Origins of stable isotopic variations in Late Pleistocene horse enamel and bone from Alberta

Oxygen and carbon isotopic measurements of coevally formed bone and tooth enamel bioapatite from a modern equid show that these tissues record drinking water and diet isotopic signals in an identical fashion. Hence, data for both tissues can be combined to track movement, dietary changes, and seasonal variability over the animal’s lifetime, and climatic variability over longer time periods. This tool was tested for horses using ten paired tooth and bone samples to reconstruct conditions in Alberta during the Late Pleistocene. While post-mortem isotopic alteration confounded interpretation of the results, two key findings emerged: (i) pre- and post-Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) time periods based on radiocarbon dates correspond with high and low δ15N collagen values, respectively; and (ii) pre- and post-LGM horses have similar drinking water δ18O and diet δ13C values, suggesting that environmental conditions, including seasonality, were similar across the time periods represented by these samples

The Cypro-Minoan Corpus Project Takes an Archaeological Approach

It has now been more than a century since the first studies of a still undeciphered script, one used both on Cyprus and in Syria between 1550 and 1050 BCE, began to appear. Based upon visual similarity to the linear scripts he found at Knossos on Crete, Sir Arthur Evans, who had been writing about the inscriptions since 1895, coined the name Cypro-Minoan for them (1909: 69). Since that time a host of international scholars have attempted to unravel the meanings of the inscriptions. Our effort, one begun in 1996 and titled The Cypro-Minoan Corpus Project, builds on that work while emphasizing an archaeological perspective

The Cypro-Minoan Corpus Project Wins Best of Show Award

The tum of the millennium also marks a century of study of the undeciphered Late Bronze Age script of Cyprus, Cypro-Minoan. In 1909, Sir Arthur Evans labeled it Cypro-Minoan based on its visual similarity to the linear scripts he found at Knossos on Crete. We began to discuss the need for a detailed corpus of Cypro-Minoan a decade ago when we both attended a seminar on ancient Cypriot writing conducted by Thomas G. Palaima of the Program in Aegean Scripts and Prehistory (PASP) at the University of Texas at Austin. We went on separately to pursue specific problems in the publication and study of Cypro-Minoan. It was not until 1996 at CAARI that we had the opportunity to renew our collaborative effort. In the invigorating surrounds of the Institute we started to plan for a formal corpus. Since that time we have sought funds and worked towards the goal of combining our individual efforts. Receipt of the 1998 Best of Show Poster Award at the Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America (AlA) is an honor for us and our project. It goes a long way toward making our project and its goals visible within the community of Mediterranean archaeology and beyond

A Cross-cultural Comparative Study of Uses and Perceptions of Technology in Education among Turkish and US Undergraduates

The purpose of this study was to investigate differences and similarities among United States (US) and Turkish university students in technology ownership, uses of technology for academic purposes, perceived importance of technology, and preferences for technology in education. The EDUCAUSE Center for Analytics and Research (ECAR) undergraduate student technology survey was used to collect data from Turkish students (N=384) at Abant Izzet Baysal University and US students (N=399) at Louisiana State University (LSU). The findings revealed significant differences in uses and ownership of most technological devices in favor of the US students in comparison to the Turkish students. The results of the study pointed to differences in information technology (IT) ownership and access, largely as a function of local infrastructure and economic settings rather than cultural diversities between Turkey and the US

Employable knowledge: benchmarking education about standardization in the UK

For academics and students in the United Kingdom the main source of standards is via British Standards Institution (BSI). The research demonstrates that British, European and International Standards play a key role in many areas of education. In some disciplines their inclusion in the course is mandatory, e.g. in building construction and performing risk assessments of equipment. Where not a requirement, other courses successfully encourage students to understand and apply specific standards and principles from them, to their design and project work, in topic areas such as quality management and user-computer interface design. Assessment practice is a key part of learning and academics have indicated how this fitted into the learning activity, e.g. by expecting students to develop an understanding of standards and reference them in all assessed work. Likewise, students taking part in the survey also suggest that they were actively engaged with one or more standards and that their understanding was measured through an assessed activity. However, students also emphasised the importance of additional support, e.g. introduction to standards in the workplace or as part of work placements, by library staff as an information resource, and by presentations from BSI experts. Employers have also indicated the importance of students’ knowledge, understanding and appreciation of relevant standards in the right context, emphasising their desire for standards to be included more widely in the curriculum. The draft recommendations from this study were subject to International review and comment, the results from this review served to strengthen the recommendations of this work. This research was commissioned by British Standards Institution (BSI). This research was produced in association with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills as part of its ongoing programme of support for standardization. Grateful thanks are due to all those who filled in the questionnaire or who attended the workshops

Urine culture doubtful in determining etiology of diffuse symptoms among elderly individuals: a cross-sectional study of 32 nursing homes

Background: The high prevalence of bacteriuria in elderly individuals makes it difficult to know if a new symptom is related to bacteria in the urine. There are different views concerning this relationship and bacteriuria often leads to antibiotic treatments. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between bacteria in the urine and new or increased restlessness, fatigue, confusion, aggressiveness, not being herself/himself, dysuria, urgency and fever in individuals at nursing homes for elderly when statistically considering the high prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria in this population.\ud \ud Methods: In this cross-sectional study symptoms were registered and voided urine specimens were collected for urinary cultures from 651 elderly individuals. Logistic regressions were performed to evaluate the statistical correlation between bacteriuria and presence of a symptom at group level. To estimate the clinical relevance of statistical correlations at group level positive and negative etiological predictive values (EPV) were calculated.\ud \ud Results: Logistic regression indicated some correlations at group level. Aside from Escherichia coli in the urine and not being herself/himself existing at least one month, but less than three months, EPV indicated no clinically useful correlation between any symptoms in this study and findings of bacteriuria.\ud \ud Conclusions: Urinary cultures provide little or no useful information when evaluating diffuse symptoms among elderly residents of nursing homes. Either common urinary tract pathogens are irrelevant, or urine culture is an inappropriate test

Amygdala involvement in self-blame regret

Regret-related brain activity is dependent on free choice, but it is unclear whether this activity is a function of more subtle differences in the degree of responsibility a decision-maker exerts over a regrettable outcome. In this experiment, we show that trial-by-trial subjective ratings of regret depend on a higher subjective sense of responsibility, as well as being dependent on objective responsibility. Using fMRI we show an enhanced amygdala response to regret-related outcomes when these outcomes are associated with high, as compared to low, responsibility. This enhanced response was maximal in participants who showed a greater level of enhancement in their subjective ratings of regret engendered by an objective increase in responsibility. Orbitofrontal and cingulate cortex showed opposite effects, with an enhanced response for regret-related outcomes when participants were not objectively responsible. The findings indicate that the way the brain processes regret-related outcomes depends on both objective and subjective aspects of responsibility, highlighting the critical importance of the amygdala

A phase 3 multicenter, prospective, open-label efficacy and safety study of immune globulin (human) 10% caprylate/chromatography purified in patients with myasthenia gravis exacerbations

Background: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disorder affecting neuromuscular transmission. Exacerbations may involve increasing bulbar weakness and/or sudden respiratory failure, both of which can be critically disabling. Management of MG exacerbations includes plasma exchange and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG); they are equally effective, but patients experience fewer side effects with IVIG. The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of immune globulin caprylate/chromatography purified (IGIV-C) in subjects with MG exacerbations. Methods: This prospective, open-label, non-controlled 28-day clinical trial was conducted in adults with MG Foundation of America class IVb or V status. Subjects received IGIV-C 2 g/kg over 2 consecutive days (1 g/kg/day) and were assessed for efficacy/safety on Days 7, 14, 21, and 28. The primary efficacy endpoint was the change from Baseline in quantitative MG (QMG) score to Day 14. Secondary endpoints of clinical response, Baseline to Day 14, included at least a 3-point decrease in QMG and MG Composite and a 2-point decrease in MG-activities of daily living (MG-ADL). Results: Forty-nine subjects enrolled. The change in QMG score at Day 14 was significant (p < 0.001) in the Evaluable (-6.4, n = 43) and Safety (-6.7, n = 49) populations. Among evaluable subjects, Day 14 response rates were 77, 86, and 88% for QMG, MG Composite, and MG-ADL, respectively. IGIV-C showed good tolerability with no serious adverse events. Conclusions: The results of this study show that IGIV-C was effective, safe, and well tolerated in the treatment of MG exacerbations

Influence of Acute Turkesterone Dosing on Serum Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) and Subjective Digestibility Scores in Recreationally-active Males

Turkesterone is a relatively novel phytoecdysteroid compound that has become increasingly popular amongst recreationally active demographics. Despite prior in vitro data suggesting that this compound may support enhanced body composition via both insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1)-mediated protein synthesis, no human evidence exists in this regard nor how well its digestibility is tolerated. PURPOSE: To determine the effect of multiple turkesterone doses on serum IGF-1 and to report any gastrointestinal (GI) distress symptoms in a healthy human sample. METHODS: Eleven recreationally active males (23.3±2.2y) visited the laboratory on three occasions separated by at least seven days and were randomized in single-blind, placebo-controlled, and counter-balanced crossover fashion to either 2000mg cellulose placebo (PLA), 1000mg turkesterone + 1000mg placebo, (1000T) or 2000mg (2000T) turkesterone. Venous blood was sampled to determine serum IGF-1 concentrations and a GI distress questionnaire was (nausea, vomiting, heartburn symptoms, etc.) administered both at baseline (PRE), as well as 3-hours (POST3H) and 24-hours (POST24H) post-acute supplementation at each visit. Serum IGF-1 was analyzed using a two-way (condition [PLA, 1000T, 2000T] x time [PRE, POST3H, POST24H]) ANOVA with repeated measures at a significance level of pRESULTS: Analyses failed to reveal any significant condition (p=.180; ηp2=0.228), time (p=0.227; ηp2=.390), nor interaction effects (p=0.547; ηp2=0.211) for serum IGF-1. Moreover, no participants reported any GI distress symptoms across any condition and/or time permutation. CONCLUSION: Although the current study did not find any significant IGF-1-associated serum alterations to multiple acute turkesterone doses in the times assessed, there were fortunately no adverse GI symptoms experienced by the participants across any dose throughout the investigation. Nevertheless, these data support turkesterone supplementation is well tolerated and thus future research should build upon our analysis by employing a longitudinal supplementation regimen alongside an exercise intervention to elucidate the potential long-term and anabolism-permissive impacts of this compound on the presently-explored and additional associated parameters

The effect of a uniform through-surface flow on a cylinder and sphere

The effect of a uniform through-surface flow (velocity ) on a rigid and stationary cylinder and sphere (radius ) fixed in a free stream (velocity ) is analysed analytically and numerically. The flow is characterised by a dimensionless blow velocity and Reynolds number , where is the kinematic viscosity). High resolution numerical calculations are compared against theoretical predictions over the range and for planar flow past a cylinder and axisymmetric flow past a sphere. For , the flow is viscously dominated in a thin boundary layer of thickness adjacent to the rigid surface which develops in a time ; the surface vorticity scales as for a cylinder and sphere. A boundary layer analysis is developed to analyse the unsteady viscous forces. Numerical results show that the surface pressure and vorticity distribution within the boundary layer agrees with a steady state analysis. The flow downstream of the body is irrotational so the wake volume flux, , is zero and the drag force is , where is the density of the fluid and is the normal flux through the body surface. The drag coefficient is therefore or for a cylinder or sphere, respectively. A dissipation argument is applied to analyse the drag force; the rate of working of the drag force is balanced by viscous dissipation, flux of stagnation pressure and rate of work by viscous stresses due to sucking. At large , the drag force is largely determined by viscous dissipation for a cylinder, with a weak contribution by the normal viscous stresses, while for a sphere, only of the drag force is determined by viscous dissipation with the remaining due to the flux of stagnation pressure through the sphere surface. When , the boundary layer thickness initially grows linearly with time as vorticity is blown away from the rigid surface. The vorticity in the boundary layer is weakly dependent on viscous effects and scales as or for a cylinder and sphere, respectively. For large blow velocity, the vorticity is swept into two well-separated shear layers and the maximum vorticity decreases due to diffusion. The drag force is related to the vorticity distribution on the body surface and an approximate expression can be derived by considering the first term of a Fourier expansion in the surface vorticity. It is found that the drag coefficient for a cylinder (corrected for flow boundedness) is weakly dependent on while for a sphere, decreases with