS metrics were obtained to evaluate the quality of the received audio signal. In addition, the possibility of running the RNNoise neural network on the technological platform SoC ZYNQ 7000 was verified [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studia Archaeologica Brunensia is the property of Masaryk University, Faculty of Arts and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Lijecnicki Vjesnik is the property of Croatian Medical Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper deals with Aeschines' dialogue Alcibiades, in which the Socratic concept of the care of the self (epimeleia heautou) is demonstrated. The authors present basic strategies that modern historians have employed when interpreting the dialogue and propose their own interpretation, based on a reconstruction of the testimony preserved by Aelius Aristides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Slavica Litteraria is the property of Masaryk University, Faculty of Arts and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Coming from the Jester in "Regele se amuză" by Victor Hugo, librettist Francesco Maria Piave and composer Giuseppe Verdi have built a particular character of lyric opera, in which the emotional charge, gracefully drawn with the hugolian instruments of powerful romance, is redefining its coordinates based on musical-lyric emotions, with the complex resources of libretto and music. Therefore, our approach is a comparative analysis of the two characters from the source text and libretto, in order to identify common elements and particular points of structural innovation, with a relatively distinct purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the study was to analyse the economic effects of introducing alternative Salmonella control strategies in Sweden. Current control strategies in Denmark and the Netherlands were used as benchmarks. The true number of human Salmonella cases was estimated by reconstructing the reporting pyramids for the various scenarios. Costs were calculated for expected changes in human morbidity (Salmonella and two of its sequelae), for differences in the control programmes and for changes in cattle morbidity. The net effects (benefits minus costs) were negative in all scenarios (€ −5 to −105 million), implying that it would not be cost-effective to introduce alternative control strategies in Sweden. This result was mainly due to an expected increase in the incidence of Salmonella in humans (6035–57108 reported and unreported new cases/year), with expected additional costs of € 5–55 million. Other increased costs were due to expected higher incidences of sequelae (€ 3–49 million) and a higher cattle morbidity (€ 4–8 million). Benefits in terms of lower control costs amounted to € 4–7 million. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will try to shed light on a very particular angle of Greek political geography after the end of the Asia Minor War. As a result of this conflict almost 1.3 million refugees fled to Greece and changed dramatically its political space. The traditional view among the scholars of the period promotes an "exceptionalism" of the Greek-Orthodox refugees who fled to Greece after 1922. It is argued that the Asia Minor workers did not largely espouse an a priori notion of class, since they had a bourgeoisie economic and social background. However, in the 1930s there was a sharp increase in the support of the Left. Accordingly, the Communist Party pulled 5.76% of the vote, which was the highest in the inter-war period. Although the percentage of the communist vote was not so high all over Greece, Communism had a real electorate appeal for urban refugees. This study will challenge the exceptionalist perspective and will investigate why the same people who voted for Liberals in the 1920s voted for Communists in the 1930s. It will also examine how the Greek political system managed to incorporate the left-wing vote by transforming the division of society from labour and political demands to national ones in the period under examination. The focus will be also on the interplay between Communism and refugees, which is undervalued by most research on the topic, even though the communist threat was used as a reason or pretext for the abolition of parliamentary democracy and the establishment of Ioannis Metaxas' dictatorship in 1936. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As currently delimited, the Brassicaceae comprise 49 tribes, 321 genera, and 3660 species. Of these, 20 genera and 34 species remain to be assigned to tribes. These figures differ substantially from those estimated five years ago, in which 25 tribes, 338 genera, and 3709 species were recognized. Of those 338 genera, 37 are treated herein as synonyms, and 21 genera (10 re-established and 11 new) have since been added. The genera Notothlaspi, Peltariopsis, Sinapidendron, and Xerodraba are lectotypified. The following 11 taxa are reduced for the first time to synonymy of what follows them in parentheses: Boreava and Tauscheria (Isatis), Catadysia (Weberbauera), Coelophragmus (Dryopetalon), Crambeae (Brassiceae), Eremodraba (Neuontobotrys), Leavenworthieae (Cardamineae), Lexarzanthe (Romanschulzia), Noccaeopsis (Noccaea), Romanschulzia orizabae (R. arabiformis), and Sibaropsis (Streptanthus). The new names Isatis zarrei and I. quadrialata are proposed to avoid the creation of later homonyms upon the transfers to Isatis of the herein lectotypified Boreava orientalis and Sameraria nummularia, respectively. Twenty-seven new combinations are proposed: Abdra aprica, Camelinopsis kurdica, Dryopetalon auriculatum, Isatis aptera, I. cardiocarpa, I. glastifolia, I. gymnocarpa, Neuontobotrys intricatissima, N. schulzii, Noccaea apterocarpa, N. caespitosa, N. iberidea, N. oppositifolia, Onuris hauthalii, Parlatoria taurica, Petroraveniafriesii, P. werder-mannii, Streptanthus barnebyi, S. cooperi, S. hammittii, Tomostima araboides, T. australis, T. cuneifolia, T. platycarpa, T. rep-tans, T. sortorae, and Weberbauera rosulans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Eagle Owl Bubo bubo, which feeds mainly on rabbits and partridges, has been persecuted widely for causing damage to game interests. Although it is a protected species throughout Europe, there is a noteworthy gap in the scientific literature on the causes of mortality in this top predator. Here, we assess the relative importance and the geographical and temporal variation of human-related causes of death by reviewing 1,576 files of individuals admitted to wildlife rescue centres in Spain, a stronghold for Eagle Owls. The main known cause of death was interaction with powerlines followed by persecution and collisions with game fences and cars. There were within-year variations in the distribution of persecution, electrocution and collisions with game fences. Some man-induced causes of mortality were seen to depend on both the geographical region and the period of the year; moreover, mortality within each region was also year-dependent. Since there are strong socio-economic and ethical components involved, management guidelines are discussed bearing in mind such points of view. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We assessed annual home-range area for 23 adult, resident American martens (Martes americana atrata) in a low-density population in eastern Newfoundland, Canada (1996-2003), and evaluated seasonal habitat requirements during a peak in abundance of snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus). Home-range estimates were 29.54 km² and 15.19 km² for males and females, respectively, and reflect significantly larger territories than those maintained by martens across most of their geographic range. We suggest that these exceptionally large territories reflect the low diversity and abundance of small mammals available to martens as prey. Seasonal requirements were examined by using an index to home-range area. The relationship between the index and snowshoe hare abundance indicated that movement rates of individuals decreased during winters when snowshoe hares were abundant, but that this relationship was not apparent during summer. Analyses of stand-scale habitat use indicated that mature coniferous forest was the dominant cover type in most home ranges (49.6% of area) and was the only forest type used proportionately more than its availability by resident martens. Other forest types used in proportion to their availability included coniferous scrub and insect-defoliated stands. Open areas and sites recently disturbed by fire were avoided at this scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We analysed the ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal diversity in a Mediterranean old-growthQuercus ilexforest stand from Corsica (France), whereArbutus unedowas the only other ECM host.• On a 6400 m2 stand, we investigated whether oak age and host species shaped below-ground ECM diversity. Ectomycorrhizas were collected underQ. ilexindividuals of various ages (1 yr seedlings; 3–10 yr saplings; old trees) andA. unedo. They were typed by ITS–RFLP analysis and identified by match to RFLP patterns of fruitbodies, or by sequencing.• A diversity of 140 taxa was found among 558 ectomycorrhizas, with many rare taxa.Cenococcum geophilumdominated (35% of ECMs), as well as Russulaceae, Cortinariaceae and Thelephoraceae. Fungal species richness was comparable above and below ground, but the two levels exhibited< 20% overlap in fungal species composition.• Quercus ilexage did not strongly shape ECM diversity. The two ECM hosts,A. unedoandQ. ilex, tended to share few ECM species (< 15% of the ECM diversity). Implications for oak forest dynamics are discussed.New Phytologist(2005)doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2005.01382.x© New Phytologist(2005) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was undertaken to estimate fluoride content in the groundwater in certain parts of rural Eritrea, North-East Africa, along the River Anseba. Standard procedure was adopted for fluoride detection. Results indicate elevated concentration of fluoride in groundwater. The highest concentration was found to be 3.73 mg L-1, well above the safety level for consumption. Geological basis for the high concentration of high fluoride has been established; it is presumed to be the pegmatite intrusion hosted by a granitic batholith. Extensive dental fluorosis has been observed in the population exposed to drinking water of high fluoride content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atrophic network involving molds, invertebrates, and vertebrates, ancestrally adapted to the palm tree (Attalaea phalerata) microhabitat, maintains enzootic Trypanosoma cruzi infections in the Amazonian county Paco do Lumiar, state of Maranhao, Brazil. We assessed seropositivity for T. cruzi infections in the human population of the county, searched in palm trees for the triatomines that harbor these infections, and gathered demographic, environmental, and socioeconomic data. Rhodnius pictipes and R. neglectus in palm-tree frond clefts or in houses were infected with T. cruzi(57% and 41%, respectively). Human blood was found in 6.8% of R. pictipes in houses, and 9 of 10 wild Didelphis marsupialis had virulent T. cruzi infections. Increasing human population density, rain forest deforestation, and human predation of local fauna are risk factors for human T. cruzi infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT. Recent shifts in Mongolia's politics and economy have changed pastoral land-use patterns and charged debate over how pasturelands are allocated and regulated in a market economy. Absent has been any detailed understanding of the historical geography of pastoral tenure and land-use patterns in Mongolia prior to the socialist era and the collectivization of livestock husbandry. An overview and case study of changing tenures and land-use patterns suggests that in prerevolutionary Mongolia wealth and poverty determined herders' mobility and access to pasture resources; no less is true today. Historical data also reveal dual formal and informal regulatory institutions extant in the past that coordinated patterns of seasonal movement. This amounted to an unofficial tenure system and has contributed to Mongolia's legacy of ecologically and socially sustainable pastoralism. Keywords: land tenure, land use, Mongolia, nomads, pastoralism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports the findings of an attempt to measure illegitimacy in various regions of Scotland between the later seventeenth and the later eighteenth centuries. Illegitimacy came to the fore as a subject for social concern in Scotland with the start of civil registration in 1855, when figures were produced indicating both sharp regional variation in the percentage of births out of wedlock, and a level for Scotland as a whole for 1858-60 of 9.1 per cent, which appeared shockingly high to contemporary commentators. However, illegitimacy was a matter of concern to the disciplinary courts of the church, and the records of the lowest of the church courts, the kirk sessions, give evidence of the systematic handling of cases of sexual irregularity. In view of the sheer numbers involved in the larger urban centres a separate study would be necessary. The population of Scotland was, and is, small, but it contains much cultural variety, sustained into the eighteenth century by difficulties in communication and the scale of the country, and persisting into modern times.

The article presents a list of documents on Rural Sociology by different authors accepted by journal "Rural Sociology" and published in their issues from 1936 to 1985. Some of the articles include "Adoption Behavior in Family Farm Systems: An Iowa Study," by Mokhtar M. Abd-Ella, Eric O. Hoiberg and Richard D. Warren; "The Use of Scale Analysis in a Study of the Differential Adoption of Homemaking Practices," by Helen C. Abell; "The Use of Publicity Materials in North Carolina Weeklies," by George L. Abernethy and C. B. Anderson; "Rural-Urban Differences in Work Adaptation: The Case of Some Nigerian Workers," by Simi A. Afonja, "Town and Country in a Florida Rural County in the Late 19th Century: Some Population and Household Comparisons," by Barbara F. Agresti; "Reliability of Survey Techniques in Highland Peru," by J. Oscar Alers; "Social Systems Analysis of Supervised Agricultural Credit in an Andean Community," by Manuel Alers-Montalvo, "A Study in Methods of Farm Land Rental," and "The Role of Agriculture in Retirement Adjustment: A Study in Five Florida Counties," by Daniel E. Alleger.

The aim of this work was whether or not wodative stress had developed in dwarf shrub bilberry (Vacinium myrtillus L.) under long term exposure to enhanced levels of ultraviolet B (u. v. B.) radiation. The bilberry plants were exposed to increased u. v. B representing a 15% stratospheric ozone depletion for seven full growing seasons (1991- 1997) at Abisko, Swedish Lapland (68deg;N). The oxidative stress was assessed on leaves and stems by analysing ascorbate and glutathione concentration, and activities of the closely related enzymes ascorbate peroxidase (EC 1. 11. 1. 11) and glutathione reductase (EC 1..6. 4. 2). The affects of autumnal leaf senescence and stem cold hardening on these variables were also considered. The result showed that the treatment caused scarcely any response in the studied variables indicating that u.v B flux representing a 15% ozone depletion under clear sky condition is not sufficient to cause oxidative stress in the bilberry. It is suggested that no strain was evoked since adaptation was possible under such u.v. B increases. The studied variables did however, respond significantly to leaf senescence and especially to stem cold hardening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. In a growth chamber experiment, an additive series design was used to test the ability of three replacement species (Trifolium pratense, Trifolium repens, and Epilobium angustifolium) to suppress Calamagrosis canadensis, a problem species in the regeneration of Picea glauca in the mixed-wood associations of the boreal forest. The effects of the replacement species on P. glauca seedling were also tested. 2. Seedling of C. Canadensis were planted at three different times (same time as the replacement species, 2 and 4 weeks later than the replacement species) into four different densities of the replacement species (229, 601, 1577 and 4174 plants m−²). Seedlings of P glauca were planted into the same four densities of the replacement species and at the same time as the replacement species. 3. Light transmission through the replacement species' canopies decreased with time and increasing density. After 8 weeks, the deepest shade was cast by T. pratense, which reduced light transmission to as low as 4%. 4. The biomass and mortality of the replacement species were not affected by C. Canadensis or P. glauca. The replacement species did, however, show different rates of density-dependent mortality, which was attributable to different levels of intraspecific competition. 5. Above-ground biomass accumulation, rhizome production, and mortality in C. canadensis was negatively affected by all three replacement species, especially at the latest planting time. Height and biomass of P. glauca seedlings was also reduced by all replacement species. 6. The results indicate that all three replacement species could be used to control seedling establishment by C. canadensis. Differences between the replacement species are discussed in the light of possible applications in the field of forestry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Fenitrothion, an organophosphorus insecticide, has been used i.n Scotland to control outbreaks of pine beauty moth. (Panolis flammea D. & S.) in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Loud.) plantations. Fenitrothion is applied, at 300 g ha -1 from helicopters using ultra-low-volume techniques. This study (1982-84) investigated the effects of spraying on five species of passerine birds in two 70 ha. plots, which were compared with two neighbouring unsprayed plots. (2) Annual changes in breeding-bird populations. as measured by Common Bird Census techniques, were not affected by fenitrothion. (3) Changes in the numbers of singing birds from 5 days before until 5 days after spraying were either not significantly different or were inconsistent between sprayed and unsprayed plots. (4) There were no differences in coal tits (Pants ater L.) breeding i.n nestboxes between sprayed and unsprayed plots, nor in the proportion of broods hatched, or fledged, clutch size, or brood size at hatching or fledging. (5) Residues of fenitrothion were detected in two coal tit nestlings found dead within 4 days after spraying, but not in six others found 10-46 days! later. (6) Regression analyses of nestling growth in weight, wing and tarsus measurements did not reveal significant effects of spraying, although a non-significant trend for slower growth resulting in a lower final weight was indicated for nestlings in sprayed plots. (7) Visiting rates! by parent coal tits to their nests and the diets of their nestlings were examined using camera nestboxes. The differences between nests in unsprayed and sprayed areas were complex and could have been caused by factors other than spraying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on a study in which stomatal conductance (g) was measured on leaves of Jacquinia pungens and Coccoloba liebmannii during the dry season in a tropical deciduous forest of western Mexico. Daily courses of g observed in January and April; Indication that stomatal behavior of both species was very similar; Model relating g to environmental variables and leaf water potential.

Part I. Studies the stomatal conductance and photosynthesis in a mature Scots pine forest in eastern England. Use of a null-balance porometer to measure the stomatal conductance of current-year shoots from different levels, aspects, trees and age-classes in the canopy of a plantation forest; Decline in shoot conductance during the day as the water vapour saturation deficit increased; Correlation between photosynthetic rates and the changing incident quantum flux density.

(1) The partitioning of incident precipitation into throughfall, stemflow and interception loss was assessed in a 14-year-old Picea sitchensis plantation in South Scotland. The tree respectively by foliage from one, two, three and four trees. All main branches sloped down inwards to the tree trunk. (2) Over a single calendar year the incident precipitation was 1639 mm. Stemflow accounted for 27% of this, throughfall 43% and interception loss, estimated by difference, accounted for 30%. Percentage stemflow was consistent throughout the year but, during the winter period (January-march), throughfall increased to 57% and interception loss decreased to 15%. (3) the amount of stemflow for individual trees was positively correlated (p = 0.05) with the projected area of tree crowns. (4) The amount of throughfall was greatest close to the tree trunks and between trees in the same row, particularly for intermediate levels of rainfall (20-40 mm week[sup-1]) (5) The spatial pattern of throughfall parallels the distribution of fine roots in the soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents table of contents. It also says that the wood in a living tree is protected from microbial attack by the secondary plant surface, which provides an effective barrier preventing the entry of most potential pathogens, and by constitutive and induced defence mechanisms in the bark. Although a few pathogens are able to penetrate these outer tissues directly, most xylem pathogens gain entry through wounds that expose this tissue and render in more vulnerable to attack. In functional sapwood, microbial colonization might be restricted by active defence mechanisms, or by passive microenvironmental restriction consequent upon the high water content and low availability of oxygen in healthy conductive xylem.

The patterns of distribution of calcium oxalate crystals in spruce needles have been investigated in healthy needles and those subjected to either acid precipitation (ph 2.5) or various ozone fumigations. In the acid treatment, deposits of Ca oxalate were lacking in the outer walls of the epidermal cells. Under the impact of ozone, unusual complexes of Ca oxalate crystals embedded in a matrix of callose and cellulose projected from the walls inwards into the cells, filling the lumina of epidermal and hypodermal cells completely. In mesophyll cells, the complexes projected more or less from the walls into the vacuoles. In other cases, crystals appeared within the vacuoles of mesophyll cells. In dead cells, precipitates of Ca oxalate or phosphate apparently indicate destruction of the cytoplasm after a major influx of Ca2-. It is speculated, that the physiological significance of enhanced calcium leaching has been overestimated. With regard to ozone impact, it seems that the major problem of thereby enhanced membrane permeabilities may not be an increased efflux of mineral elements, but rather an increased influx of Ca into the symplast and subsequent disturbances in metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whole plant acclimation to ozone exposure in growth-chamber cultivated radish (Raphanus sativus L. cv. Cherry Belle) was investigated. The primary goal was to separate developmental from physiological ozone acclimation processes. Plants were grown for 37 days at two different lengths of ozone exposure and a control treatment. After germination, seedlings were transplanted into controlled growth chambers and exposed to daytime (10 h) ozone (0.12 μl l-1) either on the next day (continuous ozone treatment) or three days later (intermediate treatment) and compared to a control (average ambient ozone concentration 0.01-0.02 μl l-1). Plants grown in ozone after transplanting accumulated considerably less biomass than the controls, but had higher dry weights than the intermediate treatment, implying an acclimation response. Photosynthetic capacity and nitrogen content of leaves decreased at high levels of ozone exposure resulting in an accelerated leaf senescence. No distinct leaf-level physiological acclimation to ozone exposure was seen based on gas exchange measurements. As an apparent compensatory response, plants exposed to ozone had higher leaf production rates than control plants, at the expense of root and hypocotyl growth. This developmental, whole-plant response appeared to be the most effective acclimation response to ozone exposure seen in radish. However, it did not fully compensate for the damage caused by ozone, since plants still showed considerable reductions in growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the case of a female patient in French Polynesia who acquired Chikungunya virus (CHICKV) infection from Guadeloupe. Topics discussed include signs and symptoms of the patient, phylogenetic analysis of the CHIKV strain, and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to confirm the virus. Also discussed are the transmission of CHICKV by Aedes species and the role of foreign travel on the spread of diseases.