The first products derived over France in 2010 from the L-band brightness temperatures (Tb) measured by the SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity) satellite, launched in November 2009, were compared with the surface soil moisture (SSM) estimates produced by the C-band Advanced Scatterometer, ASCAT, launched in 2006 on board METOP-A. SMOS and ASCAT SSM products were compared with the simulation...

In the Pacific Northwest (PNW), concern about the impacts of climate and land cover change on water resources and flood-generating processes emphasizes the need for a mechanistic understanding of the interactions between forest canopies and hydrologic processes. Detailed measurements during the 1999 and 2000 hydrologic years were used to modify the Simultaneous Heat and Water (SHAW) model for a...

A nutrition study was conducted to evaluate the growth response of weaned piglets fed diets containing soya beans that had been processed into protein supplements at two different levels of dry matter (DM) and temperature. Four diets contained protein supplements prepared from whole full-fat soya beans equilibrated at 800 or 900 g kgÿ1 DM prior to being heated to 110 or 1258C. An additional die...

HYPOTHESIS A transparent adhesive film possessing selective permeability combined with a hydrogel (Burnshield) may be effective in burn patients to reduce skin maceration, improve medication, control pain more effectively, and reduce the incidence of late complications (hypertrophic scars). DESIGN This is a prospective study; the mean follow-up in all patients was 28.4 months (range, 14-35 mo...

[1] Accurate environmental satellite observations and calculations of top-of-atmosphere infrared (IR) spectral radiances are required for the accurate retrieval of environmental data records (EDRs), including atmospheric vertical temperature and moisture profiles. For this reason it is important that systematic differences between observations and calculations under well-characterized condition...

Drying kinetics of coir pith was studied and the properties of compressed coir pith discs were analyzed. Coir pith particles were oven dried in the range of temperatures from 100 to 240 °C and the rehydration ability of compressed coir pith was evaluated by finding the volume expansion. The optimum drying temperature was found to be 140 °C. Hot air drying was carried out to examine the drying k...

Numerous efforts have been made to develop various indices using remote sensing data such as normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), vegetation condition index (VCI) and temperature condition index (TCI) for mapping and monitoring of drought and assessment of vegetation health and productivity. NDVI, soil moisture, surface temperature and rainfall are valuable sources of information for ...

Manufacturers of pharmaceutical solid dosage forms aim for a reduced production time and a shorter "time-to-market." Therefore, continuous manufacturing gains increasing interest in the pharmaceutical industry. For continuous manufacturing, the quality of produced pharmaceuticals should be assessed in real-time (in-line, on-line, and at-line) and not via the traditional off-line, often destruct...

*Deep root water uptake in tropical Amazonian forests has been a major discovery during the last 15 yr. However, the effects of extended droughts, which may increase with climate change, on deep soil moisture utilization remain uncertain. *The current study utilized a 1999-2005 record of volumetric water content (VWC) under a throughfall exclusion experiment to calibrate a one-dimensional model...

Ackee canners often harvest mature fruits that are placed on sun racks to complete ripening (indicated by podopening). It is unknown whether the nutrient composition of rack-ripened fruits differs from those completely ripened on trees. This study compares proximate, mineral and fatty acid composition of raw, mature arils of tree-ripened and rackripened fruits. Proximate and mineral composition...