Fueguian cranial morphology: the adaptation to a cold, harsh environment

Craniometric data from the three extinct tribes that inhabited Tierra del Fuego (Selk'nam, Yámana, and Kawéskar) were gathered following Howell's measurement technique. We studied 180 skulls preserved at thirteen different institutions. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) between groups showed that morphological similarities among Fueguian groups are far more important than some differences between marine (Yámana and Kawéskar) and terrestrial (Selk'nam) groups. A principal component analysis (PCA) generated from the correlation matrix shows that Fueguians fall as outliers with respect to the typical Mongoloid morphology. In addition, a UPGMA tree generated from a squared Euclidean distance matrix indicates that Fueguian groups have a morphological pattern that is very distinct from that of other present-day Amerindian groups, with the exception of the Eskimos. One of the variables that contributes substantially to the differentiation of Eskimos and Fueguians is the nasal height. This suggests that nasal morphology in both groups could be a response to adaptive pressures related to the cold environment. However, other morphological particularities of Fueguian skulls, such as craniofacial robustness and variables of craniofacial width, can be attributed to a large masticatory stress. As a whole, the morphological features of Fueguian groups can be regarded as a general adaptive response to a very harsh environment, along with the retention of some plesiomorphic features. Assuming that the initial entry in Tierra de Fuego took place around 10,000 years BP, before the disappearance of the last land bridges in the Magellan Straits, then this adaptation might have arisen in a relatively short period, hastened by the extreme environmental conditions.     

Comparison of mismatch error shaping in multibit oversampledconverters

A number of mismatch error-shaping schemes for oversampled DACs are compared. Simulation results are presented to show that such a comparison should take account of the distribution of the mismatch errors, since the pattern of errors present affects different algorithms in different ways. A scheme for improving the error tolerance of one mismatch shaping architecture is presented     

Short-pulse, eye-safe Nd:YAG laser using cavity-dumping

A short-pulse 1.444-μm laser based on Nd:YAG technology has been demonstrated. The 1.444-μm is eye-safe. With the cavity-dump technique, a pulse of 50 m× and 14 ns was obtained. The beam quality was excellent with an M² of 1.6 by the use of a telescopic resonator. Silicon-window polarizers were used to suppress the 1.06-μm radiation but showed 1.444-μm absorption as well     

Wideband wattmeter based on RMS voltage measurements

A wideband wattmeter for measuring active power over a frequency range of dc to 500 kHz is described. The wattmeter is based on the three-voltmeter method in which three rms voltage measurements are used to calculate power. The wattmeter active power uncertainty is estimated to be within 0.03% from dc to 20 kHz and within 1.5% to 500 kHz     

Procollagen propeptide and pyridinium cross-links as markers of type I collagen turnover: sex- and age-related changes in healthy children

The correlations among age, gender, body size parameters, and type I collagen metabolism were evaluated in 183 healthy infants, aged 8.5-27.5 months. Collagen formation was assessed by measuring serum type I collagen carboxy-terminal propeptide, and degradation was determined by urinary pyridinoline and deoxypyridinoline (measured by high performance liquid chromatography) and cross-linked N- and C-terminal telopeptides of type I collagen (measured by NTx and CrossLaps assays). A new RIA specific for deoxypyridinoline was also evaluated. The results provide reference values at 10 months and 2 yr of age, including cross-linked C-terminal telopeptides (1492 +/- 685 and 1510 +/- 446 in boys; 1705 +/- 612 and 1849 +/- 611 micrograms/mmol creatinine in girls; mean +/- 1 SD). There was a good correlation between the high performance liquid chromatography and RIA data for deoxypyridinoline, showing that the RIA method is suitable for use in healthy children. Some correlations were found among peptide-bound cross-links, serum type I collagen carboxy-terminal propeptide, and the anthropometric parameters, suggesting that these peptides reflect bone resorption and also overall body type I collagen. Finally, there were age- and sex-related differences in the urinary excretion of the collagen degradation markers, suggesting that, unlike boys, girls maintain a high degree of collagen degradation up to the age of 24 months despite a decrease in their rate of collagen formation.     

Radiation and scattering from ferrite-tuned cavity-backed slotantennas: theory and experiment

A three-dimensional finite-element method hybridized with the spectral/spatial domain method of moments is presented for the analysis of ferrite-tuned cavity-backed slot antennas. The cavity, which is partially filled with magnetized ferrite layers, is flush mounted on an infinite ground plane with possible dielectric or magnetic overlay. The antenna operates primarily in the ultrahigh-frequency band. The finite-element method is used to solve for the electric-field distribution inside the cavity, whereas the spectral-domain approach is used to solve for the exterior region. An asymptotic extraction of the exponential behavior of the Green's function followed by a spatial evaluation of the resulting integral is used to improve computational speed. Radar cross section, input impedance, return loss, gain, and efficiency of ferrite-tuned cavity-backed slots (CBS) are calculated for various biasing conditions. Numerical results are compared with experimental data     

Results of selective venous site-specific catheterization in occult C-cell carcinoma of the thyroid gland

Ileal pouch-anal anastomosis is a surgical procedure used for the treatment of people with chronic ulcerative colitis and familial adenomatous polyposis. The surgery is intended to preserve anal sphincter function, but it carries a risk for certain complications, including pouchitis and anastomotic stricture. The purpose of this article is to review the clinical manifestations, causes, and treatment of anastomotic stricture and pouchitis after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis.