A Quick Embedding Method for Light Microscopy and Image Analysis of Cotton Fibers

A quick embedding method using UV polymerization of methacrylate plastic has been devised for embedding fibers encased in a polyvinyl chloride tube. The resulting embedments are suitable for light microscopy and image analysis.     

Experimental evidence of size-selective harvest and environmental stochasticity effects on population demography,fluctuations and non-linearity

Theory and analyses of fisheries data sets indicate that harvesting can alter population structure and destabilise non-linear processes, which increases population fluctuations. We conducted a factorial experiment on the population dynamics of Daphnia magna in relation to size-selective harvesting and stochasticity of food supply. Harvesting and stochasticity treatments both increased population fluctuations. Timeseries analysis indicated that fluctuations in control populations were non-linear, and non-linearity increased substantially in response to harvesting. Both harvesting and stochasticity induced population juvenescence, but harvesting did so via the depletion of adults, whereas stochasticity increased the abundance of juveniles. A fitted fisheries model indicated that harvesting shifted populations towards higher reproductive rates and larger-magnitude damped oscillations that amplify demographic noise. These findings provide experimental evidence that harvesting increases the non-linearity of population fluctuations and that both harvesting and stochasticity increase population variability and juvenescence.     

Ultrastructural comparison of incompatible and compatible interactions in the barley powdery mildew disease

Summary In the powdery mildew disease of barley,Erysiphe graminis f. sp.hordei forms an intimate relationship with compatible hosts, in which haustoria form in epidermal cells with no obvious detrimental effects on the host until late in the infection sequence. In incompatible interactions, by contrast, the deposition of papillae and localized host cell death have been correlated with the cessation of growth byE. g. hordei. With the advent of improved, low temperature methods of sample preparation, we felt that it was useful to reevaluate the structural details of interactions between barley andE. g. hordei by transmission electron microscopy. The haustoria that develop in susceptible barley lines appear highly metabolically active based on the occurrrence of abundant endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi-like cisternae, and vesicles. In comparison, haustoria found in the resistant barley line exhibited varying signs of degradation. A striking clearing of the matrix and loss of cristae were typical early changes in the haustorial mitochondria in incompatible interactions. The absence of distinct endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi-like cisternae, the formation of vacuoles, and the occurrence of a distended sheath were characteristic of intermediate stages of haustorial degeneration. At more advanced stages of degeneration, haustoria were dominated by large vacuoles containing membrane fragments. This process of degeneration was not observed in haustoria ofE. g. hordei developing in the susceptible barley line.Abbreviations b endoplasmic reticulum extension, blebbing - er endoplasmic reticulum - f fibrillar material - g Golgi-like structure - h haustorium - hb haustorial body - hcw haustorial cell wall - hcy haustorial cytoplasm - hf haustorial finger - hocw host cell wall - hocy host cytoplasm - 1 lipid-like droplet - m mitochondrion - mt microtubule - mve multivesicular body - n nucleus - p papilla - ph penetration site of an infection peg - pl plasma membrane - s sheath - sm extrahaustorial membrane - v vacuole - ve vesicle     

A sequential test for assessing observed agreement between raters

Assessing the agreement between two or more raters is an important topic in medical practice. Existing techniques, which deal with categorical data, are based on contingency tables. This is often an obstacle in practice as we have to wait for a long time to collect the appropriate sample size of subjects to construct the contingency table. In this paper, we introduce a nonparametric sequential test for assessing agreement, which can be applied as data accrues, does not require a contingency table, facilitating a rapid assessment of the agreement. The proposed test is based on the cumulative sum of the number of disagreements between the two raters and a suitable statistic representing the waiting time until the cumulative sum exceeds a predefined threshold. We treat the cases of testing two raters' agreement with respect to one or more characteristics and using two or more classification categories, the case where the two raters extremely disagree, and finally the case of testing more than two raters' agreement. The numerical investigation shows that the proposed test has excellent performance. Compared to the existing methods, the proposed method appears to require significantly smaller sample size with equivalent power. Moreover, the proposed method is easily generalizable and brings the problem of assessing the agreement between two or more raters and one or more characteristics under a unified framework, thus providing an easy to use tool to medical practitioners.     

成人胫骨平台骨折的流行病学特征及其变化趋势的回顾性研究

摘要 目的：回顾性研究成人胫骨平台骨折的流行病学特征及其变化趋势。方法：以我院2014年1月至2019年12月期间收治的1193例成人胫骨平台骨折患者为调查研究对象,根据患者收治的时间将患者分为A组(2014年1月~2015年12月收治,n=369)、B组(2016年1月~2017年12月收治,n=394)、C组(2018年1月~2019年12月收治,n=430)。对三组患者进行统一的问卷调查,并对三组患者的年龄、职业、致伤原因、骨折分型进行归纳统计,分析探讨成人胫骨平台骨折的流行病学特征及其变化趋势。结果：2014年~2019年成人胫骨平台骨折总体流行病学特征：男性患者数量多于女性患者,年龄主要在40~59岁,以从事体力劳动患者居多,骨折致伤原因中主要以交通事故和室内活动跌倒损伤为主,骨折Schatzker分型中以II型、IV型为主。三组年龄对比有差异性,年龄有逐年升高的趋势(P<0.05)。三组性别比例有显著性差异,男女性别比例差异在逐年缩小(P<0.05)。三组患者在职业类型方面也有显著性差异（P<0.05）,但均以体力劳动者居多。在致伤原因中,A组患者以交通事故致伤为主,C组患者以室内活动跌倒损伤为主,组间对比有显著差异(P<0.05)。在骨折分型中,A组以IV型为主,C组以II型为主(P<0.05)。结论：2014年至2019年成人胫骨平台骨折中男性较多,年龄以40~59岁为主,体力劳动者为高发职业,交通事故和室内活动跌倒损伤是最常见的致伤原因,好发骨折分型为Schatzker II型、IV型。变化趋势表现为骨折发病人数逐年上升,发病年龄有老龄化趋势,致伤原因和骨折分型也在逐渐变化。     

Superimposing hip extension on knee flexion evokes higher activation in biceps femoris than knee flexion alone

Hamstring muscle function during knee flexion has been linked to hamstring injury and performance. However, it is unclear whether knee flexion alone (KF) requires similar hamstring electromyography (EMG) activity pattern to simultaneous hip extension and knee flexion (HE-KF), a combination that occurs in the late swing phase of sprinting. This study examined whether HE-KF maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) evokes higher (EMG) activity in biceps femoris long head (BFlh) and semitendinosus (ST) than KF alone. Effects of shank rotation angles were also tested. Twenty-one males performed the above-mentioned MVICs while EMG activity was measured along ST and BFlh. Conditions were compared using a one-way mixed functional ANOVA model under a fully Bayesian framework. Higher EMG activity was found in HE-KF in all shank rotation positions than in KF in the middle region of BFlh (highest in the 9th channel, by 0.022 mV [95%CrI 0.014 to 0.030] in neutral shank position). For ST, this was only observed in the neutral shank position and in the most proximal channel (by 0.013 mV [95%CrI 0.001 to 0.025]). We observed muscle- and region-specific responses to HE-KF. Future studies should examine whether hamstring activation in this task is related to injury risk and sprint performance.     

A simple and inexpensive method for investigating microbiological,enzymatic, or inorganic catalysis using standard histology and microbiology laboratory equipment: assembly,mass transfer properties,hydrodynamic conditions and evaluation

We introduce a generic, simple, and inexpensive method for performing microbiological, enzymatic, or inorganic catalysis with solids using standard histology and microbiology laboratory equipment. Histology cassettes were used to standardize hydrodynamic conditions and to protect the catalysts and their solid supports. Histology cassettes have the following advantages: they are readily available, inexpensive, solvent and acid resistant, automatable, and the slots in the cassette walls allow liquid to circulate freely. Standard Erlenmeyer flasks were used as reaction vessels. We developed a new camera to observe the movement and position of the histology cassettes as well as the liquid in the Erlenmeyer flasks. The camera produces a stable image of the rotating liquid in the Erlenmeyer flask. This visualization method revealed that in a 250?ml Erlenmeyer flask, stable operating conditions are achieved at a shaking frequency of 300?rpm and a fill volume of 30?ml. In vessels with vertical walls, such as beakers or laboratory bottles, the movement of the histology cassette is not reproducible. Mass transfer characterization using a biological model system and the chemical sulfite-oxidation method revealed that the histology cassette does not influence gas-liquid mass transfer.     

Comparative morphology of selected characters of the Pentatomidae foreleg (Hemiptera,Heteroptera)

Heteropteran legs are very diverse within and among taxa, and such variation is frequently correlated with life habits. Structural modifications are commonly present in the legs of the Pentatomoidea but are poorly studied. Using scanning electron microscopy, the tibia and pretarsal microstructure of 82 species of Pentatomidae (Heteroptera), three species of Scutelleridae, and ten species of Thyreocoridae were described, focusing on the pretarsal structure, the foretibial apparatus, and the foretibial comb. The Pentatomidae, the Scutelleridae, and the Thyreocoridae have uniform pretarsal structures. Variation can be found in the length of the parempodial setae and in the shape of the parempodial projections. The foretibial combs of the Pentatomidae, the Thyreocoridae, and the Scutelleridae are described for the first time, and we have demonstrated that there is low structural variation in the foretibial comb complex of the studied species. The setae organization and distribution on the foretibial apparatus is uniform in the families studied. However, the Asopinae (Pentatomidae) bear a foretibial apparatus that is uniquely organized. The taxonomic and phylogenetic relevance of the pretarsal traits, the foretibial apparatus, and the foretibial comb are discussed.     

Techniques for Processing Eyes Implanted With a Retinal Prosthesis for Localized Histopathological Analysis

With the recent development of retinal prostheses, it is important to develop reliable techniques for assessing the safety of these devices in preclinical studies. However, the standard fixation, preparation, and automated histology procedures are not ideal. Here we describe new procedures for evaluating the health of the retina directly adjacent to an implant. Retinal prostheses feature electrode arrays in contact with eye tissue. Previous methods have not been able to spatially localize the ocular tissue adjacent to individual electrodes within the array. In addition, standard histological processing often results in gross artifactual detachment of the retinal layers when assessing implanted eyes. Consequently, it has been difficult to assess localized damage, if present, caused by implantation and stimulation of an implanted electrode array. Therefore, we developed a method for identifying and localizing the ocular tissue adjacent to implanted electrodes using a (color-coded) dye marking scheme, and we modified an eye fixation technique to minimize artifactual retinal detachment. This method also rendered the sclera translucent, enabling localization of individual electrodes and specific parts of an implant. Finally, we used a matched control to increase the power of the histopathological assessments. In summary, this method enables reliable and efficient discrimination and assessment of the retinal cytoarchitecture in an implanted eye.     

后侧手术入路、锁定钢板固定治疗胫骨平台后髁骨折的临床疗效

目的：探讨采用膝关节后内和后外侧切口、锁定钢板固定治疗胫骨平台后髁骨折的临床疗效。方法：选取2009年1月～2011年12月来我院治疗的13例胫骨平台后髁骨折患者作为研究对象,所有患者采用后内和后外侧切口、锁定钢板固定治疗,观察术后骨折愈合情况,采用Rasmussen放射学评分评定骨折复位情况,采用HSS评分系统评定膝关节功能疗效。结果：术后随访6～24个月,平均13．6个月,所有患者骨折均于16周内愈合。Rasmussen放射学评分15～18分,平均17．4分,其中优8例,良3例,可2例,优良率为84．7％。末次随访时膝关节功能HSS评分73~97分,平均91．4分,其中获优7例,良5例,可1例,优良率为92．3％。结论：采用膝关节后内和（或）后外侧切口、锁定钢板固定治疗胫骨平台后髁骨折具有操作简单、显露清晰、直视下复位骨折及关节面、固定牢靠、利于早期功能锻炼、临床疗效确切、并发症少等优点。