Relations between on-line speech processing measures and Index of Productive Syntax scores in preschool children

This paper explores the possible relations between Reaction Times (RT) and Index of Productive Syntax (IPSyn) scores in preschool children. Nineteen children participated and were categorized into two groups; low and high Mean Length of Utterance (MLU). An auditory plus visual looking-while-listening task was conducted and eye gaze was tracked. Language samples from a previous study collected as children played with their mothers and a standard toy set were used to obtain IPSyn scores. Three hypothesis were tested; children with shorter RT will have higher IPSyn scores regardless of MLU; the noun phrase subscale of IPSyn will be related to RT in the low MLU group and not the high; the verb phrase subscale of the IPSyn will not be related to RT in the low MLU group but will be in the high MLU group. Results revealed no significant relations between RT and IPSyn scores .B.A. (Bachelor of Arts

Engineering the kinetic stability of a β-trefoil protein by tuning its topological complexity

Kinetic stability is crucially important for engineering stable proteins suitable for use in industrial, research, and medical applications. Specifically, kinetic stability is central to determining a protein’s functional lifetime, where high kinetic stability generally correlates with high resistance against chemical and thermal denaturation, as well as proteolytic degradation. Despite its significance, few studies address the rational design of kinetic stability, and specific mechanisms of kinetic stability remain largely unknown. Here, we describe a method for designing protein kinetic stability by engineering long-range intramolecular interactions by taking advantage of conserved residue interactions in structurally homologous proteins. Specifically, we base our design on the extreme difference in kinetic stability observed between the β-trefoil proteins hisactophilin and ThreeFoil, which we partially attribute to a marked difference in the number of long-range interactions across the protein core. We report the design and characterization of a kinetically stabilized hisactophilin variant, core-swapped hisactophilin, mutated to contain ThreeFoil core residues in order to enhance long-range contacts in the hisactophilin core. Further, we show that kinetic stability predictions for core-swapped hisactophilin based on long-range order, absolute contact order, and simulated free energy barriers of unfolding are in good agreement with experimentally determined kinetic unfolding rates. In addition to highlighting the predictive power of simple measures of protein topology for changes in protein kinetic stability, these results emphasize core engineering as an attractive and tractable target for improving kinetic stability, particularly in proteins with symmetric cores. Thus, this work provides fundamental insight towards advancing our predictive understanding of kinetic stability and better enabling successful protein design

University of Vermont Community Tobacco Use and Attitudes Survey

Introduction: Smoking remains an important public health issue in U.S. Colleges. 17.3% of U.S. smokers are 18-24 years old. 28% of U.S. college students began smoking at age 19 or older. Currently 1,104 U.S. Colleges have adopted Tobacco-Free policies.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1216/thumbnail.jp

Modeling the spatially distributed nature of subglacial sediment transport and erosion

Glaciers expel sediment as they melt, in addition to ice and water. As a result, changing glacier dynamics and melt produce changes to glacier erosion and sediment discharge, which can impact the landscape surrounding retreating glaciers, as well as communities and ecosystems downstream. Currently, numerical models that transport subglacial sediment on sub-hourly to decadal scales are one-dimensional, usually along a glacier's flow line. Such models have proven useful in describing the formation of glacial landforms, the impact of sediment transport on glacier dynamics, and the interactions among climate, glacier dynamics, and erosion. However, these models omit the two-dimensional spatial distribution of sediment and its impact on sediment connectivity – the movement of sediment between its detachment in source areas and its deposition in sinks. Here, we present a numerical model that fulfills a need for predictive frameworks that describe subglacial sediment discharge in two spatial dimensions (x and y) over time. SUGSET_2D evolves a two-dimensional subglacial till layer in response to bedrock erosion and changing sediment transport conditions. Numerical experiments performed using an idealized alpine glacier illustrate the heterogeneity in sediment transport and bedrock erosion below the glacier. An increase in sediment discharge follows increased glacier melt, as has been documented in field observations and other numerical experiments. We also apply the model to a real alpine glacier, Griesgletscher in the Swiss Alps, where we compare outputs with annual measurements of sediment discharge. SUGSET_2D accurately reproduces the general quantities of sediment discharge and the year-to-year sediment discharge pattern measured at the glacier terminus. The model's ability to match the measured data depends on the tunable sediment grain size parameter, which controls subglacial sediment transport capacity. Smaller grain sizes allow sediment transport to occur in regions of the bed with reduced water flow and channel size, effectively increasing sediment connectivity into the main channels. The model provides the essential components of modeling subglacial sediment discharge on seasonal to decadal timescales and reveals the importance of including spatial heterogeneities in water discharge and sediment transport in both the x and y dimensions in evaluating sediment discharge.</p

Lithium-to-calcium ratios in Modern, Cenozoic, and Paleozoic articulate brachiopod shells

Li/Ca ratios in modern brachiopod shells generally correlate inversely with growth temperature, ranging from ∼20 µmol/mol at 30°C to ∼50 µmol/mol at 0°C with no apparent interspecific offsets. Causes of the temperature effect on Li/Ca ratios are not yet understood. Cenozoic brachiopod Li/Ca ratios average ∼30 µmol/mol, similar to the average observed in modern brachiopods. Relatively constant Li/Ca ratios for Eocene to Pleistocene nonluminescent brachiopod shells, consistent with previous observations of Cenozoic planktonic foraminifera, support the conclusion of little variation in Cenozoic seawater Li/Ca. Nonluminescent portions of Permian and Carboniferous brachiopods have Li/Ca ratios substantially lower (generally <10 µmol/mol) than modern, Cenozoic, or Devonian samples. Mass balance considerations, constrained by δ18O of brachiopods, suggest that low Li concentrations in Permo-Carboniferous seawater could be the result of a lower flux of dissolved Li from the continents and/or a higher flux of Li from seawater to clastic marine sediments. Nonluminescent Devonian brachiopods from a single hand specimen have Li/Ca ratios around 70% of the modern average. These Li/Ca ratios can be explained by either somewhat higher temperature with constant seawater Li/Ca, somewhat lower seawater Li/Ca at constant temperature, or a combination of slightly elevated temperature and slightly lower seawater Li/Ca

Superexchange-Driven Magnetoelectricity in Magnetic Vortices

We demonstrate that magnetic vortices in which spins are coupled to polar lattice distortions via superexchange exhibit an unusually large linear magnetoelectric response. We show that the periodic arrays of vortices formed by frustrated spins on Kagom\'e lattices provide a realization of this concept; our {\it ab initio} calculations for such a model structure yield a magnetoelectric coefficient that is 30 times larger than that of prototypical single phase magnetoelectrics. Finally, we identify the design rules required to obtain such a response in a practical material.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figure

Alvimopan for the Management of Postoperative Ileus After Bowel Resection: Characterization of Clinical Benefit by Pooled Responder Analysis

BACKGROUND: A pooled post hoc responder analysis was performed to assess the clinical benefit of alvimopan, a peripherally acting mu-opioid receptor (PAM-OR) antagonist, for the management of postoperative ileus after bowel resection. METHODS: Adult patients who underwent laparotomy for bowel resection scheduled for opioid-based intravenous patient-controlled analgesia received oral alvimopan or placebo preoperatively and twice daily postoperatively until hospital discharge or for 7 postoperative days. The proportion of responders and numbers needed to treat (NNT) were examined on postoperative days (POD) 3-8 for GI-2 recovery (first bowel movement, toleration of solid food) and hospital discharge order (DCO) written. RESULTS: Alvimopan significantly increased the proportion of patients with GI-2 recovery and DCO written by each POD (P \u3c 0.001 for all). More patients who received alvimopan achieved GI-2 recovery on or before POD 5 (alvimopan, 80%; placebo, 66%) and DCO written before POD 7 (alvimopan, 87%; placebo, 72%), with corresponding NNTs equal to 7. CONCLUSIONS: On each POD analyzed, alvimopan significantly increased the proportion of patients who achieved GI-2 recovery and DCO written versus placebo and was associated with relatively low NNTs. The results of these analyses provide additional characterization and support for the overall clinical benefit of alvimopan in patients undergoing bowel resection

STATUS AND MANAGEMENT OF MOOSE IN THE PARKLAND AND GRASSLAND NATURAL REGIONS OF ALBERTA

Moose (Alces alces) naturally colonized the Parkland Natural Region of Alberta during the 1980s and early 1990s, and later colonized the Grassland Natural Region by the early 2000s. We summarize population data during 1996–2016 for these regions, examining density, population trends, productivity, distribution, management, and moose-human conflicts to determine population status and sustainability. Within the Parkland, aerial surveys from one frequently monitored Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) indicated a significant increase (R2 = 0.7476, P &lt; 0.001) in density, representing an annual rate of change of 1.07. Pooled data from an additional 21 Parkland WMUs indicated a mean annual rate of change of 1.11. Mean density for the 22 Parkland WMUs over the study period was 0.19 ± 0.06 moose/km2, and aerial surveys indicated a mean of 74.4 ± 3.6 calves/100 cows and 51.9 ± 2.9 bulls/100 cows. Within the Grassland, winter aerial survey data from 4 WMUs indicated a mean density of 0.05 ± 0.01 moose/km2, and 72.5 ± 6.75 calves/100 cows and 108.8 ± 34.4 bulls/100 cows. Hunting in these regions has been managed with a limited entry hunt. Resident rifle hunting opportunity for moose in the Parkland and Grassland increased 4.2-fold between 1996 and 2015. Opportunity in this region also represented an increasing proportion of that available province-wide, from 3.4% in 1996 to 19.8% in 2015