A revised Litostragraphic Framework for the Southern Yucca Mountain Area, Nye County, Nevada

An informal, revised lithostratigraphic framework for the southern Yucca Mountain area, Nevada has been developed to accommodate new information derived from subsurface investigations of the Nye County Early Warning Drilling Program. Lithologies penetrated by recently drilled boreholes at locations between Stagecoach Road and Highway 95 in southern Nye County include Quaternary and Pliocene alluvium and alluvial breccia, Miocene pyroclastic flow deposits and intercalated lacustrine siltstone and claystone sequences, early Miocene to Oligocene pre-volcanic sedimentary rocks, and Paleozoic strata. Of the 37 boreholes currently drilled, 21 boreholes have sufficient depth, spatial distribution, or traceable pyroclastic flow, pyroclastic fall, and reworked tuff deposits to aid in the lateral correlation of lithostrata. Medial and distal parts of regional pyroclastic flow deposits of Miocene age can be correlated with the Timber Mountain, Paintbrush, Crater Flat, and Tram Ridge Groups. Rocks intercalated between these regional pyroclastic flow deposits are substantially thicker than in the central part of Yucca Mountain, particularly near the downthrown side of major faults and along the southern extent of exposures at Yucca Mountain

Risk factors for early language delay in children within a minority ethnic, bilingual, deprived environment (Born in Bradford’s Better Start): a UK community birth cohort study

Background: Preschool language skills and language delay predict academic and socioemotional outcomes. Children from deprived environments are at a higher risk of language delay, and both minority ethnic and bilingual children can experience a gap in language skills at school entry. However, research that examines late talking (preschool language delay) in an ethnically diverse, bilingual, deprived environment at age 2 is scarce. Methods: Data from Born in Bradford’s Better Start birth cohort were used to identify rates of late talking (≤10th percentile on the Oxford-Communicative Development Inventory: Short) in 2-year-old children within an ethnically diverse, predominantly bilingual, deprived UK region (N=712). The relations between known demographic, maternal, distal and proximal child risk factors, and language skills and language delay were tested using hierarchical linear and logistic regression. Results: A total of 24.86% of children were classified as late talkers. Maternal demographic factors (ethnicity, born in UK, education, financial security, employment, household size, age) predicted 3.12% of the variance in children’s expressive vocabulary. Adding maternal language factors (maternal native language, home languages) and perinatal factors (birth weight, gestation) to the model predicted 3.76% of the variance. Adding distal child factors (child sex, child age) predicted 11.06%, and adding proximal child factors (receptive vocabulary, hearing concerns) predicted 49.51%. Significant risk factors for late talking were male sex (OR 2.07, 95% CI 1.38 to 3.09), receptive vocabulary delay (OR 8.40, 95% CI 4.99 to 14.11) and parent-reported hearing concerns (OR 7.85, 95% CI 1.90 to 32.47). Protective factors were increased household size (OR 0.85, 95% CI 0.77 to 0.95) and age (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.70 to 0.96). Conclusions: Almost one in four children living in an ethnically diverse and deprived UK area have early language delay. Demographic factors explained little variance in early vocabulary, whereas proximal child factors held more predictive value. The results indicate further research on early language delay is warranted for vulnerable groups

Allocation in Practice

How do we allocate scarcere sources? How do we fairly allocate costs? These are two pressing challenges facing society today. I discuss two recent projects at NICTA concerning resource and cost allocation. In the first, we have been working with FoodBank Local, a social startup working in collaboration with food bank charities around the world to optimise the logistics of collecting and distributing donated food. Before we can distribute this food, we must decide how to allocate it to different charities and food kitchens. This gives rise to a fair division problem with several new dimensions, rarely considered in the literature. In the second, we have been looking at cost allocation within the distribution network of a large multinational company. This also has several new dimensions rarely considered in the literature.Comment: To appear in Proc. of 37th edition of the German Conference on Artificial Intelligence (KI 2014), Springer LNC

Genotype by Environment Interaction for Holstein Milk Yield in Colombia, Mexico, and Puerto Rico

Components of (co)variance and genetic parameters were estimated by REML procedures from first lactation mature equivalent Holstein milk records from 54,604 Colombian, Mexican, and Puerto Rican cows and 198,079 US cows. The objective was to determine the cause of heterogeneous daughter response to sire selection for milk yield between the regions. Data from Latin America were partitioned by country and by herd-year SD class for milk to obtain five joint analyses between the US and Latin America, low herd-year SD, high herd year SD, Colombia, and Mexico. Sire and residual variances for milk were 41 and 29% smaller in Latin America than in the US, 47 and 58% smaller for low than for high herd-year SD, and 31 and 49% smaller for Colombia than for Mexico. Resultant heritabilities ranged from .20 to .29. Genetic correlations for milk yield between the US and Latin America, low and high herd-year SD, Colombia, and Mexico were .91, .82, .89, .78, and .90. Expected correlated responses for milk in Latin America, low and high herd-year SD, Colombia, and Mexico were 70, 53, 79.56, and 78% of the direct response in the US. The scaling effects of heterogeneous variance resulted in smaller daughter milk responses in Latin America compared with the US even when herd-year SD was similar

A randomised controlled feasibility trial of an early years language development intervention: results of the ‘outcomes of Talking Together evaluation and results’ (oTTer) project

Background Early language difficulties are associated with poor school readiness and can impact lifelong attainment. The quality of the early home language environment is linked to language outcomes. However, few home-based language interventions have sufficient evidence of effectiveness in improving preschool children’s language abilities. This study reports the first stage in the evaluation of a theory-based programme, Talking Together (developed and delivered by BHT Early Education and Training) given over 6 weeks to families in the home setting. We aimed to test the feasibility and acceptability of delivering Talking Together in the Better Start Bradford community prior to a definitive trial, using a two-armed randomised controlled feasibility study. Methods Families from a single site within the Better Start Bradford reach area were randomly allocated (1:1) to the Talking Together intervention or a wait list control group. Child language and parent-level outcome measures were administered before randomisation (baseline), pre-intervention (pre-test), 2 months post-intervention start (post-test), and 6 months post-intervention start (follow-up). Routine monitoring data from families and practitioners were also collected for eligibility, consent, protocol adherence, and attrition rates. Descriptive statistics on the feasibility and reliability of potential outcome measures were analysed alongside qualitative feedback on trial design acceptability. Pre-defined progression-to-trial criteria using a traffic light system were assessed using routine monitoring data. Results Two-hundred and twenty-two families were assessed for eligibility; of these, 164 were eligible. A total of 102 families consented and were randomised (intervention: 52, waitlist control: 50); 68% of families completed outcome measures at 6-month follow-up. Recruitment (eligibility and consent) reached ‘green’ progression criteria; however, adherence reached ‘amber’ and attrition reached ‘red’ criteria. Child- and parent-level data were successfully measured, and the Oxford-CDI was identified as a suitable primary outcome measure for a definitive trial. Qualitative data not only indicated that the procedures were largely acceptable to practitioners and families but also identified areas for improvement in adherence and attrition rates. Conclusions Referral rates indicate that Talking Together is a much-needed service and was positively received by the community. A full trial is feasible with adaptations to improve adherence and reduce attrition

Panspermia, Past and Present: Astrophysical and Biophysical Conditions for the Dissemination of Life in Space

Astronomically, there are viable mechanisms for distributing organic material throughout the Milky Way. Biologically, the destructive effects of ultraviolet light and cosmic rays means that the majority of organisms arrive broken and dead on a new world. The likelihood of conventional forms of panspermia must therefore be considered low. However, the information content of dam-aged biological molecules might serve to seed new life (necropanspermia).Comment: Accepted for publication in Space Science Review

Risk profiles and one-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in India: Insights from the GARFIELD-AF Registry.

BACKGROUND: The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective noninterventional registry, which is providing important information on the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This report describes data from Indian patients recruited in this registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 52,014 patients with newly diagnosed AF were enrolled globally; of these, 1388 patients were recruited from 26 sites within India (2012-2016). In India, the mean age was 65.8 years at diagnosis of NVAF. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for AF, present in 68.5% of patients from India and in 76.3% of patients globally (P < 0.001). Diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) were prevalent in 36.2% and 28.1% of patients as compared with global prevalence of 22.2% and 21.6%, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). Antiplatelet therapy was the most common antithrombotic treatment in India. With increasing stroke risk, however, patients were more likely to receive oral anticoagulant therapy [mainly vitamin K antagonist (VKA)], but average international normalized ratio (INR) was lower among Indian patients [median INR value 1.6 (interquartile range {IQR}: 1.3-2.3) versus 2.3 (IQR 1.8-2.8) (P < 0.001)]. Compared with other countries, patients from India had markedly higher rates of all-cause mortality [7.68 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 6.32-9.35) vs 4.34 (4.16-4.53), P < 0.0001], while rates of stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were lower after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Compared to previously published registries from India, the GARFIELD-AF registry describes clinical profiles and outcomes in Indian patients with AF of a different etiology. The registry data show that compared to the rest of the world, Indian AF patients are younger in age and have more diabetes and CAD. Patients with a higher stroke risk are more likely to receive anticoagulation therapy with VKA but are underdosed compared with the global average in the GARFIELD-AF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362