Sedimentkenmerken van strandzanden op de Belgische kust

The authors review the sedimentological characteristics of superficial beach sands using samples taken every 15 m along two transversal beach profiles separated by a distance of 1 km along the Belgian coast near Klemskerke. The westernmost spot (KP37) has been sampled four months after a beach nourishment with sands supplied from the Ravelingen bank situated at a few kilometers off Ostend. At the sampling time (31-1-'79) strong beach erosion attacked the youngest dunes near by the eastern station (KP 38). Granulometric characteristics and heavy-mineral characteristics (weight of heavy minerals in the sand fraction 63-2000µm, weight of heavy minerals in the different grades, heavy-mineral composition of the over-all sand fraction, length of the most occurring heavy minerals) of the beach sands as well as of the nourishment sands and of the youngest dune sands have been analysed. The results have been used to study the sedimentological variations in relation to the micromorphological position on the beach, the differences between both stations and the intluence of reworked Ravelingen sands and youngest dune sands upon the beach material. The three main sediment groups belong to different heavy-mineral associations. The youngest dune sands are similar to the H-group (BAAK), the nourishment sands of the Ravelingen to the beach sands south of Bergen (Holland coast) (EDELMAN-EISMA). The beach sands themselves show similarity to the Rhine-AS-Kreftenheye association (ZONNEVELD). This study of mineralogical and granulometrical characteristics offers interesting prospects of the identification of dune and beach sediments, of present day eolian sands and of some off-shore bank sands along the Belgian coast. It shows as well that these mineralogically different sediments may be used,if reworked, as natural tracers for the analyses of beach dynamics and sediment movements. The beach micromorphology commands greatly the sedimentological differences of the superficial beach sands. Especially the length of the heavy minerals proved to be an interesting argument. The heavy-mineral content varies greatly with the granulometric grade

Clinical and magnetic resonance imaging characteristics of thoracolumbar intervertenral disk extrusions and protrusions in large breed dogs

It has recently been shown that the fat-derived hormone adiponectin has the ability to decrease hyperglycemia and to reverse insulin resistance. However, bacterially produced full-length adiponectin is functionally inactive. Here, we show that endogenous adiponectin secreted by adipocytes is post-translationally modified into eight different isoforms, as shown by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Carbohydrate detection revealed that six of the adiponectin isoforms are glycosylated. The glycosylation sites were mapped to several lysines (residues 68, 71, 80, and 104) located in the collagenous domain of adiponectin, each having the surrounding motif of GXKGE(D). These four lysines were found to be hydroxylated and subsequently glycosylated. The glycosides attached to each of these four hydroxylated lysines are possibly glucosylgalactosyl groups. Functional analysis revealed that full-length adiponectin produced by mammalian cells is much more potent than bacterially generated adiponectin in enhancing the ability of subphysiological concentrations of insulin to inhibit gluconeogenesis in primary rat hepatocytes, whereas this insulin-sensitizing ability was significantly attenuated when the four glycosylated lysines were substituted with arginines. These results indicate that full-length adiponectin produced by mammalian cells is functionally active as an insulin sensitizer and that hydroxylation and glycosylation of the four lysines in the collagenous domain might contribute to this activity.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Radiative Tau Decays with One Pseudoscalar Meson

We have calculated the decay $\tau \rightarrow \nu \pi(K) \gamma$. We present the photon energy spectrum, the meson-photon invariant mass spectrum and the integrated rate as a function of a photon energy cut or an invariant mass cut. Both the internal bremsstrahlung and the structure dependent radiation have been taken into account. To this aim we have parametrized the form factors $F_V$ and $F_A$, which determine the structure dependent radiation. Observables especially suited for the measurement of the structure dependent form factors are found and implications on the width of the $a_1$ discussed.Comment: p.20, TTP93-1, LaTe

Evaluation of radiography as a screening method for detection and characterisation of congenital vertebral malformations in dogs

Congenital vertebral malformations (CVM) are common in brachycephalic ‘screw-tailed’ dogs; they can be associated with neurological deficits and a genetic predisposition has been suggested. The purpose of this study was to evaluate radiography as a screening method for congenital thoracic vertebral malformations in brachycephalic ‘screw-tailed’ dogs by comparing it with CT. Forty-nine dogs that had both radiographic and CT evaluations of the thoracic vertebral column were included. Three observers retrospectively reviewed the images independently to detect CVMs. When identified, they were classified according to a previously published radiographic classification scheme. A CT consensus was then reached. All observers identified significantly more affected vertebrae when evaluating orthogonal radiographic views compared with lateral views alone; and more affected vertebrae with the CT consensus compared with orthogonal radiographic views. Given the high number of CVMs per dog, the number of dogs classified as being CVM free was not significantly different between CT and radiography. Significantly more midline closure defects were also identified with CT compared with radiography. Malformations classified as symmetrical or ventral hypoplasias on radiography were frequently classified as ventral and medial aplasias on CT images. Our results support that CT is better than radiography for the classification of CVMs and this will be important when further evidence of which are the most clinically relevant CVMs is identified. These findings are of particular importance for designing screening schemes of CVMs that could help selective breeding programmes based on phenotype and future studies

Contact melting of a three-dimensional phase change material on a flat substrate

In this paper a model is developed to describe the three dimensional contact melting process of a cuboid on a heated surface. The mathematical description involves two heat equations (one in the solid and one in the melt), the Navier-Stokes equations for the flow in the melt, a Stefan condition at the phase change interface and a force balance between the weight of the solid and the countering pressure in the melt. In the solid an optimised heat balance integral method is used to approximate the temperature. In the liquid the small aspect ratio allows the Navier-Stokes and heat equations to be simplified considerably so that the liquid pressure may be determined using an igenfunction expansion and finally the problem is reduced to solving three first order ordinary differential equations. Results are presented showing the evolution of the melting process. Further reductions to the system are made to provide simple guidelines concerning the process. Comparison of the solutions with experimental data on the melting of n-octadecane shows excellent agreement