Urban regions of southern California receive up to 45 kg Nha y from nitrogen (N) deposition. A field decomposition study was done using N-labelled litter of the widespread exotic annual grass Bromus diandrus to determine whether elevated soil N is strictly from N deposition or whether N mineralization rates from litter are also increased under N deposition. Tissue N and lignin concentrations, w...

Various prostheses for total replacement of the first metatarsophalangeal joint for painful hallux valgus and hallux rigidus are briefly discussed. Altogether, the results of eighty-six replacements in sixty-nine patients have been recorded after an average interval of two years. In seventy-eight operations a Silastic* prosthesis as designed by Swanson for the replacement of metacarpophalangeal...

The clinical, radiological and pathological features of hallux rigidus affecting nine toes (in seven patients) are described. Characteristic chondral and osteochondral lesions are seen to occur at a specific site on the metatarsal head, and account for the limitation of dorsiflexion but relatively unrestricted plantarflexion typical of hallux rigidus. Radiologically these lesions are often miss...

Hallux rigidus was first described in 1887. Many aetiological factors have been postulated, but none has been supported by scientific evidence. We have examined the static and dynamic imbalances in the first metatarsophalangeal joint which we postulated could be the cause of this condition. We performed a finite-element analysis study on a male subject and calculated a mathematical model of the...

The female of Hystrignathus rigidus Leidy, 1850 (Nematoda: Hystrignathidae) is redescribed on the basis of new material from Odontotaenius disjunctus (Coleoptera: Passalidae) from Athens, Georgia, USA; which also constitutes a new locality record. SEM images are provided for the first time for the species. It is also first shown that H. rigidus presents ridged-shelled eggs. A differential diagn...

Abiotic factors have a strong infl uence on where annual Bromus species are found. At the large regional scale, temperature and precipitation extremes determine the boundaries of Bromus occurrence. At the more local scale, soil characteristics and climate infl uence distribution, cover, and performance. In hot, dry, summerrainfall-dominated deserts (Sonoran, Chihuahuan), little or no Bromus is ...

First metatarsophalangeal joint osteoarthritis, commonly known as hallux rigidus, is a progressive disabling condition. Several staging classification systems exist. We present a staging system incorporating radiographic findings, range of motion, and presence or absence of mid-motion pain and sesamoid pain. On the basis of these clinically significant variables, we present an algorithm for tre...