Free-living greylag geese adjust their heart rates and body core temperatures to season and reproductive context

Animals adaptively regulate their metabolic rate and hence energy expenditure over the annual cycle to cope with energetic challenges. We studied energy management in greylag geese. In all geese, profound seasonal changes of heart rate (fH) and body temperature (Tb) showed peaks in summer and troughs during winter, and also daily modulation of fH and Tb. Daily mean fH was on average 22% lower at the winter trough than at the summer peak, whereas daily mean Tb at the winter trough was only about 1 °C below the summer peak. Daily means of Tb together with those of air temperature and day length were the most important predictors of daily mean fH, which was further modulated by precipitation, reproductive state, and, to a minor degree, social rank. Peaks of fH and Tb occurred earlier in incubating females compared to males. Leading goslings increased daily mean fH. Our results suggest that in greylag geese, pronounced changes of fH over the year are caused by photoperiod-induced changes of endogenous heat production. Similar to large non-hibernating mammals, tolerance of lower Tb during winter seems the major factor permitting this. On top of these major seasonal changes, fH and Tb are elevated in incubating females

Enki e Prometeu: o herói de cultura no mito e pensamento da Mesopotâmia e da Grécia

O artigo tem por objetivo examinar a relação entre Prome- teu e possíveis modelos mitólogicos da Ásia Ocidental, buscando reexaminar a sugestão de Stephanie West de que a personagem de Prome- teu, como trapaceiro e herói de cultura, foi apenas uma dentre muitas importações típicas do “período orientalizante” na Grécia arcaica

Lasing from single, stationary, dye-doped glycerol/water microdroplets located on a superhydrophobic surface

We report laser emission from single, stationary, Rhodamine B-doped glycerol/water microdroplets located on a superhydrophobic surface. In the experiments, a pulsed, frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser operating at 532 nm was used as the excitation source. The microdroplets ranged in diameter from a few to 20 um. Lasing was achieved in the red-shifted portion of the dye emission spectrum with threshold fluences as low as 750 J/cm2. Photobleaching was observed when the microdroplets were pumped above threshold. In certain cases, multimode lasing was also observed and attributed to the simultaneous lasing of two modes belonging to different sets of whispering gallery modes.Comment: to appear in Optics Communication

Evaluation of well designs to improve access to safe and clean water in rural Tanzania

The objective of this study was to examine three well designs: drilled wells (20–30 m deep), closed dug wells (\u3e5 m deep), and hand-dug open wells (\u3c5 m deep), to determine the water quality for improving access to safe and clean water in rural communities. Heterotrophic plate count (HPC), total coliforms (TC), Escherichia coli (E. coli) and turbidity, were used to assess the water quality of 97 wells. Additionally, the study looked at the microflora diversity of the water, focusing on potential pathogens using outgrowth, PCR, and genome sequencing for 10 wells. Concentrations of TC for the open dug wells (4 × 104 CFU/100 mL) were higher than the drilled (2 × 103 CFU/100 mL) and closed dug wells (3 × 103 CFU/100 mL). E. coli concentration for drilled and closed dug wells was \u3c22 MPN (most probable number)/100 mL, but higher for open wells (\u3e154 MPN/100 mL). The drilled well turbidity (11 NTU) was within the standard deviation of the closed well (28 NTU) compared to open dug wells (49 NTU). Drilled and closed wells had similar microbial diversity. There were no significant differences between drilled and closed dug wells. The covering and lining of hand-dug wells should be considered as an alternative to improve access to safe and clean water in rural communities

A method for volume stabilization of single, dye-doped water microdroplets with femtoliter resolution

A self-control mechanism that stabilizes the size of Rhodamine B-doped water microdroplets standing on a superhydrophobic surface is demonstrated. The mechanism relies on the interplay between the condensation rate that was kept constant and evaporation rate induced by laser excitation which critically depends on the size of the microdroplets. The radii of individual water microdroplets (>5 um) stayed within a few nanometers during long time periods (up to 455 seconds). By blocking the laser excitation for 500 msec, the stable volume of individual microdroplets was shown to change stepwise.Comment: to appear in the J. Op. Soc. Am.

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Neuroendocrine Tumors: A Single Institution Experience With Review of Literature

This unique case series and review of literature suggests that immune checkpoint inhibitors may have clinical activity in neuroendocrine tumors. Objective: Summarize advances of immuno-oncology in neuroendocrine tumors with the help of a case series. Design: Case series and review of literature. Intervention or Exposure: The patients were treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (pembrolizumab or nivolumab). Main Outcome(s) and Measures(s): Life expectancy, quality of life, disease progression. Results: Maximum durable response of 16 months in one of the patients so far. All patients showed improvement in quality of life before disease progression. Two out of four are still on therapy. None of the patients experienced immune checkpoint inhibitor associated side-effects. All patients had failed standard of care therapy prior to the initiation of immune checkpoint inhibitors and were on the verge of hospice. Conclusions: Immune checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionized cancer management and the last 5 years have seen a rapid expansion in the indications for this class of drug. Neuroendocrine tumors, unfortunately, have been slow to catch on to the immuno-oncology, partly due to difficulties in establishing relevant preclinical neuroendocrine tumors models for immune-oncology studies. In this manuscript, we review the current status of immunotherapy in neuroendocrine tumors