Agricultural water resources have been limited over the years due to global warming and irregular rainfall in the arid and semi-arid regions. To mitigate the water stress in agriculture, mulching has a crucial impact as a water-saving technique in rain-fed crop cultivation. It is important mainly for preserving soil moisture, relegating soil temperature, and limiting soil evaporation, which affects the crop yield. Mulching has many strategic effects on soil ecosystem, crop growth, and climate. Mulch insulates the soil, helping to provide a buffer from cold and hot temperatures that have a crucial activity in creating beautiful and protected landscapes. This study has accumulated a series of information about both organic and plastic mulch materials and its applicability on crop cultivation. Moreover, future research potentials of mulching with modeling were discussed to quantify water loss in agriculture.

Early evidence suggests that the patient-centered medical home has the potential to improve patient outcomes while reducing the cost of care. However, it is unclear how this care model achieves such desirable results, particularly its impact on cost. We estimated cost savings associated with Geisinger Health System's patient-centered medical home clinics by examining longitudinal clinic-level claims data from elderly Medicare patients attending the clinics over a ninety-month period (2006 through the first half of 2013). We also used these data to deconstruct savings into its main components (inpatient, outpatient, professional, and prescription drugs). During this period, total costs associated with patient-centered medical home exposure declined by approximately 7.9 percent; the largest source of this savings was acute inpatient care ($34, or 19 percent savings per member per month), which accounts for about 64 percent of the total estimated savings. This finding is further supported by the fact that longer exposure was also associated with lower acute inpatient admission rates. The results of this study suggest that patient-centered medical homes can lead to sustainable, long-term improvements in patient health outcomes and the cost of care.

Seasonal fluctuations in EI were substantial in all age and sex groups. Children and adolescents showed no significant seasonal changes in the prevalence of underweight, which indicated that they adapted to changes in EI. In adults, the season in which EI was high coincided with average weight loss, which indicated that adults did not adapt fully to seasonal fluctuations in EI and that seasonal energy expenditure is probably a major determinant of nutritional status.

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Low back pain (LBP) is common and affects most people at some point in their life. The exact cause of LBP among professional car drivers is still uncertain. Epidemiological studies of LBP have been performed among general populations and professional drivers in different countries; however the data on LBP in this professional category is scarce in Bangladesh. This paper investigates the prevalence of LBP among professional car drivers in Dhaka city and examines the relationship between back pain and years of driving, driving duration per day and the body weight of the drivers. A cross-sectional study was performed during December 2010 using a questionnaire and car drivers who experienced back pain for at least one day during the past 12 months were included in the study. The study demonstrated that 78% of car drivers reported LBP for at least one day during the past 12 months. The study also revealed age, daily and cumulative driving in drivers and stature are among the risk factors of LBP. Occupational health and safety management interventions should be implemented to prevent adverse health effects in professional car drivers.