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First Parameter (first + parameter)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	50%

Selected Abstracts

Distribution of infestation by lentil gall midge Contarinia lentis (Dipt., Cecidomyiidae) in lentil fields: statistical model

JOURNAL OF APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 1 2000
P. Kolesik
The horizontal distribution of infestation by Contarinia lentis in lentil fields, not subjected to chemical control was recorded and analysed in Slovak Republic during outbreaks of this pest in 1986,89. Infestation level was defined as the percentage of galls form the total number of galls, pods, and flowers. The highest level of infestation were found along the edges and the lowest levels in the centres of fields. The distribution of the infestation between the edge and the centre has been described for 18 fields using a nonlinear function containing two parameters. The first parameter represents the infestation level at the edge. The second parameter represents the rate of decreas of infestation from the edge towards the centre of the field. The relationship between the first parameter and the distance to the adult midge emerge site and the relationship between second parameter and the mean velocity of winds caryring females from the emergence site is described using exponential functions. The results indicate that (1) the longer the distance to the midge emergence site, the lower the infestation at the edge; and (2) the gretaer the wind velocity, the weaker the decrese in infestation from the edge towards the centre of a field. [source]

A novel method of comparing the healing properties of two hydrogels in chronic leg ulcers

JOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY & VENEREOLOGY, Issue 2 2006
M De La Brassinne
Abstract Skin ulcers on the legs have a chronic, relapsing course and are often a significant management challenge. Novel methods of measuring and comparing the effects of different treatments can be of assistance in addressing this situation. A clinical pilot study using original methods was undertaken to compare the healing properties of the alginate gel Flaminal® (test) and the hydrocolloid gel Intrasite® (control) on chronic leg ulcers. The study was performed over a period of 28 days with two parallel groups of 10 patients. Both the surface (acetate tracing and planimetry) and the volume (Jeltrate® mould impression and weighting) of each wound were measured at baseline and after 7, 14 and 28 days of treatment. On both parameters results were superior with the test product compared to the control, with volume reduction being the first parameter to change. Between groups, difference in wound volume reduction was detected as early as day 7 whereas difference in surface reduction was clearly apparent only at day 28. Correlation between wound surface and volume reductions was also better in the test group (r = 0.843 vs. 0.421) than in the control. In conclusion, this pilot study suggests that combining wound surface and volume evaluations allows a more precise analysis of the healing process in venous leg ulcers and that this method is able to detect very early differences in treatments even with limited sample size. [source]

Psoriasis vs allergic contact dermatitis in palms and soles: a quantitative histologic and immunohistochemical study

APMIS, Issue 8 2009
ANNA MARIA CESINARO
Cesinaro AM, Nannini N, Migaldi M, Pepe P, Maiorana A. Psoriasis vs allergic contact dermatitis in palms and soles: a quantitative histologic and immunohistochemical study. APMIS 2009; 117: 629,34. A systematic histologic and immunohistochemical study of cases of psoriasis (PSO) and allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) in palmo-plantar skin was performed to find differences between these two diseases that usually show overlapping features in these specific sites. Skin biopsies from 42 (22 female, 20 male) patients were evaluated for several histopathologic parameters and immunohistochemistry was applied to quantify keratinocytic proliferation, the number of dendritic cells (DCs) and the phenotype of the mononuclear cell infiltrate. Regular epidermal hyperplasia and marked parakeratosis were found to be more frequent in PSO than in ACD cases, but only the first parameter reached the level of significance (p = 0.03). The number of S100 protein-positive DCs was significantly higher in ACD (p = 0.006), whereas keratinocytic proliferation, studied with Mib-1, was found to be higher in PSO than in ACD, but the difference was not statistically significant. No significant difference was detected in the number of CD4+, CD8+ and bcl2+ lymphocytes in PSO and ACD cases. In the palms and soles, the finding of irregular epidermal hyperplasia and the detection of a higher number of S100 protein-positive DCs favor the diagnosis of ACD over PSO. The differential diagnosis between PSO and ACD can be practically approached using a histopathologic parameter and a commercially available antibody. [source]

The ECMWF operational implementation of four-dimensional variational assimilation.

THE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY, Issue 564 2000
I: Experimental results with simplified physics
Abstract This paper presents results of a comparison between four-dimensional variational assimilation (4D-Var). using a 6-hour assimilation window and simplified physics during the minimization, and three-dimensional variational assimilation (3D-Var). Results have been obtained at ,operational' resolution T213L31/T63L31. (T defines the spectral triangular truncation and L the number of levels in the vertical, with the first parameters defining the resolution of the model trajectory, and the second the resolution of the inner-loop.) The sensitivity of the 4D-Var performance to different set-ups is investigated. In particular, the performance of 4D-Var in the Tropics revealed some sensitivity to the way the adiabatic nonlinear normal-mode initialization of the increments was performed. Going from four outer-loops to only one (as in 3D-Var), together with a change to the 1997 formulation of the background constraint and an initialization of only the small scales, helped to improve the 4D-Var performance. Tropical scores then became only marginally worse for 4D-Var than for 3D-Var. Twelve weeks of experimentation with the one outer-loop 4D-Var and the 1997 background formulation have been studied. The averaged scores show a small but consistent improvement in both hemispheres at all ranges. In the short range, each two- to three-week period has been found to be slightly positive throughout the troposphere. The better short-range performance of the 4D-Var system is also shown by the fits of the background fields to the data. More results are presented for the Atlantic Ocean area during FASTEX (the Fronts and Atlantic Storm-Track Experiment), during which 4D-Var is found to perform better. In individual synoptic cases corresponding to interesting Intensive Observing Periods, 4D-Var has a clear advantage over 3D-Var during rapid cyclogeneses. The very short-range forecasts used as backgrounds are much closer to the data over the Atlantic for 4D-Var than for 3D-Var. The 4D-Var analyses also display more day-to-day variability. Some structure functions are illustrated in the 4D-Var case for a height observation inserted at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of the assimilation window. The dynamical processes seem to be relevant, even with a short 6-hour assimilation period, which explains the better overall performance of the 4D-Var system. [source]