Seasonal size variation in the predatory cladoceran Bythotrephes cederstroemii in Lake Michigan

1.  Dry weight, body length and spine length were measured for the exotic cladoceran Bythotrephes cederstroemii collected from offshore and inshore stations in southeastern Lake Michigan. Average dry weight of each developmental stage exhibited seasonal variation by a factor of more than 5. 2.  Mean dry weight of Bythotrephes was closely correlated with water temperature. Contrary to the inverse relationship between water temperature and body size frequently observed for other invertebrates, the dry weight of Bythotrephes increased at higher ambient temperatures. 3.  No significant correlation was observed between abundances of major zooplankton taxa and the dry weight of Bythotrephes . An indirect effect of temperature on prey consumption may cause seasonal variation in dry weight of Bythotrephes in Lake Michigan. 4.  Distances between adjacent pairs of barbs, added to the caudal spine with each moult, are significantly shorter in Bythotrephes which produce resting eggs. Less material investment in the exoskeleton of sexually reproducing females was observed in favour of growth and reproduction.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/74641/1/j.1365-2427.1994.tb00842.x.pd

A model for quality of life measures in patients with dementia: Lawron's next step

The introduction of drugs that are claimed to improve cognitive function and activities of daily living in patients with Alzheimer's disease raises the question of whether these drugs also influence dementia patients' quality of life (QOL). We describe a hierarchic model of QOL of dementia patients, which can guide the development of measurement instruments. After initially discussing broadly QOL research, we focus on two highly important characteristics of the concept, its broadness and subjectivity, against the background of the relevant literature on QOL in dementia. Dementia-specific dimensions and domains are presented. We identify psychological well-being as the core dimension for QOL of patients with dementia. Copyright © 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel

Comparison of three wet-alkaline methods of digestion of biogenic silica in water

Methods for determination of low levels of biogenic silica (0.2–0.4 mg SiO 2 ) in aqueous samples after digestion with three wetalkaline extraction procedures compared favourably in both precision of replicates and recovery of silica utilized by diatoms in budgeted cultures. Leaching samples with 0.2 M NaOH for 10–15 min at 100°C was the least time consuming procedure. Also interference from silicate minerals was lower for this method than leaching with either 0.5 or 5% Na 2 CO 3 for 2 h at 85°C. The use of filters to concentrate samples enables detection of low levels of biogenic silica with colorimetric procedures. Polycarbonate filters are recommended in preference to cellulose acetate or polyvinyl chloride filters for sample collection. Time-course experiments are recommended for establishing digestion times and determining the presence of mineral silicate interference. Wet-alkaline digestion methods are recommended for routine analysis of biogenic silica in suspended matter in preference to infra-red analysis, alkaline fusion and hydrofluoric acid/nitric acid methods.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/74725/1/j.1365-2427.1983.tb00658.x.pd

Resonances of low orders in the planetary system of HD37124

The full set of published radial velocity data (52 measurements from Keck + 58 ones from ELODIE + 17 ones from CORALIE) for the star HD37124 is analysed. Two families of dynamically stable high-eccentricity orbital solutions for the planetary system are found. In the first one, the outer planets c and d are trapped in the 2/1 mean-motion resonance. The second family of solutions corresponds to the 5/2 mean-motion resonance between these planets. In both families, the planets are locked in (or close to) an apsidal corotation resonance. In the case of the 2/1 MMR, it is an asymmetric apsidal corotation (with the difference between the longitudes of periastra $\Delta\omega\sim 60^\circ$), whereas in the case of the 5/2 MMR it is a symmetric antialigned one ($\Delta\omega = 180^\circ$). It remains also possible that the two outer planets are not trapped in an orbital resonance. Then their orbital eccentricities should be relatively small (less than, say, 0.15) and the ratio of their orbital periods is unlikely to exceed $2.3-2.5$.Comment: 28 pages, 10 figures, 3 tables; Accepted to Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronom

An Integrated TCGA Pan-Cancer Clinical Data Resource to Drive High-Quality Survival Outcome Analytics

For a decade, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) program collected clinicopathologic annotation data along with multi-platform molecular profiles of more than 11,000 human tumors across 33 different cancer types. TCGA clinical data contain key features representing the democratized nature of the data collection process. To ensure proper use of this large clinical dataset associated with genomic features, we developed a standardized dataset named the TCGA Pan-Cancer Clinical Data Resource (TCGA-CDR), which includes four major clinical outcome endpoints. In addition to detailing major challenges and statistical limitations encountered during the effort of integrating the acquired clinical data, we present a summary that includes endpoint usage recommendations for each cancer type. These TCGA-CDR findings appear to be consistent with cancer genomics studies independent of the TCGA effort and provide opportunities for investigating cancer biology using clinical correlates at an unprecedented scale. Analysis of clinicopathologic annotations for over 11,000 cancer patients in the TCGA program leads to the generation of TCGA Clinical Data Resource, which provides recommendations of clinical outcome endpoint usage for 33 cancer types

A "critical" climatic evaluation of last interglacial (MIS 5e) records from the Norwegian Sea

Sediment cores from the Norwegian Sea were studied to evaluate interglacial climate conditions of the marine isotope stage 5e (MIS 5e). Using planktic forminiferal assemblages as the core method, a detailed picture of the evolution of surface water conditions was derived. According to our age model, a step-like deglaciation of the Saalian ice sheets is noted between ca. 135 and 124.5 Kya, but the deglaciation shows little response with regard to surface ocean warming. From then on, the rapidly increasing abundance of subpolar forminifers, concomitant with decreasing iceberg indicators, provides evidence for the development of interglacial conditions sensu stricto (5e-ss), a period that lasted for about 9 Ky. As interpreted from the foraminiferal records, and supported by the other proxies, this interval of 5e-ss was in two parts: showing an early warm phase, but with a fresher, i.e., lower salinity, water mass, and a subsequent cooling phase that lasted until ca. 118.5 Kya. After this time, the climatic optimum with the most intense advection of Atlantic surface water masses occurred until ca. 116 Kya. A rapid transition with two notable climatic perturbations is observed subsequently during the glacial inception. Overall, the peak warmth of the last interglacial period occurred relatively late after deglaciation, and at no time did it reach the high warmth level of the early Holocene. This finding must be considered when using the last interglacial situation as an analogue model for enhanced meridional transfer of ocean heat to the Arctic, with the prospect of a future warmer climate

Driver Fusions and Their Implications in the Development and Treatment of Human Cancers.

Gene fusions represent an important class of somatic alterations in cancer. We systematically investigated fusions in 9,624 tumors across 33 cancer types using multiple fusion calling tools. We identified a total of 25,664 fusions, with a 63% validation rate. Integration of gene expression, copy number, and fusion annotation data revealed that fusions involving oncogenes tend to exhibit increased expression, whereas fusions involving tumor suppressors have the opposite effect. For fusions involving kinases, we found 1,275 with an intact kinase domain, the proportion of which varied significantly across cancer types. Our study suggests that fusions drive the development of 16.5% of cancer cases and function as the sole driver in more than 1% of them. Finally, we identified druggable fusions involving genes such as TMPRSS2, RET, FGFR3, ALK, and ESR1 in 6.0% of cases, and we predicted immunogenic peptides, suggesting that fusions may provide leads for targeted drug and immune therapy