Abstract.The shape of atmospheric mineral particles of 0.1 -6 gm radius was studied by electron microscopy applied to the samples collected in three arid regions in China (Qira in the Taklamakan Desert, Zhangye near the southern border of the Badain-Jaran Desert and Hohhot in northern China). In all three regions, the mineral particles showed irregular shapes with a median aspect ratio b/a (ratio of the longest dimension b to the orthogonal width a) of 1.4. Although the aspect ratio exhibited no clear size dependence, the circularity factor (4nrS/12; S is surface area and I is periphery length) tended to decrease with increasing radius, suggesting the presence of aggregated mineral particles at larger sizes. The ratio of particle height-to-width h/a was also evaluated by measuring the shadow length. The median ratio h/a was 0.49 in Hohhot, 0.29 in Zhangye and 0.23 in Qira. Analytical functions were fitted to the grand total of the frequency distributions of aspect ratios, height-to-width ratios and circularity factors allowing parametric calculations of radiative effects and calculations of optical and sedimentation behavior of mineral particles.

BackgroundEating is one of the most important daily activities in managing patients with dementia. Although various eating disturbance occur as dementia progresses, to our knowledge, most of the studies focused on a part of eating disturbance such as swallowing and appetite. There have been few comprehensive studies including eating habits and food preference in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The aims of this study were to investigate almost all eating disturbance and to examine the relationship of eating disturbance to dementia stage in AD.MethodsA total of 220 patients with AD and 30 normal elderly (NE) subjects were recruited. Eating disturbance was assessed by a comprehensive questionnaire that had been previously validated. Potential relationships between the characteristics of eating disturbance and dementia stage as classified by the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) were assessed.ResultsOverall, 81.4% of patients with AD showed some eating and swallowing disturbance, whereas only 26.7% of the NE subjects had such a disturbance. Even in an early stage, patients with AD had many types of eating disturbance; “Appetite change” was shown in nearly half of the mild AD patients (49.5%). In the moderate stage, the scores of “change of eating habits and food preference” were highest, and in the severe stage “swallowing disturbance” became critical.ConclusionIn AD, the relationship of dementia stage to eating disturbance differs according to the type of eating disturbance. The relationships between various eating disturbance and the severity of dementia should be considered.

No abstract

No abstract