The Primary Pretenders

We call a composite number q such that there exists a positive integer b with b^p == b (mod q) a prime pretender to base b. The least prime pretender to base b is the primary pretender q_b. It is shown that there are only 132 distinct primary pretenders, and that q_b is a periodic function of b whose period is the 122-digit number 19568584333460072587245340037736278982017213829337604336734362- 294738647777395483196097971852999259921329236506842360439300.Comment: 7 page

Variation in Attraction to Host Plant Odors in an Invasive Moth Has a Genetic Basis and is Genetically Negatively Correlated with Fecundity

Lepidopteran insects are major pests of agricultural crops, and mated female moths exploit plant volatiles to locate suitable hosts for oviposition. We investigated the heritability of odor-guided host location behavior and fecundity in the cosmopolitan oriental fruit moth Grapholita (Cydia) molesta, an oligophagous herbivore that attacks fruit trees. We used a full-sib/half-sib approach to estimate the heritability and the genetic correlation between these two traits. Results document a considerable genetic basis for olfactory attraction of females (h 2 =0.37±0.17) and their fecundity (h 2 =0.32±0.13), as well as a genetic trade-off between female attraction and fecundity (r g =−0.85±0.21). These estimations were empirically corroborated by comparing two strains maintained in the laboratory for different numbers of generations. The long-term reared strain lost its olfactory discrimination ability but achieved significantly higher fecundity compared with the short-term reared strain. Our results highlight that genetic studies are relevant for understanding the evolution of odor-guided behavior in herbivore insects and for judging the promise of pest management strategies involving behavioral manipulation with plant volatile

Beef breed bulls versus selected dual purpose bulls for meat production

International audienc

Drug Delivery Micropump with Built-In Monitoring

AbstractWe report on the fabrication of the first MEMS micropump including an integrated pressure sensor. The signal of this sensor allows direct insight into the pump's operating dynamics and enables real-time self-monitoring. We demonstrate the changes in the sensor signal under different pumping conditions, including the presence of air in the pumping chamber and a downstream occlusions. Deviations from normal operating conditions create clear and characteristic deviations from the normal signal. These deviations will be exploited to detect extraordinary or faulty pumping conditions during use

The Striking Flower-in-Flower Phenotype of Arabidopsis thaliana Nossen (No-0) is Caused by a Novel LEAFY Allele

The transition to reproduction is a crucial step in the life cycle of any organism. In Arabidopsis thaliana the establishment of reproductive growth can be divided into two phases: Firstly, cauline leaves with axillary meristems are formed and internode elongation begins. Secondly, lateral meristems develop into flowers with defined organs. Floral shoots are usually determinate and suppress the development of lateral shoots. Here, we describe a transposon insertion mutant in the Nossen accession with defects in floral development and growth. Most strikingly is the outgrowth of stems from the axillary bracts of the primary flower carrying secondary flowers. Therefore, we named this mutant flower-in-flower (fif). However, the transposon insertion in the annotated gene is not the cause for the fif phenotype. By means of classical and genome sequencing-based mapping, the mutation responsible for the fif phenotype was found to be in the LEAFY gene. The mutation, a G-to-A exchange in the second exon of LEAFY, creates a novel lfy allele and results in a cysteine-to-tyrosine exchange in the α1-helix of LEAFY’s DNA-binding domain. This exchange abolishes target DNA-binding, whereas subcellular localization and homomerization are not affected. To explain the strong fif phenotype against these molecular findings, several hypotheses are discussed

The Rate and Molecular Spectrum of Spontaneous Mutations in Arabidopsis thaliana

To take complete advantage of information on within-species polymorphism and divergence from close relatives, one needs to know the rate and the molecular spectrum of spontaneous mutations. To this end, we have searched for de novo spontaneous mutations in the complete nuclear genomes of five Arabidopsis thaliana mutation accumulation lines that had been maintained by single-seed descent for 30 generations. We identified and validated 99 base substitutions and 17 small and large insertions and deletions. Our results imply a spontaneous mutation rate of 7 × 10−9 base substitutions per site per generation, the majority of which are G:C→A:T transitions. We explain this very biased spectrum of base substitution mutations as a result of two main processes: deamination of methylated cytosines and ultraviolet light–induced mutagenesis

Carcinoma de la pirámide nasal

Durante los últimos años, hornos tenido oportunidad de asistir 5 carcinomas epidermoides topografiados en la parte interna de la pirámide nasal, que fueron tratados solamente con cirugía y/o asociados a radioterapia. Las publicaciones sobre resección y reconstrucción en este tipo de cirugía son poco frecuentes

Estudio piloto de validación y adaptación de un cuestionario para evaluar el impacto de la espondiloartritis axial en la sexualidad de los pacientes

Introducción: El Qualisex es un cuestionario desarrollado y validado para evaluar la sexualidad en pacientes con artritis reumatoidea. Hasta el momento, según nuestro conocimiento, no se ha desarrollado un cuestionario que evalúe específicamente la sexualidad en pacientes que padecen Espondiloartritis axial (EsPax). Por este motivo, nuestro objetivo fue validar y adaptar el cuestionario Qualisex en pacientes con EsPax y evaluar el impacto de su enfermedad en la sexualidad

Corticosteroid injection for tennis elbow or lateral epicondylitis: a review of the literature

Lateral epicondylitis or tennis elbow is a painful and functionally limiting entity affecting the upperextremity and is frequently treated by hand surgeons. Corticosteroid injection is one of the most common interventions for lateral epicondylitis or tennis elbow. Here, a review of the medical literature on this treatment is presented