921 research outputs found
Testing the relationship between lateralization on sequence-based motor tasks and language laterality using an online battery
Studies have highlighted an association between motor laterality and speech production laterality. It is thought that common demands for sequential processing may underlie this association. However, most studies in this area have relied on relatively small samples and have infrequently explored the reliability of the tools used to assess lateralization. We, therefore, established the validity and reliability of an online battery measuring sequence-based motor laterality and language laterality before exploring the associations between laterality indices on language and motor tasks. The online battery was completed by 621 participants, 52 of whom returned to complete the battery a second time. The three motor tasks included in the battery showed good between-session reliability (r ≥ .78) and were lateralized in concordance with hand preference. The novel measure of speech production laterality was left lateralized at population level as predicted, but reliability was less satisfactory (r = .62). We found no evidence of an association between sequence-based motor laterality and language laterality. Those with a left-hand preference were more strongly lateralized on motor tasks requiring midline crossing; this effect was not observed in right-handers. We conclude that there is little evidence of the co-lateralization of language and sequence-based motor skill on this battery
The role of orthographic neighbourhood effects in lateralized lexical decision: a replication study and meta-analysis
The effect of orthographic neighbourhood size (N) on lexical decision reaction time differs when words are presented in the left or right visual fields. Evidence suggests a facilitatory N effect (i.e., faster reaction times for words with larger neighbourhoods) in the left visual field. However, the N effect in the right visual field remains controversial: it may have a weaker facilitative role or it may even be inhibitory. In a pre-registered online experiment, we replicated the interaction between N and visual field and provided support for an inhibitory N effect in the right visual field. We subsequently conducted a pre-registered systematic review and meta-analysis to synthesise the available evidence and determine the direction of N effects across visual fields. Based on the evidence, it would seem the effect is inhibitory in the right visual field. Furthermore, the size of the N effect is considerably smaller in the right visual field. Both studies revealed considerable heterogeneity between participants and studies, and we consider the implications of this for future work
DHODH modulates transcriptional elongation in the neural crest and melanoma
Melanoma is a tumour of transformed melanocytes, which are originally derived from the embryonic neural crest. It is unknown to what extent the programs that regulate neural crest development interact with mutations in the BRAF oncogene, which is the most commonly mutated gene in human melanoma1. We have used zebrafish embryos to identify the initiating transcriptional events that occur on activation of human BRAF(V600E) (which encodes an amino acid substitution mutant of BRAF) in the neural crest lineage. Zebrafish embryos that are transgenic for mitfa:BRAF(V600E) and lack p53 (also known as tp53) have a gene signature that is enriched for markers of multipotent neural crest cells, and neural crest progenitors from these embryos fail to terminally differentiate. To determine whether these early transcriptional events are important for melanoma pathogenesis, we performed a chemical genetic screen to identify small-molecule suppressors of the neural crest lineage, which were then tested for their effects on melanoma. One class of compound, inhibitors of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), for example leflunomide, led to an almost complete abrogation of neural crest development in zebrafish and to a reduction in the self-renewal of mammalian neural crest stem cells. Leflunomide exerts these effects by inhibiting the transcriptional elongation of genes that are required for neural crest development and melanoma growth. When used alone or in combination with a specific inhibitor of the BRAF(V600E) oncogene, DHODH inhibition led to a marked decrease in melanoma growth both in vitro and in mouse xenograft studies. Taken together, these studies highlight developmental pathways in neural crest cells that have a direct bearing on melanoma formation
The immunologic effect of early intravenous two and four gram bolus dosing of tranexamic acid compared to placebo in patients with severe traumatic bleeding (TAMPITI): A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-center trial
Background: The hemostatic properties of tranexamic acid (TXA) are well described, but the immunological effects of TXA administration after traumatic injury have not been thoroughly examined. We hypothesized TXA would reduce monocyte activation in bleeding trauma patients with severe injury.
Methods: This was a single center, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing placebo to a 2 g or 4 g intravenous TXA bolus dose in trauma patients with severe injury. Fifty patients were randomized into each study group. The primary outcome was a reduction in monocyte activation as measured by human leukocyte antigen-DR isotype (HLA-DR) expression on monocytes 72 h after TXA administration. Secondary outcomes included kinetic assessment of immune and hemostatic phenotypes within the 72 h window post-TXA administration.
Results: The trial occurred between March 2016 and September 2017, when data collection ended. 149 patients were analyzed (placebo,
Conclusion: In trauma patients with severe injury, 4 g intravenous bolus dosing of TXA has minimal immunomodulatory effects with respect to leukocyte phenotypes and circulating cytokine levels.
Clinical Trial Registration: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT02535949
Exploring Gusev Crater with spirit: Review of science objectives and testable hypotheses
Gusev Crater was selected as the landing site for the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Spirit mission. Located at the outlet of Ma'adim Vallis and 250 km south of the volcano Apollinaris Patera, Gusev is an outstanding site to achieve the goals of the MER mission. The crater could have collected sediments from a variety of sources during its 3.9 Ga history, including fluvial, lacustrine, volcanic, glacial, impact, regional and local aeolian, and global air falls. It is a unique site to investigate the past history of water on Mars, climate and geological changes, and the potential habitability of the planet, which are central science objectives of the MER mission. Because of its complex history and potential diversity, Gusev will allow the testing of a large spectrum of hypotheses with the complete suite of MER instruments. Evidence consistent with long-lived lake episodes exist in the landing ellipse area. They might offer a unique opportunity to study, for the first time, Martian aqueous sediments and minerals formed in situ in their geological context. We review the geological history and diversity of the landing site, the science hypotheses that can be tested during the MER mission, and the relevance of Gusev to the MER mission objectives and payload
The Artist in the Library
Through the course of this paper I seek to intertwine a story of my own creative relationship with libraries with accounts of artists’ work, including the work of my students. My goal is to articulate the ways in which artists work with, in, and on libraries and in doing this to define features of a library aesthetic. It is impossible, writing in London in 2016, to ignore the dire context for UK public libraries. Reductions in local government funding have resulted in widespread disregard by local authorities to their responsibilities under the 1964 Public Libraries and Museums Act – their statutory duty to provide a ‘comprehensive and efficient library service for all persons to make use thereof’. (Culture, Media and Sport Committee 2012, online) Cuts to library services continue apace [{note}]1. Writers, poets, artists and authors add their pleas to the protests against closures [{note}]2, but go largely unheeded. The idea of defining a library aesthetic might seem futile in the face of this austerity drive, but through my analysis of such an aesthetic, I hope to explore the potential of artworks to highlight and extend our understanding of its possibilities
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Large-scale ozone and aerosol distributions, air mass characteristics, and ozone fluxes over the western Pacific Ocean in late winter/early spring
Large‐scale measurements of ozone (O3) and aerosol distributions were made from the NASA DC‐8 aircraft during the Transport and Chemical Evolution over the Pacific (TRACE‐P) field experiment conducted in February–April 2001. Remote measurements were made with an airborne lidar to provide O3 and multiple‐wavelength aerosol backscatter profiles from near the surface to above the tropopause along the flight track. In situ measurements of O3, aerosols, and a wide range of trace gases were made onboard the DC‐8. Five‐day backward trajectories were used in conjunction with the O3 and aerosol distributions on each flight to indicate the possible origin of observed air masses, such as from biomass burning regions, continental pollution, desert regions, and oceanic regions. Average latitudinal O3 and aerosol scattering ratio distributions were derived from all flights west of 150°E, and these distributions showed the average latitude and altitude dependence of different dynamical and chemical processes in determining the atmospheric composition over the western Pacific. TRACE‐P (TP) showed an increase in the average latitudinal distributions of both O3 and aerosols compared to PEM‐West B (PWB), which was conducted in February–March 1994. O3, aerosol, and potential vorticity levels were used to identify nine air mass types and quantify their frequency of occurrence as a function of altitude. This paper discusses the characteristics of the different air mass types encountered during TP and compares them to PWB. These results confirmed that most of the O3 increase in TP was due to photochemistry. The average latitudinal eastward O3 flux in the western Pacific during TP was found to peak near 32°N with a total average O3 flux between 14 and 46°N of 5.2 Tg/day. The eastward total CO flux was calculated to be 2.2 Tg‐C/day with ∼6% estimated from Asia. The Asian flux of CO2 and CH4 was estimated at 4.9 and 0.06 Tg‐C/day
The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment: Exploring Fundamental Symmetries of the Universe
The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early Universe, the
dynamics of the supernova bursts that produced the heavy elements necessary for
life and whether protons eventually decay --- these mysteries at the forefront
of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early
evolution of our Universe, its current state and its eventual fate. The
Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) represents an extensively developed
plan for a world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions. LBNE
is conceived around three central components: (1) a new, high-intensity
neutrino source generated from a megawatt-class proton accelerator at Fermi
National Accelerator Laboratory, (2) a near neutrino detector just downstream
of the source, and (3) a massive liquid argon time-projection chamber deployed
as a far detector deep underground at the Sanford Underground Research
Facility. This facility, located at the site of the former Homestake Mine in
Lead, South Dakota, is approximately 1,300 km from the neutrino source at
Fermilab -- a distance (baseline) that delivers optimal sensitivity to neutrino
charge-parity symmetry violation and mass ordering effects. This ambitious yet
cost-effective design incorporates scalability and flexibility and can
accommodate a variety of upgrades and contributions. With its exceptional
combination of experimental configuration, technical capabilities, and
potential for transformative discoveries, LBNE promises to be a vital facility
for the field of particle physics worldwide, providing physicists from around
the globe with opportunities to collaborate in a twenty to thirty year program
of exciting science. In this document we provide a comprehensive overview of
LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics
worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will
possess.Comment: Major update of previous version. This is the reference document for
LBNE science program and current status. Chapters 1, 3, and 9 provide a
comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the
landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate
and the capabilities it will possess. 288 pages, 116 figure
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1974
History of Golf (1) The Nine Toughest Holes in the World (2) Stockie Madness (3) Bartender, One More Round for Pythium (3) Panel: 1973 Turf Problems in Review - 1974 Possible Remedies (A1-A12) Movement of Water to a Holding Pond (A13) Maintenance of Low Budget, Short Season Golf Courses (A16) Turfgrass Fertilization (A18) Determining Turfgrass Fertilizer Needs (A25) Shortage of Plant Food and How to Adjust to Supply and Cost (A29) Panel: Tricalcium Arsenate - Use and Abuse (A33-A46) Operating and Maintaining Municipal Golf Courses (A48) Maintenance of a High Budget Golf Course (A51) Trends in Agricultural Education and Where Are the Emphases (A58) Maintenance of Municipal Parks and Recreation Areas (A60) Maintenance of Grass Tennis Courts (A63) Transition from Natural to Artificial Turf (A67) Plant materials for Outlying Areas (A71) Care of University Grounds (A76) Maintenance of Industrial Sites (A79) Turfgrass Diseases and Systemic Fungicides (A81) A Look at the Future (A 84) Watering of Golf Course Turf (A92
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