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Climate and Species Richness Predict the Phylogenetic Structure of African Mammal Communities
We have little knowledge of how climatic variation (and by proxy, habitat variation) influences the phylogenetic structure of tropical communities. Here, we quantified the phylogenetic structure of mammal communities in Africa to investigate how community structure varies with respect to climate and species richness variation across the continent. In addition, we investigated how phylogenetic patterns vary across carnivores, primates, and ungulates. We predicted that climate would differentially affect the structure of communities from different clades due to between-clade biological variation. We examined 203 communities using two metrics, the net relatedness (NRI) and nearest taxon (NTI) indices. We used simultaneous autoregressive models to predict community phylogenetic structure from climate variables and species richness. We found that most individual communities exhibited a phylogenetic structure consistent with a null model, but both climate and species richness significantly predicted variation in community phylogenetic metrics. Using NTI, species rich communities were composed of more distantly related taxa for all mammal communities, as well as for communities of carnivorans or ungulates. Temperature seasonality predicted the phylogenetic structure of mammal, carnivoran, and ungulate communities, and annual rainfall predicted primate community structure. Additional climate variables related to temperature and rainfall also predicted the phylogenetic structure of ungulate communities. We suggest that both past interspecific competition and habitat filtering have shaped variation in tropical mammal communities. The significant effect of climatic factors on community structure has important implications for the diversity of mammal communities given current models of future climate change
Adjuvant drugs for peripheral nerve blocks: The role of nmda antagonists, neostigmine, epinephrine, and sodium bicarbonate
The potential for misuse, overdose, and chronic use has led researchers to look for other methods to decrease opioid consumption in patients with acute and chronic pain states. The use of peripheral nerve blocks for surgery has gained increasing popularity as it minimizes peripheral pain signals from the nociceptors of local tissue sustaining trauma and inflammation from surgery. The individualization of peripheral nerve blocks using adjuvant drugs has the potential to improve patient outcomes and reduce chronic pain. The major limitations of peripheral nerve blocks are their limited duration of action and dose-dependent adverse effects. Adjuvant drugs for peripheral nerve blocks show increasing potential as a solution for postoperative and chronic pain with their synergistic effects to increase the duration of action and decrease the required dosage of local anesthetic. N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists are a viable option for patients with opioid resistance and neuropathic pain due to their affinity to the neurotransmitter glutamate, which is released when patients experience a noxious stimulus. Neostigmine is a cholinesterase inhibitor that exerts its effect by competitively binding at the active site of acetylcholinesterase, which prevents the hydrolysis of acetylcholine and subsequently retaining acetylcholine at the nerve terminal. Epinephrine, also known as adrenaline, can potentially be used as an adjuvant to accelerate and prolong analgesic effects in digital nerve blocks. The theorized role of sodium bicarbonate in local anesthetic preparations is to increase the pH of the anesthetic. The resulting alkaline solution enables the anesthetic to more readily exist in its un-ionized form, which more efficiently crosses lipid membranes of peripheral nerves. However, more research is needed to show the efficacy of these adjuvants for nerve block prolongation as studies have been either mixed or have small sample sizes
Early Pleistocene large mammals from Maka’amitalu, Hadar, lower Awash Valley, Ethiopia
The Early Pleistocene was a critical time period in the evolution of eastern African mammal faunas, but fossil assemblages sampling this interval are poorly known from Ethiopia's Afar Depression. Field work by the Hadar Research Project in the Busidima Formation exposures (similar to 2.7-0.8 Ma) of Hadar in the lower Awash Valley, resulted in the recovery of an early Homo maxilla (A.L. 666-1) with associated stone tools and fauna from the Maka'amitalu basin in the 1990s. These assemblages are dated to similar to 2.35 Ma by the Bouroukie Tuff 3 (BKT-3). Continued work by the Hadar Research Project over the last two decades has greatly expanded the faunal collection. Here, we provide a comprehensive account of the Maka'amitalu large mammals (Artiodactyla, Carnivora, Perissodactyla, Primates, and Proboscidea) and discuss their paleoecological and biochronological significance. The size of the Maka'amitalu assemblage is small compared to those from the Hadar Formation (3.45-2.95 Ma) and Ledi-Geraru (2.8-2.6 Ma) but includes at least 20 taxa. Bovids, suids, and Theropithecus are common in terms of both species richness and abundance, whereas carnivorans, equids, and megaherbivores are rare. While the taxonomic composition of the Maka'amitalu fauna indicates significant species turnover from the Hadar Formation and Ledi-Geraru deposits, turnover seems to have occurred at a constant rate through time as taxonomic dissimilarity between adjacent fossil assemblages is strongly predicted by their age difference. A similar pattern characterizes functional ecological turnover, with only subtle changes in dietary proportions, body size proportions, and bovid abundances across the composite lower Awash sequence. Biochronological comparisons with other sites in eastern Africa suggest that the taxa recovered from the Maka'amitalu are broadly consistent with the reported age of the BKT-3 tuff. Considering the age of BKT-3 and biochronology, a range of 2.4-1.9 Ma is most likely for the faunal assemblage.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Influence of Microbial Biofilms on the Preservation of Primary Soft Tissue in Fossil and Extant Archosaurs
Background: Mineralized and permineralized bone is the most common form of fossilization in the vertebrate record. Preservation of gross soft tissues is extremely rare, but recent studies have suggested that primary soft tissues and biomolecules are more commonly preserved within preserved bones than had been presumed. Some of these claims have been challenged, with presentation of evidence suggesting that some of the structures are microbial artifacts, not primary soft tissues. The identification of biomolecules in fossil vertebrate extracts from a specimen of Brachylophosaurus canadensis has shown the interpretation of preserved organic remains as microbial biofilm to be highly unlikely. These discussions also propose a variety of potential mechanisms that would permit the preservation of soft-tissues in vertebrate fossils over geologic time. Methodology/Principal Findings: This study experimentally examines the role of microbial biofilms in soft-tissue preservation in vertebrate fossils by quantitatively establishing the growth and morphology of biofilms on extant archosaur bone. These results are microscopically and morphologically compared with soft-tissue extracts from vertebrate fossils from the Hell Creek Formation of southeastern Montana (Latest Maastrichtian) in order to investigate the potential role of microbial biofilms on the preservation of fossil bone and bound organic matter in a variety of taphonomic settings. Base
Early Pleistocene large mammals from Maka’amitalu, Hadar, lower Awash Valley, Ethiopia
The Early Pleistocene was a critical time period in the evolution of eastern African mammal faunas, but fossil assemblages sampling this interval are poorly known from Ethiopia ’ s Afar Depression. Field work by the Hadar Research Project in the Busidima Formation exposures (~2.7 – 0.8 Ma) of Hadar in the lower Awash Valley, resulted in the recovery of an early Homo maxilla (A.L. 666-1) with associated stone tools and fauna from the Maka ’ amitalu basin in the 1990s. These assemblages are dated to ~2.35 Ma by the Bouroukie Tuff 3 (BKT-3). Continued work by the Hadar Research Project over the last two decades has greatly expanded the faunal collection. Here, we provide a comprehensive account of the Maka ’ amitalu large mammals (Artiodactyla, Carnivora, Perissodactyla, Primates, and Proboscidea) and discuss their paleoecological and biochronological signi fi cance. The size of the Maka ’ amitalu assemblage is small compared to those from the Hadar Formation (3.45 – 2.95 Ma) and Ledi-Geraru (2.8 – 2.6 Ma) but includes at least 20 taxa. Bovids, suids, and Theropithecus are common in terms of both species richness and abundance, whereas carnivorans, equids, and megaherbivores are rare. While the taxonomic composition of the Maka ’ amitalu fauna indicates signi fi cant species turnover from the Hadar Formation and Ledi-Geraru deposits, turnover seems to have occurred at a constant rate through time as taxonomic dissimilarity between adjacent fossil assemblages is strongly predicted by their age difference. A similar pattern characterizes functional ecological turnover, with only subtle changes in dietary proportions, body size proportions, and bovid abundances across the composite lower Awash sequence. Biochronological comparisons with other sites in eastern Africa suggest that the taxa recovered from the Maka ’ amitalu are broadly consistent with the reported age of the BKT-3 tuff. Considering the age of BKT-3 and biochronology, a range of 2.4 – 1.9 Ma is most likely for the faunal assemblag
A Systematic Search of Zwicky Transient Facility Data for Ultracompact Binary LISA-detectable Gravitational-wave Sources
Using photometry collected with the Zwicky Transient Facility, we are conducting an ongoing survey for binary systems with short orbital periods (P_b < 1 hr) with the goal of identifying new gravitational-wave sources detectable by the upcoming Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). We present a sample of 15 binary systems discovered thus far, with orbital periods ranging from 6.91 to 56.35 minutes. Of the 15 systems, seven are eclipsing systems that do not show signs of significant mass transfer. Additionally, we have discovered two AM Canum Venaticorum systems and six systems exhibiting primarily ellipsoidal variations in their lightcurves. We present follow-up spectroscopy and high-speed photometry confirming the nature of these systems, estimates of their LISA signal-to-noise ratios, and a discussion of their physical characteristics
The Zwicky Transient Facility Census of the Local Universe. I. Systematic Search for Calcium-rich Gap Transients Reveals Three Related Spectroscopic Subclasses
Using the Zwicky Transient Facility alert stream, we are conducting a large spectroscopic campaign to construct a complete, volume-limited sample of transients brighter than 20 mag, and coincident within 100" of galaxies in the Census of the Local Universe catalog. We describe the experiment design and spectroscopic completeness from the first 16 months of operations, which have classified 754 supernovae. We present results from a systematic search for calcium-rich gap transients in the sample of 22 low-luminosity (peak absolute magnitude M > −17), hydrogen-poor events found in the experiment. We report the detection of eight new events, and constrain their volumetric rate to ≳ 15% ± 5% of the SN Ia rate. Combining this sample with 10 previously known events, we find a likely continuum of spectroscopic properties ranging from events with SN Ia–like features (Ca-Ia objects) to those with SN Ib/c–like features (Ca-Ib/c objects) at peak light. Within the Ca-Ib/c events, we find two populations distinguished by their red (g − r ≈ 1.5 mag) or green (g - r ≈ 0.5 mag) colors at the r-band peak, wherein redder events show strong line blanketing features and slower light curves (similar to Ca-Ia objects), weaker He lines, and lower [Ca ii]/[O i] in the nebular phase. We find that all together the spectroscopic continuum, volumetric rates, and striking old environments are consistent with the explosive burning of He shells on low-mass white dwarfs. We suggest that Ca-Ia and red Ca-Ib/c objects arise from the double detonation of He shells, while green Ca-Ib/c objects are consistent with low-efficiency burning scenarios like detonations in low-density shells or deflagrations
Proceedings of the International Cancer Imaging Society (ICIS) 16th Annual Teaching Course
Table of contents
O1 Tumour heterogeneity: what does it mean?
Dow-Mu Koh
O2 Skeletal sequelae in adult survivors of childhood cancer
Sue Creviston Kaste
O3 Locoregional effects of breast cancer treatment
Sarah J Vinnicombe
O4 Imaging of cancer therapy-induced CNS toxicity
Giovanni Morana, Andrea Rossi
O5 Screening for lung cancer
Christian J. Herold
O6Risk stratification of lung nodules
Theresa C. McLoud
O7 PET imaging of pulmonary nodules
Kirk A Frey
O8 Transarterial tumour therapy
Bernhard Gebauer
O9 Interventional radiology in paediatric oncology
Derek Roebuck
O10 Image guided prostate interventions
Jurgen J. Fütterer
O11 Imaging cancer predisposition syndromes
Alexander J. Towbin
O12Chest and chest wall masses
Thierry AG Huisman
O13 Abdominal masses: good or bad?
Anne MJB Smets
O14 Hepatobiliary MR contrast: enhanced liver MRI for HCC diagnosis and management
Giovanni Morana
O15 Role of US elastography and multimodality fusion for managing patients with chronic liver disease and HCC
Jeong Min Lee
O16 Opportunities and challenges in imaging metastatic disease
Hersh Chandarana
O17 Diagnosis, treatment monitoring, and follow-up of lymphoma
Marius E. Mayerhoefer, Markus Raderer, Alexander Haug
O18 Managing high-risk and advanced prostate cancer
Matthias Eiber
O19 Immunotherapy: imaging challenges
Bernhard Gebauer
O20 RECIST and RECIST 1.1
Andrea Rockall
O21 Challenges of RECIST in oncology imaging basics for the trainee and novice
Aslam Sohaib
O22 Lymphoma: PET for interim and end of treatment response assessment: a users’ guide to the Deauville Score
Victoria S Warbey
O23 Available resources
Hebert Alberto Vargas
O24 ICIS e-portal and the online learning community
Dow-Mu Koh
O25 Benign lesions that mimic pancreatic cancer
Jay P Heiken
O26 Staging and reporting pancreatic malignancies
Isaac R Francis, Mahmoud, M Al-Hawary, Ravi K Kaza
O27 Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm
Giovanni Morana
O28 Cystic pancreatic tumours
Mirko D’Onofrio
O29 Diffusion-weighted imaging of head and neck tumours
Harriet C. Thoeny
O30 Radiation injury in the head and neck
Ann D King
O31 PET/MR of paediatric brain tumours
Giovanni Morana, Arnoldo Piccardo, Maria Luisa Garrè, Andrea Rossi
O32 Structured reporting and beyond
Hebert Alberto Vargas
O33 Massachusetts General Hospital experience with structured reporting
Theresa C. McLoud
O34 The oncologist’s perspective: what the oncologist needs to know
Nick Reed
O35 Towards the cure of all children with cancer: global initiatives in pediatric oncology
Carlos Rodriguez-Galindo
O36 Multiparametric imaging of renal cancers
Hersh Chandarana
O37 Linking imaging features of renal disease and their impact on management strategies
Hebert Alberto Vargas
O38 Adrenals, retroperitoneum and peritoneum
Isaac R Francis, Ashish P Wasnik
O39 Lung and pleura
Stefan Diederich
O40 Advances in MRI
Jurgen J. Fütterer
O41 Advances in molecular imaging
Wim J.G. Oyen
O42 Incorporating advanced imaging, impact on treatment selection and patient outcome
Cheng Lee Chaw, Nicholas van As
S1 Combining ADC-histogram features improves performance of MR diffusion-weighted imaging for Lymph node characterisation in cervical cancer
Igor Vieira, Frederik De Keyzer, Elleke Dresen, Sileny Han, Ignace Vergote, Philippe Moerman, Frederic Amant, Michel Koole, Vincent Vandecaveye
S2 Whole-body diffusion-weighted MRI for surgical planning in patients with colorectal cancer and peritoneal metastases
R Dresen, S De Vuysere, F De Keyzer, E Van Cutsem, A D’Hoore, A Wolthuis, V Vandecaveye
S3 Role of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) diffusion-weighted MRI for predicting extra capsular extension of prostate cancer.
P. Pricolo ([email protected]), S. Alessi, P. Summers, E. Tagliabue, G. Petralia
S4 Generating evidence for clinical benefit of PET/CT – are management studies sufficient as surrogate for patient outcome?
C. Pfannenberg, B. Gückel, SC Schüle, AC Müller, S. Kaufmann, N. Schwenzer, M. Reimold,C. la Fougere, K. Nikolaou, P. Martus
S5 Heterogeneity of treatment response in skeletal metastases from breast cancer with 18F-fluoride and 18F-FDG PET
GJ Cook, GK Azad, BP Taylor, M Siddique, J John, J Mansi, M Harries, V Goh
S6 Accuracy of suspicious breast imaging—can we tell the patient?
S Seth, R Burgul, A Seth
S7 Measurement method of tumour volume changes during neoadjuvant chemotherapy affects ability to predict pathological response
S Waugh, N Muhammad Gowdh, C Purdie, A Evans, E Crowe, A Thompson, S Vinnicombe
S8 Diagnostic yield of CT IVU in haematuria screening
F. Arfeen, T. Campion, E. Goldstraw
S9 Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of unresectable locally advanced pancreatic cancer: preliminary results
D’Onofrio M, Ciaravino V, Crosara S, De Robertis R, Pozzi Mucelli R
S10 Iodine maps from dual energy CT improve detection of metastases in staging examinations of melanoma patients
M. Uhrig, D. Simons, H. Schlemmer
S11Can contrast enhanced CT predict pelvic nodal status in malignant melanoma of the lower limb?
Kate Downey
S12 Current practice in the investigation for suspected Paraneoplastic Neurological Syndromes (PNS) and positive malignancy yield.
S Murdoch, AS Al-adhami, S Viswanathan
P1 Technical success and efficacy of Pulmonary Radiofrequency ablation: an analysis of 207 ablations
S Smith, P Jennings, D Bowers, R Soomal
P2 Lesion control and patient outcome: prospective analysis of radiofrequency abaltion in pulmonary colorectal cancer metastatic disease
S Smith, P Jennings, D Bowers, R Soomal
P3 Hepatocellular carcinoma in a post-TB patient: case of tropical infections and oncologic imaging challenges
TM Mutala, AO Odhiambo, N Harish
P4 Role of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) diffusion-weighted MRI for predicting extracapsular extension of prostate cancer
P. Pricolo, S. Alessi, P. Summers, E. Tagliabue, G. Petralia
P5 What a difference a decade makes; comparison of lung biopsies in Glasgow 2005 and 2015
M. Hall, M. Sproule, S. Sheridan
P6 Solid pseudopapillary tumour of pancreas: imaging features of a rare neoplasm
KY Thein, CH Tan, YL Thian, CM Ho
P7 MDCT - pathological correlation in colon adenocarcinoma staging: preliminary experience
S De Luca, C Carrera, V Blanchet, L Alarcón, E Eyheremnedy
P8 Image guided biopsy of thoracic masses and reduction of pneumothorax risk: 25 years experience
B K Choudhury, K Bujarbarua, G Barman
P9 Tumour heterogeneity analysis of 18F-FDG-PET for characterisation of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumours in neurofibromatosis-1
GJ Cook, E Lovat, M Siddique, V Goh, R Ferner, VS Warbey
P10 Impact of introduction of vacuum assisted excision (VAE) on screen detected high risk breast lesions
L Potti, B Kaye, A Beattie, K Dutton
P11 Can we reduce prevalent recall rate in breast screening?
AA Seth, F Constantinidis, H Dobson
P12 How to reduce prevalent recall rate? Identifying mammographic lesions with low Positive Predictive Value (PPV)
AA Seth ([email protected]), F Constantinidis, H Dobson
P13 Behaviour of untreated pulmonary thrombus in oncology patients diagnosed with incidental pulmonary embolism on CT
R. Bradley, G. Bozas, G. Avery, A. Stephens, A. Maraveyas
P14 A one-stop lymphoma biopsy service – is it possible?
S Bhuva, CA Johnson, M Subesinghe, N Taylor
P15 Changes in the new TNM classification for lung cancer (8th edition, effective January 2017)
LE Quint, RM Reddy, GP Kalemkerian
P16 Cancer immunotherapy: a review of adequate imaging assessment
G González Zapico, E Gainza Jauregui, R Álvarez Francisco, S Ibáñez Alonso, I Tavera Bahillo, L Múgica Álvarez
P17 Succinate dehydrogenase mutations and their associated tumours
O Francies, R Wheeler, L Childs, A Adams, A Sahdev
P18 Initial experience in the usefulness of dual energy technique in the abdomen
SE De Luca, ME Casalini Vañek, MD Pascuzzi, T Gillanders, PM Ramos, EP Eyheremendy
P19 Recognising the serious complication of Richter’s transformation in CLL patients
C Stove, M Digby
P20 Body diffusion-weighted MRI in oncologic practice: truths, tricks and tips
M. Nazar, M. Wirtz, MD. Pascuzzi, F. Troncoso, F. Saguier, EP. Eyheremendy
P21 Methotrexate-induced leukoencephalopathy in paediatric ALL Patients
D.J. Quint, L. Dang, M. Carlson, S. Leber, F. Silverstein
P22 Pitfalls in oncology CT reporting. A pictorial review
R Rueben, S Viswanathan
P23 Imaging of perineural extension in head and neck tumours
B Nazir, TH Teo, JB Khoo
P24 MRI findings of molecular subtypes of breast cancer: a pictorial primer
K Sharma, N Gupta, B Mathew, T Jeyakumar, K Harkins
P25 When cancer can’t wait! A pictorial review of oncological emergencies
K Sharma, B Mathew, N Gupta, T Jeyakumar, S Joshua
P26 MRI of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours: an approach to interpretation
D Christodoulou, S Gourtsoyianni, A Jacques, N Griffin, V Goh
P27 Gynaecological cancers in pregnancy: a review of imaging
CA Johnson, J Lee
P28 Suspected paraneoplastic neurological syndromes - review of published recommendations to date, with proposed guideline/flowchart
JA Goodfellow, AS Al-adhami, S Viswanathan
P29 Multi-parametric MRI of the pelvis for suspected local recurrence of prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy
R Bradley
P30 Utilisation of PI-RADS version 2 in multi-parametric MRI of the prostate; 12-months experience
R Bradley
P31 Radiological assessment of the post-chemotherapy liver
A Yong, S Jenkins, G Joseph
P32 Skeletal staging with MRI in breast cancer – what the radiologist needs to know
S Bhuva, K Partington
P33 Perineural spread of lympoma: an educational review of an unusual distribution of disease
CA Johnson, S Bhuva, M Subesinghe, N Taylor
P34 Visually isoattenuating pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Diagnostic imaging tools.
C Carrera, A Zanfardini, S De Luca, L Alarcón, V Blanchet, EP Eyheremendy
P35 Imaging of larynx cancer: when is CT, MRI or FDG PET/CT the best test?
K Cavanagh, E Lauhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134651/1/40644_2016_Article_79.pd
Whole-genome sequencing reveals host factors underlying critical COVID-19
Critical COVID-19 is caused by immune-mediated inflammatory lung injury. Host genetic variation influences the development of illness requiring critical care1 or hospitalization2–4 after infection with SARS-CoV-2. The GenOMICC (Genetics of Mortality in Critical Care) study enables the comparison of genomes from individuals who are critically ill with those of population controls to find underlying disease mechanisms. Here we use whole-genome sequencing in 7,491 critically ill individuals compared with 48,400 controls to discover and replicate 23 independent variants that significantly predispose to critical COVID-19. We identify 16 new independent associations, including variants within genes that are involved in interferon signalling (IL10RB and PLSCR1), leucocyte differentiation (BCL11A) and blood-type antigen secretor status (FUT2). Using transcriptome-wide association and colocalization to infer the effect of gene expression on disease severity, we find evidence that implicates multiple genes—including reduced expression of a membrane flippase (ATP11A), and increased expression of a mucin (MUC1)—in critical disease. Mendelian randomization provides evidence in support of causal roles for myeloid cell adhesion molecules (SELE, ICAM5 and CD209) and the coagulation factor F8, all of which are potentially druggable targets. Our results are broadly consistent with a multi-component model of COVID-19 pathophysiology, in which at least two distinct mechanisms can predispose to life-threatening disease: failure to control viral replication; or an enhanced tendency towards pulmonary inflammation and intravascular coagulation. We show that comparison between cases of critical illness and population controls is highly efficient for the detection of therapeutically relevant mechanisms of disease
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