Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Similar Relationships (similar + relationships)
Selected AbstractsGlobal and systematic demonstration for the practical usage of a direct in vivo measurement system to evaluate wrinklesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COSMETIC SCIENCE, Issue 6 2007T. Fujimura Synopsis The global and systematic demonstration for the practical usage of a direct three-dimensional in vivo measurement system (PRIMOS) to evaluate wrinkles was investigated. Ten repetitive measurements of the corner of the eye of a subject showed that the coefficient of variation (CV)% value was 7.0% in a typical line-length roughness parameter Ra (the arithmetic mean of roughness), and that the CV% value in a typical surface area roughness parameter Sa was 2.4%. The relationships between the roughness values obtained from the corners of the eye and the age or wrinkle scores of Japanese women aged 10,70 years was examined. The values of several roughness parameters within the evaluation line length or surface area increased with age and showed a good correlation coefficient (r > 0.743). Similar relationships between the wrinkle scores and the values of roughness parameters were observed (r > 0.699). The roughness values were widely distributed even in the same wrinkle score because the measurement areas were limited and the values of skin roughness, including the microreliefs and/or small warts, were included in the calculation. However, changes in roughness values are considerable following treatment with potent active ingredients such as retinoic acid, so that this in vivo evaluation method is sufficient to objectively evaluate wrinkles. We conclude that the direct three-dimensional analysis of wrinkles in vivo should become a popular method to objectively evaluate wrinkles in clinical tests of wrinkle-smoothing ingredients or following cosmetic surgery to provide evidence of quantitative results. Résumé Une démonstration globale et systématique pour l'utilisation pratique d'un système de mesurage in vivo tridimensionnel direct (PRIMOS) pour évaluer les rides àétéétudiée. Dix mesurages répétitifs de la cornée de l',il d'un sujet ont montrées que la valeur du % du coefficient de variation était de 7,0% pour un paramètre de rugosité de mesure typique Ra (moyen arithmétique de rugosité), et que la valeur du % du coefficient de dérivation pour un paramètre de rugosité d'une surface typique Saétait de 2,4%. Les relations entre les valeurs de rugosité obtenues des cornées de l',il et l'âge ou les indices de rides de femmes japonaises âgées de 10 à 70 ans furent examinées. Les valeurs de plusieurs paramètres de rugosité en-deçà de la mesure d'évaluation ou de la surface ont augmenté avec l'âge et ont présenté un bon coefficient de corrélation (r > 0,743). Des relations similaires entre des indices de rides et les valeurs de paramètres de rugosité furent observées (r > 0,699). Les valeurs de rugosité furent largement réparties même avec un indice de rugosité semblable, du fait que les zones de mesurages furent limitées et que les valeurs de rugosité de la peau, comprenant des microreliefs et/ou de petites verrues, furent inclues dans les calculs. Cependant, des changements dans les valeurs de rugosité ont été considérables selon le traitement avec des ingrédients actifs potentiels, tel que l'acide rétinoïque, de telle sorte que cette méthode d'évaluation in vivo est suffisante pour une évaluation objective des rides. Nous en concluons qu'une analyse tridimensionnelle directe des rides in vivo est une méthode pratique pour évaluer objectivement des rides dans des essais cliniques d'ingrédients d'adoucissage des rides ou en suivant une chirurgie esthétique pour mettre en évidence des résultats quantitatifs. [source] Biological and ecological traits of benthic freshwater macroinvertebrates: relationships and definition of groups with similar traitsFRESHWATER BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2000Philippe Usseglio-Polatera Summary 1Relating species traits to habitat characteristics can provide important insights into the structure and functioning of stream communities. However, trade-offs among species traits make it difficult to predict accurately the functional diversity of freshwater communities. Many authors have pointed to the value of working with groups of organisms as similar as possible in terms of relationships among traits and have called for definition of groups of organisms with similar suites of attributes. 2We used multivariate analyses to examine separately the relationships among 11 biological traits and among 11 ecological traits of 472 benthic macroinvertebrate taxa (mainly genera). The main objective was to demonstrate (1) potential trade-offs among traits; (2) the importance of the different traits to separate systematic units or functional groupings; and (3) uniform functional groups of taxa that should allow a more effective use of macroinvertebrate biological and ecological traits. 3We defined eight groups and 15 subgroups according to a biological trait ordination which highlighted size (large to small), reproductive traits (K to r strategists), food (animal to plant material) and feeding habits (predator to scraper and/or deposit feeder) as ,significant' factors determining the ordination of taxa. This ordination partly preserved phylogenetic relationships among groups. 4Seven ecological groups and 13 ecological subgroups included organisms with combinations of traits which should be successively more adequate in habitats from the main channel to temporary waters, and from the crenon to the potamic sections of rivers, and to systems situated outside the river floodplain. These gradients corresponded to a gradual shift from (1) rheophilic organisms that lived in the main channel of cold oligotrophic mountain streams to (2) animals that preferred eutrophic habitats of still or temporary waters in lowlands. The groups with similar ecological traits had a more diverse systematic structure than those with similar biological traits. 5Monitoring and assessment tools for the management of water resources are generally more effective if they are based on a clear understanding of the mechanisms that lead to the presence or absence of species groups in the environment. We believe that groups with similar relationships among their species traits may be useful in developing tools that measure the functional diversity of communities. [source] Linking flux network measurements to continental scale simulations: ecosystem carbon dioxide exchange capacity under non-water-stressed conditionsGLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 4 2007KATHERINE E. OWEN Abstract This paper examines long-term eddy covariance data from 18 European and 17 North American and Asian forest, wetland, tundra, grassland, and cropland sites under non-water-stressed conditions with an empirical rectangular hyperbolic light response model and a single layer two light-class carboxylase-based model. Relationships according to ecosystem functional type are demonstrated between empirical and physiological parameters, suggesting linkages between easily estimated parameters and those with greater potential for process interpretation. Relatively sparse documentation of leaf area index dynamics at flux tower sites is found to be a major difficulty in model inversion and flux interpretation. Therefore, a simplification of the physiological model is carried out for a subset of European network sites with extensive ancillary data. The results from these selected sites are used to derive a new parameter and means for comparing empirical and physiologically based methods across all sites, regardless of ancillary data. The results from the European analysis are then compared with results from the other Northern Hemisphere sites and similar relationships for the simplified process-based parameter were found to hold for European, North American, and Asian temperate and boreal climate zones. This parameter is useful for bridging between flux network observations and continental scale spatial simulations of vegetation/atmosphere carbon dioxide exchange. [source] U.S. Perceptions of Nuclear Security in the Wake of the Cold War: Comparing Public and Elite Belief SystemsINTERNATIONAL STUDIES QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2002Kerry G. Herron Our research adds new evidence to the continuing debate about capacities of mass publics to contribute to foreign and security policy processes. Focusing on U.S. beliefs and preferences about nuclear security in the post,Cold War era, we examine not only linear relationships among elite and mass belief structures, but also combinations of beliefs that may be precursors to policy coalitions. We examine attitudes and preferences about nuclear issues among two elite publics,scientists and legislators,surveyed in 1997, and among two samples of the U.S. general public surveyed in 1997 and 1999. We compare elite and mass belief structures using three different methods: descriptive comparisons of central tendencies, relational analyses using bivariate and multivariate regressions, and coalitional analyses using cluster analytical techniques. With each method of analysis we find evidence of similar belief structures and similar relationships between beliefs and nuclear policy preferences among our elite and mass samples. [source] Reduced lung function predicts increased fatality in future cardiac events.JOURNAL OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, Issue 6 2006A population-based study Abstract. Objective., Moderately reduced lung function in apparently healthy subjects has been associated with incidence of coronary events. However, whether lung function is related to the fatality of the future events is unknown. This study explored whether reduced forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) in initially healthy men is related to the fatality of the future coronary events. Design., Prospective cohort study. Setting., Population-based study from Malmö, Sweden. Subjects., A total of 5452 healthy men, 28,61 years of age. Main outcome measures., Incidence of first coronary events was monitored over a mean follow-up of 19 years. The fatality of the future events was studied in relation to FEV and FVC. Results., A total of 589 men suffered a coronary event during follow-up, 165 of them were fatal during the first day. After risk factors adjustment, low FEV or FVC were associated with incidence of coronary events (fatal or nonfatal) and this relationship was most pronounced for the fatal events. Amongst men who subsequently had a coronary event, the case-fatality rates were higher in men with low FEV or FVC. Adjusted for risk factors, the odds ratio for death during the first day was 1.00 (reference), 1.63 (95% CI: 0.9,3.1), 1.86 (1.0,3.5) and 2.06 (1.1,3.9), respectively, for men with FVC in the 4th, 3rd, 2nd, and lowest quartiles (trend: P < 0.05). FEV showed similar relationships with the fatality rates. Conclusion., Apparently healthy men with moderately reduced lung function have higher fatality in future coronary events, with a higher proportion of coronary heart disease deaths and less nonfatal myocardial infarction. [source] Micronutrients and Child Health: Studies in International Nutrition and HIV InfectionNUTRITION REVIEWS, Issue 11 2001Christopher Duggan M.D., M.P.H. Increasing data link micronutrient deficiencies to excess childhood morbidity and mortality, and similar relationships have been noted in the study of nutrition and HIV infection. We review epidemiologic studies that have examined the relationship between micronutrient deficiencies and health outcomes in childhood and HIV infection, as well as clinical trials of micronutrient supplementation. Vitamin A supplementation among communities at risk of deficiency effectively reduces mortality and morbidity in children younger than age 5, and vitamin A may be especially effective in HIV-infected children. Vertical transmission of HIV has not to date been affected by maternal micronutrient supplementation. In children with poor dietary zinc intake and/or bioavailability, zinc supplementation reduces the incidence and severity of diarrheal diseases, as well as the occurrence of pneumonia. Vitamin A therapy has not been associated with improved growth, whereas some trials have shown that zinc supplementation is associated with greater increments in height. Further trials of micronutrient supplementation are warranted. [source] Personality disorder scale predictors of depression stability over time as a partial function of mental health historyPERSONALITY AND MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 4 2009Alan R. King The high comorbidity of personality disturbance and psychiatric symptomatology has been well established. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-IV (DSM-IV) personality disorder symptom clusters often represent aberrant, intense and labile emotional reactions to stressors. The role of personality disorder traits on the variability of depression symptoms as expressed over time, however, has gained relatively little research attention. The presence and number of personality disorder diagnoses have been associated with earlier depression onset and less favourable treatment outcomes suggesting that this form of mood disturbance may be more durable over time when associated with Axis II features. The present study examined Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) temporal stability as a function of Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI-II) personality disorder base rate scores among 406 college students with and without reported histories of significant mental health concerns. Instability of BDI scores across time was shown to be predicted (r = 0.15) by selected personality disorderscale dimensions (antisocial, self-defeating, borderline and total number of MCMI-II personality disorder elevations). BDI reliability did drop significantly among participants reporting a mental health treatment history and multiple personality disorder elevations. Gender differences were not found in the strength of these bivariate correlations. Women generated smaller BDI absolute differences than men. While BDI test,retest reliability was only linked modestly to personality disorder attributes in this college sample, further study may be warranted to evaluate similar relationships within a clinical sample. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Scale-dependent trait correlations in a temperate tree communityAUSTRAL ECOLOGY, Issue 6 2009K. C. BURNS Abstract Recent investigations of relationships among plant traits have generated important insights into plant form and function. However, relationships involving leaf area, leaf shape and plant height remain poorly resolved. Previous work has also focused on correlations between average trait values for individual species. It is unclear whether similar relationships occur within species. We searched for novel plant trait correlations by comparing leaf area, leaf circularity, specific leaf area (SLA) and plant height among 16 common woody plant species from a temperate forest in New Zealand. Analyses were conducted both within species (intra-specifically) and among species (inter-specifically) to determine whether trait correlations were scale dependent. Leaf area was unrelated to other leaf traits inter-specifically. However, leaf area declined with plant height and increased with SLA intra-specifically. Leaf circularity decreased with plant height inter-specifically, but increased with plant height intra-specifically. SLA increased with plant height both inter- and intra-specifically. Leaf circularity increased with SLA inter-specifically, but decreased with SLA intra-specifically. Overall results showed that leaf shape, SLA and plant height are interrelated. However, intra-specific relationships often differed substantially from inter-specific relationships, suggesting that the processes shaping relationships between this suite of plant traits are scale-dependent. [source] Relationships between morphological and sedimentological parameters in source-to-sink systems: a basis for predicting semi-quantitative characteristics in subsurface systemsBASIN RESEARCH, Issue 4 2009Tor O. Sømme ABSTRACT The study of source-to-sink systems relates long-term variations in sediment flux to morphogenic evolution of erosional,depositional systems. These variations are caused by an intricate combination of autogenic and allogenic forcing mechanisms that operate on multiple time scales , from individual transport events to large-scale filling of basins. In order to achieve a better understanding of how these mechanisms influence morphological characteristics on different scales, 29 submodern source-to-sink systems have been investigated. The study is based on measurements of morphological parameters from catchments, shelves and slopes derived from a ,1 km global digital elevation model dataset, in combination with data on basin floor fans, sediment supply, water discharge and deposition rates derived from published literature. By comparing various morphological and sedimentological parameters within and between individual systems, a number of relationships governing system evolution and behaviour are identified. The results suggest that the amount of low-gradient floodplain area and river channel gradient are good indicators for catchment storage potential. Catchment area and river channel length is also related to shelf area and shelf width, respectively. Similarly to the floodplain area, these parameters are important for long-term storage of sediment on the shelf platform. Additionally, the basin floor fan area is correlative to the long-term deposition rate and the slope length. The slope length thus proves to be a useful parameter linking proximal and distal segments in source-to-sink systems. The relationships observed in this study provide insight into segment scale development of source-to-sink systems, and an understanding of these relationships in modern systems may result in improved knowledge on internal and external development of source-to-sink systems over geological time scales. They also allow for the development of a set of semi-quantitative guidelines that can be used to predict similar relationships in other systems where data from individual system segments are missing or lacking. [source] Cortisol levels and measures of body composition in middle-aged and older menCLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 1 2007Thomas G. Travison Summary Introduction, Similarities in the symptomatic expressions of excess adiposity and hypercortisolaemic conditions suggest that elevated glucocorticoid exposure may influence the pathogenesis of obesity. Circulating cortisol levels are not typically elevated in obese subjects, but data from large prospective samples are rare. We undertook an analysis to determine both cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between body composition and serum cortisol concentrations in a randomly chosen group of 999 community-dwelling men, aged 40,79 years. Methods, Data were obtained from the two follow-up waves of the Massachusetts Male Ageing Study (T2: 1995,97; T3: 2002,04). Partial correlation and multivariate regression analyses were used to estimate cross-sectional (T2) and longitudinal associations between serum cortisol concentrations and a range of measures of subjects' body composition, including weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip girth ratio (WHR), and percentage body fat (measured by bioelectrical impedance at T3); similar analyses were conducted to assess the association between change (T2 to T3) in serum cortisol and simultaneous change in body composition parameters. Results, We observed weak negative associations between cortisol concentrations and all body composition parameters, with the exception of percentage body fat. Longitudinal results demonstrated similar relationships but associations were of lesser magnitude. T2 cortisol concentrations were not associated with change in body composition over time, whereas T2 body size was positively associated with longitudinal changes in cortisol concentrations, providing limited evidence that weight change drives changes in cortisol concentrations, rather than vice versa. Results were unchanged when age and other covariate effects were controlled. Conclusions, Circulating cortisol concentrations are somewhat lower in obese than in nonobese community-dwelling men. There is some evidence that excess adiposity presages increases in cortisol concentrations, rather than the reverse. However, this observation should be greeted with caution, as age-related weight loss , and not gain , was associated with simultaneous increases in serum cortisol concentrations. [source] | |||||||||||||