Home About us Contact | |||
Extensive Network (extensive + network)
Selected AbstractsHistology and biochemical composition of the autotomy mantle of Ficus ficus (Mesogastropoda: Ficidae)ACTA ZOOLOGICA, Issue 2 2002L. L. Liu Abstract When the foot of the figsnail Ficus ficus is mechanically stimulated, a portion of the mantle on the side of the inner lip, recognized as the autotomy tissue, swells then autotomizes. Studies of the behaviour and population dynamics of mantle autotomy in F. ficus have previously been reported, but here, a detailed description of the structure of the autotomy tissue is presented for the first time. Whether or not this autotomy tissue has the secondary function of a storage compartment was also investigated through analysis of its biochemical composition. Figsnails were collected from the coast of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Histological observations indicated that the most obvious feature of the autotomy tissue is the extensive network of muscle fibres and connective tissues. In the swollen autotomy tissue, not only do the epithelia rupture, but the connective tissue expands threefold on the dorsal side and 15-fold on the ventral side. Chemical analysis of body composition indicated that the average contents of protein, lipid, carbohydrate and ash in the foot, mantle and autotomy tissue are in the range of 55.6,76.5%, 0.6,14.1%, 2.0,27.9% and 6.5,13.5%, respectively, with the caloric value ranging from 4.7 to 5.5 kcal g,1 dry wt. The content of carbohydrate in the autotomy tissue is much less than that in the foot and mantle, i.e. 2.0,6.8% vs. 13.0,27.9%. There is no indication that the autotomy tissue serves as an energy reserve. Hence, it is suggested that the autotomy tissue functions only as a defensive weapon. [source] Jökulhlaup-related Ice Fracture and Supraglacial Water Release During the November 1996 Jökulhlaup, Skeišarįrjökull, IcelandGEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES A: PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Issue 1-2 2001R.I. Waller During the initial stages of the November 1996 jökulhlaup at Skeišarįrjökull, Iceland, floodwaters burst onto the glacier surface via a series of fractures. This supraglacial drainage led to the formation of a number of distinct ice surface depressions, one of which is investigated in detail. The morphology and structural characteristics of this feature are described, as well as the sedimentology of an associated assemblage of debris-filled fractures. This work suggests that debris-charged subglacial floodwaters travelled up to the glacier surface, where supraglacial flow occurred initially via an extensive network of fractures, orientated parallel to the glacier margin. Supraglacial discharge became progressively more focused into a series of discrete outlets, leading to the mechanical erosion of a number of depressions on the glacier surface. The associated transfer of subglacially derived floodwaters to high levels within the glacier resulted in the rapid entrainment of large volumes of sediment which may influence the patterns, processes and products of ice-marginal sedimentation in the future. [source] Simulating Seepage into Mine Shafts and Tunnels with MODFLOWGROUND WATER, Issue 3 2010Jacob Zaidel In cases when an equivalent porous medium assumption is suitable for simulating groundwater flow in bedrock aquifers, estimation of seepage into underground mine workings (UMWs) can be achieved by specifying MODFLOW drain nodes at the contact between water bearing rock and dewatered mine openings. However, this approach results in significant numerical problems when applied to simulate seepage into an extensive network of UMWs, which often exist at the mine sites. Numerical simulations conducted for individual UMWs, such as a vertical shaft or a horizontal drift, showed that accurate prediction of seepage rates can be achieved by either applying grid spacing that is much finer than the diameter/width of the simulated openings (explicit modeling) or using coarser grid with cell sizes exceeding the characteristic width of shafts or drifts by a factor of 3. Theoretical insight into this phenomenon is presented, based on the so-called well-index theory. It is demonstrated that applying this theory allows to minimize numerical errors associated with MODFLOW simulation of seepage into UMWs on a relatively coarse Cartesian grid. Presented examples include simulated steady-state groundwater flow from homogeneous, heterogeneous, and/or anisotropic rock into a vertical shaft, a horizontal drift/cross-cut, a ramp, two parallel drifts, and a combined system of a vertical shaft connected to a horizontal drift. [source] Using fMRI to dissociate sensory encoding from cognitive evaluation of heat pain intensityHUMAN BRAIN MAPPING, Issue 9 2006Jian Kong Abstract Neuroimaging studies of painful stimuli in humans have identified a network of brain regions that is more extensive than identified previously in electrophysiological and anatomical studies of nociceptive pathways. This extensive network has been described as a pain matrix of brain regions that mediate the many interrelated aspects of conscious processing of nociceptive input such as perception, evaluation, affective response, and emotional memory. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging in healthy human subjects to distinguish brain regions required for pain sensory encoding from those required for cognitive evaluation of pain intensity. The results suggest that conscious cognitive evaluation of pain intensity in the absence of any sensory stimulation activates a network that includes bilateral anterior insular cortex/frontal operculum, dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex, bilateral medial prefrontal cortex/anterior cingulate cortex, right superior parietal cortex, inferior parietal lobule, orbital prefrontal cortex, and left occipital cortex. Increased activity common to both encoding and evaluation was observed in bilateral anterior insula/frontal operculum and medial prefrontal cortex/anterior cingulate cortex. We hypothesize that these two regions play a crucial role in bridging the encoding of pain sensation and the cognitive processing of sensory input. Hum Brain Mapp, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Nerve-terminal and Schwann-cell response after nerve injury in the absence of nitric oxideMUSCLE AND NERVE, Issue 2 2006Maria Julia Marques PhD Abstract Dystrophic muscles show alterations in the dystrophin,glycoprotein complex and a lack of neuronal nitric oxide (NO) synthase. In mdx mice, presynaptic expression of neuronal NO synthase is decreased, suggesting that presynaptic signaling may be altered in dystrophic muscle. In this study, we examined the nerve-terminal and Schwann-cell responses after a crush lesion in control and NO-deficient mice. Seven days after nerve crush, 24% of control neuromuscular junctions (n = 200) showed ultraterminal sprouts, whereas in NO-deficient mice this frequency was 28.5% (n = 217; P > 0.05 compared to controls; chi-square test). Schwann-cell response did not change in the absence of NO, after a nerve lesion of 7-day duration. Fourteen days after the lesion, nerve terminals sprouted and Schwann cells showed an extensive network of processes away from the synaptic site in controls. In the absence of NO, there was a dramatic decrease in nerve-terminal sprouting and Schwann-cell processes failed to extend away from the endplate. These results show that NO is involved in the nerve-terminal and Schwann-cell response to nerve injury. They also suggest that presynaptic molecular signaling may be impaired in dystrophic muscles, and this could influence the innervation and survival of newly formed myofibers generated by cell-mediated therapies. Muscle Nerve, 2006 [source] Bladder control, urgency, and urge incontinence: Evidence from functional brain imaging,NEUROUROLOGY AND URODYNAMICS, Issue 6 2008Derek Griffiths Abstract Aim To review brain imaging studies of bladder control in subjects with normal control and urge incontinence; to define a simple model of supraspinal bladder control; and to propose a neural correlate of urgency and possible origins of urge incontinence. Methods Review of published reports of brain imaging relevant to urine storage, and secondary analyses of our own recent observations. Results In a simple model of normal urine storage, bladder and urethral afferents received in the periaqueductal gray (PAG) are mapped in the insula, forming the basis of sensation; the anterior cingulate gyrus (ACG) provides monitoring and control; the prefrontal cortex makes voiding decisions. The net result, as the bladder fills, is inhibition of the pontine micturition center (PMC) and of voiding, together with gradual increase in insular response, corresponding to increasing desire to void. In urge-incontinent subjects, brain responses differ. At large bladder volumes and strong sensation, but without detrusor overactivity (DO), most cortical responses become exaggerated, especially in ACG. This may be both a learned reaction to previous incontinence episodes and the neural correlate of urgency. The neural signature of DO itself seems to be prefrontal deactivation. Possible causes of urge incontinence include dysfunction of prefrontal cortex or limbic system, suggested by weak responses and/or deactivation, as well as abnormal afferent signals or re-emergence of infantile reflexes. Conclusions Bladder control depends on an extensive network of brain regions. Dysfunction in various parts may contribute to urge incontinence, suggesting that there are different phenotypes requiring different treatments. Neurourol. Urodynam. 27:466,474, 2008. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] National Standards for the Probation Service: Managing Post-Fordist PenalityTHE HOWARD JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE, Issue 1 2002Paul Sparrow The debate surrounding post-Fordism was focused primarily on changes in the ,late industrial' technology of work and the new social relations of production with which this is associated. This analysis has rarely reached into the domain of punishment and discipline, which is perhaps surprising given the historical demonstration of an ,elective affinity' between the nature of work regimes and the form of discipline to which offenders are subject. If we have indeed entered a new era of technological and social relations of production (,post-Fordism") then we might expect there to be consequential changes in the administrative contours of criminal justice. The exploration of this conjecture has a set of three interwoven elements. Firstly, there is a review of the historical background to the structural affinities between work and penality, as well as an indication of some emerging contemporary resonance between them. Secondly, this will be given a measure of empirical reference through examining the nature of the modern probation service, and in particular the extensive network of guidelines, contracts, monitoring and inspection which serve to ,regulate' not only offenders but also the working practices of the probation officer. Finally, we conclude by suggesting that the new penality is a continuation of the modern strategies of punishment and discipline, which in its revised form can indeed be seen as post-Fordist (though certainly not postmodern). [source] Triaqua(,-7-iodo-8-oxidoquinoline-5-sulfonato-,2N,O8)dioxidouranium(VI) dihydrateACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION C, Issue 2 2010Pandian Sasikumar In the title compound, [U(C9H4INO4S)O2(H2O)3]·2H2O, the asymmetric unit contains a UO22+ ion coordinated by the N and O atoms of a 7-iodo-8-oxidoquinoline-5-sulfonate dianion (ferron anion) and three coordinated water molecules, and two uncoordinated water molecules. The UO22+ ion exhibits a seven-coordinate pentagonal bipyramidal geometry. The usual sulfonate oxygen coordination is absent but the sulfonate O atoms, along with the coordinated and lattice water molecules, play a vital role in assembling the three-dimensional structure via an extensive network of intermolecular O,H...O hydrogen bonds and ,,, stacking interactions. [source] C.I. Pigment Red 266ACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION C, Issue 10 2003Chia-Hsien Chang C.I. Pigment Red 266, or 4-{[4-(aminocarbonyl)phenyl]hydrazono}- N -(2-methoxyphenyl)-3-oxo-3,4-dihydronaphthalene-2-carboxamide, C25H20N4O4, adopts the keto,hydrazone tautomeric form with significant intramolecular hydrogen bonding. The molecules pack to form layers involving an extensive network of intermolecular hydrogen bonds, in which the primary amide group plays a prominent role. The good technical performance of this pigment in application may be attributed principally to the pattern of intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonding. [source] N1,N1 -Diethyl- N2 -(2,3,4,6-tetra- O -acetyl-,- d -glucopyranosyl)acetamidineACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION C, Issue 11 2001Marķa Jesśs Diįnez The solid-state conformation of the title compound, C20H32N2O9, has been determined at 150,K. The pyranose ring has a distorted chair conformation. Among the possible conformations of the C,N glycosidic bond, that of the E rotamer is observed and a short intramolecular Cmethyl,O contact may partly stabilize this conformation. Crystal cohesion is stabilized by an extensive network of weak C,H,O hydrogen bonds and close contacts. [source] Geophysical investigation of the Environs of Rattin Castle Tower House, County Westmeath, IrelandARCHAEOLOGICAL PROSPECTION, Issue 1 2009T. O'Rourke Abstract No visible archaeological features are today associated with Rattin Castle Tower House in County Westmeath, Ireland located near the boundary of the Pale, the area around Dublin and adjoining counties where English control prevailed. However, both magnetic and resistance data show that Rattin Castle was surrounded by a substantial bawn wall, which has since been removed. Interpretation of two-dimensional resistivity shows a deep trench at the site of the bawn wall. A small (12 by 16,m) rectangular low-resistance anomaly located outside the northern section of the bawn wall but connected to it, is interpreted as a possible gatehouse providing access to the castle. Less than 20,m from this anomaly, the course of an old military road is delineated by magnetic data but is seen most clearly on the resistance data where it is represented by two parallel low-resistance anomalies 230,m long. This road is possibly older than the castle. Rattin is associated with an extensive network of subrectangular field boundaries and enclosures, most noticeably west of the castle. The presence of the military road, potential gatehouse, substantial bawn wall and geographical location all suggest that Rattin Castle was an important strategic fortification in Ireland. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Rural health care in MalaysiaAUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 2 2002Kamil Mohamed Ariff ABSTRACT: Malaysia has a population of 21.2 million of which 44% resides in rural areas. A major priority of healthcare providers has been the enhancement of health of ,disadvantaged' rural communities particularly the rural poor, women, infants, children and the disabled. The Ministry of Health is the main healthcare provider for rural communities with general practitioners playing a complimentary role. With an extensive network of rural health clinics, rural residents today have access to modern healthcare with adequate referral facilities. Mobile teams, the flying doctor service and village health promoters provide healthcare to remote areas. The improvement in health status of the rural population using universal health status indicators has been remarkable. However, differentials in health status continue to exist between urban and rural populations. Malaysia's telemedicine project is seen as a means of achieving health for all rural people. [source] Financing Alternatives for Chinese Small and Medium Enterprises: The Case for a Small and Medium Enterprise Stock MarketCHINA AND WORLD ECONOMY, Issue 1 2007Hung-gay Fung Dr Y. S. Tsiang Professor Abstract Financing alternatives for small and medium enterprises in China are discussed in the present study. In particular, we analyze the significant changes and developments in China s "second board" stock market. China s extensive network of regional assets and equity exchanges, which were set up to facilitate private equity transfer, and non-performing loan transactions seem to partially fill the void for small and medium enterprises, which cannot easily obtain approval for listing on the stock exchanges. Foreign investors can identify investment opportunities in non-listed domestic state-owned and private businesses through these regional assets and equity exchanges. At the same time, foreign stock markets are now attracting the young Chinese enterprises to list their stocks on their exchanges. (Edited by Zhinan Zhang) [source] Strategies of family farms to strengthen their resilienceENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 4 2010Ika Darnhofer Abstract Resilience thinking offers a framework to emphasize dynamics and interdependencies across time, space and domains. It is based on understanding social,ecological systems as complex, and future developments as unpredictable, thus emphasizing adaptive approaches to management. In this paper the four clusters of factors that have been identified as building resilience in large-scale social,ecological systems are applied at the farm level. Suggestions on how these factors could be operationalized at the farm level are derived from workshops held with family farmers in Austria. The results show that farmers understand change as unpredictable and unfolding, have a number of strategies to ensure the flexibility and adaptability of their farm and build extensive networks to diversify information and income sources. However, these strategies, while ensuring adaptability and transformability, compete for scarce resources. The farmers thus face trade-offs between strategies that ensure the adaptive capacity of their farm over the long term and those ensuring profitability over the short term. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Groundwater biodiversity patterns in the Lessinian Massif of northern ItalyFRESHWATER BIOLOGY, Issue 4 2009DIANA M. P. GALASSI Summary 1. The distribution patterns of stygobiotic invertebrates were examined with a stratified sampling design at 197 sites selected among four hydrogeographic basins in the Lessinian Massif (northern Italy). The sites were approximately evenly distributed among four hydrogeological zones: unsaturated and saturated zone of karstic aquifers, and hyporheic and saturated zone of porous aquifers. 2. Outlying Mean Index (OMI) analysis which assesses deviation of habitat conditions from reference conditions, was used to evaluate the importance of 14 selected environmental variables in shaping groundwater biodiversity patterns in the region (total of 89 stygobiotic species). The measured variables explained 80% of the variability in the data set. 3. Sampling sites were distributed along the environmental gradients defined by OMI analysis. Significant differences were detected between karstic and porous site, as well as among sites located in the four hydrogeological zones. Differences among the four hydrogeographic basins were not observed. 4. Ordination of stygobiotic species along the environmental gradients was best explained by historical variables (mainly Würmian glaciation and age of the underlying geological formation), while variables related to hydrogeology (mainly pH, calcium concentration and habitat fragmentation) influenced species distributions in the hydrogeological zones. An Environmental Integrity Index and nitrate concentration were significantly correlated with altitude, but appeared not to play a significant role in determining stygobiotic biodiversity patterns at the regional scale. 5. Results of the OMI analysis were highly significant for all taxa, suggesting that stygobiotic species are sensitive to the environmental factors studied. Thirty-five species showed high habitat specialisation (OMI index > 10). These species were usually rare and endemic to the Lessinian Massif. Most of them were found in a single hydrogeological zone. 6. Quaternary glaciations appear not to have lowered stygobiotic species richness in the Lessinian Massif. This may be because of the marginal location of the region with respect to the Würmian glacier limit and because of extensive networks of fractures in the vadose zone of the karst, which may have allowed stygobionts to move deep down in the aquifers to seek refuge during surface freezing and to recolonise ancestral habitats after the glaciers retreated. [source] Global Markets, Local Home-working: Governance and Inter-firm Relationships in the Balinese Clothing IndustryGEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES B: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, Issue 1 2005Markus Hassler Abstract: Within the industrialization process of the Indonesian economy, the manufacture of clothing has played a significant role. Besides Java, Bali has the second highest agglomeration of industrial activities within this sector. However, in contrast to Javanese clothing firms, which have a strong emphasis on Western-styled clothing, Balinese clothing firms focus on the manufacture of Batik and embroidery products. Based on the commodity chain debate, I will show in this paper how Balinese clothing industry is organized into and governed within the global and local economy. This aims in particular to unravel how these types of garments (Batik and embroidery) can shape and reshape buyer relations. The analysis will also include a discussion of aspects, such as product development and raw material procurement. Furthermore, since Balinese clothing companies organize their production activities within extensive networks of rural home industries, the driving forces behind these specific network co-ordinations will be explored. [source] Managing Environmental Impacts of Recreation and Tourism in Rainforests of the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage AreaGEOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH, Issue 2 2005Stephen M. Turton Abstract This paper describes environmental impacts of tourism and recreation activities in the world heritage listed rainforests of northeast Australia and presents management strategies for sustainable visitor use of the protected area. Tropical rainforests are characterised by their low resistance and moderate to high resilience to impacts associated with human visitation. Visitor use in the World Heritage Area is mostly associated with walking tracks, camping areas, day use areas and off-road vehicle use of old forestry roads and tracks. Adverse environmental impacts range from vegetation trampling, soil compaction, water contamination and soil erosion at the local scale through to spread of weeds, feral animals and soil pathogens along extensive networks of old forestry roads and tracks at the regional scale. Concentration of visitor use is the most desirable management strategy for controlling adverse impacts at most World Heritage Area visitor nodes and sites, and includes methods such as site hardening and shielding to contain impacts. For dispersed visitor activities, such as off-road vehicle driving and long-distance walking, application of best practice methods by the tourist industry and recreational users such as removal of mud and soils from vehicle tyres and hiking boots before entering pathogen-free catchments, together with seasonal closure of roads and tracks, are the preferred management strategies. Retention of canopy cover at camping areas and day use areas, as well as along walking tracks and forestry roads is a simple, yet effective, management strategy for reduction of a range of adverse impacts, including dispersal of weeds and feral animals, edge effects, soil erosion and nutrient loss, road kill and linear barrier effects on rainforest fauna. [source] Modelling plumes of overland flow from logging tracksHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 12 2002P. B. Hairsine Abstract Most land-based forestry systems use extensive networks of unsealed tracks to access the timber resource. These tracks are normally drained by constructing cross-banks, or water bars, across the tracks immediately following logging. Cross-banks serve three functions in controlling sediment movement within forestry compartments: 1.they define the specific catchment area of the snig track (also known as skid trails) so that the overland flow does not develop sufficient energy to cause gullies, and sheet and rill erosion is reduced; 2.they induce some sediment deposition as flow velocity reduces at the cross-bank; 3.they redirect overland flow into the adjacent general harvesting area (GHA) so that further sediment deposition may take place. This paper describes a simple model that predicts the third of these functions in which the rate of runoff from the track is combined with spatial attributes of the track and stream network. Predictions of the extent of the overland flow plumes and the volume of water delivered to streams is probabilistically presented for a range of rainfall-event scenarios with rainfall intensity, time since logging and compartment layout as model inputs. Generic equations guiding the trade-off between intercross-bank length and flow path distance from cross-bank outlet to the stream network needed for infiltration of track runoff are derived. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Follicular dendritic cells confirm lymphoid organization in the minor salivary glands of primary Sjögren's syndromeJOURNAL OF ORAL PATHOLOGY & MEDICINE, Issue 9 2008Malin V. Jonsson Background:, Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune chronic inflammatory disorder affecting the salivary and lacrimal glands. The aim of this study was to explore immunophenotypic features of chronic inflammatory reactions in the minor salivary glands in patients with primary SS (pSS). Methods:, Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded labial minor salivary gland tissue sections from randomly selected patients with pSS (n = 60) were investigated for the expression of CD21, CD23, CD35 and IgD by immunohistochemistry. Results:, Based on the distribution and staining pattern of CD21, CD23, CD35 and IgD in lymphoid aggregates, several stages of chronic inflammatory reactions were observed. In 12/60 (20%) patients, lymphoid infiltrates with germinal centre (GC)-like features such as extensive networks of CD21-, CD23- and CD35-positive cells were observed in the minor salivary gland tissue. Smaller networks and,/or focal infiltrates with scattered CD21+, CD23+ and CD35+ cells were observed in the remaining 48/60 (80,%) cases. When dividing patients according to the presence (GC+) or the absence (GC,) of GC in the minor salivary glands, the mean focus score was significantly higher in the GC+ patients (P < 0.05). Double staining of the minor salivary glands revealed focal infiltrates with follicular dentritic cell networks and B cells resembling normal GCs in tonsillar tissue. Conclusion:, A particular cellular profile was demonstrated in a sub-group of patients with pSS and could be linked to serological aberrations. These findings warrant further prospective studies. [source] Products of the interaction of (1-diaminomethylene)thiourea with hydrofluoric acidACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION C, Issue 5 2009gorzata Ho The salts 1-(diaminomethylene)thiouron-1-ium hydrogen difluoride, C2H7N4S+·HF2,, (I), and bis[1-(diaminomethylene)thiouron-1-ium] hexafluoridosilicate, 2C2H7N4S+·SiF62,, (II), have both been obtained from the reaction of (1-diaminomethylene)thiourea (HATU) with hydrofluoric acid. Both compounds contain extensive networks of N,H...F hydrogen bonds. The hydrogen difluoride salt contains four independent asymmetric [HF2], anions. In the hexafluoridosilicate salt, the centrosymmetric [SiF6]2, anion is distorted, although this distortion is not clearly correlated with the N,H...F hydrogen-bonding network. [source] |