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Study Objective: To assess the clinical value of blood cultures (BCs) in the management of adult patients discharged from the emergency department (ED) with a diagnosis of community acquired pneumonia [...]

Granulomatous sarcoidosis-like reactions affecting multiple organ systems at one time have infrequently been described within weeks to months after initiation of Ipilimumab. We present the first case of a 67-year-old man with isolated cutaneous granulomatous reaction involving the trunk, extremities, and face after eighteen months of treatment with ipilimumab for metastatic melanoma. This case documents the eruption of isolated cutaneous granulomatous reaction as a late treatment-related adverse effect of ipilimumab, highlighting the importance of adequate, prolonged follow-up.

Highlights the limitations of the League of Nations. Progress in the liquidation of the Greek-Italian conflict; Attitude of indifference adopted by the League towards conflicts; Loss of prestige and public support inculcated by the League; Prevention of the General Assembly of the League from taking any decisive action related to the conflict; Effect of the problem of reparations on the whole of Europe; Need of little powers to assert themselves upon the decisions of the League, forcing the big powers to concede.

How much well-meaning revision of the government is actually good for the government--and the public? A planned reorganization of FDA's 'backbone' organization, its 5,000-strong field inspection force, announced by commissioner [...]

Inter-specific Corymbia hybrids are of increasing interest to plantation forestry, yet there is little knowledge of the most suitable controlled pollination methods for this genus. Inter-specific crosses were made between C. torelliana [CT(maternal parent)] and C. citriodora subsp. variegata (CCV), C. henryi (CH) and C. citriodora subsp. citriodora (CCC) using conventional pollination, one-stop pollination (OSP) and artificially-induced protogyny on yellow buds (AIP Y) pollination methods. Additional treatments included AIP on green buds (AIP G) and the use of exclusion bags for the OSP and AIP methods. Inter-specific hybrids (CT x CCV, CT x CH and CT x CCC) were successfully created using all three pollination methods. The AIP Y treatment provided the highest seed yields and achieved time savings of >41% over the conventional and OSP methods, resulting in up to five-fold increases in operator productivity. However, the AIP Y treatment also had the highest C. torelliana contamination levels (9.3-13.2%). The use of exclusion bags with the AIP method had minimal effect on contamination rates, indicating a high proportion of selfpollen contamination. Contamination rates varied between maternal parents, suggesting variation in selfcompatibility for C. torelliana individuals. AIP using semi-ripe green buds was not effective at reducing selfing and had low operator productivity. The AIP method is suitable for use in a large-scale hybrid breeding program for C. torelliana. When self-pollination effects are managed, it could greatly reduce the costs associated with the production of seed of elite family crosses for commercial forestry deployment.

The article presents a study on the barnacle Balanus amphitrite with regards to its secretion and curing of its insoluble adhesive glue to understand how marine biofouling can be prevented. It discusses how the study was conducted which involved a computer-aided X-ray tomography for the imaging of the barnacle's shell that secretes glue. The results reportedly revealed that curing process is similar to humans' blood clotting and that the glue comprises of amyloid-like fibrils.

Eighty six full-sib Corymbia F1 hybrid families (crosses between C. torelliana and four spotted gum taxa: C. citriodora subsp. variegata, C. citriodora subsp. citriodora, C. henryi and C. maculata), were planted in six trials across six disparate sites in south-eastern Queensland to evaluate their productivity and determine their potential utility for plantation forestry. In each trial, the best-growing 20% of hybrid families grew significantly faster (P = 0.05) than open-pollinated seedlots of the parent species Corymbia citriodora subsp. variegata, ranging from 107% to 181% and 127% to 287% of the height and diameter respectively. Relative performance of hybrid families growing on more than one site displayed consistency in ranking for growth across sites and analysis showed low genotype-by-environment interaction. Heritability estimates based on female and male parents across two sites at age six years for height and diameter at breast height, were high (0.62 ± 0.28 to 0.64 ± 0.35 and 0.31 ± 0.21 to 0.69 ± 0.37 respectively), and low to moderate (0.03 ± 0.04 to 0.33 ± 0.22) for stem straightness, branch size, incidence of ramicorns, and frost and disease resistance traits at ages one to three years. The proportion of dominance variance for height and diameter had reduced to zero by age six years. Based on these promising results, further breeding and pilot-scale family forestry and clonal forestry deployment is being undertaken. These results have also provided insights regarding the choice of a future hybrid breeding strategy.

SummaryThe demonstrated wide adaptability, substantial yield potential and proven timber quality of African mahogany (Khaya senegalensis)from plantings of the late 1960s and early 1970s in northern Australia have led to a resurgence of interest in this high-value species. New plantations or trials have been established in several regions since the early 1990s—in four regions in north Queensland, two in the Northern Territory and one in Western Australia. Overall, more than 1500 ha had been planted by early 2007, and the national annual planting from 2007–2008 as currently planned will exceed 2400 ha. Proceedings of two workshops have summarised information available on the species in northern Australia, and suggested research and development (R&D) needs and directions.After an unsustained first phase of domestication of K. senegalensisin the late 1960s to the early 1970s, a second phase began in northern Australia in 2001 focused on conservation and tree improvement that is expected to provide improved planting stock by 2010. Work on other aspects of domestication is also described in this paper: the current estate and plans for extension; site suitability, soils and nutrition; silviculture and management; productivity; pests and diseases; and log and wood properties of a sample of superior trees from two mature plantations of unselected material near Darwin. Some constraints on sustainable plantation development in all these fields are identified and R&D needs proposed. A sustained R&D effort will require a strategic coordinated approach, cooperative implementation and extra funding. Large gains in plantation profitability can be expected to flow from such inputs.

AbstractIn Australia, there has been rapid expansion in recent years of commercial plantations of hardwood timber species, especially of Eucalyptusand Corymbia. In tropical and sub-tropical Queensland the land most likely to be readily available for this planting is in the marginal 650-1000 MAR zone where, potentially, millions of hectares could be planted on cleared land. Optimal forestry plantation practice requires matching of taxa (species-provenances-hybrids) and sites. However, experiment-based identification of taxa with commercial potential has not been accomplished for many regions in this rainfall zone of Queensland. In Brazil, China and South Africa, large viable plantation estates have been developed on marginal lands through use ofhardy, high-yielding interspecific eucalypt hybrids (Eldridge et al. 1993). Eucalypt hybrid breeding is in its infancy in Queensland so the potential exists to accelerate the identification of superior hybrids through introduction and testing ofmaterial developed elsewhere. Based on this overseas experience, bulk seedlots of selected eucalypt hybrids have been introduced, in strict accordance with quarantine requirements, and are now being tested against Eucalyptusand Corymbiaspecies and provenance controls in key regions of Queensland and northern NSW.This paper presents two-year results for three trials in sub-tropical Queensland, indicates the taxa with fastest early growth and considers the potential and suitability of several eucalypt hybrids (seedlings) to marginal sites in Queensland.

The aim of this study was to identify trends in plant diversity, and examine their predictive relationships with environmental variables (water stress, soil texture and grazing intensity) and vegetation characteristics (total vegetation and individual species cover), along a 340 km transect through an area of hyper-arid desert in southern Egypt. The major part of the transect is located within the boundaries of the Wadi Allaqi Man and Biosphere (MAB) Reserve. In total 55 plant species were recorded from the transect. A TWINSPAN classification of the data identified four of the seven main vegetation types, previously identified as present in the area by Springuel et al. (1997). Sites dominated by Vegetation type I occurred exclusively in the lowest stretch of the Wadi Allaqi system, most heavily influenced by flood and seepage from Lake Nasser, and characterized by dense stands of Tamarix nilotica(Ehrenb.) Bunge and Glinus lotoidesL. Vegetation type IIIb was represented at sites higher up the wadi system, characterized by sparser vegetation dominated by Acacia ehrenbergianaHayne, Acacia tortilissubsp. raddiana(Savi) Brenan and Aerva javanica(Burm. f.) Juss.ex Schult. Vegetation type IIIa occurred in the middle region of Wadi Allaqi and was characterized by Salsola imbricataForssk. andCullen plicatum(Delile) C. H. Stirt. Vegetation type IV, the most species rich, was limited to upstream sites of Wadis Allaqi and Eiqat. Plant β-diversity (as species turnover between individual sites along the transect, assessed using Whittaker's βwindex) showed a rising trend of plant species turnover from sites low in the wadi system to sites located in the upper part of the wadi. Plant α-diversity within these vegetation types (as species richness R: number of species present per 500 m2unit area) was linearly correlated with plant diversity measured using Simpson's index (D). R was reasonably well predicted from three variables: plant cover, soil moisture and grazing intensity (following a third order polynomial model). This model predicted R in the original data set with 52·9% success (r=0·73, p<0·001). The study suggested that vegetation cover estimates, in association with simple estimates of intensity of habitat stress (water availability) and disturbance (grazing intensity), can provide a rapid indication of the biodiversity support capacity of desert habitats.

Seasonal patterns in mortality have been recognized for many years. This study assesses seasonal variation in mortality in Scotland between 1981 and 1993 and considers its association with socioeconomic status and outdoor temperature.

How do development and change occur in British cities, which have been subjected for over thirty years to a planning system which has generally adopted a restraining attitude to urban growth? A point-sampling technique is used to provide answers to this question for one city, Leeds, during the period 1957–1976. The approach is through the basic questions “how much change was there?”, “where did the land for change come from?”, “who caused the change?”, and “how was it effected?”. Reuse of land already in urban use, or lying unused, is seen to be a far more important contributor to change than is extension by development on agricultural land, and the contribution of unused land in particular to the dynamic aspects of urban change is found to be both complex and important.

The collection of land-use change statistics under DoE Circular 71/74 is criticised on three grounds. First, there is no standard land-use classification employed consistently by all local authorities. Second, there is no standard and unambiguous set of areal units to which such a classification could be applied. Third, there is no efficient means of collecting land-use data in a form which meets the information needs of policymakers. Adoption of a standard land-use classification applied to functional units is advocated. It is argued that point samplingis a cheap and efficient means of collecting land-use statistics in a form which meets planning needs. The advantages of point sampling compared with alternative techniques are considered in detail.

Piperacillin, a new semisynthetic penicillin, was evaluated for efficacy and safety in 26 patients, most of whom had pneumonia. Included were four patients with gram-negative meningitis in whom the penetration of piperacillin into cerebrospinal fluid was determined. Cure was achieved in 11 of 17 patients with pneumonia; another 4 were improved. One relapse and one failure occurred among nine patients with gram-negative pneumonia. Cure or improvement occurred in seven of nine patients with gram-negative infection in various extrapulmonary sites. Piperacillin given by continuous infusion in a dosage ranging from 324 to 436 mg/kg of body weight per day to four patients with meningitis resulted in a mean cerebrospinal fluid level of 23 micrograms/ml at 24 h; the mean penetration of piperacillin into the cerebrospinal fluid was 32% at this interval. Levels of piperacillin in cerebrospinal fluid collected later during the course of therapy were also adequate. Adverse effects were noted in six patients, but only one episode of granulocytopenia was serious. Emergence of resistance to piperacillin did not occur, and only one superinfection was noted. Piperacillin appeared to be efficacious in the treatment of pneumonia. It penetrated well into the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with meningitis and may be useful for treatment of selected gram-negative infections in extrapulmonary sites.

From biologic studies it must be inferred that the sole reason for life—vegetable, animal and human— is to continue the species, and that man's superior brain and body are for the purpose of better protecting the germ plasm as well as for social life, the pleasure of work and the joy of mental effort. We worship the mind and its products, and outwardly we suppress the instincts begotten by Nature. We might be deprived of all but the essentials, circulation, digestion and reproduction, and yet maintain the race as do the lower animals. Man lives but to propagate.These primitive essentials, all important for life and its perpetuation, are carefully secluded and separated from the outward man, which is under the control of a wilful and highly developed nervous system: such intercommunication as exists being entirely beyond the control of the mind. The actions and functions of these three sets

Several letters to the editor are presented including a letter about the economic advantages for the U.S. if it would annex Japan, a letter in response to the article "Am I My Brother's Keeper" in the May 4, 1987 issue which focused on the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and a letter in response to the article "And the Beat Goes On" in the May 18, 1987 issue which featured the band the Grateful Dead.

Presents a letter to the editor reacting on the January 2, 1915 comments on the article of the author published in the "Atlantic Monthly."

This article presents views of the authors if he were a dictator. The author dismiss this flattering idea. Instead, he proposes to make a point that is as plainly true as it is commonly ignored. The present political and industrial system of the U.S., he argues, is breaking down, and either the U.S. should lapse into ruin or it should develop a world government. By the present system, the author, mean briefly two things, nationalism and capitalism. These together produce the great war and the peace which, unless the U.S. mends its ways is an introduction to another world war.

Results are presented of a study of a fiber reflection Mach-Zehnder interferometer that is based on identical couplers. It has been found that, for couplers having splitting ratios within a certain range, it is always possible to switch all the light between transmission and reflection by varying the interferometer phase difference. Outside of this range, the device reflects only a small portion of the incoming light. Devices based on couplers with various splitting ratios are shown to be potentially suitable for a range of applications.

Continuous monitoring of hydrogen in flowing nitrogen gas was needed in connection with experimental work at the USAEC's National Reactor Testing Station. One of the methods investigated was emission spectroscopy, using quartz envelope electrodeless discharge tube excitation. The sample gas was passed through a cold trap to eliminate water vapor and hydrocarbon vapors before entering the discharge tube at a pressure of two mm Hg. Using a grating monochromator with photomultiplier detection set at 4861.3A hydrogen can be determined down to about 0.05% (v/v).