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The sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is an oleaginous plant that shows high suitability for cultivation in Brazil. However, the performance of the crop is influenced by factors such as weed interference, mainly because of the few selective herbicide options. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate weed control and selectivity of four pre-emergent herbicides applied to two sunflower cultivars in sandy and clayey soils. Two field experiments were conducted in a randomized block design with a 2 × 6 factorial scheme, two cultivars (CF 101 and M 734) and six treatments with S-metolachlor (1920 g a.i. ha−1), sulfentrazone (150 g a.i. ha−1), flumioxazin (40 g a.i. ha−1), and trifluralin (1780 g a.i. ha−1) and two controls, one with weeding and the other without weeding and without herbicide application, in soils with contrasting textures (sandy and clayey). No injury symptoms were observed in both cultivars, regardless of soil texture. The cultivar M 734 exhibited the highest values of the agronomic parameters evaluated. The treatment with flumioxazin provided control of more than 90% of the weeds in clayey soil and more than 64% in sandy soil. The yield of both cultivars was lower in the sandy soil. Thus, all herbicide treatments were selective for both cultivars tested, since they did not interfere with sunflower grain yield.

The sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is an oleaginous plant that shows high suitability for cultivation in Brazil. However, the performance of the crop is influenced by factors such as weed interference, mainly because of the few selective herbicide options. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate weed control and selectivity of four pre-emergent herbicides applied to two sunflower cultivars in sandy and clayey soils. Two field experiments were conducted in a randomized block design with a 2 × 6 factorial scheme, two cultivars (CF 101 and M 734) and six treatments with S-metolachlor (1920 g a.i. ha−1), sulfentrazone (150 g a.i. ha−1), flumioxazin (40 g a.i. ha−1), and trifluralin (1780 g a.i. ha−1) and two controls, one with weeding and the other without weeding and without herbicide application, in soils with contrasting textures (sandy and clayey). No injury symptoms were observed in both cultivars, regardless of soil texture. The cultivar M 734 exhibited the highest values of the agronomic parameters evaluated. The treatment with flumioxazin provided control of more than 90% of the weeds in clayey soil and more than 64% in sandy soil. The yield of both cultivars was lower in the sandy soil. Thus, all herbicide treatments were selective for both cultivars tested, since they did not interfere with sunflower grain yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The car accident injury level is known to be a result of a complex interaction of factors to drivers’ behavior, vehicle characteristics, and environmental condition. Therefore, it is obvious that identifying the contribution of the factors to the accident injury is very critical. The objective of the study was to perform a descriptive analysis to see the characteristics of car accidents, and to assess the prevalence and determinants of road safety practices in Mekelle City, Tigray, Ethiopia. A random sample of data was extracted from the traffic police office from September 2014 to July 2017. An ordered logistic regression model was used to examine factors that worsen the car accident level. A total sample of 385 car accidents was considered in the study of which 56.7% were fatal, 28.6% serious, and 14.7% slight injury. The model estimation result showed that being experienced drivers (Coef. = 0.686; p-value< = 0.050) were found to increase the level of injury. On the other hand, being private vehicle (Coef. = -1.160; p-value <= 0.010), the type of accident of vehicle with pedestrian (Coef. = -2.852; p-value <= 0.010), being heavy truck (Coef. = -0.656; p-value <= 0.050), being a cross country bus (Coef. = -0.889; p-value <= 0.050) and being owner of vehicle is the driver himself (Coef. = -.690, p-value <= 0.050) were found to decrease the level of car accident injury severity. In conclusion, it is better to create continued awareness for those who are experienced drivers, who carelessly follow the traffic rules. Special attention is required for government-owned vehicle drivers, as they were found to increase the level of car accident injury through different short-term training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Along with the advantages provided by the material and ease of assembly/disassembly, the ease of repair provided by minimum deformation after a collision and its sustainability highlight the preference of concrete barriers for roadside safety. However, concrete barriers, as rigid systems, are highly risky in case of a collision. Because the top priority of the application purpose is safety, it is desirable to have designs that provide the necessary safety criteria in the relevant standards and which are highly safe in terms of environment, especially for drivers. In this study, the optimum safety design of the New Jersey (NJ) concrete barrier which reduces injury levels up to the acceleration severity index (ASI) and meets safety criteria for the EN1317/2 standard, is achieved by simulation-based design optimization. For this purpose, the critical design points of the NJ type barrier have been determined. Then the critical design points were taken as variables and the safety criteria in EN1317 were taken as the objective function for multi-objective optimization (MOO). Once the variables and objective functions were determined, data was prepared with finite elements (FE) and the surrogate model was constructed using an optimal weighted pointwise of radial basis function (OWPE-RBF). Afterward, the multi-objective genetic algorithm was employed to solve the MOO problem. The optimum safety design that was obtained was compared with the validated original design, i.e. full-size modeling in the finite element (FE) environment. As a result, both the critical design points of NJ type barriers and important determinations regarding the OWPE-RBF model were obtained. Above all, a design has been achieved with an ASI/injury level which is 22–23% safer by way of the proposed analytical model and the monitored path. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research is to explain the effect of massage effriction therapy and frirage therapy in helping creatine kinase levels in patients who have experienced injuries I and II with high and low stress levels. The method in this research is quasi-experimental with factorials. The treatments are effriction massage therapy and frirage massage. The two types of therapy that are used are a combination of the two massage method. Effriction massage is massage therapy that is dominated by efflurage and there is pressure to deep tissue. Frirage massage is a massage therapy that is dominated by the thumb and moves to grind but not deep due to scouring combined with efflurage. Both types of therapy are used in this study to obtain maximum results in lowering creatine kinase levels. Effriction therapy and frirage therapy were intervened with a duration of 15 minutes with the criteria for the sample who had level I and grade II injuries, and high and low stress levels. physical assessment test instruments for grade I and grade II injuries by looking at the results of the MRI lab, CT scan or by using a drower test. For the stress level, the instrument used is DASS to determine the level of stress. To measure creatine kinase levels by laboratory tests in collaboration with the pharmaceutical chemistry laboratory in Semarang. The conclusion of this study is that effriction massage therapy and frirage massage therapy can reduce creatine kinase so that it can be used for the therapy of grade I and grade II injuries, high and low stress levels, especially effriction massage therapy as a therapy that has better effectiveness than frirage in reducing creatine levels kinase for cases of knee injury, because one group in the effriction group experienced a significant reduction [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is a devastating situation. Spinal Cord Injury affects functional, psychological and socioeconomic aspects of patients' lives. The ability to accomplish and explicate the one’s own and other’s feelings and emotions to spread over appropriate information for confirming thoughts and actions is defined as emotional intelligence (EI). The goal of this study was to evaluate depression and EI in SCI patients in comparison with healthy subjects. Methods: One-hundred-ten patients with SCI and 80 healthy subjects between Aug 2014 and Aug 2015 were enrolled. The study was conducted in Imam Hospital, Tehran, Iran. All participants were asked to fill valid and reliable Persian version Emotional Quotient inventory (EQ-i) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). All data were analyzed using SPSS. Data were presented as Mean±SD for continuous or frequencies for categorical variables. Continuous variables compared by means of independent sample t-test. P-values less than 0.05 were considered as significant. Results: Mean age of patients was 28.7 and mean age of controls was 30.2 yr. Spinal cord injury in 20 (18.3%) were at cervical level, in 83 (75.4%) were thoracic and in 7 (6.3%) were lumbar. Mean values of independence, stress tolerance, self-actualization, emotional Self-Awareness, reality testing, Impulse Control, flexibility, responsibility, and assertiveness were significantly different between cases and controls. Mean values of stress tolerance, optimism, self-regard, and responsibility were significantly different between three groups with different injury level. Most scales were not significantly different between male and female cases. Conclusion: Emotional intelligence should be considered in SCI cases as their physical and psychological health is affected by their illness.

Purpose: In the able-bodied, exercise training results in increased ventilatory capacity to meet increased aerobic demands of trained skeletal muscle. However, after spinal cord injury (SCI), peak ventilation can be limited by pulmonary muscle denervation. In fact, peak ventilation may restrict aerobic capacity in direct relation to injury level. Hybrid functional electrical stimulation (FES) exercise training results in increased aerobic capacity and dissociation between aerobic capacity and injury level in those with injuries at T3 and below. However, injuries above T3 have the greatest pulmonary denervation, and ventilatory capacity may restrict the increase in aerobic capacity with hybrid FES training. Methods: We assessed relationships among injury level, peak ventilation, and peak aerobic capacity and calculated oxygen uptake efficiency slope during hybrid FES exercise in 12 individuals (1 female) with SCI at level T2 to C4 (injury duration = 0.33-33 yr, age = 20-60 yr), before and after 6 months of FES-row training (FES-RT). Results: Training increased peak aerobic capacity by 12% (P = 0.02) with only a modest increase in peak ventilation (7 of 12 subjects, P = 0.09). Both before and after training, injury level was directly related to peak ventilation (R² = 0.48 and 0.43) and peak aerobic capacity (R² = 0.70 and 0.55). Before training, the relationship of peak aerobic capacity to peak ventilation was strong (R² = 0.62), however, after training, this relationship became almost completely linearized (R² = 0.84). In addition, oxygen uptake efficiency slope increased by 11% (P < 0.05) after FES-RT. Conclusion: Despite the ability to increase exercise capacity via hybrid FES exercise, the inability to increase peak ventilation beyond limits set by SCI level in those with high-level injuries (above T3) appears to restrict aerobic capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work was based on field screening procedure to detect the population density of Aphis craccivora for two successive seasons (2004–2005) and (2005–2006) to emphasis the relation between the economic injury level (EIL) and yield loss. Results obtained showed that the equilibrium position (steady point) during the first and second season was 9.06 and 3.32 individuals/five leaflets, respectively, while the injury level was 3.4 and 1.16 individuals/leaflets. When the bean plant was subjected to three successive insecticidal applications during the early growing, season is sufficient to decrease the yield loss significantly (yield capacity 21.43 Ard./fed.) with comparing to untreated plant (14.98 Ard./fed.), while the plants exposure for one treatment was 17.36 Ard./fed. The EIL was 8.6 individual of aphids/plant depending on the market price of bean and control cost during the season. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Study Design: An experimental model of spinal cord injury (SCI) intended to characterize changes in renal function.Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible influence of SCI level on renal function during spinal shock.Summary Of Background Data: SCI triggers multiple systemic and metabolic alterations. Among them, renal dysfunction stands out. Although several variables have been related to its extent, the impact of the cord injury level on renal function has not been clearly stated, particularly during the spinal shock.Methods: Anesthetized adult Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to severe spinal cord contusion at low (T8) and high (T1) thoracic levels using the weight-drop method. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and tubular secretion (TS) were estimated 24 hours after injury, using a validated method based on the determination of plasma concentrations of iopamidol and p-aminohippuric acid by high-performance liquid chromatography.Results: GFR, fell to 33% (95% CI [24%, 43%]) and 10% (8%, 13%) of the sham-injured controls, whereas TS, decreased to 59% (95% CI [47%, 71%]), and 25% (18%, 32%) of the sham-injured controls, in T8 and T1 injury levels, respectively. Comparisons between cords injured and control rats, as well as between low and high-injured levels, were statistically significant (P < 0.01).Conclusion: Renal dysfunction occurs early after severe SCI. The damage is greater in high compared to low injuries. These findings could have important implications in the acute management of patients with high thoracic and cervical injuries, especially in pharmacotherapy using drugs eliminated by the kidney.Level Of Evidence: N/A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adult stink bugs were introduced onto caged, bush-type tomatoes to establish the amount of fruit damage resulting from different durations of infestation (up to 20 d), densities (1, 3, 5, and 10 bugs per 2 m of row), species (Euschistus conspersus Uhler and Chlorochroa uhleri (StAVI)) and reduced fruit abundance (75, 50, and 0% reduction). Factors that significantly influenced the percentage of tomato fruit damaged were stink bug density and reduced fruit density at constant stink bug densities. Stink bug density affected the number of damaged areas per fruit in 1 of the 2 years of the study. Stink bug species and the number of days of stink bug infestation did not affect the percentage of damaged fruit or the number of damaged areas per fruit. Implications for stink bug management in tomatoes grown in California are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]