Daily morphological changes determined by high-energy events on an embayed beach: a qualitative model

This paper examines the daily morphological responses of Sununga Beach, an embayed beach located on the south-eastern Brazilian coast, to storms in the South Atlantic Ocean. The main mechanisms and timing of beach erosion and accretion, the relationship between wave height and direction, and beach volume changes are considered, to establish a qualitative model for short-term embayed beach morphological changes. The methodology consisted of daily topographic surveys during the month of May in 2001, 2002, and 2003, using an RTK-GPS (real-time kinematics global positioning system). Weather and wave model results were used to correlate hydrodynamics and beach morphology. The results indicate that the morphodynamics of Sununga Beach are characterized by a process of beach rotation, which occurred more or less clearly during all three surveys. Unlike what has been commonly described in the literature for longer time intervals and alternations of fair and stormy weather, the beach rotation processes on Sununga Beach occurred under conditions of moderate-to-high wave energy change (wave heights greater than 2 m). An integrated evaluation of the behaviour of the meteorological aspects, together with beach morphology, enabled us to recognize that extra-tropical cyclones were the most important agent in remobilizing the beach planform, whether in beach rotation or in cross-shore erosion. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Morphological patterns and community organization in leaf-litter ant assemblages

We present a new approach to determine the number and composition of guilds, using the hyperdiverse leaf-litter ant fauna as a model, based on appropriate morphological variables and species co-occurrence null models to describe the complex assemblages of interacting Species Community structure at the 1-m(2) scale. We obtained 18 linear morphometric measures from 949 workers of 171 leaf-litter ant species (18762 measurements) surveyed in four Atlantic Forest localities to test whether the assemblages are morphologically structured; the morphological characters were selected to indicate diet and foraging habits. Principal components analysis was used to characterize the morphospace and to describe the guild structure (number of species and composition). The guild proportionality assembly rule (significant tendency toward constant proportion of species in guilds) was assessed at the 1-m(2) scale. Our analysis indicates that the division of leaf-litter ants into guilds is based mainly on microhabitat distribution in the leaf-litter, body size and shape, eye size, and phylogeny. The same guild scheme applied to four more sites shows that different Atlantic Forest areas have the same leaf-fitter ant guilds. The guild proportionality assembly rule was confirmed for most guilds, Suggesting that there are guild-specific limitations on species coexistence within assemblages; on the other hand, in a few cases the variance in guild proportion was greater than expected under the null assumptions. Other studies on ant functional group classification are partially supported by our quantitative morphological analysis. Our results, however, imply that there are more compartments than indicated in previous models, particularly among cryptic species (confined to soil and litter) and tropical climate specialists. We argue that a general null model for the analysis of species association based oil morphology can reveal objectively defined groups and may thus contribute to a robust theory to explain community structure in general and have important consequences on studies of litter ant community ecology in particular.

COMPARATIVE MORPHOLOGICAL STUDY OF SOME TELLINIDAE FROM THAILAND (BIVALVIA: TELLINOIDEA)

A comparative study of seven species of Tellinidae, collected at Kungkrabaen Bay, Gulf of Thailand, is presented. The species are Serratina capsoides (Lamarck, 1818), Moerella cf. Miens (Deshayes, 1854), Cadella cf. semen (Hanley, 1845), Pinguitellina cf. pinguis (Hanley, 1844), Elpidollina sp., and Tellinides timorensis (Lamarck, 1818) of the subfamily Tellininae, and Macomona sp. of the subfamily Macominae. With the objective of performing the study in a comparative and testable scenario, a phylogenetic analysis was carried out based on 43 morphological characters (94 states). A single cladogram was obtained as follows: (Serratina capsoides (Tellinides timorensis (Pinguitellina cf. pinguis (Cadella cf. semen (Moerella cf. Miens (Elpidollina sp. Macomona sp.)))))). A semelid and a solenid were operationally analyzed as part of the ingroup; polarisation was based on a plicatulid. In this analysis, Tellinoidea and Tellinidae were monophyletic, supported by 19 and 9 synapomorphies, respectively. Tellininae was paraphyletic. Good and significant morphological differences were found for all taxa, including at the species level. Some structures are reported for the first time, such as pseudogills, insertion of the pedal protractor dividing the anterior adductor muscle, and a circular muscle surrounding part of the anterior adductor muscle.

Chemical and morphological features of nanofilled composite resin: Influence of finishing and polishing procedures and fluoride solutions

This study evaluated the influence of finishing and polishing procedures and different fluoride solutions on superficial morphology and chemistry of the nanofilled composite resin Supreme XT (3M) through the EDX analysis and SEM evaluation. Circular specimens (n = 30) of 10 mm diameter and 2 mm thickness were prepared, with half of the sample assays finished and polished with Super-Snap (R) sandpaper. The experimental groups were divided according to the presence or absence of finishing and polishing and solutions (artificial saliva, 0.05% of manipulated sodium fluoride solution, Fluordent Reach, Oral B, Fluorgard). Specimens were immersed in each respective solution for 1 min per day, during 60 days and stored in artificial saliva at 37 +/- 1 degrees C between immersion periods. Topography and chemical analysis was qualitative. It was observed that specimens submitted to finishing and polishing procedures had lower superficial degradation. Fluoride solutions promoted superficial alterations on specimens, being the highest degradation obtained with Fluordent Reach. It can be concluded that finishing and polishing procedures and the immersion media influence the superficial morphology of composite resin tested; the Fluordent Reach was the fluoride solution that most affected the material's surface. Microsc. Res. Tech. 2011., (c) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Molecular barcode and morphological analyses reveal the taxonomic and biogeographical status of the striped-legged hermit crab species Clibanarius sclopetarius (Herbst, 1796) and Clibanarius vittatus (Bosc, 1802) (Decapoda: Diogenidae)

The taxonomic status of the species Clibanarius sclopetarius (Herbst, 1796) and Clibanarius vittatus (Bosc, 1802), which have sympatric biogeographical distributions restricted to the western Atlantic Ocean, is based only on differences in the colour pattern of the walking legs of adults. Their morphological similarity led to the suggestion that they be synonymised. In order to investigate this hypothesis, we included species of Clibanarius Dana, 1892 in a molecular phylogenetic analysis of partial sequences of the mitochondrial 16S rDNA gene and the COI barcode region. In addition, we combined the molecular results with morphological observations obtained from several samples of these two species. The genetic divergences of the 16S rDNA and COI sequences between C. sclopetarius and C. vittatus ranged from 4.5 to 5.9% and 9.4 to 11.9%, which did not justify their synonymisation. Differences in the telson morphology, chela ornamentation, and coloration of the eyestalks and antennal peduncle provided support for the separation of the two species. Another interesting result was a considerable genetic difference found between populations of C. vittatus from Brazil and the Gulf of Mexico, which may indicate the existence of two homonymous species.

Taxonomic validity of Mesoclemmys heliostemma (McCord, Joseph-Ouni & Lamar, 2001) (Testudines, Chelidae) inferred from morphological analysis

Mesoclemmys heliostemma (Testudines: Chelidae) was described based on five vouchered specimens and nine live specimens from the western Amazon basin. Some authors questioned its status as a valid species, suggesting that it represents a junior synonym of M. raniceps. Here, we report on eight additional specimens from eastern Peru and northern Brazil, and provide descriptive statistics of morphological characters for hatchlings, juveniles, and adults of M. heliostemma, M. raniceps, and M. gibba. We also test for group differences through univariate and multivariate statistical analyses, and discuss some advantages of this methodology. Our data suggest that all three taxa are morphologically divergent, and that M. heliostemma is a valid species.

Influence of effective number of pulses on the morphological structure of teeth and bovine femur after femtosecond laser ablation

Femtosecond lasers have been widely used in laser surgery as an instrument for contact-free tissue removal of hard dental, restorative materials, and osseous tissues, complementing conventional drilling or cutting tools. In order to obtain a laser system that provides an ablation efficiency comparable to mechanical instruments, the laser pulse rate must be maximal without causing thermal damage. The aim of this study was to compare the different morphological characteristics of the hard tissue after exposure to lasers operating in the femtosecond pulse regime. Two different kinds of samples were irradiated: dentin from human extracted teeth and bovine femur samples. Different procedures were applied, while paying special care to preserving the structures. The incubation factor S was calculated to be 0.788 +/- 0.004 for the bovine femur bone. These results indicate that the incubation effect is still substantial during the femtosecond laser ablation of hard tissues. The plasma-induced ablation has reduced side effects, i.e., we observe less thermal and mechanical damage when using a superficial femtosecond laser irradiation close to the threshold conditions. In the femtosecond regime, the morphology characteristics of the cavity were strongly influenced by the change of the effective number of pulses. (C) 2012 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). [DOI: 10.1117/1.JBO.17.4.048001]

JUVENILE RECRUITMENT, EARLY GROWTH, AND MORPHOLOGICAL VARIATION IN THE ENDANGERED SANTA CATALINA ISLAND RATTLESNAKE, CROTALUS CATALINENSIS

Life-history information constitutes the raw data for building population models used in species conservation. We provide life-history data for the endangered Santa Catalina Island Rattlesnake, Crotalus catalinensis. We use data from 277 observations of C. catalinensis made between 2002 and 2011 on the island. Mean snout-vent length (SVL) of adult C. catalinensis was 643 mm for males and 631 mm for females; the difference was not significant. The degree of sexual size dimorphism (SSD; using SVL) was -0.02. However, sexes were dimorphic in total length ( SVL + tail length), relative tail length, and stoutness. Juvenile recruitment occurs during late-summer. In their first year of life, juveniles seem to grow at a rate of about 1.7 cm/mo. Females seem to become mature around 570 mm SVL, probably in the year when they become 2 y old. Scattered literature data corroborates the time of juvenile recruitment described herein. Growth in C. catalinensis seems to be slower than that of C. ruber, its sister taxa, but similar to other rattlesnakes.

Late evaluation of the relationship between morphological and functional renal changes and hypertension after non-operative treatment of high-grade renal injuries

Objective: To evaluate the anatomical and functional renal alterations and the association with post-traumatic arterial hypertension. Methods: The studied population included patients who sustained high grades renal injury (grades III to V) successfully non-operative management after staging by computed tomography over a 16-year period. Beyond the review of medical records, these patients were invited to the following protocol: clinical and laboratory evaluation, abdominal computed tomography, magnetic resonance angiography, DMSA renal scintigraphy, and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. The hypertensive patients also were submitted to dynamic renal scintigraphy (Tc-99m EC), using captopril stimulation to verify renal vascular etiology. Results: Of the 31 patients, there were thirteen grade III, sixteen grade IV (nine lacerations, and seven vascular lesions), and two grade V injuries. All the patients were asymptomatic and an average follow up post-injury of 6.4 years. None had abnormal BUN or seric creatinine. The percentage of renal volume reduction correlates with the severity as defined by OIS. There was no evidence of renal artery stenosis in Magnetic Resonance angiography (MRA). DMSA scanning demonstrated a decline in percentage of total renal function corresponding to injury severity (42.2 +/- 5.5% for grade III, 35.3 +/- 12.8% for grade IV, 13.5 +/- 19.1 for grade V). Six patients (19.4%) had severe compromised function (< 30%). There was statistically significant difference in the decrease in renal function between parenchymal and vascular causes for grade IV injuries (p < 0.001). The 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring detected nine patients (29%) with post-traumatic hypertension. All the patients were male, mean 35.6 years, 77.8 % had a familial history of arterial hypertension, 66.7% had grade III renal injury, and average post-injury time was 7.8 years. Seven patients had negative captopril renography. Conclusions: Late results of renal function after conservative treatment of high grades renal injuries are favorable, except for patients with grades IV with vascular injuries and grade V renal injuries. Moreover, arterial hypertension does not correlate with the grade of renal injury or reduction of renal function.

Thrombin-Receptor Antagonist Vorapaxar in Acute Coronary Syndromes

BACKGROUND Vorapaxar is a new oral protease-activated receptor 1 (PAR-1) antagonist that inhibits thrombin-induced platelet activation. METHODS In this multinational, double-blind, randomized trial, we compared vorapaxar with placebo in 12,944 patients who had acute coronary syndromes without ST-segment elevation. The primary end point was a composite of death from cardiovascular causes, myocardial infarction, stroke, recurrent ischemia with rehospitalization, or urgent coronary revascularization. RESULTS Follow-up in the trial was terminated early after a safety review. After a median follow-up of 502 days (interquartile range, 349 to 667), the primary end point occurred in 1031 of 6473 patients receiving vorapaxar versus 1102 of 6471 patients receiving placebo (Kaplan-Meier 2-year rate, 18.5010 vs. 19.9%; hazard ratio, 0.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.85 to 1.01; P=0.07). A composite of death from cardiovascular causes, myocardial infarction, or stroke occurred in 822 patients in the vorapaxar group versus 910 in the placebo group (14.7% and 16.4%, respectively; hazard ratio, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.81 to 0.98; P=0.02). Rates of moderate and severe bleeding were 7.2% in the vorapaxar group and 5.2% in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.16 to 1.58; P<0.001). Intracranial hemorrhage rates were 1.1% and 0.2%, respectively (hazard ratio, 3.39; 95% CI, 1.78 to 6.45; P<0.001). Rates of nonhemorrhagic adverse events were similar in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS In patients with acute coronary syndromes, the addition of vorapaxar to standard therapy did not significantly reduce the primary composite end point but significantly increased the risk of major bleeding, including intracranial hemorrhage. (Funded by Merck; TRACER ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00527943.)

Prasugrel versus Clopidogrel for Acute Coronary Syndromes without Revascularization

Background The effect of intensified platelet inhibition for patients with unstable angina or myocardial infarction without ST-segment elevation who do not undergo revascularization has not been delineated. Methods In this double-blind, randomized trial, in a primary analysis involving 7243 patients under the age of 75 years receiving aspirin, we evaluated up to 30 months of treatment with prasugrel (10 mg daily) versus clopidogrel (75 mg daily). In a secondary analysis involving 2083 patients 75 years of age or older, we evaluated 5 mg of prasugrel versus 75 mg of clopidogrel. Results At a median follow-up of 17 months, the primary end point of death from cardiovascular causes, myocardial infarction, or stroke among patients under the age of 75 years occurred in 13.9% of the prasugrel group and 16.0% of the clopidogrel group (hazard ratio in the prasugrel group, 0.91; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.79 to 1.05; P = 0.21). Similar results were observed in the overall population. The prespecified analysis of multiple recurrent ischemic events (all components of the primary end point) suggested a lower risk for prasugrel among patients under the age of 75 years (hazard ratio, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.72 to 1.00; P = 0.04). Rates of severe and intracranial bleeding were similar in the two groups in all age groups. There was no significant between-group difference in the frequency of nonhemorrhagic serious adverse events, except for a higher frequency of heart failure in the clopidogrel group. Conclusions Among patients with unstable angina or myocardial infarction without ST- segment elevation, prasugrel did not significantly reduce the frequency of the primary end point, as compared with clopidogrel, and similar risks of bleeding were observed. (Funded by Eli Lilly and Daiichi Sankyo; TRILOGY ACS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00699998.)

Effects of water flow on ablation rate and morphological changes in human enamel and dentin after Er:YAG laser irradiation

Purpose: To investigate the laboratory effect of Er:YAG laser on ablation rate and morphological changes in human enamel and dentin with varying water flow. Methods: 23 human third molars were sectioned in mesio-distal and buccal-lingual directions. The slabs were flattened and weighted on an analytical laboratory balance (control). A 4-mm(2) area was demarcated and the samples were randomly assigned into three groups according to water flow employed during the laser irradiation (1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 mL/minute). An Er:YAG laser was used to ablate enamel (80.22-J/cm(2), 300 mJ/4Hz) and dentin (96.26-J/cm(2), 250 mJ/4Hz). After irradiation, the samples were immersed in distilled water for 1 hour and then weighted again. The final mass was obtained and laser-irradiated substrate mass loss was calculated by the difference between the initial and final mass. Afterwards, specimens were prepared for SEM. Results: Data were submitted to ANOVA and Tukey's test (P< 0.05). It was observed that the 2.0 mL/minute resulted in a higher mass loss, 1.0 mL/minute showed a lower mass loss, and 1.5 mL/minute demonstrated intermediate results (P< 0.05). The increase of water flow promoted less melting areas and cracks. Furthermore, dentin was more ablated than enamel. It may be concluded that the water flow of Er:YAG laser and the substrates affected the ablation rate. Among the tested parameters, 2.0 mL/minute improved the ability of ablation in enamel and dentin, with less morphologic surface alteration. (Am J Dent 20 12;25:332-336).

Morphological and molecular evidence demonstrates the amphi-Atlantic distribution of Laurencia catarinensis (Ceramiales, Rhodophyta)

We performed morphological and molecular studies of Laurencia catarinensis from the Canary Islands. This species has an entangled habit, cushion-like tuft formation, cortical cell walls, slightly to markedly projecting near the apex, and lacking lenticular thickenings in medullary cells. We inferred its phylogenetic position by analyzing the chloroplast-encoded rbcL gene sequences from 41 samples. The results demonstrate that specimens of L. catarinensis from the Canary Islands, where it is referred to as L. intricata, and those from Brazil (including specimens from the type locality in Santa Catarina) form a monophyletic clade with low genetic divergence (0-0.9%). In contrast, specimens of L. intricata from the type locality in Cuba, Mexico, and the USA were clearly distinct from L. catarinensis collected in Brazil and the Canary Islands, as shown by high genetic divergence values (4.9-5.7%). The type material of L. catarinensis from Brazil allowed us to identify all samples from the Canarian Archipelago as L. catarinensis. These findings expand the known geographical distribution of L. catarinensis to the eastern Atlantic Ocean and demonstrate an amphi-Atlantic distribution of the species.

Morphological and molecular evidences within Osmundea (Ceramiales, Rhodophyta) from the Canary Islands, eastern Atlantic Ocean

The genus Osmundea is a strongly supported monophyletic group within the Laurencia complex and shows a disjunct distribution occurring in the North-East and South-West Pacific, the Indian and Atlantic oceans and the Mediterranean Sea. Its phenotypic plasticity on the Canary Islands may be the result of the high ecological variability partially due to the particular oceanographic characteristics in this region. The combination of molecular analyses based on the comparison of the chloroplast-encoded rbcL sequences and morphological data allowed us to delimit three distinct taxa from the coasts of the Canarian Archipelago: Osmundea pinnatifida, Osmundea truncata and an unidentified species, Osmundea sp. Moreover, the high value of genetic divergence between Osmundea sp. and the rest of the Osmundea species suggests that this taxon should be assigned to a new species within the Osmundea genus. Occurrence of O. hybrida and O. oederi (synonym: O. ramosissima) has not been confirmed. Our results also suggest a possibly questionable record of the taxa O. hybrida and O. oederi on the Canary Islands.

Hereditary Autoinflammatory Syndromes: A Brazilian Multicenter Study

To evaluate the prevalence of genetic defects in clinically suspected autoinflammatory syndromes (AIS) in a Brazilian multicenter study. The study included 102 patients with a clinical diagnosis of Cryopyrin Associated Periodic Syndromes (CAPS), TNF Receptor Associated Periodic Syndrome (TRAPS), Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF), Mevalonate Kinase Deficiency (MKD) and Pediatric Granulomatous Arthritis (PGA). One of the five AIS-related genes (NLRP3, TNFRSF1A, MEFV, MVK and NOD2) was evaluated in each patient by direct DNA sequencing, based on the most probable clinical suspect. Clinical diagnoses of the 102 patients were: CAPS (n = 28), TRAPS (n = 31), FMF (n = 17), MKD (n = 17) and PGA (n = 9). Of them, 27/102 (26 %) had a confirmed genetic diagnosis: 6/28 (21 %) CAPS patients, 7/31 (23 %) TRAPS, 3/17 (18 %) FMF, 3/17 (18 %) MKD and 8/9 (89 %) PGA. We have found that approximately one third of the Brazilian patients with a clinical suspicion of AIS have a confirmed genetic diagnosis.