Software for the measurement of genetic diversity (SMOGD ) is a web-based application for the calculation of the recently proposed genetic diversity indices G′ST and Dest. SMOGD includes ...bootstrapping functionality for estimating the variance, standard error and confidence intervals of estimated parameters, and SMOGD also generates genetic distance matrices from pairwise comparisons between populations. SMOGD accepts standard, multilocus Genepop and Arlequin formatted input files and produces HTML and tab-delimited output. This allows easy data submission, quick visualization, and rapid import of results into spreadsheet or database programs.
Private equity has become a dominant force in distressed investing and Chapter 11 corporate reorganization. As a result, three new types of attorney conflicts have emerged, each of which threatens to ...undermine the efficacy and credibility of the bankruptcy system. Bankruptcy judges, practitioners, and scholars must respond. This Comment provides those stakeholders with a doctrinal and normative framework to understand the conflicts that pervade the system. In particular, this Comment defines three types of conflicts, explains how each threatens the functionality of Chapter 11 corporate restructuring, lays the doctrinal groundwork for a new understanding of attorney disinterestedness, and provides solutions to mitigate the relevant conflicts. In doing so, this Comment provides much-needed guidance to bankruptcy stakeholders who are keen to ensure debtor estates receive competent, loyal, and zealous representation.
A long-held assumption in entrepreneurship research is that normal (i.e., Gaussian) distributions characterize variables of interest for both theory and practice. We challenge this assumption by ...examining more than 12,000 nascent, young, and hyper-growth firms. Results reveal that variables which play central roles in resource-, cognition-, action-, and environment-based entrepreneurship theories exhibit highly skewed power law distributions, where a few outliers account for a disproportionate amount of the distribution's total output. Our results call for the development of new theory to explain and predict the mechanisms that generate these distributions and the outliers therein. We offer a research agenda, including a description of non-traditional methodological approaches, to answer this call.
•We examine more than 12,000 nascent, young, and hyper-growing firms.•We examine the distribution of key variables in entrepreneurship theories.•Forty eight of 49 variables are power law rather than normally distributed.•Variables should be assumed as power law distributed unless proven otherwise.•Power law distributions challenge and offer opportunities for entrepreneurship research.
Evolutionary relationships among birds in Neoaves, the clade comprising the vast majority of avian diversity, have vexed systematists due to the ancient, rapid radiation of numerous lineages. We ...applied a new phylogenomic approach to resolve relationships in Neoaves using target enrichment (sequence capture) and high-throughput sequencing of ultraconserved elements (UCEs) in avian genomes. We collected sequence data from UCE loci for 32 members of Neoaves and one outgroup (chicken) and analyzed data sets that differed in their amount of missing data. An alignment of 1,541 loci that allowed missing data was 87% complete and resulted in a highly resolved phylogeny with broad agreement between the Bayesian and maximum-likelihood (ML) trees. Although results from the 100% complete matrix of 416 UCE loci were similar, the Bayesian and ML trees differed to a greater extent in this analysis, suggesting that increasing from 416 to 1,541 loci led to increased stability and resolution of the tree. Novel results of our study include surprisingly close relationships between phenotypically divergent bird families, such as tropicbirds (Phaethontidae) and the sunbittern (Eurypygidae) as well as between bustards (Otididae) and turacos (Musophagidae). This phylogeny bolsters support for monophyletic waterbird and landbird clades and also strongly supports controversial results from previous studies, including the sister relationship between passerines and parrots and the non-monophyly of raptorial birds in the hawk and falcon families. Although significant challenges remain to fully resolving some of the deep relationships in Neoaves, especially among lineages outside the waterbirds and landbirds, this study suggests that increased data will yield an increasingly resolved avian phylogeny.
Although massively parallel sequencing has facilitated large-scale DNA sequencing, comparisons among distantly related species rely upon small portions of the genome that are easily aligned. Methods ...are needed to efficiently obtain comparable DNA fragments prior to massively parallel sequencing, particularly for biologists working with nonmodel organisms. We introduce a new class of molecular marker, anchored by ultraconserved genomic elements (UCEs), that universally enable target enrichment and sequencing of thousands of orthologous loci across species separated by hundreds of millions of years of evolution. Our analyses here focus on use of UCE markers in Amniota because UCEs and phylogenetic relationships are well-known in some amniotes. We perform an in silico experiment to demonstrate that sequence flanking 2030 UCEs contains information sufficient to enable unambiguous recovery of the established primate phylogeny. We extend this experiment by performing an in vitro enrichment of 2386 UCE-anchored loci from nine, nonmodel avian species. We then use alignments of 854 of these loci to unambiguously recover the established evolutionary relationships within and among three ancient bird lineages. Because many organismal lineages have UCEs, this type of genetic marker and the analytical framework we outline can be applied across the tree of life, potentially reshaping our understanding of phylogeny at many taxonomic levels.
Over 8 million babies have been born following IVF (in vitro fertilisation) and other artificial reproductive technology (ART) procedures since Louise Brown's birth 40 years ago. New innovations have ...added much complexity to both clinical and laboratory procedures over the last four decades. Translation of novel approaches from basic science into clinical practice continues unabated, widening the applicability of ART to new groups of people and helping improve both chances of healthy live birth and patient acceptability. However, the impact of ART on the health of both patients and their offspring continues to cause concern, and many ethical challenges created by new scientific developments in this field attract widely differing opinions. What is undeniable is that there will be a sustained global growth in utilisation of ART and that reproductive tourism will allow many people to access the treatment they desire notwithstanding national regulations that may forbid some approaches. The greatest challenge is to expand access to ART to those living in the less wealthy nations who are equally deserving of its benefits.
Purpose
Breakthrough cancer pain (BtCP) is a prevalent health issue which is difficult to manage. A plethora of quantitative research in this area exists. There is a paucity of research on the ...perspectives of health professionals and patients surrounding domains impacting effective treatment, including definitions of BtCP, treatment, and education opportunities. This review aims to identify and synthesize the extent of qualitative research exploring health professional and patient perspectives of BtCP.
Methods
A systematic review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) approach was undertaken. The approach was registered with Prospero. MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science were searched for peer-reviewed literature published any date prior to May 19, 2022. Eligible sources must have considered health professional and/or patient perspectives of BtCP. A narrative synthesis approach was utilized.
Results
Three sources met the review criteria. One source explored nurse perspectives, while two sources explored patient perspectives. Study quality was moderate to high. Overlapping themes across the three studies included communication, defining BtCP, impact of BtCP, management of BtCP, perceptions of BtCP, analgesia and pain relief, and training and professional development.
Conclusion
Given limited research investigating clinician and patient perspectives of BtCP, a rich understanding informed by exploratory qualitative methods around identification, best management strategies, professional development, and factors promoting and inhibiting best practice remains unclear. Further qualitative inquiry is warranted, and it is expected such research will inform BtCP clinical guidelines.
Titanium oxide coatings have been shown to exhibit desirable properties as biocompatible coatings. We report on the quantitative microstructure characterization and deformation behavior of TiO(2) ...nanotubes on Ti substrate. Nanotubes were processed using anodic oxidation of Ti in a NaF electrolyte solution. Characterization of the as-processed coatings was conducted using scanning electron microscopy and focused ion beam milling. Increases in anodization time had no significant effect on tube diameter or tube wall thickness. Coating thickness, however, increased with time up to 2h of anodization, at which point an equilibrium thickness was established. Nanoindentation was used to probe the mechanical response in terms of Young's modulus and hardness. Progressively higher values of elastic modulus were obtained for thinner films consistent with increasing effects of the Ti substrate. A possible deformation mechanism of densification of the porous oxide and wear of the dense surface is suggested and discussed.
Additional markers are required to identify patients on the orthotopic liver transplant (OLT) waiting list at increased risk of death and adverse clinical events. Serum ferritin concentration is a ...marker of varied pathophysiological events and is elevated with increased liver iron concentration, hepatic necroinflammation, and systemic illness, all of which may cause a deterioration in liver function and clinical status. The aim of this study was to determine whether serum ferritin concentration is an independent prognostic factor in subjects awaiting OLT. This is a dual‐center retrospective study. The study cohort consisted of 191 consecutive adults with cirrhosis accepted by the Queensland (Australia) Liver Transplant Service between January 2000 and June 2006 and a validation cohort of 131 patients from University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Transplant Center. In the study cohort, baseline serum ferritin greater than 200 μg/L was an independent factor predicting increased 180‐day and 1‐year waiting list mortality. This effect was independent of model for end‐stage liver disease (MELD), hepatocellular carcinoma, age, and sex. Subjects with higher serum ferritin had increased frequency of liver‐related clinical events. The relationship between serum ferritin and waiting list mortality was confirmed in the UCLA cohort; all deceased patients had serum ferritin greater than 400 μg/L. Serum ferritin greater than 500 μg/L and MELD were independent risk factors for death. Conclusion: Serum ferritin concentration is an independent predictor of mortality‐related and liver‐related clinical events. Baseline serum ferritin identifies a group of “higher‐risk” patients awaiting OLT and should be investigated as an adjunct to MELD in organ allocation. (HEPATOLOGY 2010)
A dual porous hierarchical coating of TiO2 nanotubes (50 nm diameter) on the nanoscale and large (1 to 20 mum) pores on the micro-scale can be fabricated on the surface of Ti by anodic oxidation. ...This unique coating may have potential applications as bioactive coatings for Ti bone implants. This paper details several important aspects of the coating microstructure. TiO2 coatings were fabricated by anodic oxidation in 1 M H2SO4 + 0.1 M NaF solution. Microstructure characterization was carried out using scanning electron microscopy. We also report on the observation of precipitates which form as both a continuous surface layer and of a conical geometry. The mechanism for nanotube formation, precipitate layer formation, and microscopic pitting was discussed. The effect of processing variables (i.e. time, temperature, pH) on the TiO2 microstructure was studied. Anodization time was found to affect nanotube length and also pit size and density. Lowering the electrolyte pH decreased the nanotube length and microscopic pit density. Increasing electrolyte temperature decreased nanotube length and increased pit/pore and precipitate density. Microscopic pitting, in the nanotube coating was found to occur above grain boundaries in the Ti substrate and above Ti grains with (0 0 0 1) orientation.
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