Background: To retrospectively evaluate whether quantitative information derived from spectral imaging can improve the differential diagnosis of pancreatic cystic masses including pancreatic solid pseudopapillary epithelial neoplasms (SPENs), mucin- producing cysts and pseudocysts. Materials and Methods: From June 2015 to October 2017, 56 patients (22 pseudocysts, 18 mucin-producing cysts and 1...

gastrulation defective (gd) encodes a serine protease required for specification of dorsal-ventral cell fates during Drosophila embryogenesis. Using RNA microinjection, I show that wild-type gd RNA can restore ventrolateral pattern elements with correct polarity with respect to egg shape in embryos lacking gd function. While low RNA concentrations restore ventrolateral pattern elements, higher ...

The shape of the relationship between biodiversity and agricultural intensity determines the range of intensities that should be targeted by conservation policies to obtain the greatest environmental benefits. Although preliminary evidence of this relationship exists, the influence of the spatial arrangement of intensity on biodiversity remains untested. We conducted a nationwide study linking ...

Stable carbon isotope composition (δ (13)C) usually shows a negative relationship with precipitation at a large scale. We hypothesized that sampling method affects foliar δ (13)C and its response pattern to precipitation. We selected 11 sites along a precipitation gradient in Inner Mongolia and collected leaves of Leymus chinensis with five or six replications repeatedly in each site from 2009 ...

This study documents differences in fish assemblages for 32 freshwater streams located between 258 and 2242 m a.s.l. on the eastern slopes of the central range of the Colombian Andes. A total of 2049 fishes belonging to 62 species, 34 genera and 16 families were collected. Species richness declined rapidly with altitude; nearly 90% of the species were recorded between 250 and 1250 m a.s.l. Thre...

Harvest traffic with heavy equipment causes damage to forest soils. Whereas increased soil damage has been reported with increasing harvest equipment traffic and on increasing slope gradients, it is unclear how much soil damage is caused by different directions of skidding. We examined the effects of traffic frequency, skid trail slope and skidding direction on the dry bulk density and total po...

Observation of gravity erosion in the field with strong sunshine and wind poses a challenge. Here, a novel topography meter together with a movable tent addresses the challenge. With the topography meter, a 3D geometric shape of the target surface can be digitally reconstructed. Before the commencement of a test, the laser generator position and the camera sightline should be adjusted with a si...

Amino acid concentrations were measured in CSF samples obtained by lumbar puncture in 51 patients, cervical puncture in 16 patients, spinal drains in nine patients, ventricular taps in five patients and from below a spinal block in six patients. There was evidence of a rostrocaudal gradient for GABA and taurine and a reverse gradient for alanine and asparagine. Lumbar CSF glycine concentrations...

the study was carried out to investigate the effective soil and topographic features on distribution of plant types in sanib taftan watershed in sistan-and-balouchestan province, iran. initially, land units map was specified by combining three maps of slope, aspect and altitude. five types including artemisia santolina- hammada salicornica, artemisia sieberi- amygdalus lycioides, artemisia lehm...

Azorella compacta (llareta; Apiaceae) forms dense, woody, cushions and characterizes the high elevation rocky slopes of the central Andean Altiplano. Field studies of an elevational gradient of A. compacta within Lauca National Park in northern Chile found a reverse J-shape distribution of size classes of individuals with abundant small plants at all elevations. A new elevational limit for A. c...