Interpersonal Synergies

We present the perspective that interpersonal movement coordination results from establishing interpersonal synergies. Interpersonal synergies are higher-order control systems formed by coupling movement system degrees of freedom of two (or more) actors. Characteristic features of synergies identified in studies of intrapersonal coordination – dimensional compression and reciprocal compensation – are revealed in studies of interpersonal coordination that applied the uncontrolled manifold approach and principal component analysis to interpersonal movement tasks. Broader implications of the interpersonal synergy approach for movement science include an expanded notion of mechanism and an emphasis on interaction-dominant dynamics

EXAFS of a tetragonally compressed Cu(II) compound

EXAFS has been used to show that at room temperature in KCuAlF6, the copper(II) centre is in a distorted tetragonally compressed octahedral environment. The bond lengths determined (1.88 (x2), 2.12 (x4) Angstrom) are in good agreement with the X-ray crystal structure

Characteristics of Some Fruiting Plant Species in Northwest Arkansas, and the Avian Assemblages that Feed on Them

Fruits continue to be recognized as an important food source for birds in temperate areas, particularly during the fall migration period. More than 20 species of plants producing fleshy fruits are found in the Arkansas Ozarks. However, only a few of these appear to be important resources for birds during the fall migration period (August - October). Among those are sassafras (Sassafras albidum), gray-backed grape (Vitis cinerea), black cherry (Prunus serotina), hercules club (Araliaspinosa) and pokeweed (Phytolacca americana). Over the past 4 years, we have documented the physical and nutritional characteristics of those fruits and taken observational data on the assemblages of birds eating them. It appears that avian species assemblages feeding on fruits are partially determined by the physical and nutritional contents of those fruits. Sassafras is extremely lipid-rich and higher in caloric content than the other species of fruits. It appears to be eaten almost exclusively by larger birds, perhaps be due to the large size of its fruits, which may exceed gape width of many smaller bird species. Prunus and Vitis are also eaten by a large number of avian species. Phytolacca was eaten only by a small number of primarily resident bird species and often persisted into the winter. Reasons for this pattern are not clear, as it was relatively similar to the other fruits inmost characteristics. Aralia was seen being eaten by only a few species of birds but is less common than the other species, and its small fruits may not be as attractive as those of the other species. Compared to other places in the east, there appear to be a relatively low number of migratory frugivorous birds in northwestern Arkansas. Overall, there were very few species noted at any fruiting plants, and a large proportion of the total assemblage of birds was comprised of resident species

Genome analysis of Clostridium difficile PCR ribotype 014 lineage in Australian pigs and humans reveals a diverse genetic repertoire and signatures of long-range interspecies transmission

Clostridium difficile PCR ribotype (RT) 014 is well-established in both human and porcine populations in Australia, raising the possibility that C. difficile infection (CDI) may have a zoonotic or foodborne etiology. Here, whole genome sequencing and high-resolution core genome phylogenetics were performed on a contemporaneous collection of 40 Australian RT014 isolates of human and porcine origin. Phylogenies based on MLST (7 loci, STs 2, 13, and 49) and core orthologous genes (1260 loci) showed clustering of human and porcine strains indicative of very recent shared ancestry. Core genome single nucleotide variant (SNV) analysis found 42 % of human strains showed a clonal relationship (separated by ≤ 2 SNVs in their core genome) with one or more porcine strains, consistent with recent inter-host transmission. Clones were spread over a vast geographic area with 50 % of the human cases occurring without recent healthcare exposure. These findings suggest a persistent community reservoir with long-range dissemination, potentially due to agricultural recycling of piggery effluent. We also provide the first pan-genome analysis for this lineage, characterizing its resistome, prophage content, and in silico virulence potential. The RT014 is defined by a large “open” pan-genome (7587 genes) comprising a core genome of 2296 genes (30.3 % of the total gene repertoire) and an accessory genome of 5291 genes. Antimicrobial resistance genotypes and phenotypes varied across host populations and ST lineages and were characterized by resistance to tetracycline [tetM, tetA(P), tetB(P) and tetW], clindamycin/erythromycin (ermB), and aminoglycosides (aph3-III-Sat4A-ant6-Ia). Resistance was mediated by clinically important mobile genetic elements, most notably Tn6194 (harboring ermB) and a novel variant of Tn5397 (harboring tetM). Numerous clinically important prophages (Siphoviridae and Myoviridae) were identified as well as an uncommon accessory gene regulator locus (agr3). Conservation in the pathogenicity locus and S-layer correlated with ST affiliation, further extending the concept of clonal C. difficile lineages. This study provides novel insights on the genetic variability and strain relatedness of C. difficile RT014, a lineage of emerging One Health importance. Ongoing molecular and genomic surveillance of strains in humans, animals, food, and the environment is imperative to identify opportunities to reduce the overall CDI burden

Determining significant parameters on health and well-being of building occupants towards re-engineered inclusive environment

People spend over 90% of their time in the buildings. A building is a place where people are spending more time doing activities, thus an inclusive environment of the buildings is very important to ensure that people are having a healthy life. An inclusive environment is important for the well-being of building occupants. Indoor environmental quality is one of the essential elements in creating an inclusive environment in which a poor quality of indoor environment affects the health of the occupants both physically and mentally, their performance, productivity, comfort, satisfaction, and well-being. Even though people are towards creating an inclusive environment but it is a limited study on the parameters of the inclusive environment. Thus, this paper is to study the parameters of the inclusive environment by focused on the element of the indoor environmental quality for building occupants based on literature reviews of articles between the year 2006 and 2016. Based on the content analysis, it has been discovered that there are various parameters of an inclusive environment which are visual comfort, thermal comfort, acoustic comfort, indoor air quality, buildings factors, occupants’ factors, and climate condition factors. The parameters can be very useful as guidelines and development of policy in providing inclusive environment for the healthy lifestyle of building occupants

Determining significant parameters on health and well-being of building occupants towards re-engineered inclusive environment

People spend over 90% of their time in the buildings. A building is a place where people are spending more time doing activities, thus an inclusive environment of the buildings is very important to ensure that people are having a healthy life. An inclusive environment is important for the well-being of building occupants. Indoor environmental quality is one of the essential elements in creating an inclusive environment in which a poor quality of indoor environment affects the health of the occupants both physically and mentally, their performance, productivity, comfort, satisfaction, and well-being. Even though people are towards creating an inclusive environment but it is a limited study on the parameters of the inclusive environment. Thus, this paper is to study the parameters of the inclusive environment by focused on the element of the indoor environmental quality for building occupants based on literature reviews of articles between the year 2006 and 2016. Based on the content analysis, it has been discovered that there are various parameters of an inclusive environment which are visual comfort, thermal comfort, acoustic comfort, indoor air quality, buildings factors, occupants’ factors, and climate condition factors. The parameters can be very useful as guidelines and development of policy in providing inclusive environment for the healthy lifestyle of building occupants