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Light by its gradations always speaks of its other, the dark. But as opposed to light which we assume we know the nature of, the nature of dark remains elusive. A key reason for this is that dark is often defined in terms of (absence of) light, and light in turn in relation to the sensibilities of our vision, which makes the demarcation line between light and dark rather arbitrary and difficult to define. I explore the nature of dark by considering a set of thresholds of dark and ask what the limit of such thresholds may be. Starting with the limitations of the human vision, and those of other species - as well as the physical properties of the electromagnetic waves of which the visible part, light, constitutes a very small part - I define the notion of relative darkness, in relation to any limited vision. The observer-dependence of this definition raises the interesting question of possibility of absolute darkness - i.e., dark(ness) for all possible visions, whether biological or artificial, terrestrial, or extra-terrestrial - defined as the absence of electromagnetic waves across their entire range of wavelengths. I argue that as opposed to relative darkness that does exist in the natural world, at least within the limits of the sensitivity of our (or any other limited) vision, absolute darkness does not naturally occur in the Universe at present. Furthermore, strictly speaking, it cannot be constructed artificially through any physical process which involves a finite number of steps. I explore the possibility of absolute darkness occurring in the very far future of the Universe and argue that only asymptotically in time (assuming the Universe is future eternal), can the Universe possibly tend towards such a state. But long before such epochs the Universe is likely to be devoid of any observers, with its physics becoming more and more uncertain given our present knowledge. I also briefly discuss the colour black and ask whether absolute black can exist in the Universe. I argue that this is similarly unlikely. Despite the observer-independent nature of the discussion here, dark (and black) carry deep psychological and metaphoric meanings for us. The conceptual realisation of the impossibility of absolute dark in our Universe, where all possible visions would fail, can have great symbolic significance, as well as reminding us of the vast vistas open to other possible visions, that forever remain closed to our eyes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The introduction of lighting of the surroundings in corridor-style spaces increased preference. • The introduction of lighting of the surroundings lowered preference for spaces featuring open, attractive landscape. • Space illuminated by tall lamps was rated as the safest. • Space illuminated discreetly (point-linear) is most conducive to exploration and contact with the nightscape. • Lighting with tall lamps is not conducive to solitude, intimacy and contemplation. The objective of our study was to verify: (1) whether adding ambient lighting in addition to path lighting has a positive impact on preferences, sense of safety and related feelings experienced by park visitors after dusk (H1) and whether this impact is differentiated by the features of the space (H2); (2) what features of the park space may influence the feelings tested (RQ1). For this purpose, we conducted an experiment in the Botanical Garden in Wrocław, where 114 study participants – randomly divided into two groups (experimental and control) – assessed nightscapes based on 13 variables (feelings). The experimental factor was the addition of ambient lighting (in addition to path lighting also present for the control group). The experiment was based on assessments made in three different places in the park – an open space, semi-open space and non-closed space. Thanks to this, we were able to check whether the features of the space differentiate the effects of the experimental factor and then consider their impact on people's feelings. The research found that the impact of the experimental factor (ambient light) is not obvious – it was only apparent in some cases. This factor increased preference for corridor landscapes (semi-open and semi-closed space), but lowered preference in the open landscape. The experimental factor had the strongest effects in the semi-closed, least lit space, and enhanced preferences, surprise and fascination. Moreover, comparison of the ratings of these three places showed that some spaces were rated as the safest while others were assessed as the most attractive. The safest turned out to be the semi-open space with typical park lighting, with the highest path illumination intensity, whereas the least safe was the semi-closed space with the least lighting. When it came to most of the other dimensions related to attractiveness and desire to stay in the area (mystery, contact with the surroundings, willingness to spend time there, surprise, fascination and contemplation), the place with an open view, visually attractive landscape and subtle linear point lighting was rated the highest. The remaining spaces were rated lower. The findings of the experiment indicate that (1) adding light does not always increase preference for a particular space – sometimes it lowers it, thus indicating the benefits of darkness and natural night light in park landscapes; (2) there are differences between the features of safe nightscapes and attractive and leisurely landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This essay examines the image of darkness present in Kipling's short story 'On the City Wall' and links it to various underlying themes in the story. One of the themes is the courtesan culture of Lahore. Lalun is a courtesan and is as much full of beauty, mystery and enigma as the city of Lahore where she dwells, or the quaint location of her house which is paradoxically situated on the city's wall. The essay also explores the role of the semi-informed narrator in the story, who can be Kipling himself or someone who is narrating the story to the readers. This narrator-character is tricked by Lalun to help an escaped prisoner get out from the city under the very noses of the policemen who are trying the control the riots on the streets. The narrator's gullibility and his lack of complete knowledge of his actions can also stand for the entire process of writing, where the narrated event remains partially shrouded in the haze of semi-visibility. Just as Lalun's real motives remain unknown to the narrator and the readers till the end of the story, similarly the narrator's use of authorial perspective entails a semi-reliability of the subjective point of view. Finally, the essay takes up the image of darkness and traces its presence in Kipling's life and writings. The world of the night is an integral part of Kipling's vision of an Indian self, and is further accentuated in the unfathomable person of the courtesan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of International Social Research is the property of Journal of International Social Research and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of VertigO is the property of La Revue Electronique en Sciences de l'Environnement VertigO and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In order to understand how darkness/irradiance and low nighttime temperature might alter physiology of Ulva prolifera under lower salinity conditions, we analyzed the growth rates, water content, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, total soluble proteins (SPs) and carbohydrates content at the end of dark and light period under three temperature levels (25–25 °C treatment: 25 °C for day and night; 15–15 °C treatment: 15 °C for day and night; 25–15 °C treatment: 25 °C for day with 15 °C for night) and two salinity conditions (15, 25), meanwhile, the pigment content (chlorophyll a and b), chlorophyll fluorescence and photosynthetic oxygen evolution also were determined during light phase. We found that the U. prolifera showed higher growth rate and SOD activity during dark phase at 25 °C, but this dark-induced increase could not be observed at 15 °C. The reasons for this increase varied, however, maybe not included water content and SPs for no significant difference in water content observed under all the treatments, as well as lower SPs content for dark period aside that at 15 °C and salinity 15. Compared to other two temperature treatments, the thalli grown at 25–15 °C showed higher growth rate and the photosynthetic oxygen evolution rate in light phase under salinity 15 conditions, although the maximum relative electron transport rate (rETR max) showed higher value under 25 °C treatment. These results indicate that the darkness and the lower nighttime temperature maybe responsible reason for the rapid growth of these green tide algae. Unlabelled Image • The effects of darkness and low nighttime temperature under low salinity were studied. • The higher growth and SOD activity at the dark phase were observed at 25°Crather than 15 °C. • Low nighttime temperature enhanced the growth and photosynthesis in light phase at lower salinity. • The darkness and low nighttime temperature maybe the midwife for the rapid growth of this alga. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although darkness alters physical reactivity, perceptions, and behavior, no previous research has investigated its impact on primary and secondary process thinking. This study examined the effect of lighting on young adults' thinking contents, related to their fear of the dark. Seventy-eight participants (41 females, 21.44 ± 2.15 years of age on average) wrote stories in a well-lit or semidark room and completed the Intensity of Fear of the Dark Questionnaire. Stories were analyzed via the Regressive Imagery Dictionary. Results showed that individuals with high levels of fear of the dark produce longer stories with higher relative frequency of primary content words in the semidark condition than in the well-lit condition, while others produce similar stories in both conditions. In addition, fearful individuals used significantly less secondary content words relative to primary content words in the semidark condition than in the well-lit condition. Results have been discussed from a regulatory perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: Adverse weather and poor visual cues are common elements in night-time Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) operations contributing to spatial disorientation and fatal accidents. Pilots are required to make weather-related preflight risk assessments to accept or reject a flight. This study's aim was to develop predictive risk assessment tools based on historical accident data to assist the decision-making process.METHODS: We analyzed 32 single-pilot HEMS night-time visual flight rules fatal accidents to identify contributory risk factors. Logistic regression analysis was used to develop prediction nomograms for nonvisual meteorological conditions (non-VMC), cause and nonsurvivable accidents as dependent variables. Risk factors such as temperature dew point spread, elevation difference, and years of HEMS pilot experience, were entered as continuous variables. Flight crew composition, pilot DTE (domain task experience) and flight rule capability, primary missions, and temperature dew point spread were entered as categorical variables. A point scoring matrix transposed model probability to likelihood and consequence severity.RESULTS: The nomograms correctly predicted the likelihood of entering non-VMC, accident cause, and sustaining a nonsurvivable accident in 75%, 55%, and 94% of cases, respectively. Using data from a recent nonsurvivable HEMS accident, the nomogram estimated a 92% probability (Very Likely) of nonsurvivable accident if visual cues were lost.CONCLUSION: These nomograms can provide preflight information to predict the likelihood of adverse safety outcomes occurring during a planned HEMS mission. While further development work is needed, this approach has the potential to improve HEMS operational safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Biology is the property of Instituto Internacional de Ecologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Actualizaciones en Osteología is the property of Asociacion Argentina de Osteologia y Metabolismo Mineral and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Although the participation of glutathione transferases (GSTs) in light-dependent pathways and the circadian changes in the whole detoxification system have been studied, there are fewer results regarding the exact daily fluctuation of GSTs. In the present study, it was demonstrated that light up-regulated, while dark period decreased the plant GST activity and the expression of the selected tau group GST genes in tomato. These findings provide additional information on our current knowledge on the circadian rhythm of GSTs in plants and could help in further defining detoxification processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the results of research that seeks to further our understanding of how lighting methods used in city parks impact sense of safety and preferences. We studied how the impact varies according to: (1) the lighting of paths as well as horizontal and vertical space; (2) foreground and background lighting. At the same time, we checked how the impact of these lighting features on sense of safety and preferences may be explained by mystery, legibility and a sense of privacy. We employed a within-subjects design in which 143 participants evaluated a set of 120 eye-level photographs of park landscapes in terms of mystery, legibility, perceived privacy and safety, and preference. We measured the degree of illumination in the photos as a percentage coverage of illuminated landscape forms. We tested the hypotheses by analysing a number of mediation models. The results revealed that the impact of lighting on perceived safety was explained by legibility. Safety (and legibility) increased along with increased lighting of landscape forms, but only in the background. Increased lighting of paths did not affect safety. An increase in path lighting lowered preferences because it deprived the landscape of mystery and privacy. Increasing the lighting around paths raised the assessment of mystery and, therefore, preference, but this only involved the lighting of vertical elements. Background lighting made the landscape more attractive because it became more legible and mysterious, and provided a greater safety and privacy. Foreground lighting had the opposite effect (it lowered the ratings). • Background lighting enhances the evaluation of legibility and perceived safety in a park space. • An increase in path lighting did not affect the safety rating and lowered preferences. • Increasing the illumination of vertical forms enhanced the evaluation of mystery and therefore preference. • Background lighting raised preferences, while foreground lighting had the opposite effect. • These relationships are explained by legibility, mystery, privacy and safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lighting design in footbridges is a relatively new discipline that is highly dependent on technological developments in the lighting industry. With the widespread adoption of the light-emitting diode (LED) and the almost infinite range of lighting solutions based on it, lighting requirements for footbridges now go far beyond the inherent desire to provide sufficient light for crossing safely. This paper explores the principles that distinguish a “good” lighting solution: which criteria can be used to evaluate lighting design? It examines the question of which individual aspects need to be evaluated and designed in order to achieve a good lighting solution. The paper illustrates and discusses the design process in an explanatory manner, based on selected works from the practice at schlaich bergermann partner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Radiance can be recalculated to more common local luminance and luminous intensity. • Communal trends in reduction or increase of light pollution can be analyzed remotely. • No correlation between crime and luminous intensity of communities. • No other than normal distribution of accidents at low light levels found. • Crayfish seem to survive only in habitats lit less than 4.5 times full moon. Abstract We present a novel transparent method to analyze measurements of the Suomi NPP (Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership) satellite in night vision, into luminous intensity and luminance on the community level, with a special focus to address light planners and non-experts, and for the first time, to further address politicians, decision-makers and law-makers, and governmental agencies. We checked the propagated efficiency of road lighting and its impact on luminous flux, and identified a waste of light emissions in the largest city of Switzerland, Zurich. We looked at security (issues like criminal acts) and found no correlation with communities' luminous intensity. We assessed road safety (accidents) against local luminance and found no evidence of darkness being more risky when the overall distribution of illuminance on roads is considered. We screened crayfish habitats in the Canton of Zurich against local illuminance and found clear evidence of preferred darkness for the living. Based on this finding, we propose an upper limit for light immissions in the crayfish habitats. These four analyses have been chosen to demonstrate the usefulness of Suomi NPP's coverage in combination with our approach. We could apply it to ecological, social and economical topics. We hope others will follow and we can draw more attention of governments to take action to reduce the light pollution on local levels, like Langnau am Albis of Switzerland has exemplified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: In the United States, between 1995 and 2013, night-time visual flight rules (VFR) Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) fatal accidents mostly encountered adverse weather, and pilots with <6 yr of HEMS experience showed higher likelihood of a night operational accident. One adverse weather indicator is cloud-ceiling likelihood indicated by temperature dew point spread (TDPS). This study investigated the relationship between TDPS and HEMS pilot years of experience. It was hypothesized pilots with <6 yr HEMS experience were associated with fatal outcomes encountered at lower TDPS. METHODS: Between 1995 and 2013,32 single pilot night VFR HEMS fatal accidents occurring in the United States, caused by controlled flight into terrain or loss of control, were analyzed. Using Federal Aviation Administration weather guidance, the 0-4°C TDPS was selected as an indicator of cloud ceiling. Each flight's TDPS was analyzed with pilots' HEMS domain task experience. RESULTS: There were 27 flights which entered the 0-4°CTDPS range; 20 (74%) were significantly associated with adverse weather. A significant negative linear relationship was found between TDPS of each mission and years of pilot HEMS experience (r = -0.423, P = 0.028). Pilots with <6 yr of experience were significantly associated with fatal outcomes (P = 0.049). CONCLUSION: Pilots' incremental years of HEMS experience were associated with a TDPS decrement. Fatal outcomes were over nine times higher for pilots with <6 yr of HEMS experience in night VFR operational accidents in those conditions. Interventions for <6-yr pilots are recommended during experience building to prevent likelihood of operational accidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the symbolic values of light and darkness in the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins. Hopkins was fascinated by oppositional discourses and as such his poetry is resonant with dichotomous systems of metaphor; his struggles with faith and doubt, and his search for positivity in the midst of depression are both articulated through the oppositional concepts of light and dark. The candle functions uniquely within this metaphoric structure, as it breaches the bounds of darkness while still making it more ever-present. This article explores how Hopkins utilises the candle and its semiological expression to draw attention to the liminality of his beliefs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article takes a closer look at a specific feature of the Nile, and more in particular an aspect of its life bringing inundation known to the ancient Egyptian priests as Keku ("Darkness"). This facet of the inundation occurs seven times among the gifts brought by offering bearers in hydrological processions on the soubassement in the Horus temple of Edfu, the Opet temple at Karnak, the Hathor temple of Dendara and the small Isis temple of Dendara dating from the reigns of Ptolemaios IV Philopator (221-204 BCE) to that of Emperor Nero (54-68 CE). The study of its location on the temple walls as well as the inscriptions accompanying this specific personification of the Nile inundation indicates the existence of patterns in the distribution of these texts not only within a single temple, but also between temples over time and space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Socialinių Mokslų Studijos is the property of Mykolas Romeris University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper explores some of the ways in which Northern Lights tourism is composed and performed. In particular, we will focus on the interplay between light and darkness and how tourists, tour operators and various more-than-human elements are engaged in and contribute to affective lightscapes of Northern Lights tourism through improvised choreography. The discussion is based on an ethnographic example from one Northern Lights tour. The paper advances understanding of the importance of how bodies and rhythms intertwine with the surroundings creating tourism experiences as well as contributing to the affective field of destinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Observatorio (OBS*) is the property of OberCom and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Aravind Adiga's The White Tiger is the story of a man named Balram Halwai and his journey of redemption from regression and suppression. The writer paints a sardonic and dark picture of India and this article is an endeavour to bring out the truth behind his representation of the nation. Adiga views India as being infested with servitude and swath, where a man born in a poor family finds his chances of progress being limited and the conditions prevailing in India are such that propel the self of an economically deprived individual to justify a crime like murder, and become a legal as well as social criminal. Adiga has raised many issues in his work and it is a fact beyond contestation that India is being confronted by most of the issues put forth by him. But what concludes his work as an unacceptable representation of India is that he has increased the magnitude of the problems manifold, so that they seem to be the dominant factor in Indian society. It cannot be argued that his work is devoid of reality, but it is indeed the exaggeration of reality, which makes his work liable to criticism and splenetic reactions. My paper would critically examine and bring about clarity between Adiga's India and the real India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Environmental Education is the property of Canadian Journal of Environmental Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: Employee creativity is critical to organizational competitiveness. However, the potential contribution made by the workspace and the physical environment is not fully taken into account because, up to now, it has been rather unclear how aspects of the physical environment, especially light, can support creativity. Consequently, in six studies, the present research investigated the effect of light and darkness on creative performance. We expected that darkness would offer individuals freedom from constraints, enabling a global and explorative processing style, which in turn facilitates creativity. First, four studies demonstrated that both priming darkness and actual dim illumination improved creative performance. The priming studies revealed that the effect can occur outside of people's awareness and independent of differences in visibility. Second, two additional studies tested the underlying mechanism and showed that darkness elicits a feeling of being free from constraints and triggers a risky, explorative processing style. As expected, perceived freedom from constraints mediated the effect of dim illumination on creativity. Third, moderation analyses demonstrated the effects' boundary conditions: the darkness-related increase in creativity disappeared when using a more informal indirect light instead of direct light or when evaluating ideas instead of generating creative ideas. In sum, these results contribute to the understanding of visual atmospheres (i.e. visual messages), their importance for lighting effects, and their impact via conceptual links and attentional tuning. Limitations as well as practical implications for lighting design are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In Kitāb al-insān al-kāmil or The Book of the Perfect Man, I, ‘Azīz-ud-dīnNasafī dwells on the themes of nourishment and light, of light revealed as the essence of nourishment. Nasafī posits that “all the ascetical exercises and branches of knowledge of the Hindoos” are founded on the apotheosis of the nourishing light. This paragraph foregrounds the Taittirīya Upanishad as a text-witness. Nasafī draws attention to the fact that the theology of nourishment is circumscribed by the “inner voyage of the Hindoos”. Consequently, he ignores the Manichaean paternity of the theology of Light and Darkness. The Islamisation of Manichaean religious ideas points to Nasafī’s concern with avoiding any accusation of zandaqa (allegiance to the dualist heresies) on the part of the Moslem authorities. The hermeneutical elucidation of Nasafī’s discourse on nourishment and light emphasizes the syncretic juxtaposing of certain religious ideas which belong to the core principles of Hinduism and Manicheism, against the spiritual background of the Soūfi School of Khurāsān, during the 18th century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A duality of being is inscribed in the mythical story of Persephone, therefore its character is both antithetical and inversive. The antithesis is defined by the seeming dichotomy between the earthly existence of Demeter's daughter Cora and her underground life when she becomes Hades's wife Persephone. However, the myth shows the Cora of daylight and Persephone of darkness as a unity; the cyclical return to the surface of the earth and disappearance in its depth point to inversion rather than antithesis. In the works of French romanticism the dramatic character of Persephone is sometimes placed close to Eurydice. The present paper discusses the issue in the writings of Gérard de Nerval and Alphonse Esquiros's Le Magicien. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the interplay between darkness, construal level, and psychological distance based on the link between environmental lighting conditions and visual perception. In the dark, visual perception becomes less focused and detailed, leading to more abstract representations. We argue that this link between physical darkness and a global perceptual processing style spills over to the conceptual level. In three experiments, darkness triggered a more global perceptual and conceptual processing style than did brightness, regardless of whether the darkness was physically manipulated or primed. Additionally, two Implicit Association Tests (IATs) showed that darkness is more strongly associated with high-level construal than with low-level construal. Moreover, drawing on the generalized link between construal level and psychological distance, we proposed that darkness is also linked to perceived psychological distance because the lack of detail information and the abstract representations in the dark remove objects and other persons from people's direct, detailed experience. Eight IATs confirmed the implicit link between darkness and four dimensions of psychological distance. These implications of these results are discussed with regard to thinking styles and social processes like stereotyping and cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this essay I examine the features of night, in particular, urban night. I try to highlight the epistemological divide between day and night, light and darkness. Even as light-based experiencing, acting, and thinking, and their cultural tools colonize urban night, nocturnal elements relate dialectically to our daytime reasoning. I conclude with the question of whether a kind of half-tone thinking contained in a trialectic of light, twilight, and darkness would be capable of appreciating the peculiar qualities of night. The reveries of the weak light guide into the innermost recesses of the familiar. It looks as if there are dark corners where nothing but a fluttering light is suffered….A dreamer of the lamp knows by instinct that the images of the weak light are night lights. Their glow becomes invisible, when thinking is at work, when consciousness is bright. But as soon as thinking has a rest the images watch. Gaston Bachelard[1] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The knowledge on allergic shiners is extremely limited. A conceivable tool able to quantify allergic shiners has not been established. Objectives: We sought to determine the significance and changeability of allergic shiners through our newly developed computerized method. Methods: We developed a novel computerized method to measure allergic shiners and enrolled a cohort of children with or without allergic rhinitis. Children with allergic rhinitis were prospectively assessed. A standardized digital photograph was taken during each visit, and a modified Pediatric Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire was completed. Subject global assessment for nose symptoms and subject global assessment for eye symptoms (SGAE) were self-recorded daily. Results: We included 126 children with allergic rhinitis and 123 healthy control subjects. One hundred three (82%) participants with allergic rhinitis completed at least 4 prospective assessments. Shiners were darker (P < .001) and larger (P < .001) in children with allergic rhinitis. Darkness and sizes of allergic shiners were paradoxically inversely correlated (P = .02). Darkness of allergic shiners positively correlated with the duration of allergic rhinitis, practical problem scores, and SGAE values (P = .02, P = .004, and P = .002, respectively), but sizes of allergic shiners did not. Shiners were found to be darker in children with scores of eye symptoms of greater than 6, scores of practical problems of greater than 5, and SGAE values of greater than 0 (P = .02, P < .001, and P = .003, respectively), whereas shiners were larger in children with scores of other symptoms of greater than 9 and activity limitations of greater than 4 (P = .02 and P = .002, respectively). Conclusion: Computer-analyzed allergic shiners correlate with the chronicity and severity of allergic rhinitis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Tropical rainforest seed ecology is diverse reflecting great variation in patterns of germination. These patterns reflect reproductive strategies designed to optimise the distribution and successful germination of species. The percentage germination varied widely across the 27 rainforest species. An additional seven species failed to germinate under the conditions provided and are not discussed further. When grouped according to successional status, in the absence of seed pre-germination treatments, germination on average reached 53% in late secondary species, 61% in early secondary species, 71% in climax species compared to only 17% in the pioneer species. The time to onset of germination was significantly lower in pioneer species (5±9.9 days) compared to early secondary (14±7.6 days) and climax (35±7.5 days) successional species. We imposed eight pre-germination treatments, of which each was effective in increasing germination percentage for at least some of the trialed species. The most effective pre-germination treatments were nicking and boiling water, which gave on average five to sixfold increases, respectively, as compared to darkness and the presence of fleshy fruit or combinations thereof of those treatments. The knowledge of germination ecology may enable nursery operations to accurately plan seedling production. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of Teología is the property of Pontificia Universidad Catolica Argentina and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Shewanella sp. Arc9-LZ is a bacterium capable of synthesizing silver nanoparticles in darkness. It was isolated from the marine sediment from the Arctic Ocean (158°01′12"W; 84°28′38"N) collected during the 9th Chinese National Arctic Expedition in 2018. Here, we describe the complete genome of Shewanella sp. Arc9-LZ. The complete genome of Shewanella sp. Arc9-LZ is composed of a circular chromosome of 4,911,031 bp with G + C content of 41.61 mol%. The genome encodes 4040 protein-coding genes (CDSs), 104 tRNAs, and 35 rRNAs. The rRNAs contain 14 copies of 5S rRNA gene, 11 copies of 16S rRNA gene, and 10 copies of 23S rRNA gene. Based on the KEGG, COG, NR, Swiss-Prot, TCDB, and CAZy analysis, a total of 64 genes belonging to 9 kinds are related to the AgNPs synthesis. These genes are involeved in the synthesis of riboflavin, b-type cytochrome, c-type cytochrome, coenzyme Q, NADPH dehydrogenase, cytochrome c reductase, cytochrome c oxidase, nitroreductase, and nitrate reductase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of our study was to follow the influence of the substrate, (single respectively double filter paper), the environment conditions (light, darkness), of the seed's measure and age, on the beans germination. These aspects were followed because the specialty literature correlates the loss of the germinative capacity with different external and internal factors. Three local varieties: P1 (Albenghino), P2 (Cannellini), P3 (Black Turtle), grown in Maramures County, with undetermined growth and different permeability of the seminal skin, were chosen for the experiment. One hundred seeds of every sort were placed in three replications. The energy and germinative faculty were determined, calculating the average values obtained at the replications. We noted that the P2 variety had the highest germinative faculty of 83.33% on double layer under light conditions, and the germination of 100% under darkness. The P1 variety is on the second place. The germinative faculty of the P3 variety is of only 70% on a single substrate and 80% on double layer. The germinative energy and faculty of the seeds provided from 2013 are diminished comparatively with those from 2014. The local population P3 proved to be more influenced by age, with a germinative energy of 30% in 2013 and 60% in 2014. The positive influence of the darkness conditions, both for the seeds provided from 2013 and 2014, was noted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]