Homes for hunters?: Exploring the concept of home at hunter-gatherer sites in upper paleolithic Europe and epipaleolithic Southwest Asia

In both Southwest Asia and Europe, only a handful of known Upper Paleolithic and Epipaleolithic sites attest to aggregation or gatherings of hunter-gatherer groups, sometimes including evidence of hut structures and highly structured use of space. Interpretation of these structures ranges greatly, from mere ephemeral shelters to places “built” into a landscape with meanings beyond refuge from the elements. One might argue that this ambiguity stems from a largely functional interpretation of shelters that is embodied in the very terminology we use to describe them in comparison to the homes of later farming communities: mobile hunter-gatherers build and occupy huts that can form campsites, whereas sedentary farmers occupy houses or homes that form communities. Here we examine some of the evidence for Upper Paleolithic and Epipaleolithic structures in Europe and Southwest Asia, offering insights into their complex “functions” and examining perceptions of space among hunter-gatherer communities. We do this through examination of two contemporary, yet geographically and culturally distinct, examples: Upper Paleolithic (especially Magdalenian) evidence in Western Europe and the Epipaleolithic record (especially Early and Middle phases) in Southwest Asia. A comparison of recent evidence for hut structures from these regions suggests several similarities in the nature of these structures, their association with activities related to hunter-gatherer aggregation, and their being “homes” imbued with quotidian and symbolic meaning

Assessing Student Empathy for Hemodialysis Patients

Hemodialysis is a treatment process utilized by kidney patients to filter their blood. These patients are required to undergo an intensive regimen including hemodialysis treatments multiple times per week lasting 3-5 hours each. As a result of hemodialysis, patients experience decreased autonomy, freedom, and independence. An estimated 50% of these patients do not adhere to their treatment regimen. Patients on hemodialysis may be more compliant to their treatment if they are satisfied with the level of care and empathy they perceive from their healthcare providers. Currently there is no literature measuring empathy levels of healthcare professionals or students towards patients on hemodialysis. Examining student empathy levels toward this patient population provides a good representation of future healthcare professional empathy levels. Attitudes developed during school impact the future of patient-focused healthcare and ultimately, patient outcomes. The objectives of this study include: to determine the factors influencing medical, nursing, and pharmacy students; to determine empathy levels for medical, nursing, and pharmacy students; and to design and implement an intervention based on determined factors to increase student empathy in pharmacy students. This study will be conducted in two phases. The first phase involves contacting different medical, nursing, and pharmacy schools in Ohio. We will assess medical, nursing, and pharmacy student’s empathy towards patients on hemodialysis. A survey will be created consisting of the Kiersma Chen Empathy Scale (KCES) to assess empathy and questions addressing factors influencing student empathy. An educational intervention will then be developed in the second phase based on phase one results. The intervention will be implemented in Cedarville University’s School of Pharmacy second year professional students. A pre-post test will be administered to these pharmacy students in order to evaluate the effectiveness of intervention in increasing their empathy levels. Data from phase one will be exported from Qualtrics software to IBM SPSS 22® for statistical analysis. Analysis will be performed to determine possible factors influencing student empathy and compare difference between students in medical, nursing, and pharmacy health professions

Integral Flexure Mounts for Metal Mirrors for Cryogenic Use

Semi-kinematic, six-degree-of-freedom flexure mounts have been incorporated as integral parts of metal mirrors designed to be used under cryogenic conditions as parts of an astronomical instrument. The design of the mirrors and their integral flexure mounts can also be adapted to other instruments and other operating temperatures. In comparison with prior kinematic cryogenic mirror mounts, the present mounts are more compact and can be fabricated easily using Ram-EDM (electrical discharge machining) proces

Selective femtosecond laser ablation via two-photon fluorescence imaging through a multimode fiber

We demonstrate the ability of a multimode fiber probe to provide two-photon fluorescence (TPF) imaging feedback that guides the femtosecond laser ablation (FLA) in biological samples for highly selective modifications. We implement the system through the propagation of high power femtosecond pulses through a graded-index (GRIN) multimode fiber and we investigate the limitations posed by the high laser peak intensities required for laser ablation. We demonstrate that the GRIN fiber probe can deliver laser intensities up to 1.5x10(13) W/cm(2). sufficient for the ablation of a wide range of materials, including biological samples. Wavefront shaping through an ultrathin probe of around 400 mu m in diameter is used for diffraction limited focusing and digital scanning of the focus spot. Selective FLA of cochlear hair cells is performed based on the TPF images obtained through the same multimode fiber probe. (C) 2019 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreemen

Introduction to “Binary Binds”: Deconstructing Sex and Gender Dichotomies in Archaeological Practice

YesGender archaeology has made significant strides toward deconstructing the hegemony of binary categorizations. Challenging dichotomies such as man/woman, sex/gender, and biology/culture, approaches informed by poststructuralist, feminist, and queer theories have moved beyond essentialist and universalist identity constructs to more nuanced configurations. Despite the theoretical emphasis on context, multiplicity, and fluidity, binary starting points continue to streamline the spectrum of variability that is recognized, often reproducing normative assumptions in the evidence. The contributors to this special issue confront how sex, gender, and sexuality categories condition analytical visibility, aiming to develop approaches that respond to the complexity of theory in archaeological practice. The papers push the ontological and epistemological boundaries of bodies, personhood, and archaeological possibility, challenging a priori assumptions that contain how sex, gender, and sexuality categories are constituted and related to each other. Foregrounding intersectional approaches that engage with ambiguity, variability, and difference, this special issue seeks to “de-contain” categories, assumptions, and practices from “binding” our analytical gaze toward only certain kinds of persons and knowledges, in interpretations of the past and practices in the present

High-fidelity multimode fibre-based endoscopy for deep brain in vivo imaging

Progress in neuroscience constantly relies on the development of new techniques to investigate the complex dynamics of neuronal networks. An ongoing challenge is to achieve minimally-invasive and high-resolution observations of neuronal activity in vivo inside deep brain areas. A perspective strategy is to utilise holographic control of light propagation in complex media, which allows converting a hair-thin multimode optical fibre into an ultra-narrow imaging tool. Compared to current endoscopes based on GRIN lenses or fibre bundles, this concept offers a footprint reduction exceeding an order of magnitude, together with a significant enhancement in resolution. We designed a compact and high-speed system for fluorescent imaging at the tip of a fibre, achieving micron-scale resolution across a 50 um field of view, and yielding 7-kilopixel images at a rate of 3.5 frames/s. Furthermore, we demonstrate in vivo observations of cell bodies and processes of inhibitory neurons within deep layers of the visual cortex and hippocampus of anesthetised mice. This study forms the basis for several perspective techniques of modern microscopy to be delivered deep inside the tissue of living animal models while causing minimal impact on its structural and functional properties.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, Supplementary movie: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Fm0G3TAIC49LVX6FaEiAtlefkWx1T2a5/vie

Anti-cancer effects and mechanism of actions of aspirin analogues in the treatment of glioma cancer

INTRODUCTION: In the past 25 years only modest advancements in glioma treatment have been made, with patient prognosis and median survival time following diagnosis only increasing from 3 to 7 months. A substantial body of clinical and preclinical evidence has suggested a role for aspirin in the treatment of cancer with multiple mechanisms of action proposed including COX 2 inhibition, down regulation of EGFR expression, and NF-κB signaling affecting Bcl-2 expression. However, with serious side effects such as stroke and gastrointestinal bleeding, aspirin analogues with improved potency and side effect profiles are being developed. METHOD: Effects on cell viability following 24 hr incubation of four aspirin derivatives (PN508, 517, 526 and 529) were compared to cisplatin, aspirin and di-aspirin in four glioma cell lines (U87 MG, SVG P12, GOS – 3, and 1321N1), using the PrestoBlue assay, establishing IC50 and examining the time course of drug effects. RESULTS: All compounds were found to decrease cell viability in a concentration and time dependant manner. Significantly, the analogue PN517 (IC50 2mM) showed approximately a twofold increase in potency when compared to aspirin (3.7mM) and cisplatin (4.3mM) in U87 cells, with similar increased potency in SVG P12 cells. Other analogues demonstrated similar potency to aspirin and cisplatin. CONCLUSION: These results support the further development and characterization of novel NSAID derivatives for the treatment of glioma