Humanity\u27s Fate: An Analysis of Speculative Human Evolution in Literary Fiction

Speculative human evolution is a literature subgenre of science fiction that explores the potential future of humanity and descendant species. Little academic research has been done to evaluate the scientific accuracy of works of this genre or assess the relationship between the themes presented in the works and our current world. Future human species and their evolutionary journeys were assessed for scientific possibility through comparison with current research in fields such as anthropology, evolutionary biology, and sociology. It was found that the species depicted in works of speculative human evolution were largely based in scientific accuracy and could possibly exist in the near or far future. Furthermore, speculative human evolution as a genre was acknowledged as a useful mechanism for assessing current human interactions with the environment and how this may shape the species in the future

Vector-like description of SU (2) matrix-valued quantum field theories

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science. Johannesburg, 2015.The AdS/CFT correspondence asserts a duality between non-Abelian gauge theories and quantum theories of gravity, established by the value of the gauge coupling . Gerard t'Hooft found that the large N0 limit in non-Abelian Yang-Mills gauge theories results in a planar diagram simpli cation of the topological expansion. In this dissertation, SU(2) gauge theories are written in terms of vector models (making use of collective eld theory to obtain an expression for the Jacobian), a saddle point analysis is performed, and the large N limit taken. Initially this procedure is done for gauge theories dimensionally reduced on T4 and R T3, and then attempted for the full eld theory (without dimensional reduction). In each case this results in an expression for the non-perturbative propagator. A nite volume must be imposed to obtain a gap equation for the full eld theory; directives for possible solutions to this di culty are discussed

Streptococcus pneumoniae as a Cause of Salpingitis

Background: A case of pneumococcal septicemia associated with laparoscopically documented acute salpingitis is reported

Concert recording 2022-03-29

[Track 1]. Songs and dances for oboe and bassoon. IV. Dance song / John Steinmetz -- [Track 2]. El hacedor de dunas / Fernando Fernández Muñoz -- [Track 3]. Duet for two oboes / Robert Mueller -- [Track 4]. Sonata in E minor. Largo ; Allegro ; Grave ; Vivace / Georg Phillip Telemann-- [Track 5]. Elegy for Innocence / Jeff Scott -- [Track 6]. Up and away (The story of a balloon). I. Inhale/Exhale ; II. Life on the string ; III. Letting go / Alyssa Morris

Projectile weapons before the bow: metric data from the southern Andes

Projectile technology was a significant factor in the demographic expansion of Homo sapiens out of Africa. Settlement in the Americas was made possible by a series of human strategies including the use of atlatls and throwing spears. These were the dominant weapons for much of the continent’s human history, prior to the initial appearance of the bow and arrow. This significant technological breakthrough was culturally transmitted over a wide region and accompanied major economic changes. Most methods for distinguishing archaeological dart and arrow projectile points rely on metric comparisons to ethnographic collections (Shott 1997) and the general trend that spear points are large and heavy, atlatl dart points are somewhat smaller, and arrow points are the smallest. In the southern Andes, lithic points prior to the use of the bow include fishtail points (late Pleistocene–early Holocene), large stemmed and lancolate points (early Holocene) and triangular points (middle–late Holocene). This paper’s goal is to begin to characterize the metric variability of projectile points prior to the introduction of the bow in the southern Andes. To do this, we selected points from contexts that are unambiguously prior to the bow, based on associations with 1) preserved wood atlatl elements or 2) radiocarbon dates that are well prior to the introduction of the bow. We present data for 64 lithic points from the site Los Morrillos (30°S) in levels dated 4000–7500 years BP and at nine other sites (32–34°S) from levels dated 2000–7500 years BP. These points have also been analyzed morphologically to reduce noise by excluding points reused as knives. These data will allow us to estimate the metric range of pre-bow projectile points from secure archaeological contexts (Castro et al. 2021). This will help provide a stronger comparative baseline for identifying arrow points, which is currently done with ethnographic measurement that sometimes di!er significantly from archaeological ones. This will also help establish a comparative baseline for the Andes, where regional variation may also be a factor in variable point sizes.Fil: Marsh, Erik Johnson. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Básicas. - Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Básicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Paleoecología Humana; ArgentinaFil: Castro, Silvina Celeste. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Básicas. - Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Básicas; ArgentinaFil: Yebra, Lucía Gabriela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Básicas. - Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Básicas; ArgentinaFil: Cortegoso, Valeria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Básicas. - Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Básicas; ArgentinaFil: Duran, Victor Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Básicas. - Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Básicas; Argentina13th International Symposium on Knappable Materials: Multi-scalar Characterization of Raw MaterialsTarragonaEspañaUniversitat Rovira i Virgili. Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució SocialUniversidad Autónoma de Madri

The introduction of the bow and arrow in the Argentine Andes (29-34º S): A preliminary metric approximation

The study size patterns in projectile points (n=39) from six sites in the Argentine Andes (29-34° S) associated with 17 radiocarbon dates with medians spanning 3080-470 cal. BP. In the northern part of our study area (29° S), one site has domestic llama (Lama glama) bones as early as 5800 cal. BP. In the central and southern part of the study area (32 and 34° S), clear evidence for pastoralism, horticulture, and potentially agriculture is no earlier than 1500 cal. BP. Our study area extends to 34° S, which is the southern limit of pastoral and food-producing societies in South America. In our study area, it is unknown if the bow was adopted early, as in the central Andes, or late and used alongside spears, as in Patagonia. This is the region?s first attempt to metrically distinguish arrows and darts, which is based on shoulder or maximum width, following Shott. The northern sector located at 29° S includes the earliest arrow point, slightly after 3080 cal. BP. This suggests a rapid spread of this technology from the central Andes 16-26° S, where early arrows are dated ~3500-3000 cal. BP. However, at 32 and 34° S, arrows are not clearly present until 1280 cal. BP. For 1280-400 cal. BP (European contact), 96% of points were identified as arrows, suggesting the bow and arrow replaced spear-based weapon systems. A single late dart from 34° S may reflect a late use of this space by hunter-gatherers. The predominance of arrows beginning at 1280 cal. BP is associated with broader changes such as demographic growth, reduced mobility, low-level food production, and herding economies, following similar trends in other regions.Fil: Castro, Silvina Celeste. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Paleoecología Humana; ArgentinaFil: Yebra, Lucía Gabriela. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Paleoecología Humana; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza; ArgentinaFil: Marsh, Erik Johnson. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Paleoecología Humana; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza; ArgentinaFil: Cortegoso, Valeria. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Paleoecología Humana; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza; ArgentinaFil: Lucero Ferreyra, Gustavo Fernando. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Paleoecología Humana; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza; Argentin

Constructing the bulk at the critical point of three-dimensional large N vector theories

Please read abstract in the article.The National and Mandelstam Institutes for Theoretical Physics; a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the National Research Foundation (NRF) and the National Institute for Theoretical and Computational Sciences.http://www.elsevier.com/locate/physletbhj2023Physic

Activation of hypoxia-inducible factor-2 in adipocytes results in pathological cardiac hypertrophy.

BACKGROUND: Obesity can cause structural and functional abnormalities of the heart via complex but largely undefined mechanisms. Emerging evidence has shown that obesity results in reduced oxygen concentrations, or hypoxia, in adipose tissue. We hypothesized that the adipocyte hypoxia-signaling pathway plays an essential role in the development of obesity-associated cardiomyopathy. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using a mouse model in which the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) pathway is activated by deletion of the von Hippel-Lindau gene specifically in adipocytes, we found that mice with adipocyte-von Hippel-Lindau deletion developed lethal cardiac hypertrophy. HIF activation in adipocytes results in overexpression of key cardiomyopathy-associated genes in adipose tissue, increased serum levels of several proinflammatory cytokines including interleukin-1β and monocyte chemotactic protein-1, and activation of nuclear factor-κB and nuclear factor of activated T cells in the heart. Interestingly, genetic deletion of Hif2a, but not Hif1a, was able to rescue cardiac hypertrophy and abrogate adipose inflammation. CONCLUSION: We have discovered a previously uncharacterized mechanism underlying a critical and direct role of the adipocyte HIF-2 transcription factor in the development of adipose inflammation and pathological cardiac hypertrophy

Trends in Self‐Reported Oral Health of US Adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999‐2014

Objective Single‐item self‐reported oral health (SROH) is a convenient and reliable measure for the assessment of population‐based oral health. However, little is known about trends and its associations among US adults. This study investigated trends in SROH (aged 20+ years) and the associated factors among adults living in the United States. Methods Self‐reported oral health data for 41 621 adults aged 20+ years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999 to 2014 were analysed. Survey‐weighted descriptive statistics were computed to provide nationally representative estimates. Multivariable logistic regression was performed separately for each survey period with SROH as the primary outcome. Independent variables included were age, gender, race/ethnicity, education level and family poverty income ratio or PIR. Pooled survey‐weighted multivariable logistic regression was also performed to consider possible time‐changing effects. Results The survey‐weighted proportions of “excellent or very good” in SROH increased from 27% in 1999‐2000 (n = 4873) to 38% in 2013‐2014 (n = 5765). Separate multivariable logistic analyses for each survey period suggested that females, Whites (vs Mexican and Black Americans) as well as respondents from high family PIR had higher odds of reporting their oral health as “excellent or very good” (P \u3c .05). The pooled multivariable logistic model confirmed results in the separate logistic regression, and respondents in the more recent survey periods had higher probabilities of reporting “excellent or very good” oral health. Respondents aged 50‐59 years were found to have relatively lower probabilities of reporting “excellent or very good” oral health, while people aged 20‐29 years had higher probabilities than those aged 30‐39 years. Compared to respondents with lower education, those with higher education were more likely to report their oral health as excellent or very good. Conclusions Self‐reported oral health improved from 1999 to 2014. In general, respondents who were young, female, White, had higher education or higher income or were surveyed in more recent years reported excellent or very good oral health

Reading for Charles Burchfield

Featuring poets who participated in the March 8th Heat Waves in a Swamp workshop