Ontogenetic samples of endocranial volumes (EVs) from great apes and humans are critical for understanding the evolution of the brain growth pattern in the hominin lineage. However, high quality ontogenetic data are scarce, especially for nonhuman primates. Here, we provide original data derived from an osteological collection of a wild population of Pan troglodytes verus from the Taï Forest National Park, Ivory Coast. This sample is unique, because age, sex, and pedigree information are available for many specimens from behavioral observations in the wild. We scanned crania of all 30 immature specimens and 13 adult individuals using high‐resolution computed tomography. We then created virtual casts of the bony braincase (endocasts) to measure EVs. We also measured cranial length, width, and height and attempted to relate cranial distances to EV via regression analysis. Our data are consistent with previous studies. The only neonate in the sample has an EV of 127 cm3 or 34% of the adult mean. EV increases rapidly during early ontogeny. The average adult EV in this sample is 378.7 ± 30.1 cm3. We found sexual dimorphism in adults; males seem to be already larger than females before adult EV is attained. Regressions on cranial width and multiple regression provide better estimates for EV than regressions on cranial length or height. Increasing the sample size and compiling more high quality ontogenetic data of EV will help to reconcile ongoing discussions about the evolution of hominin brain growth. Am J Phys Anthropol 147:319–325, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

We performed a meta-analysis to compare diagnostic performances of computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and positron emission tomography (PET or PET/CT), for detection of metastatic lymph nodes in patients with cervical cancer. We searched MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE and the Cochrane Review database in December 2007. All articles were independently reviewed and selected by three evaluators. We estimated a summary receiver operating characteristic (sROC) curve. The area under the curve (AUC), Q*, and pooled weighted estimates of sensitivity and specificity for each modality by patient-based and region-or node-based data analyses and conducted pair-wise comparisons between modalities using the two-sample Z-test. Fortyone of 768 initially identified studies were included in the metaanalysis. In a patient-based data analysis, PET or PET/CT showed the highest pooled sensitivity (82%) and specificity (95%), while CT showed 50% and 92%; and MRI, 56% and 91%, respectively. The AUC (0.9641) and Q* (0.9106) of PET or PET/CT were significantly higher than those of MRI (AUC = 0.8270; Q* = 0.7599), both P < 0.001. In region-or node-based data analysis, sensitivities of CT (52%) and PET or PET/CT (54%) were higher than that of MRI (38%), P < 0.02 and P < 0.001, respectively, while specificities of MRI (97%) and PET or PET/CT (97%) were higher than that of CT (92%), both P < 0.001. The AUC and Q* showed no significant difference among CT, MRI, and PET or PET/CT. PET or PET/CT had an overall higher diagnostic performance than did CT or MRI in detecting metastatic lymph nodes in patients with cervical cancer. (Cancer Sci 2010; 101: 1471-1479 U terine cervical carcinoma is the second most common malignancy in women worldwide, and is the only major gynecologic malignancy that is staged clinically according to International Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology (FIGO) recommendations.(1) However, clinical staging of cervical cancer is accurate in only 29% of patients. Undiagnosed lymph node metastases are a major problem (2)(3)(4)(5) because lymph node status is an independent prognostic factor for survival of patients with primary cervical cancer.(6-9) Although lymph node dissection before radiotherapy results in improved survival of patients with macroscopically enlarged pelvic and para-aortic lymph nodes, the routine pretreatment surgical staging is not recommended. Thus, an inaccurate evaluation of lymph node metastasis associated with uterine cervical carcinoma often leads to unsatisfactory treatment. (10)(11)(12)(13)(14) Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been used to assess the metastatic lymph nodes of cervical cancer patients. A meta-analysis of studies evaluating these diagnostic methods concluded that these methods have only moderate sensitivity and specificity for detection of metastatic lymph nodes.(15) On the contrary, the recent studies have reported that positron emission tomography (PET or PET ⁄ CT), employing [18 F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG), is more sensi...

Carbon dioxides (CO(2)) emitted from large-scale coal-fired power stations or industrial manufacturing plants have to be properly captured to minimize environmental side effects. From results of ab initio calculations using plane waves [PAW-PBE] and localized atomic orbitals [ONIOM(wB97X-D/6-31G*:AM1)], we report strong CO(2) adsorption on boron antisite (B(N)) in boron-rich boron nitride nanotube (BNNT). We have identified two adsorption states: (1) A linear CO(2) molecule is physically adsorbed on the B(N), showing electron donation from the CO(2) lone-pair states to the B(N) double-acceptor state, and (2) the physisorbed CO(2) undergoes a carboxylate-like structural distortion and C═O π-bond breaking due to electron back-donation from B(N) to CO(2). The CO(2) chemisorption energy on B(N) is almost independent of tube diameter and, more importantly, higher than the standard free energy of gaseous CO(2) at room temperature. This implies that boron-rich BNNT could capture CO(2) effectively at ambient conditions.

The meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials indicated that there is no clinical evidence to support an overall primary and secondary preventive effect of antioxidant supplements on cancer. The effects of antioxidant supplements on human health, particularly in relation to cancer, should not be overemphasized because the use of those might be harmful for some cancer.