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Insignificant Changes (insignificant + change)
Selected AbstractsEffect of storage on the gel-forming properties of yam-containing surimi gelsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 5 2007Yun-Chin Chung Summary The breaking forces, deformations and water-holding capacities of pollock surimi gels (PSG) containing 20% fresh Tainung No. 1 (TNG1) yam (Dioscorea alata) stored at room temperature, 17 and 10 °C, were determined for 12 weeks to evaluate the feasibility of using fresh yam as a healthy ingredient and an alternative source for starch in surimi seafoods. The results showed that the texture properties of TNG1-PSG decreased during storage regardless of the storage temperatures, except for an insignificant change found in the water-holding capacity at 10 °C. Most changes in the texture properties occurred within 1 week, thus the use of fresh TNG1 immediately after harvest is required for producing TNG1-PSG with good texture properties. Frozen storage of TNG-PSG was also undertaken at ,20 °C for 6 months. After 6-months of storage, the breaking force and water-holding capacity of TNG1-PSG decreased by about 22% and 19%, respectively. [source] Plant harvest impacts and sustainability in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, S.W. UgandaAFRICAN JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2006Robert Bitariho Abstract Sustainable utilization of forest resources has been widely adopted as a conservation strategy, but that sustainability has rarely been empirically tested. Plant resource extraction from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (BINP) by local communities has been legalized and controlled in areas called multiple use zones (MUZs). Through a series of systematic transects and plots, we determined harvest impacts of two mostly harvested medicinal plants of Rytigynia kigeziensis VERDC.l and Ocotea usambarensis Engl in BINP. The plots were placed in MUZs and non-MUZs. Data on biomass production and population dynamics were collected from the plots. We also analysed forest society records for the past 3 years to determine annual plant resource offtakes from BINP. Bark production of the two plants in MUZs and non-MUZs are not significantly different, suggesting an insignificant change in bark production because of bark harvest. Annual bark harvests of the two plants are between 0.26,1.64% of available bark stock. These are too low to cause any noticeable negative impacts and are sustainable. Annual bark harvest of R. kigeziensis and O. usambarensis should be increased from the original 1% to about 3% of available bark stock to allow more involvement of the marginalized poor people like Batwa in BINP. Résumé L'usage viable des ressources forestières a été largement adopté comme stratégie de conservation, mais cette viabilité n'a que rarement été enquêté empiriquement. L'extraction de ressources végétales du Parc National Impénétrable de Bwindi (BINP) par les communautés locales a été légalisée et contrôlée dans des zones appelées ,les zones d'usage multiple' (les MUZ). A travers une série de transectes et placettes systématiques, nous avons déterminé l'impact de la récolte de deux plantes médicinale Rytigynia kigeziensis VERDC.l et Ocotea usambarensis Engl dans le BINP. Les placettes furent situées dans des MUZ ainsi que dans les nons-MUZ. Les données sur la production de biomasse et les dynamiques de la population furent ramassées des placettes. Nous avons analyséaussi les archives de la Société Forestière sur les trois dernières années afin de déterminer le niveau d'enlèvement des ressources végétales dans le BINP. La production d'écorce des deux plantes ne variait pas significativement dans des zones MUZ par rapport aux non-MUZ, ce qui suggère que la rècolte de l'écorce n,agit pratiquement pas sur la production de l'écorce. La rècolte annuelle des plantes représente de 0.26 à 1.64% des réserves d'écorce disponibles. Ces chiffres sont trop petits pour provoquer des dègâts perceptibles et sont viables. La récolte annuelle de R. kigeziensis et O. usambarensis devrait être augmentée à 3% des réserves d'écorce (de 1% actuellement) afin de permettre aux gens marginalisès et pauvres dans le BINP, tel Batwa, d'avoir une plus grande participation. [source] Response of secondary production by macroinvertebrates to large wood addition in three Michigan streamsFRESHWATER BIOLOGY, Issue 8 2009SALLY A. ENTREKIN Summary 1.,We measured responses in macroinvertebrate secondary production after large wood additions to three forested headwater streams in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. These streams had fine-grained sediments and low retention capacity due to low amounts of in-channel wood from a legacy of past logging. We predicted that wood addition would increase macroinvertebrate secondary production by increasing exposed coarse substrate and retention of organic matter. 2.,Large wood (25 logs) was added haphazardly to a 100-m reach in each stream, and a 100-m upstream reach served as control; each reach was sampled monthly, 1 year before and 2 years after wood addition (i.e. BACI design). Macroinvertebrate secondary production was measured 1 year after wood addition in two habitat types: inorganic sediments of the main channel and debris accumulations of leaf litter and small wood. 3.,Overall macroinvertebrate production did not change significantly because each stream responded differently to wood addition. Production increased by 22% in the main-channel of one stream, and showed insignificant changes in the other two streams compared to values before wood addition. Changes in main-channel macroinvertebrate production were related to small changes in substrate composition, which probably affected habitat and periphyton abundance. Macroinvertebrate production was much greater in debris accumulations than in the main-channel, indicating the potential for increased retention of leaf litter to increase overall macroinvertebrate production, especially in autumn. 4.,Surrounding land use, substrate composition, temperature and method of log placement are variables that interact to influence the response of stream biota to wood additions. In most studies, wood additions occur in altered catchments, are rarely monitored, and secondary production is not a common metric. Our results suggest that the time required for measurable changes in geomorphology, organic matter retention, or invertebrate production is likely to take years to achieve, so monitoring should span more than 5 years, and ecosystem metrics, such as macroinvertebrate secondary production, should be incorporated into restoration monitoring programs. [source] Relationship between ease of swallowing and deglutition-related muscle activity in various posturesJOURNAL OF ORAL REHABILITATION, Issue 8 2010T. SAKUMA Summary, The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the ease of swallowing and the deglutition-related muscle activity in various body and head postures by surface electromyography (EMG). Bipolar surface electrodes were placed on the right suprahyoid and infrahyoid muscles of nine healthy adults (19,28 years) while swallowing jelly. Ten postures per subject were examined: five body angulations (0° [supine], 30°, 60°, 90° [upright] and 120° from the horizontal) and two head positions (chin-up and chin-down). The duration and amplitude of suprahyoid and infrahyoid muscle activity were measured by an electromyograph, and the ease of swallowing was subjectively determined by using a rating scale (0 = difficult to swallow, 10 = easy to swallow). The group-average duration and amplitude of muscle activity and the group-average rating scales mostly showed insignificant changes with the body angulations independent of the head positions. Interestingly, the duration and amplitude of muscle activity during swallowing were negatively correlated with the rating scales, indicating that a shorter duration and smaller activity of muscle activity corresponds to easier swallowing. Consequently, the duration and amplitude of suprahyoid and infrahyoid muscle activity measured by surface EMG would be a useful indicator of the easy-to-swallow performance. [source] Effects of distal radius malunion on distal radioulnar joint mechanics,an in vivo studyJOURNAL OF ORTHOPAEDIC RESEARCH, Issue 4 2007Joseph J. Crisco Abstract Patients with a malunited distal radius often have painful and limited forearm rotation, and may progress to arthritis of the distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ). The purpose of this study was to determine if DRUJ congruency and mechanics were altered in patients with malunited distal radius fractures. In nine subjects with unilateral malunions, interbone distances and dorsal and palmar radioulnar ligament lengths were computed from tomographic images of both forearms in multiple forearm positions using markerless bone registration (MBR) techniques. The significance of the changes were assessed using a generalized linear model, which controlled for forearm rotation angle (,60° to 60°). In the malunited forearm, compared to the contralateral uninjured arm, we found that ulnar joint space area significantly decreased by approximately 25%, the centroid of this area moved an average of 1.3 mm proximally, and the dorsal radioulnar ligament elongated. Despite our previous findings of insignificant changes in the pattern of radioulnar kinematics in patients with malunited fractures, we found significant changes in DRUJ joint area and ligament lengthening. These findings suggest that alterations in joint mechanics and soft tissues may play an important role in the dysfunction associated with these injuries. © 2007 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 25:547,555, 2007 [source] Kinetics of the M-Intermediate in the Photocycle of Bacteriorhodopsin upon Chemical Modification with SurfactantsPHOTOCHEMISTRY & PHOTOBIOLOGY, Issue 2 2010Li-Kang Chu The spectroscopic and kinetic studies of the interaction between bacteriorhodopsin in the M-intermediate and several surfactants (cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide, dodecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide, diethylene glycol mono- n -hexyl ether, ethylene glycol mono- n -hexyl ether, sodium 1-decanesulfonate and sodium 1-heptanesulfonate) have been investigated using steady-state UV,VIS spectrometry and time-resolved absorption techniques. The steady-state spectral results show that bR retains its trimeric state. Time-resolved observations indicate that the rate of deprotonation of the protonated Schiff base increases in the presence of the cationic surfactants, whereas insignificant changes are observed in the neutral or anionic surfactants. The rate of the reprotonation of the Schiff base in the transition M , N is accelerated in anionic and neutral surfactants, but is decelerated in the presence of the cationic surfactants. Surfactants with a longer hydrocarbon tail have a greater effect on the kinetics when compared with surfactants having shorter hydrocarbon tails. The opposite effect is observed when the hydrophilic head of the surfactants contains opposite charges. These distinct kinetics are discussed in terms of the difference in the modified surface hydrophilicity of the bR and the possible protein configurational changes upon surfactant treatments. [source] Apoptotic Changes in the Epithelium Germinativum of the Cat (Felis catus s. domestica, L. 1758) at Different Ages and Breeding SeasonsREPRODUCTION IN DOMESTIC ANIMALS, Issue 4 2008MJ SiemieniuchArticle first published online: 25 FEB 200 Contents Apoptosis (programmed cell death) could be considered as a physiological process that takes part in a healthy organism, which helps to maintain organism homeostasis. The visible deterioration of semen quality and the number of germ cells is accompanied by a seasonal decrease of the reproductive activity in some species. This post-effect cascade is caused by apoptosis, which is the primary mechanism responsible for the elimination of germ cells during spermatogenesis. The aim of our study was to assess apoptotic changes in the epithelium germinativum in cat testes at different ages. One hundred and two pairs of testes were obtained from domestic cats aged between 4 months and 10 years. The paraffin-embedded tissue sections were labelled using the Oncogene and Calbiochem Research Products DNA Fragmentation Detection Kit (Cat# QIA21; Darmstadt, Germany), which allows the recognition of apoptotic nuclei in tissue sections with Fragment End Labelling (FragELTM) of DNA. The activity of apoptotic processes in cat testes collected from the spring-summer period compared with the autumn-winter season revealed that, 59.42% and 51.51%, respectively, males testes were characterized by insignificant changes. The obtained data revealed a distinctive apoptotic changes in the young animal testes before spermatogenesis onset. An intensification of programmed death cells in the epithelium germinativum in the elder cats (between 3,6 and 6,10 years) was not observed. Apoptotic changes slightly intensified in cats aged between 12 and 36 months. [source] Effect of varicocelectomy on seminal plasma transferrin values: a comparative clinical trialANDROLOGIA, Issue 1 2000A. Kosar Summary. The possible effects of varicocele and of the varicocelectomy procedure on Sertoli cell function were investigated. Transferrin concentrations in seminal plasma in men with varicocele before and 3 months after the operation were evaluated. Concentrations were measured in 10 normozoospermic fertile men as a control group and 32 oligozoospermic men with varicocele. Also, sperm analysis before and 3 months after the operation was performed. The mean transferrin level in seminal plasma was 108.4 ± 17.5 ,g, ml,1 in normoozoospermic men and 58.1 ± 14.4 ,g ml,1 in patients with varicocele before the operation (P < 0.0001). Mean sperm concentration, motility and normal morphology ratio showed significant improvement 3 months after the operation (P < 0.0001). Although the mean transferrin level increased slightly (to 60.8 ± 16.2 , ml,1; P=0.2), there was a statistically significant correlation between the change in transferrin concentration and the change in sperm concentration after the operation (r=0.56, P=0.0008). These results showed that elevated transferrin secretion after the treatment seems to be associated with an increase in sperm concentration after varicocelectomy. The finding of improvements in seminal parameters after the operation but insignificant changes in seminal transferrin levels indicates that varicocelectomy results in a greater improvement in sperm quality than in Sertoli cell function., [source] To what degree is amelioration of angina following coronary revascularization associated with improvement in myocardial perfusion?CLINICAL PHYSIOLOGY AND FUNCTIONAL IMAGING, Issue 5 2006Allan Johansen Summary Objective:, To examine the association between changes in chest pain and changes in perfusion following revascularization as assessed by clinical evaluation and myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) in patients with stable angina. Design:, In a prospective series of 380 patients (58·8 ± 8·8 years) referred to angiography because of known or suspected stable angina, changes in chest discomfort and changes in perfusion after 2 years were assessed in 144 patients, who underwent revascularization, and 236, who did not. The decision to treat invasively was made without knowledge of the result of MPI. Results:, In revascularized patients, the presence of typical/atypical angina was reduced from 93% to 36% and the improvement was associated with improvement in perfusion. A small improvement in perfusion induced a high frequency of change from angina to no pain, whereas a further reduction caused little extra change. In non-revascularized patients the change in chest discomfort was not related to changes in perfusion, which were rarely present. Conclusion:, Alleviation of chest discomfort 2 years after revascularization is associated with improvements in perfusion. This association appeared to be an all-or-nothing phenomenon. Non-revascularized patients also exhibited improvements in chest discomfort despite insignificant changes in perfusion. [source] | |||||||||||||