In the West, lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.) is relatively little known. However, for more than 3000 years, lotus plants have been cultivated as a crop in FarEast Asia, where they are used for food, medicine and play a significant role in religious and cultural activities. Holder of the world’s record for long-term seed viability (1300 years) is a lotus fruit (China Antique) from Xipaozi, Liao...

Methane production has been measured from lambs fed contrasting forages. This work has been driven by the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and to determine energy losses to methane from contrasting diets. Young ram lambs were fed either fresh ryegrass/white clover pasture, lucerne (also pelleted lucerne), sulla, chicory, red clover, Lotus pedunculatus (lotus) and mixture...

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to determine whether transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with the mechanically expanded Lotus valve (Boston Scientific, Natick Massachusetts) offers potential benefits over treatment with the self-expanding CoreValve (Medtronic, Minneapolis, Minnesota). BACKGROUND New-generation transcatheter aortic valve systems are emerging in clinical trials a...

"Snow lotus" is a famous Chinese Materia Medica derived from species of the genus Saussurea (Compositae). To differentiate three representative easily-confused snow lotus herbs, namely, Saussurea involucrata (Kar. et Kir.) Sch.-Bip, Saussurea laniceps Hand.-Mazz., and Saussurea medusa Maxim., macroscopic features of the three herbs were systemically observed, and microscopic features were compa...

The study was designed to examine the hypothesis that chicory (Cichorium intybus) and Lotus sp. (Lotus corniculatus) have the potential to affect the naturally acquired nematode burden in grazed lambs. Organic male castrate lambs (48) with a naturally acquired parasite burden grazed replicate combination plots (0.6 ha) of chicory, Lotus corniculatus, perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and whit...

We investigate how to achieve a sense of dramatic presence (the perception of being “in” a story, playing the role of one of its characters), with the aim of building systems that can offer the same. Improvisational theatre might serve as a model for this experience, where there is no guiding plot; each of its actors shares responsibility for the collaborative emergence of a story. We describe ...

Our continued investigation into the experience of improvisers as they construct narrative in improvisational theatre provides a meaningful decomposition of its atomic unit, the offer. Our study was conducted with improvisers performing improv “games” in their theatre with each performance video recorded. Individual participants were selectively shown individual performances before being interv...

Lotus-type porous nickel, which has long straight pores aligned in one direction, was fabricated by utilizing moisture during unidirectional solidification in argon atmosphere. We studied the effect of the quantity of hydrogen in the atmosphere on the fabrication of lotus-type porous nickel. Adding hydrogen in the atmosphere, it was expected that the porosity of the lotus-type porous nickel wit...

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of potato and lotus leaf extract intake on body composition, abdominal fat, and blood lipid concentration in female university students. METHODS A total of 19 female university students participated in this 8-week study, and they were randomly assigned into 2 groups; potato and lotus leaf extract (skinny-line) administered group...