Bittersweet Recollection: An Ecological Study of Nostalgia

Nostalgia has recently grown as a popular subject of study. Much of the research on it, however, has not been conducted in a naturalistic way. The current experiments use a diary study to analyze aspects of nostalgia in a natural setting, including its emotional timeline and self-relevance. Results found that nostalgia can behave like an involuntary memory and indeed has an emotional curve. Results support previous research showing that nostalgia is most often positive and most often involves missing others. Some results also suggest that nostalgia may be relevant to one’s self-identity. Success of this diary study model illustrates that similar tasks can be used to study many more aspects of nostalgic experiences

CAN NOSTALGIA DEFEND AGAINST STEREOTYPE THREAT?

Stereotype threat causes individuals to perform worse on tasks when they are made aware of a task-relevant negative stereotype for a group to which they belong. Prior research has demonstrated that this effect has been alleviated by using a number of methods including changing test context or bolstering the stereotyped group. One method of bolstering the threatened group is through a self-affirmation of preferred character traits. Nostalgia is a sentimental longing for the past, which has been shown to provide many benefits to an individual, both personally and socially. Research has shown that when told to recall a nostalgic memory, participants are said to have greater access to self-affirming characteristics. The present study was performed in an attempt to utilize nostalgic recollection to directly ameliorate the negative effects of stereotype threat. The study provided participants with a selection of gender identification using gendered images, followed by an instruction which was used as the stereotype threat elicitation. Participants were then randomly assigned to one of three memory conditions — nostalgic, ordinary, and none — and were asked to recall and describe the appropriate memory. Participants then completed a hard math test using 26 sample GRE items. Multiple hypotheses were not supported. Some significant results are described. Probable null contributors, implications, and future directions are explored. Keywords: Stereotype threat, nostalgia, gender, self-affirmatio

Which Ocular Dominance Should Be Considered for Monocular Augmented Reality Devices?

A monocular augmented reality device allows the user to see information that is superimposed on the environment. As it does not stimulate both eyes in the same way, it creates a phenomenon known as binocular rivalry. The question therefore arises as to whether monocular information should be displayed to a particular eye and if an ocular dominance test can determine it. This paper contributes to give a better understanding of ocular dominance by comparing nine tests. Our results suggest that ocular dominance can be divided into sighting and sensorial dominance. However, different sensorial dominance tests give different results, suggesting that it is composed of distinct components that are assessed by different tests. There is a need for a comprehensive test that can consider all of these components, in order to identify on which eye monocular information should be directed to when using monocular augmented reality devices

Investigating Red Knot Migration Ecology along the Georgia and South Carolina Coasts: Spring 2019 Season Summaries

The rufa subspecies of the Red Knot (Calidris canutus) has declined significantly in the past 35 years, leading to federal listing (US Fish and Wildlife Service Federal Register Vol. 79 No. 238, 2014a) under the Endangered Species Act in the United States (16 U.S.C. 1531 et. seq) and Canada (COSEWIC 2007, SARA 2007). Evidence for the decline is seen in long-term surveys of a major spring staging site (Dunne et al 1982, Clark et al. 1993, Niles et al. 2008) and the largest known over-wintering site (Morrison et al. 2004). In only 30 years, the estimated population has declined from 100,000-150,000 to possibly below 30,000 (Niles et al. 2007) leading some researchers to suggest the population is highly vulnerable to extinction (Baker et al. 2004). The determination of regional population estimates and identification of major stopover sites are considered to be the highest priority for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources State Wildlife Action Plan (2015), the Atlantic Flyway Shorebird Business Strategy (Winn et al. 2013), the US Shorebird Plan (Brown et al. 2001), the USFWS Red Knot Spotlight Species Action Plan (2010), and the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) Red Knot Conservation Plan for the Western Hemisphere (Niles et al. 2010a). The Georgia Department of Natural Resources State Wildlife Action Plan ranks the Red Knot as a high priority species (with state status of “Rare”) and ranks research of the Red Knot as one of the primary conservation actions needed within the state. A band resight program was initiated along the Georgia coastal barrier islands during the fall of 2011 and spring of 2013 and 2015-2016 giving baseline information for those seasons (Lyons et al. 2017, Smith et al. 2017). A trapping and tagging project was initiated in South Carolina in recent years, though there has been no systematic resight effort within the state. The patterns observed in both studies suggest that Red Knots are using the south-Atlantic through Delaware Bay in spring as an open network of staging areas. Recent tagging results in South Carolina have documented direct spring flights from South Carolina to James Bay, suggesting that the south-Atlantic stopovers are more important in the life-cycle of shorebirds than is currently thought. It is currently unknown what percentage of Red Knots use the direct flight strategy vs. stopping in Delaware Bay on their northbound migration. Winter resighting work conducted in South Carolina suggests that virtually no Red Knots wintering along the south-Atlantic use Delaware Bay in spring migration. Although movement and settlement “decisions” are likely influenced by foraging conditions throughout the network, investigations into the factors driving movements during migration is necessary to better understand Red Knot migration ecology. This is critical in developing appropriate stopover models and adaptive management tools for land managers. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and The Center for Conservation Biology will initiate a Red Knot tagging and resighting program along the Atlantic Coast of Georgia during the spring of 2019 to be paired with the ongoing programs within Delaware Bay and elsewhere along the flyway. This project will provide critical data that will be used to analyze the ongoing questions regarding Red Knot habitat choice decision making in the south Atlantic Coast in spring. A large percentage (3-6%) of Red Knots have been previously captured and tagged with unique 2 to 3 digits alpha-numeric bands. This marked population allows for mark-resight studies of migratory populations of Red Knots with no capturing involved. A total of 27,356 Red Knots were detected during daily surveys in spring 2019 along the Georgia and South Carolina Coasts; of those, 4,917 were scanned for flags, and 315 individually banded Red Knots were resighted a total of 523 times from within the spring migrant population. A total of 71 marked to unmarked ratios were recorded during the field season, with an average of 3.6% of Red Knots individually marked over the course of the spring. The rough estimate for the total number of knots cycling through during the spring season is estimated superpopulation size for the spring 2019 season is 8,750 (3.6% of birds tagged and 315 individuals recorded). The Georgia Coast is a major stopover area annually for rufa Red Knots in spring migration and in certain years in fall migration. The superpopulation utilizing the coast in fall migration can exceed 23,000 birds (Lyons et al. 2017) and the rough estimate of spring migration superpopulation from this study is approximately 8,750 birds. The total estimated population of rufa Red Knots is 42,000 birds (Andres et al. 2012), suggesting that a high percentage of rufa knots are using the Georgia Coast in spring and in some years fall migration. There appears to be less variation in spring migration superpopulations between years than in fall migration, suggesting a more stable (but less abundant) food source for spring migrants

The Question of Recovery: An Introduction

This special issue of Social Text takes as its starting point the generative tension between recovery as an imperative that is fundamental to historical writing and research, and the impossibility of recovery when engaged with archives whose very assembly and organization occlude certain historical subjects. Responding to recent debates among scholars of Atlantic slavery and freedom, it approaches archival silences and secrets not simply as antagonistic to our desire to recover but also as a beginning. The articles gathered in this issue thus foreground methodological experimentation at the boundary of archival impossibility. They develop new approaches--to archival geographies, designs, reading practices, and affect--that illuminate forms of black politics beyond narratives of radical redemption or liberal inclusion

Stability of a cubic fixed point in three dimensions. Critical exponents for generic N

The detailed analysis of the global structure of the renormalization-group (RG) flow diagram for a model with isotropic and cubic interactions is carried out in the framework of the massive field theory directly in three dimensions (3D) within an assumption of isotropic exchange. Perturbative expansions for RG functions are calculated for arbitrary $N$ up to the four-loop order and resummed by means of the generalized Pad$\acute{\rm e}$-Borel-Leroy technique. Coordinates and stability matrix eigenvalues for the cubic fixed point are found under the optimal value of the transformation parameter. Critical dimensionality of the model is proved to be equal to $N_c=2.89 \pm 0.02$ that agrees well with the estimate obtained on the basis of the five-loop \ve-expansion [H. Kleinert and V. Schulte-Frohlinde, Phys. Lett. B342, 284 (1995)] resummed by the above method. As a consequence, the cubic fixed point should be stable in 3D for $N\ge3$, and the critical exponents controlling phase transitions in three-dimensional magnets should belong to the cubic universality class. The critical behavior of the random Ising model being the nontrivial particular case of the cubic model when N=0 is also investigated. For all physical quantities of interest the most accurate numerical estimates with their error bounds are obtained. The results achieved in the work are discussed along with the predictions given by other theoretical approaches and experimental data.Comment: 33 pages, LaTeX, 7 PostScript figures. Final version corrected and added with an Appendix on the six-loop stud

Adjacent single-stranded regions mediate processing of tRNA precursors by RNase E direct entry

The RNase E family is renowned for being central to the processing and decay of all types of RNA in many species of bacteria, as well as providing the first examples of endonucleases that can recognize 50 -monophosphorylated ends thereby increasing the efficiency of cleavage. However, there is increasing evidence that some transcripts can be cleaved efficiently by Escherichia coli RNase E via direct entry, i.e. in the absence of the recognition of a 50 -monophosphorylated end. Here, we provide biochemical evidence that direct entry is central to the processing of transfer RNA (tRNA) in E. coli, one of the core functions of RNase E, and show that it is mediated by specific unpaired regions that are adjacent, but not contiguous to segments cleaved by RNase E. In addition, we find that direct entry at a site on the 50 side of a tRNA precursor triggers a series of 50 -monophosphate-dependent cleavages. Consistent with a major role for direct entry in tRNA processing, we provide additional evidence that a 50 -monophosphate is not required to activate the catalysis step in cleavage. Other examples of tRNA precursors processed via direct entry are also provided. Thus, it appears increasingly that direct entry by RNase E has a major role in bacterial RNA metabolism

Behavioral Outcomes Following Brain–Computer Interface Intervention for Upper Extremity Rehabilitation in Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Stroke is a leading cause of persistent upper extremity (UE) motor disability in adults. Brain–computer interface (BCI) intervention has demonstrated potential as a motor rehabilitation strategy for stroke survivors. This sub-analysis of ongoing clinical trial (NCT02098265) examines rehabilitative efficacy of this BCI design and seeks to identify stroke participant characteristics associated with behavioral improvement. Stroke participants (n = 21) with UE impairment were assessed using Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) and measures of function. Nine participants completed three assessments during the experimental BCI intervention period and at 1-month follow-up. Twelve other participants first completed three assessments over a parallel time-matched control period and then crossed over into the BCI intervention condition 1-month later. Participants who realized positive change (≥1 point) in total ARAT performance of the stroke affected UE between the first and third assessments of the intervention period were dichotomized as “responders” (<1 = “non-responders”) and similarly analyzed. Of the 14 participants with room for ARAT improvement, 64% (9/14) showed some positive change at completion and approximately 43% (6/14) of the participants had changes of minimal detectable change (MDC = 3 pts) or minimally clinical important difference (MCID = 5.7 points). Participants with room for improvement in the primary outcome measure made significant mean gains in ARATtotal score at completion (ΔARATtotal = 2, p = 0.028) and 1-month follow-up (ΔARATtotal = 3.4, p = 0.0010), controlling for severity, gender, chronicity, and concordance. Secondary outcome measures, SISmobility, SISadl, SISstrength, and 9HPTaffected, also showed significant improvement over time during intervention. Participants in intervention through follow-up showed a significantly increased improvement rate in SISstrength compared to controls (p = 0.0117), controlling for severity, chronicity, gender, as well as the individual effects of time and intervention type. Participants who best responded to BCI intervention, as evaluated by ARAT score improvement, showed significantly increased outcome values through completion and follow-up for SISmobility (p = 0.0002, p = 0.002) and SISstrength (p = 0.04995, p = 0.0483). These findings may suggest possible secondary outcome measure patterns indicative of increased improvement resulting from this BCI intervention regimen as well as demonstrating primary efficacy of this BCI design for treatment of UE impairment in stroke survivors.Clinical Trial Registration:ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02098265

Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Zambia: implementing efficacious ARV regimens in primary health centers

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Safety and effectiveness of efficacious antiretroviral (ARV) regimens beyond single-dose nevirapine (sdNVP) for prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) have been demonstrated in well-controlled clinical studies or in secondary- and tertiary-level facilities in developing countries. This paper reports on implementation of and factors associated with efficacious ARV regimens among HIV-positive pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in primary health centers (PHCs) in Zambia.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Blood sample taken for CD4 cell count, availability of CD4 count results, type of ARV prophylaxis for mothers, and additional PMTCT service data were collected for HIV-positive pregnant women and newborns who attended 60 PHCs between April 2007 and March 2008.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of 14,815 HIV-positive pregnant women registered in the 60 PHCs, 2,528 (17.1%) had their CD4 cells counted; of those, 1,680 (66.5%) had CD4 count results available at PHCs; of those, 796 (47.4%) had CD4 count ≤ 350 cells/mm³and thus were eligible for combination antiretroviral treatment (cART); and of those, 581 (73.0%) were initiated on cART. The proportion of HIV-positive pregnant women whose blood sample was collected for CD4 cell count was positively associated with (1) blood-draw for CD4 count occurring on the same day as determination of HIV-positive status; (2) CD4 results sent back to the health facilities within seven days; (3) facilities <it>without </it>providers trained to offer ART; and (4) urban location of PHC. Initiation of cART among HIV-positive pregnant women was associated with the PHC's capacity to provide care and antiretroviral treatment services. Overall, of the 14,815 HIV-positive pregnant women registered, 10,015 were initiated on any type of ARV regimen: 581 on cART, 3,041 on short course double ARV regimen, and 6,393 on sdNVP.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Efficacious ARV regimens beyond sdNVP can be implemented in resource-constrained PHCs. The majority (73.0%) of women identified eligible for ART were initiated on cART; however, a minority (11.3%) of HIV-positive pregnant women were assessed for CD4 count and had their test results available. Factors associated with implementation of more efficacious ARV regimens include timing of blood-draw for CD4 count and capacity to initiate cART onsite where PMTCT services were being offered.</p