Given the high variability of tissue properties during sonication, temperature monitoring is one of the most crucial components for accurate thermal treatment of tissues with focused ultrasound and other thermotherapy devices. Recently, the method of ultrasound-stimulated acoustic emission (USAE) has been introduced as a potential method for measurements of mechanical properties of tissues. In ...

Heat is generated during the exothermic reaction associated with plaster splint application. The amount of heat generated is affected by the plaster thickness, dipping water temperature, and extremity elevation method. The authors assessed the effect of these variables on skin and plaster temperatures. Short-leg posterior splints were applied to noninjured extremities on a volunteer using 2 pro...

Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is an important public health problem in the People's Republic of China, accounting for 90% of human cases reported globally. In this study, a landscape epidemiologic approach, combined with geographic information system and remote sensing techniques, was applied to increase our understanding of HFRS due to Hantaan virus and its relationship with lan...

Mean annual temperature trends in the tropical Andes were determined over the last six decades (19391998), to investigate the apparent inconsistency between the observed glacier retreat and the reported slight cooling trend in the lower tropical troposphere after 1979. Our results indicate that temperature in the tropical Andes has increased by 0.10 ø 0.11 øC/decade since 1939. The rate of warm...

The performance and application of a multlchannel, ground-based microwave radiometer in the monilori:rg of Fohn wind was studied in an experiment conducted in Hong Kong in 2004. Three scanning modes (zenith, elevation and 15degree elevation) were tried out fo: the radiometer to monitor lhe low-level temperature inversions upwiad of the hills. Thermodynamic profiles retrieved from the zenith mod...

introduction: as the statistical time series are in short period and the meteorological station are not distributed well in mountainous area determining of climatic criteria are complex. therefore, in recent years interpolation methods for establishment of continuous climatic data have been considered. continuous daily maximum temperature data are a key factor for climate-crop modeling which is...

We estimated carbon and nitrogen stocks in aboveground biomass (AGB) and belowground biomass (BGB) along an elevation range in forest sites located on the steep slopes of the Serra do Mar on the north coast of the State of São Paulo, southeast Brazil. In elevations of 100 m (lowland), 400 m (submontane), and 1000 m (montane) four 1-ha plots were established, and above- (live and dead) and below...

Background and Aims During the growing season, the cambium of conifer trees produces successive rows of xylem cells, the tracheids, that sequentially pass through the phases of enlargement and secondary wall thickening before dying and becoming functional. Climate variability can strongly influence the kinetics of morphogenetic processes, eventually affecting tracheid shape and size. This study...

In the Atacama Desert, the narrow littoral plain and the adjacent mountain range have a unique climate. This area is locally called the “coastal desert with abundant cloudiness”, and extends from the coastline up to an elevation of 1000 m. The climate is designated as being BWn according to Köppen's Climate Classification as adapted for Chile. In the original classification the acronym (Bn) is ...

Fungal breakdown of plant material rich in lignin and cellulose (i.e. lignocellulose) is of central importance to terrestrial carbon (C) cycling due to the abundance of lignocellulose above and below-ground. Fungal growth on lignocellulose is particularly influential in tropical forests, as woody debris and plant litter contain between 50% and 75% lignocellulose by weight, and can account for 2...