Search results for "EROD"
showing 10 items of 359 documents
The Greenland shark Somniosus microcephalus—Hemoglobins and ligand-binding properties
2017
A large amount of data is currently available on the adaptive mechanisms of polar bony fish hemoglobins, but structural information on those of cartilaginous species is scarce. This study presents the first characterisation of the hemoglobin system of one of the longest-living vertebrate species (392 +/- 120 years), the Arctic shark Somniosus microcephalus. Three major hemoglobins are found in its red blood cells and are made of two copies of the same a globin combined with two copies of three very similar beta subunits. The three hemoglobins show very similar oxygenation and carbonylation properties, which are unaffected by urea, a very important compound in marine elasmobranch physiology.…
Determining the deformation and resulting coupling efficiency degradation of ultrastable fiber-coupled optical benches under load.
2020
Fiber-coupled optical benches are an integral part of many laser systems. The base of such an optical bench is usually a slab of solid material, onto which optical components are fixed. In many environments, the ability to retain high fiber coupling efficiency under mechanical loads is essential. In this article, we study the fiber-to-fiber coupling efficiency under the application of static mechanical loads experimentally and theoretically: We constructed a simple three-point bending setup to interferometrically measure the deformation of an optical bench under load. Using the same setup, we further recorded the resulting coupling efficiency variations. The examined optical benches are bas…
Assessing and Modeling Soil Detachment Capacity by Overland Flow in Forest and Woodland of Northern Iran
2020
Land use has significant effects on the erosion process, since it influences the soil detachment capacity by causing an overland flow (Dc). The effects of different land uses on the rill detachment capacity have not been explained in depth, and the hydraulic parameters providing accurate estimates of this soil property have not been completely identified. This study quantifies Dc at low flow rates in woodland and forestland, compared to two other land uses (cropland and grassland), in the Saravan watershed (Northern Iran), and develops prediction models of Dc and rill erodibility (Kr). Dc was measured on undisturbed soil samples, collected in the four land uses, and characterized in terms o…
Soil erosion processes in European vineyards: A qualitative comparison of rainfall simulation measurements in Germany, Spain and France
2016
Small portable rainfall simulators are considered a useful tool to analyze soil erosion processes in cultivated lands. European research groups in Spain (Valencia, Málaga, Lleida, Madrid and La Rioja), France (Reims) and Germany (Trier) have used different rainfall simulators (varying in drop size distribution and fall velocities, kinetic energy, plot forms and sizes, and field of application) to study soil loss, surface flow, runoff and infiltration coefficients in different experimental plots (Valencia, Montes de Málaga, Penedès, Campo Real and La Rioja in Spain, Champagne in France and Mosel-Ruwer valley in Germany). The measurements and experiments developed by these research teams give…
Remarkable ancient divergences amongst neglected lorisiform primates
2015
Lorisiform primates (Primates: Strepsirrhini: Lorisiformes) represent almost 10% of the living primate species and are widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa and South/South-East Asia; however, their taxonomy, evolutionary history, and biogeography are still poorly understood. In this study we report the largest molecular phylogeny in terms of the number of represented taxa. We sequenced the complete mitochondrial cytochrome b gene for 86 lorisiform specimens, including ∼80% of all the species currently recognized. Our results support the monophyly of the Galagidae, but a common ancestry of the Lorisinae and Perodicticinae (family Lorisidae) was not recovered. These three lineages have ea…
Fauna Europaea: Coleoptera 2 (excl. series Elateriformia, Scarabaeiformia, Staphyliniformia and superfamily Curculionoidea)
2015
Fauna Europaea provides a public web-service with an index of scientific names (including synonyms) of all living European land and freshwater animals, their geographical distribution at country level (up to the Urals, excluding the Caucasus region), and some additional information. The Fauna Europaea project covers about 230,000 taxonomic names, including 130,000 accepted species and 14,000 accepted subspecies, which is much more than the originally projected number of 100,000 species. This represents a huge effort by more than 400 contributing specialists throughout Europe and is a unique (standard) reference suitable for many users in science, government, industry, nature conservation an…
A mycorrhiza helper bacterium enhances ectomycorrhizal and endomycorrhizal symbiosis of Australian Acacia species.
2003
The aims of this study were to test the effects of a mycorrhiza helper bacterium (MHB), Pseudomonas monteilii strain HR13 on the mycorrhization of (1) an Australian Acacia, A. holosericea, by several ectomycorrhizal fungi or one endomycorrhizal fungus Glomus intraradices, and (2) several Australian Acacia species by Pisolithus alba strain IR100 under glasshouse conditions. Bacterial inoculant HR13 significantly promoted ectomycorrhizal colonization for all the Acacia species, from 45.8% ( A. mangium) to 70.3% ( A. auriculiformis). A stimulating effect of HR13 on the ectomycorrhizal establishment was recorded with all the fungal isolates (strains of Pisolithus and Scleroderma). The same effe…
Notulae to the Italian alien vascular flora: 2
2016
In this contribution, new data concerning the Italian distribution of alien vascular flora are presented. It includes new records, exclusions and confirmations for Italy or for Italian administrative regions for taxa in the genera Ageratum, Aster, Buddleja, Cedrus, Centranthus, Cephalotaxus, Clerodendrum, Cotoneaster, Cyperus, Honorius, Lantana, Ligustrum, Morus, Muscari, Oenothera, Opuntia, Platycladus, Plumbago, Pseudotsuga, Sedum, Sporobolus, Stachys, Ulmus and Yucca. A nomen novum, Stachys talbotii, is proposed as a replacement name for Sideritis purpurea.
Preliminary design process for an adaptive winglet
2017
In the framework of Clean Sky 2 Airgreen 2 GRA ITD project, this paper deals with the design process of a morphing winglet for a regional aircraft. By improving A/C aerodynamic efficiency in off-design flight conditions, the morphing winglet is expected to operate during long (cruise) and short (climb and descent) mission phases to reduce aircraft drag and optimize lift distribution, while providing augmented roll and yaw control capability. The mechanical system is designed to face different flight situations by a proper action on the movable parts represented by two independent and asynchronous control surfaces with variable camber and differential settings. A set of suitable electromecha…
Perivascular Cells in Diffuse Cutaneous Systemic Sclerosis Overexpress Activated ADAM12 and Are Involved in Myofibroblast Transdifferentiation and De…
2016
Objective.Microvascular damage is pivotal in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSc), preceding fibrosis, and whose trigger is not still fully understood. Perivascular progenitor cells, with profibrotic activity and function, are identified by the expression of the isoform 12 of ADAM (ADAM12) and this molecule may be upregulated by transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β). The goal of this work was to evaluate whether pericytes in the skin of patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc) expressed ADAM12, suggesting their potential contribution to the fibrotic process, and whether TGF-β might modulate this molecule.Methods.After ethical approval, mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) and fibroblasts …