Proportion Of Stones Research Articles

Intertidal fishes of Mauritius with special reference to shallow tidepools.

Intertidal fishes are found in large numbers and play an important role in their ecosystems, but knowledge of their ecology is still very limited in many tropical regions. Within this context, data from intertidal fishes in Mauritius were compiled from different sources and intertidal resident species were examined in Mauritian tidepools. A total of 292 fish species occurring in Mauritius were reported from intertidal habitats, of which 62 species represent permanent intertidal residents. The species number in the studied pools increased, not only with the proportion of stones and rock covering the pool bottom, but also with pool facilities, for example, the supply of boulders and a high coverage of macro-algae. All examined pools were dominated by two species, Bathygobius coalitus and Istiblennius edentulus. Their abundance increased with decreasing pool size, peaking in pools with a surface area between 1-2 m2 during the lowest level of ebb tide. This 'overcrowding effect' may be linked to the absence of predators in these very small pools. The comparison of present data with results of a survey made in the same area in 1995 suggested a decrease of resident species occurred during the last decades, probably linked to human influences, such as eutrophication and water pollution.

Types for 1 849 patients with urinary calculi and patients' clinical characteristics

To analyze types of urinary calculi and patients' clinical characteristics, and to explore the strategies for prevention and treatment of urinary calculi. Methods: A total of 1 849 patients with urinary calculi were treated in the Department of Urology, the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. The components were analyzed by infrared spectroscopy. The relationship between stone composition and clinical parameters was analyzed according to the clinical characteristics of the patients. Results: The proportion of calcium oxalate stone or uric acid stone in male (84.1% or 7.7%) was higher than that in female (78.4% or 4.2%). The older patients were more likely to be diagnosed as uric acid stone. The proportions of uric acid stone in patients <18 years old, 18-<41 years old, 41-<66 years old, and ≥66 years old were 0.0%, 1.6%, 6.6%, and 12.4%, respectively. There was no significant difference in the proportion of stones in patients with different BMI. There were no significant difference in the stone composition between the patients with or without urinary tract infection, hypertension or diabetes. The proportion of uric acid stones in patients with acidic urine was higher than the other types. The proportion of uric acid stones in patients with elevated creatinine (12.1%) was higher than that in the patients with normal creatinine (4.5%). Conclusion: Elderly patients, or patients with high uric acid and renal insufficiency are more prone to uric acid stones. Regulation of urinary pH may be an important strategy for preventing and treating urinary calculi in Hunan Province.

INVESTIGATION ON INDICES OF WORKABILITY AND RUTTING RESISTANCE FOR WEARING COURSE MIXTURES

Simple indices easily help to evaluate a performance of hot mix asphalt mixtures. This study aimed to develop a simple workability index and rutting resistance index for wearing course mixtures. Seven aggregate gradations were prepared to investigate dense, coarse, and fine-graded hot mix asphalt mixtures. The study used the Marshall compactor to fabricate specimens. The Superpave Gyratory Compaction was employed to measure the workability of the seven blends, namely the workability energy parameter of asphalt mixtures. The study also conducted Wheel Tracking Test to evaluate rutting resistance of those mixtures. The results showed a strong relationship between the workability index and the workability energy of hot mix asphalt mixtures, namely increasing the workability energy of mixtures with increasing the workability index value. The workability energy value of an asphalt mixture may be high when the area of continuous maximum density for a proportion of stone, which illustrates a degree of far away from the Fuller maximum density line, is low. Moreover, the rutting resistance index correlated well with rutting resistance of the hot mix asphalt mixtures.

Nephrolithiasis

The term nephrolithiasis, often used synonymously with urolithiasis, refers to the formation of solid concretions consisting of both protein and crystalline materials in the lumen of the urinary tract. These calculi, or “stones,” become symptomatic when they cause acute obstruction, and as such, there are an unknown but probably large number of individuals with nephrolithiasis who are subclinical, without signs or symptoms. This review covers the pathophysiology, stabilization and assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of nephrolithiasis. Figures show ultrasound images of a stone with shadowing, a stone with a twinkling artifact, hydronephrosis, and a stone with shadowing at the ureterovesicular junction and a computed tomographic (CT) image showing a renal calculus at the ureterovesicular junction. Tables list drug-induced renal calculi, the proportion of stones spontaneously passing depending on size category as identified on CT, diagnostic test characteristics for renal colic diagnosis, the clinical prediction rule for the risk of renal stones, an example of the theoretical probability of stone disease using Moore and colleagues’ risk stratification, pooled test characteristics, bayesian analysis, and important pathology diagnosed on CT scan in the investigation of flank pain in four studies. Key words: kidney stone, nephrolithiasis, renal calculus, renal stone, urolithiasis This review contains 5 highly rendered figures, 6 tables, and 75 references.

Impact of forest biomass for energy harvesting on soil compaction - Irish case study

An assessment of soil compaction caused by machinery used in stump and/or logging residue extraction for energy on soils typical of Ireland. We determined unaffected soil conditions and to find the compaction grade after timber harvesting and bundling activities, and to compare those results with stands where timber harvesting was followed by stump extraction for energy. The investigation was carried out in Ireland on three different locations which had a slightly different proportion of stones in their soils. Two of the soils were purely mineral soils, and the third was a mineral soil affected by anthropogenic activities. To ensure comparable results as much as possible, the moisture content of the soil on wet basis was investigated. Each location was purposely treated. Therefore, on each location plots were identified as follows: plots unaffected by operation (reference area), plots after timber harvesting, plots after timber harvesting and bundling operation, and plots after timber harvesting and stump extraction operation. According to the experimental design 40 repetitions on each of the three different treatments were set. The results showed that the compaction of soil occurred on plots after timber harvesting, but there was not a significant difference between compaction grades with and without logging residue bundling operation. However, once the site was extracted of stumps, the soil became too loose and no significant difference was found compared to unaffected soil. &amp;nbsp;

Lyse von Gallenblasensteinen mit Methyl-tert-butyl-ether: perkutan-transhepatisch oder transpapillär?

Thirty patients (23 women, 7 men, mean age 53 [24-77] years) with symptomatic radiolucent gallbladder stones were treated by litholysis with methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), introduced through a catheter inserted into the gallbladder either by the percutaneous-transhepatic route (n = 19) or the transpapillary route (n = 11). Correct placing of the catheter was more frequently successful by the percutaneous-transhepatic route than the transpapillary one (90 vs 73%). The duration of lysis (median: 7 h and 8 h, respectively) and the proportion of stones which were completely dissolved immediately after lysis (53 vs 55%) were similar in both groups. Supplemented by subsequent oral therapy, the success rate at 6 months was higher in the percutaneous-transhepatic group (83 vs 64%), however, recurrences were more frequent. In the percutaneous-transhepatic group there was one case of gall-bladder leak and one catheter dislocation, and in the transpapillary group there was one case of pancreatitis, one of induction of ether anaesthesia and one pulmonary embolism. MTBE lysis is a relatively speedy and effective mode of non-operative therapy for gall-bladder stones. The percutaneous-transhepatic method is suitable for younger patients with a normal gall-bladder. The transpapillary procedure is preferable for older patients, and also when gall-bladder puncture proves difficult or when there is concurrent choledocholithiasis.

Seasonal activity and habitat associations of Mecodema howitti and Megadromus guerinii, two endemic New Zealand ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

Seasonal activity and habitat associations of the threatened endemic forest carabid Mecodema howitti Castelnau, and the sympatric but common endemic Megadromus guerinii (Chaudoir), were studied by pitfall trapping in a montane podo‐carp/hardwood forest remnant on Banks Peninsula, Canterbury, New Zealand. The main surface activity period for adult M. howitti and Mg. guerinii was the austral spring and summer. Megadromus guerinii was active across a wider temperature range than M. howitti, and was less inhibited by rain during the night. Both species were reproductively active in spring and summer, and a teneral Mg. guerinii was recorded in autumn. Mecodema howitti appeared to be randomly distributed and associated with logs. Megadromus guerinii showed spatial clustering, partly due to associations with topography and the proportion of stones in the substrate.

Distribution of seedlings and saplings of Quercus robur in a grazed deciduous forest

AbstractSeedling and sapling distribution of the deciduous tree Quercus robur was, studied in a grazed, partly open forest, ca. 20 km S of Linkoping, Sweden. Numbers of seedlings and saplings were compared between open and shaded parts of the forest. Cover values for the shrub and tree layers, proportion of bare ground and of stones and soil water content were determined. Q. robur was shown to germinate equally well in open and shaded parts of the forest; however, most saplings were found in the shade. No correlation was found between seedlings or saplings and cover of shrub layer or proportion of stones in the soil surface or with soil water content.

Soil development on sandstone solifluction deposits with varying contents of loess materials

In the Sandstone-Odenwald of South Western Germany, slope soils are developed in loess-containing solifluction deposits. The proportion of stones and loess in these soils greatly affects the intensity of weathering, formation of clay minerals, lessivage and podzolisation. Almandine and picotite in the silt fraction are used as index minerals of the presence of loess and its quantity in different soil horizons was estimated from texture measurements Hangböden des Sandstein-Odenwaldes in Südwestdeutschland haben sich aus lößhaltigen Fließerden entwickelt. Vom Lößanteil der Fließerden hängen bei diesen Böden die Intensitäten der Verwitterung, der Tonmineralbildung, der Tonverlagerung und der Podsolierung ab. Almandin und Picotit der Schluffraktion wurden als Indexminerale für Löß verwendet, während die Lößanteil der einzelnen Bodenhorizonte über eine Auswertung der Korngrößenanalysen geschätzt wurden.