The origin and speciation of orchids.

Orchids constitute one of the most spectacular radiations of flowering plants. However, their origin, spread across the globe, and hotspots of speciation remain uncertain due to the lack of an up-to-date phylogeographic analysis. We present a new Orchidaceae phylogeny based on combined high-throughput and Sanger sequencing data, covering all five subfamilies, 17/22 tribes, 40/49 subtribes, 285/736 genera, and c.

From Undergraduate Research to Graduation: Measuring the Robustness of the Pathway at a Hispanic-Serving Institution.

Based on several regression specifications that control for a host of covariates, this article demonstrates that the quantity of undergraduate research experience was by far the most important determinant for increased graduation rates at a 100% Hispanic-serving institution. Our finding also shows a causal relationship confirmed by propensity score matching analyses. Results underscore the high impact but sometimes underestimated contribution of undergraduate research to academic success, even for teaching-oriented colleges.

Post-Hurricane Distress Scale (PHDS): Determination of General and Disorder-Specific Cutoff Scores.

The Post-Hurricane Distress Scale (PHDS) was developed to assess mental health risk in the aftermath of hurricanes. We derive both disorder-specific cutoff values and a single nonspecific cutoff for the PHDS for field use by disaster relief and mental health workers. Data from 672 adult residents of Puerto Rico, sampled 3 to 12 months after Hurricane Maria, were collected.

Animal trait variation at the within-individual level: erythrocyte size variation and malaria infection in a tropical lizard.

High levels of within-individual variation (WIV) in reiterative components in plants such as leaves, flowers, and fruits have been shown to increase individual fitness by multiple mechanisms including mediating interactions with natural enemies. This relationship between WIV and fitness has been studied almost exclusively in plant systems. While animals do not exhibit conspicuous reiterative components, they have traits that can vary at the individual level such as erythrocyte size.

Incidence, prevalence, and economic burden of sarcoidosis in Puerto Rico: Estimates from a government health insurance claims database.

Objectives: To estimate the epidemiology of sarcoidosis in Puerto Rico.

Methods: Patients with a diagnosis of sarcoidosis between January 2015 and December 2018 were selected from the Puerto Rico Health Insurance Administration Administración de Seguros de Salud de Puerto Rico claims database. The International Classification of Diseases-Tenth Revision coding for sarcoidosis was used for case detection and utilization of health care services.

Microbiota dispersion in the Uyuni salt flat (Bolivia) as determined by community structure analyses.

Soil microbial communities are an important component of biological diversity and terrestrial ecosystems which is responsible for processes such as decomposition, mineralization of nutrients, and accumulation of organic matter. One of the factors that provide information on the mechanisms regulating biodiversity is spatial scaling. We characterized the microbial communities using 16S rRNA gene sequences from DNA isolated from halite at various locations and correlated these to geographic distance in the Uyuni salt flat (Bolivia).

From the cage to the wild: introductions of Psittaciformes to Puerto Rico.

Introduced psittacine birds can become highly invasive. In this study, we assessed invasions of Psittaciformes in Puerto Rico. We reviewed the literature, public databases, citizen science records, and performed in situ population surveys across the island to determine the historical and current status and distribution of psittacine species.

Invasive plant species in the West Indies: geographical, ecological, and floristic insights.

The level of invasion (number or proportion of invasive species) in a given area depends on features of the invaded community, propagule pressure, and climate. In this study, we assess the invasive flora of nine islands in the West Indies to identify invasion patterns and evaluate whether invasive species diversity is related to geographical, ecological, and socioeconomic factors. We compiled a database of invasive plant species including information on their taxonomy, origin, pathways of introduction, habitats, and life history.

Spatial asymmetries in connectivity influence colonization-extinction dynamics.

Movement has broad implications for many areas of biology, including evolution, community and population ecology. Movement is crucial in metapopulation ecology because it facilitates colonization and reduces the likelihood of local extinction via rescue effects. Most metapopulation modeling approaches describe connectivity using pair-wise Euclidean distances resulting in the simplifying assumption of a symmetric connectivity pattern.

Immunomodulator-based enhancement of anti smallpox immune responses.

Background: The current live vaccinia virus vaccine used in the prevention of smallpox is contraindicated for millions of immune-compromised individuals. Although vaccination with the current smallpox vaccine produces protective immunity, it might result in mild to serious health complications for some vaccinees. Thus, there is a critical need for the production of a safe virus-free vaccine against smallpox that is available to everyone.

When stable-stage equilibrium is unlikely: integrating transient population dynamics improves asymptotic methods.

Background And Aims: Evaluation of population projection matrices (PPMs) that are focused on asymptotically based properties of populations is a commonly used approach to evaluate projected dynamics of managed populations. Recently, a set of tools for evaluating the properties of transient dynamics has been expanded to evaluate PPMs and to consider the dynamics of populations prior to attaining the stable-stage distribution, a state that may never be achieved in disturbed or otherwise ephemeral habitats or persistently small populations. This study re-evaluates data for a tropical orchid and examines the value of including such analyses in an integrative approach.

Bayesian estimates of transition probabilities in seven small lithophytic orchid populations: maximizing data availability from many small samples.

Predicting population dynamics for rare species is of paramount importance in order to evaluate the likelihood of extinction and planning conservation strategies. However, evaluating and predicting population viability can be hindered from a lack of data. Rare species frequently have small populations, so estimates of vital rates are often very uncertain due to lack of data.

Microbial quality of tropical inland waters and effects of rainfall events.

Novel markers of fecal pollution in tropical waters are needed since conventional methods recommended for other geographical regions may not apply. To address this, the prevalence of thermotolerant coliforms, enterococci, coliphages, and enterophages was determined by culture methods across a watershed. Additionally, human-, chicken-, and cattle-specific PCR assays were used to identify potential fecal pollution sources in this watershed.

Demographic response by a small epiphytic orchid.

Premise Of The Study: Biotic changes are an inevitable consequence of climate change. Epiphytes may be more susceptible to changes in climate variation, but data regarding responses to climate variability under field conditions are limited. We evaluated whether the abundance of demographic stages in the epiphytic orchid Lepanthes rupestris at the Luquillo Experimental Forest in Puerto Rico was associated with short-term changes in climate variation over an 8-yr period.

Riding across the selection landscape: fitness consequences of annual variation in reproductive characteristics.

Evolutionary models estimating phenotypic selection in character size usually assume that the character is invariant across reproductive bouts. We show that variation in the size of reproductive traits may be large over multiple events and can influence fitness in organisms where these traits are produced anew each season. With data from populations of two orchid species, Caladenia valida and Tolumnia variegata, we used Bayesian statistics to investigate the effect on the distribution in fitness of individuals when the fitness landscape is not flat and when characters vary across reproductive bouts.

Gout: radiographic findings mimicking infection.

Objective: To describe radiographic features of gout that may mimic infection.

Design And Patients: We report five patients with acute bacterial gout who presented with clinical as well as radiological findings mimicking acute bacterial septic arthritis or osteomyelitis. Three patients had delay in the appropriate treatment with the final diagnosis being established after needle aspiration and identification of urate crystals under polarized light microscopy.

Variation in endophytic fungi from roots and leaves of Lepanthes (Orchidaceae).

Little is known about non-mycorrhizal endophytic fungi in tropical orchids; still less is known about how endophytes vary within and between individual orchid plants. Fungal endophytes were isolated from roots and leaves of epiphytic and lithophytic orchids in the genus Lepanthes; seven species, from rainforests in Puerto Rico, were sampled. The endophytes observed most frequently were Xylaria species and Rhizoctonia-like fungi, found in 29% of roots and 19% of leaves, and 45 % of roots and 31 % of leaves, respectively.

Amyloidosis of the shoulder in patients on chronic hemodialysis: sonographic findings.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the sonographic findings of amyloidosis in shoulders of patients on chronic hemodialysis.

Subjects And Methods: Sonograms were obtained for 19 shoulders of 11 patients on chronic hemodialysis with clinical findings suggestive of amyloidosis. Five patients had biopsy-proven amyloidosis, and one patient had positive shoulder joint fluid aspirate.

[Compulsory internship in diagnostic radiology in the 5th year of medicine at the University of Montreal].

Problems of methodology, organization, and evaluation confronting the radiology departments of the university hospitals affiliated with the University of Montreal, the medical students, and the University itself in connection with an elective internship in radiology offered in the fifth year of medicine, resulted in the formation of a committee to reorganize the course of study. In this concise article the authors describe this and other measures taken by the University to solve these problems. The committees' main purpose was to restructure the internship which was made compulsory so that future physicians would be prepared to draw on the resources of diagnostic radiology and nuclear medicine.

Undergraduate radiology clerkship: the Universite de Montreal program.

At the Université de Montréal, a four-week rotation in radiology is part of the core curriculum for students in their fifth and final year of medicine. The objective of this undergraduate radiology clerkship is to prepare the future physician to use efficiently the resources of radiology and nuclear medicine in patient care. Specific goals and methods used to achieve them are described and analysed.

Metaphyseal dysplasia with maxillary hypoplasia and brachydactyly.

We report the familial occurrence in a French Canadian family of metaphyseal dysplasia associated to short stature and previously undescribed facial and acral anomalies. Facial manifestations include beaked nose, short philtrum, thin lips, maxillary hypoplasia, dystrophic yellowish teeth. Acral changes include bilateral shortness of metacarpal 5 and/or 2nd middle phalanx of fingers 2 and 5.