this study compares the functional capabilities of different metacarpal fixation constructs under physiological loadings in an attempt to identify the optimal construct rather than the strongest one. one hundred and twenty-six preserved human metacarpals were mechanically tested after oblique osteotomies and internal fixation. maximum load to failure, average structural rigidity, and energy abs...

Phytoplankton in high-light, low-nutrient ocean environments are challenged with maintaining high photosynthetic efficiency and simultaneously preventing photodamage that results from low levels of electron acceptors downstream of photosystem II (PSII). Here, we identify a process in open ocean picophytoplankton that preserves PSII activity by diverting electrons from the photosystem I (PSI) co...

It has been established that maize/soybean intercropping can improve nitrogen use efficiency. However, few studies have addressed how affects nitrogen-fixing bacterial diversity and N fixation efficiency of intercropped soybean. In this study, communities, efficiency, their relationships with soil properties under three fertilization application rates (N0 0 kg/ha, N1 40 N2 80 kg/ha) were explor...

The effects of P deficiency on growth, N(2)-fixation and photosynthesis in white clover (Trifolium repens L.) plants were investigated using three contrasting relative addition rates of P, or following abrupt withdrawal of the P supply. Responses to a constant below-optimum P supply rate consisted of a decline in N(2)-fixation per unit root weight and a small reduction in the efficiency with wh...

Eye movements, which guide the fovea's high resolution and computational power to relevant areas of the visual scene, are integral to efficient, successful completion of many visual tasks. How humans modify their eye movements through experience with their perceptual environments, and its functional role in learning new tasks, has not been fully investigated. Here, we used a face identification...

Improved techniques consisting of glutaraldehyde fixation, Giemsa staining, and colony counter enumeration of foci in viral infectivity assays were compared to microscope scanning and lantern slide projection methods. These techniques broadened the scope of application to potentially hazardous viruses and increased the efficiency of assaying.