Search results for " light"
showing 10 items of 1141 documents
Oligonucleotides-decorated-poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone) nanogels for gene delivery
2013
Pulsed electron-beam irradiation of a semi-dilute poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) aqueous solution in the presence of acrylic acid has led to a carboxyl functionalized nanogel system. Nanoparticles hydrodynamic size and surface charge density, in water and as a function of pH, were investigated by dynamic light scattering and laser doppler velocimetry, respectively. Nanogels (NGs) were proved not to be cytotoxic at the cellular level. Indeed, they rapidly bypass the cellular membrane to accumulate in specific cell portions of the cytoplasm, in the perinuclear area. The availability of pendant carboxyl groups on the crosslinked PVP NGs core prompted us to attempt their decoration with a sing…
Changes of the eye optics after iris constriction☆
2010
Purpose: To evaluate the possible change in the optics of the human eye after iris constriction. Methods: Ocular aberrations were measured under natural viewing conditions in 26 eyes. The measured eyes fixated on a dim target while the contralateral eye was either occluded (so the measured eye had a large pupil) or highly illuminated (so the measured eye had a small pupil). The measured eyes fixated to a dim target placed 0.5 D beyond the subject’s far point. Zernike values obtained in both situations were compared within the same pupil diameter corresponding to the one obtained under the high illumination condition. Results: Significant variation in some aberration coefficients were found …
Longer wavelengths of light improve the growth, intake and feed efficiency of individually reared juvenile pikeperchSander lucioperca(L.)
2009
We tested the effects of monochromatic light on the specific growth rate (SGR), feed intake and feed efficiency (FE) of juvenile pikeperch, Sander lucioperca (L.). Pikeperch were reared individually for 42 days in aquaria covered with blue, green, yellow or red gelatin filters or white paper (control; n=5). Linear regression analysis indicated a significant positive effect of longer wavelengths of light on the condition factor (CF), FE and SGR. The final weight, SGR and CF were significantly higher in fish reared under red than under white light, and FE was better under green, yellow and red light than under white light (Dunnett's post hoc test, P<0.05) while blue was comparable to white li…
Spatio-temporal Contrast Sensitivity in the Cardinal Directions of the Colour Space. A Review
2010
AbstractWe review the psychophysics of the spatio-temporal contrast sensitivity in the cardinal directions of the colour space and their correlation with those neural characteristics of the visual system that limit the ability to perform contrast detection or pattern-resolution tasks. We focus our attention particularly on the influence of luminance level, spatial extent and spatial location of the stimuli - factors that determine the characteristics of the physiological mechanisms underlying detection. Optical factors do obviously play a role, but we will refer to them only briefly. Contrast sensitivity measurements are often used in clinical practice as a method to detect, at their early …
Phytoplankton in the physical environment: beyond nutrients, at the end, there is some light
2009
This article summarizes the outcomes of the 15th Workshop of the International Association for Phytoplankton Taxonomy and Ecology. Four major issues dealing with the role of physical factors in phytoplankton ecology were addressed in the articles of this special volume: global change and its likely impacts on phytoplankton, the role of physical factors in the autecology of particular species, impacts on the inocula for the following years, and the role of light in shaping phytoplankton dynamics. Case studies from different types of aquatic environments (rivers, deep and shallow lakes, floodplain lakes, wetlands, oxbows, and even the deep ocean) and from diverse geographical locations (not o…
Laminar Micrite Crusts and Associated Foreslope Processes, Red Sea
1991
ABSTRACT Forereef slopes in the Red Sea of Sudan exhibit a uniform biozonation that is independent from the topography of the slopes. Below - 120 m, ledges protrude horizontally from sleep cliffs of barrier reefs and atolls as well as from patches of in situ lithified slope sediment on inclined fringing reef slopes. Free surfaces and cavities within these ledges are partly covered by laminar micrite crusts of 7-20 mm thickness. The ledges are formed by an organic framework of living azooxanthellate corals, bryozoans, serpulids and fossil red algae. They are affected by repeated episodes of boring, infilling, and cementation which obliterate much of the original fabric. Concomitant cementati…
Ecofriendly Biopolymer-Based Nanocomposite Films with Improved Photo-Oxidative Resistance
2022
The interest towards high performance biopolymer-based materials increases continuously and, to guarantee appropriately industrial applications, the photo-oxidative resistance and stability of these materials must be adequately addressed. In this study, innovative biopolymer-based nanocomposites, i.e., Polyamide 11 (PA11), containing ad-hoc modified Layered Double Hydroxides (LDH), were successfully formulated and characterized. Particularly, LDH were considered carriers for hindered amine light stabilizing molecules, so two different hindered amine moieties (HALS1 and HALS2) were anchored on LDH layered internal structures and/or outer surfaces. The presence of HALS1 and HALS2 in LDH were …
Active lighting applied to three dimensional reconstruction of specular metallic surfaces by polarization imaging
2005
This thesis deals with a new automated tridimensional inspection system for specular metallic surfaces, based on polarization analysis. We first present an extension of the ‘Shape from Polarization' method for dielectric to metallic surfaces. After being reflected, an unpolarized light wave becomes partially linearly polarized, depending on the surface normal and on the refractive index of the media it impinges on. Hence, by measuring the polarization parameters of the reflected light, the surface normals are computed. The ambiguity concerning the normals orientation is solved here with a new active lighting system. Then, we describe and compare numerical methods for reconstructing the trid…
Live imaging of developmental processes in a living meristem of Davidia involucrata (Nyssaceae).
2014
Morphogenesis in plants is usually reconstructed by scanning electron microscopy and histology of meristematic structures. These techniques are destructive and require many samples to obtain a consecutive series of states. Unfortunately, using this methodology the absolute timing of growth and complete relative initiation of organs remain obscure. To overcome this limitation, an in vivo observational method based on Epi-Illumination Light Microscopy (ELM) was developed and tested with a male inflorescence meristem (floral unit) of the handkerchief tree Davidia involucrata Baill. (Nyssaceae). We asked whether the most basal flowers of this floral unit arise in a basipetal sequence or, altern…
Chemical and physical characterization of thermal aggregation of model proteins modulated by zinc(II) and copper(II) ions
2016
BACKGROUND: Metal ions are implicated in protein aggregation processes of several neurodegenerative pathologies, where the protein deposition occurs, and in the biotechnology field like the food technology where many processes in food manufacturing are based on thermal treatments. OBJECTIVE: The influence of Cu2+ or Zn2+ ions on the thermal aggregation process of Bovine beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) and Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA), two protein models, was studied with the aim of delineating the role of these ions in the protein aggregation kinetics and to clarify the related molecular mechanisms. METHODS: The protein structure changes were monitored by Raman spectroscopy, whereas the aggregate gr…