Evolutionary heritage influences Amazon tree ecology.
Lineages tend to retain ecological characteristics of their ancestors through time. However, for some traits, selection during evolutionary history may have also played a role in determining trait values. To address the relative importance of these processes requires large-scale quantification of traits and evolutionary relationships among species. The Amazonian tree flora comprises a high diversity of angiosperm lineages and species with widely differing life-history characteristics, providing an excellent system to investigate the combined influences of evolutionary heritage and selection in determining trait variation. We used trait data related to the major axes of life-history variation among tropical trees (e.g. growth and mortality rates) from 577 inventory plots in closed-canopy forest, mapped onto a phylogenetic hypothesis spanning more than 300 genera including all major angiosperm clades to test for evolutionary constraints on traits. We found significant phylogenetic signal (PS) for all traits, consistent with evolutionarily related genera having more similar characteristics than expected by chance. Although there is also evidence for repeated evolution of pioneer and shade tolerant life-history strategies within independent lineages, the existence of significant PS allows clearer predictions of the links between evolutionary diversity, ecosystem function and the response of tropical forests to global change.


Distinct sets of genetic alterations in melanoma.
Exposure to ultraviolet light is a major causative factor in melanoma, although the relationship between risk and exposure is complex. We hypothesized that the clinical heterogeneity is explained by genetically distinct types of melanoma with different susceptibility to ultraviolet light. We compared genome-wide alterations in the number of copies of DNA and mutational status of BRAF and N-RAS in 126 melanomas from four groups in which the degree of exposure to ultraviolet light differs: 30 melanomas from skin with chronic sun-induced damage and 40 melanomas from skin without such damage; 36 melanomas from palms, soles, and subungual (acral) sites; and 20 mucosal melanomas. We found significant differences in the frequencies of regional changes in the number of copies of DNA and mutation frequencies in BRAF among the four groups of melanomas. Samples could be correctly classified into the four groups with 70 percent accuracy on the basis of the changes in the number of copies of genomic DNA. In two-way comparisons, melanomas arising on skin with signs of chronic sun-induced damage and skin without such signs could be correctly classified with 84 percent accuracy. Acral melanoma could be distinguished from mucosal melanoma with 89 percent accuracy. Eighty-one percent of melanomas on skin without chronic sun-induced damage had mutations in BRAF or N-RAS; the majority of melanomas in the other groups had mutations in neither gene. Melanomas with wild-type BRAF or N-RAS frequently had increases in the number of copies of the genes for cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) and cyclin D1 (CCND1), downstream components of the RAS-BRAF pathway. The genetic alterations identified in melanomas at different sites and with different levels of sun exposure indicate that there are distinct genetic pathways in the development of melanoma and implicate CDK4 and CCND1 as independent oncogenes in melanomas without mutations in BRAF or N-RAS.


Absolute and relative cell counts for synovial fluid from clinically normal shoulder and stifle joints in cats.
To determine absolute and relative cell counts for synovial fluid from grossly, radiographically, and histologically normal shoulder and stifle joints in healthy cats. Clinical study. 52 cats scheduled to be euthanatized for unrelated reasons. Arthrocentesis of the shoulder and stifle joints was performed bilaterally, and synovial fluid was analyzed for absolute WBC count, WBC morphology, and percentages of neutrophils and mononuclear cells. Joints were examined grossly and radiographically, and synovial membrane specimens were submitted for histologic examination. Synovial fluid samples that were contaminated with blood and samples from joints with any gross, radiographic, or histologic abnormalities were excluded. 82 of the 208 synovial fluid samples were excluded because abnormalities were identified during physical examination; the volume of fluid obtained was insufficient for analysis; there was evidence of blood contamination; or the joint had gross, radiographic, or histologic abnormalities. Median WBC count for the remaining 126 synovial fluid samples was 91 cells/microL (96.4% mononuclear cells and 3.6% neutrophils); WBC count was not significantly different between left and right joint samples or between shoulder and stifle joint samples. Body weight was associated with synovial fluid WBC count, with WBC count increasing as body weight increased. Sixteen of the 52 (30%) cats had radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis involving at least 1 joint. Results suggest that synovial fluid can be obtained reliably from shoulder and stifle joints in cats.


Noninvasive optical characterization of muscle blood flow, oxygenation, and metabolism in women with fibromyalgia.
Women with fibromyalgia (FM) have symptoms of increased muscular fatigue and reduced exercise tolerance, which may be associated with alterations in muscle microcirculation and oxygen metabolism. This study used near-infrared diffuse optical spectroscopies to noninvasively evaluate muscle blood flow, blood oxygenation and oxygen metabolism during leg fatiguing exercise and during arm arterial cuff occlusion in post-menopausal women with and without FM. Fourteen women with FM and twenty-three well-matched healthy controls participated in this study. For the fatiguing exercise protocol, the subject was instructed to perform 6 sets of 12 isometric contractions of knee extensor muscles with intensity steadily increasing from 20 to 70% maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC). For the cuff occlusion protocol, forearm arterial blood flow was occluded via a tourniquet on the upper arm for 3 minutes. Leg or arm muscle hemodynamics, including relative blood flow (rBF), oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin concentration ([HbO2] and [Hb]), total hemoglobin concentration (THC) and blood oxygen saturation (StO2), were continuously monitored throughout protocols using a custom-built hybrid diffuse optical instrument that combined a commercial near-infrared oximeter for tissue oxygenation measurements and a custom-designed diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) flowmeter for tissue blood flow measurements. Relative oxygen extraction fraction (rOEF) and oxygen consumption rate (rVO2) were calculated from the measured blood flow and oxygenation data. Post-manipulation (fatiguing exercise or cuff occlusion) recovery in muscle hemodynamics was characterized by the recovery half-time, a time interval from the end of manipulation to the time that tissue hemodynamics reached a half-maximal value. Subjects with FM had similar hemodynamic and metabolic response/recovery patterns as healthy controls during exercise and during arterial occlusion. However, tissue rOEF during exercise in subjects with FM was significantly lower than in healthy controls, and the half-times of oxygenation recovery (Δ[HbO2] and Δ[Hb]) were significantly longer following fatiguing exercise and cuff occlusion. Our results suggest an alteration of muscle oxygen utilization in the FM population. This study demonstrates the potential of using combined diffuse optical spectroscopies (i.e., NIRS/DCS) to comprehensively evaluate tissue oxygen and flow kinetics in skeletal muscle.


Sequential analysis of Anaplasma phagocytophilum msp2 transcription in murine and equine models of human granulocytic anaplasmosis.
Anaplasma phagocytophilum causes human granulocytic anaplasmosis by inducing immunopathologic responses. Its immunodominant Msp2 protein is encoded by a family of >100 paralogs. Msp2 (msp2) expression modulates in the absence of immune pressure, and prolonged in vitro passage modulates in vivo virulence. Because programmed MSP2 expression occurs in Anaplasma marginale, we hypothesized a similar event in A. phagocytophilum in vivo, with specific Msp2 expression triggering immunopathologic injury or clinical manifestations of disease. We examined msp2 transcripts in 11 B6 mice and 6 horses inoculated with low- or high-passage A. phagocytophilum Webster strain. Blood was sequentially obtained through 3 weeks postinfection for msp2 reverse transcription-PCR. Horses were additionally assessed for clinical manifestations, seroconversion, complete blood count, blood chemistry, and cytokine gene transcription. In both species, there was no consistent emergence of msp2 transcripts, and all 22 msp2 variants were detected in both passage groups. Clinical severity was much higher for high-passage-infected than for low-passage-infected horses, preceded by higher levels of blood gamma interferon transcription on day 7. Antibody was first detected on day 7, and all horses seroconverted by day 22, with a trend toward lower antibody titers in low-passage-infected animals. Leukocyte and platelet counts were similar between experimental groups except on day 13, when low-passage-infected animals had more profound thrombocytopenia. These findings corroborate studies with mice, where msp2 diversity did not explain differences in hepatic histopathology, but differ from the paradigm of low-passage A. phagocytophilum causing more significant clinical illness. Alteration in transcription of msp2 has no bearing on clinical disease in horses, suggesting the existence of a separate proinflammatory component differentially expressed with changing in vitro passage.


Patterns of paternity skew among polyandrous social insects: what can they tell us about the potential for sexual selection?
Monogamy results in high genetic relatedness among offspring and thus it is generally assumed to be favored by kin selection. Female multiple mating (polyandry) has nevertheless evolved several times in the social Hymenoptera (ants, bees, and wasps), and a substantial amount of work has been conducted to understand its costs and benefits. Relatedness and inclusive fitness benefits are, however, not only influenced by queen mating frequency but also by paternity skew, which is a quantitative measure of paternity biases among the offspring of polyandrous females. We performed a large-scale phylogenetic analysis of paternity skew across polyandrous social Hymenoptera. We found a general and significant negative association between paternity frequency and paternity skew. High paternity skew, which increases relatedness among colony members and thus maximizes inclusive fitness gains, characterized species with low paternity frequency. However, species with highly polyandrous queens had low paternity skew, with paternity equalized among potential sires. Equal paternity shares among fathers are expected to maximize fitness benefits derived from genetic diversity among offspring. We discuss the potential for postcopulatory sexual selection to influence patterns of paternity in social insects, and suggest that sexual selection may have played a key, yet overlooked role in social evolution.


Skin colonisation at the catheter exit site is strongly associated with catheter colonisation and catheter-related sepsis.
The commonest mode of catheter colonisation is via the extraluminal route with skin bacteria. Catheter-related sepsis causes significant mortality and morbidity in neonates. Our aim was to study the relationships between culture-positive catheter exit site skin swabs, percutaneous central venous catheter segments and blood to determine the magnitude of associations between exit site skin colonisation, catheter colonisation and catheter-related sepsis. In a prospective study, an exit site skin swab and three formerly in vivo catheter segments (proximal, middle and tip) were taken for culture at catheter removal. In those neonates who were clinically unwell at catheter removal, a peripheral blood culture was also collected. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to study associations. Skin swabs were culture positive in 39 (21%) of 187 catheter removals. With a culture-positive skin swab, the risk of associated catheter colonisation was nearly eight times higher (OR: 7.84, 95% CI: 3.59-17.15) and the risk of definite catheter-related sepsis with the same organism was nearly 10 times higher (OR 9.86, 95% CI: 3.13-31.00). Culture-positive skin swabs from the catheter exit site were strongly associated with catheter colonisation and with definite catheter-related sepsis with the same organism. These data provide further evidence supporting catheter colonisation via the extraluminal route and highlight the importance of optimising skin disinfection before catheter insertion.


Directional coupler and nonlinear Mach-Zehnder interferometer based on metal-insulator-metal plasmonic waveguide.
Directional coupler (DC) and nonlinear Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) based on metal-insulator-metal (MIM) plasmonic waveguide are investigated numerically. We show that the coupling length increases almost linearly with the wavelength and this property is utilized in the design of wavelength division multiplexer (WDM). A nonlinear MZI, with one branch filled with Kerr nonlinear medium, is built to ensure controlling light with light. Employing nonlinear processes including self-phase modulation (SPM) and cross-phase modulation (XPM), intensity-based router and all-optical switch are realized.


Immunohistochemical detection of ribonucleotide reductase in human breast-tumors.
Ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) consists of two non-identical subunits, R1 and R2 and is one of the key enzymes involved in DNA biosynthesis. RNR activity is considerably higher in malignant tumors than in normal tissues in the rat suggesting that RNR may play an important role in the pathogenesis of human tumors. In order to obtain immunological reagents to study the localization and level of expression of RNR in various human tissues, a synthetic peptide containing sequences corresponding to the COOH-terminal region of the human R2 subunit was used to generate rat monoclonal antibodies. The generated rat monoclonal antibodies (IgG) inhibited RNR enzymatic activity purified from murine P388 leukemia cells. These antibodies were used to immunohistochemically examine the distribution of RNR in a small panel of 8 malignant and 4 benign human breast tumors. Positive immunostaining for RNR was observed in the cytoplasm of human breast carcinoma cells in which a specific 44 kDa specific band of R2 subunit was also detected by Western blot analysis. The immunostaining was blocked by preabsorption of the antibody with an excess amount of the synthetic peptide immunogen. In 8 of 8 breast carcinomas, positive immunostaining for the R2 subunit was observed whereas noninvolved, adjacent breast tissue showed no staining with this antibody. In addition, few of the benign breast lesions exhibited staining with this antibody. These data indicate that these antibodies can immunohistochemically detect RNR in frozen or formalin-fixed, paraffin- embedded tissues and that there is a differential expression of RNR between breast tumors and non-involved breast tissue. Immunohistochemical detection of RNR using these antibodies may therefore be useful for the diagnosis of human breast tumors.


Lumbar Hyperextension in Baseball Pitching: A Potential Cause of Spondylolysis.
Symptomatic spondylolysis/spondylolisthesis is thought to be caused by repetitive lumbar extension. About 8.9% of baseball pitchers that experience back pain will be diagnosed with spondylolysis. Therefore, this study aims to identify and quantify lumbar extension experienced during baseball pitching. It was hypothesized that young pitchers would exhibit less lumbar extension than older pitchers. A total of 187 healthy pitchers were divided into 3 age groups: youth, adolescent, and college. Kinematic data were collected at 250 Hz using a 3-D motion capture system. Lumbar motion was calculated as the difference between upper thoracic motion and pelvic motion over the pitching cycle. Lumbar "hyperextension" was defined as ≥20° past neutral. College pitchers had significantly greater lumbar extension compared with youth and adolescent pitchers at the point of maximum external rotation of the glenohumeral joint during the pitch cycle (-25° [13°], P = .04). For all age groups, lumbar hyperextension was present during the first 66% of the pitch cycle. Most pitchers spent 45% of pitch cycle in ≥30° of lumbar extension. Understanding that lumbar extension and hyperextension are components of the complex, multiplanar motions of the spine associated with baseball pitching can potentially help in both the prevention and management of symptomatic spondylolysis/spondylolisthesis.


Mothers may shape the variations in social organization among gorillas.
When mothers continue to support their offspring beyond infancy, they can influence the fitness of those offspring, the strength of social relationships within their groups, and the life-history traits of their species. Using up to 30 years of demographic data from 58 groups of gorillas in two study sites, this study extends such findings by showing that mothers may also contribute to differences in social organization between closely related species. Female mountain gorillas remained with their sons for significantly longer than western gorillas, which may explain why male philopatry and multimale groups are more common among mountain gorillas. The presence of the putative father and other familiar males did not vary significantly between species, and we found only limited support for the socio-ecological theory that the distribution of adult males is influenced by the distribution of females. Within each gorilla species, variations in those distributions may also reflect the different stages in the typical life cycle of a group. Collectively, our results highlight the potentially far-reaching consequences of maternal support that extends beyond infancy, and they illustrate the opportunity to incorporate additional factors into phylogenetic analyses of variations in social organization, including studies of human evolution.


Tumor suppressor SMAR1 activates and stabilizes p53 through its arginine-serine-rich motif.
Various stresses and DNA-damaging agents trigger transcriptional activity of p53 by post-translational modifications, making it a global regulatory switch that controls cell proliferation and apoptosis. Earlier we have shown that the novel MAR-associated protein SMAR1 interacts with p53. Here we delineate the minimal domain of SMAR1 (the arginine-serine-rich domain) that is phosphorylated by protein kinase C family proteins and is responsible for p53 interaction, activation, and stabilization within the nucleus. SMAR1-mediated stabilization of p53 is brought about by inhibiting Mdm2-mediated degradation of p53. We also demonstrate that this arginine-serine (RS)-rich domain triggers the various cell cycle modulating proteins that decide cell fate. Furthermore, phenotypic knock-down experiments using small interfering RNA showed that SMAR1 is required for activation and nuclear retention of p53. The level of phosphorylated p53 was significantly increased in the thymus of SMAR1 transgenic mice, showing in vivo significance of SMAR1 expression. This is the first report that demonstrates the mechanism of action of the MAR-binding protein SMAR1 in modulating the activity of p53, often referred to as the "guardian of the genome."


Discovery of a novel potent peptide agonist to adiponectin receptor 1.
Activation of adiponectin receptors (AdipoRs) by its natural ligand, adiponectin has been known to be involved in modulating critical metabolic processes such as glucose metabolism and fatty acid oxidation as demonstrated by a number of in vitro and in vivo studies over last two decades. These findings suggest that AdipoRs' agonists could be developed into a potential therapeutic agent for metabolic diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, especially for type II diabetes, a long-term metabolic disorder characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. Because of limitations in production of biologically active adiponectin, adiponectin-mimetic AdipoRs' agonists have been suggested as alternative ways to expand the opportunity to develop anti-diabetic agents. Based on crystal structure of AdipoR1, we designed AdipoR1's peptide agonists using protein-peptide docking simulation and screened their receptor binding abilities and biological functions via surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and biological analysis. Three candidate peptides, BHD1028, BHD43, and BHD44 were selected and confirmed to activate AdipoR1-mediated signal pathways. In order to enhance the stability and solubility of peptide agonists, candidate peptides were PEGylated. PEGylated BHD1028 exhibited its biological activity at nano-molar concentration and could be a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of diabetes. Also, SPR and virtual screening techniques utilized in this study may potentially be applied to other peptide-drug screening processes against membrane receptor proteins.


A general access to organogold(iii) complexes by oxidative addition of diazonium salts.
At room temperature under mild photochemical conditions, namely irradiation with a simple blue light LED, gold(i) chloro complexes of both phosphane and carbene ligands in combination with aryldiazonium salts afford arylgold(iii) complexes. With chelating P,N-ligands cationic six- or five-membered chelate complexes were isolated in the form of salts with weakly coordinating counter anions that were brought in from the diazonium salt. With monodentate P ligands or N-heterocyclic carbene ligands and diazonium chlorides neutral arylgold(iii) dichloro complexes were obtained. The coordination geometry was determined by X-ray crystal structure analyses of representative compounds, a cis arrangement of the aryl and the phosphane ligand at the square planar gold(iii) center is observed.


Patterns of BMI development between 10 and 42 years of age and their determinants in the 1970 British Cohort Study.
Mixture modelling is a useful approach to identify subgroups in a population who share similar trajectories. We aimed to identify distinct body mass index (BMI) trajectories between 10 and 42 years and investigate how known early-life risk factors are related to trajectories. Sample: 9187 participants in the 1970 British Birth Cohort Study, with BMI observations between 10 and 42 years and data on birth weight, parental BMI, socioeconomic status, breast feeding and puberty. Latent growth mixture modelling in Mplus was used to model age-related BMI trajectories and test associations of risk factors with trajectory membership. A three latent class model was most credible: (1) normative: 92%: started normal weight but gradually increased BMI to become overweight in adulthood; (2) childhood onset persistent obesity (COP): 4%: persistently high BMI from childhood; (3) adolescent and young adulthood onset obesity (AYAO): 4%: normal weight in childhood but had a steep ascending trajectory. Higher maternal and paternal BMI and early puberty increased the probability of being in either the COP or the AYAO classes compared with the normative class. Most individuals gradually increased BMI and became overweight in mid-adulthood. Only 8% demonstrated more severe BMI trajectories. Further research is needed to understand the underlying body composition changes and health risks in the COP and AYAO classes.


The change and the mediating role of parental emotional reactions and depression in the treatment of traumatized youth: results from a randomized controlled study.
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) has been shown to efficiently treat children and youth exposed to traumatizing events. However, few studies have looked into mechanisms that may distinguish this treatment from other treatments. The objective of this study was to investigate whether the parents' emotional reactions and depressive symptoms change over the course of therapy in the treatment conditions of TF-CBT and Therapy as Usual (TAU), and whether changes in the reactions mediate the difference between the treatment conditions on child post-traumatic stress (PTS) symptoms and child depressive symptoms. A sample of 135 caregivers of 135 traumatized children and youth (M age = 14.8, SD = 2.2, 80% girls) was randomly assigned to receive either TF-CBT or TAU. The parents' emotional reactions were measured using the Parental Emotional Reaction Questionnaire (PERQ), and their depressive symptoms were measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The children's outcomes were post-traumatic stress (PTS) reactions and depression, as measured by the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for Children and Adolescents (CAPS-CA) and Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ), respectively. The parents' emotional reactions and depressive symptoms decreased significantly from pre- to post-therapy, but no significant differences between the two treatment conditions were found. The changes in reactions did not significantly mediate the treatment difference between TF-CBT and TAU on child PTS symptoms. However a mediating effect was found on child depressive symptoms. The results showed that although the parents experienced reductions in emotional reactions and depressive symptoms when their child received therapy, this was only significantly related to the difference in outcome between TF-CBT and TAU on child depressive symptoms. Possible explanations for these results are discussed along with the implications for clinicians and suggestions for future research. NCT00635752.


Closure of a Prosthetic Mitral Valve Paravalvular Leak Using a Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) Amplatzer Occluder Device.
BACKGROUND Paravalvular leaks (PVL) are becoming more commonly experienced in clinical practice due to the increasing number of mitral valve replacements performed. There are about 182 000 valve replacements performed annually, with a 5-15% prevalence rate of paravalvular leaks. Due to increased mortality associated with surgical repair, percutaneous transcatheter closure procedures are increasingly being performed as an alternative to repeat surgery. CASE REPORT We present the case of a 52-year-old woman with past medical history of mitral valve endocarditis who developed worsening acute heart failure 1 month after surgical bioprosthetic mitral valve replacement. Transesophageal echocardiography at the time revealed dehiscence of the bioprosthetic mitral valve and severe mitral regurgitation. She subsequently had emergent surgical bioprosthetic mitral valve replacement and annular reconstruction. The post-operative course was complicated by increasing dyspnea and lower-extremity edema, with recurrent pericardial tamponade requiring placement of a pericardial window. Based on her multiple comorbidities, most notably the concomitant right ventricular failure with severe pulmonary hypertension and prior pericardial patch repair with compromise of her mitral valve annulus, she was deemed inoperable for re-do surgery and eventually underwent a successful percutaneous closure of the mitral paravalvular leak with a ventricular septal defect (VSD) Amplatzer occluder device. The patient made good recovery and was discharged home a few days after the procedure. CONCLUSIONS Although use of the Amplatzer VSD occluder device for this indication currently remains off-label, our report supports the use of the VSD occluder device in this subset of patients considering the high mortality rates associated with repeat surgical procedure.


Early-onset psychosis in an adolescent with DiGeorge syndrome: A case report.
DiGeorge syndrome (DGS) was first described in 1829 by Dr Angelo DiGeorge. DGS is a cluster of symptoms because of a defect in the development of the pharyngeal pouch. Evidence from cytogenetic studies has linked the pathogenesis of DGS with a deletion of a gene located in chromosome 22-band 22q11. In most affected individuals, the deletion is de novo; however, inheritance has been reported in 10% - 25% of patients. DGS commonly presents with a classical triad of conotruncal cardiac anomalies, hypoplastic thymus and hypocalcaemia. DGS may be of focus to a psychiatrist as it is associated with cognitive deficits, high rates of schizophrenia and anxiety disorders. Patients may also present to mental health care workers with learning disabilities, developmental delay and behavioural disorders such as attention-deficit or hyperactivity disorder. Mental health workers therefore play an invaluable role in the diagnosis and timely treatment of the disorder. In a resource-limited area such as Botswana, with scarce mental health professionals, paediatricians and neurologists, DGS may be frequently misdiagnosed with consequent inappropriate interventions that may increase morbidity. Herein, we present a case to raise awareness and demonstrate one of the varied ways the syndrome may present. The multifaceted nature of DGS presentation underscores the need for a multidisciplinary approach to treatment.


Pulse blood pressure and cardiovascular mortality in a population-based cohort of elderly Costa Ricans.
We studied the relationships between blood pressure (BP), pulse pressure (PP) and cardiovascular (CV) death in older adults using data from 2346 participants enrolled in the Costa Rican CRELES study, mean age 76 years (s.d. 10.2), 31% qualified as wide PP. All covariates included and analyzed were collected prospectively as part of a 4-year home-based follow-up; mortality was tracked for an additional 3 years, identifying 266 CV deaths. Longitudinal data revealed little change over time in systolic BP (SBP), a decline in diastolic BP, and widening of PP. Wide PP was associated with higher risk of CV death but only among individuals receiving antihypertensive drug therapy. Individuals with both wide PP and receiving therapy had 2.6 hazard rate of CV death relative to people with normal-PP plus not taking treatment (TRT), even adjusting for SBP. Increasing PP between visits was significantly associated to higher CV death independently of TRT status. SBP and DBP were not significantly associated to CV death when the effect of PP was controlled for. elderly hypertensive patients with wide or increasing PP, especially if receiving TRT, are the highest CV risk group, thus must be carefully assessed, monitored and treated with caution.


Influence of light-curing units on dentin bond strength after bleaching.
The aim of this in vitro study was to comparatively evaluate the influence of three different light curing units (QTH Hilux, LED SmartLite, PAC Plasmaster) on shear bond strength of an adhesive system (Clearfil SE Bond ) after bleaching. Sixty molars were used for this study. Carbamide peroxide was applied to the floor and wall of the dentin surfaces in bleached groups for 3 weeks. Each week the paste was renewed for the bleached group. Teeth were sectioned mesiodistally. The roots of the sectioned teeth were mounted in a cylindrical mold using chemically cured acrylic resin. Composite resin was added to the center of flattened dentin surfaces with an internal diameter of 3 mm and height of 3 mm. The bonding procedure was performed in the bleached test groups as follows: G1: immediately/QTH; G2: after 1 week/QTH; G3: after 2 weeks/QTH; G4: immediately/LED; G5: after 1 week/LED; G6: after 2 weeks/LED; G7: immediately/PAC; G8: after 1 week/PAC; G9: after 2 weeks/PAC. The non-bleached groups (control group) were G10: QTH; G11: LED; G12: PAC. Specimens were mounted in a universal testing machine and shear load was applied at a crosshead speed of 1 mm/min until failure. Bond strength values were calculated as MPa and the comparisons were made statistically using one-way ANOVA with light source and bleaching treatment) as the two factors. The mean values of shear bond strength in MPa were: G1 (12.23), G2 (19.18), G3 (23.08), G4 (13.07), G5 (21.01), G6 (25.27), G7 (12.55), G8 (19.06), G9 (25.41), G10 (24.54), G11 (26.99), G12 (25.97). No statistical difference was found between the control group and groups bonded two weeks later. The bond strength values of the control group and those bonded 2 weeks later were higher than other groups. Statistically significant differences were found between the immediate and 1-week groups (p < 0.01). Immediately bonded groups had the lowest bond strength compared to the others (p < 0.05). No significant differences in bond strength were observed among three lightcuring units (p > 0.05). It was concluded that different light-curing units had no effect on shear bond strength of bleached dentin. A 2-week delay in restoration after bleaching improved the reduced bond strength of resin composite.


The heterogeneous HLA genetic makeup of the Swiss population.
This study aims at investigating the HLA molecular variation across Switzerland in order to determine possible regional differences, which would be highly relevant to several purposes: optimizing donor recruitment strategies in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), providing reliable reference data in HLA and disease association studies, and understanding the population genetic background(s) of this culturally heterogeneous country. HLA molecular data of more than 20,000 HSCT donors from 9-13 recruitment centers of the whole country were analyzed. Allele and haplotype frequencies were estimated by using new computer tools adapted to the heterogeneity and ambiguity of the data. Non-parametric and resampling statistical tests were performed to assess Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, selective neutrality and linkage disequilibrium among different loci, both in each recruitment center and in the whole national registry. Genetic variation was explored through genetic distance and hierarchical analysis of variance taking into account both geographic and linguistic subdivisions in Switzerland. The results indicate a heterogeneous genetic makeup of the Swiss population: first, allele frequencies estimated on the whole national registry strongly deviate from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, by contrast with the results obtained for individual centers; second, a pronounced differentiation is observed for Ticino, Graubünden, and, to a lesser extent, Wallis, suggesting that the Alps represent(ed) a barrier to gene flow; finally, although cultural (linguistic) boundaries do not represent a main genetic differentiation factor in Switzerland, the genetic relatedness between population from south-eastern Switzerland and Italy agrees with historical and linguistic data. Overall, this study justifies the maintenance of a decentralized donor recruitment structure in Switzerland allowing increasing the genetic diversity of the national--and hence global--donor registry. It also indicates that HLA data of local donor recruitment centers can be used as reference data in both epidemiological and population genetic studies focusing on the genetic history of present European populations.


Gastric cancer in Alaska Native people: A cancer health disparity.
To evaluate recent trends in gastric cancer incidence, response to treatment, and overall survival among Alaska Native (AN) people. A retrospective analysis of the Alaska Native Medical Center patient database was performed. Patient history, clinical, pathological, response to treatment and patient outcomes were collected from one-hundred and thirty-two AN gastric cancer patients. The Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Result database 18 was used to collect comparison United States non-Hispanic White (NHW) and AN gastric cancer patient data between 2006-2014. AN gastric cancer patients have a higher incidence rate, a poorer overall survival, and are diagnosed at a significantly younger age compared to NHW patients. AN patients differ from NHW patients in greater prevalence of non-cardia, diffuse subtype, and signet ring cell carcinomas. AN females were more likely to be diagnosed with later stage cancer, stage IV, compared to AN males. Diminished overall survival was observed among AN patients with increasing stage, O+ blood type, < 15 lymph nodes examined at resection, and no treatment. This study is the first report detailing the clinicopathologic features of gastric cancer in AN people with outcome data. Our findings confirm the importance of early detection, treatment, and surgical resection for optimizing AN patient outcomes. Further research on early detection markers are warranted.


An electronic clinical decision support tool to assist primary care providers in cardiovascular disease risk management: development and mixed methods evaluation.
Challenges remain in translating the well-established evidence for management of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk into clinical practice. Although electronic clinical decision support (CDS) systems are known to improve practitioner performance, their development in Australian primary health care settings is limited. Study aims were to (1) develop a valid CDS tool that assists Australian general practitioners (GPs) in global CVD risk management, and (2) preliminarily evaluate its acceptability to GPs as a point-of-care resource for both general and underserved populations. CVD risk estimation (based on Framingham algorithms) and risk-based management advice (using recommendations from six Australian guidelines) were programmed into a software package. Tool validation: Data from 137 patients attending a physician's clinic were analyzed to compare the tool's risk scores with those obtained from an independently programmed algorithm in a separate statistics package. The tool's management advice was compared with a physician's recommendations based on a manual review of the guidelines. Field test: The tool was then tested with 21 GPs from eight general practices and three Aboriginal Medical Services. Customized CDS-based recommendations were generated for 200 routinely attending patients (33% Aboriginal) using information extracted from the health record by a research assistant. GPs reviewed these recommendations during each consultation. Changes in CVD risk factor measurement and management were recorded. In-depth interviews with GPs were conducted. Validation testing: the tool's risk assessment algorithm correlated very highly with the independently programmed version in the separate statistics package (intraclass correlation coefficient 0.999). For management advice, there were only two cases of disagreement between the tool and the physician. Field test: GPs found 77% (153/200) of patient outputs easy to understand and agreed with screening and prescribing recommendations in 72% and 64% of outputs, respectively; 26% of patients had their CVD risk factor history updated; 73% had at least one CVD risk factor measured or tests ordered. For people assessed at high CVD risk (n = 82), 10% and 9%, respectively, had lipid-lowering and BP-lowering medications commenced or dose adjustments made, while 7% newly commenced anti-platelet medications. Three key qualitative findings emerged: (1) GPs found the tool enabled a systematic approach to care; (2) the tool greatly influenced CVD risk communication; (3) successful implementation into routine care would require integration with practice software, minimal data entry, regular revision with updated guidelines, and a self-auditing feature. There were no substantive differences in study findings for Aboriginal Medical Services GPs, and the tool was generally considered appropriate for use with Aboriginal patients. A fully-integrated, self-populating, and potentially Internet-based CDS tool could contribute to improved global CVD risk management in Australian primary health care. The findings from this study will inform a large-scale trial intervention.


Convergence properties of three spike-triggered analysis techniques.
We analyse the convergence properties of three spike-triggered data analysis techniques. Our results are obtained in the setting of a probabilistic linear-nonlinear (LN) cascade neural encoding model; this model has recently become popular in the study of the neural coding of natural signals. We start by giving exact rate-of-convergence results for the common spike-triggered average technique. Next, we analyse a spike-triggered covariance method, variants of which have been recently exploited successfully by Bialek, Simoncelli and colleagues. Unfortunately, the conditions that guarantee that these two estimators will converge to the correct parameters are typically not satisfied by natural signal data. Therefore, we introduce an estimator for the LN model parameters which is designed to converge under general conditions to the correct model. We derive the rate of convergence of this estimator, provide an algorithm for its computation and demonstrate its application to simulated data as well as physiological data from the primary motor cortex of awake behaving monkeys. We also give lower bounds on the convergence rate of any possible LN estimator. Our results should prove useful in the study of the neural coding of high-dimensional natural signals.


Addressing practical issues of predictive models translation into everyday practice and public health management: a combined model to predict the risk of type 2 diabetes improves incidence prediction and reduces the prevalence of missing risk predictions.
Many predictive models for incident type 2 diabetes (T2D) exist, but these models are not used frequently for public health management. Barriers to their application include (1) the problem of model choice (some models are applicable only to certain ethnic groups), (2) missing input variables, and (3) the lack of calibration. While (1) and (2) drives to missing predictions, (3) causes inaccurate incidence predictions. In this paper, a combined T2D risk model for public health management that addresses these three issues is developed. The combined T2D risk model combines eight existing predictive models by weighted average to overcome the problem of missing incidence predictions. Moreover, the combined model implements a simple recalibration strategy in which the risk scores are rescaled based on the T2D incidence in the target population. The performance of the combined model was compared with that of the eight existing models using data from two test datasets extracted from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA; n=1031) and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA; n=4820). Metrics of discrimination, calibration, and missing incidence predictions were used for the assessment. The combined T2D model performed well in terms of both discrimination (concordance index: 0.83 on MESA; 0.77 on ELSA) and calibration (expected to observed event ratio: 1.00 on MESA; 1.17 on ELSA), similarly to the best-performing existing models. However, while the existing models yielded a large percentage of missing predictions (17%-45% on MESA; 63%-64% on ELSA), this was negligible with the combined model (0% on MESA, 4% on ELSA). Leveraging on existing literature T2D predictive models, a simple approach based on risk score rescaling and averaging was shown to provide accurate and robust incidence predictions, overcoming the problem of recalibration and missing predictions in practical application of predictive models.


Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention in a Jail Drug Treatment Program.
More than half of prisoners in the United States are estimated to suffer from a substance use disorder. Mindfulness involves attention to the present moment, and nonjudgmental acceptance of sensations, thoughts, and emotional states. Mindfulness-based relapse prevention (MBRP) following substance use disorder treatment has been shown to reduce substance use. We sought to adapt and test MBRP for a jail substance use disorder treatment setting. We enrolled successive cohorts of incarcerated men participating in a drug treatment program in a large urban jail (n = 189) into six weekly sessions of either MBRP or an comparison communication skills intervention, between 2013 and 2015. MBRP was delivered by a culturally competent African-American trainer. Pre- and post-test measures included mindfulness, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and drug craving. At baseline, measures of mindfulness were significantly inversely correlated with anxiety, PTSD symptoms and drug cravings. Anxiety, PTSD symptoms and cravings declined significantly in both treatment arms, and mindfulness increased. Comparison of the two study arms using maximum likelihood estimation suggested a small but significantly greater increase in mindfulness in the treatment arm. Conclusions/Importance. An attention control trial of a mindfulness intervention, delivered by a culturally competent trainer, is feasible in a jail setting.


Daily Rhythm in the Susceptibility of an Insect to a Toxic Agent.
Adult boll weevils exhibited a daily rhythm in their susceptibility to standardized doses of the insecticide, methyl parathion. The mortality produced by the insecticide was intimately related to the time of day at which the toxicant was applied. The rhythm appeared to be photoperiodically entrained and, regardless of the length of day or "clock time-of-day of treatment," a period of greatest resistance always occurred at dawn and recurred at 6-hour intervals throughout the 24-hour cycle. The greatest difference in response occurred in a photoperiod having 10 hours of light per 24-hour cycle. Here, the same dose of methyl parathion killed approximately 10 percent of the weevils treated at dawn but almost 90 percent of those treated only 3 hours later.


Why are people with dengue dying? A scoping review of determinants for dengue mortality.
Dengue is a viral disease whose clinical spectrum ranges from unapparent to severe forms and fatal outcomes. Although dengue death is 99% avoidable, every year around 20,000 deaths are estimated to occur in more than 100 countries. We consider that, along with biological factors, social determinants of health (SDHs) are related to dengue deaths as well. A scoping review was conducted to explore what has been written about the role of SDHs in dengue mortality. The inclusion criteria were that documents (grey or peer-reviewed) had to include information about dengue fatal cases in humans and be published between 1997 and 2013 and written in English, Spanish, Portuguese or French. The search was conducted using a set of key words related to dengue mortality in several electronic databases: PubMed, LILACS, COCHRANE, Scielo, Science Direct, WHOLIS, OpenGrey, OpenSingle and Google Scholar. Information on SDHs was categorized under individual, social and environmental, and health systems dimensions. A summative content analysis using QDA Miner was conducted to assess the frequency of information on SDHs and its contextual meaning in the reviewed literature. The role of each SDH in dengue mortality was assessed using content analysis results. From a total of 971 documents retrieved, 78 met the criteria. Those documents were published in the Americas region (50.0%), Asia (38.4%), Europe (9.0%) and Africa (2.6%). The described SDHs related to dengue deaths included, in the individual dimension: age, ethnicity, education, type of infection and immunological status; and in the social dimension: poverty and care-seeking behavior. The health systems dimension included access, opportunity, and quality of care, as well as health staff knowledge. Ethnicity was considered a determinant that depends on cultural and socioeconomic conditions. Along with biological factors, there are several SDHs related to dengue mortality. However, only a few of these have been systematically analyzed, suggesting the need for more studies on this subject to inform the design and implementation of sustainable interventions to decrease dengue mortality. These findings nevertheless provide a better understanding of the non-biological factors involved in dengue mortality.


High performance mechanisms of near-infrared photodetectors with microcrystalline SiGe films deposited using laser-assisted plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition system.
The SiH(4) and GeH(4) reactant gases used for depositing microcrystalline SiGe films could be simultaneously decomposed when acted cooperatively on the plasma and the assistant CO(2) laser in the laser-assisted plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition system. The carrier mobility of the 80 W laser-assisted SiGe films was significantly increased to 66.8 cm(2)/V-s compared with 2.22 cm(2)/V-s of the non-laser-assisted SiGe films. The performances of the resulting p-Si/i-SiGe/n-Si near-infrared photodetectors were improved due to the high quality and high carrier mobility of the laser-assisted SiGe films. The maximum photoresponsivity and the maximum quantum efficiency of the photodetectors with 80 W laser-assisted SiGe films were respectively improved to 0.47 A/W and 68.5% in comparison with 0.31 A/W and 46.5% of the photodetectors with non-laser-assisted SiGe films.


Occurrence and distribution of bacterial indicators and pathogens in canal communities along the Texas coast.
Increased construction of residential canal communities along the southern coastline of the United States has led to a concern about their impact on water quality. Pollution of such dead-end canals is potentially hazardous because of their heavy usage for recreational activities. Coliforms, fecal coliforms, and salmonellae in the surface water and bottom sediments of six selected residential coastal canals were monitored over a period of 17 months. No statistically significant relationship was observed between the organism concentrations and temperature, pH, turbidity, and suspended solids content of water. An inverse relationship between the concentration of indicator organism and salinity of water was found, however, to occur at a 99.9% level of significance. All of the microorganisms studied were found to be present in greater numbers in sediments than in the overlying water, often by a factor of several logs. Heavy rainfall resulted in large increases in the number of organisms in both water and sediment samples. Our results indicate that bottom sediments in the shallow canal systems can act as reservoirs of enteric bacteria, which may be resuspended in response to various environmental factors and recreational activities.


Kaiser Permanente's innovation on the front lines.
The Innovation Consultancy, a small team within the health care provider Kaiser Permanente, practices an expansive, service-focused version of innovation that is both rapid and economical in comparison with the conventional version. The team's members observe how health care providers interact with one another, with technology, and with patients, and how the patients respond. They take photographs, draw pictures, write stories, and try to capture experiences from the point of view of everyone involved. During KP MedRite, a project to reduce the error rate in dispensing medication to hospital patients, the team asked nurses what they thought was wrong with the dispensing process. The nurses usually replied, "Nothing". But when given a chance to make self-portraits, they would draw themselves with sad faces and frazzled hair. Interruptions appeared to be the leading cause of errors-so one of the resulting innovations was a bright-yellow sash signaling that its wearer was not to be disturbed. KP's Chris McCarthy founded the Innovation Learning Network to accelerate knowledge transfer among peers in the nonprofit health care industry. One promising process that has emerged, Inflection Navigator, helps patients who've received a frightening diagnosis handle the consequent urgent tasks-follow-up tests, visits to specialists, decision making about treatment and care--with the aid of care coordinators. This innovation and others like it arise from a brand of creativity that transcends the media version of the health care debate.


Cost-effectiveness of female human papillomavirus vaccination in 179 countries: a PRIME modelling study.
Introduction of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in settings with the highest burden of HPV is not universal, partly because of the absence of quantitative estimates of country-specific effects on health and economic costs. We aimed to develop and validate a simple generic model of such effects that could be used and understood in a range of settings with little external support. We developed the Papillomavirus Rapid Interface for Modelling and Economics (PRIME) model to assess cost-effectiveness and health effects of vaccination of girls against HPV before sexual debut in terms of burden of cervical cancer and mortality. PRIME models incidence according to proposed vaccine efficacy against HPV 16/18, vaccine coverage, cervical cancer incidence and mortality, and HPV type distribution. It assumes lifelong vaccine protection and no changes to other screening programmes or vaccine uptake. We validated PRIME against existing reports of HPV vaccination cost-effectiveness, projected outcomes for 179 countries (assuming full vaccination of 12-year-old girls), and outcomes for 71 phase 2 GAVI-eligible countries (using vaccine uptake data from the GAVI Alliance). We assessed differences between countries in terms of cost-effectiveness and health effects. In validation, PRIME reproduced cost-effectiveness conclusions for 24 of 26 countries from 17 published studies, and for all 72 countries in a published study of GAVI-eligible countries. Vaccination of a cohort of 58 million 12-year-old girls in 179 countries prevented 690,000 cases of cervical cancer and 420,000 deaths during their lifetime (mostly in low-income or middle-income countries), at a net cost of US$4 billion. HPV vaccination was very cost effective (with every disability-adjusted life-year averted costing less than the gross domestic product per head) in 156 (87%) of 179 countries. Introduction of the vaccine in countries without national HPV vaccination at present would prevent substantially more cases of cervical cancer than in countries with such programmes, although the disparity has narrowed since 2012. If 71 phase 2 GAVI-eligible countries adopt vaccination according to forecasts, then in 2070 GAVI Alliance-funded vaccination could prevent 200,000 cases of cervical cancer and 100,000 deaths in some of the highest-burden countries. Large between-country disparities exist for HPV vaccination, with countries with the most to gain yet to introduce national HPV vaccination. Support from the GAVI Alliance could help to reduce such disparities, but a substantial burden will remain even after presently projected vaccine introductions. WHO.


Hyperparasitoids exploit herbivore-induced plant volatiles during host location to assess host quality and non-host identity.
Although consumers often rely on chemical information to optimize their foraging strategies, it is poorly understood how top carnivores above the third trophic level find resources in heterogeneous environments. Hyperparasitoids are a common group of organisms in the fourth trophic level that lay their eggs in or on the body of other parasitoid hosts. Such top carnivores use herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) to find caterpillars containing parasitoid host larvae. Hyperparasitoids forage in complex environments where hosts of different quality may be present alongside non-host parasitoid species, each of which can develop in multiple herbivore species. Because both the identity of the herbivore species and its parasitization status can affect the composition of HIPV emission, hyperparasitoids encounter considerable variation in HIPVs during host location. Here, we combined laboratory and field experiments to investigate the role of HIPVs in host selection of hyperparasitoids that search for hosts in a multi-parasitoid multi-herbivore context. In a wild Brassica oleracea-based food web, the hyperparasitoid Lysibia nana preferred HIPVs emitted in response to caterpillars parasitized by the gregarious host Cotesia glomerata over the non-host Hyposoter ebeninus. However, no plant-mediated discrimination occurred between the solitary host C. rubecula and the non-host H. ebeninus. Under both laboratory and field conditions, hyperparasitoid responses were not affected by the herbivore species (Pieris brassicae or P. rapae) in which the three primary parasitoid species developed. Our study shows that HIPVs are an important source of information within multitrophic interaction networks allowing hyperparasitoids to find their preferred hosts in heterogeneous environments.


Ivabradine and outcomes in chronic heart failure (SHIFT): a randomised placebo-controlled study.
Chronic heart failure is associated with high mortality and morbidity. Raised resting heart rate is a risk factor for adverse outcomes. We aimed to assess the effect of heart-rate reduction by the selective sinus-node inhibitor ivabradine on outcomes in heart failure. Patients were eligible for participation in this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study if they had symptomatic heart failure and a left-ventricular ejection fraction of 35% or lower, were in sinus rhythm with heart rate 70 beats per min or higher, had been admitted to hospital for heart failure within the previous year, and were on stable background treatment including a β blocker if tolerated. Patients were randomly assigned by computer-generated allocation schedule to ivabradine titrated to a maximum of 7.5 mg twice daily or matching placebo. Patients and investigators were masked to treatment allocation. The primary endpoint was the composite of cardiovascular death or hospital admission for worsening heart failure. Analysis was by intention to treat. This trial is registered, number ISRCTN70429960. 6558 patients were randomly assigned to treatment groups (3268 ivabradine, 3290 placebo). Data were available for analysis for 3241 patients in the ivabradine group and 3264 patients allocated placebo. Median follow-up was 22.9 (IQR 18-28) months. 793 (24%) patients in the ivabradine group and 937 (29%) of those taking placebo had a primary endpoint event (HR 0.82, 95% CI 0.75-0.90, p<0.0001). The effects were driven mainly by hospital admissions for worsening heart failure (672 [21%] placebo vs 514 [16%] ivabradine; HR 0.74, 0.66-0.83; p<0.0001) and deaths due to heart failure (151 [5%] vs 113 [3%]; HR 0.74, 0.58-0.94, p=0.014). Fewer serious adverse events occurred in the ivabradine group (3388 events) than in the placebo group (3847; p=0.025). 150 (5%) of ivabradine patients had symptomatic bradycardia compared with 32 (1%) of the placebo group (p<0.0001). Visual side-effects (phosphenes) were reported by 89 (3%) of patients on ivabradine and 17 (1%) on placebo (p<0.0001). Our results support the importance of heart-rate reduction with ivabradine for improvement of clinical outcomes in heart failure and confirm the important role of heart rate in the pathophysiology of this disorder. Servier, France.


Glucose-dependent uptake of chromium in human and rat insulin-sensitive tissues.
1. This study was designed to investigate the influence of insulin and glucose on the distribution of trivalent chromium in human plasma and blood cells and in human and rat insulin-sensitive and -insensitive tissues. 2. Evidence is provided that, in the rat in vitro, a clear difference exists in chromium binding between insulin-sensitive and -insensitive tissues in that chromium binding is significantly enhanced by glucose in insulin-sensitive tissues. 3. Glucose-dependent association of chromium with human adipose tissue was blocked by inhibitors of glucose transport. 4. Addition of insulin slightly increased the response to glucose in muscle and reduced the response to glucose in adipose tissue; such effects were less marked than those seen in response to glucose alone. 5. The results of this study in vitro support the hypothesis that, in vivo, chromium translocates from the blood compartment to insulin-sensitive tissues.


Rapid Urban Mapping Using SAR/Optical Imagery Synergy.
This paper highlights the potential of combining Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and optical data for operational rapid urban mapping. An algorithm consisting of a completely unsupervised procedure for processing pairs of co-registered SAR/optical images is proposed. In a first stage, a texture analysis is conducted independently on the two images using eight different chain-based Gaussian models. In a second stage, the resulting texture images are partitioned by an unsupervised fuzzy K-means approach. Finally, a fuzzy decision rule is used to aggregate the results provided by the classification of texture images obtained from the pair of SAR and optical images. The method was tested and validated on images of Bucharest (Romania) and Cayenne (French Guiana). These two study areas are of different terrain relief, urban settlement structure and land cover complexity. The data set included Radarsat-1/ENVISAT and SPOT-4/5 images. The developed SAR/optical information fusion scheme improved the capabilities of urban areas extraction when compared with the separate use of SAR and optical sensors. It also proved to be suitable for monitoring urbanization development. The encouraging results thus confirm the potential of combining information from SAR and optical sensors for timely urban area analysis, as required in cases of disaster management and planning in urban sprawl areas.


The many faces of marginal zone lymphoma.
Indolent B-cell lymphomas that are supposed to derive from the marginal zone (marginal zone lymphomas [MZLs]) include 3 specific entities: extranodal marginal zone lymphoma (EMZL) or mucosa-associated lymphatic tissue (MALT) lymphoma, splenic MZL (SMZL), and nodal MZL (NMZL). The clinical and molecular characteristics are different for each entity, with some shared phenotypic and genetic features. EMZL is the most common entity, accounting for approximately 70% of all MZLs. These neoplasms can arise at virtually any extranodal site and are commonly associated with chronic antigenic stimulation either as a result of infection (eg, Helicobacter pylori in the stomach) or autoimmune disease (eg, Sjögren syndrome and salivary glands). Several chromosomal translocations were also identified in EMZL, accounting in the aggregate for approximately one-third of all cases. SMZL accounts for approximately 20% of all MZLs. Patients typically present with an enlarged spleen and involvement of abdominal lymph nodes and BM. Approximately 40%-50% of SMZLs are associated with deletions of chromosome 7q. NMZL is the less common entity, representing approximately 10% of all MZLs. Patients with NMZL, by definition, have lymph node-based disease without involvement of the spleen or extranodal sites. The molecular pathogenesis of NMZL is still unknown.


All-cause mortality is decreased in women undergoing annual mammography before breast cancer diagnosis.
The value of annual mammography remains an area of debate because of concerns regarding risk versus benefit. The potential for harm due to overdiagnosis and treatment of clinically insignificant cancers may not be captured by breast cancer-specific mortality. Instead, we examined all-cause mortality as a function of missed annual mammography examinations before breast cancer diagnosis. Primary breast cancer cases diagnosed in the Marsh-field Clinic Health System from 2002 through 2008 were identified for retrospective review, and whether annual mammography examinations had been performed in the 5 years before diagnosis was assessed. Analyses were performed on 1421 women with breast cancer. After adjustment of data for age, comorbidity status, a family history of breast cancer, insurance status, medical encounter frequency, and the calendar year, women who had missed any of the previous five annual mammography examinations had a 2.3-fold increased risk of all-cause mortality compared with subjects with no missed mammography examinations (hazard ratio=2.28; 95% CI, 1.58-3.30; p<0.0001). Additionally, an analysis by the number of missed annual mammography examinations showed a progressive increase in hazard as the number of missed mammography studies increased. These results suggest that annual mammography before breast cancer diagnosis is predictive of increased overall survival. A stepwise decline in overall survival was noted for each additional missed mammography examination. These results are similar to findings in the literature for breast cancer-specific mortality and illustrate the importance of recommending annual mammography to all eligible women.


Sub-10 Nanometer Feature Size in Silicon Using Thermal Scanning Probe Lithography.
High-resolution lithography often involves thin resist layers which pose a challenge for pattern characterization. Direct evidence that the pattern was well-defined and can be used for device fabrication is provided if a successful pattern transfer is demonstrated. In the case of thermal scanning probe lithography (t-SPL), highest resolutions are achieved for shallow patterns. In this work, we study the transfer reliability and the achievable resolution as a function of applied temperature and force. Pattern transfer was reliable if a pattern depth of more than 3 nm was reached and the walls between the patterned lines were slightly elevated. Using this geometry as a benchmark, we studied the formation of 10-20 nm half-pitch dense lines as a function of the applied force and temperature. We found that the best pattern geometry is obtained at a heater temperature of ∼600 °C, which is below or close to the transition from mechanical indentation to thermal evaporation. At this temperature, there still is considerable plastic deformation of the resist, which leads to a reduction of the pattern depth at tight pitch and therefore limits the achievable resolution. By optimizing patterning conditions, we achieved 11 nm half-pitch dense lines in the HM8006 transfer layer and 14 nm half-pitch dense lines and L-lines in silicon. For the 14 nm half-pitch lines in silicon, we measured a line edge roughness of 2.6 nm (3σ) and a feature size of the patterned walls of 7 nm.


Pediatric bony craniovertebral junction abnormalities: Institutional experience of 10 years.
To study the clinical features and treatment outcome of pediatric patients with bony craniovertebral abnormalities. The authors studied 189 consecutive cases of pediatric bony craniovertebral junction abnormalities operated between 2001 and March, 2010. The pathologies were developmental (n = 162), traumatic (n = 18) and tuberculous (n = 9). Surgical procedures included transoral decompression (n = 118), occipitocervical fusion (OCF, n = 139), C 1 -C 2 fusion (n = 45), and posterior fossa decompression (n = 5). Methods for OCF included contoured stainless steel rods (n = 86), titanium lateral mass screws and plates (n = 47) and steel wires (n = 6). Constructs of all patients of posterior fixation with contoured rods and wires or lateral mass screw and rod who could be followed up were either stable/fused or were fused and stable. No implant failure was noticed among these two surgical procedures. However, 6 patients with C 1-C 2 fusion had broken wires on follow-up requiring repeat posterior fixation. Good neurological outcome was observed even in poor-grade patients. No significant effect on the curvature or growth of the spine was observed at follow-up. Pediatric craniovertebral junction anomalies can be managed successfully with good outcomes using a low cost contoured rod and wires.


Did Ontario's end-of-life care strategy reduce acute care service use?
The objective of this study was to evaluate whether Ontario's End-of-Life Care Strategy, which aimed to shift care from acute settings to the home, improved performance on quality indicators for end-of-life home care patients in use of more home care services and fewer acute care services. The study cohort included patients at the end of life admitted into home care between April 1, 2005, and September 30, 2006, and who died before April 1, 2007. Based on their admission date, patients were divided into three six-month periods corresponding to the six months prior to the strategy's implementation compared with the 12 months after. Patients were excluded if they were admitted to home care more than six months prior to death. Average hours per week of nursing and personal support worker (PSW) services were measured for the last 12 weeks of life. The use of acute care services in the last month of life was measured by the proportion of patients who had an in-hospital death, had hospitalizations, visited the emergency department (ED) and spent more than 14 days in hospital. Among home care patients (n = 9,368), per-patient use of home care and acute care did not change significantly over the time periods. The pattern of average nursing and PSW hours per week used in the last 12 weeks of life did not change a year after the strategy implementation, averaging 3.8 nursing hours per week and 3.8 PSW hours per week over the study period. The proportion of in-hospital deaths remained stable at approximately 38% over the study period. Approximately 16% of patients had an ED visit and 32% had a hospitalization in the last two weeks of life across time periods. Similarly the proportion of patients who had zero, one or greater than one ED visit or hospitalization remained constant across time periods. In conclusion, one year after the strategy's implementation, individual patients' use of end-of-life home care and acute care services remained unchanged. The strategy may require more time for its impact to be fully achieved. Measuring these quality indicators across regions may help to monitor and evaluate interventions.


Tibial stress fracture after fibular graft harvesting: an unusual complication.
Fibular grafts are commonly used in reconstructive head and neck surgery, and several complications have been reported. Tibial stress fracture, however, is rare. A 65-year-old woman presented with a tibial stress fracture 10 weeks after a vascularized fibular flap had been harvested for a mandibular defect due to osteoradionecrosis. The main symptom was activity-related pain after a period of no complaints. One should be aware of the complications, particularly after weeks or months, in cases of activity-related pain in the lower extremities. Prevention can be implemented by an awareness of the need to build up the muscles for supporting the tibia in the initial healing phase.


Deciphering magnesium stearate thermotropic behavior.
Magnesium stearate (MgSt) is the most commonly used excipient for oral solid dosage forms, yet there is significant commercial physicochemical variability that can lead to variable performance of critical product attributes. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is often used as a quality control tool to characterize MgSt, but little data is available regarding the physicochemical relevance for the DSC thermograms. The main aim of this study was to decipher MgSt's complex thermotropic behavior using DSC, thermogravimetric analysis, capillary melting point, polarized hot-stage microscopy, and temperature dependent small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and assign physicochemical relevance to the DSC thermograms. Several DSC thermal transitions are irreversible after the first heating cycle of a heat-cool-heat-cool-heat cycle. Interestingly, after the first heat cycle, the complex cool-heat-cool-heat DSC thermograms were highly reproducible and exhibited 6 reversible exothermic-endothermic conjugate pairs. SAXS identified 5 distinct mesophases at different temperatures with Phase C' persisting to 250 °C. MgSt maintained molecular ordering beyond 276 °C and did not undergo a simple melting phenomena reported elsewhere. This research serves as a starting point to design heat-treatment strategies to create more uniform MgSt starting material.


Significance of lobular intraepithelial neoplasia at margins of breast conservation specimens: a report of 38 cases and literature review.
Presence of lobular intraepithelial neoplasia (LIN) is not routinely reported as part of margin assessment in breast conservation therapy (BCT) as in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). With new emerging evidence of LIN as possible precursor lesion, the hypothesis is that LIN at the margin may increase the risk of local recurrence with BCT. The aim is to determine whether there is an increase incidence of recurrence when LIN is found at surgical margins on BCT. We retrospectively reviewed a total of 1,334 BCT at a single institution in a 10 year period. Inclusion criteria are positive margin with LIN from primary BCT containing invasive and/or in situ carcinoma with comparison to the negative control group who had similar diseases with negative margin for LIN. We identified 38 cases (2.8%) with LIN either lobular carcinoma in situ/atypical lobular hyperplasia (LCIS/ALH) at a margin on initial BCT with 36% recurrence rate. Of the 38 cases: 5 (13%) were lost to follow-up, 12 (32%) had no further procedures performed and 21 (55%) had re-excision. Out of 21 patients who had re-excisions, 12 (57%) had residual invasive carcinoma or DCIS, three (14%) had pleomorphic LCIS and 4 (19%) showed residual classic type LCIS. 71% had significant residual disease (local recurrence) and 29% had no residual disease. A negative control group consisted of 38 cases. We found two patients with bone or brain metastasis and one local recurrence. Clinical follow up periods range from 1 to 109 months. LIN found at a margin on BCT showed a significant recurrent ipsilateral disease. Our study supports the view that LIN seen at the margin may play a role in recurrence.


Spot urine sodium measurements do not accurately estimate dietary sodium intake in chronic kidney disease.
Sodium intake influences blood pressure and proteinuria, yet the impact on long-term outcomes is uncertain in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Accurate assessment is essential for clinical and public policy recommendations, but few large-scale studies use 24-h urine collections. Recent studies that used spot urine sodium and associated estimating equations suggest that they may provide a suitable alternative, but their accuracy in patients with CKD is unknown. We compared the accuracy of 4 equations [the Nerbass, INTERSALT (International Cooperative Study on Salt, Other Factors, and Blood Pressure), Tanaka, and Kawasaki equations] that use spot urine sodium to estimate 24-h sodium excretion in patients with moderate to advanced CKD. We evaluated the accuracy of spot urine sodium to predict mean 24-h urine sodium excretion over 9 mo in 129 participants with stage 3-4 CKD. Spot morning urine sodium was used in 4 estimating equations. Bias, precision, and accuracy were assessed and compared across each equation. The mean age of the participants was 67 y, 52% were female, and the mean estimated glomerular filtration rate was 31 ± 9 mL · min(-1) · 1.73 m(-2) The mean ± SD number of 24-h urine collections was 3.5 ± 0.8/participant, and the mean 24-h sodium excretion was 168.2 ± 67.5 mmol/d. Although the Tanaka equation demonstrated the least bias (mean: -8.2 mmol/d), all 4 equations had poor precision and accuracy. The INTERSALT equation demonstrated the highest accuracy but derived an estimate only within 30% of mean measured sodium excretion in only 57% of observations. Bland-Altman plots revealed systematic bias with the Nerbass, INTERSALT, and Tanaka equations, underestimating sodium excretion when intake was high. These findings do not support the use of spot urine specimens to estimate dietary sodium intake in patients with CKD and research studies enriched with patients with CKD. The parent data for this study come from a clinical trial that was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00785629.


Patients with hypercortisolemic Cushing disease possess a distinct class of hematopoietic progenitor cells leading to erythrocytosis.
Although human cell cultures stimulated with dexamethasone suggest that the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) activates stress erythropoiesis, the effects of GR activation on erythropoiesis in vivo remain poorly understood. We characterized the phenotype of a large cohort of patients with Cushing disease, a rare condition associated with elevated cortisol levels. Results from hypercortisolemic patients with active Cushing disease were compared with those obtained from eucortisolemic patients after remission and from volunteers without the disease. Patients with active Cushing disease exhibited erythrocytosis associated with normal hemoglobin F levels. In addition, their blood contained elevated numbers of GR-induced CD163+ monocytes and a unique class of CD34+ cells expressing CD110, CD36, CD133 and the GR-target gene CXCR4. When cultured, these CD34+ cells generated similarly large numbers of immature erythroid cells in the presence and absence of dexamethasone, with raised expression of the GR-target gene GILZ. Of interest, blood from patients with Cushing disease in remission maintained high numbers of CD163+ monocytes and, although their CD34+ cells had a normal phenotype, these cells were unresponsive to added dexamethasone. Collectively, these results indicate that chronic exposure to excess glucocorticoids in vivo leads to erythrocytosis by generating erythroid progenitor cells with a constitutively active GR. Although remission rescues the erythrocytosis and the phenotype of the circulating CD34+ cells, a memory of other prior changes is maintained in remission.


Building learning communities: evolution of the colleges at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
Learning communities, which are an emerging trend in medical education, create a foundation for professional and academic development through the establishment of longitudinal relationships between students and faculty. In this article, the authors describe the robust learning community system at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, which encompasses wellness, career planning, professional development, and academics.The Vanderbilt Advisory Colleges Program introduced in 2006 initially focused on two goals: promoting wellness and providing career advising. In the 2011-2012 academic year, the focus of the colleges expanded to incorporate an enhanced level of personal career advising and an academic component. In the four-year College Colloquium course, faculty selected as college mentors teach the medical humanities and lead sessions dedicated to student professional development in the areas of leadership, research, and service-learning. This academic and professional development program builds on the existing strengths of the colleges and has transformed the colleges into learning communities.The authors reflect on lessons learned and discuss future plans. They report that internal data and data from the Association of American Medical Colleges Medical School Graduation Questionnaire support consistently high and increasing satisfaction among Vanderbilt medical students, across the metrics of personal counseling, faculty mentoring, and career planning.


Orthodontic considerations in orthognathic surgery.
It is important for the oral and maxillofacial surgeon to understand the orthodontic decision-making process as it pertains to the orthognathic surgery patient to facilitate interprofessional communication. The orthodontic diagnostic process integrates the needs of the dentition, the requirements of facial balance, and the constraints of orthodontic mechanics to arrive at the best collective recommendation in each case. The orthodontic treatment objectives, extraction patterns, and types of mechanics used in orthognathic surgery cases may vary from those used in nonsurgical orthodontic regimens, in which the dentition is considered in the context of the largely immutable skeletal pattern. The goal of presurgical orthodontic treatment is to prepare the dentition for maximal surgical correction so that, at the time of surgery, the dental arches are compatible with the postsurgical position and facial balance is achieved.


Combined epithelial marker analysis of tumour budding in stage II colorectal cancer.
Tumour budding predicts survival of stage II colorectal cancer (CRC) and has been suggested to be associated with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). However, the underlying molecular changes of tumour budding remain poorly understood. Here, we performed multiplex immunohistochemistry (mIHC) to phenotypically profile tumours using known EMT-associated markers: E-cadherin (adherence junctions), integrin β4 (ITGB4; basement membrane), ZO-1 (tight junctions), and pan-cytokeratin. A subpopulation of patients showed high ITGB4 expression in tumour buds, and this coincided with a switch of ITGB4 localisation from the basal membrane of intact epithelium to the cytoplasm of budding cells. Digital image analysis demonstrated that tumour budding with high ITGB4 expression in tissue microarray (TMA) cores correlated with tumour budding assessed from haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) whole sections and independently predicted poor disease-specific survival in two independent stage II CRC cohorts (hazard ratio [HR] = 4.50 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.50-13.5), n = 232; HR = 3.52 (95% CI = 1.30-9.53), n = 72). Furthermore, digitally obtained ITGB4-high bud count in random TMA cores was better associated with survival outcome than visual tumour bud count in corresponding H&E-stained samples. In summary, the mIHC-based phenotypic profiling of human tumour tissue shows strong potential for the molecular characterisation of tumour biology and for the discovery of novel prognostic biomarkers.


CYP2E1-dependent and leptin-mediated hepatic CD57 expression on CD8+ T cells aid progression of environment-linked nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.
Environmental toxins induce a novel CYP2E1/leptin signaling axis in liver. This in turn activates a poorly characterized innate immune response that contributes to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) progression. To identify the relevant subsets of T-lymphocytes in CYP2E1-dependent, environment-linked NASH, we utilized a model of diet induced obese (DIO) mice that are chronically exposed to bromodichloromethane. Mice deficient in CYP2E1, leptin (ob/ob mice), or both T and B cells (Pfp/Rag2 double knockout (KO) mice) were used to delineate the role of each of these factors in metabolic oxidative stress-induced T cell activation. Results revealed that elevated levels of lipid peroxidation, tyrosyl radical formation, mitochondrial tyrosine nitration and hepatic leptin as a consequence of metabolic oxidative stress caused increased levels of hepatic CD57, a marker of peripheral blood lymphocytes including NKT cells. CD8+CD57+ cytotoxic T cells but not CD4+CD57+ cells were significantly decreased in mice lacking CYP2E1 and leptin. There was a significant increase in the levels of T cell cytokines IL-2, IL-1β, and IFN-γ in bromodichloromethane exposed DIO mice but not in mice that lacked CYP2E1, leptin or T and B cells. Apoptosis as evidenced by TUNEL assay and levels of cleaved caspase-3 was significantly lower in leptin and Pfp/Rag2 KO mice and highly correlated with protection from NASH. The results described above suggest that higher levels of oxidative stress-induced leptin mediated CD8+CD57+ T cells play an important role in the development of NASH. It also provides a novel insight of immune dysregulation and may be a key biomarker in NASH.


Systematic Differences Between Perceptually Relevant Image Statistics of Brain MRI and Natural Images.
It is well-known that the human visual system is adapted to the statistical structure of natural scenes. Yet there are important classes of images - for example, medical images - that are not natural scenes, and therefore, that are expected to have statistical properties that deviate from the class of images that shaped the evolution and development of human vision. Here, focusing on structural brain MRI images, we quantify and characterize these deviations in terms of a set of local image statistics to which human visual sensitivity has been well-characterized, and that has previously been used for natural image analysis. We analyzed MRI images in multiple databases including T1-weighted and FLAIR sequence types, and simulated MRI images based on a published image simulation procedure for T1 images, which we also modified to generate FLAIR images. We first computed the power spectra of MRI images; spectral slopes were in the range -2.6 to -3.1 for T1 sequences, and -2.2 to -2.7 for FLAIR sequences. Analysis of local image statistics was then carried out on whitened images. For all of the databases as well as for the simulated images, we found that the three-point correlations contributed substantially to the differences between the "texture" of randomly selected ROIs. The informative nature of three-point correlations for brain MRI was greater than for natural images, and also disproportionate to human visual sensitivity. As this finding was consistent across databases, it is likely to result from brain geometry at the scale of brain MRI resolution, rather than characteristics of specific imaging and reconstruction methods.


Barley stripe mosaic virus γb Protein Subverts Autophagy to Promote Viral Infection by Disrupting the ATG7-ATG8 Interaction.
Autophagy is a conserved defense strategy against viral infection. However, little is known about the counterdefense strategies of plant viruses involving interference with autophagy. Here, we show that γb protein from Barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV), a positive single-stranded RNA virus, directly interacts with AUTOPHAGY PROTEIN7 (ATG7). BSMV infection suppresses autophagy, and overexpression of γb protein is sufficient to inhibit autophagy. Furthermore, silencing of autophagy-related gene ATG5 and ATG7 in Nicotiana benthamiana plants enhanced BSMV accumulation and viral symptoms, indicating that autophagy plays an antiviral role in BSMV infection. Molecular analyses indicated that γb interferes with the interaction of ATG7 with ATG8 in a competitive manner, whereas a single point mutation in γb, Tyr29Ala (Y29A), made this protein deficient in the interaction with ATG7, which was correlated with the abolishment of autophagy inhibition. Consistently, the mutant BSMVY29A virus showed reduced symptom severity and viral accumulation. Taken together, our findings reveal that BSMV γb protein subverts autophagy-mediated antiviral defense by disrupting the ATG7-ATG8 interaction to promote plant RNA virus infection, and they provide evidence that ATG7 is a target of pathogen effectors that functions in the ongoing arms race of plant defense and viral counterdefense.


The built environment and its relationship to the public's health: the legal framework.
The built environment significantly affects the public's health. This was most obvious when infectious disease was the primary public health threat during the industrial revolution; unsanitary conditions and overcrowded urban areas facilitated the spread of infection. However, even today in the age of chronic diseases there remains an important connection between population health and the built environment. Physical spaces can expose people to toxins or pollutants and influence lifestyles that contribute to diabetes, coronary vascular disease, and asthma. Public health advocates can help shape the design of cities and suburbs in ways that improve public health, but to do so effectively they need to understand the legal framework. This article reviews the connection between public health and the built environment and then describes the legal pathways for improving the design of our built environment.


Biogeochemistry of organic and inorganic arsenic species in a forested catchment in Germany.
Little is known about the fate and behavior of diffuse inputs of arsenic (As) species in forested catchments which often are the sources of drinking water. The objective of this study was to investigate the mobility and transformation of different As species in forest ecosystems to assess the environmental risk related to the diffuse pollution of As. We determined concentrations and fluxes in precipitation, litterfall, soil solutions (Oa horizon and 20- and 90-cm depth), and runoff of organic and inorganic As species and Astotal in a forest ecosystem in NE-Bavaria, Germany. The concentrations of Astotal were mostly <1 microg As L(-1) in aqueous samples and were highest in forestfloor percolates (7.6 microg As L(-1)). In litterfall, the concentrations of As species never exceeded 0.1 microg As g(-1). Arsenate and arsenite were the prevalent As species in all samples. Organic As species, comprising monomethylarsonic acid, dimethylarsinic acid, trimethylarsine oxide, arsenobetaine, and three unidentified organic As species, were mostly found in throughfall reaching up to 45% of Astotal. The total deposition of Astotal (calculated as throughfall + litterfall) was 5.6 g As ha(-1) yr(-1) with 16% contribution of litterfall. The annual Astotal fluxes were 30 g As ha(-1) yr(-1) for forest floor percolates, 8.0 g As ha(-1) yr(-1) at 20-cm soil depth, and 1.4 g As ha(-1) yr(-1) at 90-cm soil depth. The annual runoff of Astotal from the catchment amounted to 3.8 g As ha(-1) yr(-1). The annual fluxes of total organic As species was highest in total deposition (1.1 g As ha(-1) yr(-1)) and decreased largely with depth in the soil profile. The annual runoff of total organic As species was only 0.08 g As ha(-1) yr(-1). Significant correlations in soil solutions and runoff were found between Astotal and dissolved organic C and Fe. Correlations between Astotal concentrations in runoff and water fluxes were seasonally dependent and with a steeper slope in the growing season than in the dormant season. The elevated concentrations of organic As species in throughfall indicate microbial methylation of As in the phyllosphere, but no evidence for methylation in the soil was found. The mass balance of the catchment points out the strong retention and probable degradation or oxidation of organic As species and arsenite but also to mobilizable pools of Astotal and arsenate. The forest floor is presently a source, whereas the mineral soil is a sink for Astotal and arsenate. The As concentrations in runoff seem to be controlled by As mobilization from forest floor and riparian wetland soils during heavy rain events and superficial flow. The risk for excessment of the drinking water threshold concentrations of As in runoff and soil solutions is considered low at our site.


Laser induced damage in optical materials: twelfth ASTM symposium.
The twelfth annual Symposium on Optical Materials for High Power Lasers (Boulder Damage Symposium) was held at the National Bureau of Standards in Boulder, Colorado, 30 Sept.-l Oct., 1980. The symposium was held under the auspices of ASTM Committee F-l, Subcommittee on Laser Standards, with the joint sponsorship of NBS, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Department of Energy, the Office of Naval Research, and the Air Force Office of Scientific research. Over 150 scientists attended the symposium, including representatives of the United Kingdom, France, Japan, and West Germany. The symposium was divided into sessions concerning materials and measurements, mirrors and surfaces, thin films, and finally fundamental mechanisms. As in previous years, the emphasis of the papers presented at the symposium was directed toward new frontiers and new developments. Particular emphasis was given to materials for high power systems. The wavelength range of prime interest was from 10.6 microm to the UV region. Highlights included surface characterization, thin film-substrate boundaries, and advances in fundamental laser-matter threshold interactions and mechanisms. The scaling of damage thresholds with pulse duration, focal area, and wavelength was discussed in detail. Harold E. Bennett of the Naval Weapons Center, Alexander J. Glass of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Arthur H. Guenther of the Air Force Weapons Laboratory, and Brian E. Newnam of the Los Alamos National Laboratory were cochairmen of the symposium. The thirteenth annual symposium is scheduled for 17-18 Nov. 1981 at the National Bureau of Standards, Boulder, Colorado.


Avibase - a database system for managing and organizing taxonomic concepts.
Scientific names of biological entities offer an imperfect resolution of the concepts that they are intended to represent. Often they are labels applied to entities ranging from entire populations to individual specimens representing those populations, even though such names only unambiguously identify the type specimen to which they were originally attached. Thus the real-life referents of names are constantly changing as biological circumscriptions are redefined and thereby alter the sets of individuals bearing those names. This problem is compounded by other characteristics of names that make them ambiguous identifiers of biological concepts, including emendations, homonymy and synonymy. Taxonomic concepts have been proposed as a way to address issues related to scientific names, but they have yet to receive broad recognition or implementation. Some efforts have been made towards building systems that address these issues by cataloguing and organizing taxonomic concepts, but most are still in conceptual or proof-of-concept stage. We present the on-line database Avibase as one possible approach to organizing taxonomic concepts. Avibase has been successfully used to describe and organize 844,000 species-level and 705,000 subspecies-level taxonomic concepts across every major bird taxonomic checklist of the last 125 years. The use of taxonomic concepts in place of scientific names, coupled with efficient resolution services, is a major step toward addressing some of the main deficiencies in the current practices of scientific name dissemination and use.


DNA barcoding and minibarcoding as a powerful tool for feather mite studies.
Feather mites (Astigmata: Analgoidea and Pterolichoidea) are among the most abundant and commonly occurring bird ectosymbionts. Basic questions on the ecology and evolution of feather mites remain unanswered because feather mite species identification is often only possible for adult males, and it is laborious even for specialized taxonomists, thus precluding large-scale identifications. Here, we tested DNA barcoding as a useful molecular tool to identify feather mites from passerine birds. Three hundred and sixty-one specimens of 72 species of feather mites from 68 species of European passerine birds from Russia and Spain were barcoded. The accuracy of barcoding and minibarcoding was tested. Moreover, threshold choice (a controversial issue in barcoding studies) was also explored in a new way, by calculating through simulations the effect of sampling effort (in species number and species composition) on threshold calculations. We found one 200-bp minibarcode region that showed the same accuracy as the full-length barcode (602 bp) and was surrounded by conserved regions potentially useful for group-specific degenerate primers. Species identification accuracy was perfect (100%) but decreased when singletons or species of the Proctophyllodes pinnatus group were included. In fact, barcoding confirmed previous taxonomic issues within the P. pinnatus group. Following an integrative taxonomy approach, we compared our barcode study with previous taxonomic knowledge on feather mites, discovering three new putative cryptic species and validating three previous morphologically different (but still undescribed) new species.