Morphometric measurements as an index for estimating yield of meat of shell fishes, 1. Crab (Scylla serrata) Forskal

Sixty one observations on length-breadth and whole weight-meat weight relations of India crab (Scylla serrata) were made. From the length of crab (cm) the whole weight (gm) can be computed by the equation: log W=-0.1708+2.3341 log L. Similarly for any given length (cm) the meat weight (gm) can be found by the relation, log w=-1.5745+3.0148 log L.

Trophic State Index, morphoedaphic index and fish yield prediction in a sub-tropical lake, Manchar (Sindh), Pakistan

Limnological factors of a sub-tropical lake Manchar were studied on seasonal basis. The mean values of various parameters were: transparency, (secchi disc reading): 90.5 cm, Orthophosphate: 0.257 mg/l, TDS: 3310,5 mg/l, Conductivity: 5232 µs/l, Total Chlorophyll (Planktonic): 31.3 µg/l Planktonic biomass: 5466 µg/l. Trophic state index (TSI) was calculated by using Carlson's (1977) equations. Mean TSI for transparency was 61, while for orthophosphate and chlorophyll, it was 82 and 64 respectively. TSI values indicate advanced eutrophic state of Manchar Lake. Morphoedaphic index (MEI) was also calculated on seasonal basis. The mean values were, TDS: 1103, conductivity: 1744, alkalinity: 60, transparency: 29 and biomass (plankton dry weight): 1746. Fish yield prediction for Manchar Lake (Z =3m, mean area=100 km²) was calculated by using MEI values. The results were quite different among various parameters. Conductivity (89.1mt/y), biomass (67.6 mt/y) and TDS (44.6 mt/y) were found to be good predictors of fish yield. Chlorophyll, transparency and alkalinity values gave very low estimate.

Stiffness of clays and silts: Normalizing shear modulus and shear strain

An analysis is presented of a database of 67 tests on 21 clays and silts of undrained shear stress-strain data of fine-grained soils. Normalizations of secant G in terms of initial mean effective stress p9 (i.e., G=p9 versus log g) or undrained shear strength cu (i.e., G=cu versus log g) are shown to be much less successful in reducing the scatter between different clays than the approach that uses the maximum shear modulus,Gmax, a technique still not universally adopted by geotechnical researchers and constitutive modelers. Analysis of semiempirical expressions forGmax is presented and a simple expression that uses only a void-ratio function and a confining-stress function is proposed. This is shown to be superior to a Hardin-style equation, and the void ratio function is demonstrated as an alternative to an overconsolidation ratio (OCR) function. To derive correlations that offer reliable estimates of secant stiffness at any required magnitude of working strain, secant shear modulus G is normalized with respect to its small-strain value Gmax, and shear strain g is normalized with respect to a reference strain gref at which this stiffness has halved. The data are corrected to two standard strain rates to reduce the discrepancy between data obtained from static and cyclic testing. The reference strain gref is approximated as a function of the plasticity index.Aunique normalized shear modulus reduction curve in the shape of a modified hyperbola is fitted to all the available data up to shear strains of the order of 1%. As a result, good estimates can be made of the modulus reduction G/Gmax ±30% across all strain levels in approximately 90% of the cases studied. New design charts are proposed to update the commonly used design curves. © 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.

Study on QSPR of alcohols with a novel edge connectivity index F-m

A novel edge degree f(i) for heteroatom and multiple bonds in molecular graph is derived on the basis of the edge degree delta(e(r)). A novel edge connectivity index F-m is introduced. The multiple linear regression by using the edge connectivity index F-m and alcohol-type parameter delta, alcohol-distance parameter L can provide high-quality QSPR models for the normal boiling points (BPs), molar volumes (MVs), molar refraction (MRs), water solubility(log(1/S)) and octanol/water partition (logP) of alcohols with up to 17 non-hydrogen atoms. The results imply that these physical properties may be expressed as a liner combination of the edge connectivity index and alcohol-type parameter, 6, alcohol-distance parameter, L. For the models of the five properties, the correlation coefficient r and the standard errors are 0.9969,3.022; 0.9993, 1.504; 0.9992, 0.446; 0.9924,0.129 and 0.9973,0.123 for BPs, MVs, MRs, log(1/S) and logP, respectively. The cross-validation by using the leave-one-out method demonstrates the models to be highly reliable from the point of view of statistics.

Monitoring the vegetation start of season (SOS) across the island of Ireland using the MERIS global vegetation index

The aim of this study was to develop a methodology, based on satellite remote sensing, to estimate the vegetation Start of Season (SOS) across the whole island of Ireland on an annual basis. This growing body of research is known as Land Surface Phenology (LSP) monitoring. The SOS was estimated for each year from a 7-year time series of 10-day composited, 1.2 km reduced resolution MERIS Global Vegetation Index (MGVI) data from 2003 to 2009, using the time series analysis software, TIMESAT. The selection of a 10-day composite period was guided by in-situ observations of leaf unfolding and cloud cover at representative point locations on the island. The MGVI time series was smoothed and the SOS metric extracted at a point corresponding to 20% of the seasonal MGVI amplitude. The SOS metric was extracted on a per pixel basis and gridded for national scale coverage. There were consistent spatial patterns in the SOS grids which were replicated on an annual basis and were qualitatively linked to variation in landcover. Analysis revealed that three statistically separable groups of CORINE Land Cover (CLC) classes could be derived from differences in the SOS, namely agricultural and forest land cover types, peat bogs, and natural and semi-natural vegetation types. These groups demonstrated that managed vegetation, e.g. pastures has a significantly earlier SOS than in unmanaged vegetation e.g. natural grasslands. There was also interannual spatio-temporal variability in the SOS. Such variability was highlighted in a series of anomaly grids showing variation from the 7-year mean SOS. An initial climate analysis indicated that an anomalously cold winter and spring in 2005/2006, linked to a negative North Atlantic Oscillation index value, delayed the 2006 SOS countrywide, while in other years the SOS anomalies showed more complex variation. A correlation study using air temperature as a climate variable revealed the spatial complexity of the air temperature-SOS relationship across the Republic of Ireland as the timing of maximum correlation varied from November to April depending on location. The SOS was found to occur earlier due to warmer winters in the Southeast while it was later with warmer winters in the Northwest. The inverse pattern emerged in the spatial patterns of the spring correlates. This contrasting pattern would appear to be linked to vegetation management as arable cropping is typically practiced in the southeast while there is mixed agriculture and mostly pastures to the west. Therefore, land use as well as air temperature appears to be an important determinant of national scale patterns in the SOS. The TIMESAT tool formed a crucial component of the estimation of SOS across the country in all seven years as it minimised the negative impact of noise and data dropouts in the MGVI time series by applying a smoothing algorithm. The extracted SOS metric was sensitive to temporal and spatial variation in land surface vegetation seasonality while the spatial patterns in the gridded SOS estimates aligned with those in landcover type. The methodology can be extended for a longer time series of FAPAR as MERIS will be replaced by the ESA Sentinel mission in 2013, while the availability of full resolution (300m) MERIS FAPAR and equivalent sensor products holds the possibility of monitoring finer scale seasonality variation. This study has shown the utility of the SOS metric as an indicator of spatiotemporal variability in vegetation phenology, as well as a correlate of other environmental variables such as air temperature. However, the satellite-based method is not seen as a replacement of ground-based observations, but rather as a complementary approach to studying vegetation phenology at the national scale. In future, the method can be extended to extract other metrics of the seasonal cycle in order to gain a more comprehensive view of seasonal vegetation development.

Longitudinal study of changes in body mass index, anthropometric measures, dietary intake and physical activity in cohorts of school-going Irish adolescents

The prevalence of obesity worldwide has increased dramatically over the last few decades. Poor dietary habits and low levels of exercise in adolescence are often maintained into adulthood where they can impact on the incidence of obesity and chronic diseases. A 3-year longitudinal study of anthropometric, dietary and exercise parameters was carried out annually (2005 - 2007) in 3 Irish secondary schools. Anthropometric measurements were taken in each year and analysed longitudinally. Overweight and obesity were at relatively low levels in these adolescents. Height, weight, BMI, waist and hip circumferences and TST increased significantly over the 3 years. Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) decreased significantly over time. Boys were significantly taller than girls across the 3 years. A 3-day weighed food diary was used to assess food intake by the adolescents. Analysis of dietary intake data was determined using WISP©. Mean daily energy and nutrient intakes were reported. Mean daily energy and macronutrient intakes were analysed longitudinally. The adolescents’ diet was characterised by relatively high saturated fat intakes and insufficient fruit and vegetable consumption. The dietary pattern did not change significantly over the 3 years. Boys consumed more energy than girls over the study period. A validated questionnaire was used to assess physical activity and sedentary activity levels. Boys were substantially more active and had higher energy expenditure estimates than girls throughout the study. A significant longitudinal decrease in physical activity levels among the adolescents was observed. Both genders spent more than the recommended amount of time (hrs/day) pursing sedentary activities. The dietary pattern in these Irish adolescents is relatively poor. Of additional concern is the overall longitudinal decrease in physical activity levels. Promoting consumption of a balanced diet and increased exercise levels among adolescents will help to reduce future public health care costs due to weight-related diseases.

On classical and other methods of discriminant analysis and estimation of log-odds

For two multinormal populations with equal covariance matrices the likelihood ratio discriminant function, an alternative allocation rule to the sample linear discriminant function when n1 ≠ n2 ,is studied analytically. With the assumption of a known covariance matrix its distribution is derived and the expectation of its actual and apparent error rates evaluated and compared with those of the sample linear discriminant function. This comparison indicates that the likelihood ratio allocation rule is robust to unequal sample sizes. The quadratic discriminant function is studied, its distribution reviewed and evaluation of its probabilities of misclassification discussed. For known covariance matrices the distribution of the sample quadratic discriminant function is derived. When the known covariance matrices are proportional exact expressions for the expectation of its actual and apparent error rates are obtained and evaluated. The effectiveness of the sample linear discriminant function for this case is also considered. Estimation of true log-odds for two multinormal populations with equal or unequal covariance matrices is studied. The estimative, Bayesian predictive and a kernel method are compared by evaluating their biases and mean square errors. Some algebraic expressions for these quantities are derived. With equal covariance matrices the predictive method is preferable. Where it derives this superiority is investigated by considering its performance for various levels of fixed true log-odds. It is also shown that the predictive method is sensitive to n1 ≠ n2. For unequal but proportional covariance matrices the unbiased estimative method is preferred. Product Normal kernel density estimates are used to give a kernel estimator of true log-odds. The effect of correlation in the variables with product kernels is considered. With equal covariance matrices the kernel and parametric estimators are compared by simulation. For moderately correlated variables and large dimension sizes the product kernel method is a good estimator of true log-odds.

Relationship Between Infestation By Mytilicola-Intestinalis Steuer (Copepoda Cyclopoidea) And Condition Index Of Mytilus-Edulis In Southwest England

Seasonal cycles in the condition index of Mytilus edulis from three sites in southwest England are described. These are analysed in relation to host length, stage of gonad development and parasite burden by linear regression analysis. An effect on the condition index due to the presence of Mytilicola intestinalis can be detected only in the sublittoral mussels in those few winter months when the mean intensity of infestation is over about 25 parasites per host. In all cases studied, the magnitude of the effect due to variation in host length, stage of gonad development, seasonal cycles and environmental factors is greater than that due to parasitism.

La Mancha Triassic and Lower Lias Stratigraphy, a well log interpretation

La estratigrafía del intervalo sedimentario correspondiente al Keuper, Triásico, y al Lías basal ha atraído históricamente mucho menos interés que los sedimentos adyacentes del Muschelkalk y Buntsandstein, y del Lías Inferior y Medio. Se ha confeccionado una correlación de 12 sondeos profundos del área de La Mancha para mostrar la distribución de facies de estas formaciones, así como su ordenación en secuencias sedimentarias. Los datos de pozo muestran la existencia de secuencias evaporíticas complejas y multiepisódicas en la unidad inferior K1, de carácter más salino, y en la unidad superior K4-K5, relativamente más anhidrítica. El episodio clástico correspondiente a las unidades K2-K3 está extendido en toda la zona, con varias áreas preferenciales de acumulación de arenas. La unidad K6, la más alta del Keuper, constituye un excelente nivel guía. La sedimentación continúa en el Lías basal con otra potente unidad evaporítica, la Zona de Anhidrita, que muestra un episodio salino muy signifi cativo en la parte central de la correlación. Es de resaltar la buena correlación que existe entre los afl oramientos y las sondeos para estas formaciones.

Effect of a COL1A1 Sp1 Binding Site Polymorphism on Arterial Pulse Wave Velocity: An Index of Compliance.

Reduced arterial compliance precedes changes in blood pressure, which may be mediated through alterations in vessel wall matrix composition. We investigated the effect of the collagen type I-1 gene (COL1A1) +2046G>T polymorphism on arterial compliance in healthy individuals. We recruited 489 subjects (251 men and 238 women; mean age, 22.6±1.6 years). COL1A1 genotypes were determined using polymerase chain reaction and digestion by restriction enzyme Bal1. Arterial pulse wave velocities were measured in 3 segments, aortoiliac (PWVA), aortoradial (PWVB), and aorto-dorsalis-pedis (PWVF), as an index of compliance using a noninvasive optical method. Data were available for 455 subjects. The sample was in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium with genotype distributions and allele frequencies that were not significantly different from those reported previously. The T allele frequency was 0.22 (95% confidence interval, 0.19 to 0.24). Two hundred eighty-three (62.2%) subjects were genotype GG, 148 (35.5%) subjects were genotype GT, and 24 (5.3%) subjects were genotype TT. A comparison of GG homozygotes with GT and TT individuals demonstrated a statistically significant association with arterial compliance: PWVF 4.92±0.03 versus 5.06±0.05 m/s (ANOVA, P=0.009), PWVB 4.20±0.03 versus 4.32±0.04 m/s (ANOVA, P=0.036), and PWVA 3.07±0.03 versus 3.15±0.03 m/s (ANOVA, P=0.045). The effects of genotype were independent of age, gender, smoking, mean arterial pressure, body mass index, family history of hypertension, and activity scores. We report an association between the COL1A1 gene polymorphism and arterial compliance. Alterations in arterial collagen type 1A deposition may play a role in the regulation of arterial compliance

Economic globalization, inequality and body mass index:a cross-national analysis of 127 countries

This article investigates to what extent the worldwide increase in body mass index (BMI) has been affected by economic globalization and inequality. We used time-series and longitudinal cross-national analysis of 127 countries from 1980 to 2008. Data on mean adult BMI were obtained from the Global Burden of Metabolic Risk Factors of Chronic Diseases Collaborating Group. Globalization was measured using the Swiss Economic Institute (KOF) index of economic globalization. Economic inequality between countries was measured with the mean difference in gross domestic product per capita purchasing power parity in international dollars. Economic inequality within countries was measured using the Gini index from the Standardized World Income Inequality Database. Other covariates including poverty, population size, urban population, openness to trade and foreign direct investment were taken from the World Development Indicators (WDI) database. Time-series regression analyses showed that the global increase in BMI is positively associated with both the index of economic globalization and inequality between countries, after adjustment for covariates. Longitudinal panel data analyses showed that the association between economic globalization and BMI is robust after controlling for all covariates and using different estimators. The association between economic inequality within countries and BMI, however, was significant only among high-income nations. More research is needed to study the pathways between economic globalization and BMI. These findings, however, contribute to explaining how contemporary globalization can be reformed to promote better health and control the global obesity epidemic. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

Effect of cataract extraction on the Glaucoma Progression Index (GPI) in glaucoma patients

PURPOSE: To determine the effect of cataract extraction on the glaucoma progression index (GPI) in glaucoma patients with coexisting cataract.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective noncomparative study. Consecutive eligible patients with glaucoma who underwent phacoemulsification alone or in combination with augmented trabeculectomy were included. All patients had Swedish Interactive Threshold Algorithm-standard 24-2 visual fields within 10 months of surgery. Exclusion criteria included other ocular morbidity, intraoperative complications, and perimetric reliability indices greater than 33%. Comparison was made between the immediate visual fields before and after surgery. The main outcome measure was the change in GPI. Changes in the pattern standard deviation (PSD) and mean deviation (MD) were also assessed. Comparison of means was performed with the paired t test.

RESULTS: Thirty-three eyes of 33 patients (all Whites) were analyzed. The mean age at surgery was 77.0+/-8.7 years. Visual field tests were performed 3.3+/-3.0 months SD before surgery and 5.4+/-2.6 months after surgery. There was a statistically significant increase in the GPI after cataract surgery (from 71.5+/-18.5% to 74.6+/-17.1%; P=0.02). The improvement in MD was also statistically significant (from -11.8+/-5.3 to -10.2+/-5.3 dB; P <0.01), but the change in PSD did not reach statistical significance.

CONCLUSIONS: Uncomplicated cataract extraction resulted in a statistically significant improvement in the 24-2 Swedish Interactive Threshold Algorithm-standard GPI and MD, but not in PSD. Both the MD and the GPI may be influenced by lens opacities, which could make detection of glaucoma visual field progression more difficult for clinicians in glaucoma patients with concurrent cataract.

Perimetric progression in open angle glaucoma and the Visual Field Index (VFI)

PURPOSE: To evaluate the changes in the Visual Field Index (VFI) in eyes with perimetric glaucomatous progression, and to compare these against stable glaucoma patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Consecutive patients with open angle glaucoma with a minimum of 6 reliable visual fields and 2 years of follow-up were identified. Perimetric progression was assessed by 4 masked glaucoma experts from different units, and classified into 3 categories: "definite progression," "suspected progression," or "no progression." This was compared with the Glaucoma Progression Analysis (GPA) II and VFI linear regression analysis, where progression was defined as a negative slope with significance of <5%.

RESULTS: Three hundred ninety-seven visual fields from 51 eyes of 39 patients were assessed. The mean number of visual fields was 7.8 (SD 1.1) per eye, and the mean follow-up duration was 63.7 (SD 13.4) months. The mean VFI linear regression slope showed an overall statistically significant difference (P<0.001, analysis of variance) for each category of progression. Using expert consensus opinion as the reference standard, both VFI analysis and GPA II had high specificity (0.93 and 0.90, respectively), but relatively low sensitivity (0.45 and 0.41, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS: The mean VFI regression slope in our cohort of eyes without perimetric progression showed a statistically significant difference compared with those with suspected and definite progression. VFI analysis and GPA II both had similarly high specificity but low sensitivity when compared with expert consensus opinion.

Dietary glycemic index and glycemic load in relation to changes in body composition measures during adolescence:Northern Ireland Young Hearts Study

Background: Epidemiologic evidence on the influence of dietary glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) on the development of obesity is limited.

Objective: This prospective study examined the associations between dietary GI and GL and changes in body composition measures during adolescence.

Design: In a representative sample of Northern Irish adolescents aged 12 years at baseline and 15 years at follow-up (n=426), dietary intake was assessed by a diet history interview. Body composition measures included body mass index (BMI; kg m(-2)), BMI z-score, sum of four skinfold thicknesses, percentage body fat, fat mass index (FMI; kg m(-2)) and fat-free mass index (kg m(-2)).

Results: After adjustment for potential confounding factors, baseline GI was associated with increased change in FMI. Mean (95% confidence interval) values of changes in FMI according to tertiles of baseline GI were 0.41 (0.25, 0.57), 0.42 (0.26, 0.58) and 0.67 (0.51, 0.83) kg m(-2), respectively (P for trend=0.03). There was no significant association of baseline GI with changes in other body composition measures (P for trend0.054). Conversely, baseline GL showed no association with changes in any of the measures (P for trend0.41). Furthermore, changes in GI or GL were not associated with changes in any of the measures (P for trend0.16).

Conclusion: Dietary GI at age 12 years was independently associated with increased change in FMI between ages 12 and 15 years in a representative sample from Northern Ireland, whereas dietary GL showed no association with changes in any of the body composition measures examined.

The influence of market deregulation on fast food consumption and body mass index:A cross-national time series analysis

Objective
To investigate the effect of fast food consumption on mean population body mass index (BMI) and explore the possible influence of market deregulation on fast food consumption and BMI.

Methods
The within-country association between fast food consumption and BMI in 25 high-income member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development between 1999 and 2008 was explored through multivariate panel regression models, after adjustment for per capita gross domestic product, urbanization, trade openness, lifestyle indicators and other covariates. The possible mediating effect of annual per capita intake of soft drinks, animal fats and total calories on the association between fast food consumption and BMI was also analysed. Two-stage least squares regression models were conducted, using economic freedom as an instrumental variable, to study the causal effect of fast food consumption on BMI.

Findings
After adjustment for covariates, each 1-unit increase in annual fast food transactions per capita was associated with an increase of 0.033 kg/m2 in age-standardized BMI (95% confidence interval, CI: 0.013–0.052). Only the intake of soft drinks – not animal fat or total calories – mediated the observed association (β: 0.030; 95% CI: 0.010–0.050). Economic freedom was an independent predictor of fast food consumption (β: 0.27; 95% CI: 0.16–0.37). When economic freedom was used as an instrumental variable, the association between fast food and BMI weakened but remained significant (β: 0.023; 95% CI: 0.001–0.045).

Conclusion
Fast food consumption is an independent predictor of mean BMI in high-income countries. Market deregulation policies may contribute to the obesity epidemic by facilitating the spread of fast food.