Phylogenetic relationships and divergence times among dormice (Rodentia, Gliridae) based on three nuclear genes

We examined phylogenetic relationships among six species representing three subfamilies, Glirinae, Graphiurinae and Leithiinae with sequences from three nuclear protein-coding genes (apolipoprotein B, APOB; interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein, IRBP; recombination-activating gene 1, RAG1). Phylogenetic trees reconstructed from maximum-parsimony (MP), maximum-likelihood (ML) and Bayesian-inference (BI) analyses showed the monophyly of Glirinae (Glis and Glirulus) and Leithiinae (Dryomys, Eliomys and Muscardinus) with strong support, although the branch length maintaining this relationship was very short, implying rapid diversification among the three subfamilies. Divergence time estimates were calculated from ML (local clock model) and Bayesian-dating method using a calibration point of 25 Myr (million years) ago for the divergence between Glis and Glirulus, and 55 Myr ago for the split between lineages of Gliridae and Sciuridae on the basis of fossil records. The results showed that each lineage of Graphiuros, Glis, Glirulus and Muscardinus dates from the Late Oligocene to the Early Miocene period, which is mostly in agreement with fossil records. Taking into account that warm climate harbouring a glirid-favoured forest dominated from Europe to Asia during this period, it is considered that this warm environment triggered the prosperity of the glirid species through the rapid diversification. Glirulus japonicas is suggested to be a relict of this ancient diversification during the warm period.

Phase-sensitive dual-inversion recovery for accelerated carotid vessel wall imaging.

OBJECTIVES: Dual-inversion recovery (DIR) is widely used for magnetic resonance vessel wall imaging. However, optimal contrast may be difficult to obtain and is subject to RR variability. Furthermore, DIR imaging is time-inefficient and multislice acquisitions may lead to prolonged scanning times. Therefore, an extension of phase-sensitive (PS) DIR is proposed for carotid vessel wall imaging. METHODS: The statistical distribution of the phase signal after DIR is probed to segment carotid lumens and suppress their residual blood signal. The proposed PS-DIR technique was characterized over a broad range of inversion times. Multislice imaging was then implemented by interleaving the acquisition of 3 slices after DIR. Quantitative evaluation was then performed in healthy adult subjects and compared with conventional DIR imaging. RESULTS: Single-slice PS-DIR provided effective blood-signal suppression over a wide range of inversion times, enhancing wall-lumen contrast and vessel wall conspicuity for carotid arteries. Multislice PS-DIR imaging with effective blood-signal suppression is enabled. CONCLUSIONS: A variant of the PS-DIR method has successfully been implemented and tested for carotid vessel wall imaging. This technique removes timing constraints related to inversion recovery, enhances wall-lumen contrast, and enables a 3-fold increase in volumetric coverage at no extra cost in scanning time.

Effect of Mix Times on PCC Properties, HR-1066, 1998

The objectives of this research were the collection and evaluation of the data pertaining to the importance of concrete mixing time on air content and distribution, consolidation and workability for pavement construction. American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard C 94 was used to determine the significance of the mixing time on the consistency of the mix being delivered and placed on grade. Measurements of unit weight, slump, air content, retained coarse aggregate and compressive strength were used to compare the consistency of the mix in the hauling unit at the point of mixing and at the point placement. An analysis of variance was performed on the data collected from the field tests. Results were used to establish the relationship between selected mixing time and the portland cement concrete properties tested. The results were also used to define the effect of testing location (center and side of truck, and on the grade) on the concrete properties. Compressive strength test concepts were used to analyze the hardened concrete pavement strength. Cores were obtained at various locations on each project on or between vibrator locations to evaluate the variance in each sample, between locations, and mixing times. A low-vacuum scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to study air void parameters in the concrete cores. Combining the data from these analysis thickness measurements and ride in Iowa will provide a foundation for the formulation of a performance based matrix. Analysis of the air voids in the hardened concrete provides a description of the dispersion of the cemtitious materials (specifically flyash) and air void characteristics in the pavement. Air void characteristics measured included size, shape and distribution.

Sign of the Times, March-May 2014

Newsletter produced by Deaf Services Commission of Iowa

Sign of the Times, September-November 2014

Newsletter produced by Deaf Services Commission of Iowa

Constraining ACT-R models of decision strategies: An experimental paradigm

It has been repeatedly debated which strategies people rely on in inference. These debates have been difficult to resolve, partially because hypotheses about the decision processes assumed by these strategies have typically been formulated qualitatively, making it hard to test precise quantitative predictions about response times and other behavioral data. One way to increase the precision of strategies is to implement them in cognitive architectures such as ACT-R. Often, however, a given strategy can be implemented in several ways, with each implementation yielding different behavioral predictions. We present and report a study with an experimental paradigm that can help to identify the correct implementations of classic compensatory and non-compensatory strategies such as the take-the-best and tallying heuristics, and the weighted-linear model.

Thermoplastic Pavement Markings, HR-172, 1975

It is difficult to maintain reflectorized lane markings on high-traffic, multi-lane highways. This is particularly true of sections in urban areas where there are frequent lane changes, such as on the Des Moines Freeway, I-235. In spite of the fact that the lane markings are painted on an average of three times a year, they are frequently absent during a considerable portion of the winter period. In the summer of 1973, the office of Highway Maintenance suggested a research project using a new thermoplastic paint developed by the Prismo Universal Corporation. Because of difficulties in scheduling the work, a definite proposal was not submitted until 1974. Upon the recommendation of the Iowa Highway Research Board, the project was approved by the Iowa State Highway Commission on August 7, 1974.

Comparison of the single-use Ambu(®) aScope? 2 vs the conventional fibrescope for tracheal intubation in patients with cervical spine immobilisation by a semirigid collar*.

Fibreoptic intubation remains a key technique for the management of difficult intubation. We randomly compared the second generation single-use Ambu(®) aScope? 2 videoscope with a standard re-usable flexible intubating fibrescope in 50 tracheal intubations in patients with a difficult airway simulated by a semirigid collar. All patients' tracheas were intubated successfully with the aScope 2 or the re-usable fibrescope. The median (IQR [range]) time to intubate was significantly longer with the aScope 2 70 (55-97 [41?-226]) s vs 50 (40-59 [27-175]) s, p = 0.0003) due to an increased time to see the carina. Quality of vision was significantly lower with the aScope 2 (excellent 24 (48%) vs 49 (98%), p = 0.0001; good 22 (44%) vs 1 (2%), p = 0.0001; poor 4 (8%) vs 0, p = 0.12) but with no difference in the subjective ease to intubate (easy score of 31 (62%) vs 38 (76%), p = 0.19; intermediate 12 (24%) vs 7 (14%), p = 0.31; difficult 7 (14%) vs 5 (5%), p = 0.76). The longer times to intubate and the poorer scores for quality of vision do not support the use of the single-use aScope 2 videoscope as an alternative to the re-usable fibrescope.

Single spin-echo T 2 relaxation times of cerebral metabolites at 14.1 T in the in vivo rat brain.

OBJECT: To determine the single spin-echo T 2 relaxation times of uncoupled and J-coupled metabolites in rat brain in vivo at 14.1 T and to compare these results with those previously obtained at 9.4 T. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Measurements were performed on five rats at 14.1 T using the SPECIAL sequence and TE-specific basis-sets for LCModel analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The T 2 of singlets ranged from 98 to 148 ms and T 2 of J-coupled metabolites ranged from 72 ms (glutamate) to 97 ms (myo-inositol). When comparing the T 2s of the metabolites measured at 14.1 T with those previously measured at 9.4 T, a decreasing trend was found (p < 0.0001). We conclude that the modest shortening of T 2 at 14.1 T has a negligible impact on the sensitivity of the (1)H MRS when performed at TE shorter than 10 ms.

Papillons d'hier - papillons d'aujourd'hui: la difficulté de les comparer

Plus de cinquante ans après la publication des travaux d'Arnold Pictet (1942), une étude comparative des la faune des Lépidoptères diurnes su Parc national suisse a été réalisée. Les résultats obtenus selon une approche méthodologique rigoureuse pose les bases d'un suivi à long terme de l'évolution de leurs populations et pourraient servir de fil conducteur à des nouvelles recherches.

Phylogenetics of Olea (Oleaceae) based on plastid and nuclear ribosomal DNA sequences: tertiary climatic shifts and lineage differentiation times.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The genus Olea (Oleaceae) includes approx. 40 taxa of evergreen shrubs and trees classified in three subgenera, Olea, Paniculatae and Tetrapilus, the first of which has two sections (Olea and Ligustroides). Olive trees (the O. europaea complex) have been the subject of intensive research, whereas little is known about the phylogenetic relationships among the other species. To clarify the biogeographical history of this group, a molecular analysis of Olea and related genera of Oleaceae is thus necessary. METHODS: A phylogeny was built of Olea and related genera based on sequences of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer-1 and four plastid regions. Lineage divergence and the evolution of abaxial peltate scales, the latter character linked to drought adaptation, were dated using a Bayesian method. KEY RESULTS: Olea is polyphyletic, with O. ambrensis and subgenus Tetrapilus not sharing a most recent common ancestor with the main Olea clade. Partial incongruence between nuclear and plastid phylogenetic reconstructions suggests a reticulation process in the evolution of subgenus Olea. Estimates of divergence times for major groups of Olea during the Tertiary were obtained. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates the necessity of revising current taxonomic boundaries in Olea. The results also suggest that main lines of evolution were promoted by major Tertiary climatic shifts: (1) the split between subgenera Olea and Paniculatae appears to have taken place at the Miocene-Oligocene boundary; (2) the separation of sections Ligustroides and Olea may have occurred during the Early Miocene following the Mi-1 glaciation; and (3) the diversification within these sections (and the origin of dense abaxial indumentum in section Olea) was concomitant with the aridification of Africa in the Late Miocene.

SWIVIT - Swiss video-intubation trial evaluating video-laryngoscopes in a simulated difficult airway scenario: study protocol for a multicenter prospective randomized controlled trial in Switzerland.

BACKGROUND: Video-laryngoscopes are marketed for intubation in difficult airway management. They provide a better view of the larynx and may facilitate tracheal intubation, but there is no adequately powered study comparing different types of video-laryngoscopes in a difficult airway scenario or in a simulated difficult airway situation. METHODS/DESIGN: The objective of this trial is to evaluate and to compare the clinical performance of three video-laryngoscopes with a guiding channel for intubation (Airtraq?, A. P. Advance?, King Vision?) and three video-laryngoscopes without an integrated tracheal tube guidance (C-MAC?, GlideScope?, McGrath?) in a simulated difficult airway situation in surgical patients. The working hypothesis is that each video-laryngoscope provides at least a 90% first intubation success rate (lower limit of the 95% confidence interval >0.9). It is a prospective, patient-blinded, multicenter, randomized controlled trial in 720 patients who are scheduled for elective surgery under general anesthesia, requiring tracheal intubation at one of the three participating hospitals. A difficult airway will be created using an extrication collar and taping the patients' head on the operating table to substantially reduce mouth opening and to minimize neck movement. Tracheal intubation will be performed with the help of one of the six devices according to randomization. Insertion success, time necessary for intubation, Cormack-Lehane grade and percentage of glottic opening (POGO) score at laryngoscopy, optimization maneuvers required to aid tracheal intubation, adverse events and technical problems will be recorded. Primary outcome is intubation success at first attempt. DISCUSSION: We will simulate the difficult airway and evaluate different video-laryngoscopes in this highly realistic and clinically challenging scenario, independently from manufacturers of the devices. Because of the sufficiently powered multicenter design this study will deliver important and cutting-edge results that will help clinicians decide which device to use for intubation of the expected and unexpected difficult airway. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01692535.

El marmor de Tarraco. Explotació, utilització i comercialització de la pedra de Santa Tecla en època romana Tarraco marmor. The Quarrying, Use and Trade of Santa Tecla Stone in Roman Times

Aquest és el llibre més complet que hi ha sobre la pedra de Santa Tecla i el llisós, dos materials procedents de Tarragona i molt utilitzats en època romana. Els autors, arqueòlegs i geòlegs, caracteritzen aquestes dues varietats i presenten el panorama de les seves aplicacions, i també donen pautes per identificar-les i diferenciar-les d’altres pedres que s’hi podrien confondre, com la “portasanta” o la pedra de Buixcarró.

Manual reaction times and brain dynamics after 'awake surgery' of slow-growing tumors invading the parietal area. A case report

Primary objectives: Awake surgeries of slow-growing tumours invading the brain and guided by direct electrical stimulation induce major brain reorganizations accompanied with slight impairments post-operatively. In most cases, these deficits are so slight after a few days that they are often not detectable on classical neuropsychological evaluations. Consequently, this study investigated whether simple visuo-manual reaction time paradigms would sign some level of functional asymmetries between both hemispheres. Importantly, the visual stimulus was located in the saggital plane in order to limit attentional biases and to focus mainly on the inter-hemispheric asymmetry. Methods and procedures: Three patients (aged 41, 59 and 59 years) after resections in parietal regions and a control group (age¼44, SD¼6.9) were compared during simple uni- and bimanual reaction times (RTs). Main outcomes and results: Longer RTs were observed for the contralesional compared to the ipsilesional hand in the unimanual condition. This asymmetry was reversed for the bimanual condition despite longer RTs. Conclusion and clinical implications: Reaction time paradigms are useful in these patients to monitor more precisely their functional deficits, especially their level of functional asymmetry, and to understand brain (re)organization following slowgrowing lesions.

Deterioration of Iowa Highway Concrete Pavements: A Petrographic Study, HR-1065, 1999

Major highway concrete pavements in Iowa have exhibited premature deterioration attributed to effects of ettringite formation, alkali-silica expansive reactions, and to frost attack, or some combination of them. These pavements were constructed in the mid- 1980s as non-reinforced, dual-lane, roads ranging in thickness between 200 mm and 300 mm, with skewed joints reinforced with dowels. Deterioration was initially recognized with a darkening of joint regions, which occurred for some pavements as soon as four years after construction. Pavement condition ranges from severe damage to none, and there appeared to be no unequivocal materials or processing variables correlated with failure. Based upon visual examinations, petrographic evaluation, and application of materials models, the deterioration of concrete highway pavements in Iowa appear related to a freeze-thaw failure of the coarse aggregate and the mortar. Crack patterns sub-parallel to the concrete surface transecting the mortar fraction and the coarse aggregate are indicative of freeze-thaw damage of both the mortar and aggregate. The entrained air void system was marginal to substandard, and filling of some of the finer-sized voids by ettringite appears to have further degraded the air void system. The formation of secondary ettringite within the entrained air voids probably reflects a relatively high degree of concrete saturation causing the smaller voids to be filled with pore solution when the concrete freezes. Alkali-silica reaction (ASR) affects some quartz and shale in the fine aggregate, but is not considered to be a significant cause of the deterioration. Delayed ettringite formation was not deemed likely as no evidence of a uniform paste expansion was observed. The lack of field-observed expansion is also evidence against the ASR and DEF modes of deterioration. The utilization of fly ash does not appear to have affected the deterioration as all pavements with or without fly ash exhibiting substantial damage also exhibit significant filling of the entrained air void system, and specimens containing fly ash from sound pavements do not have significant filling. The influence of the mixture design, mixing, and placing must be evaluated with respect to development of an adequate entrained air void system, concrete homogeneity, longterm drying shrinkage, and microcracking. A high-sand mix may have contributed to the difficult mixture characteristics noted upon placement and exacerbate concrete heterogeneity problems, difficulty in developing an adequate entrained air void system, poor consolidation potential, and increased drying shrinkage and cracking. Finally, the availability of moisture must also be considered, as the secondary precipitation of ettringite in entrained air voids indicates they were at least partially filled with pore solution at times. Water availability at the base of the slabs, in joints, and cracks may have provided a means for absorbing water to a point of critical saturation.