The reproductive biology and larvae of the first tadpole-bearing frog, Limnonectes larvaepartus.

Most of the reproductive modes of frogs include an exotrophic tadpole, but a number of taxa have some form of endotrophic development that lacks a feeding tadpole stage. The dicroglossid frog genus Limnonectes ranges from China south into Indonesia. The breeding biologies of the approximately 60 described species display an unusual diversity that range from exotrophic tadpoles to endotrophic development in terrestrial nests.

The breeding behaviour, advertisement call and tadpole of Limnonectes dabanus (Anura: Dicroglossidae).

Fanged frogs (Limnonectes) are a group of dicroglossid frogs from Asia that often have reversed sexual dimorphism with larger males. Limnonectes dabanus is a poorly known species of fanged frog from forested habitats in southern Vietnam and eastern Cambodia. Adult males exhibit an extreme degree of megacephaly and possess bizarre head ornamentation.

Improving catalyst activity in secondary amine catalysed transformations.

The effect on catalyst performance of altering substituents at the 2-position of the Macmillan imidazolidinone has been examined. Condensation of L-phenylalanine N-methyl amide with acetophenone derivatives results in a series of imidazolidinones whose salts can be used to accelerate the Diels-Alder cycloaddition. Electron withdrawing groups significantly increase the overall rate of cycloaddition without compromise in selectivity.

Transoral robotic surgery for treatment of obstructive sleep apnea: factors predicting surgical response.

Objectives/hypothesis: We reviewed our experience with the use of transoral robotic surgery (TORS) for base of tongue (BOT) reduction either alone or as part of multilevel strategy in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) in order to identify clinical characteristics that may be associated with surgical response.

Study Design: Case series.

Methods: Between June 2010 and May 2014, BOT reduction via TORS ± partial epiglottectomy ± uvulopalatopharyngoplasty were performed on 72 patients with OSAHS.

Entrustable professional activities and curricular milestones for fellowship training in pulmonary and critical care medicine: executive summary from the Multi-Society Working Group.

Assessment of graduate medical trainee progress via the accomplishment of competency milestones is an important element of the Next Accreditation System of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. This article summarizes the findings of a multisociety working group that was tasked with creating the entrustable professional activities and curricular milestones for fellowship training in pulmonary medicine, critical care medicine, and combined programs. Using the Delphi process, experienced medical educators from the American College of Chest Physicians, American Thoracic Society, Society of Critical Care Medicine, and Association of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Program Directors reached consensus on the detailed curricular content and expected skill set of graduates of these programs.

Students' trust judgements in online health information seeking.

As one of the most active groups of Internet users, students and other young people are active users of digital health information. Yet, research into young people's evaluation of health information is limited, and no previous studies have focused on trust formation. In addition, prior studies on adults' use of digital information do not reach a consensus regarding the key factors in trust formation.

Proteasome function is required for platelet production.

The proteasome inhibiter bortezomib has been successfully used to treat patients with relapsed multiple myeloma; however, many of these patients become thrombocytopenic, and it is not clear how the proteasome influences platelet production. Here we determined that pharmacologic inhibition of proteasome activity blocks proplatelet formation in human and mouse megakaryocytes. We also found that megakaryocytes isolated from mice deficient for PSMC1, an essential subunit of the 26S proteasome, fail to produce proplatelets.

Pericytes in chronic lung disease.

Pericytes are mesenchymal cells embedded within the abluminal surface of the endothelium of microvessels such as capillaries, pre-capillary arterioles, post-capillary and collecting venules, where they maintain microvascular homeostasis and participate in angiogenesis. In addition to their roles in supporting the vasculature and facilitating leukocyte extravasation, pericytes have been recently investigated as a subpopulation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) due to their capacity to differentiate into numerous cell types including the classic MSC triad, i.e.

Entrustable professional activities and curricular milestones for fellowship training in pulmonary and critical care medicine: report of a multisociety working group.

This article describes the curricular milestones and entrustable professional activities for trainees in pulmonary, critical care, or combined fellowship programs. Under the Next Accreditation System of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), curricular milestones compose the curriculum or learning objectives for training in these fields. Entrustable professional activities represent the outcomes of training, the activities that society and professional peers can expect fellowship graduates to be able to perform unsupervised.

The breeding behavior of Glyphoglossus molossus and the tadpoles of Glyphoglossus molossus and Calluella guttulata (Microhylidae).

The breeding behavior of Glyphoglossus molossus is described from still and video images taken in Cambodia. These large, burrowing frogs follow the general theme of microhylids that deposit aquatic eggs: explosive breeding in ephemeral water and performing multiple amplectic dips to oviposit surface films of pigmented eggs. A portion of a clutch is released with each dip, a dip lasts for about 6 s, 200-300 eggs are released per dip, and about 5 s pass between dips.

Oxidative carbon-carbon bond cleavage is a key step in spiroacetal biosynthesis in the fruit fly Bactrocera cacuminata.

The early steps of spiroacetal biosynthesis in the fruit fly Bactrocera cacuminata (Solanum fly) have been investigated using a series of deuterium-labeled, oxygenated fatty acid like compounds. These potential spiroacetal precursors were administered to male flies, and their volatile emissions were analyzed for specific deuterium incorporation by GC/MS. This has allowed the order of early oxidative events in the biosynthetic pathway to be determined.

A tour through the transcriptional landscape of platelets.

The RNA code found within a platelet and alterations of that code continue to shed light onto the mechanistic underpinnings of platelet function and dysfunction. It is now known that features of messenger RNA (mRNA) in platelets mirror those of nucleated cells. This review serves as a tour guide for readers interested in developing a greater understanding of platelet mRNA.

A striking new species of phytotelm-breeding tree frog (Anura: Rhacophoridae) from central Vietnam.

We describe a distinctive new species of phytotelm-breeding rhacophorid frog from central Vietnam. Gracixalus lumarius sp. nov.

Effect of addition of chin strap on PAP compliance, nightly duration of use, and other factors.

Study Objectives: A chinstrap is potentially useful to reduce unintentional air leak by preventing mouth opening during PAP treatment. This study examines whether the addition of a chinstrap to PAP therapy has any effect on adherence, nightly duration of use, air leak, and residual AHI.

Methods: This was a retrospective study performed at an AASM-accredited VAMC sleep center.

Combinatorial discovery through a distributed outreach program: investigation of the photoelectrolysis activity of p-type Fe, Cr, Al oxides.

We report the identification of a semiconducting p-type oxide containing iron, aluminum, and chromium (Fe2-x-yCrxAlyO3) with previously unreported photoelectrolysis activity that was discovered by an undergraduate scientist participating in the Solar Hydrogen Activity research Kit (SHArK) program. The SHArK program is a distributed combinatorial science outreach program designed to provide a simple and inexpensive way for high school and undergraduate students to participate in the search for metal oxide materials that are active for the photoelectrolysis of water. The identified Fe2-x-yCrxAlyO3 photoelectrolysis material possesses many properties that make it a promising candidate for further optimization for potential application in a photoelectrolysis device.

Resting state executive control network adaptations in amnestic mild cognitive impairment.

Executive dysfunction is frequently associated with episodic memory decline in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) patients. Resting state executive control network (RS-ECN) represents a novel approach to interrogate the integrity of brain areas underlying executive dysfunction. The present study aims to investigate RS-ECN in aMCI and examine a possible link between changes in brain functional connectivity and declines in executive function.

Scalable passaging of adherent human pluripotent stem cells.

Current laboratory methods used to passage adherent human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are labor intensive, result in reduced cell viability and are incompatible with larger scale production necessary for many clinical applications. To meet the current demand for hPSCs, we have developed a new non-enzymatic passaging method using sodium citrate. Sodium citrate, formulated as a hypertonic solution, gently and efficiently detaches adherent cultures of hPSCs as small multicellular aggregates with minimal manual intervention.

Key role of microRNA in the regulation of granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor expression in murine alveolar epithelial cells during oxidative stress.

GM-CSF is an endogenous pulmonary cytokine produced by normal alveolar epithelial cells (AEC) that is a key defender of the alveolar space. AEC GM-CSF expression is suppressed by oxidative stress through alternations in mRNA turnover, an effect that is reversed by treatment with recombinant GM-CSF. We hypothesized that specific microRNA (miRNA) would play a key role in AEC GM-CSF regulation.

Simultaneous measurement of absorbance and quantum yields for photocurrent generation at dye-sensitized single-crystal ZnO electrodes.

It is often assumed that the photoresponse or incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) spectrum of a sensitized semiconductor electrode is directly correlated with the amount of sensitizing species present on the semiconductor surface. In reality, the various forms of adsorbed species, such as dye aggregates or dye molecules bound to different adsorption sites, such as terrace edges, can have significantly different electron injection yields and carrier recombination rates. To provide information about the amounts of the various adsorbed dye species and their effectiveness as sensitizers, we report the simultaneous acquisition of IPCE and attenuated total reflectance (ATR) UV-vis spectra for a thiacyanine dye bound to a single-crystal oxide semiconductor electrode surface.

White matter abnormalities and structural hippocampal disconnections in amnestic mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.

The purpose of this project was to evaluate white matter degeneration and its impact on hippocampal structural connectivity in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment, non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. We estimated white matter fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity and hippocampal structural connectivity in two independent cohorts. The ADNI cohort included 108 subjects [25 cognitively normal, 21 amnestic mild cognitive impairment, 47 non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment and 15 Alzheimer's disease].

National surveys of radiofrequency field strengths from radio base stations in Africa.

The authors analysed almost 260 000 measurement points from surveys of radiofrequency (RF) field strengths near radio base stations in seven African countries over two time frames from 2001 to 2003 and 2006 to 2012. The results of the national surveys were compared, chronological trends investigated and potential exposures compared by technology and with frequency modulation (FM) radio. The key findings from thes data are that irrespective of country, the year and mobile technology, RF fields at a ground level were only a small fraction of the international human RF exposure recommendations.

Allogeneic cell therapy bioprocess economics and optimization: single-use cell expansion technologies.

For allogeneic cell therapies to reach their therapeutic potential, challenges related to achieving scalable and robust manufacturing processes will need to be addressed. A particular challenge is producing lot-sizes capable of meeting commercial demands of up to 10(9) cells/dose for large patient numbers due to the current limitations of expansion technologies. This article describes the application of a decisional tool to identify the most cost-effective expansion technologies for different scales of production as well as current gaps in the technology capabilities for allogeneic cell therapy manufacture.

Dye sensitization of four low index TiO2 single crystal photoelectrodes with a series of dicarboxylated cyanine dyes.

Four dicarboxylated cyanine dyes were used to sensitize single-crystal anatase (001), anatase (101), rutile (001), and rutile (100) surfaces. Incident photon to current efficiencies (IPCE) spectra and isotherms were gathered for the different combination of dyes and surfaces. The maximum coverage of the surface-bound dyes on the TiO2 crystal surfaces was determined by photochronocoulometric measurements.