We observed a slight drop in the growth of Xenopus laevis and Pseudacris triseriata larvae following acute exposure (24-48 h) during egg development to three concentrations of TCDD (0.3, 3.0, 30.0 microg/l). Our exposure protocol was modeled on a previous investigation that was designed to mimic the effects of maternal deposition of TCDD. The doses selected were consistent with known rates of m...

Biological exoskeletons, in particular those with unusually robust and multifunctional properties, hold enormous potential for the development of improved load-bearing and protective engineering materials. Here, we report new materials and mechanical design principles of the iron-plated multilayered structure of the natural armor of Crysomallon squamiferum, a recently discovered gastropod mollu...

The chemical stress factors for microbial life at deep-sea hydrothermal vents include high concentrations of heavy metals and sulfide. Three hyperthermophilic vent archaea, the sulfur-reducing heterotrophs Thermococcus fumicolans and Pyrococcus strain GB-D and the chemolithoautotrophic methanogen Methanocaldococcus jannaschii, were tested for survival tolerance to heavy metals (Zn, Co, and Cu) ...

One part of the production of modern hearing aids is the integration of a ventilation tube. This is usually done by applying a shortest path search algorithm on a non-convex ear impression. For the functionality of this so-called vent the path search algorithm has to fulfill several constraints like smoothness and space consumption of the vent. The proposed solution is based upon a modified ver...

Outpatient drainage therapy is generally indicated for spontaneous pneumothoraces. A 63-year-old man, who had been attacked by a bull sustaining injuries on the right side of his chest, was referred to the emergency room with dyspnea. His chest X-ray showed a small pneumothorax. The next day, a chest X-ray demonstrated that his pneumothorax had worsened, although no hemothorax was identified. O...

Nathair Facula is the largest and most spectrally distinct of nearly 200 ‘bright red’ spots (faculae) on Mercury's surface, which are accepted to be deposits from explosive volcanic eruptions. Like faculae, it hosts a non-circular central pit (in this case 40 km wide 3 deep). However, center facula does not coincide with its pit's midpoint. Quantitative analysis two sets spectral data shows tha...