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Maximum Thickness (maximum + thickness)
Selected AbstractsRetinal nerve fibre layer of perimetrically unaffected eyes of glaucoma patients: an optical coherence tomography studyCLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL OPHTHALMOLOGY, Issue 2 2009Stefano Da Pozzo MD PhD Abstract Purpose:, The aim of this study is to evaluate whether optical coherence tomography (StratusOCT) may detect early changes in perimetrically unaffected (PU) fellow eyes of glaucomatous patients by assessing retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness parameters. Methods:, Thirty-seven glaucomatous patients with unilateral field loss and 34 age-matched controls were recruited. In glaucoma patients, PU and perimetrically affected fellow eyes were analysed separately. For each group, mean values (±SD) of RNFL thickness parameters were calculated and comparisons between fellow eyes of glaucoma patients and between healthy and PU eyes of glaucoma patients conducted with paired t -test and Mann,Whitney U -test, respectively. Proportion of clock-hour sectors flagged with probability <5% or <1% was collected and differences between healthy and PU eyes were evaluated on Fisher exact test. Results:, Global (Average Thickness) and sectoral parameters (Inferior and Nasal Average), Maximum thickness,minimum thickness (Max-min), as well as 2-o'clock (nasal side) and 6-o'clock sectors resulted significantly thinner in PU eyes than in control group. Proportion of eyes with clock-hour position flagged with probability <5% or <1% was not significantly different between healthy and PU eyes. Conclusion:, Despite a standard automated perimetry within normal limits, the StratusOCT detected both localized and diffuse RNFL thinning in PU eyes of glaucoma patients. These eyes should be considered at risk of developing functional damage over time and consequently require thorough monitoring for detecting any sign of progression. [source] Lithospheric structure of an active backarc basin: the Taupo Volcanic Zone, New ZealandGEOPHYSICAL JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2 2006Antony Harrison SUMMARY Seismic data from both explosive and earthquake sources have been used to model the crustal and upper-mantle velocity structure beneath the Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ), an active backarc basin in central North Island, New Zealand. Volcanic sediments with P -wave velocities of 2.0,3.5 km s,1 reach a maximum thickness of 3 km beneath the central TVZ. Underlying these sediments to 16 km depth is material with velocities of 5.0,6.5 km s,1, interpreted as quartzo-feldspathic crust. East and west of the TVZ, crust with similar velocities is found to depths of 30 and 25 km, respectively. Beneath the TVZ, material with P -wave velocities of 6.9,7.3 km s,1 is found from 16 to 30 km depth and is interpreted as heavily intruded or underplated lower crust. The base of the crust at 30 km depth under the TVZ is marked by a strong seismic reflector, interpreted as the Moho. Modelling of arrivals from deep (>40 km) earthquakes near the top of the underlying subducting Pacific Plate reveals a region with low mantle velocities of 7.4,7.8 km s,1 beneath the crust of the TVZ. This region of low mantle velocities is best explained by the presence of partially hydrated upper mantle, resulting from dehydration of hydrous minerals (e.g. serpentinite) carried down by the underlying subducting plate. Within the lower crust beneath the TVZ, a region of high (0.34) Poisson's ratio is observed, indicating the presence of at least 1 per cent partial melt. This melt probably fractionates and assimilates crustal material before some of it migrates into the upper crust, where it provides a source for the voluminous rhyolitic magmas of the TVZ. [source] Shallow velocity structure along the Hirapur,Mandla profile using traveltime inversion of wide-angle seismic data, and its tectonic implicationsGEOPHYSICAL JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2 2000Kalachand Sain In order to investigate the velocity structure, and hence shed light on the related tectonics, across the Narmada,Son lineament, traveltimes of wide-angle seismic data along the 240 km long Hirapur,Mandla profile in central India have been inverted. A blocky, laterally heterogeneous, three-layer velocity model down to a depth of 10 km has been derived. The first layer shows a maximum thickness of the upper Vindhyans (4.5 km s,1,) of about 1.35 km and rests on top of normal crystalline basement, represented by the 5.9 km s,1 velocity layer. The anomalous feature of the study is the absence of normal granitic basement in the great Vindhyan Graben, where lower Vindhyan sediments (5.3 km s,1,) were deposited during the Precambrian on high-velocity (6.3 km s,1,) metamorphic rock. The block beneath the Narmada,Son lineament represents a horst feature in which high-velocity (6.5 km s,1,) lower crustal material has risen to a depth of less than 2 km. South of the lineament, the Deccan Traps were deposited on normal basement during the upper Cretaceous period and attained a maximum thickness of about 800 m. [source] A constrained 2D gravity model of the Sebastián Vizcaíno Basin, Baja California Sur, MexicoGEOPHYSICAL PROSPECTING, Issue 6 2005J. García-Abdeslem ABSTRACT The subsurface geometry of the Sebastián Vizcaíno Basin is obtained from the 2D inversion of gravity data, constrained by a density-versus-depth relationship derived from an oil exploration deep hole. The basin accumulated a thick pile of marine sediments that evolved in the fore-arc region of the compressive margin prevalent along western North America during Mesozoic and Tertiary times. Our interpretation indicates that the sedimentary infill in the Sebastián Vizcaíno Basin reaches a maximum thickness of about 4 km at the centre of a relatively symmetric basin. At the location of the Suaro-1 hole, the depth to the basement derived from this work agrees with the drilled interface between calcareous and volcaniclastic members of the Alisitos Formation. A sensitivity analysis strongly suggests that the assumed density function leads to a nearly unique solution of the inverse problem. [source] Predicting the Tails of Breakthrough Curves in Regional-Scale Alluvial SystemsGROUND WATER, Issue 4 2007Yong Zhang The late tail of the breakthrough curve (BTC) of a conservative tracer in a regional-scale alluvial system is explored using Monte Carlo simulations. The ensemble numerical BTC, for an instantaneous point source injected into the mobile domain, has a heavy late tail transforming from power law to exponential due to a maximum thickness of clayey material. Haggerty et al.'s (2000) multiple-rate mass transfer (MRMT) method is used to predict the numerical late-time BTCs for solutes in the mobile phase. We use a simple analysis of the thicknesses of fine-grained units noted in boring logs to construct the memory function that describes the slow decline of concentrations at very late time. The good fit between the predictions and the numerical results indicates that the late-time BTC can be approximated by a summation of a small number of exponential functions, and its shape depends primarily on the thicknesses and the associated volume fractions of immobile water in "blocks" of fine-grained material. The prediction of the late-time BTC using the MRMT method relies on an estimate of the average advective residence time, tad. The predictions are not sensitive to estimation errors in tad, which can be approximated by , where is the arithmetic mean ground water velocity and L is the transport distance. This is the first example of deriving an analytical MRMT model from measured hydrofacies properties to predict the late-time BTC. The parsimonious model directly and quantitatively relates the observable subsurface heterogeneity to nonlocal transport parameters. [source] Hydro-climatic impacts on the ice cover of the lower Peace RiverHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 17 2008Spyros Beltaos Abstract Since the late 1960s, a paucity of ice-jam flooding in the lower Peace River has resulted in prolonged dry periods and considerable reduction in the area covered by lakes and ponds that provide habitat for aquatic life in the Peace,Athabasca Delta (PAD) region. Though major ice jams occur at breakup, antecedent conditions play a significant role in their frequency and severity. These conditions are partly defined by the mode of freezeup and the maximum thickness that is attained during the winter, shortly before the onset of spring and development of positive net heat fluxes to the ice cover. Data from hydrometric gauge records and from field surveys are utilized herein to study these conditions. It is shown that freezeup flows are considerably larger at the present time than before regulation, and may be responsible for more frequent formation of porous accumulation covers. Despite a concomitant rise in winter temperatures, solid-ice thickness has increased since the 1960s. Using a simple ice growth model, specifically developed for the study area, it is shown that porous accumulation covers enhance winter ice growth via accelerated freezing into the porous accumulation. Coupled with a reduction in winter snowfall, this effect can not only negate, but reverse, the effect of warmer winters on ice thickness, thus explaining present conditions. The present model is also shown to be a useful prediction tool, especially for extrapolating incomplete data to the end of the winter. Copyright © 2007 Crown in the right of Canada. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Investigations on the Photoinitiator-free Photopolymerization of Acrylates by Vibrational Spectroscopic MethodsMACROMOLECULAR SYMPOSIA, Issue 1 2005Tom Scherzer Abstract Photopolymerization of acrylates without photoinitiators was carried out by irradiation with short-wavelength UV light from excimer lamps with an emission at 222 or 172 nm. Basic investigations on the reactivity of various acrylates and on the conditions under which they can be UV-cured were performed by real-time FTIR-ATR spectroscopy. Depending on the molar extinction coefficients of a specific acrylate at the wavelength of irradiation, the absorption of the light within the coating leads to a pronounced intensity gradient which significantly influences polymerization rate and conversion. Accordingly, it limits the maximum thickness of the layer that can be cured (ranging from some hundreds of nanometres up to some micrometers). In addition to the basic studies, thin acrylate coatings were also cured on pilot scale. The actual conversion in the layer after UV irradiation was directly monitored by in-line NIR reflection spectroscopy, and the resulting coatings were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy and hardness measurements. [source] Examination of the three-dimensional geometry of cetacean flukes using computed tomography scans: Hydrodynamic implicationsTHE ANATOMICAL RECORD : ADVANCES IN INTEGRATIVE ANATOMY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 6 2007Frank E. Fish Abstract The flukes of cetaceans function in the hydrodynamic generation of forces for thrust, stability, and maneuverability. The three-dimensional geometry of flukes is associated with production of lift and drag. Data on fluke geometry were collected from 19 cetacean specimens representing eight odontocete genera (Delphinus, Globicephala, Grampus, Kogia, Lagenorhynchus, Phocoena, Stenella, Tursiops). Flukes were imaged as 1 mm thickness cross-sections using X-ray computer-assisted tomography. Fluke shapes were characterized quantitatively by dimensions of the chord, maximum thickness, and position of maximum thickness from the leading edge. Sections were symmetrical about the chordline and had a rounded leading edge and highly tapered trailing edge. The thickness ratio (maximum thickness/chord) among species increased from insertion on the tailstock to a maximum at 20% of span and then decreasing steadily to the tip. Thickness ratio ranged from 0.139 to 0.232. These low values indicate reduced drag while moving at high speed. The position of maximum thickness from the leading edge remained constant over the fluke span at an average for all species of 0.285 chord. The displacement of the maximum thickness reduces the tendency of the flow to separate from the fluke surface, potentially affecting stall patterns. Similarly, the relatively large leading edge radius allows greater lift generation and delays stall. Computational analysis of fluke profiles at 50% of span showed that flukes were generally comparable or better for lift generation than engineered foils. Tursiops had the highest lift coefficients, which were superior to engineered foils by 12,19%. Variation in the structure of cetacean flukes reflects different hydrodynamic characteristics that could influence swimming performance. Anat Rec, 290:614,623, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Drainage patterns and tectonic forcing: a model study for the Swiss AlpsBASIN RESEARCH, Issue 2 2001A. Kühni ABSTRACT A linear surface process model is used to examine the effect of different patterns of rock uplift on the evolution of the drainage network of the Swiss Alps. An asymmetric pattern of tectonic forcing simulates a phase of rapid retrothrusting in the south of the Swiss Alps (,Lepontine'-type uplift). A domal pattern of tectonic forcing in the north of the model orogen simulates the phase of the formation of the ,Aar massif', an external basement uplift in the frontal part of the orogenic wedge (,Aar'-type uplift). Model runs using the ,Lepontine'-type uplift pattern result in a model mountain chain with a water divide in the zone of maximum uplift and orogen-normal rivers. Model runs examining the effect of ,Lepontine'-type uplift followed by ,Aar'-type uplift show that the initially formed orogen-normal river system and the water divide are both very stable and hardly affected by the additional uplift. This indifference to changes in tectonic forcing is mainly due to the requirement of a high model erosion capacity for the river systems in order to reproduce the exhumation data (high-grade rocks in the south of the Swiss Alps point to removal of a wedge-shaped nappe stack with a maximum thickness of about 25 km). The model behaviour is in agreement with the ancestral drainage pattern of the Alps in Oligocene and Miocene times and with the modern pattern observed in the Coast Range of British Columbia; in both cases river incision occurred across a zone of rapid uplift in the lower course of the rivers. The model behaviour does not, however, explain the modern drainage pattern in the Alps with its orogen-parallel rivers. When the model system is forced to develop two locally independent main water divides (simultaneous ,Lepontine'- and ,Aar'-type uplift), a zone of reduced erosional potential forms between the two divides. As a consequence, the divides approach each other and eventually merge. The new water divide remains fixed in space independent of the two persisting uplift maxima. The model results suggest that spatial and temporal changes in tectonic forcing alone cannot produce the change from the orogen-normal drainage pattern of the Swiss Alps in Oligocene,Miocene times to the orogen-parallel drainage observed in the Swiss Alps today. [source] Layer-by-Layer Deposition of Rhenium-Containing Hyperbranched Polymers and Fabrication of Photovoltaic CellsCHEMISTRY - A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, Issue 1 2007Chui Wan Tse Abstract Multilayer thin films were prepared by the layer-by-layer (LBL) deposition method using a rhenium-containing hyperbranched polymer and poly[2-(3-thienyl)ethoxy-4-butylsulfonate] (PTEBS). The radii of gyration of the hyperbranched polymer in solutions with different salt concentrations were measured by laser light scattering. A significant decrease in molecular size was observed when sodium trifluoromethanesulfonate was used as the electrolyte. The conditions of preparing the multilayer thin films by LBL deposition were studied. The growth of the multilayer films was monitored by absorption spectroscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry, and the surface morphologies of the resulting films were studied by atomic force microscopy. When the pH of a PTEBS solution was kept at 6 and in the presence of salt, polymer films with maximum thickness were obtained. The multilayer films were also fabricated into photovoltaic cells and their photocurrent responses were measured upon irradiation with simulated air mass (AM) 1.5 solar light. The open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current, fill factor, and power conversion efficiency of the devices were 1.2 V, 27.1 ,,A,cm,2, 0.19, and 6.1×10,3,%, respectively. The high open-circuit voltage was attributed to the difference in the HOMO level of the PTEBS donor and the LUMO level of the hyperbranched polymer acceptor. A plot of incident photon-to-electron conversion efficiency versus wavelength also suggests that the PTEBS/hyperbranched polymer junction is involved in the photosensitization process, in which a maximum was observed at approximately 420 nm. The relatively high capacitance, determined from the measured photocurrent rise and decay profiles, can be attributed to the presence of large counter anions in the polymer film. [source] Deep fascia on the dorsum of the ankle and foot: Extensor retinacula revisitedCLINICAL ANATOMY, Issue 2 2007Marwan F. Abu-Hijleh Abstract This study revisits the anatomy of the deep fascia over the distal leg, ankle, and dorsum of the foot. The arrangement of the deep fascia in these regions was recorded in 14 lower limbs of adult cadavers using photographs and drawings. The fascial layer from all three sites was subsequently removed in toto, and serial thickness measurements were made along its entire length. In addition, fiber disposition was studied under polarized light, and sections were stained to demonstrate collagen. The arrangement of deep fascia is complex. A common and novel finding at all levels is a crisscross, lattice-like arrangement of fibers. There was little evidence of the clearly defined sturdy band of the superior extensor retinaculum (SER) or of the Y-shaped inferior retinaculum (IER) commonly illustrated in topographical anatomy texts. The SER is a complex area with several thickenings commencing about 3 cm proximal to the tip of the lateral malleolus and gradually increasing to reach a maximum of 270 ,m about 5 cm above the malleolus, then gradually returning to original thickness, about 9 cm above the malleolus. Fibers crossing diagonally to each other are a feature of the region. The IER characteristically has two forms: either a cross-shaped band (9 specimens) or a thickened "node" with small extensions radiating toward the malleoli (5 specimens), located about 1,2 cm distal to the lateral malleolus and centred over the common tendon of extensor digitorum where it has maximum thickness (430 ,m). The deep fascia is thickened and firmly attached over both malleoli and to the tarsals and metatarsals along both borders of the foot. In general, the deep fascial structures were thicker in males than those in females. Clin. Anat. 20:186,195, 2007. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] The effect of terrace geology on ground-water movement and on the interaction of ground water and surface water on a mountainside near Mirror Lake, New Hampshire, USA,HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 1 2008Thomas C. Winter Abstract The west watershed of Mirror Lake in the White Mountains of New Hampshire contains several terraces that are at different altitudes and have different geologic compositions. The lowest terrace (FSE) has 5 m of sand overlying 9 m of till. The two next successively higher terraces (FS2 and FS1) consist entirely of sand and have maximum thicknesses of about 7 m. A fourth, and highest, terrace (FS3) lies in the north-west watershed directly adjacent to the west watershed. This highest terrace has 2 m of sand overlying 8 m of till. All terraces overlie fractured crystalline bedrock. Numerical models of hypothetical settings simulating ground-water flow in a mountainside indicated that the presence of a terrace can cause local ground-water flow cells to develop, and that the flow patterns differ based on the geologic composition of the terrace. For example, more ground water moves from the bedrock to the glacial deposits beneath terraces consisting completely of sand than beneath terraces that have sand underlain by till. Field data from Mirror Lake watersheds corroborate the numerical experiments. The geology of the terraces also affects how the stream draining the west watershed interacts with ground water. The stream turns part way down the mountainside and passes between the two sand terraces, essentially transecting the movement of ground water down the valley side. Transects of water-table wells were installed across the stream's riparian zone above, between, and below the sand terraces. Head data from these wells indicated that the stream gains ground water on both sides above and below the sand terraces. However, where it flows between the sand terraces the stream gains ground water on its uphill side and loses water on its downhill side. Biogeochemical processes in the riparian zone of the flow-through reach have resulted in anoxic ground water beneath the lower sand terrace. Results of this study indicate that it is useful to understand patterns of ground-water flow in order to fully understand the flow and chemical characteristics of both ground water and surface water in mountainous terrain. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||||||||