Yield levels and the factors determining crop yields is an important strand of research on rainfed family farms. This is particularly true for Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), which reports some of the lowest crop yields. This also holds for Ghana, where actual yields of maize, the most important staple crop, are currently about only a third of achievable yields. Developing a comprehensive understanding

This study is concerned with the integration of negation in relation to two models of the processing of negation: (i) the two-step model (Lüdtke et al., 2008), according to which negation involves two representations where negation is ignored in the first representation, and (ii) the pragmatic view (Nieuwland & Kuperberg, 2008), which posits that negation can be integrated without delay if it

Walking as a means of transportation is a key feature in sustainable urban design, but few studies have examined the influence of micro-level environmental features, such as vegetation and street lighting, on perceived safety and people’s choice to walk. This study applied a non-explicit approach to examine the relationship between greenery, street lighting, perceived safety, and walking in an urb

Desalination can be a cost-effective way to produce fresh water and possibly electricity. The Gaza Strip has had a complex hydro-political situation for many years. Gaza is bordered by the Mediterranean sea in the west, by Israel in the north and east and by Egypt in the south. Water and electricity consumption in the Gaza Strip is expected to increase in the future due to the increasing in popula

Background: COVID-19 is a rapidly spreading virus infection that has quickly caused extensive burden to individual, families, countries, and the globe. No intervention has yet been proven effective for the treatment of COVID-19. Some randomized clinical trials assessing the effects of different drugs have been published, and more are currently underway. There is an urgent need for a living, dynami

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by protein inclusions mostly composed of aggregated forms of α-synuclein (α-Syn) and by the progressive degeneration of midbrain dopaminergic neurons (mDANs), resulting in motor symptoms. While other brain regions also undergo pathologic changes in PD, the relevance of α-Syn aggregation for the preferential loss of mDANs in PD

A variety of pathogenic bacteria can infect humans, and rapid species identification is crucial for the correct treatment. However, the identification process can often be time-consuming and depend on the cultivation of the bacterial pathogen(s). Here, we present a stand-alone, enzyme-free, optical DNA mapping assay capable of species identification by matching the intensity profiles of large DNA

The structural features of the matrix surrounding the cells play a crucial role in regulating their behavior. Here, we used fluorescence microscopy and customized analysis algorithms to characterize the architecture of fibrous hydrogel networks. As a model system, we investigated a new class of synthetic biomimetic material, hydrogels prepared from polyisocyanides. Our results show that these synt

The synthesis of two-dimensional (2D) transition metals has attracted growing attention for both fundamental and application-oriented investigations, such as 2D magnetism, nanoplasmonics and non-linear optics. However, the large-area synthesis of this class of materials in a single-layer form poses non-trivial difficulties. Here we present the synthesis of a large-area 2D gold layer, stabilized in

This paper addresses the need for secure storage in virtualized services in the cloud. To this purpose, we evaluate the security properties of Intel's Software Guard Extensions (SGX) technology, which provides hardware protection for general applications, for securing virtual Hardware Security Modules (vHSM). In order for the analysis to be comparable with analyses of physical HSMs, the evaluation

One of the important challenges for wooden construction is to assure good sound insulation in low-frequency range. To that end, it is important to establish reliable prediction tools to reduce the number of experimental tests and the costs. The study reported here is a first investigation aiming at developing a reliable numerical model to predict the vibration behavior of a cross-laminated timber

In this paper water and salt mass balances for the Dead Sea were modeled. Precipitation, evaporation, river discharges, ground water flows, input/output from potash companies and salt production, and brine discharge were included in the models. The mixing time in the Dead Sea was modeled using a single-layer (well-mixed) a two-layer (stratified) system. Using the single-layer approach the water le

Background: Previous studies showed that anger, rather than sadness, created automatic intergroup bias in a minimal group context. Methods: The current research reports a single study (N = 99) aiming to replicate this finding and further to test whether the intergroup bias manifests as ingroup favoritism, outgroup derogation, or both. Results: Our results failed to replicate the effect of anger on

Before commissioning of a nuclear facility it is important to determine the baseline of the radiation environment. Such baseline or Zero Point assessments can only,and uniquely, be made before start of operation of the facility and will serve several purposes when the facility is in operation. Here we report on the planning and implementation of such a Zero Point program for achieving high reprodu

Garnet scintillators often suffer from undesired afterglow, the origin of which is not always well-understood. A possible origin is contamination with transition metal (TM) ions. These impurities can act as traps giving rise to afterglow. Alternatively, they may show long-lived (microsecond) d-d emission. Here we present a systematic study on the role of 3d TM impurities in (Lu,Gd)3(GaAl)5O12 garn

Currently, the world is facinga global pandemicwith a new coronavirus SARS-CoV- 2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus Type 2) causing infectious disease named COVID-19 (CoronaVirus Infectious Disease 2019). Comparing the clinical presentation and epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 with previous coronavirus-associated respiratory diseases (SARS-CoV1 and MERS) revealedsome remark

Preliminary published data depicts a much greater prevalence of malewith laboratory-confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) referred for intensive care unit admission and severe sequelae in several countries. In this context, males seem to not only be more susceptible to the infection compared to female subjects, at least in western countries, but their case fatality

Recent developments in high- and middle-income countries have exhibited a shift from conventional urban water systems to alternative solutions that are more diverse in source separation, decentralization, and modularization. These solutions include nongrid, small-grid, and hybrid systems to address such pressing global challenges as climate change, eutrophication, and rapid urbanization. They clos