A taxonomic guide to the mysids of the South Atlantic Bight.

Following the examination of extensive collections from the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), the Southeastern Regional Taxonomic Center (SERTC), and other regional institutions, 18 species of the family Mysidae are recognized and described from the South Atlantic Bight (Cape Lookout, North Carolina to Cape Canaveral, Florida). This report includes synonymies of previous records, as well as new species distribution records. Previous regional accounts of Metamysidopsis munda and Metamysidopsis mexicana are attributed to Metamysidopsis swifti. New regional records are established for Amathimysis brattegardi, Heteromysis beetoni, and Siriella thompsonii. Two other species tentatively identified as Amathimysis sp. (nr. serrata) and Mysidopsis sp. (cf. mortenseni) may represent new taxa. Neobathymysis renoculata is included and discussed as a potential regional species. An illustrated key to the species currently known from the South Atlantic Bight is presented. Relevant taxonomic, distributional, and ecological information is also included for each species. (PDF file contains 45 pages.

Development of a proxy-reported pulmonary outcome scale for preterm infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To develop an accurate, proxy-reported bedside measurement tool for assessment of the severity of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (also called chronic lung disease) in preterm infants to supplement providers' current biometric measurements of the disease.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We adapted Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) methodology to develop the Proxy-Reported Pulmonary Outcomes Scale (PRPOS). A multidisciplinary group of registered nurses, nurse practitioners, neonatologists, developmental specialists, and feeding specialists at five academic medical centers participated in the PRPOS development, which included five phases: (1) identification of domains, items, and responses; (2) item classification and selection using a modified Delphi process; (3) focus group exploration of items and response options; (4) cognitive interviews on a preliminary scale; and (5) final revision before field testing.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Each phase of the process helped us to identify, classify, review, and revise possible domains, questions, and response options. The final items for field testing include 26 questions or observations that a nurse assesses before, during, and after routine care time and feeding.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We successfully created a prototype scale using modified PROMIS methodology. This process can serve as a model for the development of proxy-reported outcomes scales in other pediatric populations.</p

Contribution of Drosophila DEG/ENaC Genes to Salt Taste

AbstractThe ability to detect salt is critical for the survival of terrestrial animals. Based on amiloride-dependent inhibition, the receptors that detect salt have been postulated to be DEG/ENaC channels. We found the Drosophila DEG/ENaC genes Pickpocket11 (ppk11) and Pickpocket19 (ppk19) expressed in the larval taste-sensing terminal organ and in adults on the taste bristles of the labelum, the legs, and the wing margins. When we disrupted PPK11 or PPK19 function, larvae lost their ability to discriminate low concentrations of Na+ or K+ from water, and the electrophysiologic responses to low salt concentrations were attenuated. In both larvae and adults, disrupting PPK11 or PPK19 affected the behavioral response to high salt concentrations. In contrast, the response of larvae to sucrose, pH 3, and several odors remained intact. These results indicate that the DEG/ENaC channels PPK11 and PPK19 play a key role in detecting Na+ and K+ salts

Renewed diversification is associated with new ecological opportunity in the N eotropical turtle ants

Ecological opportunity, defined as access to new resources free from competitors, is thought to be a catalyst for the process of adaptive radiation. Much of what we know about ecological opportunity, and the larger process of adaptive radiation, is derived from vertebrate diversification on islands. Here, we examine lineage diversification in the turtle ants ( C ephalotes ), a species‐rich group of ants that has diversified throughout the N eotropics. We show that crown group turtle ants originated during the E ocene (around 46 mya), coincident with global warming and the origin of many other clades. We also show a marked lineage‐wide slowdown in diversification rates in the M iocene. Contrasting this overall pattern, a species group associated with the young and seasonally harsh C hacoan biogeographic region underwent a recent burst of diversification. Subsequent analyses also indicated that there is significant phylogenetic clustering within the C hacoan region and that speciation rates are highest there. Together, these findings suggest that recent ecological opportunity, from successful colonization of novel habitat, may have facilitated renewed turtle ant diversification. Our findings highlight a central role of ecological opportunity within a successful continental radiation.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/102632/1/jeb12300-sup-0001-AppendixFigS1-S4-TableS1-S4.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/102632/2/jeb12300.pd

The IGF1 small dog haplotype is derived from Middle Eastern grey wolves

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A selective sweep containing the insulin-like growth factor 1 (<it>IGF1</it>) gene is associated with size variation in domestic dogs. Intron 2 of <it>IGF1 </it>contains a SINE element and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) found in all small dog breeds that is almost entirely absent from large breeds. In this study, we surveyed a large sample of grey wolf populations to better understand the ancestral pattern of variation at <it>IGF1 </it>with a particular focus on the distribution of the small dog haplotype and its relationship to the origin of the dog.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We present DNA sequence data that confirms the absence of the derived small SNP allele in the intron 2 region of <it>IGF1 </it>in a large sample of grey wolves and further establishes the absence of a small dog associated SINE element in all wild canids and most large dog breeds. Grey wolf haplotypes from the Middle East have higher nucleotide diversity suggesting an origin there. Additionally, PCA and phylogenetic analyses suggests a closer kinship of the small domestic dog <it>IGF1 </it>haplotype with those from Middle Eastern grey wolves.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The absence of both the SINE element and SNP allele in grey wolves suggests that the mutation for small body size post-dates the domestication of dogs. However, because all small dogs possess these diagnostic mutations, the mutations likely arose early in the history of domestic dogs. Our results show that the small dog haplotype is closely related to those in Middle Eastern wolves and is consistent with an ancient origin of the small dog haplotype there. Thus, in concordance with past archeological studies, our molecular analysis is consistent with the early evolution of small size in dogs from the Middle East.</p> <p>See associated opinion by Driscoll and Macdonald: <url>http://jbiol.com/content/9/2/10</url></p

Regional Variation in Late Preterm Births in North Carolina

Late preterm (LPT) neonates (34 0/7th to 36 6/7th weeks' gestation) account for 70% of all premature births in the United States. LPT neonates have a higher morbidity and mortality risk than term neonates. LPT birth rates vary across geographic regions. Unwarranted variation is variation in medical care that cannot be explained by sociodemographic or medical risk factors; it represents differences in health system performance, including provider practice variation. The purpose of this study is to identify regional variation in LPT births in North Carolina that cannot be explained by sociodemographic or medical/obstetric risk factors

Holographic Vitrification

We establish the existence of stable and metastable stationary black hole bound states at finite temperature and chemical potentials in global and planar four-dimensional asymptotically anti-de Sitter space. We determine a number of features of their holographic duals and argue they represent structural glasses. We map out their thermodynamic landscape in the probe approximation, and show their relaxation dynamics exhibits logarithmic aging, with aging rates determined by the distribution of barriers.Comment: 100 pages, 25 figure

SEXTANT X-Ray Pulsar Navigation Demonstration: Additional On-Orbit Results

The Station Explorer for X-ray Timing and Navigation Technology (SEXTANT) is a technology demonstration enhancement to the Neutron-star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) mission, a NASA Astrophysics Explorer Mission of Opportunity to the International Space Station, launched in June of 2017. In late 2017, SEXTANT successfully completed a first demonstration of in-space and autonomous X-ray pulsar navigation (XNAV). This form of navigation relies on processing faint signals from millisecond pulsars-rapidly rotating neutron stars that appear to pulsate in the X-ray band-and could potentially provide a GPS-like navigation capability applicable throughout the solar-system and beyond. In this work, we briefly review prior SEXTANT results and then present new results focusing on: making use of the high- flux but rotationally unstable Crab pulsar, and using XNAV to estimate position, velocity, and time in the presence of an imperfect local clock

Measurement of the semileptonic charge asymmetry in B0 meson mixing with the D0 detector

We present a measurement of the semileptonic mixing asymmetry for B0 mesons, a^d_{sl}, using two independent decay channels: B0 -> mu+D-X, with D- -> K+pi-pi-; and B0 -> mu+D*-X, with D*- -> antiD0 pi-, antiD0 -> K+pi- (and charge conjugate processes). We use a data sample corresponding to 10.4 fb^{-1} of ppbar collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV, collected with the D0 experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron collider. We extract the charge asymmetries in these two channels as a function of the visible proper decay length (VPDL) of the B0 meson, correct for detector-related asymmetries using data-driven methods, and account for dilution from charge-symmetric processes using Monte Carlo simulation. The final measurement combines four signal VPDL regions for each channel, yielding a^d_{sl} = [0.68 \pm 0.45 \text{(stat.)} \pm 0.14 \text{(syst.)}]%. This is the single most precise measurement of this parameter, with uncertainties smaller than the current world average of B factory measurements.Comment: Version includes minor textual changes following peer review by journal, most notably the updating of Ref. [21] to reflect the most recent publicatio