Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Inner Part (inner + part)
Selected AbstractsThe expression of Scratch genes in the developing and adult brainDEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS, Issue 9 2006Faustino Marín Abstract The Scratch genes belong to the Snail superfamily of zinc-finger transcription factors present in the metazoa, represented in mammals by the Scratch1 and Scratch2 genes. We have analyzed the expression of these genes in the brain of mice at developmental stages between 9.5 days-post-coitum to adulthood. Both genes are expressed in the mantle layer of the neuroepithelium at mid-gestational stages in all regions except for the region corresponding to the V2 interneuron column, which lacked Scratch2 transcripts. From perinatal to adult stages, the expression patterns of the two genes differ. Scratch1 remains strongly expressed in almost all brain regions, although it is not found in some ventral structures such as motor nuclei and hypothalamic regions. In contrast, Scratch2 expression progressively diminishes and virtually no expression can be detected in the adult brain. Nevertheless, strong expression of Scratch2 is retained in the postnatal cortical subventricular zone, in the inner part of the cerebellar external granular layer, and in the glial cells of the adult vomeronasal nerve. Developmental Dynamoics 235:2586,2591, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Selection of refractory for thermal oxidizers on gas streams containing fluorineENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY, Issue 2 2002Stanley C. Che Thermal oxidizers for destruction of fluorine-containing chemicals are typically operated between 1,100° to 1,400° C. Fluorine is converted to hydrogen fluoride (HF) during the combustion process. At high temperatures, HF will react with almost all materials. Proper selection of the refractory material used by the thermal oxidizer is essential for long-term use, and to protect the metal shell from corrosion. Selection criteria should include analysis of chemical composition, physical properties, morphology, and bonding phases. A high alumina brick from a thermal oxidizer was analyzed after it had been in service for one year. The brick surface underwent significant changes of its chemical and micro-structural compositions. Silica in the mullite phase had reacted with HF, leaving only corundum. In the inner part of the brick, both mullite and corundum crystals still existed. Refractory selection guidelines are suggested. [source] Synthesis and Characterization of Single-Crystalline Lanthanum Fluoride with a Ring-Like NanostructureEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 16 2009Yang Tian Abstract LaF3 ring-like nanostructures with a diameter of less than 2 ,m have been fabricated by a facile, effective, and environmentally friendly molten salt synthesis route in which NaNO3 and KNO3 (2:1 molar ratio) act as reaction media and the rare-earth nitrate and NaF as precursor. X-ray diffraction, TEM, HR-TEM, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy are all used to characterize the as-prepared samples. Experiments peformed with different reaction times indicate that a central-etching of the plates from the inner part towards the edge during nanocrystal growth plays a key role in the formation of LaF3 nanorings since no other templates/surfactants are present in our system. Additionally, the luminescence properties of LaF3 nanorings doped with Eu3+ cation have been investigated andcompared with those of bulk materials and nanoparticles with a size of approximately 50 nm. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009) [source] Thermal Conductivity of Cellular Metals Measured by the Transient Plane Source Method,ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 6 2008E. Solórzano The thermal conductivity of a collection of cellular metals has been measured by the Transient Plane Source (TPS) method. Using this method, it has been possible to cover different volumes of selected samples and to study their in-homogeneities from their surface to their inner part. Additionally, these samples have been characterized by tomography. With the TPS method, in combination with tomography, it has been possible to analyse the in-homogeneity of the samples as well as to characterize the thermal conductivity of a single in-homogeneous sample as a complete collection of different porosity specimens. This is the corrected version of the paper by Solórzano et al., Adv. Eng. Mater.2008, 10, 371, which was unfortunately published in an uncorrected version. [source] Return migration of adult Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, in relation to water diverted through a power stationFISHERIES MANAGEMENT & ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2003E. B. Thorstad Abstract ,The migration of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., returning to the River Suldalslågen, Norway, was studied in relation to redirection of freshwater flow through a power station. The outlet of the power station is situated in the Hylsfjord, a fjord adjacent to the river mouth. Seventy-two salmon were tagged with acoustic transmitters, released in the outer part of the fjord system and automatically recorded when entering the Hylsfjord or the river. Data were collected during one period when the power station was running and two periods when the power station was closed. The release of water from the power station did not greatly attract the salmon during their return migration. Proportions of salmon entering the river or time from release to entering the river did not differ among salmon tagged in the different periods. The salmon were recorded in the Hylsfjord both when the power station was running and closed and there were no differences in number of times, number of days or hours recorded in the Hylsfjord among salmon tagged in the three periods. The only significant difference found among periods was duration of continuous stays in the inner part of the Hylsfjord. This may indicate a slight attraction to the freshwater release, but the difference seems small (1.8 vs. 0.7 h) compared with the time the fish stayed in the fjord system before entering the river (16,85 days). [source] Spatial distribution and feeding habits of Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) larvae in Mutsu Bay, JapanFISHERIES OCEANOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2002Tetsuya Takatsu The spatial distributions and feeding habits of Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) larvae, and the spatial distributions of copepod nauplii and copepodites, their main prey, were examined in Mutsu Bay from February to March during 1989,92. Yolk-sac larvae were caught at 30,45 m depth at the bay mouth. Larvae without yolk were collected at 8,45 m depth at the bay mouth and the inner part of the bay, and large larvae were chiefly found in the bay. This geographical pattern in larval size may have been because of transport to the inner part of Mutsu Bay by the Tsugaru Warm Current. The dominant taxa of copepod nauplii and copepodites in the diet and the environment changed each year. Larvae fed mainly on abundant taxa in the environment, suggesting that larvae are opportunistic feeders. Nauplii and copepodites were abundant in the bay, especially in 1992. Copepodites were slightly more abundant in the diet of cod larvae in 1992 than in 1991, but this difference was smaller than in the environment. In addition, larvae with empty digestive tracts were scarce in 1991 and 1992. Prey concentrations in the bay in 1991 and 1992 seem to have been high enough to sustain most Pacific cod larvae. [source] A Novel NADH Model: Design, Synthesis, and its Chiral Reduction and Fluorescent EmissionADVANCED SYNTHESIS & CATALYSIS (PREVIOUSLY: JOURNAL FUER PRAKTISCHE CHEMIE), Issue 18 2009Nai-Xing Wang Abstract A novel chiral nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide hydrogen (NADH) model with C3 symmetry was designed and synthesized. Hydrogens at the C-4 position of all dihydropyridine rings in the inner part of the bowl could transfer to the substrate with powerful enantioselectivity. This novel C3 symmetrical NADH model is capable of fluorescence emission at 455,nm when excited at 390,nm. [source] Areography of the genus Dendroctonus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in MexicoJOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 7 2004Yolanda Salinas-Moreno Abstract Objective, To analyse whether the geographical ranges of Dendroctonus species are (1) associated with factors such as host species or elevation, and (2) in agreement with Halffter's Nearctic distribution pattern. (3) To identify and discuss the factors that are likely to act as barriers to the genus' geographical distribution. (4) To explore whether there is an association between the size of the geographical ranges of Dendroctonus species and the number of Pinus host species used by each of them, and (5) to assess if these host species are most common at the elevations preferred by the individual Dendroctonus species. Site, Mexico. Methods, Records of 12 species of Dendroctonus were gathered from entomological collections in Mexico. Distribution ranges were defined by using the propinquity method (Rapoport, 1975a). Analysed parameters were: (1) geographical distribution of single species, (2) overlapping of species ranges, (3) disjunction patterns and barriers by means of isoprobabilistic lines, based on the morphotectonic subdivision of Mexico (Ferrusquía-Villafranca, 1998), (4) spatial variation in species richness with respect to latitude and altitude, (5) size of geographical ranges, and (6) host species for each Dendroctonus species. A correlation was determined between area size and number of pine host species. Results, The species ranges varied in shape and size. Geographical ranges tend to be discontinuous in shape. Composite patterns showed that disjunctions among ranges do not closely follow Mexico's morphotectonic subdivision. There are repeated discontinuities among individual distributions, which define five areas: (1) Baja California Peninsula, (2) Sierra Madre Occidental (SMOC), (3) northern Sierra Madre Oriental (SMOR), (4) Sierra Madre de Chiapas, and (5) SMOR + Faja Volcanica Transmexicana (FVT) + Sierra Madre del Sur. The isoprobabilistic lines confirm that the inner part of SMOC provides an optimal environment for the genus, and the FVT province constitutes the broader corridor for it in the country. Richness does not directly decrease or increase with latitude. Richness behaviour of the insect is not associated with that of its host. Elevation distributions showed that most Dendroctonus species move within broad margins of tolerance and species richness is concentrated in the montane interval. Dendroctonus attack 24 of the 47 Pinus species distributed in Mexico. Preferred pine species belong predominantly to Leiophyllae, Ponderosae and Oocarpae subsections. The Spearman rank correlation between area size and number of pine host species was not significant. Dendroctonus clearly belongs to a Nearctic distribution pattern (sensuHalffter, 1987). Main conclusions,Dendroctonus is present in all montane systems of Mexico and its species coexist within a high geographical sympatry. Overlapping of species distribution appears to be the result of two elements , generalized polyphagy inside Pinus and a wide elevation tolerance within mountainous environments. This behaviour, linked to a high vagility, has allowed the genus Dendroctonus to expand its distribution across Mexico and to employ mountainous systems as corridors separated by barriers that exert a low selective filter effect. [source] Effects on the removal of Pb2+ from aqueous solution by crab shellJOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, Issue 11 2001Dong Seog Kim Abstract The effects of temperature, pH, chitin and chitosan on Pb2+ removal by crab shell were investigated. Pb2+ removal by crab shell was greater than that of chitin and chitosan, indicating that chitin did not contribute to Pb2+ removal by crab shell. The quantity and rate of Pb2+ removal increased as the pH value increased. The rate of Pb2+ removal increased with increased temperature, but the maximum amount of Pb2+ removal was constant irrespective of temperature. Metal ions (K+, Na+, Mg2+, Ca2+) were released from crab shell concomitant with Pb2+ removal by ion exchange. The amount of Ca2+ released was greater than any for other metal ions in both Pb2+ and Pb2+ -free solutions. The amount of Ca2+ released in Pb2+ solution was greater than that in Pb2+ -free solution, whereas CO32, release in Pb2+ solution was less than in Pb2+ -free solution. Pb2+ removal was mainly a consequence of dissolution of CaCO3(s) with consequence precipitation of Pb3(CO3)2(OH)2(s) and PbCO3(s). Pb2+ accelerated the dissolution of CaCO3(s) by ion exchange and the precipitation occurred both at the surface and in the inner part of the crab shell. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry [source] IN VITRO DIGESTIBILITY OF CHINESE TARTARY BUCKWHEAT PROTEIN FRACTIONS: THE MICROSTRUCTURE AND MOLECULAR WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION OF THEIR HYDROLYSATESJOURNAL OF FOOD BIOCHEMISTRY, Issue 5 2006XIAONA GUO ABSTRACT Our previous study showed that in vitro pepsin digestibility of Chinese tartary buckwheat protein was relatively low compared to those of other edible seeds. In vitro pepsin digestibilities of four protein fractions of tartary buckwheat, microstructure and molecular weight (MW) distributions of hydrolysates were investigated. In vitro pepsin digestion assay showed that the digestibilities of tartary buckwheat protein fractions were albumin (81.20%), globulin (79.56%), prolamin (66.99%) and glutelin (58.09%). Scanning electron microscopy showed that albumin and globulin fractions were digested by pitting from the outer surface to the inner part and were more digestible, while prolamin and glutelin fractions resisted digestion because only the outer surfaces of their protein bodies were digested and the interior was protected. MW distribution of the hydrolysates from the four protein fractions was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. The hydrolysates of albumin mainly consisted of polypeptides with lower MW. The hydrolysates of glutelin had larger polypeptides together with small and medium-sized peptide fractions. [source] SPLITTING AND BREAKING OF PISTACHIO NUTS WITH STRIKING AND HEATINGJOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESS ENGINEERING, Issue 3 2008H.I. CEM BILIM ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of heating process and striking on splitting and breaking of pistachio nuts and obtaining their kernels without damage. For this purpose, heating process (350C) was applied to pistachio nuts. Heated nuts were dropped onto the rotating disk and then thrown to strike the wall of the container by centrifuge effect . Striking velocity was adjusted with a rotating disk that was driven by an electrical engine. Three different disk rotations (400, 500 and 600/min) with three different moisture contents of pistachios (6.5, 22.0 and 42.5%) were evaluated in the experiments. Results indicated that the highest splitting rate was obtained as 29.33% at 22.0% moisture content with 400 1/min disk velocity. The most healthy kernel percentage obtained from unsplit pistachio nuts was 25.76% at 6.5% moisture content with 500 1/min disk velocity. Additionally, the study results showed that only the heating process had no affect while heating and crushing combinations increased splitting and obtaining the kernels. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Consumption of healthy foods is very important for human health. Kirmizi variety of pistachio nuts contains a high ratio of unsplit pistachio nuts after harvest. These pistachio nuts are either consumed as appetizers or used in the sweets sector after extracting the inner part (kernel). The economical value of unsplit pistachio nuts is very low. For this reason, pistachio nut processing plants try to split them or extract the inner part without causing any damage. Unsplit pistachio nuts are split by hand or by primitive hand tools, such as hammer or pliers, and then extracted. This method is not healthy. This study is one of the limited studies concerning automatic, quick and economic splitting and extraction of pistachio nuts. After handling problems like splitting and extracting the kernel of pistachio nuts, pistachio nut processing plants will achieve a healthy pistachio nut production. This study offers a new system for healthy pistachio nut production, with low initial cost, lower wages and in less time. [source] Regeneration of large bone defects in sheep using bone marrow stromal cellsJOURNAL OF TISSUE ENGINEERING AND REGENERATIVE MEDICINE, Issue 5 2008P. Giannoni Abstract Bone repair was addressed in a critical-sized defect model in sheep, combining a ceramic biomaterial and mesenchymal progenitor cells. The defects in the tibial mid-diaphysis were treated with autologous bone or with a silicon-stabilized tricalcium phosphate biomaterial, implemented or not by the addition of expanded bone marrow stromal cells. An internal locking compression plate and an external fixator were applied for stabilization. Radiographies were taken during the 8 months follow-up: the pixel grey levels of the lesion areas were determined to evaluate the repair process radiologically. Microradiography, histology and vascular density tests were performed. The autologous bone-treated group performed best, as assessed radiologically, within 20,24 weeks after surgery. Very limited healing was detected in the other experimental group: a partial bone deposition occurred at the periphery of the bony stumps only in the cell-seeded scaffolds. Interestingly, this effect ended within 20,24 weeks, as for the autologous bone, suggesting similar kinetics of the repair processes involved. Moreover, bone deposition was located where a significant reduction of the ceramic scaffold was detected. Faxitron microradiography and histology data confirmed these results. Vascular density analysis evidenced that cell-seeded scaffolds supported an increased vascular ingrowth. Thus, the interactions with the proper microenvironment and the oxygen and nutrient supply in the inner part of the constructs seem fundamental to initiate scaffold substitution and to improve cell performance in tissue-engineered approaches to bone repair. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Morphogenetic significance of the conchal furrow in nautiloids: evidence from early embryonic shell development of Jurassic NautilidaLETHAIA, Issue 3 2003RéGIS CHIRAT As reported by many workers over the past two centuries, the inner part of the shell of various straight and coiled Palaeozoic to tertiary nautiloid taxa bears a continuous mid-ventral furrow that extends into the phragmocone and the body chamber nearly to the aperture. Study of the early embryonic shell development of Jurassic Nautilida shows that the most apical part of this so-called conchal furrow originates from the inner part of the initial, calcified shell apex, in line with the inner ventral termination of the central linear depression of the cicatrix, the initial site of shell deposition. The conchal furrow corresponds to a morphological feature arising as a developmental by-product. Rare specimens of scattered ammonoid species (and possibly of bactritoids) display a similar feature, whereas their protoconch lacks a cicatrix. However, the protoconch of recent cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis, often displays a longitudinal fold of the primary shell epithelium. A longitudinal groove or a pair of grooves appears connected with this cicatrix-like structure. Although the mid-ventral ridge in ammonoids must probably be viewed as an incidental ,fabricational noise', whether or not it originates from a so far undocumented optional ridge on the protoconch or from some other structure related to shell development remains an open question. [source] Vapor-condensed phase processes in the early solar systemMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 1 2010Lawrence GROSSMAN Many refractory inclusions in CM2 chondrites contain a relatively SiO2 -poor assemblage (spinel, hibonite, grossite, perovskite, corundum) that represents a high-temperature stage of condensation, and some may be pristine condensates that escaped later melting. Compact Type A and Type B refractory inclusions, consisting of spinel, melilite, perovskite, Ca-rich clinopyroxene ± anorthite, in CV3 chondrites are more SiO2 -rich and equilibrated with the solar nebular gas at a slightly lower temperature. Textures of many of these objects indicate that they underwent melting after condensation, crystallizing into the same phase assemblage as their precursors. The Ti3+/Ti4+ ratio of their pyroxene indicates that this process occurred in a gas whose oxygen fugacity () was approximately 8.5 log units below that of the iron-wüstite buffer, making them the only objects in chondrites known to have formed in a system whose composition was close to that of the sun. Relative to CI chondrites, these inclusions are uniformly enriched in a group of elements (e.g., Ca, REE, Zr, Ta, Ir) that are chemically diverse except for their high condensation temperatures in a system of solar composition. The enrichment factor, 17.5, can be interpreted to mean that these objects represent either the first 5.7 wt% of the condensable matter to condense during nebular cooling or the residue after vaporization of 94.3% of a CI chondrite precursor. The Mg and Si isotopic compositions of Types A and B inclusions are mass-fractionated by up to 10 and 4 ,/amu, respectively. When interpreted in terms of Rayleigh fractionation during evaporation of Mg and Si from the inclusions while they were molten, the isotopic compositions imply that up to 60% of the Mg and up to 25% of the Si were evaporated, and that approximately 80% of the enrichment in refractory (CaO+Al2O3) relative to more volatile (MgO+SiO2) in the average inclusion is due to initial condensation and approximately 20% due to subsequent evaporation. The mineralogical composition, including the Ti3+/Ti4+ ratio of the pyroxene, in Inti, a particle sampled from Comet Wild 2 by the Stardust spacecraft, is nearly identical to that of a Type B inclusion, indicating that comets contain not only the lowest-temperature condensates in the form of ices but the highest-temperature condensates as well. The FeO/(FeO+MgO) ratios of olivine and pyroxene in the matrix and chondrules of carbonaceous and ordinary chondrites are too high to be made in a system of solar composition, requiring s only 1 or 2 log units below iron-wüstite, more than 105 times higher than that of a solar gas. Various ways have been devised to generate cosmic gases sufficiently oxidizing to stabilize significant FeO in olivine at temperatures above those where Fe-Mg interdiffusion in olivine ceases. One is by vertical settling of dust toward the nebular midplane, enriching a region in dust relative to gas. Because dust is enriched in oxygen compared to carbon and hydrogen relative to solar composition, a higher results from total vaporization of the region, but the factor by which theoretical models have so far enriched the dust is 10 times too low. Another is by transporting icy bodies from the outer part of the nebula into the hot, inner part where vaporization of water ice occurs. Not only does this method fail to make the needed by a factor of 30,1000 but it also ignores simultaneous evaporation of carbon-bearing ices that would make the even lower. [source] Unusual radio properties of the BL Lac object 0820+225MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2001D.C. Gabuzda We present the results of simultaneous VLBA polarization observations of the BL Lacertae object 0820+225 at 5, 8 and 15 GHz, together with earlier images at 5 GHz. This source has an unusually rich total intensity and polarization structure compared with other objects with comparable redshifts. The magnetic field in the inner part of the complex and highly twisted VLBI jet is transverse, as is typical of BL Lacertae objects, but becomes roughly longitudinal further from the core, possibly as a result of shear. Although the integrated rotation measure of 0820+225 is modest, the rotation-measure distribution on parsec scales is non-uniform, and clearly shows regions where the rotation measure is substantially higher than the integrated value. [source] Interrelation between Lignin Deposition and Polysaccharide Matrices during the Assembly of Plant Cell WallsPLANT BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2002K. Ruel Abstract: The modifications caused by genetic down-regulation of the enzyme cinnamoyl CoA reductase (CCR) from monolignol biosynthetic pathways on tobacco and Arabidopsis thaliana were investigated at the ultrastructural level. A typical result was that the same transformation led to similar abnormality in secondary wall formation of fibres in both plants. The cell wall alterations mainly consisted in an important disorganization and loosening of cellulose microfibrils in the inner part of the S2 layer. This inability of the transformants to form a coherent cell wall coincided with a lack of synthesis of non-condensed forms of lignin in this disorganized region of the wall, as demonstrated by immunolabelling of lignin subunits. A similar disorganization was observed during fibre wall formation in the differentiating tissues of young Populus and A. thaliana plants. The transitory lack of organization of cellulose microfibrils, also coincided with a depletion in non-condensed forms of lignins. These results suggest that such lignin substructures may be involved in the cohesion of secondary walls during cell wall biogenesis. The mutual influence of the cellulose-hemicellulose environment and monolignol local polymerization is discussed. [source] Histological Structure of the Adrenal Gland of the Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and the Striped Dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) from the Adriatic SeaANATOMIA, HISTOLOGIA, EMBRYOLOGIA, Issue 1 2010S. Vukovi Summary The structure of the adrenal gland was studied in 11 bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), and five striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba). These species are legally protected in Croatia. All examined animals died of natural causes and were found stranded along eastern Adriatic coast. In both species the adrenal gland consists of a cortex and a medulla; the cortex is divided into three zones. Whereas in the bottlenose dolphin, there is a zona arcuata which contains columnar cells arranged in the form of arches; in the striped dolphin this zone is replaced by zona glomerulosa containing rounded clusters of polygonal cells. In both species, the zona fasciculata consists of radially oriented cords of polygonal cells, whereas in zona reticularis cells are arranged in branching and anastomosing cords. The adrenal medulla in both species contains dark, epinephrine-secreting cells and light norepinephrine-secreting cells. Epinephrine-secreting cells are localized in the outer part of the medulla, whereas norepinephrine-secreting cells are found in the inner part, arranged in clusters and surrounded by septa of thin connective tissue. The gland is surrounded by a thick connective-tissue capsule, from where thick trabeculae extend towards the interior. In the bottlenose dolphin, group of cells resembling both medullar and cortical cells can be seen within the capsule; whereas only groups of cells resembling cortical cells are found within the capsule of the striped dolphin. In the bottlenose dolphin invagination of the adrenal cortex into the medulla is obvious as well as medullary protrusions extending through cortex to the connective tissue capsule. [source] Effects of tidal flat reclamation on sediment quality and hypoxia in Isahaya BayAQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, Issue 6 2006Yoshikuni Hodoki Abstract 1.Ariake Bay, which is located in western Japan, has a large tidal range (>6 m) and a vast tidal flat (200 km2). In the early 1990s, the government-managed Isahaya Reclamation Project began in the western part of Ariake Bay. A 16-km2 area of tidal flat in the inner part of Isahaya Bay was destroyed through reclamation and separated from the sea by a dyke, which created land and a freshwater reservoir. 2.Since the initiation of the project, fishery yields around Isahaya Bay have dramatically decreased. The objective of this study was to clarify the relationship between the work associated with the Isahaya Reclamation Project and the recent environmental deterioration in Ariake Bay, with references to present sediment thickness and organic matter content, and hypoxic water distributions in Isahaya Bay. 3.The organic matter load from the reservoir has increased since the initiation of the reclamation project and has been associated with a thick layer of fine sediment at the bottom of Isahaya Bay. The thickness of fine sediment and the total organic carbon content were higher in Isahaya Bay than in the freshwater reservoir. 4.Based on measurements in August 2001, hypoxic water spread widely in and around Isahaya Bay; the lowest dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration (0.53 mg L,1) was observed just outside the dyke. An analysis based on a two-layered box model using data obtained in August 2001 showed that the DO consumption rate in the bottom layer was high (0.61 mg O2 L,1 day,1), and that 22,41% of the total organic carbon load needed to induce the hypoxic water was derived from the reclamation area. 5.Our findings strongly suggest that enclosed seas may suffer from eutrophic and hypoxic conditions because of their low seawater-exchange rate. A comprehensive conservation programme and environmental assessment including physical and material transport processes in the system is needed to manage the environment of the enclosed sea. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Ground-penetrating radar investigations into the construction techniques of the Concordia Temple (Agrigento, Sicily, Italy)ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROSPECTION, Issue 1 2007P. M. Barone Abstract Over the past decade, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) has been recognized as being particularly well adapted to the non-destructive survey of archaeological sites. The present work discusses such an application of the GPR to the study of the foundation geometry of the Concordia Temple in Agrigento (Sicily, southern Italy). Radar data were collected using a pulse EKKO 1000 unit (Sensors and Software, Inc.) with 225,MHz antennae. The GPR data show a regular sequence of short reflectors alternating with ,signal blanked' areas located at approximately 50,ns in the peristyle and a continuous horizontal reflector at approximately 30,ns within the inner part of the temple (the cell). These results may indicate that the construction technique used in the temple was not a compact and homogeneous retaining wall, consisting of an outside layer of bricks and various grouting materials, as was previously thought. The two-dimensional images indicate, instead, that the Greeks made use of the geomorphology of the surrounding area, which involved exploiting the surrounding landscape to obtain foundations (artificial and natural) capable of supporting such monumental and stately buildings. Furthermore, the paper demonstrates the validity of this technique to investigate the foundation geometry of an ancient temple, where it is undesirable to apply a destructive technique. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Insights in the exhumation history of the NW Zagros from bedrock and detrital apatite fission-track analysis: evidence for a long-lived orogenyBASIN RESEARCH, Issue 5 2010Stéphane Homke ABSTRACT We present the first fission-track (FT) thermochronology results for the NW Zagros Belt (SW Iran) in order to identify denudation episodes that occurred during the protracted Zagros orogeny. Samples were collected from the two main detrital successions of the NW Zagros foreland basin: the Palaeocene,early Eocene Amiran,Kashkan succession and the Miocene Agha Jari and Bakhtyari Formations. In situ bedrock samples were furthermore collected in the Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone. Only apatite fission-track (AFT) data have been successfully obtained, including 26 ages and 11 track-length distributions. Five families of AFT ages have been documented from analyses of in situ bedrock and detrital samples: pre-middle Jurassic at ,171 and ,225 Ma, early,late Cretaceous at ,91 Ma, Maastrichtian at ,66 Ma, middle,late Eocene at ,38 Ma and Oligocene,early Miocene at ,22 Ma. The most widespread middle,late Eocene cooling phase, around ,38 Ma, is documented by a predominant grain-age population in Agha Jari sediments and by cooling ages of a granitic boulder sample. AFT ages document at least three cooling/denudation periods linked to major geodynamic events related to the Zagros orogeny, during the late Cretaceous oceanic obduction event, during the middle and late Eocene and during the early Miocene. Both late Cretaceous and early Miocene orogenic processes produced bending of the Arabian plate and concomitant foreland deposition. Between the two major flexural foreland episodes, the middle,late Eocene phase mostly produced a long-lasting slow- or nondepositional episode in the inner part of the foreland basin, whereas deposition and tectonics migrated to the NE along the Sanandaj-Sirjan domain and its Gaveh Rud fore-arc basin. As evidenced in this study, the Zagros orogeny was long-lived and multi-episodic, implying that the timing of accretion of the different tectonic domains that form the Zagros Mountains requires cautious interpretation. [source] A Novel Technique for Loading of Paclitaxel-PLGA Nanoparticles onto ePTFE Vascular GraftsBIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS, Issue 3 2007Hyun Jung Lim The major cause of hemodialysis vascular access dysfunction (HVAD) is the occurrence of stenosis followed by thrombosis at venous anastomosis sites due to the aggressive development of venous neointimal hyperplasia. Local delivery of antiproliferative drugs may be effective in inhibiting hyperplasia without causing systemic side effects. We have previously demonstrated that paclitaxel-coated expanded poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (ePTFE) grafts, by a dipping method, could prevent neointimal hyperplasia and stenosis of arteriovenous (AV) hemodialysis grafts, especially at the graft-venous anastomoses; however, large quntities of initial burst release have remained a problem. To achieve controlled drug release, paclitaxel (Ptx)-loaded poly(lactic- co -glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (Ptx-PLGA-NPs) were prepared by the emulsion-solvent evaporation method and then transferred to the luminal surface and inner part of ePTFE vascular grafts through our micro tube pumping and spin penetration techniques. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of various stages of Ptx-PLGA-NPs unequivocally showed that micro tube pumping followed by spin penetration effectively transferred Ptx-PLGA-NPs to the inner part, as well as the luminal surface, of an ePTFE graft. In addition, the in vitro release profiles of paclitaxel demonstrated that this new system achieved controlled drug delivery with a reduced initial burst release. These results suggest that loading of Ptx-PLGA-NPs to the luminal surface and the inner part of an ePTFE graft is a promising strategy to ultimately inhibit the development of venous neointimal hyperplasia. [source] Structure and composition of a tidewater glacier push moraine, Svalbard, revealed by DC resistivity profilingBOREAS, Issue 1 2009LENE KRISTENSEN A push moraine deposited by the surging tidewater glacier Paulabreen (Svalbard) was investigated using 2D resistivity profiling. Six longitudinal and transverse profiles were obtained on the moraine and the resistivities were compared with data from three boreholes. Four profiles indicate that the inner part of the moraine is ice-cored and that the buried glacier ice is more than 30 m thick. A transverse profile shows evidence of basal crevasses near the former glacier margin. Three profiles cross the former glacier margin and onto a proglacial plain which dips slightly away from the former glacier margin. Low resistivities were encountered where borehole and field observations indicate that the plain consists of marine muds with a high salt content. This landform has previously been interpreted as a slab of seabed pushed up in front of the surging glacier, possibly facilitated by permafrost in the seabed. We suggest, alternatively, that the landform originated from sediments extruded from below (or pushed in front of) the glacier at the surge terminus and deposited as a debrisflow. Ground penetrating radar can reveal small-scale structures, but larger structures and overall composition are better imaged by resistivity measurements. [source] Neuronal adaptation in the human retina: a study of the single oscillatory response in dark adaptation and mesopic background illuminationACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 7 2007Anna-Lena Lundström Abstract. Purpose:, The single oscillatory response in complete dark adaptation (DA) and the effect of mesopic illumination were studied in order to investigate the behaviour of the neuronal adaptation system as reflected in the oscillatory potentials (OPs) of the electroretinogram (ERG). Methods:, The rapid oscillatory and slow components (a- and b-waves) of single ERGs were simultaneously recorded in nine healthy, young subjects in response to first flash after both DA of 45 mins and light adaptation to a steady background light (BGL) of low mesopic intensity. Results:, Two low-amplitude oscillatory peaks were present in the single response to the first flash recorded in DA. There was no increase in the summed amplitudes of the OPs (SOP) when recorded in the single response to the first flash in mesopic BGL. However, the morphology of the oscillatory response altered. The first OP was reduced and a third oscillatory peak appeared. Conclusions:, We conclude that early, scotopically related OPs may indeed be activated in the single response to the first flash in DA (i.e. without using conditioning flashes). Secondly, on its own, adaptation to mesopic BGL does not seem to trigger enhancement of the overall oscillatory response. The altered single oscillatory response to the first flash apparent in the mesopic BGL comprises a third cone-associated OP and seems to reflect a reorganization of the retinal microcircuitry from a predominantly rod-activated system to one of mixed rod/cone neuronal activity in the inner part of the retina at the level at which individual OPs have their respective origins. [source] Age-Related Microhabitat Segregation in Willow Tit Parus montanus Winter FlocksETHOLOGY, Issue 11 2000Lluís Brotons It is expected that through flexibility in behaviour, flock living birds respond to the asymmetries in resource access derived from dominance relationships. We analysed the microhabitat use of willow tits in winter flocks and assessed possible factors which shape habitat segregation between adults and juveniles in different temperature regimes. When foraging in mild conditions (ambient temperature >,0°C), flocks split up into subgroups with adults foraging in inner parts of trees more often than juveniles. However, no differences were recorded in the vertical position occupied in trees. In harsh conditions (< , 4°C), flocks re-united and juveniles further moved to outer parts of trees, increasing horizontal segregation between age classes. In mild conditions, vigilance behaviour was not related to the position of birds in trees, but in harsh conditions, scanning frequency was higher in outer parts of trees only for adults. In mild weather, juvenile position in trees was associated with body size and mass. The foraging microhabitat segregation detected in harsh conditions fits the age-related hoarding distribution previously described in the same population. This supports the hypothesis that hoarded food is important in determining future foraging habitat use. Adult preference and intraspecific competition for safer or richer inner parts of trees as foraging sites during harsh conditions seems to determine the habitat segregation between adults and juveniles. Furthermore, we suggest that in mild weather, when foraging in the absence of adults, juveniles balance the costs of using a potentially dangerous microhabitat with the benefits of building energetically cheap and large food reserves through hoarding. The expected patterns of microhabitat segregation may differ in parids, depending on whether predation risk or other factors such as food availability are the main factors controlling habitat quality. [source] Breakdown of wood in the Agüera streamFRESHWATER BIOLOGY, Issue 11 2002Joserra Díez SUMMARY 1. Breakdown of wood was compared at three sites of the Agüera catchment (Iberian Peninsula): two oligotrophic first-order reaches (one under deciduous forest, the other under Eucalyptus globulus plantations) and one third-order reach under mixed forest, where concentration of dissolved nutrients was higher. 2. Branches (diameter = 3 cm, length = 10 cm) of oak (Quercus robur), alder (Alnus glutinosa), pine (Pinus radiata) and eucalyptus, plus prisms (2.5 × 2.5 × 10 cm) of alder heartwood were enclosed in mesh bags (1 cm mesh size) and placed in the streams. Mass loss was determined over 4.5 years, whereas nutrient, lignin and ergosterol were determined over 3 years. In order to describe fungal dynamics, ergosterol was also determined separately on the outer and inner parts of some branches. 3. Breakdown rates ranged from 0.0159 to 0.2706 year,1 with the third-order reach having the highest values whatever the species considered. The most rapid breakdown occurred in alder heartwood and the slowest in pine branches; breakdown rates of oak, eucalyptus and alder branches did not differ significantly. 4. The highest nitrogen and phosphorus contents were found in alder, followed by oak, while pine and eucalyptus had low values. During breakdown, all materials rapidly lost phosphorus, but nitrogen content remained constant or slightly increased. Lignin content remained similar. 5. Peaks of ergosterol ranged from 0.023 to 0.139 mg g,1 and were higher in alder than in other species in two of the three sites. The third-order reach generally had the greatest increase in ergosterol, especially in alder branches, eucalyptus and alder heartwood. The overall species/site pattern of fungal biomass was thus consistent with the observed differences in breakdown. 6. When compared with leaves of the same species decomposing at these sites, wood breakdown appeared to be less sensitive to the tree species but more sensitive to stream water chemistry. Although wood breakdown is slower and its inputs are lower than those of leaf litter, its higher resistance to downstream transport results in a relatively high standing stock and a significant contribution to the energy flux. [source] Estimating baking temperatures in a Roman pottery kiln by rock magnetic properties: implications of thermochemical alteration on archaeointensity determinationsGEOPHYSICAL JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2 2006Simo Spassov SUMMARY Absolute past geomagnetic field intensity determinations requiring laboratory heating are labourious and the success rate is rather low, mostly because of induced thermochemical magnetic mineral alterations. Archaeomagnetic intensity determinations are mainly limited to displaced ceramics produced in kilns. In this study, the suitability of an in situ baked structure is investigated. Different magnetic properties of baked material taken from the combustion chamber wall and floor of a Roman pottery kiln, with variable colouring, are examined in dependence on the distance to the combustion chamber. The temperature distribution is re-constructed based on rock magnetic experiments after stepwise heating. The rock magnetic temperature estimates agree fairly well with a mathematical heat conduction model demonstrating the penetration of heat into the combustion chamber wall. The rock magnetic results show that blackish- and greyish-coloured kiln parts, that had been in close contact with the fuel, during ancient kiln operation, are not suitable for intensity determinations. Although sufficiently baked, they strongly alter during laboratory heating and new remanence-carrying minerals are formed. The brownish-coloured material at a distance 65,80 mm away from the combustion chamber seems to be most suitable as its magnetic properties remain nearly unchanged during laboratory heating. Rock magnetic and modelled temperature estimates for this material consistently indicate ancient baking temperatures of about 600°C. The model demonstrates that cooling takes longer in the inner parts of the combustion chamber wall. Retarded cooling affects the blocking temperatures and hence the strength of the thermoremanent magnetization. The variability of cooling rates should be taken into account when investigating archaeointensities of specimens cut from large samples, or of samples taken from different parts of a kiln. [source] Homogeneity analysis of Turkish meteorological data setHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 8 2010Sinan Sahin Abstract The missing value interpolation and homogeneity analysis were performed on the meteorological data of Turkey. The data set has the observations of six variables: the maximum air temperature, the minimum air temperature, the mean air temperature, the total precipitation, the relative humidity and the local pressure of 232 stations for the period 1974,2002. The missing values on the monthly data set were estimated using two methods: the linear regression (LR) and the expectation maximization (EM) algorithm. Because of higher correlations between test and reference series, EM algorithm results were preferred. The homogeneity analysis was performed on the annual data using a relative test and four absolute homogeneity tests were used for the stations where non-testable series were found due to the low correlation coefficients between the test and the reference series. A comparison was accomplished by the graphics where relative and absolute tests provided different outcomes. Absolute tests failed to detect the inhomogeneities in the precipitation series at the significance level 1%. Interestingly, most of the inhomogeneities detected on the temperature variables existed in the Aegean region of Turkey. It is considered that theseinhomogeneities were mostly caused by non-natural effects such as relocation. Because of changes at topography at short distance in this region intensify non-random characteristics of the temperature series when relocation occurs even in small distances. The marine effect, which causes artifical cooling effect due to sea breezes has important impact on temperature series and the orograhpy allows this impact go through the inner parts in this region. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Composition, soaking, cooking properties and thermal characteristics of starch of chickpeas, wrinkled peas and smooth peasINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 5 2001Beata Klamczynska We investigated both the distribution of protein, ash and starch in legume (chickpeas, smooth and wrinkled peas) cotyledons, and the soaking and cooking characteristics, including gelatinization and retrogradation, of the starch. There were large differences in composition between different types of legumes and also between the outer and inner parts of legume cotyledons. Wrinkled peas exhibited much higher water absorption during prolonged soaking and there were higher hardness value determined for cooked seeds compared with chickpeas and smooth peas. While the hardness of cooked seeds decreased continuously as cooking time increased to 110 min, all legume starch was fully gelatinized after cooking for 70 min. [source] Regional variation of intracortical porosity in the midshaft of the human femur: age and sex differencesJOURNAL OF ANATOMY, Issue 2 2005C. David L. Thomas Abstract This study investigated age and sex differences in patterns of porosity distribution in the midshaft of the human femur. Cross-sections were obtained from 168 individuals from a modern Australian population. The sample comprised 73 females and 95 males, aged between 20 and 97 years. Microradiographs were made of 100-µm sections and pore and bone areas were determined using image processing software. Initially the sample was divided by age: young (20,44 years), middle (45,64 years) and old (65+ years), but it was found that analysis on the basis of the ratio of medullary area to total subperiosteal area gave clearer results. The cortex was divided into three rings radially and into octants circumferentially and the porosity of each segment was calculated. Results showed that a pattern with raised porosity in the posterior and anterolateral regions, and with greater porosity in the inner parts of the cortex, becomes more pronounced with age. In males this pattern develops steadily; in females there are much greater differences between the middle and older groups than earlier in life. The patterns observed are consistent with progressive bone loss occurring along a neutral axis of the cortex where bending stress is lowest and the mechanical advantage of the bone is least. [source] Melting and melt segregation in the aureole of the Glenmore Plug, ArdnamurchanJOURNAL OF METAMORPHIC GEOLOGY, Issue 1 2005M. B. HOLNESS Abstract Contact metamorphism caused by the Glenmore plug in Ardnamurchan, a magma conduit active for 1 month, resulted in partial melting, with melt now preserved as glass. The pristine nature of much of the aureole provides a natural laboratory in which to investigate the distribution of melt. A simple thermal model, based on the first appearance of melt on quartz,feldspar grain boundaries, the first appearance of quartz paramorphs after tridymite and a plausible magma intrusion temperature, provides a time-scale for melting. The onset of melting on quartz,feldspar grain boundaries was initially rapid, with an almost constant further increase in melt rim thickness at an average rate of 0.5,1.0 × 10,9 cm s,1. This rate was most probably controlled by the distribution of limited amounts of H2O on the grain boundaries and in the melt rims. The melt in the inner parts of the aureole formed an interconnected grain-boundary scale network, and there is evidence for only limited melt movement and segregation. Layer-parallel segregations and cross-cutting veins occur within 0.6 m of the contact, where the melt volume exceeded 40%. The coincidence of the first appearance of these signs of the segregation of melt in parts of the aureole that attained the temperature at which melting in the Qtz,Ab,Or system could occur, suggests that internally generated overpressure consequent to fluid-absent melting was instrumental in the onset of melt movement. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||