Feeling for food: Can rostro-mental hair arrays sense hydrodynamic cues for foraging North Atlantic right whales?

North Atlantic right whales (NARWs; Eubalaena glacialis) possess an arrangement of fine hairs on the rostrum and chin that may be used for hydrodynamic sensing during feeding. These hairs occur across mysticete species and are known to possess adequate innervation in the subdermal follicle to support their consideration as sensory hairs (vibrissae). However, the small size of the hair structure with respect to the enormous scale of the animal's body has caused doubts regarding their utility and prompted speculation that the hairs may be vestigial or minimally functional.

Systems survivor: a program for house staff in systems-based practice.

Background: The Systems-Based Practice competency expanded the scope of graduate medical education. Innovative approaches are needed to teach this material.

Purpose: We have designed and implemented a rotation in Systems-Based Practice focused on the interrelationships of patient care, clinical revenue, and the physician's role within health care systems.

Skin lesions on North Atlantic right whales: categories, prevalence and change in occurrence in the 1990s.

North Atlantic right whales Eubalaena glacialis experienced decreased reproduction and body condition in the 1990s, causing concern about the overall health of this critically endangered population. Images from a detailed photo-identification catalog of right whales were analyzed for the presence of skin lesions. Lesions were categorized as white lesions or blister lesions and each of those categories were further divided based on lesion morphology and location.