For societies with writing systems, hereditary leadership is documented as one of the hallmarks of early political complexity and governance. In contrast, it is unknown whether hereditary succession ...played a role in the early formation of prehistoric complex societies that lacked writing. Here we use an archaeogenomic approach to identify an elite matriline that persisted between 800 and 1130 CE in Chaco Canyon, the centre of an expansive prehistoric complex society in the Southwestern United States. We show that nine individuals buried in an elite crypt at Pueblo Bonito, the largest structure in the canyon, have identical mitochondrial genomes. Analyses of nuclear genome data from six samples with the highest DNA preservation demonstrate mother-daughter and grandmother-grandson relationships, evidence for a multigenerational matrilineal descent group. Together, these results demonstrate the persistence of an elite matriline in Chaco for ∼330 years.
Background
High levels of anxiety during surgery are associated with poorer post‐surgical outcomes. This prospective, non‐blinded randomized controlled trial aimed to compare the effectiveness of ...four intraoperative distraction interventions for anxiety and pain management during minimally invasive venous surgery under local anaesthetic.
Methods
407 patients presenting with varicose veins at a private clinic, were randomized to one of four intraoperative distraction interventions or treatment as usual. All participants received endovenous thermoablation and/or phlebectomies of varicose veins. After losses to follow‐up, 398 participants were entered into the analysis. Participants were randomly allocated to one of the following intraoperative distraction techniques: patient selected music (n = 85), patient selected DVD (n = 85), interaction with nurses (n = 81), touch (stress balls) (n = 80) or treatment as usual (TAU, n = 76). The state scale of the STAI, the Short‐form McGill pain questionnaire and numeric rating scales were used to assess intraoperative pain and anxiety.
Results
Intraoperative anxiety ratings were significantly lower when participants interacted with nurses, used stress balls or watched a DVD during surgery compared to treatment as usual. Intraoperative pain ratings were significantly lower than treatment as usual when participants interacted with nurses or used stress balls during surgery. Patients' satisfaction was not significantly impacted by intraoperative distractions.
Conclusions
The use of simple intraoperative distraction techniques, particularly interacting with nurses, using stress balls or watching a DVD during surgery conducted under local anaesthetic can significantly improve patients' experiences.
Ocean surface pH levels are predicted to fall by 0.3-0.4 pH units by the end of the century and are likely to coincide with an increase in sea surface temperature of 2-4 °C. The combined effect of ...ocean acidification and warming on the functional properties of bivalve shells is largely unknown and of growing concern as the shell provides protection from mechanical and environmental challenges. We examined the effects of near-future pH (ambient pH -0.4 pH units) and warming (ambient temperature +4 °C) on the shells of the commercially important bivalve, Mytilus edulis when fed for a limited period (4-6 h day(-1)). After six months exposure, warming, but not acidification, significantly reduced shell strength determined as reductions in the maximum load endured by the shells. However, acidification resulted in a reduction in shell flex before failure. Reductions in shell strength with warming could not be explained by alterations in morphology, or shell composition but were accompanied by reductions in shell surface area, and by a fall in whole-body condition index. It appears that warming has an indirect effect on shell strength by re-allocating energy from shell formation to support temperature-related increases in maintenance costs, especially as food supply was limited and the mussels were probably relying on internal energy reserves. The maintenance of shell strength despite seawater acidification suggests that biomineralisation processes are unaffected by the associated changes in CaCO3 saturation levels. We conclude that under near-future climate change conditions, ocean warming will pose a greater risk to shell integrity in M. edulis than ocean acidification when food availability is limited.
This edited work summarises the latest advances in the physiological and ecological responses of marine species to a wide range of potential stressors resulting from current anthropogenic activity. ...It provides a perspective on future outcomes for some of the most pressing environmental issues facing society today.
•Use of Petri nets has facilitated the development of a comprehensive fuel cell degradation model.•Integration of a physics based model with the stochastic Petri net has enabled accurate lifetime ...analysis.•Experimentation has supported verification of the modelling.
Establishing accurate predictions for the reliability of fuel cell operation is critical for comparative performance evaluation of these new with existing power generation mechanisms. Fuel cells, in particular polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEMFCs), are an emerging technology to potential replace internal combustion engines with the benefits of reducing carbon emissions. Current issues relate to modelling of the degradation mechanisms limiting subsequent accurate reliability prediction. Though common reliability techniques such as Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) have been used to further the understanding of the failure modes within the fuel cell system and Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) used to quantify the likelihood of a reduction in performance via voltage drop due to failures, modelling system level reliability and degradation still needs more research. The inherent complexity of a PEMFC system assembly, harbouring dependencies between multiple failure modes, limits the accuracy of FTA. This paper presents a comprehensive Petri-Net model integrated with a 0-D fuel cell performance model of the fuel cell system to develop a more accurate degradation model. The results show the applicability of this novel hybrid method for reliability analysis, in this instance with application to PEMFCs, but with merit for application in other degradation domains.
Mutations in UBQLN2 cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and other neurodegenerations. However, the mechanism by which the UBQLN2 mutations cause disease remains ...unclear. Alterations in proteins involved in autophagy are prominent in neuronal tissue of human ALS UBQLN2 patients and in a transgenic P497S UBQLN2 mouse model of ALS/FTD, suggesting a pathogenic link. Here, we show UBQLN2 functions in autophagy and that ALS/FTD mutant proteins compromise this function. Inactivation of UBQLN2 expression in HeLa cells reduced autophagic flux and autophagosome acidification. The defect in acidification was rescued by reexpression of wild type (WT) UBQLN2 but not by any of the five different UBQLN2 ALS/FTD mutants tested. Proteomic analysis and immunoblot studies revealed P497S mutant mice and UBQLN2 knockout HeLa and NSC34 cells have reduced expression of ATP6v1g1, a critical subunit of the vacuolar ATPase (V-ATPase) pump. Knockout of UBQLN2 expression in HeLa cells decreased turnover of ATP6v1g1, while overexpression of WT UBQLN2 increased biogenesis of ATP6v1g1 compared with P497S mutant UBQLN2 protein. In vitro interaction studies showed that ATP6v1g1 binds more strongly to WT UBQLN2 than to ALS/FTD mutant UBQLN2 proteins. Intriguingly, overexpression of ATP6v1g1 in UBQLN2 knockout HeLa cells increased autophagosome acidification, suggesting a therapeutic approach to overcome the acidification defect. Taken together, our findings suggest that UBQLN2 mutations drive pathogenesis through a dominant-negative loss-of-function mechanism in autophagy and that UBQLN2 functions as an important regulator of the expression and stability of ATP6v1g1. These findings may have important implications for devising therapies to treat UBQLN2-linked ALS/FTD.
The OSIRIS-REx Camera Suite (OCAMS) onboard the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is used to study the shape and surface of the mission’s target, asteroid (101955) Bennu, in support of the selection of a ...sampling site. We present calibration methods and results for the three OCAMS cameras—MapCam, PolyCam, and SamCam—using data from pre-flight and in-flight calibration campaigns. Pre-flight calibrations established a baseline for a variety of camera properties, including bias and dark behavior, flat fields, stray light, and radiometric calibration. In-flight activities updated these calibrations where possible, allowing us to confidently measure Bennu’s surface. Accurate calibration is critical not only for establishing a global understanding of Bennu, but also for enabling analyses of potential sampling locations and for providing scientific context for the returned sample.
Puebloan sociocultural formations of the past and present are the subject of the essays collected here. The contributors draw upon the insights of archaeology, ethnology, and linguistic anthropology ...to examine social history and practice, including kinship groups, ritual sodalities, architectural forms, economic exchange, environmental adaptation, and political order, as well as their patterns of transmission over time and space. The result is a window onto how major Puebloan societies came to be and how they have changed over time. As an interdisciplinary conjunction, Puebloan Societies demonstrates the value of reengagement among anthropological subfields too often isolated from one another. The volume is an analytical whole greater than the sum of its parts: a new synthesis in this fascinating region of human cultural history.
OCAMS: The OSIRIS-REx Camera Suite Rizk, B.; Drouet d’Aubigny, C.; Golish, D. ...
Space science reviews,
02/2018, Volume:
214, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
The OSIRIS-REx Camera Suite (OCAMS) will acquire images essential to collecting a sample from the surface of Bennu. During proximity operations, these images will document the presence of satellites ...and plumes, record spin state, enable an accurate model of the asteroid’s shape, and identify any surface hazards. They will confirm the presence of sampleable regolith on the surface, observe the sampling event itself, and image the sample head in order to verify its readiness to be stowed. They will document Bennu’s history as an example of early solar system material, as a microgravity body with a planetesimal size-scale, and as a carbonaceous object. OCAMS is fitted with three cameras. The MapCam will record color images of Bennu as a point source on approach to the asteroid in order to connect Bennu’s ground-based point-source observational record to later higher-resolution surface spectral imaging. The SamCam will document the sample site before, during, and after it is disturbed by the sample mechanism. The PolyCam, using its focus mechanism, will observe the sample site at sub-centimeter resolutions, revealing surface texture and morphology. While their imaging requirements divide naturally between the three cameras, they preserve a strong degree of functional overlap. OCAMS and the other spacecraft instruments will allow the OSIRIS-REx mission to collect a sample from a microgravity body on the same visit during which it was first optically acquired from long range, a useful capability as humanity reaches out to explore near-Earth, Main-Belt and Jupiter Trojan asteroids.
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