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Lesser Importance (lesser + importance)
Selected AbstractsBiodiversity and biogeography of the islands of the Kuril ArchipelagoJOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 9 2003Theodore W. Pietsch Abstract Aim Based on seven consecutive seasons of biotic survey and inventory of the terrestrial and freshwater plants and animals of the 30 major islands of the Kuril Archipelago, a description of the biodiversity and an analysis of the biogeography of this previously little known part of the world are provided. Location The Kuril Archipelago, a natural laboratory for investigations into the origin, subsequent evolution, and long-term maintenance of insular populations, forms the eastern boundary of the Okhotsk Sea, extending 1200 km between Hokkaido, Japan, and the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia. A chain of more than 56 islands, the system is only slightly smaller than the Hawaiian Islands, covering an area of 15,600 km2 and providing 2409 km of coastline. Methods Collections of whole specimens of plants and animals, as well as tissue samples for future molecular studies, were made by teams of scientists from Russia, Japan, and the USA, averaging 34 people for each of the seven annual summer expeditions (1994,2000). Floral and faunal similarities between islands were evaluated by using Sorensen's coefficient of similarity. The similarity matrix resulting from pair-wise calculations was then subjected to UPGMA cluster analysis. Results Despite the relatively small geographical area of all islands combined, the Kuril Island biota is characterized by unusually high taxonomic diversity, yet endemism is very low. An example of a non-relict biota, it originated from two primary sources: a southern source, the Asian mainland by way of Sakhalin and Hokkaido, and a northern source by way of Kamchatka. The contribution of the southern source biota to the species diversity of the Kurils was considerably greater than the northern one. Main conclusion The Bussol Strait, lying between Urup and Simushir in the central Kurils, is the most significant biogeographical boundary within the Archipelago. Of lesser importance are two transitional zones, the De Vries Strait or ,Miyabe Line', which passes between Iturup and Urup in the southern Kurils, and the fourth Kuril Strait, between Onekotan and Paramushir in the northern Kurils. [source] Esophageal Temperature During Radiofrequency-Catheter Ablation of Left Atrium: A Three-Dimensional Computer Modeling StudyJOURNAL OF CARDIOVASCULAR ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 4 2006FERNANDO HORNERO M.D., Ph.D. Introduction: There is current interest in finding a way to minimize thermal injury in the esophagus during radiofrequency-catheter ablation of the left atrium. Despite the fact that the esophageal temperature is now being monitored during ablation, the influence of different anatomic and technical factors on the temperature rise remains unknown. Methods and Results: We implemented a three-dimensional computational model that included atrial tissue, epicardial fat, esophagus, aorta, and lung, all linked by connective tissue. The finite-element method was used to calculate the esophageal temperature distribution during a procedure of constant-temperature ablation with an 8-mm electrode, under different tissue conditions. Results showed that the distance between electrode and esophagus was the most important anatomic factor in predicting the esophageal temperature rise, the composition of the different tissues being of lesser importance. The measurement of the esophageal temperature in different sites of the lumen offered differences up to 3.7°C, especially for a short electrode,esophagus distance (5 mm). The difference in the convective cooling by circulating blood around electrode and endocardium did not show a significant influence on the esophageal temperature rise. Conclusion: Computer results suggest that (1) the electrode,esophagus distance is the most important anatomic factor; (2) the incorrect positioning of an esophageal temperature probe could give a low reading for the maximum temperature reached in the esophagus; and (3) the different cooling effect of the circulating blood flow at different atrial sites has little impact on the esophageal temperature rise. [source] A history and review of school meal standards in the UKJOURNAL OF HUMAN NUTRITION & DIETETICS, Issue 2 2009C. E. L. Evans Abstract This review details the history of school meals in the UK, from their origin in the mid-19th Century, to the present day, and provides a summary of how each country has independently developed its own food and or nutrient-based standards for school meals. The standards in place in the UK are amongst some of the most detailed and comprehensive in the world. Regular monitoring to ensure that these standards are being met and that schools are improving healthy eating is essential to their success. Of no lesser importance are assessments to determine whether changes to school meals are having an impact on the diets of school children. It is early days in terms of evaluation because food-based standards have only recently been introduced and nutrient-based standards are in the process of being developed and implemented. Studies in England provide some evidence that the re-introduction of standards for school food is having a positive impact on both pupil's food choices and the nutritional profile of school lunches. At present, there does not appear to be a pattern between current obesity levels and the types of school meals provided, although it is anticipated that, in the long term, these comprehensive standards may contribute to a less obesogenic environment. [source] CONSUMER PERCEPTION OF IRRADIATED FRUIT: A CASE STUDY USING CHOICE-BASED CONJOINT ANALYSISJOURNAL OF SENSORY STUDIES, Issue 2 2010ROSIRES DELIZA ABSTRACT Papaya is a popular fruit among Brazilian consumers, but one problem is that fruit ripens quickly due to the high temperatures of the country. Irradiation is an effective way of slowing down ripening, hereby increasing shelf-life, but consumer acceptance of this novel technology is paramount for its successful introduction by industry. Using conjoint analysis, this research measures consumer acceptance of irradiated papaya fruit in a sample of urban Brazilian consumers. The study assesses the joint influence of product appearance, price and information about the use of irradiation for consumer choice. Real fruit was used and consumer responses were collected through intercept interviews in supermarkets. These two empirical aspects add external validity to the research. The responses from a convenience sample of 168 consumers from Rio de Janeiro revealed that the product appearance, as a proxy for product quality, was the most important factor influencing decision to purchase papaya. Price was of lesser importance. The participants in this study did not reject papaya due to the labelled information about the use of irradiation. This suggests irradiation as a viable alternative for fruit producers. Consumers demonstrated no knowledge about food irradiation, and education initiatives may be useful as a strategy to aid commercial introduction of irradiated papaya in Brazil. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS This study has important practical implications for Brazilian agribusinesses because it contributes to our understanding of the relationship between market changes, consumer behavior, food products and processing technologies. It has shown that sensory appearance was the key factor influencing Brazilian consumers' choice of papaya, however, more education and information regarding irradiation technology should be provided. The results suggest that irradiation could be used in Brazil and provide a viable alternative to fruit producers. As a consequence, these results are useful for strategic planning of consumer education regarding food irradiation (with emphasis on the benefits of processing and addressing the myths), something which could, eventually, contribute to a more favorable consumer response to the technology. [source] Elites and the Diffusion of Foreign Models in RussiaPOLITICAL STUDIES, Issue 1 2004Sharon Werning Rivera Globalization has sparked renewed interest in the diffusion of ideas and norms across boundaries. Although much work has focused on diffusion at the macro-level and on the groups that transmit ideas, few researchers have studied the cognitive processes of political elites as they weigh the merits of various foreign-inspired models. Drawing on a series of original, in-depth interviews with Russian parliamentarians and high-ranking bureaucrats conducted in 1996, this paper makes two contributions to the study of individual-level borrowing in the Russian context. First, the openness of Russian elites to foreign borrowing is investigated; despite the public rhetoric about Russia's uniqueness, a substantial number of Russian elites are willing to borrow from foreign experience , particularly from models of European welfare capitalism. Second, three explanations of why policy-makers prefer to emulate some countries rather than others are tested , because they are similar to their own country either geographically, historically or culturally (comparability); because they have geostrategic prominence (prestige); or because they excel economically and/or politically (performance). Comparability and prestige are found to be of lesser importance than performance to Russian elites when considering the merits of various foreign models. Given that Russia closely approximates a most-likely case for validating explanations stressing comparability, this suggests that the array of foreign ideas that could become part and parcel of Russia's transition process is probably wider than is usually assumed. It also implies that, in general, the regional dimension of diffusion plays a smaller role than previously theorized. [source] Mechanical properties and volume dilatation of HDPE/CaCO3 blends with and without impact modifierPOLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 11 2006Yu-Lin Yang Different blends of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) with calcium carbonate (CaCO3) were mechanically tested under uniaxial tension with or without poly(ethylene- co -octene) elastomer grafted with maleic anhydride (POEg), as an impact modifier. In some materials, the surface of the CaCO3 was treated with an amino acid and in others the mineral particles were left untreated. The stress,strain behavior were determined at constant true strain rate by using the VidéoTraction© system. Also, the volume changes upon stretching was assessed by means of the video extensometer and correlated with X-ray densitometry measurements. The dependence of modulus, yield stress, and cavitation is shown to depend on the relative percentage of the three constituents. In particular, the cavitation rate increases markedly with the CaCO3 content and decreases with the POEg content. By contrast, the surface pretreatment of the CaCO3 particles appear to be of much lesser importance. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 46:1512,1522, 2006. © 2006 Society of Plastics Engineers [source] | |||||||||||||