Abstract
The last several decades of research on avian cognition have revealed surprising parallels between the abilities of birds — most notably corvids — and great apes. Parrots, albeit far less ...studied, are cited alongside corvids as “feathered apes”, but are these two taxa really that similar cognitively? In this review we aim to take a step back and present the broader picture, focusing on areas where there is now data from both parrots and corvids to facilitate first comparisons on a somewhat wider scale. By charting these birds’ performance in cognitive tasks, in many of which corvids perform on par with primates, we hope to highlight understudied areas and promising directions for future research. In reviewing the literature, the general pattern that emerges shows that different corvid and parrot species indeed perform similarly in a range of cognitive tasks to the extent that one may call them “feathered apes”.
We derive atmospheric parameters and lithium abundances for 671 stars and include our measurements in a literature compilation of 1381 dwarf and subgiant stars. First, a "lithium desert" in the ...effective temperature (T sub(eff)) versus lithium abundance (A sub(Li)) plane is observed such that no stars with T sub(eff) Asymptotically = to 6075 K and A sub(Li) Asymptotically = to 1.8 are found. We speculate that most of the stars on the low A sub(Li) side of the desert have experienced a short-lived period of severe surface lithium destruction as main-sequence or subgiant stars. Next, we search for differences in the lithium content of thin-disk and thick-disk stars, but we find that internal processes have erased from the stellar photospheres their possibly different histories of lithium enrichment. Nevertheless, we note that the maximum lithium abundance of thick-disk stars is nearly constant from Fe/H = -1.0 to -0.1, at a value that is similar to that measured in very metal-poor halo stars (A sub(Li) Asymptotically = to 2.2). Finally, differences in the lithium abundance distribution of known planet-host stars relative to otherwise ordinary stars appear when restricting the samples to narrow ranges of T sub(eff) or mass, but they are fully explained by age and metallicity biases. We confirm the lack of a connection between low lithium abundance and planets. However, we find that no low A sub(Li) planet-hosts are found in the desert T sub(eff) window. Provided that subtle sample biases are not responsible for this observation, this suggests that the presence of gas giant planets inhibit the mechanism responsible for the lithium desert.
We have collected high-dispersion echelle spectra of red giant members in the 12 open clusters (OCs) and derived stellar parameters and chemical abundances for 26 species by either line equivalent ...widths or synthetic spectrum analyses. We confirm the lack of an age-metallicity relation for OCs but argue that such a lack of trend for OCs arise from the limited coverage in metallicity compared to that of field stars which span a wide range in metallicity and age. We confirm that the radial metallicity gradient of OCs is steeper (flatter) for R sub( gc) < 12 kpc (>12 kpc). We demonstrate that the sample of clusters constituting a steep radial metallicity gradient of slope -0.052 plus or minus 0.011 dex kpc super( -1) at R sub( gc) < 12 kpc are younger than 1.5 Gyr and located close to the Galactic mid-plane (|...z| <...0.5 kpc) with kinematics typical of the thin disc. Whereas the clusters describing a shallow slope of -0.015 plus or minus 0.007 dex kpc super( -1) at R sub( gc) > 12 kpc are relatively old, thick disc members with a striking spread in age and height above the mid-plane (0.5 < |...z| < 2.5 kpc). Our investigation reveals that the OCs and field stars yield consistent radial metallicity gradients if the comparison is limited to samples drawn from the similar vertical heights. We argue via the computation of Galactic orbits that all the outer disc clusters were actually born inwards of 12 kpc but the orbital eccentricity has taken them to present locations very far from their birthplaces. (ProQuest: ... denotes formulae/symbols omitted.)
Purpose of Review
Wall shear stress describes the mechanical influence of blood flow on the arterial wall. In this review, we discuss the role of the wall shear stress in the development of ...atherosclerosis and its complications.
Recent Findings
Areas with chronically low, oscillating wall shear stress are most prone to plaque development and include outer bifurcation walls and inner walls of arches. In some diseases, patients have lower wall shear stress even in straight arterial segments; also, these findings were associated with atherosclerosis. High wall shear stress develops in the distal part (shoulder) of a stenosis and contributes to plaque destabilization.
Summary
Wall shear stress changes are involved in the development of atherosclerosis. They are not fully understood yet and act in concert with tangential wall stress.
Well-being theory, also known as the PERMA model (Seligman in Flourish: a visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being, Free Press, New York, 2011), proposes five pathways by which ...individuals can pursue happiness. The first pathway, the pleasant life, concerns the maximization of positive emotions. The second pathway, the engaged life, combines flow with engagement, while the third, the meaningful life, concerns purpose in life and meaning. The last two pathways involve positive relationships and achievements. While research in positive psychology focuses on happiness, there is a dearth of information within the literature about the ways in which the PERMA model is experienced by other cultures, and how it can highlight areas of development. This present study aimed to determine whether descriptions of happiness provided by a sample of Emirati university students would align with the PERMA model pathways. The results showed that the way in which happiness was described overlapped with the PERMA pathways in culturally consistent ways. The PERMA model was effective in highlighting opportunities and challenges for intervention in the United Arab Emirates. Finally, the study suggests that as researchers aim to increase well-being and as nations strive to improve the satisfaction of their citizens, cultural structures may be impacted.
Very high quality spectra of 24 metal-poor halo dwarfs and subgiants have been acquired with ESO's VLT/UVES for the purpose of determining Li isotopic abundances. The derived one-dimensional, non-LTE ...super(7)Li abundances from the Li I 670.8 nm line reveal a pronounced dependence on metallicity but with negligible scatter around this trend. Very good agreement is found between the abundances from the Li I 670.8 nm line and the Li I 610.4 nm line. The estimated primordial super(7)Li abundance is super(7)Li/H = (1.1-1.5) x 10 super(-10), which is a factor of 3-4 lower than predicted from standard big bang nucleosynthesis with the baryon density inferred from the cosmic microwave background. Interestingly, super(6)Li is detected in 9 of our 24 stars at the .2 s significance level. Our observations suggest the existence of a super(6)Li plateau at the level of log super(6)Li - 0.8; however, taking into account predictions for super(6)Li destruction during the pre-main-sequence evolution tilts the plateau such that the super(6)Li abundances apparently increase with metallicity. Our most noteworthy result is the detection of super(6)Li in the very metal-poor star LP 815-43. Such a high super(6)Li abundance during these early Galactic epochs is very difficult to achieve by Galactic cosmic-ray spallation and a-fusion reactions. It is concluded that both Li isotopes have a pre-Galactic origin. Possible super(6)Li production channels include protogalactic shocks and late-decaying or annihilating supersymmetric particles during the era of big bang nucleosynthesis. The presence of super(6)Li limits the possible degree of stellar super(7)Li depletion and thus sharpens the discrepancy with standard big bang nucleosynthesis.
Elemental abundance survey of the Galactic thick disc Reddy, Bacham E.; Lambert, David L.; Prieto, Carlos Allende
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,
April 2006, Letnik:
367, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
We have performed an abundance analysis for F- and G- dwarfs of the Galactic thick-disc component. A sample of 176 nearby (d≤ 150 pc) thick-disc candidate stars was chosen from the Hipparcos ...catalogue and subjected to a high-resolution spectroscopic analysis. Using accurate radial velocities combined with the Hipparcos astrometry, kinematics (U, V and W) and Galactic orbital parameters were computed. We estimate the probability for a star to belong to the thin disc, the thick disc or the halo. With a probability P≥ 70 per cent taken as certain membership, we assigned 95 stars to the thick disc, 13 to the thin disc, and 20 to the halo. The remaining 48 stars in the sample cannot be assigned with reasonable certainty to one of the three components. Abundances of C, O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Y, Ba, Ce, Nd and Eu have been obtained. The abundances for the thick-disc stars are compared with those for the thin-disc members from Reddy et al. The ratios of α-elements (O, Mg, Si, Ca and Ti) to iron for thick-disc stars show a clear enhancement compared to thin-disc members in the range −0.3 < Fe/H < −1.2. There are also other elements – Al, Sc, V, Co, and possibly Zn – which show enhanced ratios to iron in the thick disc relative to the thin disc. The abundances of Na, Cr, Mn, Ni and Cu (relative to Fe) are very similar for thin- and thick-disc stars. The dispersion in abundance ratios X/Fe at given Fe/H for thick-disc stars is consistent with the expected scatter due to measurement errors, suggesting a lack of ‘cosmic’ scatter. A few stars classified as members of the thick disc by our kinematic criteria show thin-disc abundances. These stars, which appear older than most thin-disc stars, are also, on average, younger than the thick-disc population. They may have originated early in the thin-disc history, and been subsequently scattered to hotter orbits by collisions. The thick disc may not include stars with Fe/H > −0.3. The observed compositions of the thin and thick discs seem to be consistent with the models of galaxy formation by hierarchical clustering in a Lambda cold dark matter (ΛCDM) universe.
Confusion between similar drug names is a common cause of potentially harmful medication errors. Interventions to prevent these errors at the point of prescribing have had limited success. The ...purpose of this study is to measure whether indication alerts at the time of computerized physician order entry (CPOE) can intercept drug name confusion errors.
A retrospective observational study of alerts provided to prescribers in a public, tertiary hospital and ambulatory practice with medication orders placed using CPOE. Consecutive patients seen from April 2006 through February 2012 were eligible if a clinician received an indication alert during ordering. A total of 54,499 unique patients were included. The computerized decision support system prompted prescribers to enter indications when certain medications were ordered without a coded indication in the electronic problem list. Alerts required prescribers either to ignore them by clicking OK, to place a problem in the problem list, or to cancel the order. Main outcome was the proportion of indication alerts resulting in the interception of drug name confusion errors. Error interception was determined using an algorithm to identify instances in which an alert triggered, the initial medication order was not completed, and the same prescriber ordered a similar-sounding medication on the same patient within 5 minutes. Similarity was defined using standard text similarity measures. Two clinicians performed chart review of all cases to determine whether the first, non-completed medication order had a documented or non-documented, plausible indication for use. If either reviewer found a plausible indication, the case was not considered an error. We analyzed 127,458 alerts and identified 176 intercepted drug name confusion errors, an interception rate of 0.14±.01%.
Indication alerts intercepted 1.4 drug name confusion errors per 1000 alerts. Institutions with CPOE should consider using indication prompts to intercept drug name confusion errors.
While developing excellence in knowledge and skills, academic institutions have often overlooked their obligation to instill wellbeing. To address this, we introduced a 14-week positive psychology ...intervention (PPI) program (Happiness 101) to university students from 39 different nations studying in the United Arab Emirates (
N
= 159). Students were exposed to 18 different PPIs. Pre, post, and 3-month-post measures were taken assessing hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, and beliefs regarding the fear and fragility of happiness. At the end of the semester, relative to a control group (
N
= 108), participants exposed to the Happiness 101 program reported higher levels of both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, and lower levels of fear of happiness and the belief that happiness is fragile. Boosts in life satisfaction and net-positive affect, and reduction of fear of happiness and the belief that happiness is fragile were maintained in the Happiness 101 group 3 months post-intervention.
Background
The American Society of Peritoneal Surface Malignancies (ASPSM) is a consortium of cancer centers performing cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). ...This is a position paper from the ASPSM on the standardization of the delivery of HIPEC.
Methods
A survey was conducted of all cancer centers performing HIPEC in the United States. We attempted to obtain consensus by the modified method of Delphi on seven key HIPEC parameters: (1) method, (2) inflow temperature, (3) perfusate volume, (4) drug, (5) dosage, (6) timing of drug delivery, and (7) total perfusion time. Statistical analysis was performed using nonparametric tests.
Results
Response rates for ASPSM members (
n
= 45) and non-ASPSM members (
n
= 24) were 89 and 33 %, respectively. Of the responders from ASPSM members, 95 % agreed with implementing the proposal. Majority of the surgical oncologists favored the closed method of delivery with a standardized dual dose of mitomycin for a 90-min chemoperfusion for patients undergoing cytoreductive surgery for peritoneal carcinomatosis of colorectal origin.
Conclusions
This recommendation on a standardized delivery of HIPEC in patients with colorectal cancer represents an important first step in enhancing research in this field. Studies directed at maximizing the efficacy of each of the seven key elements will need to follow.
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