Endemic Cyprus Scops Owl Readily Breeds in Artificial Nest Boxes.

As is well-known, endemic island bird species are especially vulnerable to extinction from anthropogenic environmental change and reduced fitness compared with mainland taxa. The Cyprus Scops Owl, is a recently recognized island endemic species whose ecology and breeding biology have not been studied. It nests mainly in holes in trees and buildings, so the felling of old trees, modern architectural practices, and the renovation of old houses in villages may reduce nest site availability.

Simulation-based assessment of anesthesiology residents' competence: development and implementation of the Canadian National Anesthesiology Simulation Curriculum (CanNASC).

The specialty of anesthesiology will soon adopt the Competence By Design (CBD) approach to residency education developed by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC). A foundational component of CBD is frequent and contextualized assessment of trainees. In 2013, the RCPSC Anesthesiology Specialty Committee assembled a group of simulation educators, representing each of the 17 Canadian anesthesiology residency programs, to form the Canadian National Anesthesiology Simulation Curriculum (CanNASC) Task Force.

Efficiency and patient experience with propofol vs conventional sedation: A prospective study.

Aim: To determine whether anaesthesiologist-administered sedation with propofol (AAP) or endoscopist-administered conscious sedation (EAC) with fentanyl/midazolam shortens colonoscopy duration/total room time.

Methods: This is a prospective, non-randomized, comparative study that enrolled patients greater than 18 years of age undergoing colonoscopy in a single Canadian academic outpatient endoscopy unit over a three-month consecutive period. Colonoscopies in this unit are performed both with AAP and EAC.

Filter-based methodology for the location of hot spots in proteins and exons in DNA.

The so-called receiver operating characteristic technique is used as a tool in an optimization procedure for the improvement and assessment of a filter-based methodology for the location of hot spots in protein sequences and exons in DNA sequences. By optimizing the characteristic values of the nucleotides, high efficiency as well as improved accuracy can be achieved relative to results obtained with the electron-ion interaction potentials. On the other hand, by using the proposed filter-based methodology with binary sequences, improved accuracy can be achieved although the efficiency is somewhat compromised relative to that achieved using the optimized characteristic values.

Identification of tubulin drug binding sites and prediction of relative differences in binding affinities to tubulin isotypes using digital signal processing.

Microtubules are involved in numerous cellular processes including chromosome segregation during mitosis and, as a result, their constituent protein, tubulin, has become a successful target of several chemotherapeutic drugs. In general, these drugs bind indiscriminately to tubulin within both cancerous and healthy cells, resulting in unwanted side effects. However, differences between beta-tubulin isotypes expressed in a wide range of cell types may aid in the development of anti-tubulin drugs having increased specificity for only certain types of cells.

Characterization of a novel metabolic strategy used by drug-resistant tumor cells.

Acquired or inherent drug resistance is the major problem in achieving successful cancer treatment. However, the mechanism(s) of pleiotropic drug resistance remains obscure. We have identified and characterized a cellular metabolic strategy that differentiates drug-resistant cells from drug-sensitive cells.