BACKGROUND Birch pollen is the major allergen in pollinosis in northern Japan. IgE reactivity to individual birch pollen allergens has been shown to differ between populations of birch pollen-allergic patients living in different countries. In this study, we examined the IgE profiles to recombinant birch pollen allergens in birch-sensitive patients living in Sapporo. METHODS This study used t...

Quantitative and qualitative lignin analyses were carried out on material from the trunks of silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) trees. Two types of material were analyzed. First, whole birch trunk pieces were cryosectioned into cork cambium, non-conductive phloem, the cambial zone (conductive phloem, cambium and differentiating xylem), lignified xylem and the previous year's xylem; material tha...

Understanding the nature and relative importance of endogenous (density-dependent) and exogenous (density-independent) effects on population dynamics remains a central problem in ecology. Evaluation of these forces has been constrained by the lack of long time series of population densities and largely limited to populations chosen for their unique dynamics (e.g., outbreak insects). Especially ...

This work represents a clustering technique, based on the Balanced Iterative Reducing and Clustering using Hierarchies (BIRCH) algorithm and LSA-methods for clustering large, high dimensional datasets. We present a document model and a clustering tool for processing texts in Russian and English languages and compare our results with other clustering techniques. Experimental results for clusteri...

Mulberry (Morus spp.) is a widespread deciduous tree and its fruit is commonly eaten in Korea and eastern Asia. Some reports demonstrate that mulberry fruit is a food allergen in the Mediterranean area. However, there has been no report of systemic allergic reactions after ingesting mulberry fruit in Korea. An 18-year-old boy with a mulberry fruit allergy visited our allergy clinic. He had expe...

<div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><p>In this study, we compare a cluster-based whale optimization algorithm (WOA) with an uncombined method to find more optimized solution for traveling salesman problem (TSP). The main goal is reduce the time of solving TSP. First, solve TSP Whale algorithm, later it combined which uses clusteri...

Gibberellin (GA) is a key signal molecule inducing differentiation of tracheary elements, fibers, and xylogenesis. However the molecular mechanisms underlying the effect of GA on xylem elongation and secondary wall development in tree species remain to be determined. In this study, Betula platyphylla (birch) seeds were treated with 300 ppm GA₃ and/or 300 ppm paclobutrazol (PAC), seed germinatio...

As the use of forest harvesting residues for energy production gains popularity, debate continues regarding the long-term sustainability of whole tree harvesting (WTH). This practice removes nutrient-rich twigs that only account for a small fraction of harvest residues, emphasising the need to develop nutrient-efficient alternatives to WTH. This study assessed N, P, K, Ca, and Mg distributions ...

Successional changes of terrestrial vegetation can profoundly influence stream ecosystem structure and function. We hypothesized that microbial enzyme production and community structure in stream beds depend on terrestrial litter inputs that reflect different stages of riparian succession. Outdoor experimental channels were supplied with leaf-litter of varying quantities and qualities to mimic ...

Hyperspectral (450-2500 nm) airborne HyMap imaging spectrometer data (spatial resolution 5 m) were processed for mapping of environmental effects on vegetation due to talc mining activities at Lahnaslampi, Sotkamo, Finland. As a part of the european MINEO project, the HyMap imagery was interpreted by applying vegetation indices, using standard classification and hyperspectral mapping approaches...