To write better,write better paragraphs

A case of musicogenic epilepsy is reported in which the seizures were precipitated by singing voices. It was found that some singers'' voices were particularly epileptogenic and that some of their songs, but not others, would precipitate a seizure. A study of the "offending" songs and singers did not reveal a common key, chord, harmonic interval, pitch or rhythm, and the emotional feeling or intensity of the music did not seem to be relevant. However, the voices that caused the seizures had a throaty, "metallic" quality. Such a singing voice results from incorrect positioning of the larynx such that it is not allowed to descend fully during singing; consequently, the vowel sounds produced must be manipulated by the lips or jaw to be distinguished. This trait is most common in singers with a low voice range who sing softly and use a microphone. It is not seen in trained operatic or musical theatre singers. The results of repeated testing showed that the seizures in this patient were caused by listening to singers who positioned the larynx incorrectly.     

Designing better phages

We propose a method to engineer the genome of bacteriophages to increase their effectiveness as antibacterial agents. Specifically, we exploit the redundancy of the triplet code to design genomes that avoid restriction sites while producing the same proteins as wild-type phages. We give an efficient algorithm to minimize the number of restriction sites against sets of cutter sequences, and demonstrate that that phage genomes can be significantly protected against surprisingly large sets of enzymes with no loss of function. Finally, we develop a model to explain why evolution has failed to eliminate many possible restriction sites despite selective pressure, thus motivating the need for genome-level sequence engineering.     

Growing better tobacco

Proper application of knowledge concerning the nutritional requirements of tobacco is an important factor in the production of better crops.     

Building better wildlife-habitat models

Wildlife-habitat models are an important tool in wildlife management today, and by far the majority of these predict aspects of species distribution (abundance or presence) as a proxy measure of habitat quality. Unfortunately, few are tested on independent data., and of those that are, few show useful predictive skill. We demonstrate that six critical assumptions underlie distribution based wildlife-habitat models, all of which must be valid for the model to predict habitat quality. We outline these assumptions in a meta-model, and discuss methods for their validation. Even where all six assumptions show a high level of validity, there is still a strong likelihood that the model will not predict habitat quality. However, the meta-model does suggest habitat quality can be predicted more accurately if distributional data are ignored, and variables more indicative of habitat quality are modelled instead.     

To serve you better

Fasting blood lipids were analyzed shortly before revascularization surgery in an attempt to find a possible correlation between the fate of the aortocoronary saphenous vein graft and lipoproteinemia. The patency of the bypass was evaluated by arteriography at two weeks and at one year following operation. Patients with closed grafts at two weeks had an original mean serum triglyceride concentration of 287 mg./100 ml. Patients with grafts which were widely patent after one year had an original triglyceridemia of 224 mg./100 ml. The severely stenosed group had an intermediate average preoperative value of 224 mg./100 ml. The same conclusion was reached with a group of patients with good vessel(s) distal to the graft(s). Cholesterolemia was about the same in all groups. These results suggest the hypothesis that hypertriglyceridemia plays a significant role in the reduction and/or occlusion of the lumen of the vein graft.     

Towards better cardiovascular journals

In their never-ending search for truth, science and medical research rely heavily on data published in peer-reviewed journals. Subsequent publication of incorrect scientific data may interfere with the process of implementation of new treatment modalities and insights and understanding of disease processes. This may be caused by simple mistakes or involuntary misinterpretation without overt scientific misconduct or fraudulent publication.     

Toward better scientific presentation

Day, Robert A. 1979: How to Write and Publish a Scientific-Paper. 160 pp. ISI Press, Philadelphia. ISBN 0 894950088 (cloth), ISBN 0894950061 (paperback). Price USD 15.00 and 8.95, respectively.
Cremmins, Edward T. 1982: The Art of Abstracting. 145 pp. ISI Press, Philadelphia. ISBN 0894950150. Price USD 13.95 (paperback).
Barnes, Gregory A. 1982: Communication Skills for the Foreign-Born Professional. ISI Press, Philadelphia. ISBN 0894950134 (cloth). ISBN 0894950142 (paperback). Price USD 18.95 and 13.95, respectively.