Contrasting stomatal sensitivity to temperature and soil drought in mature alpine conifers.

Conifers growing at high elevations need to optimize their stomatal conductance (g ) for maximizing photosynthetic yield while minimizing water loss under less favourable thermal conditions. Yet the ability of high-elevation conifers to adjust their g sensitivity to environmental drivers remains largely unexplored. We used 4 years of sap flow measurements to elucidate intraspecific and interspecific variability of g in Larix decidua Mill.

Deflectometric analysis of high volume injection molds for production of occupational eye wear.

Purpose: Most of the protective eye wear devices currently on the market are manufactured on simple polycarbonate shields, produced by injection molding techniques. Despite high importance of optical quality, injection molds are rarely inspected for surface quality before or during the manufacturing process. Quality degradation is mainly monitored by optical testing of the molded parts.

Minerals, trace elements and related biological variables in athletes and during physical activity.

This review concerns various minerals (sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus), trace elements (zinc, manganese, selenium, copper, iron, cobalt, iodine, chromium, fluorine, lead, cadmium) and other biological variables (nitric oxide, L-carnitine, glutamine, serum transferrin receptor, biopyrrins) in relation to hemorheologic effects, stress, immune response and infections during physical and sports activities. In athletes, macroelements in the ionized form contribute to heart and muscle contractions, oxidative phosphorylation and the synthesis and activation of enzymatic systems. Zinc (Zn) protects against the effects of increased free reactive oxygen species such as copper (Cu) and manganese (Mn) (Cu-Zn superoxide dismutases; Mn superoxide dismutase).

Natural Haemophilus influenzae type b capsular polysaccharide antibodies in 412 infants and children from West Africa (Burkina-Faso) and France: a cross-sectional serosurvey.

Prior to possible introduction of large-scale vaccination programmes, an estimation and comparison of naturally acquired immunity against Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) was carried out in two populations of age-stratified infants and children (from birth to 14 years old) in Burkina-Faso (West Africa) (n = 206) and France (n = 206). Hib capsular polysaccharide antibodies were detected by an ELISA method. The difference in the percentages of minimum protective levels for the two populations were not significant (0.

A multicentre serosurvey on diphtheria immunity in a French population of 1004 subjects.

Diphtheria immunity was determined in serum specimens obtained in 1994 from 1004 subjects seen in emergency departments of three distant French cities. An enzyme immunoassay was used to measure serum diphtheria antitoxin concentrations according to the following criteria: (a) antitoxin < 0.01 IU/ml: susceptibility, (b) 0.