Biodiversity loss and its impact on humanity.

The most unique feature of Earth is the existence of life, and the most extraordinary feature of life is its diversity. Approximately 9 million types of plants, animals, protists and fungi inhabit the Earth. So, too, do 7 billion people.

Relationship of chronic pain and opioid use with respiratory disturbance during sleep.

This research assessed: 1) whether patients thought to have sleep disordered breathing would have more severe symptoms if they were taking opioids; 2) whether severity of sleep disordered breathing was associated with class or dose of opioid; and 3) whether pain intensity was associated with sleep disordered breathing. A descriptive cross-sectional study of patients referred for assessment of sleep disorders was conducted. Data were collected on a total of 419 subjects (no pain [n = 171], chronic pain without opioid treatment [n = 187], and chronic pain with opioid treatment [n = 61]).

Interspecific genetics of speciation phenotypes: song and preference coevolution in Hawaiian crickets.

Understanding the genetic architecture of traits involved in premating isolation between recently diverged lineages can provide valuable insight regarding the mode and tempo of speciation. The repeated coevolution of male courtship song and female preference across the species radiation of Laupala crickets presents an unusual opportunity to compare the genetic basis of divergence across independent evolutionary histories. Previous studies of one pair of species revealed a polygenic basis (including a significant X chromosome contribution) to quantitative differences in male song and female acoustic preference.

Update on new aspects of the renin-angiotensin system in liver disease: clinical implications and new therapeutic options.

The RAS (renin-angiotensin system) is now recognized as an important regulator of liver fibrosis and portal pressure. Liver injury stimulates the hepatic expression of components of the RAS, such as ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) and the AT(1) receptor [AngII (angiotensin II) type 1 receptor], which play an active role in promoting inflammation and deposition of extracellular matrix. In addition, the more recently recognized structural homologue of ACE, ACE2, is also up-regulated.

A service evaluation of women attending the menopause/premature ovarian failure clinic of a tertiary referral centre.

This service evaluation aimed to characterise the referrals to the premature ovarian failure clinic, including the type of referral and patient needs, in order to plan for future service provision. The majority of women seen in the clinic experienced idiopathic premature ovarian failure, were aged 30-39 and were nulliparous at the time of diagnosis. Our service requires to be tailored to their needs.

Canopy conundrums: building on the Biosphere 2 experience to scale measurements of inner and outer canopy photoprotection from the leaf to the landscape.

Recognising that plant leaves are the fundamental productive units of terrestrial vegetation and the complexity of different environments in which they must function, this review considers a few of the ways in which these functions may be measured and potentially scaled to the canopy. Although canopy photosynthetic productivity is clearly the sum of all leaves in the canopy, we focus on the quest for 'economical insights' from measurements that might facilitate integration of leaf photosynthetic activities into canopy performance, to better inform modelling based on the 'insights of economics'. It is focussed on the reversible downregulation of photosynthetic efficiency in response to light environment and stress and summarises various xanthophyll-independent and dependent forms of photoprotection within the inner and outer canopy of woody plants.

Use of the telephone-administered Minnesota Cognitive Acuity Screen to detect mild cognitive impairment.

This study determined the sensitivity and specificity of the telephone-administered Minnesota Cognitive Acuity Screen (MCAS) to distinguish mild cognitive impairment (MCI) from healthy controls (HCs) and from Alzheimer's disease (AD). A total of 100 individuals with MCI, 50 individuals with possible/probable AD, and 50 HCs were screened to exclude medical and psychiatric conditions affecting cognition. In-office evaluation included neuropsychological testing, neurologic examination, and neurodiagnostic work-up.

Outcomes of ovarian stimulation in a two-day oocyte collection week with PGD cycles compared to a five-day oocyte collection week with conventional IVF/ICSI cycles.

We assessed the outcomes of ovarian stimulation in a two-day egg collection (EC) week with preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) cycles (N = 307) compared to a five-day EC week with conventional in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) cycles (N = 2,417). The mean (SD) age of women undergoing PGD was 34 (3.97) and 35 (3.

Synthesis and in vivo evaluation of cyclic diaminopropane BACE-1 inhibitors.

The synthesis, evaluation, and structure-activity relationships of a set of related constrained diaminopropane inhibitors of BACE-1 are described. The full in vivo profile of an optimized inhibitor in both normal and P-gp deficient mice is compared with data generated in normal rats.

Productivity is a poor predictor of plant species richness.

For more than 30 years, the relationship between net primary productivity and species richness has generated intense debate in ecology about the processes regulating local diversity. The original view, which is still widely accepted, holds that the relationship is hump-shaped, with richness first rising and then declining with increasing productivity. Although recent meta-analyses questioned the generality of hump-shaped patterns, these syntheses have been criticized for failing to account for methodological differences among studies.

Photosynthetic parameters, dark respiration and leaf traits in the canopy of a Peruvian tropical montane cloud forest.

Few data are available describing the photosynthetic parameters of the leaves of tropical montane cloud forests (TMCF). Here, we present a study of photosynthetic leaf traits (V(cmax) and J(max)), foliar dark respiration (R(d)), foliar nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), and leaf mass per area (LMA) throughout the canopy for five different TMCF species at 3025 m a.s.

Coevolution of male mating signal and female preference during early lineage divergence of the Hawaiian cricket, Laupala cerasina.

Sexual selection is a powerful evolutionary force shaping mate choice phenotypes, initiating phenotypic shifts resulting in (or reinforcing) population divergence and speciation when such shifts reduce mating probabilities among divergent populations. In the Hawaiian cricket genus Laupala, pulse rate of male calling song, a conspicuous mating signal, differs among species, potentially behaving as a speciation phenotype. Populations of the widespread species Laupala cerasina show variation in pulse rate.

Individuals with threatening or violent criminal behavior: civil commitment or release after incarceration?

Patients who have diagnoses of a major mental illness and an antisocial personality disorder present administrative, clinical, legal, and ethical challenges. Based on an actual case, the authors discuss how clinicians could fulfill the obligation to the patient, mental health system, judicial system, and the community under these circumstances. We explore how clinical presentation of symptomatology and criminal behavior contribute to challenges in determining psychiatric care.

Local richness along gradients in the Siskiyou herb flora: R. H. Whittaker revisited.

In his classic study in the Siskiyou Mountains (Oregon, USA), one of the most botanically rich forested regions in North America, R. H. Whittaker (1960) foreshadowed many modern ideas on the multivariate control of local species richness along environmental gradients related to productivity.

Preclinical pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of apixaban, a potent and selective factor Xa inhibitor.

Apixaban is a potent, highly selective, reversible, oral, direct factor Xa (fXa) inhibitor in development for thrombosis prevention and treatment. The preclinical pharmacokinetic (PK) attributes of apixaban feature small volume of distribution (Vd), low systemic clearance (CL), and good oral bioavailability. Apixaban is well absorbed in rat, dog, and chimpanzee, with absolute oral bioavailability of approximately 50% or greater.

Hormonal effects of maltreatment in Nazca booby nestlings: implications for the "cycle of violence".

Non-breeding Nazca booby adults exhibit an unusual and intense social attraction to non-familial conspecific nestlings. Non-parental Adult Visitors (NAVs) seek out and approach unguarded nestlings during daylight hours and display parental, aggressive, and/or sexual behavior. In a striking parallel to the "cycle of violence" of human biology, degree of victimization as a nestling is strongly correlated with frequency of future maltreatment behavior exhibited as an adult.

Subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation in primary cervical dystonia.

Objectives: The globus pallidus internus (GPi) has been the primary target for deep brain stimulation (DBS) to treat severe medication-refractory dystonia. Some patients with primary cervical or segmental dystonia develop subtle bradykinesia occurring in previously nondystonic body regions during GPi DBS. Subthalamic nucleus (STN) DBS may provide an alternative target choice for treating dystonia, but has only been described in a few short reports, without blinded rating scales, statistical analysis, or detailed neuropsychological studies.

Climate change effects on an endemic-rich edaphic flora: resurveying Robert H. Whittaker's Siskiyou sites (Oregon, USA).

Species with relatively narrow niches, such as plants restricted (endemic) to particular soils, may be especially vulnerable to extinction under a changing climate due to the enhanced difficulty they face in migrating to suitable new sites. To test for community-level effects of climate change, and to compare such effects in a highly endemic-rich flora on unproductive serpentine soils vs. the flora of normal (diorite) soils, in 2007 we resampled as closely as possible 108 sites originally studied by ecologist Robert H.

Utilization of mental health services by survivors of severe paediatric traumatic brain injury: a population-based study.

A study of general and specialist mental health and psychology service provider records confirms very high rates of utilization by a population of survivors of severe paediatric traumatic brain injury.

Preferences of Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki and Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann) (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae) among Three Commercial Wood Species.

The Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, and the Asian subterranean termite, Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann), are both pests of wood in service in Hawaii and Florida. We conducted a laboratory study using method modified from those described in standard E1-09 of the American Wood Protection Association (AWPA 2009) to assess the termite resistance of three commercially available wood species used in regions of the USA where both termite species occur: Douglas fir, Pseudotsuga menziessii, southern yellow pine, Pinus spp. and redwood, Sequoia sempervirens.

Comparative Study of the Resistance of Six Hawaii-Grown Bamboo Species to Attack by the Subterranean Termites Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki and Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann) (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae).

Bamboo is widely grown and utilized as a construction material around the world, particularly in the tropics. At present, there are about 70 bamboo species and varieties recorded from Hawaii. The objective of our study was to determine the relative resistance of six Hawaii-grown bamboo species to attack by Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki and Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann).

Synthesis and SAR of indole-and 7-azaindole-1,3-dicarboxamide hydroxyethylamine inhibitors of BACE-1.

Heterocyclic replacement of the isophthalamide phenyl ring in hydroxyethylamine (HEA) BACE-1 inhibitors was explored. A variety of indole-1,3-dicarboxamide HEAs exhibited potent BACE-1 enzyme inhibition, but displayed poor cellular activity. Improvements in cellular activity and aspartic protease selectivity were observed for 7-azaindole-1,3-dicarboxamide HEAs.

Ecological contingency in the effects of climatic warming on forest herb communities.

Downscaling from the predictions of general climate models is critical to current strategies for mitigating species loss caused by climate change. A key impediment to this downscaling is that we lack a fully developed understanding of how variation in physical, biological, or land-use characteristics mediates the effects of climate change on ecological communities within regions. We analyzed change in understory herb communities over a 60-y period (1949/1951-2007/2009) in a complex montane landscape (the Siskiyou Mountains, Oregon) where mean temperatures have increased 2 °C since 1948, similar to projections for other terrestrial communities.

AALIM: a cardiac clinical decision support system powered by advanced multi-modal analytics.

Modern Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems often integrate large amounts of data from multiple disparate sources. To do so, EMR systems must align the data to create consistency between these sources. The data should also be presented in a manner that allows a clinician to quickly understand the complete condition and history of a patient's health.