Cultural differences in intimacy: The influence of gender-role ideology and individualism-collectivism

Two studies examined emotional intimacy in European Canadian and Chinese Canadian dating relationships. Cultural differences in gender-role ideology and individualism–collectivism were hypothesized to differentially contribute to selfdisclosure and responsiveness, and in turn, intimacy. Study 1 revealed that Chinese Canadians’ lower intimacy relative to European Canadians was mediated by their greater gender-role traditionalism but not by their individualism or collectivism. Study 2 further linked greater gender-role traditionalism to lower self-disclosure, and in turn, lower intimacy. Results also revealed that Chinese Canadians’ lower intimacy mediated their lower relationship satisfaction and higher rate of relationship termination in Study 1, but that Chinese Canadians were not any more likely to terminate their relationships in Study 2

Stabilisation of single longitudinal mode operation in a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser

Detection of the reflected laser beam power from the mode-selecting etalon in a prelase-Q-switched laser provides an indicator of mode-frequency drifts. The detected signal can be used to control a piezo-mounted resonator mirror, thus correcting the drift and providing a means for maintaining single longitudinal mode operation on every shot

Evidence that stimulation of gluconeogenesis by fatty acid is mediated through thermodynamic mechanisms

AbstractWe have studied the stimulatory effects of palmitate on the rate of glucose synthesis from lactate in isolated hepatocytes. Control of the metabolic flow was achieved by modulating the activity of enolase using graded concentrations of fluoride. Unexpectedly, palmitate stimulated gluconeogenesis even when enolase was rate-limiting. This stimulation was also observed when the activities of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and aspartate aminotransferase were modulated using graded concentrations of quinolinate and aminooxyacetate, respectively. Linear force-flow relationships were found between the rate of gluconeogenesis and indicators of cellular energy status (i.e. mitochondrial membrane and redox potentials and cellular phosphorylation potential). These findings suggest that the fatty acid stimulation of glucose synthesis is in part mediated through thermodynamic mechanisms

Inference of population structure of purebred dairy and beef cattle using high-density genotype data

peer-reviewedInformation on the genetic diversity and population structure of cattle breeds is useful when deciding the most optimal, for example, crossbreeding strategies to improve phenotypic performance by exploiting heterosis. The present study investigated the genetic diversity and population structure of the most prominent dairy and beef breeds used in Ireland. Illumina high-density genotypes (777 962 single nucleotide polymorphisms; SNPs) were available on 4623 purebred bulls from nine breeds; Angus (n=430), Belgian Blue (n=298), Charolais (n=893), Hereford (n=327), Holstein-Friesian (n=1261), Jersey (n=75), Limousin (n=943), Montbéliarde (n=33) and Simmental (n=363). Principal component analysis revealed that Angus, Hereford, and Jersey formed non-overlapping clusters, representing distinct populations. In contrast, overlapping clusters suggested geographical proximity of origin and genetic similarity between Limousin, Simmental and Montbéliarde and to a lesser extent between Holstein, Friesian and Belgian Blue. The observed SNP heterozygosity averaged across all loci was 0.379. The Belgian Blue had the greatest mean observed heterozygosity (HO=0.389) among individuals within breed while the Holstein-Friesian and Jersey populations had the lowest mean heterozygosity (HO=0.370 and 0.376, respectively). The correlation between the genomic-based and pedigree-based inbreeding coefficients was weak (r=0.171; P<0.001). Mean genomic inbreeding estimates were greatest for Jersey (0.173) and least for Hereford (0.051). The pair-wise breed fixation index (Fst) ranged from 0.049 (Limousin and Charolais) to 0.165 (Hereford and Jersey). In conclusion, substantial genetic variation exists among breeds commercially used in Ireland. Thus custom-mating strategies would be successful in maximising the exploitation of heterosis in crossbreeding strategies

Population structure and breed composition prediction in a multi-breed sheep population using genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism genotypes

peer-reviewedKnowledge of population structure and breed composition of a population can be advantageous for a number of reasons; these include designing optimal (cross)breeding strategies in order to maximise non-additive genetic effects, maintaining flockbook integrity by authenticating animals being registered and as a quality control measure in the genotyping process. The objectives of the present study were to 1) describe the population structure of 24 sheep breeds, 2) quantify the breed composition of both flockbook-recorded and crossbred animals using single nucleotide polymorphism BLUP (SNP-BLUP), and 3) quantify the accuracy of breed composition prediction from low-density genotype panels containing between 2000 and 6000 SNPs. In total, 9334 autosomal SNPs on 11 144 flockbook-recorded animals and 1172 crossbred animals were used. The population structure of all breeds was characterised by principal component analysis (PCA) as well as the pairwise breed fixation index (Fst). The total number of animals, all of which were purebred, included in the calibration population for SNP-BLUP was 2579 with the number of animals per breed ranging from 9 to 500. The remaining 9559 flockbook-recorded animals, composite breeds and crossbred animals represented the test population; three breeds were excluded from breed composition prediction. The breed composition predicted using SNP-BLUP with 9334 SNPs was considered the gold standard prediction. The pairwise breed Fst ranged from 0.040 (between the Irish Blackface and Scottish Blackface) to 0.282 (between the Border Leicester and Suffolk). Principal component analysis revealed that the Suffolk from Ireland and the Suffolk from New Zealand formed distinct, non-overlapping clusters. In contrast, the Texel from Ireland and that from New Zealand formed integrated, overlapping clusters. Composite animals such as the Belclare clustered close to its founder breeds (i.e., Finn, Galway, Lleyn and Texel). When all 9334 SNPs were used to predict breed composition, an animal that had a majority breed proportion predicted to be ≥0.90 was defined as purebred for the present study. As the panel density decreased, the predicted breed proportion threshold, used to identify animals as purebred, also decreased (≥0.85 with 6000 SNPs to ≥0.60 with 2000 SNPs). In all, results from the study suggest that breed composition for purebred and crossbred animals can be determined with SNP-BLUP using ≥5000 SNPs

Quadriceps volumes are reduced in people with patellofemoral joint osteoarthritis

Objectives: This study aimed to (1) compare the volumes of vastus medialis (VM), vastus lateralis (VL), vastus intermedius and rectus femoris and the ratio of VM/VL volumes between asymptomatic controls and patellofemoral joint osteoarthritis (PFJ OA) participants; and (2) assess the relationships between cross-sectional area (CSA) and volumes of the VM and VL in individuals with and without PFJ OA. Methods: Twenty-two participants with PFJ OA and 11 controls aged ≥40 years were recruited from the community and practitioner referrals. Muscle volumes of individual quadriceps components were measured from thigh magnetic resonance (MR) images. The CSA of the VM and lateralis were measured at 10 equally distributed levels (femoral condyles to lesser femoral trochanter). Results: PFJ OA individuals had smaller normalized VM (mean difference 0.90 cm ·kg , α = 0.011), VL (1.50 cm ·kg , α = 0.012) and rectus femoris (0.71 cm ·kg , α = 0.009) volumes than controls. No differences in the VM/VL ratio were observed. The CSA at the third level (controls) and fourth level (PFJ OA) above the femoral condyles best predicted VM volume, whereas the VL volume was best predicted by the CSA at the seventh level (controls) and sixth level (PFJ OA) above the femoral condyles. Conclusion: Reduced quadriceps muscle volume was a feature of PFJ OA. Muscle volume could be predicted from CSA measurements at specific levels in PFJ OA patients and controls

Physical activity opportunities within the schedule of early care and education centers

Background: Physical activity has many benefits for young children's health and overall development, but few studies have investigated how early care and education centers allot time for physical activity, along with measured individual physical activity levels for indoor/outdoor activities during a typical day. Methods: Fifty early care and education centers in central North Carolina participated in 4 full-day observations, and 559 children aged 3-5 years within centers wore accelerometers assessing physical activity during observation days. Observation and physical activity data were linked and analyzed for associations between child activity and type of classroom activity. Results: Children averaged 51 (13) minutes per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity and 99 (18) minutes per day of light physical activity while in child care. Children averaged 6 (10) and 10 (13) minutes per day of observed outdoor and indoor daily teacher-led physical activity, respectively. Outdoor time averaged 67 (49) minutes per day, and physical activity levels were higher during outdoor time than during common indoor activities (center time, circle time, and TV time). Conclusions: Physical activity levels varied between indoor and outdoor class activities. Policy and program-related efforts to increase physical activity in preschoolers should consider these patterns to leverage opportunities to optimize physical activity within early care and education centers

Material properties and geohazards

In engineering terms, all materials deposited as a result of glacial and periglacial processes are transported soils. Many of these deposits have engineering characteristics that differ from those of water-lain sediments. In the UK, the most extensive glacial and periglacial deposits are tills. Previously, engineering geologists have classified them geotechnically as lodgement, melt-out, flow and deformation tills, or as variants of these. However, in this book tills have been reclassified as: subglacial traction till, glaciotectonite and supraglacial mass-flow diamicton/glaciogenic debris-flow deposits (see Chapter 4, Sections 4.1–4.3). Because this classification is new, it is not possible to relate geotechnical properties and characteristics to the subdivisions of the new classification. Consequently, the domain/stratigraphic classification, recently developed by the British Geological Survey and others, has been used and their geotechnical properties and characteristics are discussed on this basis. The geotechnical properties and characteristics of the other main glacial and periglacial deposits are also discussed. For some of these (e.g. glaciolacustrine deposits, quick clays and loess), geohazards relating to the lithology and/or fabric of the deposit are discussed along with their properties. Other geohazards that do not relate to lithology and/or fabric are discussed separately as either local or regional geohazards. In some cases (e.g. glaciofluvial sands and gravels), the geotechnical properties and behaviour are similar to sediments deposited under different climatic conditions; these deposits are therefore not discussed at length. Similarly, some of the local geohazards that are found associated with glacial and periglacial deposits relate to current climatic conditions and are not discussed here. Examples include landsliding and highly compressible organic soils (peats)

Semiclassical Trace Formulas for Noninteracting Identical Particles

We extend the Gutzwiller trace formula to systems of noninteracting identical particles. The standard relation for isolated orbits does not apply since the energy of each particle is separately conserved causing the periodic orbits to occur in continuous families. The identical nature of the particles also introduces discrete permutational symmetries. We exploit the formalism of Creagh and Littlejohn [Phys. Rev. A 44, 836 (1991)], who have studied semiclassical dynamics in the presence of continuous symmetries, to derive many-body trace formulas for the full and symmetry-reduced densities of states. Numerical studies of the three-particle cardioid billiard are used to explicitly illustrate and test the results of the theory.Comment: 29 pages, 11 figures, submitted to PR

Universal Predictions for Statistical Nuclear Correlations

We explore the behavior of collective nuclear excitations under a multi-parameter deformation of the Hamiltonian. The Hamiltonian matrix elements have the form $P(|H_{ij}|)\propto 1/\sqrt{|H_{ij}|}\exp(-|H_{ij}|/V)$, with a parametric correlation of the type $\log \langle H(x)H(y)\rangle\propto -|x-y|$. The studies are done in both the regular and chaotic regimes of the Hamiltonian. Model independent predictions for a wide variety of correlation functions and distributions which depend on wavefunctions and energies are found from parametric random matrix theory and are compared to the nuclear excitations. We find that our universal predictions are observed in the nuclear states. Being a multi-parameter theory, we consider general paths in parameter space and find that universality can be effected by the topology of the parameter space. Specifically, Berry's phase can modify short distance correlations, breaking certain universal predictions.Comment: Latex file + 12 postscript figure