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[Spatial distribution of water quality in Xiangxi River, China].

Cluster analysis and principal component analysis were used to analyze the physical and chemical characteristics of water samples collected from 19 sampling sites along Xiangxi River. The result of cluster analysis showed that Xiangxi River could be divided into three reaches, which belonged to different sub-basins. The principle component analysis on each reach showed that the main information of water quality was different from each other. In the upper reach, the main information of river water quality was hardness and total alkalinity; in the middle reach, the main information was dissolved phosphorus, total phosphorus and Cl-, in the lower reach, the main information was pH, NO2(-)-N, total nitrogen and COD. Furthermore, considering the geographical and environmental backgrounds of the Xiangxi River basin, the reason that caused the different distribution pattern of water quality in Xiangxi River was discussed. Hence, a simple approach to analyze the spatial distribution of water quality was provided.

Cluster Analysis↗

Spatial distribution of proliferating cells in avian sarcoma virus-induced gliomas.

We studied the regional distribution of proliferating tumor cells in five avian sarcoma virus-induced gliomas. The labeling index and spatial distribution of [3H]thymidine (dThd)-labeled tumor cells were determined in serial sections of each tumor with a computer-assisted digitizing system. The density of [3H]dThd-labeled cells showed marked regional variation in each tumor, and the ratio of the density of [3H]dThd-labeled cells in tumor periphery to tumor center varied from 0.86 to 1.38. The labeling index generally, but not always, reflected [3H]dThd-labeled cell density. This study indicates that proliferating pools of glioma tumor cells exhibit regional variability in concentration and that the highest numbers of proliferating cells may be predominantly located in central regions of tumor and not in tumor periphery as assumed previously. In all tumors, large numbers of proliferating cells were present in all parts of the tumor.

Animals↗

Spatial distribution of cardiac transmembrane potentials around an extracellular electrode: dependence on fiber orientation.

Recent theoretical models of cardiac electrical stimulation or defibrillation predict a complex spatial pattern of transmembrane potential (Vm) around a stimulating electrode, resulting from the formation of virtual electrodes of reversed polarity. The pattern of membrane polarization has been attributed to the anisotropic structure of the tissue. To verify such model predictions experimentally, an optical technique using a fluorescent voltage-sensitive dye was used to map the spatial distribution of Vm around a 150-microns-radius extracellular unipolar electrode. An S1-S2 stimulation protocol was used, and vm was measured during an S2 pulse having an intensity equal to 10x the cathodal diastolic threshold of excitation. The recordings were obtained on the endocardial surface of bullfrog atrium in directions parallel and perpendicular to the cardiac fibers. In the longitudinal fiber direction, the membrane depolarized for cathodal pulses (and hyperpolarized for anodal pulses) but only in a region within 445 +/- 112 microns (and 616 +/- 78 microns for anodal pulses) from the center of the electrode (n = 9). Outside this region, vm reversed polarity and reached a local maximum at 922 +/- 136 microns (and 988 +/- 117 microns for anodal pulses) (n = 9). Beyond this point vm decayed to zero over a distance of 1.5-2 mm. In the transverse fiber direction, the membrane depolarized for cathodal pulses (and hyperpolarized for anodal pulses) at all distances from the electrode. The amplitude of the response decreased with distance from the electrode with an exponential decay constant of 343 +/- 110 microns for cathodal pulses and 253 +/- 91 microns for anodal pulses (n = 7). The results were qualitatively similar in both fiber directions when the atrium was bathed in a solution containing ionic channel blockers. A two-dimensional computer model was formulated for the case of highly anisotropic cardiac tissue and qualitatively accounts for nearly all the observed spatial and temporal behavior of vm in the two fiber directions. The relationships between vm and both the "activating function" and extracellular potential gradient are discussed.

Animals↗

Spatial distribution of recurrent inhibitory synapses on spinal motoneurons in the cat.

1. Intracellular staining of Renshaw cells and alpha motoneurons was used to determine the spatial distribution of recurrent inhibitory synapses on spinal motoneurons in the cat. In each experiment, a Renshaw cell and one or more possible target motoneurons were labeled with horseradish peroxidase after physiological identification. 2. Paris of labeled neurons were reconstructed and measured at the light microscopic level. As defined by light microscopy, presumed synaptic contacts between nine Renshaw cells and 10 postsynaptic motoneurons were observed. On average, each Renshaw cell made three synaptic contacts (range 1-9) on each motoneuron. 3. Electron microscopic confirmation of several presumed contacts provided evidence that the appositions identified by light microscopic criteria are genuine contacts between Renshaw cell boutons and the labeled motoneuron. 4. All of the identified synapses observed in these experiments were located on motoneuron dendrites, between 65 and 706 microns from the soma. Use of a simplified cable model indicated that the synapses are electrotonically close to the soma, the average location being approximately 0.25 length constants from the soma (range 0.04-0.82 lambda). 5. These observations provide direct evidence to support the hypothesis that Renshaw cell synapses on motoneurons are located on the dendrites and not on the cell body (whereas reciprocal inhibitory synapses, from Ia inhibitory interneurons, are predominantly located on the soma). The functional significance of the observed distribution of Renshaw inhibitory synapses is discussed. One possibility is that the recurrent inhibitory pathway selectively inhibits particular dendritic inputs.

Animals↗

Spatial distribution of yolk platelets and fat droplets in oocytes and cleaving embryos of the common frog (Rana temporaria) and toad (Bufo bufo).

Animal-vegetal gradients of fat droplets and yolk platelets have been quantitatively determined in mature oocytes and in cleaving embryos in two anuran species Rana temporaria and Bufo bufo using stereological methods. Volume densities Vv which describe properly the amount of nutrients in embryos have been used during the measurements. The embryos till the stage of late blastula are spherical: the spherical form is not distorted even by blastocoel forming eccentrically, in the animal hemisphere. Increased diameters during cleavage, which have been observed in the two species, can be ascribed to growth of the blastocoel and increased number of blastomeres while the quantity of the cytoplasm does not increase. The volume densities of yolk platelets and fat droplets per unit of cytoplasm volume remains constant throughout the cleavage. Volume densities change along the animal-vegetal axis in accordance with the course of the 3rd polynomial depending on the distance of the area under study from the vegetative pole f: y-->Vv, f = ay3 + by2 + cy + d. Parameters of fitting functions a, b, c and d change considerably during development of the embryo, which proves reorganisation of the cytoplasm during cleavage: the most significant changes occur from fertilisation to the four-cell stage and during growth of the blastocoel from morula to late blastula stage. Distortion of the axial symmetry of yolk platelet distribution in embryos occurring after fertilisation is not extensive in the two studied species. The mathematical model of spatial distribution of yolk platelets and fat droplets in oocytes and cleaving embryos in the studied anuran species was proposed using the above data.

Animals↗

Quantitative spatial distributions of calcium, phosphorus, and sulfur in calcifying epiphysis by high resolution electron spectroscopic imaging.

Electron spectroscopic imaging, a new technique that permits the quantitative detection of the spatial distributions of atomic elements at high resolution, has been applied to the epiphyseal zone of hypertrophy in the mouse for the visualization of calcium, phosphorus, and sulfur. Longitudinally sectioned epiphyseal growth plates reveal a developmental sequence in the longitudinal septum leading from a noncalcified matrix to a calcified matrix. During the early stages of this transition, matrix granules containing highly localized concentrations of P (200-400 atoms/nm2) are found spatially separate from Ca-containing sites. These Ca localizations displayed a concentration range of 20-350 atoms/nm2 and a complete spatial overlap with sulfur. At these sites, S levels range from 10 to 200 atoms/nm2. At a later stage, and therefore more proximal to the zone of provisional calcification, the usual scattered, irregularly shaped mineral deposits are found. These sites contain a virtual superposition of Ca with both P and S. The Ca/P and Ca/S ratios of these mineral deposits are predominantly 1.0 with only minor, locally varying ratios present.

Animals↗

Spatial distribution of [14C]-lidocaine and blood flow in transmural and lateral border zones of ischemic canine myocardium.

The purpose of this study was to determine the spatial distribution of lidocaine relative to blood flow in ischemic, normal and border zone canine myocardium. Ischemic zone tissue was distinguished from normal zone tissue by a special microsphere technique in adjacent sections 4 to 5 mm wide from the center to the lateral border of the ischemic region in 14 open chest dogs. Gamma-labeled microspheres were separated by a special technique from carbon-14 ([14C])-lidocaine in the same tissue sample. Blood flow (mean value +/- 1 standard deviation) was reduced to 46 +/- 25 percent of normal in the ischemic subepicardium and 17 +/- 18 percent of normal in the subendocardium. [14C]-lidocaine was 0.56 +/- 0.12 microgram/g in normal myocardium 10 minutes after bolus injection of [14C]-lidocaine; it was reduced to 91 +/- 15 percent of normal in ischemic subepicardium and 58 +/- 12 percent of normal in the subendocardium. Blood flow and lidocaine concentration were uniformly lowest in gross samples from the central and intermediate ischemic zones, and highest in the gross samples from the border normal zone (p less than 0.05). The values for flow and lidocaine in samples from the border ischemic zone were intermediate, that is, higher than values from central ischemic (p less than 0.05) and lower than values from border normal zone samples (p less than 0.05). However, the labeling technique for normal zone tissue revealed that the values of blood flow and lidocaine in the gross samples from the lateral border of the ischemic zone were intermediate between those of adjacent ischemic and normal samples because of the mixture of overlapping normal and ischemic tissues components--not because of a unique mildly ischemic region. Both blood flow and lidocaine concentration were lower in the subendocardial third than in the subepicardial third of the ischemic zone (p less than 0.05) even after the contribution of normal zone tissue was subtracted, suggesting a gradient of ischemia across the transmural border zone. In conclusion, lidocaine is distributed uniformly in ischemic components from the center to the lateral border of the ischemic zone, but there is an endocardial to epicardial gradient. Both lateral and transmural border zone distributions must be considered to understand the mechanisms of drug effects in myocardial ischemia.

Animals↗

Spatial distribution of leaf morphological and physiological characteristics in relation to local radiation regime within the canopies of 3-year-old Populus clones in coppice culture.

Spatial distributions of leaf characteristics relevant to photosynthesis were compared within high-density coppice canopies of Populus spp. of contrasting genetic origin. We studied three clones representative of the range in growth potential, leaf morphology, coppice and canopy structure: Clone Hoogvorst (Hoo) (Populus trichocarpa Torr. & Gray x Populus deltoides Bartr. & Marsh), Clone Fritzi Pauley (Fri) (Populus trichocarpa Torr. & Gray) and Clone Wolterson (Wol) (Populus nigra L.). Leaf area index ranged from 2.7 (Fri and Wol) to 3.8 (Hoo). The clones exhibited large vertical variation in leaf area density (0.02-1.42 m2 m-3). Leaf dry mass per unit leaf area (DM(A)) increased with increasing light in Clones Hoo and Fri, from about 56 g m-2 at the bottom of the canopy to 162 g m-2 at the top. In Clone Wol, DM(A) varied only from 65 to 100 g m-2, with no consistent relationship with respect to light. Conversely, nitrogen concentration on a mass basis was nearly constant (around 1.3-2.1%) within the canopies of Clones Hoo and Fri, but increased strongly with light in Clone Wol, from 1.4% at the bottom of the canopy to 4.1% at the top. As a result, nitrogen per unit leaf area (N(A)) increased with light in the canopies of all clones, from 0.9 g m-2 at the bottom to 2.9 g m-2 at the top. Although a single linear relationship described the dependence of maximum carboxylation rate (17-93 micromol CO2 m-2 s-1) or electron transport capacity (45-186 micromol electrons m-2 s-1) on N(A), for all clones, Clone Wol differed from Clones Hoo and Fri by exhibiting a higher dark respiration rate at low N(A) (1.8 versus 0.8 micromol CO2 m-2 s-1).

Carbon↗

Clustering instability of the spatial distribution of inertial particles in turbulent flows.

A theory of clustering of inertial particles advected by a turbulent velocity field caused by an instability of their spatial distribution is suggested. The reason for the clustering instability is a combined effect of the particles inertia and a finite correlation time of the velocity field. The crucial parameter for the clustering instability is the size of the particles. The critical size is estimated for a strong clustering (with a finite fraction of particles in clusters) associated with the growth of the mean absolute value of the particles number density and for a weak clustering associated with the growth of the second and higher moments. A new concept of compressibility of the turbulent diffusion tensor caused by a finite correlation time of an incompressible velocity field is introduced. In this model of the velocity field, the field of Lagrangian trajectories is not divergence free. A mechanism of saturation of the clustering instability associated with the particles collisions in the clusters is suggested. Applications of the analyzed effects to the dynamics of droplets in the turbulent atmosphere are discussed. An estimated nonlinear level of the saturation of the droplets number density in clouds exceeds by the orders of magnitude their mean number density. The critical size of cloud droplets required for cluster formation is more than 20 microm.

Journal Article↗

[Spatial distribution of rare species: statistical approach].

Many species are locally rare (have low occurrences in a given region). The method is proposed for the analysis of spatial distribution of such species. The procedure is based on the comparison of actual mean distances between records with Monte-Carlo-simulated mean distances expected for random occurrence pattern. The method was applied to two datasets: benthic macrofauna from the Barents and Kara Seas (Kucheruk, Kotov, 2002) and the Black Sea interstitial ciliates (original data). For both datasets, the number of rare species positively correlates with number of common species per site and with the total number of species. Furthermore (and irrespectively of total diversity pattern), rare species usually were locally clumped in their distribution: each of the species was mostly found at sites that were close together. This tendency, however, was significant for the macrofauna species but not for ciliates.

Animals↗

Changes in the kinetics of dopamine release and uptake have differential effects on the spatial distribution of extracellular dopamine concentration in rat striatum.

The objective of this study was to examine whether the limited diffusion distance of dopamine in rat striatum produces spatial heterogeneity in the extracellular dopamine concentration on a dimensional scale of a few micrometers. Such heterogeneity would be significant because it would imply that the concentration of dopamine at a given receptor depends on the receptor's ultrastructural location. Spatially resolved measurements of extracellular dopamine were performed in the striatum of chloral hydrate-anesthetized rats with carbon fiber microdisk electrodes. Dopamine was monitored during electrical stimulation of the nigrostriatal pathway before and after administration of drugs that selectively affect the kinetics of evoked dopamine release and dopamine uptake. The effects of nomifensine (20 mg/kg), L-DOPA (250 mg/kg), and alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine (250 mg/kg) on the amplitude of the stimulation responses were examined. The outcome of these experiments was compared with predictions derived from a mathematical model that combines diffusion with the kinetics of release and uptake. The results demonstrate that the extracellular dopamine concentration is spatially heterogeneous on a micrometer scale and that changing the kinetics of dopamine release and uptake has different effects on this spatial distribution. The impact of these results on brain neurochemistry is considered.

Animals↗

Exploitation of home range and spatial distribution of resources in German cockroaches (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae).

We analyzed the expression of edge following behavior in German cockroaches, Blattella germanica (L.). Structure of the environment and spatial distribution of resources modified both expression of locomotory behavior of cockroaches and its distribution between the edge and the central area of an experimental arena. When they are in a familiar environment, German cockroaches are definitely not edge followers and they exploit similarly the different parts of the accessible surface of their home range. Cockroaches placed in a new environment tended to follow edges more than undisturbed insects. This modification could be assimilated to a response to stressful conditions.

Animals↗

Spatial distributions of expansion rate, cell division rate and cell size in maize leaves: a synthesis of the effects of soil water status, evaporative demand and temperature.

The spatial distributions of leaf expansion rate, cell division rate and cell size was examined under contrasting soil water conditions, evaporative demands and temperatures in a series of experiments carried out in either constant or naturally fluctuating conditions. They were examined in the epidermis and all leaf tissues. (1) Meristem temperature affected relative elongation rate by a constant ratio at all positions in the leaf. If expressed per unit thermal time, the distribution of relative expansion rate was independent of temperature and was similar in all experiments with low evaporative demand and no water deficit. This provides a reference distribution, characteristic of the studied genotype, to which any distribution in stressed plants can be compared. (2) Evaporative demand and soil water deficit affected independently the distribution of relative elongation rate and had near-additive effects. For a given stress, a nearly constant difference was observed, at all positions of the leaf, between the relative elongation rates of stressed plants and those of control plants. This caused a reduction in the length of the zone with tissue elongation. (3) Methods for calculating cell division rate in the epidermis and in all leaf tissues are proposed and discussed. In control plants, the zone with cell division was 30 mm and 60 mm long in the epidermis and in whole tissues, respectively. Both this length and relative division rate were reduced by soil water deficit. The size of epidermal and of mesophyll cells was nearly unaffected in the leaf zone with both cell division and tissue expansion, suggesting that water deficit affects tissue expansion rate and cell division rate to the same extent. Conversely, cell size of epidermis and mesophyll were reduced by water deficit in mature parts of the leaf.

Cell Division↗

Spatial distribution of human respiratory system transfer impedance.

Transfer impedance (Ztr) of the respiratory system provides specific information on airways and tissues, but little is known about its spatial distribution in the different thoracoabdominal regions. To study Ztr distribution on the chest wall surface we analyzed five healthy subjects in the supine position by applying a sinusoidal forcing pressure (4, 8, and 12 Hz) at the mouth and measuring airway opening pressure and flow. Three-dimensional positions of 68 reflective markers placed on the chest wall over selected reference points were simultaneously measured by an optoelectronic motion analyzer. A subset of ten points placed on the midline were used to measure chest wall movements in the craniocaudal direction. While the motion of rib cage markers was synchronous, the abdominal markers demonstrated surface waves propagating caudally. The amplitude and phase of these waves were strongly dependent on position and frequency. We used a new method to measure total and local chest wall volume variations to compute the distribution of Ztr over the chest wall. Above 4 Hz we found that Ztr was inhomogeneously distributed and strongly dependent on position and frequency, mainly in the abdomen where the phase was often more more than 180 degrees with high values of modulus. For this reason, we conclude that above 8 Hz Ztr represents rib cage mechanics almost exclusively.

Abdomen↗

Spatial distribution of GC- and AT-rich DNA sequences within human chromosome territories.

Previous topological analyses of DNA sequence organization in the interphase chromosome mainly focused on the spatial distribution of individual gene copies within chromosome territories. In order to achieve a more comprehensive view into the subchromosomal arrangement of DNA, we isolated the GC-richest/gene-richest fraction (H3 isochores) as well as AT-richest/gene-poorest fraction of human genomic DNA (L1+L2 isochores) and visualized the respective DNA within individual chromosome territories by means of dual-color FISH. Application of confocal laser scanning microscopy and dedicated 3D image analysis software, which differentiated territory subvolumes by peeling shells one voxel in width, revealed a significant difference in the intraterritorial distribution of these two DNA sequence classes. While the H3 isochores were found localized in all subvolumes of the territories at similar frequency, simultaneously detected L1+L2 isochores were observed more to the interior of the same chromosome territories. Thus the GC-rich sequences display a much higher variability in their intraterritorial localization than AT-rich DNA fragments.

Chromosomes, Human↗

Semi-automatic data acquisition for quantitative neuroanatomy. MicroTrace--computer programme for recording of the spatial distribution of neuronal populations.

We present a computer programme, MicroTrace, designed for user-guided digitisation of objects in biological sections. The programme is optimised for recording the spatial distribution of neuronal structures, such as large populations of tracer-labelled cell bodies or axonal plexuses, regional borders, and surfaces. System requirements are a PC running Microsoft Windows, a microscope equipped with stepping motors, and a drawing tube. A computer generated drawing area, surrounded by menus and icons, is projected into the microscope field of view via the drawing tube. Different 'object' icons are assigned to individual object categories (cell types, surfaces, etc.). Digitisation is performed by pointing the cursor at objects in the section. Computer graphical symbols are superimposed on the digitised objects. All object categories are digitised, before moving the stage to other fields of view by manipulating the joystick or scroll bars. Movement of the microscope stage is accompanied by a translation of the graphical image, so that continuous feedback on the progress of the digitisation is provided. MicroTrace can readily be adapted to the specific needs of the user. We show its use in different experimental neuroanatomical techniques. Two-dimensional images and three-dimensional reconstructions of neuronal distribution and surfaces are demonstrated.

Animals↗

Seasonal and spatial distribution of nonylphenol in Shihwa Lake, Korea.

Alkylphenols (APs) have been known as endocrine disruptors and consequently received much environmental concern. This study focused on seasonal variation and spatial distribution of nonylphenol (NP) in various matrixes including dissolved water, particulates, surface sediment, sediment trap and sediment core taken from Shihwa Lake and its adjacent areas. A total of 11 phenolic compounds including nonylphenol, t-octylphenol (t-OP) and bisphenol A (BPA) were measured in February, June and October 2002. NP is the most abundant chemical among the phenolic compounds and its concentrations in dissolved water, particulates and surface sediments from Shihwa Lake were measured as 17.4-1533.1 ng/l, 4.3-831.2 ng/l and 10.4-5054.1 ng/g dw, respectively. NP concentration in dissolved water varied with seasons and generally showed a decreasing order of June > October > February, while the seasonal trend was hardly found in sediment. High levels of NP were measured in surrounding industrial complexes, the concentrations was decreased gradually with distance from the industrial areas. NP in core samples showed an increasing trend toward the core depth. There exists a reasonable correlation between NP in dissolved water and in particulates, whereas the correlation between NP in dissolved water and in sediments is not significant. APs concentrations in Shihwa Lake were comparable to other highly polluted areas of the world and their possible effects on various organisms in the lake are discussed.

Benzhydryl Compounds↗

Spectral absorbance and spatial distribution of macular pigment using heterochromatic flicker photometry.

PURPOSE: The validity of the heterochromatic flicker photometric (HFP) technique for measuring macular pigment (MP) was assessed by evaluating the spatial density and spectral absorption curves of normal subjects. METHODS: Standard Maxwellian view optics were used to measure MP spatial density and spectral absorption curves. Four subjects with normal color vision and one protanope were tested. All of the subjects were experienced psychophysical observers. RESULTS: Spatial density profiles for all subjects were nearly symmetric. The width of the spatial distribution, at half maximal density, averaged 0.70 degrees (standard deviation = 0.15). A first-order exponential decay with eccentricity described the distribution profile well (average r = 0.95). The shape of the spectral absorption curves matched an ex vivo template closely at wavelengths greater than approximately 430 nm. Stimulus size did not influence the derived spectral curves. CONCLUSION: Based on data from this study and others, the HFP method appears to be a valid method for measuring MP density in subjects without retinal disease.

Absorption↗