Footprints preserve terminal Pleistocene hunt? Human-sloth interactions in North America

Predator-prey interactions revealed by vertebrate trace fossils are extremely rare. We present footprint evidence from White Sands National Monument in New Mexico for the association of sloth and human trackways. Geologically, the sloth and human trackways were made contemporaneously, and the sloth trackways show evidence of evasion and defensive behavior when associated with human tracks. Behavioral inferences from these trackways indicate prey selection and suggest that humans were harassing, stalking, and/or hunting the now-extinct giant ground sloth in the terminal Pleistocene

A study to assess the feasibility of undertaking a randomized controlled trial of adherence with eye drops in glaucoma patients.

BACKGROUND: Adherence with therapy could influence the progression of glaucoma and ultimately affect the onset of visual impairment in some individuals. This feasibility study evaluated the measures to be used for a future randomized controlled trial assessing the effects of group-based education on adherence with eye drops. METHODS: People diagnosed with glaucoma within the previous 12 months attending a regional ophthalmology clinic in the North West of England were recruited. A two-session education program delivered one week apart had been devised as part of a previous project. A combined adult learning and health needs approach to education was taken. Outcomes measured were knowledge of glaucoma, self-report of adherence, illness perception, beliefs about medicines, patient enablement, and general health (Short Form-12). Adherence was also measured objectively using a Medical Events Monitoring System device. RESULTS: Twenty-six participants consented to undertake the educational program and 19 produced analyzable data. Knowledge of glaucoma, illness perception, beliefs about medicine, and patient enablement all showed statistically significant improvements after education. Mean adherence with eye drops was maintained above 85% before and for 3 months after attendance at the educational program. Self-report exaggerated adherence by at least 10% when compared with the objective Medical Events Monitoring System data, and in fact the kappa agreement was zero. CONCLUSION: All questionnaires other than the Short Form-12 were considered to be valuable measures and use of a Medical Events Monitoring System device was considered to be an objective surrogate measure for adherence with eye drops. A multicenter, randomized, controlled equivalence trial of group versus individualized education using adherence as the primary outcome is the next step

Controls on the Spatial Distribution of Near-Surface Pyrogenic Carbon on Hillslopes 1 Year Following Wildfire

Wildfire alters hydrologic and geomorphic systems, promoting increases in runoff and erosion relative to unburned areas. As a result, pyrogenic carbon (PyC) produced by wildfires can experience substantial lateral redistribution from overland flow. Since landscape position helps to determine the fate of PyC, it is critical to understand the geomorphic factors that govern its lateral redistribution as well as the sensitivity of those factors to soil burn severity, which controls the magnitude of many wildfire-induced hydrologic and geomorphic changes. In this study, we quantified the spatial distribution of near-surface (0–5 cm) PyC on three hillslopes roughly 1 year after the 2018 Buzzard Fire in the Gila National Forest, New Mexico, USA. We then use hydrologic monitoring data, terrain analysis, and rainfall-runoff modeling to explain the observed spatial distribution of PyC. Near-surface PyC concentrations decreased from averages of roughly 12–8 g/kg as slope and unit stream power increased by factors of ∼2 and 4, respectively, on a hillslope burned at low severity. This suggests that susceptibility to runoff-driven erosion was a dominant control on the redistribution of PyC. In contrast, the spatial distribution of PyC in areas burned at moderate to high severity was independent of slope and unit stream power. We attribute this pattern to intense runoff and lack of canopy cover, which promoted erosion of PyC regardless of slope and landscape position. Results demonstrate that how wildfire-induced hydrogeomorphic changes can modulate the importance of terrain attributes in controlling the spatial distribution of PyC in upland landscapes. © 2021. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.6 month embargo; first published: 20 May 2021This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Onset of dune construction based on archaeological evidence, White Sands, New Mexico

The White Sands dune field is the largest gypsum dune system in the world, derived from deflation of paleo-Lake Otero deposits. Understanding the timing of initial dune construction, and therefore lake deflation, is critical for understanding regional landscape evolution, including the history of lake desiccation. The onset of dune construction is currently estimated at ~8000 to 6500 cal yr BP, but numerical age control is limited. Archaeological evidence reported here indicates two older phases of gypsum dune construction. An archaeological site draped over a parabolic dune south of the main dune body contains artifacts dating to >12,200 cal yr BP, providing an upper age limit for the landform. Another site buried within a remnant of the main dune field yielded six statistically identical radiocarbon dates averaging ~8770 cal yr BP. The initial phase of terminal Pleistocene deflation and parabolic dune construction was perhaps localized but correlates with a period of regional aridity. Barchans and crescentic ridges comprising the main dune body developed in the Early Holocene in response to elevated salinity in local ground water and extensive exposures of gypsum available for deflation, likely due to aridity. © 2023 University of Washington. Published by Cambridge University Press.Open access articleThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Development of a Pediatric Visual Field Test

Purpose: We describe a pediatric visual field (VF) test based on a computer game where software and hardware combine to provide an enjoyable test experience. Methods: The test software consists of a platform-based computer game presented to the central VF. A storyline was created around the game as was a structure surrounding the computer monitor to enhance patients' experience. The patient is asked to help the central character collect magic coins (stimuli). To collect these coins a series of obstacles need to be overcome. The test was presented on a Sony PVM-2541A monitor calibrated from a central midpoint with a Minolta CS-100 photometer placed at 50 cm. Measurements were performed at 15 locations on the screen and the contrast calculated. Retinal sensitivity was determined by modulating stimulus in size. To test the feasibility of the novel approach 20 patients (4-16 years old) with no history of VF defects were recruited. Results: For the 14 subjects completing the study, 31 6 15 data points were collected on 1 eye of each patient. Mean background luminance and stimulus contrast were 9.9 6 0.3 cd/m 2 and 27.9 6 0.1 dB, respectively. Sensitivity values obtained were similar to an adult population but variability was considerably higher -8.3 6 9.0 dB. Conclusions: Preliminary data show the feasibility of a game-based VF test for pediatric use. Although the test was well accepted by the target population, test variability remained very high. Translational Relevance: Traditional VF tests are not well tolerated by children. This study describes a child-friendly approach to test visual fields in the targeted population

Florid cemento-osseous dysplasia: review of an uncommon fibro-osseous lesion of the jaw with important clinical implications.

Florid cemento-osseous dysplasia (FCOD) is a rare, benign, multifocal fibro-osseous dysplastic process affecting tooth-bearing areas of the jaw, characterized by replacement of normal trabecular bone with osseous tissue and dense acellular cementum in a fibrous stroma. It is one clinicopathologic variant in a spectrum of related non-neoplastic fibro-osseous lesions known as cemento-osseous dysplasias (CODs), thought to arise from elements of the periodontal ligament. Diagnosis primarily relies upon radiographic and clinical findings; unnecessary biopsy should be avoided, as inoculation with oral pathogens may precipitate chronic infection in these hypovascular lesions. Appropriate management of uncomplicated FCOD consists of periodic radiographic follow-up. Accordingly, it is important that both radiologists and clinicians performing endodontic interventions possess familiarity with this entity in order to prevent misdiagnosis and inappropriate intervention, which may result in a protracted clinical course. Lesions are usually asymptomatic in the absence of infection, typically discovered on routine dental radiographs or imaging performed for unrelated indications. Radiographically, the condition typically manifests as widespread non-expansile intraosseous masses of varying internal lucency and sclerosis that surround the root apices of vital teeth or edentulous areas in the posterior jaw. While all CODs share similar microscopic features, FCOD is distinguished by its multifocal distribution, involving two or more quadrants of the maxilla and mandible, often in a bilateral symmetric fashion. The vast majority of cases are sporadic, though few exhibit an autosomal dominant familial inheritance pattern. In this pictorial review, we discuss the radiologic characteristics of this entity, pertinent clinical and histologic features, differential diagnoses, and management options