1,721,112 research outputs found
Figure 9 in Life-history traits of a common Caribbean coral-excavating sponge, Cliona tenuis (Porifera: Hadromerida)
No full textFigure 9. Seasonal change in sea surface temperature (SST) at the study site over time (ordinal date in days of the year): average temperature over 24 years (grey band) and during the 2009 study year (filled dots). Source: AVHRR pathfinder, NOAA.Published as part of González-Rivero, Manuel, Ereskovsky, Alexander V., Schönberg, Christine H. L., Ferrari, Renata, Fromont, Jane & Mumby, Peter J., 2013, Life-history traits of a common Caribbean coral-excavating sponge, Cliona tenuis (Porifera: Hadromerida), pp. 2815-2834 in Journal of Natural History 47 (45-46) on page 2829, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2013.802042, http://zenodo.org/record/519801
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
EFFECTS OF MONOCARBOXYLIC AND DICARBOXYLIC-ACIDS ON MYOSIN ATPASE ACTIVITY TESTED BY LUMINOMETRIC PROCEDURE
No full textL(+)Lactic acid enhances myosin ATPase in vitro. Different organic acids were tested for activation of myosin ATPase activity. L(+)Lactic is more effective in stimulating ATPase than D(-)Lactic. D(+) and L(-)Malic acids were also effective at the concentration of 2.5 x 10(-2)-5.0 x 10(-2) mmoles/l. At 3.0 x 10(-2) mmoles/l concentration the following acids are activators: acetic, oxalic, malonic, oxaloacetic, pyruvic, glyoxylic, glycolic; succinic is an inhibitor and acetoacetic is without effect. The activation is not in relation with the pKa of these acids. The inhibitory effects of organic acids are evident at the concentration of 5.0 x 10(-2) mmoles/l. This inhibitory effect is linearly increasing with their pKa. The results are discussed in connection with the possible role of these metabolites in controlling not only ATPase activity towards splitting of ATP, but also in controlling the removal of its hydrolytic products
Retinal projections in monkey's pretectum and superior colliculus.
No full textThe pretectal area and superior colliculus play a role in oculomotion.This anatomical approach is preliminary in order to investigate, by electrophysiological and metabolic techniques, particular aspects of motor organization of pretectal area of Macaca fascicularis. We used the valina C14 injected in the eye globe to define the retinal projections on superior colliculus and particularly on pretectum. The radiographs showed clear projections to: nucleus tractus opticus (NTO), nucleus pretectalis posterior (NPP) and nucleus pretectalis olivaris (NPOL). Nucleus pretectalis anterior (Pars compacta and pars reticularis) and anterior pretectal area were not labeled. Accessory optic system appeared labeled, particularly DNT and LTN. Nucleus terminalis medialis did not appear labeled in our radiographs. Moreover, the superior colliculus showed a surprising projection like patches.Supported by Ministero della Pubblica Istruzione (40%)
KAINIC ACID DIFFERENTLY AFFECTS RETINAL PROJECTIONS TO DIFFERENT PRETECTAL NUCLEI
No full textKainic acid (KA) damages retinal cells, thus impairing axonal anterograde transport of labeled aminoacids when injected intravitreally. In this study, Long-Evans rats were injected with KA into one eye, and seven days later were binocularly injected with C-14-valine. The extent of residual retinal afferents to two pretectal nuclei was calculated as the percentage of the contralateral, intact side. Projections to the nucleus of the optic tract (first relay station of the optokinetic pathway) appear significantly more affected than those to the olivary pretectal nucleus (involved in the pupillary light response). These results suggest a correlation between the functional properties of retinal ganglion cells and distinctive biochemical characteristics, such as their susceptibility to KA
Abnormal c-fos-like immunoreactivity in the superior colliculus and other subcortical visual centers of pigmented royal college of surgeons rats
No full textNeurons in the central nervous system often show a transient up-regulation of expression of the immediate early gene c-fos when presented with precise novel stimuli. In normal rats, neurons in most subcortical visual centers show low levels of fos-like immunoreactivity (FLI) expression, but there is a substantial and transient increase in FLI expression if the animal is exposed to a flashing light. This is especially evident in the superior colliculus (SC). We have examined here FLI expression in the subcortical visual centers of the Royal College of Surgeons rat, focusing specifically on the SC. In this animal, as a result of a genetic defect, there is early loss of rod photoreceptors over the first few months of life, along with slower disappearance of cones. Although light stimulation showed that FLI expression was very similar to that seen in normal rats, the basal levels of FLI expression under dark-maintained conditions were much higher than normal, even exceeding the levels seen after visual stimulation. In the SC, the elevation of FLI expression was already evident by 6 weeks of age and reached a plateau by 17 weeks. Other subcortical visual centers also showed elevated basal levels of FLI expression, although in general the increases were less dramatic than the increase in the SC. The elevated FLI expression in dark-maintained condition seen in the SC was abolished by contralateral optic nerve section. It was also severely diminished by subretinal cell transplantation at 3 weeks of age with the objective of limiting photoreceptor loss over part of the retina. These results suggest that the elevated basal FLI expression is a retina-driven event. Although it correlates with the loss of rod photoreceptors, it is unlikely to reflect reduced photoreceptor drive but rather some form of bursting activity generated in the inner retina, as a result of circuit reorganization or receptor up-regulation
FUNCTIONAL IMPAIRMENT OF THE RAT SUPERIOR COLLICULUS AFTER KAINIC ACID INTRAOCULAR INJECTION - A 2-DEOXYGLUCOSE STUDY
No full textLong Evans rats monocularly injected with the kainic acid (KA), were exposed to "tonic" (diffuse steady light, stationary pattern, total darkness) and "phasic" (flashing, moving pattern) stimulations. By means of the autoradiographic 2-deoxyglucose (2DG) technique we assessed the functional activity of the Superior Colliculus (SC) contralateral to the injected eye as compared to the normal eye SC. In the control SC all "tonic" stimulations determined low 2DG uptake not modified by the intraocular KA injection. On the contrary, "phasic" stimulations elicited a strong 2DG consumption in the normal SC, with a peculiar pattern of distribution depending on the kind of stimulus. Considering the total 2DG uptake as the added intrinsic and afferent metabolism, KA was able to affect only the latter, decreasing two-fold that expected for the afferent input loss. These findings can suggest a possible KA effect on off-line ganglion cells and, on the other side, they confirm the role of the SC in discriminating "phasic" and sudden phenomena from "tonic" and continuous ones
Correlation between amount of retinal afferents to the pretectal nucleus of the optic tract and dorsal terminal accessory optic nucleus and performance of horizontal optokinetic reflex in rat
No full textIntraocular kainic acid injection in Long-Evans rats induces loss of retinal afferents to subcortical visual centers as assessed by the axoplasmic transport of [C-14]valine. The optical terminal fields of the pretectal nucleus of the optic tract (NOT), superior colliculus and accessory optic system (AOS) nuclei appear particularly affected. Since NOT and the AOS dorsal terminal nucleus (DTN) represent the first relay station of the visuomotor pathway mediating horizontal optokinetic nystagmus (HOKR), we have studied the characteristics of HOKR after various degrees of retinal deafferentiation of these nuclei induced by intraocular KA injection. Taking advantage of the arrangement of the primary optic projections to NOT-DTN, that in rats are almost entirely crossed, in each animal, monocular HOKR induced by stimulation of the injected eye was compared to monocular HOKR elicited by stimulation of the intact, ipsilateral eye. Following NOT-DTN optic denervation, HOKR gain always worsened, and in a way, that the greater the deficits of retinal afferents, the greater the HOKR inability to compensate for visual motion. Furthermore, for any given retinal denervation the higher the stimulus velocity, the greater the HOKR deficit. While the correlation between HOKR gain and the amount of retinal afferents to NOT-DTN would seem to indicate a functional homogeneity of the retinal ganglion cells sending axons to these nuclei, the finding that the extent of HOKR impairment also varied with velocity might not support the above view
[Patients' satisfaction with pain management: the italian version of the Patient Outcome Questionnaire of the American Pain Society]
No full textAccording to American Pain Society (APS), assessment of quality of pain management must consider not only improvement of symptoms but also patients' satisfaction with care. To this purpose, Patient Outcome Questionnaire (APS-POQ) was made. Aim of the study was to analyze reliability and construct validity of the Italian version of the questionnaire. The tool was administered to 322 hospitalized adults. Results showed positive psychometric properties of the Italian version of APS-POQ, particularly for the sections assessing intensity and interference of pain, and satisfaction with pain management
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