An evolutionary perspective on genetic load in small, isolated populations as informed by whole genome resequencing and forward-time simulations.

Small populations are vulnerable to increased genetic load and drift that can lead to reductions in fitness and adaptive potential. By analyzing 66 individual whole genomes of Montezuma Quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) from multiple populations, we illustrate how genetic load is dynamic over evolutionary time. We show that Montezuma Quail are evolving like a ring species, where the terminal extant populations from Arizona and Texas have been separated for ~16,500 years.

A prospective pilot study of ultrasound therapy effectiveness in refractory venous leg ulcers.

Venous insufficiency is the most common cause of leg ulcers in the United States. Venous leg ulcers cost the health care system billions of dollars annually, and healing rates are less than 70% with standard of care; therefore, new therapies are needed to increase healing times and minimize associated costs. Non contact ultrasound therapy has been used to treat a variety of chronic wounds including venous leg ulcers, and it is thought that ultrasound has an effect on decreasing the bacterial count in wounds, although the exact mechanism of action of ultrasound is yet to be determined.

Tuning the excited-state dynamics of GFP-inspired imidazolone derivatives.

The excited-state dynamics of five derivatives of the GFP-chromophore, which differ by the position and nature of their substituents, has been investigated in solvents of various viscosity and polarity and in rigid media using femtosecond-resolved spectroscopy. In polar solvents of low viscosity, like acetonitrile or methanol, the fluorescence decays of all compounds are multiexponential, with average lifetimes of the order of a few picoseconds, whereas in rigid matrices (polymer films and low temperature glasses), they are single exponential with lifetimes of the order of a few nanoseconds and fluorescence quantum yields close to unity. Global analysis of the fluorescence decays recorded at several wavelengths and of the transient absorption spectra reveals the presence of several excited-state populations with slightly different fluorescence and absorption spectra and with distinct lifetimes.

Cosmeceuticals and natural products: wound healing.

Despite several technologic and strategic advances in the field, wound care has returned to the roots of medicine and embraced some of the remedies used millennia ago. Some of the many potentially beneficial natural products include the beta-glucans, honey, aloe, cocoa, and oak bark extracts. There has recently been a surge of interest for their possible roles in wound healing.

Digital and analog readout systems for fiber-optic strain sensors as applied to the monitoring of roller element bearing systems.

A rotating machinery test rig was instrumented with fiber Fabry-Perot interferometer strain sensors for condition monitoring of rolling element bearings. Strain variations produced by ball passes were observed and analyzed in the time and frequency domain. Wavelength division multiplexing was utilized to simultaneously monitor the sensors with analog and digital readout systems--analog for high bandwidth and digital for high dynamic range and the monitoring of multiple sensors.