An Unusual Late Aboriginal Assemblage from the Wilson Site (41SS186), San Saba County, Central Texas

The late aboriginal component in the Wilson Site in San Saba County is unusual in that most of the assemblage is consistent with that of Classic Toyah, but the diagnostic projectile point is an unnotched triangular arrow point instead of the typical Perdiz point. The absence of Perdiz points suggests that this component is associated with non-Toyah people and possibly dates to after 1700. Archaeological testing by the Llano Uplift Archeological Society (LUAS) to find supporting evidence for a historic date identified an Austin phase shell midden and a “Late Component” composed of triangular arrow points, end scrapers, a beveled biface and bone-tempered sherds, but no items of European manufacture. Complicating matters, the luminescence dating on a ceramic sample opens the possibility that the Late Component predates the currently accepted beginning of the Toyah phase

Frequency invariant beamforming for two-dimensional and three-dimensional arrays

A novel method for the design of two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D)arrays with frequency invariant beam patterns is proposed. By suitable substitu- tions, the beam pattern of a 2-D or 3-D arrays can be regarded as the 3-D or 4-D Fourier transform of its spatial and temporal parameters. Since frequency invariance can be easily imposed in the Fourier domain, a simple design method is derived. Design examples for the 2-D case are provided

Di-tert-butyl (2R,3R)-2-{[(2E)-3-(4-acet­yloxy-3-meth­oxy­phen­yl)prop-2-eno­yl]­oxy}-3-hy­droxy­butane­dioate

In the title mol­ecule, C24H32O10, one tert-butyl ester group is folded towards the central benzene ring while the other is directed away. The acetyl group is almost perpendicular to the benzene ring to which it is connected [C—C—O—C torsion angle = 90.4 (12)°]. The conformation about the ethene bond [1.313 (7) Å] is E. The atoms of the benzene ring and its attached ester group and part of the hy­droxy tert-butyl ester side chain are disordered over two sets of sites in a 50:50 ratio. Linear supra­molecular chains along the a axis mediated by hy­droxy–carbonyl O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds feature in the crystal packing. The same H atom also partakes in an intra­molecular O—H⋯O inter­action

Single-Phase Rare-Earth Oxide/Aluminum Oxide Glasses

Glasses that comprise rare-earth oxides and aluminum oxide plus, optionally, lesser amounts of other oxides, have been invented. The other oxide(s) can include SiO2, B2O3, GeO2, and/or any of a variety of glass-forming oxides that have been used heretofore in making a variety of common and specialty glasses. The glasses of the invention can be manufactured in bulk single-phase forms to ensure near uniformity in optical and mechanical characteristics, as needed for such devices as optical amplifiers, lasers, and optical waveguides (including optical fibers). These glasses can also be formulated to have high indices of refraction, as needed in some of such devices

Linkage Analysis of Plasma ApoE in Three Ethnic Groups: Multiple Genes with Context-Dependent Effects

We performed variance component-based linkage analysis in four samples (two of non-Hispanic European-Americans from Rochester, MN; African-Americans from Jackson, MS; and Mexican-Americans from Starr County, TX) to identify chromosomal regions containing genes influencing plasma apolipoprotein E (apoE) levels. The APOE gene region on chromosome (chr) 19 was identified with a LOD ≥ 2.00 in both samples from Rochester and the sample from Jackson. Adjustment of apoE levels for differences among means of genotypes defined by the APOE ε2/3/4 alleles reduced evidence of linkage, indicating that the APOE gene was responsible for the majority of the linkage signal. In stratified linkage analyses, there was a LOD of 1.70 in the Starr County sibships with average total cholesterol (TC) above the median level for all sibships in that population. Adjustment for APOE genotype did not remove this LOD score, suggesting a second gene in this region may influence apoE variation. Evidence of linkage ( LOD = 3.32) on chr 17 was observed in the Starr County sibships with average TC below the median. Inter-individual variation in plasma apoE level may be influenced by variations in the structural gene, and at least one other gene whose effects differ among populations and are dependent on the influence of unmeasured genetic and environmental factors indexed by correlated measures of lipid metabolism.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66071/1/j.1469-1809.2004.00148.x.pd

1,4-Di-tert-butyl (2R,3R)-2-({(2E)-3-[4-(acet­yloxy)phen­yl]prop-2-eno­yl}­oxy)-3-hy­droxy­butane­dioate

The title compound, C23H30O9, has an approximate T-shape with the tert-butyl ester groups lying either side of the benzene ring. The acetyl group is almost perpendicular to the benzene ring to which it is connected [C—C—O—C torsion angle = −106.7 (3)°]. The conformation about the C=C double bond [1.331 (4) Å] is E. Linear supra­molecular chains along the a axis mediated by hy­droxy–carbonyl O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds feature in the crystal packing. The same H atom is also involved in an intra­molecular O—H⋯O inter­action

Aggregate blood pressure responses to serial dietary sodium and potassium intervention: Defining responses using independent component analysis

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is a complex trait that often co-occurs with other conditions such as obesity and is affected by genetic and environmental factors. Aggregate indices such as principal components among these variables and their responses to environmental interventions may represent novel information that is potentially useful for genetic studies. RESULTS: In this study of families participating in the Genetic Epidemiology Network of Salt Sensitivity (GenSalt) Study, blood pressure (BP) responses to dietary sodium interventions are explored. Independent component analysis (ICA) was applied to 20 variables indexing obesity and BP measured at baseline and during low sodium, high sodium and high sodium plus potassium dietary intervention periods. A “heat map” protocol that classifies subjects based on risk for hypertension is used to interpret the extracted components. ICA and heat map suggest four components best describe the data: (1) systolic hypertension, (2) general hypertension, (3) response to sodium intervention and (4) obesity. The largest heritabilities are for the systolic (64 %) and general hypertension (56 %) components. There is a pattern of higher heritability for the component response to intervention (40–42 %) as compared to those for the traditional intervention responses computed as delta scores (24 %–40 %). CONCLUSIONS: In summary, the present study provides intermediate phenotypes that are heritable. Using these derived components may prove useful in gene discovery applications. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12863-015-0226-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Effects of Lead Exposure on Birds Breeding in the Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District

Lead mining in the Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District began in the 1700s and continued for nearly 300 years; the waste piles associated with smelting, mining, and milling of lead ores have released metal residues that have contaminated soil and water in the region. Previous studies in the district have indicated potential harm to wildlife, including birds, because of elevated lead concentrations associated with mining. Exposure to soil-borne lead was correlated with elevated lead concentrations in tissues, inhibition of δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (δALAD), and renal lesions in birds foraging on ground-dwelling invertebrates at contaminated sites (compared to reference sites) in the Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District. This study assessed reproductive outcomes for songbirds exposed to soil-borne lead in the district, examined the relation between lead concentrations in soils and in tissues of ground-feeding birds and prey species, and compared the results to literature-based toxicity thresholds for lead that are associated with negative effects in birds. Three lead-contaminated sites and three reference sites (with background concentrations of lead and no known mining in- puts) were compared in two ways: individually to all other sites or by site type. Additional effects of lead exposure were evaluated by examining concentrations of biomarkers (oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, and deoxyribonucleic acid damage) in liver tissues, δALAD inhibition, and renal and hepatic microscopic lesions in birds from lead-contaminated and reference sites. Lead concentrations in soil were site-dependent and were also generally heterogeneous within the lead-contaminated sites. Between 17 and 74 percent of all soil samples at contaminated sites had lead concentrations that exceeded a threshold (1,000 milligrams per kilogram [mg/kg] lead in soil) previously associated with adverse physiological effects in birds in the Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District. Lead concentrations in mixed invertebrates from lead-contaminated sites (282 to 2,230 mg/kg dry weight [dw]) indicated that consuming soil-dwelling prey species is a potential exposure pathway for adult birds and their broods. At lead-contaminated sites, lead concentrations in 40.5 percent of blood samples (adults and their broods) were within a subclinical effects range (0.9 to 2.3 mg/kg dw), and 18.7 percent of samples had lead concentrations that exceeded clinical effects criteria (greater than 2.3 mg/kg dw). In contrast, only 2.6 percent of blood samples from reference sites were within the subclinical effects range for lead; all other blood samples from the reference sites had lead concentrations representative of background concentrations (less than 0.9 mg/kg dw). Subclinical and clinical threshold exceedances for lead concentrations in livers and kidneys were similarly more prevalent at the contaminated sites compared to the reference sites. Lead concentrations in blood were positively correlated with lead concentrations in soil, livers, and kidneys. Lead concentrations in blood were negatively correlated with δALAD activity; greater than 50 percent of the birds collected at lead-contaminated sites exhibited injury via greater than 50 percent inhibition of δALAD in blood compared to birds at reference sites. Birds with elevated lead concentrations in tissues also exhibited enhanced oxidative stress. Microscopic lesions in the livers and kidneys of birds had similar rates of occurrence at the contaminated and reference sites, and lesion prevalence could not be directly linked to lead exposure. Reproductive success was monitored at 585 nests, and 3 out of 5 species had reduced nest success associated with elevated lead concentrations in soil; habitat measures did not help explain nest success. Reduced nest success may have resulted from greater nest predation resulting from neurological and behavioral effects of lead exposure. Ultimately, these lines of evidence indicate that bird health and reproduction have been negatively affected by exposure to lead-contaminated soils in the Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District