Plant diversityis essential to maintain the health of planet's ecosystems. Conservation of biodiversity is necessary for the ecological stability and productivity in natural ecosystems. The aim of this research was to study the biodiversity and richness of plant species (including trees, shrubs and grasses) related to the environmental factors (soil and physiography) in the forests of Zagros, w...

Ahstn1~~-Pnssngc and trnnsit time of ndult upstream-migrant Amcricnn shnd Alosu sapidissima ~ n d blucback hcrring A. ucstivalls wcrc investigated in standard Dcnil and Alnska stecppass fishways with vnrinhlc slopc and hcndpond undcr scmicontrollcd condition^. Percent of Amcricnn hhad passcd per unit time (percent pnssnge) incrcnsed with temperature, while time required to lrom the lishway entr...

What are the relative sensitivities and specificities of the "early" tests of lung dysfunction? We describe the findings from a study of virtually the entire population of a rural pollution-free community. Using abnormal spirometry as a marker of obstructive disease, we evaluated the two tests obtained from the single-breath nitrogen curve, closing volume (CV/VC) and the slope of the alveolar p...

Forest modeling applications that cover large geographic areas can benefit from the use of widely-held knowledge about relationships between forest attributes and topographic variables. A noteworthy example involves the coupling of field survey data from the Forest Inventory Analysis (FIA) program of USDA Forest Service with digital elevation model (DEM) data in attempts to explain how topograp...

CHEST / 105/3 / MARCH, 1994 / Supplement 127S levels 1.75 U/mi on day 3 was 53 percent (18 of 34) vs 22 percent (11 of 49) in patients with PCP-III <1.75 U/ ml (p = 0.004). A fatality rate of 64 percent (29 of 45) was associated with elevated lavage PCP-III levels obtained 7 days after ARDS onset vs 21 percent (7 of 29) in patients with PCP levels <1.75 U/mi (p<O.OOl). When patients were analyz...

Echocardiograms of high quality were obtained in 26 patients with classic or definite rheumatoid arthritis by the criteria of the American Rheumatism Association, but with no evidence of overt heart disease. The echocardiograms were analyzed for evidence of pericardial disease. The E-to-F slope was determined to assess the mitral valve, and multiple jadices of left ventricular performance were ...