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Slight Differences (slight + difference)
Kinds of Slight Differences Selected AbstractsSpatial mapping on surface light extraction from 2D photonic quasicrystals patterned GaN-based light emittersPHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (C) - CURRENT TOPICS IN SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 1 2007ZhenSheng Zhang Abstract We report the observations of surface light extraction enhancement from two-dimensional (2D) photonic crystal (PC) and Photonic Quasicrystal (PQC) patterns on electrical current injected GaN-based light emitters. Spatial mapping of the surface extraction was acquired by a microscopic electrical luminescence setup and a scanning near-field optical microscope (SNOM). Slight difference of mapping profile between twelve-fold PQC and regular triangular PC was obtained. It is shown that 12PQC was more efficient for light extraction. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Progressive muscle relaxation, breathing exercises, and ABC relaxation theoryJOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 12 2001Mia Matsumoto This study compared the psychological effects of Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) and breathing exercises. Forty-two students were divided randomly into two groups and taught PMR or breathing exercises. Both groups practiced for five weeks and were given the Smith Relaxation States Inventory before and after each session. As hypothesized, PMR practitioners displayed greater increments in relaxation states (R-States) Physical Relaxation and Disengagement, while breathing practitioners displayed higher levels of R-State Strength and Awareness. Slight differences emerged at Weeks 1 and 2; major differences emerged at Weeks 4 and 5. A delayed and potentially reinforcing aftereffect emerged for PMR only after five weeks of training,increased levels of Mental Quiet and Joy. Clinical and theoretical implications are discussed. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Clin Psychol 57: 1551,1557, 2001. [source] Intimately linked or hardly speaking?MOLECULAR ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2001The relationship between genotype, environmental gradients in a Louisiana Iris hybrid population Abstract Several models of hybrid zone evolution predict the same spatial patterns of genotypic distribution whether or not structuring is due to environment-dependent or -independent selection. In this study, we tested for evidence of environment-dependent selection in an Iris fulva×Iris brevicaulis hybrid population by examining the distribution of genotypes in relation to environmental gradients. We selected 201 Louisiana Iris plants from within a known hybrid population (80 m × 80 m) and placed them in four different genotypic classes (I. fulva, I. fulva -like hybrid, I. brevicaulis -like hybrid and I. brevicaulis) based on seven species-specific random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers and two chloroplast DNA haplotypes. Environmental variables were then measured. These variables included percentage cover by tree canopy, elevation from the high water mark, soil pH and percentage soil organic matter. Each variable was sampled for all 201 plants. Canonical discriminant analysis (CDA) was used to infer the environmental factors most strongly associated with the different genotypic groups. Slight differences in elevation (,0.5 m to +0.4 m) were important for distinguishing habitat distributions described by CDA, even though there were no statistical differences between mean elevations alone. I. brevicaulis occurred in a broad range of habitats, while I. fulva had a narrower distribution. Of all the possible combinations, I. fulva -like hybrids and I. brevicaulis -like hybrids occurred in the most distinct habitat types relative to one another. Each hybrid class was not significantly different from its closest parent with regard to habitat occupied, but was statistically unique from its more distant parental species. Within the hybrid genotypes, most, but not all, RAPD loci were individually correlated with environmental variables. This study suggests that, at a very fine spatial scale, environment-dependent selection contributed to the genetic structuring of this hybrid zone. [source] Structural and Room-Temperature Transport Properties of Zinc Blende and Wurtzite InAs NanowiresADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 13 2009Shadi A. Dayeh Abstract Here, direct correlation between the microstructure of InAs nanowires (NWs) and their electronic transport behavior at room temperature is reported. Pure zinc blende (ZB) InAs NWs grown on SiO2/Si substrates are characterized by a rotational twin along their growth-direction axis while wurtzite (WZ) InAs NWs grown on InAs (111)B substrates have numerous stacking faults perpendicular to their growth-direction axis with small ZB segments. In transport measurements on back-gate field-effect transistors (FETs) fabricated from both types of NWs, significantly distinct subthreshold characteristics are observed (Ion/Ioff,,,2 for ZB NWs and ,104 for WZ NWs) despite only a slight difference in their transport coefficients. This difference is attributed to spontaneous polarization charges at the WZ/ZB interfaces, which suppress carrier accumulation at the NW surface, thus enabling full depletion of the WZ NW FET channel. 2D Silvaco-Atlas simulations are used for ZB and WZ channels to analyze subthreshold current flow, and it is found that a polarization charge density of ,1013,cm,2 leads to good agreement with experimentally observed subthreshold characteristics for a WZ InAs NW given surface-state densities in the 5,×,1011,5,×,1012,cm,2 range. [source] Effective elastic properties of randomly fractured soils: 3D numerical experimentsGEOPHYSICAL PROSPECTING, Issue 3 2004Erik H. Saenger ABSTRACT This paper is concerned with numerical tests of several rock physical relationships. The focus is on effective velocities and scattering attenuation in 3D fractured media. We apply the so-called rotated staggered finite-difference grid (RSG) technique for numerical experiments. Using this modified grid, it is possible to simulate the propagation of elastic waves in a 3D medium containing cracks, pores or free surfaces without applying explicit boundary conditions and without averaging the elastic moduli. We simulate the propagation of plane waves through a set of randomly cracked 3D media. In these numerical experiments we vary the number and the distribution of cracks. The synthetic results are compared with several (most popular) theories predicting the effective elastic properties of fractured materials. We find that, for randomly distributed and randomly orientated non-intersecting thin penny-shaped dry cracks, the numerical simulations of P- and S-wave velocities are in good agreement with the predictions of the self-consistent approximation. We observe similar results for fluid-filled cracks. The standard Gassmann equation cannot be applied to our 3D fractured media, although we have very low porosity in our models. This is explained by the absence of a connected porosity. There is only a slight difference in effective velocities between the cases of intersecting and non-intersecting cracks. This can be clearly demonstrated up to a crack density that is close to the connectivity percolation threshold. For crack densities beyond this threshold, we observe that the differential effective-medium (DEM) theory gives the best fit with numerical results for intersecting cracks. Additionally, it is shown that the scattering attenuation coefficient (of the mean field) predicted by the classical Hudson approach is in excellent agreement with our numerical results. [source] Short-term development of ambrosia and bark beetle assemblages following a windstorm in French broadleaved temperate forestsJOURNAL OF APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 6 2005C. Bouget Abstract:, In most temperate deciduous forests, windstorm is the main source of dead wood. However, the effects of this natural disturbance on ambrosia and bark beetle communities are poorly known. In managed oak-hornbeam forests storm-damaged in France in 1999, we sampled ambrosia (and second bark beetles) by ethanol-baited window-flight traps in 2001. By comparing uncleared gaps, undisturbed closed-canopy controls and seedling-sapling stands, we investigated the short-term effects of gap formation, gap size and surrounding landscape to provide a snapshot of scolytid response. Contrary to expectations, neither the abundance nor the richness of ambrosia beetle species was significantly higher in gaps than in undisturbed stands. Few responses in abundance at the species level and only a slight difference in assemblage composition were detected between gaps and closed-canopy controls. Gaps were more dissimilar from seedling-sapling stands, than from closed-canopy controls. More scolytid individuals and species were caught in gaps than in seedling-sapling stands. Mean local and cumulative richness peaked in mid-size gaps. Only mid-size gaps differed from closed-canopy controls in terms of species composition. We identified generalist gap species (Xyleborus saxesenii, X. cryptographus), but also species significantly more abundant in mid-size gaps (Platypus cylindrus, Xyloterus signatus). The faunistic peculiarity of mid-size gaps seemed to be partly related to a bias in oak density among gap size classes. Few landscape effects were observed. Only the scolytids on the whole and X. dispar were slightly favoured by an increasing density in fellings at the 78 ha scale. We did not find any correlation between scolytid abundance and the surrounding closed-forest percentage area. We confirmed that temperate, deciduous, managed stands did not come under threat by ambrosia and bark beetle pests after the 1999 windstorm. Nonetheless, our data stressed the current expansion in Western Europe of two invasive species, X. peregrinus and especially X. germanus, now the predominant scolytid in the three oak forests studied. [source] Immunohistochemical analysis of cytokeratin expression in reactive eccrine syringofibroadenoma-like lesion: a comparative study with eccrine syringofibroadenomaJOURNAL OF CUTANEOUS PATHOLOGY, Issue 4 2000Takamitsu Ohnishi In addition to solitary eccrine syringofibroadenoma (ESFA), there is another type of ESFA which is associated with underlying dermatoses (reactive ESFA-like lesion). Five lesions in 4 patients of reactive ESFA-like lesion were analyzed by an immunohistochemical method using 13 kinds of anti-cytokeratin (CK) antibodies. Two cases of solitary ESFA were also studied by the same procedure for comparison. Suprabasal staining pattern of AE1 and MNF116, which stain CKs 6, 16 and 17, markers of hyperproliferative state, was observed diffusely in 5 lesions of reactive ESFA-like lesions except for focal negative staining in one case, and was observed focally in one case of solitary ESFA. Furthermore, differentiation-specific cytokeratin expression was reduced in 3 of 5 lesions of reactive ESFA-like lesions. Both ESFA and reactive ESFA showed basically similar immunoreactivity suggesting differentiation toward the dermal duct. The above slight difference in immunoreactivity between both lesions may be explained due to inflammatory infiltrates associated with underlying dermatoses. [source] Social skills in children with intellectual disabilities with and without autismJOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH, Issue 5 2005A. De Bildt Abstract Background Social skills were studied in 363 children with mild intellectual disabilities (ID) and 147 with moderate ID with and without autism (age 4 through 18). The objective was to investigate the value of the Children's Social Behaviour Questionnaire (CSBQ), as a measure of subtle social skills, added to a measure of basic social skills with the Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales (VABS), in identifying children with ID with or without autism. Method Children with mild and moderate ID, with and without autistic symptomatology were compared on basic social skills, measured with the Communication and Socialization domains of the VABS, and subtle social skills, measured with the CSBQ. Results Measuring basic social skills is not sufficient in differentiating between levels of ID. Communicative skills and subtle social skills, that concern overlooking activities or situations and fear of changes in the existing situation, seem to play a far greater role. Additionally, with respect to identifying autistic symptomatology, basic social skills do not contribute, as opposed to communicative skills and the tendency to withdraw from others. Conclusions The results implicate that the CSBQ not only has specific value as a measure of subtle social skills to identify pervasive developmental disorders, but that the instrument also has a specific contribution to differentiating between the two levels of ID. Furthermore, our outcomes imply a slight difference between limitations in subtle social skills as mentioned by the AAMR (American Association on Mental Retardation 2002) and limitations in subtle social skills as seen in milder forms of pervasive developmental disorders. Clinical and theoretical implications will be discussed. [source] Karyotype and cytogeography of the genus Heracleum (Apiaceae) in the Hengduan MountainsJOURNAL OF SYSTEMATICS EVOLUTION, Issue 4 2009Xian-Lan DENG Abstract In the present study, the karyotypes of 34 populations belonging to 11 species and one variety of Heracleum from the Hengduan Mountains in China were examined. Chromosome numbers and the karyotypes of three species (H. souliei, H. kingdoni, and H. wenchuanense) are reported for the first time, as are the karyotypes of H. moellendorffii and H. henryi (tetraploid). Populations of H. candicans, H. franchetii, and H. kingdoni in the Hengduan Mountains were found to consist of a mixture of diploid and tetraploid plants. Except for four species of Heracleum, namely H. candicans, H. franchetii, H. henryi, and H. kingdoni, which have both diploid and tetraploid karyotypes, all other species of Heracleum are were found to be diploid. All karyotypes were found to belong to the 2A type of Stebbins, with the exception of H. candicans var. obtusifolium, which belongs to 2B, and H. hemsleyanum and H. franchetii (Mt. Dujuan, Daocheng, Sichuan, China), which belong to 1A. There was only a slight difference in the karyotype asymmetry index, which suggests a close kinship for species of Heracleum and that the entire phylogenetic development of Heracleum is relatively primitive. Species that exhibited advanced morphological features were also more advanced in karyotype structure, with the order of karyotype evolution being 1A,2A,2B. This phenomenon indicates that the species distributed in the Hengduan Mountains have not diverged completely and that the Hengduan Mountains are a relatively young and active area for the evolution of Heracleum. Polyploidization in Heracleum may be an important evolutionary mechanisms for some species, generating diversity. The biological attributes, distribution range, and the geological history of the genus have all played a part in accelerating the evolution through polyploidization or aneuploidization. It is known that as the distribution latitude of Heracleum decreases from north to south, the chromosome number, ploidy level, and asymmetry structure appear to increase. In the Hengduan Mountains, these tendencies are also evident. Finally, based on all the available cytogeographic data, we speculate that the more advanced tetraplont or aneuploid species of Heracleum in India may be derived from early diplont species that were distributed in the Caucasus region and Hengduan Mountains. The dispersal of Heracleum was from Eurasia to India, because this correlates with the emergence of the Himalayan Mountains through tectonic movement. Thus, the Hengduan Mountains are not only a center of diversity for Heracleum, but also a center of active speciation in modern times. [source] TEXTURAL AND MICROSTRUCTURAL PROPERTIES OF BURFI MADE WITH VARIOUS SWEETENERSJOURNAL OF TEXTURE STUDIES, Issue 6 2007S. ARORA ABSTRACT High-intensity low-calorie sweeteners saccharin, acesulfame-K, sucralose and aspartame were used as a replacement for sucrose in the manufacture of burfi. Burfi sweetened with low-calorie sweeteners ranked lower (P < 0.05) but was still acceptable in various textural attributes at all periods of storage in comparison to the control with sucrose. The low hardness, adhesiveness, springiness and accordingly, gumminess and chewiness in burfi samples sweetened with low-calorie sweeteners were because of the lack of compactness. It was evident from the scanning electron microscopy that the compactness of the network in burfi decreased with the use of low-calorie sweeteners. The results of the sensory evaluation have shown the successful use of low-calorie sweeteners in the preparation of burfi with a slight difference in its overall acceptability, thus providing an alternate variety to the health-conscious consumers. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The consumption of sweets is an integral part of the Indian dietary system. An estimated 54% of India's milk production is converted into products, both traditional and western, with 50% share of traditional products. But in recent years, the manufacturers are diversifying the production to include the specialty items that cater to specific targeted populations. Diabetic-friendly traditional sweet is a new category for such products, the production of which is being contemplated by many enterprising manufacturers. The results have shown the possibility of using low-calorie sweeteners in the preparation of indigenous dairy products, i.e., burfi. The manufacture of indigenous dairy products with low-calorie sweeteners will provide a successful outlet for traditional milk products, and this will provide an alternate variety to the health-conscious consumers. [source] COMPARISON OF PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF AGAR, LOW GEL STRENGTH AGAR AND GELATIN, AS SUPPLEMENTARY FOOD FOR PEOPLE WITH SWALLOWING DIFFICULTYJOURNAL OF TEXTURE STUDIES, Issue 4 2002ATSUKO IGARASHI ABSTRACT Low gel strength agar (LGSA), recently developed as a supplementary food for swallowing was compared with ordinary agar and gelatin. LGSA was developed to have physical properties close to that of gelatin, while keeping one property of agar, i. e. its setting temperature which can be controlled comparatively easier than gelatin. Each specimen was prepared with and without orange flavor. After determination of their basic properties, i. e. hardness, adhesiveness, cohesiveness and gumminess, three samples of two flavors, six in all, were studied for ease of swallowing using electromyography and sensory evaluation, on middle age (40 to 60 years old) and senior age (60 to 70 years old) subjects. Those experiments revealed nearly the same results with all samples, except for a slight difference in gumminess in LGSA and gelatin. No significant difference in electromyograms were noted in six samples or with age of subjects. It is feasible to employ agar materials together with gelatin in institutions whose members have swallowing disorders. [source] Quality of life in acute and maintenance treatment of non-erosive and mild erosive gastro-oesophageal reflux diseaseALIMENTARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 4 2005F. PACE Summary Background:, Quality of life has been assessed in a large, multicentre randomized, open label study. Aim:, To evaluate the economic and clinical consequences of two different maintenance treatment modalities, administered to 6017 gastro-oesophageal reflux disease patients at 451 gastroenterological centres in Italy. Methods:, Adult gastro-oesophageal reflux disease patients received, at enrolment, an acute treatment of esomeprazole 40 mg/day for 4 weeks and, if successfully treated, were randomized into two maintenance treatment strategies: esomeprazole 20 mg/day or esomeprazole on demand for 6 months. A baseline endoscopy allowed the exclusion of grade II,IV oesophagitis according to Savary,Miller's classification. Burden of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease was measured at baseline by the generic questionnaire Short-Form 36 and by a disease specific instrument, quality of life in reflux and dyspepsia (QOLRAD), also administered at start and conclusion of maintenance period. Investigators were required to collect patient judgement about the degree of satisfaction with treatment effect on heartburn, with a 7-point scale. Results:, A comparison between Short-Form 36 scores and the normative source of the Italian general population suggested that symptomatic gastro-oesophageal reflux disease patients experience a worse quality of life than the general population. At the end of the 4-week treatment with esomeprazole 40 mg all (QOLRAD) dimensions showed a statistically significant (P < 0.0001) and clinically meaningful improvement. Satisfaction level towards treatment was reported high in the total enrolled population after acute treatment with esomeprazole 40 mg/day (96.2% satisfied and 64.4% very satisfied). A statistically significant difference in (QOLRAD) scores was registered at the end of maintenance phase in favour of the continuous regimen, nevertheless the size of this difference was very small in all dimensions; similarly, the proportion of patients very satisfied was slightly higher in the continuous treatment arm (64.5%) than in the on-demand arm (59.7%). Conclusions:, Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease can significantly impair health-related quality of life and esomeprazole therapy allows immediate relief in the acute phase of the disease. Quality of life improvement was maintained during the 6-month follow-up with a slight difference in term of quality of life in reflux and dyspepsia scores and patients' satisfaction in favour of the continuous treatment strategy. [source] Variation in pollen dispersal between years with different pollination conditions in a tropical emergent treeMOLECULAR ECOLOGY, Issue 11 2004T. KENTA Abstract We examined differences in pollen dispersal efficiency between 2 years in terms of both spatial dispersal range and genetic relatedness of pollen in a tropical emergent tree, Dipterocarpus tempehes. The species was pollinated by the giant honeybee (Apis dorsata) in a year of intensive community-level mass-flowering or general flowering (1996), but by several species of moths in a year of less-intensive general flowering (1998). We carried out paternity analysis based on six DNA microsatellite markers on a total of 277 mature trees forming four spatially distinct subpopulations in a 70 ha area, and 147 and 188 2-year-old seedlings originating from seeds produced in 1996 and 1998 (cohorts 96 and 98, respectively). Outcrossing rates (0.93 and 0.96 for cohorts 96 and 98, respectively) did not differ between years. Mean dispersal distances (222 and 192 m) were not significantly different between the 2 years but marginally more biased to long distance in 1996. The mean relatedness among cross-pollinated seedlings sharing the same mothers in cohort 96 was lower than that in cohort 98. This can be attributed to the two facts that the proportion of intersubpopulations pollen flow among cross-pollination events was marginally higher in cohort 96 (44%) than in cohort 98 (33%), and that mature trees within the same subpopulations are genetically more related to each other than those between different subpopulations. We conclude that D. tempehes maintained effective pollen dispersal in terms of outcrossing rate and pollen dispersal distance in spite of the large difference in foraging characteristics between two types of pollinators. In terms of pollen relatedness, however, a slight difference was suggested between years in the level of biparental inbreeding. [source] Enantiomers of a nonylphenol isomer: Absolute configurations and estrogenic potenciesCHIRALITY, Issue 2 2009Haifeng Zhang Abstract Enantiomers of 4-(1,1,2-trimethylhexyl)phenol, a chiral isomer of the endocrine disrupting chemical nonylphenol, have been resolved and isolated by preparative chiral HPLC. The absolute configurations of the enantiomers were then determined by an X-ray crystallographic study of the (,)-camphanoyl derivative of the first eluted enantiomer NP35E1. The first enantiomer (NP35E1) and the second enantiomer (NP35E2) eluted were found to have the S and R absolute configurations, respectively. The estrogenic potencies of the S and R enantiomers were tested by the E-screen assay. A slight difference was observed in the relative proliferative effect between the S enantiomer and R enantiomer in the E-screen assay. Chirality, 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Photofading of reactive dyes on silk and cotton: effect of dye,fibre interactionsCOLORATION TECHNOLOGY, Issue 4 2001Deepali Rastogi Fading characteristics of selected bifunctional and monofunctional reactive dyes have been studied on silk and cotton. Dyes were applied in the reactive and hydrolysed forms in order to study the influence of covalent bonding on the photofading of reactive dyes. The active dye-fibre interaction was found to influence the light fastness of dyes. Reactive dyes forming covalent bonds exhibited better fastness especially on cotton. Only a slight difference in light fastness of fixed and unfixed dyes was observed in the case of silk. The bifunctional reactive dyes, due to the formation of crosslinks, maintain the integrity of the fibre particularly for short periods of light exposure. [source] Expression survey of genes critical for tooth development in the human embryonic tooth germDEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS, Issue 5 2007Dahe Lin Abstract In the developing murine tooth, the expression patterns of numerous regulatory genes have been examined and their roles have begun to be revealed. To unveil the molecular mechanisms that regulate human tooth morphogenesis, we examined the expression patterns of several regulatory genes, including BMP4, FGF8, MSX1, PAX9, PITX2, and SHOX2, and compared them with that found in mice. All of these genes are known to play critical roles in murine tooth development. Our results show that these genes exhibit basically similar expression patterns in the human tooth germ compared with that in the mouse. However, slightly different expression patterns were also observed for some of the genes at certain stages. For example, MSX1 expression was detected in the inner enamel epithelium in addition to the dental mesenchyme at the bell stage of the human tooth. Moreover, FGF8 expression remained in the dental epithelium at the cap stage, while PAX9 and SHOX2 expression was detected in both dental epithelium and mesenchyme of the human tooth germ. Our results indicate that, although slight differences exist in the gene expression patterns, the human and mouse teeth not only share considerable homology in odontogenesis but also use similar underlying molecular networks. Developmental Dynamics 236:1307,1312, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Does morphological variation between young-of-the-year perch from two Swedish lakes depend on genetic differences?ECOLOGY OF FRESHWATER FISH, Issue 2 2010M. Heynen Heynen M, Hellström G, Magnhagen C, Borcherding J. Does morphological variation between young-of-the-year perch from two Swedish lakes depend on genetic differences? Ecology of Freshwater Fish 2010: 19: 163,169. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S Abstract,,, Different local environmental conditions have often been found to generate phenotypic diversity. In the present study we examined morphological differences between young-of-the-year perch from two lake populations with differences in size-specific predation risk. A common garden setup was used to examine the genetic and environmental components of the morphological variation. We found differences in head and jaw length and slight differences in body depth between the wild young-of-the-year perch from Lake Ängersjön and Lake Fisksjön. The differences found between the wild fish from the two lakes were not maintained under common garden rearing. The observed morphological divergence between the wild young-of-the-year perch from Lake Ängersjön and Lake Fisksjön seems to stem mainly from a plastic response to different environmental conditions in the two lakes. It is clear that the morphological traits are not influenced by direct reaction to the size-specific risk of cannibalism, but probably stem from a combination of different environment characteristics, including resource and habitat use, and the density of other piscivores, such as pike. [source] Ethyl glucuronide in hair.ADDICTION, Issue 6 2009A sensitive, specific marker of chronic heavy drinking ABSTRACT Aims This study aims to define a cut-off concentration for ethyl glucuronide in hair to determine if there was a history of heavy drinking. Settings Pavia, Italy. Participants We analysed hair samples from 98 volunteers among teetotallers, social drinkers and heavy drinkers, whose ethanol daily intake (EDI) was estimated by means of a written questionnaire. Measurements Ethyl glucuronide hair concentration (HEtG) was measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (lower limit of quantification: 3 pg/mg) using a fully validated method. Findings The HEtG level providing the best compromise between sensitivity (0.92) and specificity (0.96) at detecting an EDI of 60 g or higher during the last 3 months was 27 pg/mg. None of the factors examined among those known to affect ethanol metabolism and/or the diagnostic power of other markers of ethanol use or hair analyses, including age, gender, body mass index, tobacco smoke, prevalent beverage, hair colour, cosmetic treatments and hygienic habits was found to influence marker performance significantly. However, the slight differences in HEtG performance observed for some factors (e.g. body mass index, smoke and hair treatments) require further studies on larger groups of individuals in order to assess their influence more precisely. Conclusions Our results confirm further that HEtG is a sensitive and specific marker of chronic heavy drinking. [source] Toxicokinetics of sediment-associated polybrominated diphenylethers (flame retardants) in benthic invertebrates (Lumbriculus variegatus, oligochaeta)ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 1 2004Matti T. Leppänen Abstract Polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants showing rapid temporal increase in some sample types. The compounds are known to biomagnify in aquatic food webs and are assumed to archive into sediments and soils. Currently, no direct evidence indicates whether sediment-associated PBDEs are available for biota. The aim of the present study was to explore the uptake and elimination of two common congeners (47 and 99) in sediment-inhabiting invertebrates to shed light on possible bioavailability of sediment-associated PBDEs. Two clean lake sediments were spiked with environmentally relevant concentrations of 14C-labeled tetra- and pentabromo diphenylether, and oligochaetes (Lumbriculus variegatus) were exposed for three or four weeks to allow kinetic accumulation calculations. Subsequent depuration tests were performed after three weeks of exposure to obtain depuration rates. Both congeners were clearly bioavailable, and only slight differences in steady-state tissue concentrations were found between the four sediment-ingesting oligochaete treatments (biota sediment accumulation factors [BSAFs], 3.0,3.7). The tetrabromo diphenylether-exposed oligochaetes that did not ingest sediment had clearly lower influx rates (0.1 vs 1,3 nmol h -1) than sediment-ingesting worms. Also, the estimated BSAF (1.8) was statistically different from that of the sediment-ingesting oligochaetes. These findings support the significance of feeding behavior in bioaccumulation of very hydrophobic organic contaminants. Depuration of both congeners was biphasic, indicating two kinetically different compartments in L. variegatus. Compartment A made up 73 to 92% of total radioactivity in tissues and had relatively fast depuration rates (half-lives, 10.5,47.5 h); the smaller compartment B had very slow depuration rates. No significant biotransformation of PBDEs was evident. The present study clearly demonstrates that the sediment-associated PBDEs, like other hydrophobic organic contaminants of environmental concern, are not totally sequestered from sediment-inhabiting oligochaetes and are subject to trophic transfer. [source] Electroclinical Picture of Autosomal Dominant Nocturnal Frontal Lobe Epilepsy in a Japanese FamilyEPILEPSIA, Issue 1 2000Masatoshi Ito Summary: Purpose: Autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy (ADNFLE) is the first described partial epilepsy syndrome known to be due to a single gene mutation. We found a first Japanese ADNFLE family with a novel mutation of the neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) ,4 subunit (CHRNA4) gene. The aim of this report is precisely to describe the electroclinical manifestations of ADNFLE in this family and to compare these findings with those of other families reported previously in the literature. Methods: Three affected family members were investigated electroclinically by close clinical observation, interictal EEG, video-EEG monitoring, magnetic resonance imaging, and single-photon-emission tomography. Information about other affected family members was obtained from either the spouse or the parents. Mutations within the CHRNA4 gene were examined in seven family members. Results: The clinical manifestations and diagnostic findings in the members of this family were consistent with ADNFLE. However, there were intrafamilial and interfamilial variations in clinical features. The seizures of the patients were brief tonic seizures, with hyperventilation in children and secondarily generalized tonic,clonic convulsions in adults. The onset of the children's seizures began in infancy and early childhood. The children's seizures were sometimes provoked by movement and sound stimulation, and did not respond to antiepileptic drugs. On the other hand, the adults' seizures disappeared spontaneously or were easily controlled with carbamazepine. Three children showed hyperactivity, and two children had mild mental retardation. All patients had impaired consciousness during their seizures and no auras. A novel missense mutation (c755C>T) in exon 5 of the CHRNA4 gene was found in four affected family members. Conclusions: The electroclinical pictures of a Japanese family with ADNFLE were basically the same as those of other families reported, but with slight differences. ADNFLE is probably not uncommon, and it is very likely that there are unidentified patients with this inherited disorder in Japan. [source] Heat Transfer in Polypropylene-Based Foams Produced Using Different Foaming Processes,ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 10 2009Marcelo Antunes This paper presents the characterization of the cellular structure and thermal conduction behaviour of polypropylene foams produced using different foaming processes, with the aim of selecting the best possible PP foam thermal insulator. Thermal conductivity results have shown that the global heat transfer behaviour is controlled by the relative density. For relative densities higher than 0.2, thermal conductivity differences were insignificant, the data being predicted by the mixture's rule and Russell's model. In the low density range, all of the proposed models underestimated the overall conductivity, the effect of the processing method being more significant, slight differences being observed between foams produced by extrusion and those produced by gas dissolution with higher cell sizes and anisotropies. Foams with finer cellular structures showed to be better insulating materials. [source] Seed characters and testa sculptures of some Iranian Allium L. species (Alliaceae)FEDDES REPERTORIUM, Issue 5-6 2009Fatemeh Neshati Seeds taken from herbarium specimens of 20 Allium taxa were investigated. The seeds of all species were black ranging from 1.7 mm (A. lamondiae) to 4 mm (A. altissimum and A. stipitatum) in length and 1 mm (A. lamondiae) to 3 mm (A. altissimum) in width. So, A. lamondiae had the smallest and A. altissimum the largest seeds. In the mean, the members of subg. Melanocrommyum had somewhat larger and the species of sect. Avulsea somewhat smaller seeds than most species belonging to other groups. The shape was generally ovate or variants of it and showed only slight differences between members of different sections. The seed coat pattern was more variable. Most common were convex, granulate periclinal walls bearing several verrucae. Only A. borszczowii showed flat, densely granulate periclinal walls without verrucae, and A. bungei and A. joharchii had somewhat verruca-like aggregating grana. The majority of the species investigated showed S-like, rarely Omega-like, undulated anticlinal walls with variable wavelengths and amplitudes. The testa cells of A. joharchii showed transitions to straight anticlinal walls. More or less straight anticlinal walls in A. kopetdagense, A. paradoxum, A. barsczewskii, and A. scabriscapum were connected with the presence of a strip-like widened and transversally striated intercellular region covering these walls. The seed coat pattern of most species corresponded well to earlier reports of the same or closely related species, or was at least already reported for not related Allium species. Only A. borszczowii and A. monophyllum displayed testa types earlier not reported. (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] BIOMOD , optimizing predictions of species distributions and projecting potential future shifts under global changeGLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 10 2003Wilfried ThuillerArticle first published online: 9 OCT 200 Abstract A new computation framework (BIOMOD: BIOdiversity MODelling) is presented, which aims to maximize the predictive accuracy of current species distributions and the reliability of future potential distributions using different types of statistical modelling methods. BIOMOD capitalizes on the different techniques used in static modelling to provide spatial predictions. It computes, for each species and in the same package, the four most widely used modelling techniques in species predictions, namely Generalized Linear Models (GLM), Generalized Additive Models (GAM), Classification and Regression Tree analysis (CART) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). BIOMOD was applied to 61 species of trees in Europe using climatic quantities as explanatory variables of current distributions. On average, all the different modelling methods yielded very good agreement between observed and predicted distributions. However, the relative performance of different techniques was idiosyncratic across species, suggesting that the most accurate model varies between species. The results of this evaluation also highlight that slight differences between current predictions from different modelling techniques are exacerbated in future projections. Therefore, it is difficult to assess the reliability of alternative projections without validation techniques or expert opinion. It is concluded that rather than using a single modelling technique to predict the distribution of several species, it would be more reliable to use a framework assessing different models for each species and selecting the most accurate one using both evaluation methods and expert knowledge. [source] Analysis of suspended sediment yields after low impact forest harvestingHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 26 2007Norifumi Hotta Abstract Disturbances to forest catchments have profound effects on the environment of headwater streams and have an impact on suspended sediment (SS) management. Forest harvesting is a dominant factor in increasing SS yields. Road construction, skidder activity and ploughing associated with harvesting cause serious soil disturbance that results in SS increases. However, few studies have shown whether harvesting itself increases SS yields. This study examined how harvesting influenced SS yields in a steep forested area. During harvesting, soil surface disturbance was prevented as much as possible by using skyline logging treatments and piling branches and leaves at selected locations in the watershed. Using these methods, the representative SS rating curve did not change significantly after harvesting. The results also show that the characteristics of SS transport were related to the SS source area, and reveal that the riparian zone/stream bank was a dominant SS source area at the study site. Annual SS yields did not increase despite increasing annual water yields after harvesting. The limited water capacity of the soil at the study site likely led to only slight differences in pre- and post-harvest water discharge from heavy rainfall events. Most SS was transported during heavy rainfall events, and increases in SS yields were not detected after harvesting. We concluded that it is possible to prevent post-harvest SS increases by performing careful, low-impact harvesting procedures. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Fining of red wines with gluten or yeast extract proteinINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 2 2010Nerea Iturmendi Abstract Due to a growing interest in alternatives to substitute gelatin as clarifying agent, this work investigates the use of yeast extracts and glutens. Physico-chemical characteristics of proteins were analysed. Fining experiments were carried out on young red wines. Turbidity reduction, lees volume and effects on polyphenolic content and colour characteristics were determined. The results indicated that glutens and yeast extracts turbidity reduction is comparable to gelatin. Lees production was considerably reduced by non-animal proteins: yeast extracts produced 44%, wheat glutens 60% and maize gluten 92% less than gelatin. Lees volume is highly correlated (R = ,0.720) with the absolute superficial charge density value (SCD) and with the pI (0.936) when clarifier was used in combination with bentonite. Treatments with glutens reduced less the polyphenolic content (between 0.6 and 8.7 units) than gelatin did. There were slight differences on the modification of colour intensity. [source] Comparison of methods for determining the numbers and species distribution of coliform bacteria in well water samplesJOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 6 2001R.M. Niemi R.M. NIEMI, M.P. HEIKKILÄ, K. LAHTI, S. KALSO AND S.I. NIEMELÄ. 2001. Aims: Enumeration of coliform bacteria and Escherichia coli is the most widely used method in the estimation of hygienic quality of drinking water. The yield of target bacteria and the species composition of different populations of coliform bacteria may depend on the method. Three methods were compared. Methods and Results:,Three membrane filtration methods were used for the enumeration of coliform bacteria in shallow well waters. The yield of confirmed coliform bacteria was highest on Differential Coliform agar, followed by LES Endo agar. Differential Coliform agar had the highest proportion of typical colonies, of which 74% were confirmed as belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae. Of the typical colonies on Lactose Tergitol 7 TTC agar, 75% were confirmed as Enterobacteriaceae, whereas 92% of typical colonies on LES Endo agar belonged to the Enterobacteriaceae. LES Endo agar yielded many Serratia strains, Lactose Tergitol 7 TTC agar yielded numerous strains of Rahnella aquatilis and Enterobacter, whereas Differential Coliform agar yielded the widest range of species. Conclusions: The yield of coliform bacteria varied between methods. Each method compared had a characteristic species distribution of target bacteria and a typical level of interference of non-target bacteria. Identification with routine physiological tests to distinct species was hampered by the slight differences between species. High yield and sufficient selectivity are difficult to achieve simultaneously, especially if the target group is diverse. Significance and Impact of the Study: The results showed that several aspects of method performance should be considered, and that the target group must be distinctly defined to enable method comparisons. [source] Overall Quality Throughout Shelf Life of Minimally Fresh Processed FennelJOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE, Issue 1 2005Victor H. Escalona ABSTRACT: The keeping quality of minimally fresh processed fennel up to 14 d at 0 °C under modified atmosphere packaging was studied. Samples of 1 cm3 diced fennel washed for 1 min with chlorinated (100 mg/L) water were placed in 35 ,m oriented polypropylene (PP) bags or in PP baskets heat-sealed with unperforated or perforated (control) PP film. Changes in respiratory activity, ethylene emission, color, sugars content, chemical parameters, browning, decay, microbial growth, and sensory attributes were monitored. Respiratory activity in diced fennel was 1.5,fold higher than that for whole bulbs, and slight differences in ethylene emission between both whole and fresh processed fennel were found. A gas composition within both kinds of unperforated packages of about 11 to 13 kPa O2 and 9 to 12 kPa CO2 was reached. At the end of storage of fennel dices under this atmosphere, total plate counts were lower than legal limit for safe consumption. At any moment, neither physiological disorders nor decay developed. Although after 14 d a slight browning on the dices surface appeared, levels of sensorial attributes higher than acceptable for commercial purposes were reached. [source] Hindered diffusion of residue narrow cuts through polycarbonate membranesAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 8 2010Zhentao Chen Abstract Hindered diffusion plays an important role in catalytic processing of residue and heavy oil because of large size molecules in these feedstocks. Vacuum residue of Athabasca oil sand bitumen was fractionated into 13 narrow fractions and an end-cut by supercritical fluid extraction and fractionation (SFEF). Diffusion transport of five SFEF cuts through four polycarbonate membranes was investigated using a diaphragm cell at 308 K. The results showed that diffusion coefficients of the five SFEF cuts decreased as the experiment proceeded, which illustrates that these cuts are polydisperse in size. The effective diffusion coefficients varied with molecular size and pore size. Hindered diffusion of the five SFEF cuts is significant in the membranes with nominal pore diameter of 15 nm, which is around the average pore size of typical hydrotreating catalyst. Comparisons between experimental data and theoretical prediction revealed that the actual hindered degree for diffusion of the five SFEF cuts is higher than that calculated by the Renkin equation. There were slight differences in diffusivity among saturate, aromatic, and resin constituents. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2010 [source] Application of the distributed activation energy model to biomass and biomass constituents devolatilizationAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 10 2009María V. Navarro Abstract In this study, an investigation about the thermal behavior of four different woods was carried out. The distributed activation energy model was applied to study the effect of heating rate on the reaction of single solids. Results obtained were used in the curve prediction of fraction of mass remaining and rate of mass loss vs. temperature at more realistic heating rates. The possible calculation of biomass samples behavior in pyrolysis conditions as the summation of their constituents, lignin, cellulose, and hemi-cellulose is also explored. All the samples show a weak interaction between the constituents which produce slight differences between experimental and calculated behavior. However, differences between experimental and calculated data lower than 2% offer a robust test of the applicability of the model on kinetic studies of a wide range of biomass samples, heating rates, data input format and equipment layout. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009 [source] Physiological and Biochemical Characteristics of Iranian Strains of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri, the Causal Agent of Citrus bacterial Canker DiseaseJOURNAL OF PHYTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 2 2001M. Mohammadi Twenty-four strains of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri (Xac), the causal agent of bacterial canker of citrus, isolated from Mexican lime (Citrus aurantifolia) and lemon (Citrus limon) in southern Iran, were characterized phenotypically. Strains were all pathogenic on C. aurantifolia. Sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis revealed slight differences in soluble protein profiles among the strains. Based on host range specificity and phenotypic characteristics, representative strains were differentiated into two groups of Asiatic (A) and atypical Asiatic (aA) forms. DNA fingerprinting analysis using EcoRI as the restriction endonuclease showed a negligible difference in restriction pattern between the two groups. On the basis of isozymic analysis, the two groups were distinct with respect to superoxide dismutase (SOD) and esterase (EST) banding patterns. Plasmid DNA profile analysis showed that the bacterial strains were different from each other in terms of plasmid number and molecular weight. Phage typing study revealed that most of group A strains were susceptible to Cp1 and/or Cp2 and some were resistant to both phage types including the strain in aA group. Bacteriocin production test indicated that there was a variation among Xac strains using different indicators for each bacteriocin producer. It is concluded that the Iranian strains of Xac are heterogeneous and constitute a subgroup(s) within the pathotype A. Physiologische und biochemische Merkmale iranischer Stämme von Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri, dem Erreger des bakteriellen Zitruskrebses Vierundzwanzig Stämme von Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri, dem Erreger des bakteriellen Zitruskrebses, wurden von mexikanischen Sauren Limetten (Citrus aurantifolia) und Zitronen (Citrus limon) im Südiran isoliert und phänotypisch charakterisiert. Alle Stämme waren für C. aurantifolia pathogen. Eine SDS-PAGE-Analyse zeigte, daß zwischen den Stämmen geringfügige Unterschiede bei den Profilen der löslichen Proteine bestanden. Auf Grundlage der Spezifität des Wirtsspektrums und phänotypischer Merkmale wurden repräsentative Stämme in die zwei Gruppen asiatische (A) und atypische asiatische (aA) Formen eingeteilt. Eine Analyse mit DNA-Fingerabdrücken, wobei EcoRI als Restriktionsendonuclease diente, zeigte einen vernachlässigbar kleinen Unterschied bei den Restriktionsmustern der beiden Gruppen. Die Isoenzymanalyse ergab Unterschiede zwischen beiden Gruppen bezüglich der Bandenmuster von Superoxiddismutase (SOD) und Esterase (EST). Eine Analyse der Plasmid-DNA-Profile zeigte, daß die Bakterienstämme unterschiedliche Plasmidzahlen und verschiedene Molekülmassen aufwiesen. Eine Phagentypisierung ergab, daß die meisten Stämme der Gruppe A anfällig für Cp1 und/oder Cp2 waren; einige waren resistent gegen beide Phagentypen, darunter der Stamm in der aA-Gruppe. Ein Test der Bacteriocinproduktion ergab, daß die Xac -Stämme variierten; hier wurden verschiedene Indikatoren für jeden Bakteriocinbildner verwendet. Es wird gefolgert, daß die iranischen Stämme von Xac heterogen sind und eine oder mehrere Untergruppen innerhalb des Pathotyps A bilden. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||