Intracranial Penetration During Temporal Soft Tissue Filler Injection-Is It Possible?

BACKGROUND Treating temporal volume loss for aesthetic and reconstructive purposes can be achieved by superficial or deep injections of soft tissue fillers into the temples. The latter is performed with bone contact that can lead to intracranial penetration when the bone is accidentally penetrated. OBJECTIVE Based on a clinical case, the potential risk of accidental intracranial penetration was investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty fresh-frozen hemi-faces (all Caucasian ethnicity, 10 women, 10 men, mean age 72.8 +/- 11.2 years) were investigated. Shape of pterion and bone-stability parameters of the temporal fossa were investigated. Bone stability was tested using uniaxial mechanical indentation (18-G, 1.25-mm diameter, 15-mm length blunt-tip device) until intracranial perforation occurred. RESULTS Variations in the shape of the pterion, bone thickness, and density correlates were detected, however, without statistical significant differences in side symmetry. Minimum force necessary to penetrate intracranially was 40.4 N. Maximum force generated by an 18-g, 70-mm length blunt-tip cannula was 32.1 +/- 4.2 N in 70 mm length and 75.3 +/- 10.2 N in 15 mm length. CONCLUSION Based on the results of this investigation, it can be concluded that there is a risk for intracranial penetration performing the deep temple injection technique with direct pressure on the bone

Grain growth of Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br. under well-watered and drought-stressed conditions

The objective of this study was to investigate the possibility of relationships between grain growth parameters and drought response. Grain growth parameters of more than 70 millet lines were assessed under well-watered and postflowering drought-stress conditions in two field trials at the ICRISAT Sahelian Center, Sadoré, Niger. All the grain growth parameters based on thermal time varied more than two-fold between lines in both moisture environments. Single grain mass of the lines ranged from 4.3–10.9 mg under well-watered conditions and 3.4–9.4 mg under drought stress. When averaged across trials, 51% of the accounted variance of final grain mass could be explained by differences in the grain growth rate under well-watered conditions, while differences in the duration of the linear grain growth phase accounted for 37% of the variation in final grain mass. Drought stress reduced the linear grain growth phase and, as a consequence, reduced final grain mass by up to 25%. Lines with long grain filling periods under well-watered conditions had larger reductions in the grain filling period and in final grain mass under stress. In general, there was little effect of drought stress on the grain growth rate. However, because of the negative correlation of grain growth rate and linear grain growth phase, lines with higher grain growth rates in well-watered conditions had smaller reductions in grain filling period under stress. Grain growth rate accounted with 38% for the major part of the variation in grain mass under stress conditions. Grain growth parameters in well-watered and drought-stress conditions were unrelated to drought tolerance as expressed by a drought response index, and were indicators of neither susceptibility nor tolerance to stress. However final grain mass was highly correlated to yield under stress. A feasible risk-reducing strategy in the likelihood of postflowering stress is to select pearl millet lines for drought escape with a high grain growth rate combined with a relatively short grain filling period

Crop physiology and breeding for drought tolerance: research and development

This paper presents an example of the research and development function of a physiology group within a cereal breeding program: an evaluation of the possibility of incorporating selection for tolerance to drought stress during the flowering and grain-filling period in pearl millet. It includes a review of the problem and possible solutions, and a report of two experiments conducted to identify phenotypic characteristics associated with yield differences under stress which could be used as selection criteria in breeding for tolerance. Differences among genotypes in yield under stress during flowering and grain-filling were partitioned into differences in yield potential, drought escape, and droughttolerance; the drought response accounted for more than 40% of the observed yield differences. Phenotypic traits related to yield under stress were divided into those reflecting drought escape and those reflecting droughttolerance. Droughttolerance was found to be primarily expressed in traits relating to the ability to maintain grain numbers under stress (grain number per panicle and per unit area, and grain yield per panicle). Drought escape, in contrast, was expressed in terms of greater grain biomass and higher harvest index. However, the field data also indicated that considerable progress in yield under stress should be possible by selection for earlier flowering and improved yield potential alon

Exploitation and resistance: a comparative analysis of the Chinese cheap labour electronics and high-value added IT sectors.

This article compares the electronics sector in the area of Shenzhen, based on cheap labour assembling goods for export, with the IT sector in the area of Shanghai, relying on a more skilled workforce manufacturing high-value added goods. It is asked in what way these rather different locations within the global political economy condition the form and contents of resistance in these two sectors. The article concludes that industrial relations are more confrontational in the electronics sector with informal labour NGOs supporting workers in getting their individual and collective rights. The IT sector, in contrast, is characterised by consensual relationships. Informal labour NGOs concentrate on organising cultural activities for workers’ free time, performing a mediating role between employers and employees, supported by the government

Uneven and combined development and unequal exchange: the second wind of neoliberal ‘free trade’?

With capitalist social relations emerging in a prior system of absolutist states in Europe, the outward expansion of capitalism through conditions of uneven and combined development became dependent on the existence of multiple political entities. States in turn are brought into relations of unequal exchange within the global economy. This article analyses the way in which current neoliberal ‘free trade’ policies are related to these fundamental capitalist dynamics, deepening further processes of uneven and combined development as well as unequal exchange

Organics in comet 67P – a first comparative analysis of mass spectra from ROSINA–DFMS, COSAC and Ptolemy

The ESA Rosetta spacecraft followed comet 67P at a close distance for more than 2 yr. In addition, it deployed the lander Philae on to the surface of the comet. The (surface) composition of the comet is of great interest to understand the origin and evolution of comets. By combining measurements made on the comet itself and in the coma, we probe the nature of this surface material and compare it to remote sensing observations. We compare data from the double focusing mass spectrometer (DFMS) of the ROSINA experiment on ESA's Rosetta mission and previously published data from the two mass spectrometers COSAC (COmetary Sampling And Composition) and Ptolemy on the lander. The mass spectra of all three instruments show very similar patterns of mainly CHO-bearing molecules that sublimate at temperatures of 275 K. The DFMS data also show a great variety of CH-, CHN-, CHS-, CHO2- and CHNO-bearing saturated and unsaturated species. Methyl isocyanate, propanal and glycol aldehyde suggested by the earlier analysis of the measured COSAC spectrum could not be confirmed. The presence of polyoxymethylene in the Ptolemy spectrum was found to be unlikely. However, the signature of the aromatic compound toluene was identified in DFMS and Ptolemy data. Comparison with remote sensing instruments confirms the complex nature of the organics on the surface of 67P, which is much more diverse than anticipated

Economic Interests and the European Union: A Catalyst for European Integration or a Hindrance?

The influence of economic interest groups on national policy-making on European Union-level policy and European integration seems to be case specific and circumstantial. Certain economic interests (for example, pension funds) are so influential that some of them become almost inseparable from the state. However, economic interests are less likely to become influential when broad institutional questions are negotiated, rather than specific rules with a clear cost-benefit balance. And it is especially when they feel challenged by the state that they turn their efforts to EU-level lobbying. The record of economic interest groups in EU policy-making appears also to be mixed. They are influential when they enjoy privileged institutionalised interactions with a policy-making node, such as European Parliament (EP) committees. However, access to the EP has recently become less privileged and institutional advocacy has become more contested, to the disadvantage of interest groups. Many economic interest groups actually obstruct the legislative process with seemingly inconsistent behaviour: they are in favour of European integration in general, but end up lobbying against concrete pieces of legislation if they are costly to them

Research applications of primary biodiversity databases in the digital age

Our world is in the midst of unprecedented change-climate shifts and sustained, widespread habitat degradation have led to dramatic declines in biodiversity rivaling historical extinction events. At the same time, new approaches to publishing and integrating previously disconnected data resources promise to help provide the evidence needed for more efficient and effective conservation and management. Stakeholders have invested considerable resources to contribute to online databases of species occurrences. However, estimates suggest that only 10% of biocollections are available in digital form. The biocollections community must therefore continue to promote digitization efforts, which in part requires demonstrating compelling applications of the data. Our overarching goal is therefore to determine trends in use of mobilized species occurrence data since 2010, as online systems have grown and now provide over one billion records. To do this, we characterized 501 papers that use openly accessible biodiversity databases. Our standardized tagging protocol was based on key topics of interest, including: database(s) used, taxa addressed, general uses of data, other data types linked to species occurrence data, and data quality issues addressed

Investigating the Bivalve Tree of Life -- an exemplar-based approach combining molecular and novel morphological characters.

To re-evaluate the relationships of the major bivalve lineages, we amassed detailed morpho-anatomical, ultrastructural and molecular sequence data for a targeted selection of exemplar bivalves spanning the phylogenetic diversity of the class. We included molecular data for 103 bivalve species (up to five markers) and also analysed a subset of taxa with four additional nuclear protein-encoding genes. Novel as well as historically employed morphological characters were explored, and we systematically disassembled widely used descriptors such as gill and stomach ‘types’. Phylogenetic analyses, conducted using parsimony direct optimisation and probabilistic methods on static alignments (maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference) of the molecular data, both alone and in combination with morphological characters, offer a robust test of bivalve relationships. A calibrated phylogeny also provided insights into the tempo of bivalve evolution. Finally, an analysis of the informativeness of morphological characters showed that sperm ultrastructure characters are among the best morphological features to diagnose bivalve clades, followed by characters of the shell, including its microstructure. Our study found support for monophyly of most broadly recognised higher bivalve taxa, although support was not uniform for Protobranchia. However, monophyly of the bivalves with protobranchiate gills was the best-supported hypothesis with incremental morphological and/or molecular sequence data. Autobranchia, Pteriomorphia, Heteroconchia, Palaeoheterodonta, Archiheterodonta, Euheterodonta, Anomalodesmata and Imparidentia new clade ( = Euheterodonta excluding Anomalodesmata) were recovered across analyses, irrespective of data treatment or analytical framework. Another clade supported by our analyses but not formally recognised in the literature includes Palaeoheterodonta and Archiheterodonta, which emerged under multiple analytical conditions. The origin and diversification of each of these major clades is Cambrian or Ordovician, except for Archiheterodonta, which diverged from Palaeoheterodonta during the Cambrian, but diversified during the Mesozoic. Although the radiation of some lineages was shifted towards the Palaeozoic (Pteriomorphia, Anomalodesmata), or presented a gap between origin and diversification (Archiheterodonta, Unionida), Imparidentia showed steady diversification through the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic. Finally, a classification system with six major monophyletic lineages is proposed to comprise modern Bivalvia: Protobranchia, Pteriomorphia, Palaeoheterodonta, Archiheterodonta, Anomalodesmata and Imparidentia