The Wheeler Site: a 3,500 Year-old Culture in Dallas County, Texas

Discovery and investigation of the Wheeler site near Carrollton, Dallas County, Texas, has led to the tentative identification of a 3,500-year-old, Little Pluvial age, non-pottery culture in north Texas; it seemingly is a phase of a larger complex which at one time occupied the upper reaches of the Trinity River drainage and the middle area of the Brazos River, and may possibly demonstrate relationships with the Desert Cultures of California-Lower California to the west, vestiges of a late contact with remnants of the old Plainview-type culture, and with the eastern Archaic from the Mississippi Valley

Investigation of seismicity and related effects at NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility, Computer Center, Edwards, California

This report discusses a geological and seismological investigation of the NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility site at Edwards, California. Results are presented as seismic design criteria, with design values of the pertinent ground motion parameters, probability of recurrence, and recommended analogous time-history accelerograms with their corresponding spectra. The recommendations apply specifically to the Dryden site and should not be extrapolated to other sites with varying foundation and geologic conditions or different seismic environments

Underuse of coronary revascularization procedures in patients considered appropriate candidates for revascularization.

Background: Ratings by an expert panel of the appropriateness of treatments may offer better guidance for clinical practice than the variable decisions of individual clinicians, yet there have been no prospective studies of clinical outcomes. We compared the clinical outcomes of patients treated medically after angiography with those of patients who underwent revascularization, within groups defined by ratings of the degree of appropriateness of revascularization in varying clinical circumstances.Methods: This was a prospective study of consecutive patients undergoing coronary angiography at three London hospitals. Before patients were recruited, a nine-member expert panel rated the appropriateness of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) and coronary-artery bypass grafting (CABG) on a nine-point scale (with 1 denoting highly inappropriate and 9 denoting highly appropriate) for specific clinical indications. These ratings were then applied to a population of patients with coronary artery disease. However, the patients were treated without regard to the ratings. A total of 2552 patients were followed for a median of 30 months after angiography.Results: Of 908 patients with indications for which PTCA was rated appropriate (score, 7 to 9), 34 percent were treated medically; these patients were more likely to have angina at follow-up than those who underwent PTCA (odds ratio, 1.97; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.29 to 3.00). Of 1353 patients with indications for which CABG was considered appropriate, 26 percent were treated medically; they were more likely than those who underwent CABG to die or have a nonfatal myocardial infarction - the composite primary outcome (hazard ratio, 4.08; 95 percent confidence interval, 2.82 to 5.93) - and to have angina (odds ratio, 3.03; 95 percent confidence interval, 2.08 to 4.42). Furthermore, there was a graded relation between rating and outcome over the entire scale of appropriateness (P for linear trend = 0.002).Conclusions: On the basis of the ratings of the expert panel, we identified substantial underuse of coronary revascularization among patients who were considered appropriate candidates for these procedures. Underuse was associated with adverse clinical outcomes. (N Engl J Med 2001;344:645-54.) Copyright (C) 2001 Massachusetts Medical Society

Quaternary Geology and Seismic Hazard of the Sierra Madre and Associated Faults, Western San Gabriel Mountains

This detailed study of a 40-km-long section of the Sierra Madre and associated fault zones in the central transverse Ranges, along the south side of the San Gabriel Mountains, is aimed at providing information for evaluating the seismic hazard that these faults pose to the heavily populated area immediately to the south. Evidence on the location of fault strands and the style and timing of fault movements during the Quaternary was obtained from detailed geologic mapping, aerial-photograph interpretation, alluvial stratigraphy, structural and stratigraphic relations in some 33 trench excavations at critical localities, and subsurface data. We present a time-stratigraphic classification for the Quaternary deposits in the study area, based on soil development, geomorphology, and contact relations among the alluvial units. We distinguish four units, with approximate ages, as follows: unit 4, about 200,000 yr to middle Quaternary; unit 3: about 11,000 to 200,000 yr; unit 2; about 1,000 to 11,000 yr; and unit 1; younger than about 1,000 yr. We use this classification to evaluate on a semi-quantitative basis the evidence for fault activity in the study area and to infer the relative seismicity of different segments of the Sierra Madre fault zone during the Quaternary. Alluvial-fan development (particularly fanhead incision and the ages of alluvial-fan deposits) also gives clues as to relative seismicity. The most active segment of the Sierra Madre fault zone within the study area is the westernmost section, adjacent to the faults that broke during the 1971 San Fernando, Calif., earthquake. The age of activity, as indicated by the occurrence of Holocene faulting, decreases toward the east. Along the Sierra Madre fault, through La Canada, Altadena, Sierra Madre, and Duarte, is abundant evidence of late Pleistocene faulting. Total vertical displacement is more than 600 m, but there is no evidence for Holocene fault movement. These observations suggest that the presently applicable recurrence interval between major earthquakes in the central and eastern sections of the Sierra Madre fault zone is longer than about 5,000 yr. The local magnitude (M_L) of the largest credible earthquake that could occur on the Sierra Madre fault zone in the study area is estimated at 7, on the grounds that the fault zone is probably limited mechanically by subdivision into separate arcuate segments about 15 km long. The Raymond fault, which branches southwestward from the Sierra Madre fault in the eastern part of the study area, shows well-defined evidence of a late Quaternary history of repeated fault movements. Displacements of alluvial strata observed in trench excavations across the fault give evidence of five major seismic events, whose times of occurrence can be estimated from radiometric dating at approximately 36,000, 25,000, 10,000-2,200 (two events), and 2,200-1,500 yr B.P. Further evidence suggests at least three more faulting events in the past 29,000 yr, for which specific dates cannot be determined. Because some additional events probably remain undetected, we infer that an average recurrence interval of about 3,000 yr, with an average vertical displacement of 0.4 m per event, is applicable to the Raymond fault in its present state, as indicated by its history of movement over the past 36,000 yr. This level of activity is distinctly higher than that found for the Sierra Madre fault zone in the central and eastern parts of the study area. If the entire 15-km length of the Raymond fault would rupture in a single event, as seems likely, a maximum credible earthquake of M_L 6 3/4 can reasonably be assumed

Unexpected features of branched flow through high-mobility two-dimensional electron gases

GaAs-based two-dimensional electron gases (2DEGs) show a wealth of remarkable electronic states, and serve as the basis for fast transistors, research on electrons in nanostructures, and prototypes of quantum-computing schemes. All these uses depend on the extremely low levels of disorder in GaAs 2DEGs, with low-temperature mean free paths ranging from microns to hundreds of microns. Here we study how disorder affects the spatial structure of electron transport by imaging electron flow in three different GaAs/AlGaAs 2DEGs, whose mobilities range over an order of magnitude. As expected, electrons flow along narrow branches that we find remain straight over a distance roughly proportional to the mean free path. We also observe two unanticipated phenomena in high-mobility samples. In our highest-mobility sample we observe an almost complete absence of sharp impurity or defect scattering, indicated by the complete suppression of quantum coherent interference fringes. Also, branched flow through the chaotic potential of a high-mobility sample remains stable to significant changes to the initial conditions of injected electrons.Comment: 22 pages, 4 figures, 1 tabl

Multi-decadal trends in large-bodied fish populations in the New South Wales Murray-Darling Basin, Australia

Context: Native fish populations in Australia's Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) have experienced severe declines since European settlement. Information on their status is needed to guide management and recovery. Aims: To quantify trends in MDB fish populations in New South Wales (NSW) from 1994 to 2022. Methods: Relative abundance, biomass, and size structure were examined using generalised additive mixed models at NSW MDB and river catchment (valley) scales for five native species (Murray cod, Maccullochella peelii, golden perch, Macquaria ambigua, silver perch, Bidyanus bidyanus, Macquarie perch, Macquaria australasica, freshwater catfish, Tandanus tandanus) and one alien species (common carp, Cyprinus carpio). Key results: There was strong inter-annual variation in relative abundance, biomass and population structure for all species. At the Basin scale, relative abundance of Murray cod, golden perch and common carp increased across the time series, with no clear trends for silver perch, Macquarie perch or freshwater catfish. Patterns in relative abundance, biomass, and population structure were variable among valleys for most species. Conclusions and implications: Although native fish populations in the MDB remain degraded and face escalating threats, recent increases in the abundance of some native species are an encouraging sign that integrated restoration efforts can improve the outlook for native fish

Psychometric properties of a prostate cancer radiation late toxicity questionnaire

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To construct a short prostate cancer radiation late toxicity (PCRT) questionnaire with health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) domains.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The PCRT was developed by item generation, questionnaire construction (n = 7 experts, n = 8 focus group patients), pilot testing (n = 37), item reduction (n = 100), reliability testing (n = 237), and validity testing (n = 274).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Reliability of the three item-reduced subscales demonstrated intraclass correlation coefficients (CC) of 0.811 (GU), 0.842 (GI), and 0.740 (sexual). Discriminant validity demonstrated Pearson CC of 0.449 (GU-GI), 0.200 (sexual-GU), and 0.09 (sexual-GI). Content validity correlations between PCRT-PCQoL were 0.35–0.78, PCRT-FACT-G^©were 0.19–0.39, and PCRT-SF-36^®were 0.03–0.34.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We successfully generated a PCRT HRQoL questionnaire including subscales with very good psychometric properties.</p

Sex differences in risk factors for coronary heart disease: a study in a Brazilian population

BACKGROUND: In Brazil coronary heart disease (CHD) constitutes the most important cause of death in both sexes in all the regions of the country and interestingly, the difference between the sexes in the CHD mortality rates is one of the smallest in the world because of high rates among women. Since a question has been raised about whether or how the incidence of several CHD risk factors differs between the sexes in Brazil the prevalence of various risk factors for CHD such as high blood cholesterol, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, obesity, sedentary lifestyle and cigarette smoking was compared between the sexes in a Brazilian population; also the relationships between blood cholesterol and the other risk factors were evaluated. RESULTS: The population presented high frequencies of all the risk factors evaluated. High blood cholesterol (CHOL) and hypertension were more prevalent among women as compared to men. Hypertension, diabetes and smoking showed equal or higher prevalence in women in pre-menopausal ages as compared to men. Obesity and physical inactivity were equally prevalent in both sexes respectively in the postmenopausal age group and at all ages. CHOL was associated with BMI, sex, age, hypertension and physical inactivity. CONCLUSIONS: In this population the high prevalence of the CHD risk factors indicated that there is an urgent need for its control; the higher or equal prevalences of several risk factors in women could in part explain the high rates of mortality from CHD in females as compared to males

Erytrocyte membrane anionic charge in type 2 diabetic patients with retinopathy

BACKGROUND: The Steno hypothesis states that changes in basement membrane anionic charge leads to diabetic microvascular complications. In diabetic nephropathy, loss of basement membrane glycosaminoglycans and the association between glomerular basement membrane heparan sulphate and proteinuria has been documented. A correlation between erythrocyte surface and the glomerular capillary wall charges has also been observed. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between retinopathy and erythrocyte anionic charge and urinary glycosaminoglycan excretion in type 2 diabetic patients. METHODS: 49 subjects (58 ± 7 yrs, M/F 27/22) with type 2 diabetes with proliferative retinopathy (n = 13), nonproliferative retinopathy (n = 13) and without retinopathy (n = 23) were included in the study. 38 healthy subjects were selected as control group (57 ± 5 yrs, M/F 19/19). Erythrocyte anionic charge (EAC) was determined by the binding of the cationic dye, alcian blue. Urinary glycosaminoglycan and microalbumin excretion were measured. RESULTS: EAC was significantly decreased in diabetic patients with retinopathy (255 ± 30 ng alcian blue/10(6 )RBC, 312 ± 30 ng alcian blue/10(6 )RBC for diabetic and control groups respectively, p < 0.001). We did not observe an association between urinary GAG and microalbumin excretion and diabetic retinopathy. EAC is found to be negatively corralated with microalbuminuria in all groups. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that type 2 diabetic patients with low erythrocyte anionic charge are associated with diabetic retinopathy. Reduction of negative charge of basement membranes may indicate general changes in microvasculature rather than retinopathy. More prospective and large studies needs to clarify the role of glycosaminoglycans on progression of retinopathy in type 2 diabetic patients

Antimicrobial resistance determinants are associated with Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia and adaptation to the healthcare environment: a bacterial genome-wide association study

Staphylococcus aureus is a major bacterial pathogen in humans, and a dominant cause of severe bloodstream infections. Globally, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in S. aureus remains challenging. While human risk factors for infection have been defined, contradictory evidence exists for the role of bacterial genomic variation in S. aureus disease. To investigate the contribution of bacterial lineage and genomic variation to the development of bloodstream infection, we undertook a genome-wide association study comparing bacteria from 1017 individuals with bacteraemia to 984 adults with asymptomatic S. aureus nasal carriage. Within 984 carriage isolates, we also compared healthcare-associated (HA) carriage with community-associated (CA) carriage. All major global lineages were represented in both bacteraemia and carriage, with no evidence for different infection rates. However, kmers tagging trimethoprim resistance-conferring mutation F99Y in dfrB were significantly associated with bacteraemia-vs-carriage (P=10-8.9-10-9.3). Pooling variation within genes, bacteraemia-vs-carriage was associated with the presence of mecA (HMP=10-5.3) as well as the presence of SCCmec (HMP=10-4.4). Among S. aureus carriers, no lineages were associated with HA-vs-CA carriage. However, we found a novel signal of HA-vs-CA carriage in the foldase protein prsA, where kmers representing conserved sequence allele were associated with CA carriage (P=10-7.1-10-19.4), while in gyrA, a ciprofloxacin resistance-conferring mutation, L84S, was associated with HA carriage (P=10-7.2). In an extensive study of S. aureus bacteraemia and nasal carriage in the UK, we found strong evidence that all S. aureus lineages are equally capable of causing bloodstream infection, and of being carried in the healthcare environment. Genomic variation in the foldase protein prsA is a novel genomic marker of healthcare origin in S. aureus but was not associated with bacteraemia. AMR determinants were associated with both bacteraemia and healthcare-associated carriage, suggesting that AMR increases the propensity not only to survive in healthcare environments, but also to cause invasive disease