BACKGROUND To determine a possible relation between Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) or Chlamidia pneumoniae (CP) seropositivity and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). METHODS Sixty patients (20 wet AMD, 20 dry AMD and 20 non-AMD controls) were included in the study. Serum samples were collected for analysis of IgM and IgG antibody seropositivity for CP and MP by enzyme-linked immunosorbent as...

Changes in the optical absorption and the formation of point defects in three types of synthetic SiO2 glasses, wet ~OH content; 120 ppm!, dry ~OH content ,1 ppm!, and fluorine ~F!-doped ~;1 mol %! SiO2 glasses, by irradiation with fluorine dimer (F2) excimer laser light pulses (;8 mJ/cm / pulse33.6310 pulses) were examined by various spectroscopic methods. Intense optical absorptions were induc...

Atmospheric nitrogen species including NO3-, NH4+ and total nitrogen in air and precipitation samples were collected with low-volume filter packs and wet deposition collectors from March 1999 through the end of December 2000 in seven sampling locations in Connecticut. Three sampling locations were chosen along the shores of Long Island Sound and four were chosen in interior sections of Connecti...

St. Croix White hair sheep ewes were used to evaluate the effect of supplemental nutrition prior to breeding during the dry and wet seasons on St. Croix. Beginning 21 d prior to breeding ewes were fed supplement in addition to grazing guineagrass pasture (FEED). Other ewes in the flock grazed pasture only (CONTROL). This study was conducted during the dry (June and July) and wet seasons (Octobe...

The factors controlling seasonal rainfall interception loss are investigated by using a double-mass curve analysis, based on direct measurements of high-temporal resolution gross rainfall, throughfall and stemflow from 43 rainfall events that occurred in central Taiwan from April 2008 to April 2009. The canopy water storage capacity for the wet season was estimated to be 1.86 mm, about twice th...

Fresh mushroom compost is a byproduct of the edible mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) industry and represents the composted growing substrate that remains after a crop has been harvested to completion. Thirty samples were obtained from commercial mushroom farms in southeastern Pennsylvania and sent to a laboratory for analysis to determine plant nutrient content, bulk density, and particle size dist...

Analysis of heavy metals in top soil samples from Nzoia sugarcane farms in Western Kenya found elevated levels of heavy metals in the soils with mean concentrations (mg kg⁻¹ dry weight) of 142.38, 59.12, 73.35, 116.27, 409.84 (dry season) and 144.22, 50.29, 72.14, 158.81, 368.83 (wet season) for Cr, Pb, Cu, Zn and Fe, respectively, compared with a control soil sample from an adjacent field wher...

Global plant trait studies have revealed fundamental trade-offs in plant resource economics. We evaluated such trait trade-offs during secondary succession in two species-rich tropical ecosystems that contrast in precipitation: dry deciduous and wet evergreen forests of Mexico. Species turnover with succession in dry forest largely relates to increasing water availability and in wet forest to d...