Changing atmospheric Δ^(14)C and the record of deep water paleoventilation ages

We propose a new calculation method to better estimate the deep water ventilation age from benthic-planktonic foraminifera ^(14)C ages. Our study is motivated by the fact that changes in atmospheric Δ^(14)C through time can cause contemporary benthic and planktonic foraminifera to have different initial Δ^(14)C values. This effect can cause spurious ventilation age changes to be interpreted from the geologic data. Using a new calculation method, ^(14)C projection ages, we recalculate the data from the Pacific Ocean. Contrary to previous results, we find that the Pacific intermediate and deep waters were about 600 years older than today at the last glacial maximum. In addition, there are possible signals of ventilation age change prior to ice sheet melting and at the Younger Dryas. However, the data are still too sparse to constrain these ventilation transients

A novel handheld robotic-assisted system for unicompartmental knee arthroplasty: surgical technique and early survivorship.

Technology, including robotics, has been developed for use in unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) to improve accuracy and precision of bone preparation, implant positioning, and soft tissue balance. The NAVIO™ System (Smith and Nephew, Pittsburgh, PA, United States) is a handheld robotic system that assists surgeons in planning implant positioning based on an individual patient\u27s anatomy and then preparing the bone surface to accurately achieve the plan. The surgical technique is presented herein. In addition, initial results are presented for 128 patients (mean age 64.7 years; 57.8% male) undergoing UKA with NAVIO. After a mean of follow-up period of 2.3 years, overall survivorship of the knee implant was 99.2% (95% confidence interval 94.6-99.9%). There was one revision encountered during the study, which was due to persistent soft tissue pain, without evidence of loosening, subsidence, malposition or infection. These initial results suggest a greater survivorship than achieved in the same follow-up time intervals in national registries and cohort studies, though further follow-up is needed to confirm whether this difference is maintained at longer durations

The Effects of Dietary Protein at Breakfast and Across the Day on Appetite Control & Satiety, Food Intake, and Sleep Quality

The movement to adopt healthful lifestyle practices to reduce the prevalence of obesity and associated chronic diseases has garnered global interest [1]. As such, the desire to consume more protein-rich foods is a commonly used strategy due to the documented improvements in weight management observed with higher-protein (HP) diets, ranging from 1.2-1.6 g protein•kg body weight-1•d-1[2-6]. One postulated mechanism through which HP diets elicit greater weight (and fat) losses includes the improvements in ingestive behavior which appear to be mediated by a number of satiety-stimulating, physiological and/or hedonic pathways, and lead to reductions in daily food intake [3]. The main objectives of this dissertation were to: 1) Test whether the consumption of higher-protein (HP) compared with normal-protein (NP) meals consumed at each eating occasion reduces free-living, daily carbohydrate and fat intakes in overweight women during energy balance conditions and whether the distribution of protein consumed throughout the day affects food intake outcomes. 2) Test whether the consumption of a HP energy-restriction diet reduces carbohydrate and fat intakes through improvements in daily appetite, satiety, and food cravings compared with NP versions and to test whether protein type within the NP diets alters protein-related satiety. 3) Test whether the consumption of breakfast vs. breakfast skipping improves subjective and hormonal markers of appetite, satiety, and sleep in combination with ad libitum food intake in young adults prone to subclinical sleep disturbances. This dissertation is organized into chapters which consist of published manuscripts or manuscripts formatted for submission to peer-reviewed journals. Details pertaining to the status of each manuscript are included at the beginning of each chapter. Chapter 2 includes a comprehensive review of the intervention-based evidence surrounding the consumption of breakfast vs. breakfast skipping with specific emphasis on appetite control and satiety, energy expenditure, and sleep and circadian health. Chapter 3 includes a randomized cross-over trial which examines the effects of increased dietary protein intake across the day on free-living ad libitum food intake in overweight women during weight maintenance conditions. As a secondary outcome, the effects of protein distribution across the day were tested. Chapter 4 includes a randomized cross-over trial which examines the effects of consuming a HP energy-restriction diet vs. NP energy-restriction diet on appetite control, food cravings, and free-living ad libitum food intake in overweight women. Secondary assessments examining whether protein type within the NP diets alters protein-related satiety were also included. Chapter 5 includes a randomized cross-over trial examines whether breakfast consumption compared to breakfast skipping improves subjective and hormonal markers of appetite, satiety, and sleep in young adults. Finally, Chapter 6 summarizes the main dissertation findings and presents future directions for research. Collectively, the findings from this dissertation demonstrated the following: 1) Providing 30 g protein/meal at each eating occasion throughout the day did not influence free-living, daily intake of highly palatable, carbohydrate and fat-rich foods in overweight women; 2) While appetite control, satiety, and food cravings were improved following a higher-protein, energy-restriction diet, increased protein consumption did not reduce free-living carbohydrate and fat intake throughout the free-living test day in overweight, healthy women exposed to highly palatable foods; and 3) the daily consumption of breakfast improved appetite control and diet quality, through reductions in unhealthy evening snacking, and may support improvements in some aspects of sleep health in healthy young professionals. These findings provide evidence which suggests that the inclusion of increased dietary protein at breakfast and across the day are dietary strategies for improving some aspects of appetite control. Notably, not all findings demonstrated consistent support of appetite control. Thus, this work highlights that the effectiveness of including dietary protein to support appetite control and improved eating behavior as contributing factors underlying weight management is contingent upon various physiological and behavioral circumstances. The movement to adopt healthful lifestyle practices to reduce the prevalence of obesity and associated chronic diseases has garnered global interest [1]. As such, the desire to consume more protein-rich foods is a commonly used strategydue to the documented improvements in weight management observed with higher-protein (HP) diets, rangingfrom 1.2-1.6 gprotein•kg body weight-1•d-1[2-6]. One postulated mechanism through which HP diets elicit greater weight (and fat) losses includes the improvements in ingestive behavior which appear to be mediated by a number of satiety-stimulating, physiological and/or hedonic pathways, and lead to reductions in dailyfood intake [3].The main objectives of this dissertation were to: 1) Test whether the consumption of higher-protein (HP) compared with normal-protein (NP) meals consumed at each eating occasion reduces free-living, daily carbohydrate and fat intakes in overweight women during energy balance conditions and whether the distribution of protein consumed throughout the day affects food intake outcomes. 2) Test whether the consumption of a HP energy-restriction diet reduces carbohydrate and fat intakes through improvements in daily appetite, satiety, and food cravings compared with NP versions and to test whether protein type within the NP diets alters protein-related satiety. 3) Test whether the consumption ofbreakfast vs. breakfast skippingimproves subjective and hormonal markers of appetite, satiety, and sleep in combination with ad libitum food intake in young adults prone to subclinical sleep disturbances.This dissertation is organized into chapters which consist of published manuscripts or manuscripts formattedfor submission to peer-reviewedjournals. Details pertainingto the status of each manuscript are included atthe beginning of each chapter. Chapter 2includes a comprehensive review of the intervention-based evidence surroundingthe consumption of breakfast vs. breakfast skipping with specific emphasis on appetite control and satiety, energ

Assessing the Dimensions of Teacher Attitudes Toward Inclusion: The Development of the TATIS-p

A poster describing the development of the Teacher Attitudes Toward Inclusion Survey (TATIS-p)

Landslide Stabilization Along The Ohio River Using Cantilevered Stub Piers

Landslide activity along U.S. 50 in Cincinnati, Ohio has caused roadway damage for decades. After a necessary closure of 3 lanes due to slope movements, emergency stabilization measures were undertaken to protect the roadway by providing a “pseudo” short-term solution (target 3 to 5 years) necessitated by ODOT budget constraints. The landslide shear plane was near the top of a sloping bedrock surface as much as 50 feet below grade. “Stub Piers” were installed 40 feet downslope of the roadway shoulder. The shafts were heavily reinforced across the deep shear plane but steel reinforcing did not extend the full length of the shafts and was stopped well short of the ground surface. The goal was to provide shear resistance across the failure plane, forcing the theoretical failure surface higher into the overburden soil profile, resulting in a comparatively higher safety factor against slope failure. These “Stub Piers” were installed and found to meet all of the project goals. The stub piers and surrounding ground were instrumented and analyses of collected data to date showed earth pressures and horizontal deflections were over-predicted in the original design. Instrumentation by means of inclinometers, vibrating wire earth pressure cells, and strain gages has been monitored over a period of several years since construction of the Stub Piers and results indicate this option offers an attractive alternative to conventional drilled piers or tiedback drilled pier solutions

Accumulation and Expression of Multiple Antibiotic Resistance Genes in \u3ci\u3eArcobacter Cryaerophilus\u3c/i\u3e that Thrives in Sewage

We explored the bacterial diversity of untreated sewage influent samples of a wastewater treatment plant in Tucson, AZ and discovered that Arcobacter cryaerophilus, an emerging human pathogen of animal origin, was the most dominant bacterium. The other highly prevalent bacteria were members of the phyla Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes, which are major constituents of human gut microbiome, indicating that bacteria of human and animal origin intermingle in sewage. By assembling a near-complete genome of A. cryaerophilus, we show that the bacterium has accumulated a large number of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) probably enabling it to thrive in the wastewater. We also determined that a majority of ARGs was being expressed in sewage, suggestive of trace levels of antibiotics or other stresses that could act as a selective force that amplifies multidrug resistant bacteria in municipal sewage. Because all bacteria are not eliminated even after several rounds of wastewater treatment, ARGs in sewage could affect public health due to their potential to contaminate environmental water

Ikaite pseudomorphs in Neoproterozoic Dalradian slates record Earth’s coldest metamorphism

Calcite pseudomorphs have replaced euhedral ikaite (CaCO3.6H2O)porphyroblasts in Dalradian calcareous slates and metadolostones of western Scotland, with a volume decrease of at least 47%. Porphyroblast-fabric relationships indicate that the initial growth of ikaite post-dates a penetrative tectonic fabric developed during upright folding. This is the first reported occurrence of metamorphic ikaite porphyroblasts and points towards growth within the slates during an ultra-low temperature metamorphism with an exceptionally low geothermal gradient. This event is associated with the penetration of long-lived and extreme permafrost deep into sub aerially exposed bedrock during Neoproterozoic glaciation. The presence of the well preserved pseudomorphs within the Easdale slates of the Argyll group implies that a Neoproterozoic orogenic unconformity exists above the stratigraphic position of theserocks