Environment of origin and domestication affect morphological, physiological, and agronomic response to water deficit in chile pepper (Capsicum sp.).

Global climate change is having a significant effect on agriculture by causing greater precipitation variability and an increased risk of drought. To mitigate these effects, it is important to identify specific traits, adaptations, and germplasm that improve tolerance to soil water deficit. Local varieties, known as landraces, have undergone generations of farmer-mediated selection and can serve as sources of variation, specifically for tolerance to abiotic stress. Landraces can possess local adaptations, where accessions adapted to a particular environment will outperform others grown under the same conditions. We explore adaptations to water deficit in chile pepper landraces from across an environmental gradient in Mexico, a center of crop domestication and diversity, as well in improved varieties bred for the US. In the present study, we evaluated 25 US and Mexico accessions in a greenhouse experiment under well-watered and water deficit conditions and measured morphological, physiological, and agronomic traits. Accession and irrigation regime influenced plant biomass and height, while branching, CO2 assimilation, and fruit weight were all influenced by an interaction between accession and irrigation. A priori group contrasts revealed possible adaptations to water deficit for branching, CO2 assimilation, and plant height associated with geographic origin, domestication level, and pepper species. Additionally, within the Mexican landraces, the number of primary branches had a strong relationship with precipitation from the environment of origin. This work provides insight into chile pepper response to water deficit and adaptation to drought and identifies possibly tolerant germplasm.

The History of Surgical Education in the United States: Past, Present, and Future.

In just over 100 years, surgical education in the United States has evolved from a disorganized practice to a refined system esteemed worldwide as one of the premier models for the training of physicians and surgeons. But in the changing environment of health care, new challenges have arisen that could warrant a reform. To design our future, we must understand our past. The present work is not intended to be a comprehensive account of the history of American surgery. Instead, it tells the abridged history of surgical education in our country: the evolution from apprenticeships to residencies; the birth of hospital-based teaching; the impact of key historical events on training; the marks left by some preeminent characters; the conception of regulatory entities that steer our education; and, finally, how our process of training surgeons might need to be refined for the continued progress of our profession. Told in chronological order in a manner that will be memorable to readers, this story weaves together the key events that explain how our current surgical training models came to be. We conclude with a timely invitation to draw from these past lessons to redesign the future of graduate medical education, making a case for the transition to time-variable, competency-based medical education for surgical residency programs in America.

Simultaneous removal of C and N from fish effluents in filter reactors: Effect of recirculation ratio on the axial distribution of microbial communities.

We simultaneously removed carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) from fish effluents in compact filter reactors operating at different recirculation ratios (RRs) (2, 10 and without recirculation) to demonstrate microbial coexistence and determine the effect of the RR on the axial bacterial stratification. We also examined the global performance of anoxic, anaerobic and aerobic processes. Microbial communities (bacteria and archaea) were analyzed using 16s rRNA amplification followed by DGGE analyses. Their banding profiles were analyzed using ecological parameters and the most representative bands were sequenced. TOC removal was larger than 98% in the three reactors. The total N removal was 48% for the RR-2 reactor, whereas in the RR-10 reactor, there was no N removal due to the absence of nitrification in the final aerobic step. Coexistence and stratification of microorganisms were observed. The microbial communities were correlated with distinct biochemical processes in each reactor fraction. The RR had a large effect on the distribution of the microbial communities. When the RR increased from 2 to 10, the stratification decreased from 60 to 30%, suggesting a close relationship between reactor performance and the presence of nitrifiers. In the RR-10 reactor, the nitrifier concentration was only 4%. Thus, in combined processes, filter reactors should operate with a moderate RR to favor bacterial stratification and improve performance.

Predictors of poor weight gain in infants with a single ventricle.

OBJECTIVE: To assess growth from the time of neonatal discharge to the time of performance of the bidirectional Glenn (BDG) procedure in infants with a single ventricle and determine predictors of poor growth. STUDY DESIGN: We performed a retrospective case series of infants who underwent the BDG procedure at our institution between January 2001 and December 2007 (n=102). Anthropometric and clinical data were recorded during neonatal hospitalization and before BDG. Outcome variables included weight-for-age z-score (WAZ) at the time of BDG and average daily weight gain between neonatal discharge and BDG. RESULTS: Median age at the time of BDG was 5.1 months (range, 2.4-10 months), and median WAZ was -0.4 (range, -2.6 to 3.2) at neonatal admission and -1.3 (range, -3.9 to 0.6) at the time of BDG. Non-Caucasian infants (P=.03) and those with lower WAZ at neonatal discharge (P<.0001) had a lower WAZ at BDG. Being formula-fed at neonatal discharge (P=.04), and having higher mean pulmonary arterial pressure (P=.04) and systemic oxygen saturation (P=.006) were associated with lower average daily weight gain between neonatal discharge and BDG. CONCLUSIONS: Infants with a single ventricle have poor weight gain between neonatal discharge and BDG. Non-Caucasian infants and those with evidence of increased pulmonary blood flow are at particular risk for growth failure.

Predictions of malaria vector distribution in Belize based on multispectral satellite data

Use of multispectral satellite data to predict arthropod-borne disease trouble spots is dependent on clear understandings of environmental factors that determine the presence of disease vectors. A blind test of remote sensing - based predictions for the spatial distribution of a malaria vector, Anopheles pseudopunctipennis, was conducted as a follow-up to two years of studies on vector-environmental relationships in Belize. Four of eight sites that were predicted to be high probability locations for presence of An. pseudopunctipennis were positive and all low probability site (0 of 12) were negative. The absence of An. pseudopunctipennis at four high probability locations probably reflects the low densities that seem to characterize field populations of this species, i.e., the population densities were below the threshold of our sampling effort. Another important malaria vector. An. darlingi, was also present at all high probability sites and absent at all low probability sites. Anopheles darlingi, like An. pseudopunctipennis, is a riverine species. Prior to these collections at ecologically defined locations, this species was last detected in Belize in 1946 (AU)

Sterilization and care of surgical instruments and supplies

Adequate instrument handling and sterilization are important aspects of office surgery. Heat sterilization is the most reliable choice. The steam autoclave is highly recommended. Dry heat is effective but can pose some storage problems. Gas sterilization is useful for heat-sensitive materials but not practical for the private office. Cold "sterilization" is not reliable for incisional surgery. In addition to proper sterilization modality selection, the surgeon must observe important standards of instrument care, packing, and storage.