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Various Environmental Factors (various + environmental_factor)
Selected AbstractsEnvironmental Risk Factors Predisposing to the Development of Basal Cell CarcinomaDERMATOLOGIC SURGERY, Issue 2004Malgorzata Zak-Prelich MD Background. Basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) are the most common malignancies in white people. The incidence varies depending on the region of the world, with the highest rate of 1% to 2% per year noted in Australia. It is estimated that BCC incidence increases by 5% annually. An increasing incidence of BCC is in line with the changes in the living style and exposure to various environmental factors. Objective. To present the environmental factors that may influence the development of BCCs. The influence of ultraviolet radiation exposure alone and in connection with immunosuppression, smoking, occupational factors, as well as arsenic and ionizing radiation exposure, was described. Conclusion. BCC is a very complex disease, with many factors influencing its development. Environmental factors are very important for the prevalence of BCC, and most of them can be avoided. The exposure to ultraviolet radiation is undoubtedly of great risk; therefore, the national campaigns against aggressive, seasonal sun exposure, especially in children and adolescents, as well as using sunscreens, are of great value in the fight against BCC development. [source] Epidermal keratinocytes as the forefront of the sensory systemEXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2007Mitsuhiro Denda Abstract, Various sensors that respond to physical or chemical environmental factors have been identified in the peripheral nervous system. Some of them, which respond to mechanical stress, osmotic pressure, temperature and chemical stimuli (such as pH), are also expressed in epidermal keratinocytes. Neurotransmitters and their receptors, as well as receptors that regulate the neuroendocrine system of the skin, are also present in keratinocytes. Thus, broadly speaking, epidermal keratinocytes appear to be equipped with sensing systems similar to those of the peripheral and central nervous systems. It had long been considered that only nerve C-terminals in the epidermis play a role in skin surface perception. However, building on earlier work on skin receptors and new findings introduced here, we present in this review a novel hypothesis of skin sensory perception, i.e. first, keratinocytes recognize various environmental factors, and then the information is processed and conveyed to the nervous system. [source] Habitat associations of Atlantic herring in the Shetland area: influence of spatial scale and geographic segmentationFISHERIES OCEANOGRAPHY, Issue 3 2001CHRISTOS D. Maravelias This study considers the habitat associations of a pelagic species with a range of biotic and abiotic factors at three different spatial scales. Generalized additive models (GAM) are used to analyse trends in the distributional abundance of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) in relation to thermocline and water depth, seabed roughness and hardness, sea surface salinity and temperature, zooplankton abundance and spatial location. Two geographical segments of the population, those east and west of the Shetland Islands (northern North Sea, ICES Div IVa), are examined. The differences in the ecological preferences of the species in these two distinct geographical areas are elucidated and the degree that these environmental relationships might be modulated by the change of support of the data is also considered. Part of the observed variability of the pre-spawning distribution of herring was explained by different parameters in these two regions. Notwithstanding this, key determinants of the species' spatial aggregation in both areas were zooplankton abundance and the nature of the seabed substrate. The relative importance of the variables examined did not change significantly at different spatial scales of the observation window. The diverse significance of various environmental factors on herring distribution was attributed mainly to the interaction of species' dynamics with the different characteristics of the ecosystem, east and west of the Shetland Islands. Results suggest that the current 2.5 nautical miles as elementary sampling distance unit (ESDU) is a reasonable sampling scheme that combines the need to reduce the data volume while maintaining spatial resolution to distinguish the species/environment relationships. [source] The effect of soil type, meteorological forcing and slope gradient on the simulation of internal erosion processes at the local scaleHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 13 2010Guillaume Nord Abstract Numerical simulation experiments of water erosion at the local scale (20 × 5 m) using a process-based model [Plot Soil Erosion Model_2D (PSEM_2D)] were carried out to test the effects of various environmental factors (soil type, meteorological forcing and slope gradient) on the runoff and erosion response and to determine the dominant processes that control the sediment yield at various slope lengths. The selected environmental factors corresponded to conditions for which the model had been fully tested beforehand. The use of a Green and Ampt model for infiltration explained the dominant role played by rainfall intensity in the runoff response. Sediment yield at the outlet of the simulated area was correlated positively with rainfall intensity and slope gradient, but was less sensitive to soil type. The relationship between sediment yield (soil loss per unit area) and slope length was greatly influenced by all environmental factors, but there was a general tendency towards higher sediment yield when the slope was longer. Contribution of rainfall erosion to gross erosion was dominant for all surfaces with slope lengths ranging from 4 to 20 m. The highest sediment yields corresponded to cases where flow erosion was activated. An increase in slope gradient resulted in flow detachment starting upstream. Sediment exported at the outlet of the simulated area came predominantly from the zone located near the outlet. The microrelief helped in the development of a rill network that controlled both the ratio between rainfall and flow erosion and the relationship between sediment yield and slope length. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A physiological overview of the genetics of flowering time controlPLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL, Issue 1 2005Georges Bernier Summary Physiological studies on flowering time control have shown that plants integrate several environmental signals. Predictable factors, such as day length and vernalization, are regarded as ,primary', but clearly interfere with, or can even be substituted by, less predictable factors. All plant parts participate in the sensing of these interacting factors. In the case of floral induction by photoperiod, long-distance signalling is known to occur between the leaves and the shoot apical meristem (SAM) via the phloem. In the long-day plant, Sinapis alba, this long-distance signalling has also been shown to involve the root system and to include sucrose, nitrate, glutamine and cytokinins, but not gibberellins. In Arabidopsis thaliana, a number of genetic pathways controlling flowering time have been identified. Models now extend beyond ,primary' controlling factors and show an ever-increasing number of cross-talks between pathways triggered or influenced by various environmental factors and hormones (mainly gibberellins). Most of the genes involved are preferentially expressed in meristems (the SAM and the root tip), but, surprisingly, only a few are expressed preferentially or exclusively in leaves. However, long-distance signalling from leaves to SAM has been shown to occur in Arabidopsis during the induction of flowering by long days. In this review, we propose a model integrating physiological data and genes activated by the photoperiodic pathway controlling flowering time in early-flowering accessions of Arabidopsis. This model involves metabolites, hormones and gene products interacting as long- or short-distance signalling molecules. [source] Does Late Reproduction Extend the Life Span?POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW, Issue 3 2004Findings from European Royalty Statistical associations between late reproduction and female longevity led to speculations that a late birth increases a mother's life span. The database used here includes all descendants of King George I of England (1660,1727) and his wife, Sophie Dorothea (1666,1726), born in the royal dynasties in Europe up to 1939 (n=1,672). In the era of British world supremacy, these descendants formed the uppermost layer of the European aristocracy, occupying all royal thrones from 1850 onward. Novel in this study is the use of pedigree information. In pairs of ever-married full sisters (brothers), both surviving to 45 (50) years, both having at least one child, the study examines whether the sibling with the first,or last,child born later in life also lived a longer life. This design controls for genetics, socioeconomic status, parity, social support, child mortality, birth cohort, and various environmental factors. In the 157 pairs of sisters and 191 pairs of brothers, later reproduction did not extend the life span. [source] | ||||||||||