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PURPOSE: To investigate the progression characteristics of ellipsoid zone (EZ) loss in eyes with macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel) as reflected by area and linear measurements, and their relevance for visual acuity. METHODS: Participants were selected from the MacTel Study cohort. Linear and area measurements of EZ loss were performed in Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomograph (SD-OCT) volume scans. Progression characteristics and correlations between linear and area measurements were analysed using linear mixed effects models. RESULTS: A total of 134 eyes of 70 patients were included (85 eyes with follow-up, mean 4.7 years, range: 1.4-8 years). Ellipsoid zone (EZ) loss significantly progressed at a mean annual increment of 0.057 mm2 (p = 0.005). The progression rate was non-linear and interacted significantly with initial EZ lesion size indicating an exponential growth before reaching a plateau. There was a strong heterogeneity in area sizes between fellow eyes. EZ break length had a significant linear effect on EZ break area (b = 1.06, p < 0.001) and could predict it. The location of the EZ break had a significant impact on visual acuity. CONCLUSION: Ellipsoid zone (EZ) loss in MacTel has a non-linear progression characteristic, and its rate depends on area size at baseline, which must be taken into account at sample selection in clinical trials. Our results show a good correlation of linear and area measures of EZ loss and a segregation of best-corrected visual acuity by EZ location, which may help routine clinical practice.

Biomass is one of the major choices for alternative energy sources. However, the drawbacks of raw biomass, including high moisture content, limit its use. Thus, pretreatment is necessary and torrefaction has emerged as an important step for upgrading biomass. In this study, torrefaction in an industrial rotary kiln combustion type reactor was investigated at three different temperatures (200°C, 250°C and 300°C) using fresh dairy manure with 84.1% moisture content. The results showed that fresh dairy manure must be heat-treated four times at 200°C, but only three times at 250°C and 300°C due to the longer time for torrefaction at the lower temperature. Mass yield, moisture content, ash-free solid and HHV of torrefied dairy manure were reduced at each sequential heat treatment at every temperature. The production efficiency was higher at 300°C due to less energy consumption and shorter torrefaction time.

Biomass is one of the major choices for alternative energy sources. However, the drawbacks of raw biomass, including high moisture content, limit its use. Thus, pretreatment is necessary and torrefaction has emerged as an important step for upgrading biomass. In this study, torrefaction in an industrial rotary kiln combustion type reactor was investigated at three different temperatures (200°C, 250°C and 300°C) using fresh dairy manure with 84.1% moisture content. The results showed that fresh dairy manure must be heat-treated four times at 200°C, but only three times at 250°C and 300°C due to the longer time for torrefaction at the lower temperature. Mass yield, moisture content, ash-free solid and HHV of torrefied dairy manure were reduced at each sequential heat treatment at every temperature. The production efficiency was higher at 300°C due to less energy consumption and shorter torrefaction time.

Biomass is one of the major choices for alternative energy sources. However, the drawbacks of raw biomass, including high moisture content, limit its use. Thus, pretreatment is necessary and torrefaction has emerged as an important step for upgrading biomass. In this study, torrefaction in an industrial rotary kiln combustion type reactor was investigated at three different temperatures (200°C, 250°C and 300°C) using fresh dairy manure with 84.1% moisture content. The results showed that fresh dairy manure must be heat-treated four times at 200°C, but only three times at 250°C and 300°C due to the longer time for torrefaction at the lower temperature. Mass yield, moisture content, ash-free solid and HHV of torrefied dairy manure were reduced at each sequential heat treatment at every temperature. The production efficiency was higher at 300°C due to less energy consumption and shorter torrefaction time.

Biomass is one of the major choices for alternative energy sources. However, the drawbacks of raw biomass, including high moisture content, limit its use. Thus, pretreatment is necessary and torrefaction has emerged as an important step for upgrading biomass. In this study, torrefaction in an industrial rotary kiln combustion type reactor was investigated at three different temperatures (200°C, 250°C and 300°C) using fresh dairy manure with 84.1% moisture content. The results showed that fresh dairy manure must be heat-treated four times at 200°C, but only three times at 250°C and 300°C due to the longer time for torrefaction at the lower temperature. Mass yield, moisture content, ash-free solid and HHV of torrefied dairy manure were reduced at each sequential heat treatment at every temperature. The production efficiency was higher at 300°C due to less energy consumption and shorter torrefaction time.

Biomass is one of the major choices for alternative energy sources. However, the drawbacks of raw biomass, including high moisture content, limit its use. Thus, pretreatment is necessary and torrefaction has emerged as an important step for upgrading biomass. In this study, torrefaction in an industrial rotary kiln combustion type reactor was investigated at three different temperatures (200°C, 250°C and 300°C) using fresh dairy manure with 84.1% moisture content. The results showed that fresh dairy manure must be heat-treated four times at 200°C, but only three times at 250°C and 300°C due to the longer time for torrefaction at the lower temperature. Mass yield, moisture content, ash-free solid and HHV of torrefied dairy manure were reduced at each sequential heat treatment at every temperature. The production efficiency was higher at 300°C due to less energy consumption and shorter torrefaction time.

The purpose of this study was to develop a model of poverty eleviation in the buffer zone of National Park through the optimization of the impact of the fuel subsidiary reallocation (BLT), statrted from April to October 2013 in three villages which representent ethnic culture in Lampung, Java, and the mixture of both, selecting 50 poor households (RTM) who received BLT (direct cash assistance) in 2005. In-depth interview was conducted to capture the economy performance of each household. Qualitative probability model was applied to the response variable (Yi) that were scored 1 for those have been exited from the poverty and scored 0 if not yet. The predictor variables used (Xij) including: fuel prices (Rp/liter), total of BLT (Rp), demographics (age, sex, family head education, as well as the number of dependents), the value of productive assets (Rp million/household), revenue from damar resin, and other sources (Rp million/household), access to public services, the distance to the border of BBSNP, the availlability of PNPM (national project of community empowermnent that scored 1 if any and 0 if not), the performance of social capital and the extention program conveyed. The Minitab Version 16 was employed for exzamining the goodness to the model and the significancy of the parameters pursued at the level of 5% and 10%. The conclusions were the exit capability against poverty were significantly affected by: fuel prices, the ammount of the BLT, the exisistency of PNPM, gender & education of household, number of dependents, the distance to central districts, the presence of electricity, the power of social capital, land ownership of both damar agroforest and paddy field acreages, the owner of productive assets such as ruminants. Accordingly, there were no culturetribe significantly affected by the existing from of poverty, which means that the poverty in this region was more structural cause than that of the cultural one.

The purpose of this study was to develop a model of poverty eleviation in the buffer zone of National Park through the optimization of the impact of the fuel subsidiary reallocation (BLT), statrted from April to October 2013 in three villages which representent ethnic culture in Lampung, Java, and the mixture of both, selecting 50 poor households (RTM) who received BLT (direct cash assistance) in 2005. In-depth interview was conducted to capture the economy performance of each household. Qualitative probability model was applied to the response variable (Yi) that were scored 1 for those have been exited from the poverty and scored 0 if not yet. The predictor variables used (Xij) including: fuel prices (Rp/liter), total of BLT (Rp), demographics (age, sex, family head education, as well as the number of dependents), the value of productive assets (Rp million/household), revenue from damar resin, and other sources (Rp million/household), access to public services, the distance to the border of BBSNP, the availlability of PNPM (national project of community empowermnent that scored 1 if any and 0 if not), the performance of social capital and the extention program conveyed. The Minitab Version 16 was employed for exzamining the goodness to the model and the significancy of the parameters pursued at the level of 5% and 10%. The conclusions were the exit capability against poverty were significantly affected by: fuel prices, the ammount of the BLT, the exisistency of PNPM, gender & education of household, number of dependents, the distance to central districts, the presence of electricity, the power of social capital, land ownership of both damar agroforest and paddy field acreages, the owner of productive assets such as ruminants. Accordingly, there were no culturetribe significantly affected by the existing from of poverty, which means that the poverty in this region was more structural cause than that of the cultural one.