Process‐based assessment of success and failure in a constructed riffle‐pool river restoration project

Although there is increasing consensus that river restoration should focus on restoring processes rather than form, proven techniques to design and monitor projects for sediment transport processes are lacking. This study monitors bedload transport and channel morphology in a rural, an urban unrestored, and an urban restored reach. Objectives are to compare bedload transport regimes, assess the stability and self‐maintenance of constructed riffle‐pool sequences, and evaluate the impact of the project on coarse sediment continuity in the creek. Sediment tracking is done using radio frequency identification tracers and morphologic change is assessed from repeated cross‐section surveys. Mean annual velocity is used to quantify the average downstream velocity of tracers, defined as the mean overall tracer travel length divided by the total study duration. The channel reconstruction slows down the downstream velocity of particles in the D₇₅ and D₉₀ size classes, but does not significantly change the velocity of particles in the D₅₀ size class or smaller. Surveys show that riffle features remain stable and that pool depths are maintained or deepened, while tracer paths match with what has been observed in natural riffle‐pools. However, the slowdown of coarse sediment and increase in channel slope may lead to future failures related to over‐steepening of the banks and a disruption in the continuity of sediment transport in the creek. This study demonstrates how bedload tracking and morphological surveys can be used to assess river restoration projects, and highlights the importance of incorporating coarse sediment connectivity into restoration design and monitoring.     

历史环境的营造——米兰建筑师路易吉·卡其亚·多米尼奥尼的住宅项目

自20世纪80年代起,北意大利的战后现代主义因其对现代性与历史的密集讨论成为苏黎世联邦理工大学年轻建筑师们的重要参考来源.其中米兰建筑师路易吉·卡其亚·多米尼奥尼(Luigi Caccia Dominioni)的作品尤其受到偏爱,在瑞士的当代建筑中留下了鲜明的痕迹.卡其亚出产建筑作品的高峰期恰逢米兰现代建筑史充满张力的时期,他的作品以生动的实验主义、主题的异质性以及丰富的历史参照层次而著称.对卡其亚作品的理论研究,揭示了如何通过历史与政治环境的变迁塑造其设计思想,并反映在其建筑实践中.     

Dietary Nanoparticles Interact with Gluten Peptides and Alter the Intestinal Homeostasis Increasing the Risk of Celiac Disease

The introduction of metallic nanoparticles (mNPs) into the diet is a matter of concern for human health. In particular, their effect on the gastrointestinal tract may potentially lead to the increased passage of gluten peptides and the activation of the immune response. In consequence, dietary mNPs could play a role in the increasing worldwide celiac disease (CeD) incidence. We evaluated the potential synergistic effects that peptic-tryptic-digested gliadin (PT) and the most-used food mNPs may induce on the intestinal mucosa. PT interaction with mNPs and their consequent aggregation was detected by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses and UV–Vis spectra. In vitro experiments on Caco-2 cells proved the synergistic cytotoxic effect of PT and mNPs, as well as alterations in the monolayer integrity and tight junction proteins. Exposure of duodenal biopsies to gliadin plus mNPs triggered cytokine production, but only in CeD biopsies. These results suggest that mNPs used in the food sector may alter intestinal homeostasis, thus representing an additional environmental risk factor for the development of CeD.     

Assessment of public acceptance and willingness to pay for renewable energy sources in Crete

The aim of this study is to analyse and to evaluate the citizens’ public acceptance and willingness to pay (WTP), for Renewable Energy Sources (RES) in Crete. For this purpose a contingent valuation study was conducted, using a double bound dichotomous choice format to elicit people's WTP and factors affecting it. Residents of 1440 households all over Crete were interviewed face-to-face. Major conclusions can be used as a basis for sustainable energy planning, for policies and the formulation of awareness campaigns and for RES investment programs and projects in order to prepare implementation conditions and enhance public acceptance of renewable energy investments and programmes. Mean WTP per household was found to be 16.33€ to be paid quarterly as an additional charge on the electricity bill. Larger willingness to pay was reported by those with high family income and residence size, those having a higher level of energy information and awareness concerning climatic change, those who have invested in some energy saving measures, and those who suffer from more electricity shortages than others.     

Effect of sulpiride-induced hyperprolactinemia on serum testosterone response to HCG in normal men

In six normal volunteers hyperprolactinemia was induced by sulpiride (150 mg/day) for 10 days. Both before and during sulpiride hCG was injected; the higher testosterone response to hCG, when PRL levels were enhanced, suggests a possible stimulatory role of PRL on Leydig cells.     

Effect of a single dose of ibuprofen lysinate before embryo transfer on pregnancy rates in cows

Embryo implantation is a critical step in both cows and humans. The use of ibuprofen lysinate to enhance implantation has been investigated in cattle with the specific aim of improving pregnancy rates after embryo transfer. In this study, heifers (n = 100) were assigned randomly to one of two groups: one group was treated i.m. with 5 mg ibuprofen lysinate kg(-1) body weight 1 h before embryo transfer and a control group received vehicle only. A single embryo was transferred into each recipient cow. There was a significant difference in the number of pregnancies after embryo transfer between cows in the treated (41 of 50; 82%) and control (28 of 50; 56%) groups (P < 0.05). These data indicate that ibuprofen lysinate may be an effective adjunctive treatment for assisted reproduction in cattle. Further studies are needed to clarify whether this effect is associated with the reduction of cyclooxygenase enzyme isoforms during embryo transfer or whether other mechanisms are involved.     

Software Quality Management from a Cross-Cultural Viewpoint

This paper describes our attempts to look at how different cultures influence Software Quality Management (Siakas 1996; Mohamed Walaa-Eldeen and Siakas 1996). Quality of the software product cannot be determined until late in the development cycle. It is widely accepted that reliance has to be placed on process quality as a means of achieving product quality. In recent years software organisations have been making efforts concentrating on improving the process in order to improve software quality. Hofstede (Hofstede 1994) had defined four dimensions of work-related value differences for classifying cultural influences in different countries. These are: power distance, collectivism/individualism, femininity/masculinity and uncertainty avoidance. In this paper software development organisations are being assessed for their awareness and acceptance of Software Quality. These results will be correlated with the work-related values identified by Hofstede. The intention is to identify cultural factors, which may have a bearing on successful adoption and implementation of Software Quality Management. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Structural Characterization and Thermoelectric Properties of Hot-Pressed CoSi Nanocomposites

Fabrication of nanocomposites by introduction of SiO₂ metal oxide nanoparticles into a cobalt silicide thermoelectric matrix is studied. The CoSi matrix material was prepared through solid-state synthesis, and the nano-SiO₂ metal oxide was introduced by mechanical grinding. The mixed powders were hot pressed to fabricate nanocomposites. The structural and morphological modifications were studied by powder x-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscopy. The thermoelectric properties of the materials were followed through the Hall effect, Seebeck coefficient, and electrical and thermal conductivities in the temperature range from 300 K to 1000 K.