Modified protein expression in the tectorial membrane of the cochlea reveals roles for the striated sheet matrix

The tectorial membrane (TM) of the mammalian cochlea is a complex extracellular matrix which, in response to acoustic stimulation, displaces the hair bundles of outer hair cells (OHCs), thereby initiating sensory transduction and amplification. Here, using TM segments from the basal, high-frequency region of the cochleae of genetically modified mice (including models of human hereditary deafness) with missing or modified TM proteins, we demonstrate that frequency-dependent stiffening is associated with the striated sheet matrix (SSM). Frequency-dependent stiffening largely disappeared in all three TM mutations studied where the SSM was absent either entirely or at least from the stiffest part of the TM overlying the OHCs. In all three TM mutations, dissipation of energy is decreased at low (<8 kHz) and increased at high (>8 kHz) stimulus frequencies. The SSM is composed of polypeptides carrying fixed charges, and electrostatic interaction between them may account for frequency-dependent stiffness changes in the material properties of the TM. Through comparison with previous in vivo measurements, it is proposed that implementation of frequency-dependent stiffening of the TM in the OHC attachment region facilitates interaction among tones, backward transmission of energy, and amplification in the cochlea

Microstructure and dielectric function modelling by spectroscopic ellipsometry and energy electron loss spectroscopy of In₂O₃:Sn thin films

Indium tin oxide (ITO) is a semiconducting material combining high conductivity and high transparency in the visible range. It is the most widely used transparent conducting oxide in applications such as flat panel displays. In this work, ITO thin films were deposited by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) onto transparent glass substrates. The substrate temperature and oxygen pressure during deposition were controlled to generate a variety of microstructures and electro-optical properties. Similar film thicknesses were used to avoid any change of carrier concentration. The dielectric function and complex refractive index were derived using spectroscopic ellipsometry and electron energy loss spectroscopy

Competing Visions of America: An Evolving Identity or a Culture Under Attack?

This report highlights findings from the 2021 American Values Survey conducted by the Public Religion Research Institue (PRRI). The suvey asked participants of varying political leanings to describe their opionions on subjects ranging from Democracy to race and ethnicity to religion and many other aspects of American society in the 21st century

American Bubbles: Politics, Race, and Religion in Americans Core Friendship Networks

To better understand the composition of Americans' core friendship networks, PRRI designed a study to assess the scope and diversity of Americans' social relationships. The method of measuring Americans' core social networks was modeled after the General Social Survey and follows up on a study PRRI conducted in 2013. Respondents were asked to name people with whom they "discussed important matters" in the previous six months, regardless of the nature of the relationship or the frequency of interaction. This approach is designed to measure the ways in which individuals' choices and attitudes are influenced by their family and close friends

Effect of carbohydrate feeding on the bone metabolic response to running

Bone resorption is increased after running, with no change in bone formation. Feeding during exercise might attenuate this increase, preventing associated problems for bone. This study investigated the immediate and short-term bone metabolic responses to carbohydrate (CHO) feeding during treadmill running. Ten men completed two 7-day trials, once being fed CHO (8% glucose immediately before, every 20 min during, and immediately after exercise at a rate of 0.7 g CHO·kg body mass-1·h-1) and once being fed placebo (PBO). On day 4 of each trial, participants completed a 120-min treadmill run at 70% of maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max). Blood was taken at baseline (BASE), immediately after exercise (EE), after 60 (R1) and 120 (R2) min of recovery, and on three follow-up days (FU1-FU3). Markers of bone resorption [COOH-terminal telopeptide region of collagen type 1 (β-CTX)] and formation [NH2-terminal propeptides of procollagen type 1 (P1NP)] were measured, along with osteocalcin (OC), parathyroid hormone (PTH), albumin-adjusted calcium (ACa), phosphate, glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2), interleukin-6 (IL-6), insulin, cortisol, leptin, and osteoprotogerin (OPG). Area under the curve was calculated in terms of the immediate (BASE, EE, R1, and R2) and short-term (BASE, FU1, FU2, and FU3) responses to exercise. β-CTX, P1NP, and IL-6 responses to exercise were significantly lower in the immediate postexercise period with CHO feeding compared with PBO (β-CTX: P=0.028; P1NP: P=0.021; IL-6: P=0.036), although there was no difference in the short-term response (β-CTX: P=0.856; P1NP: P=0.721; IL-6: P=0.327). No other variable was significantly affected by CHO feeding during exercise. We conclude that CHO feeding during exercise attenuated the β-CTX and P1NP responses in the hours but not days following exercise, indicating an acute effect of CHO feeding on bone turnover

Conformal Field Theory Approach to the 2-Impurity Kondo Problem: Comparison with Numerical Renormalization Group Results

Numerical renormalization group and conformal field theory work indicate that the two impurity Kondo Hamiltonian has a non-Fermi liquid critical point separating the Kondo-screening phase from the inter-impurity singlet phase when particle-hole (P-H) symmetry is maintained. We clarify the circumstances under which this critical point occurs, pointing out that there are two types of P-H symmetry. Only one of them guarantees the occurance of the critical point. Much of the previous numerical work was done on models with the other type of P-H symmetry. We analyse this critical point using the boundary conformal field theory technique. The finite-size spectrum is presented in detail and compared with about 50 energy levels obtained using the numerical renormalization group. Various Green's functions, general renormalization group behaviour, and a hidden $SO(7)$ are analysed.Comment: 38 pages, RevTex. 2 new sections clarify the circumstances under which a model will exhibit the non-trivial critical point (hence potentially resolving disagreements with other Authors) and explain the hidden SO(7) symmetry of the model, relating it to an alternative approach of Sire et al. and Ga

Spatial distribution of fibropapillomatosis in green turtles along the Queensland coast and an investigation into the influence of water quality on prevalence

Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a tumor-forming disease which affects all species of marine turtle, but predominantly the green turtle (Chelonia mydas). Expression of this disease is thought to be precipitated by poor environmental conditions and often linked to anthropogenically induced environmental changes. Although FP is a globally distributed disease, targeted studies on the spatial distribution of the disease in Australia are limited. Here, we present the first comprehensive report of FP prevalence in Queensland, Australia. A retrospective analysis of 25,645 capture records for 15 sites along the Queensland coast were used to determine FP prevalence and trends in foraging green turtles. Within this data set, 791 turtles (3.1%) with FP tumors were recorded. Our analysis showed that prevalence varies between sites and years, with juvenile turtles being the most frequently affected by the disease. We found that survey method has a significant influence on the apparent FP prevalence detected at each site. That is, surveys which were explicitly FP-targeted detected higher numbers of individual turtles with FP, and therefore generated higher prevalence rates than comprehensive population surveys. We also report the first attempt at developing water quality indices (WQIs) to compare with FP prevalence data in foraging green turtles. The WQIs were built from metrics published in a range of peer-reviewed papers, reports, and based on expert opinion. Despite utilizing an extensive data set, a relationship between FP prevalence and WQI rankings at each site could not be quantified. The analysis was confounded by a range of limitations, including data gaps, varying temporal scales and data capture methods in the FP prevalence, and water quality data sets. This study has significant implications for management as it highlights the benefits of designing and collecting centralized data that can be integrated and used across multiple projects or programs

Impurity correlations in dilute Kondo alloys

The single impurity Kondo model is often used to describe metals with dilute concentrations (n_i) of magnetic impurities. Here we examine how dilute the impurities must be for this to be valid by developing a virial expansion in impurity density. The O(n_i^2) term is determined from results on the 2-impurity Kondo problem by averaging over the RKKY coupling. The non-trivial fixed point of the 2-impurity problem could produce novel singularities in the heat capacity of dilute alloys at O(n_i^2).Comment: 6 pages, no figure

Multidirectional In Vivo Characterization of Skin Using Wiener Nonlinear Stochastic System Identification Techniques

A triaxial force-sensitive microrobot was developed to dynamically perturb skin in multiple deformation modes, in vivo. Wiener static nonlinear identification was used to extract the linear dynamics and static nonlinearity of the force–displacement behavior of skin. Stochastic input forces were applied to the volar forearm and thenar eminence of the hand, producing probe tip perturbations in indentation and tangential extension. Wiener static nonlinear approaches reproduced the resulting displacements with variances accounted for (VAF) ranging 94–97%, indicating a good fit to the data. These approaches provided VAF improvements of 0.1–3.4% over linear models. Thenar eminence stiffness measures were approximately twice those measured on the forearm. Damping was shown to be significantly higher on the palm, whereas the perturbed mass typically was lower. Coefficients of variation (CVs) for nonlinear parameters were assessed within and across individuals. Individual CVs ranged from 2% to 11% for indentation and from 2% to 19% for extension. Stochastic perturbations with incrementally increasing mean amplitudes were applied to the same test areas. Differences between full-scale and incremental reduced-scale perturbations were investigated. Different incremental preloading schemes were investigated. However, no significant difference in parameters was found between different incremental preloading schemes. Incremental schemes provided depth-dependent estimates of stiffness and damping, ranging from 300 N/m and 2 Ns/m, respectively, at the surface to 5 kN/m and 50 Ns/m at greater depths. The device and techniques used in this research have potential applications in areas, such as evaluating skincare products, assessing skin hydration, or analyzing wound healing.Foundation for Research, Science & Technology (N.Z.) (Grants UOA21647.001 and NERF 9077/3608892)Tertiary Education Commission of New Zealand (Medical Technologies Centre of Research Excellence (MedTech CoRE)

Climate prediction of El Niño malaria epidemics in north-west Tanzania

Malaria is a significant public health problem in Tanzania. Approximately 16 million malaria cases are reported every year and 100,000 to 125,000 deaths occur. Although most of Tanzania is endemic to malaria, epidemics occur in the highlands, notably in Kagera, a region that was subject to widespread malaria epidemics in 1997 and 1998. This study examined the relationship between climate and malaria incidence in Kagera with the aim of determining whether seasonal forecasts may assist in predicting malaria epidemics. A regression analysis was performed on retrospective malaria and climatic data during each of the two annual malaria seasons to determine the climatic factors influencing malaria incidence. The ability of the DEMETER seasonal forecasting system in predicting the climatic anomalies associated with malaria epidemics was then assessed for each malaria season. It was found that malaria incidence is positively correlated with rainfall during the first season (Oct-Mar) (R-squared = 0.73, p < 0.01). For the second season (Apr-Sep), high malaria incidence was associated with increased rainfall, but also with high maximum temperature during the first rainy season (multiple R-squared = 0.79, p < 0.01). The robustness of these statistical models was tested by excluding the two epidemic years from the regression analysis. DEMETER would have been unable to predict the heavy El Niño rains associated with the 1998 epidemic. Nevertheless, this epidemic could still have been predicted using the temperature forecasts alone. The 1997 epidemic could have been predicted from observed temperatures in the preceding season, but the consideration of the rainfall forecasts would have improved the temperature-only forecasts over the remaining years. These results demonstrate the potential of a seasonal forecasting system in the development of a malaria early warning system in Kagera region