Before embarking into the technicalities of the different algorithms for LCA, let us first agree on the terminology that we will be using throughout this article. Let there be a rooted tree T(E,V). A node x ∈ T is called an ancestor of a node y ∈ T if the path from the root of T to y goes through x. Also, a node v ∈ T is called to be a common ancestor of x and y if it is an ancestor of both x a...

α). Four different formulae are presented: a linear and a non-linear one for local damage, and a linear and a non-linear one for regional damage. The local linear function bears most resemblance to the IVAM formula for occupation: EDPlocal = 1 – (Socc / Sregion). The regional function includes the land use pattern already established in the region. The linear function is: EDPregion = dSlost / d...

Purpose: To evaluate the incidence of Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis (LCA) in low vision children referred to electrophysiology ward of Farabi Eye Hospital, and review the clinical features of disease and Electroretiongraphy (ERG) test values to confirm the diagnosis and severity of the disease in Iran. Design: Prospective observational case series Methods: Two-hundred and fifteen cases of low vi...

This chapter presents an overview of the current state of the art concerning the application of life cycle assessment (LCA) to assess and improve the environmental performance and sustainability of processes that use or are based on membrane technologies. A presentation of the LCA methodology is made, based on the current framework defined by the ISO Standard, focusing on the main aspects and h...

Opossums are frequent subjects of developmental studies because marsupials share developmental features not seen in placentals and because Didelphimorpha is the sister-group of other extant Marsupialia. But is the adult marsupial muscular system markedly different from that of placentals or is it, like the skeletal system, very similar? We provide, for the first time, a brief description of all...

PURPOSE Retinal pigment epithelium-specific protein 65 kDa (RPE65) plays an essential role in vitamin A metabolism necessary for synthesizing the visual pigment 11-cis-retinal chromophore. Mutations in RPE65 cause the childhood blindness disorder known as Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), as well as autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa (RP). The purpose of this study was to identify RPE65 m...

BACKGROUND YKL-40 is an extracellular matrix glycoprotein with a significant role in tissue inflammation and remodeling. MIP-1a has chemotactic and pro-inflammatory properties, and is induced by YKL-40 in several lung disorders. The aim of this study was to determine the levels of YKL-40 and MIP-1a in blood serum and pleural fluids of various pulmonary diseases, and to evaluate their potential ...

It has been suggested that the response to the intracoronary injection of radiographic contrast is reflex in origin and results from stimulation of ventricular sensory endings. Cardiac transplantation results in denervation of the ventricles, and thus, may interrupt the afferent limb of this reflex. In contrast, the recipient sinus node and atrial remnant remain innervated, leaving the efferent...

Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) is the most common inherited cause of blindness in childhood and is characterised by a severe retinal dystrophy before the age of one year. Six genes have been identified that together account for approximately half of all LCA patients. These genes are expressed preferentially in the retina or the retinal pigment epithelium. Their putative functions are quite di...

Sustainability recognizes the interdependence of ecological, social, and economic systems, and nowhere is the concept of sustainability more critical than in developing nations, whose economies rely heavily on natural resources. Software for life cycle assessment (LCA) is becoming increasingly effective in evaluating the potential environmental and resource impacts of design and supply chain de...