30233 research outputs found
Sort by
Understanding mental health trends during COVID-19 pandemic in the United States using network analysis
Get PDFThe emergence of COVID-19 in the United States resulted in a series of federal and state-level lock-downs and COVID-19 related health mandates to manage the spread of the virus. These policies may negatively impact the mental health state of the population. This study focused on the trends in mental health indicators following the COVID-19 pandemic amongst four United States geographical regions, and political party preferences. Indicators of interest included feeling anxious, feeling depressed, and worried about finances. Survey data from the Delphi Group at Carnegie Mellon University were analyzed using clustering algorithms and dynamic connectome obtained from sliding window analysis. Connectome refers to the description of connectivity on a network. United States maps were generated to observe spatial trends and identify communities with similar mental health and COVID-19 trends. Between March 3rd, 2021, and January 10th, 2022, states in the southern geographic region showed similar trends for reported values of feeling anxious and worried about finances. There were no identifiable communities resembling geographical regions or political party preference for the feeling depressed indicator. We observed a high degree of correlation among southern states as well as within Republican states, where the highest correlation values from the dynamic connectome for feeling anxious and feeling depressed variables seemingly overlapped with an increase in COVID-19 related cases, deaths, hospitalizations, and rapid spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant
Parartemiopsis shangrilaensis, a new species of fairy shrimp (Branchiopoda, Anostraca) from Yunnan, with a key to the Chirocephalidae of China
Get PDFThe fairy shrimp genus Parartemiopsis Rogers, 2005 currently contains a single species reported from Russia and Mongolia. In 2013, an unidentified Parartemiopsis population was reported from the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau in China’s Yunnan Province, from Patatson National Park in Shangri-La County. Here, we describe the Chinese populations as a new species, Parartemiopsis shangrilaensis sp. nov. This new species is distinguished from its congener, P. longicornis (Smirnov, 1930), by the form of the male second antennae and the gonopod. The discovery of P. shangrilaensis sp. nov. extends the known distribution of the genus, and more Parartemiopsis species may be found in the future. We present a key to the genera and species of Chirocephalidae in China as an aid to future research
Evaluation of Multiple Corrosion Protection Systems for Reinforced Concrete Bridge Decks
Get PDFThis study evaluated the corrosion resistance of epoxy-coated (ASTM A775), hot-dip galvanized (ASTM A767), and continuously galvanized (ASTM A1094) reinforcement, and the conventional reinforcement (ASTM A615) used to produce them, as well as ChromX reinforcement (ASTM A1035 Type CS) under the rapid macrocell, Southern Exposure, and cracked beam tests. To simulate the effects of handling, placing, and construction practices in the field, epoxy-coated and galvanized bars were tested in the as-received condition, with intentional damage to the coating, and after bending. To simulate the effects of outdoor exposure on epoxycoated reinforcement, selected epoxy-coated reinforcing bars were tested under accelerated ultraviolet exposure cycles, both without and with physical damage. The corrosion performance of conventional and ChromX reinforcement was also evaluated in conjunction with IPANEX and Xypex, two waterproofing admixtures. Additionally, a 100-year life cost analysis was conducted to compare the cost-effectiveness of the reinforcing bars and admixtures evaluated in providing corrosion resistance based on construction costs in the states of Oklahoma and Kansas. Finally, the effect of variability in corrosion on the predicted service life is investigated using a Monte Carlo simulation using data from conventional, ECR, and ChromX reinforcement from the current study and previous studies.
Epoxy-coated reinforcement exhibited much greater corrosion resistance than conventional reinforcement, even after damage; however, ultraviolet exposure equivalent to as low as 1.2 months of outdoor exposure reduced the effectiveness of the coating resulting in increased corrosion rates. Both A767 and A1094 reinforcement exhibited better corrosion resistance than conventional reinforcement, but corrosion rates on both types of galvanized reinforcement increased when the bars were bent. Xypex was generally effective at reducing the corrosion rate iv of conventional reinforcement, but not ChromX reinforcement; further study is recommended on the effects of Xypex on the corrosion resistance of reinforced concrete. IPANEX did not affect the corrosion resistance of either type of reinforcement. Over a 100-year design life, epoxy coated, galvanized, and ChromX reinforcement are all cost-effective solutions
The Kappa Opioid Receptor Agonist 16-Bromo Salvinorin A Has Anti-Cocaine Effects without Significant Effects on Locomotion, Food Reward, Learning and Memory, or Anxiety and Depressive-like Behaviors
Get PDFKappa opioid receptor (KOR) agonists have preclinical antipsychostimulant effects; however, adverse side effects have limited their therapeutic development. In this preclinical study, conducted in Sprague Dawley rats, B6-SJL mice, and non-human primates (NHPs), we evaluated the G-protein-biased analogue of salvinorin A (SalA), 16-bromo salvinorin A (16-BrSalA), for its anticocaine effects, side effects, and activation of cellular signaling pathways. 16-BrSalA dose-dependently decreased the cocaine-primed reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior in a KOR-dependent manner. It also decreased cocaine-induced hyperactivity, but had no effect on responding for cocaine on a progressive ratio schedule. Compared to SalA, 16-BrSalA had an improved side effect profile, with no significant effects in the elevated plus maze, light–dark test, forced swim test, sucrose self-administration, or novel object recognition; however, it did exhibit conditioned aversive effects. 16-BrSalA increased dopamine transporter (DAT) activity in HEK-293 cells coexpressing DAT and KOR, as well as in rat nucleus accumbens and dorsal striatal tissue. 16-BrSalA also increased the early phase activation of extracellular-signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2, as well as p38 in a KOR-dependent manner. In NHPs, 16-BrSalA caused dose-dependent increases in the neuroendocrine biomarker prolactin, similar to other KOR agonists, at doses without robust sedative effects. These findings highlight that G-protein-biased structural analogues of SalA can have improved pharmacokinetic profiles and fewer side effects while maintaining their anticocaine effects
Repeat sprint fatigue and altered neuromuscular performance in recreationally trained basketball players
Get PDFThe primary aim of the present study was to investigate how the fatigue induced through a repeat sprint protocol acutely affected different measures of neuromuscular performance. Recreationally trained basketball players (n = 25) volunteered to participate in the study, and performed three countermovement jumps (CMJ), as well as three drop jumps (DJ) prior to a fatiguing repeat sprint protocol. These procedures were repeated two minutes, and 15 minutes, following the protocol. Various force-time metrics were extracted from the jump tasks, and linear mixed models with subject ID as the random factor, and time as the fixed factor were used to investigate changes across the three time points. To account for the performance during the repeat sprint protocol, a second, two factor model was performed with time and repeat sprint ability (RSA) as the fixed factors. Study results indicated that the sample as a whole merely experienced fatigue-induced decreases in jump height from pre-repeat sprint ability protocol (pre-RSA) within the CMJ compared to two minutes post-repeat sprint ability protocol (post-RSA1) and 15 minutes post-repeat sprint ability protocol (post-RSA2), while jump height within the DJ was only significantly different from pre-RSA at post-RSA1. Further, despite the implementation of the fatiguing RSA protocol, over the course of the three time-points, participants seemed to perform the two jump tasks more efficiently, seen through significantly lower contraction times, greater eccentric (ECC) peak power, and greater ECC mean deceleration force within the CMJ following the RSA task. The two-factor model revealed that several significant time*RSA interactions were found for metrics such as ECC peak velocity and peak power in the CMJ, as well as reactive strength index in the DJ. This suggests that the level of RSA influenced changes across CMJ and DJ characteristics and should be accounted for when interpreting fatigue-induced changes in neuromuscular performance
Basal Primatomorpha colonized Ellesmere Island (Arctic Canada) during the hyperthermal conditions of the early Eocene climatic optimum
Get PDFAnthropogenically induced warming is transforming Arctic ecosystems across a geologically short timescale, but earlier episodes of Earth history provide insights on the nature and limitations of biotic change in a rapidly warming Arctic. Late early Eocene strata (~52 Ma) of the Margaret Formation on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada sample a warm temperate ecosystem with a polar light regime situated at ~77°N paleolatitude. This extinct boreal ecosystem hosted a diversity of early Cenozoic vertebrates, including thermophilic taxa such as crocodilians and tapiroid perissodactyls. Here we describe two new species of the early primatomorphan Ignacius from Ellesmere, which are by far the northernmost known records for Paleogene Primatomorpha. Ellesmere species of Ignacius are sister taxa, indicating a single colonization of Ellesmere from farther south in North America coincident with the onset of the hyperthermal Early Eocene Climatic Optimum (EECO). The Ellesmere Ignacius clade differs from closely related taxa inhabiting mid-latitudes in being larger (thereby conforming to Bergmann’s rule) and having modified dentition and muscles of mastication for a dietary regime emphasizing hard objects, possibly reflecting an increased reliance on fallback foods during long polar winters. The late early Eocene mammalian fauna of Ellesmere indicates that its unique paleoenvironment rendered it uninhabitable to some clades, including euprimates, while selected taxa were able to adapt to its challenging conditions and diversify
Diversity in Monographs: Selectors, Acquisitions, Publishers, and Vendors
Get PDFIn 2020 the University of Kansas Libraries began a year-long diversity audit of the circulating monograph collection. The study, which utilized the checklist method evaluated the Libraries’ holdings based on a curated list of award winning and nominated titles. In addition to determining if specific titles were part of the collection, the study also sought to learn how these books were acquired. The study found that the library owned 60% of the 6,671 titles checked and of those with a known acquisitions method, 59% came via an approval plan. Titles and publishers not profiled by GOBI were significantly less likely to be in the collection as they were not included in the approval plan or highlighted by a slip notification. The Libraries’ reliance on GOBI and efficient and streamlined selection and acquisition processes has resulted in a less diverse collection
Con Artist: Non-Cosplay Participation at Popular Culture Conventions as an Arts-Based Method of Inquiring Into Resistance and the Undoing of Rules
Get PDFThis article has been accepted for publication in Qualitative Inquiry.I conduct an inquiry into my participation as an African American woman at two popular culture conventions, the 2017 Dragon Con (Atlanta) and the 2018 annual general meeting of the Jane Austen Society of North America (Kansas City). Through a methodological approach to Con-ing—attending a popular culture convention—as arts-based inquiry and utilizing techniques of autoethnography, I inquire into my participation in spaces that, while intended to be havens of adult play, reproduce and reinforce discourses and material practices that can limit the play and participation of marginalized Others
Using Motor Tempi to Understand Rhythm and Grammatical Skills in Developmental Language Disorder and Typical Language Development
Get PDFChildren with developmental language disorder (DLD) show relative weaknesses on rhythm tasks beyond their characteristic linguistic impairments. The current study compares preferred tempo and the width of an entrainment region for 5- to 7-year-old typically developing (TD) children and children with DLD and considers the associations with rhythm aptitude and expressive grammar skills in the two populations. Preferred tempo was measured with a spontaneous motor tempo task (tapping tempo at a comfortable speed), and the width (range) of an entrainment region was measured by the difference between the upper (slow) and lower (fast) limits of tapping a rhythm normalized by an individual’s spontaneous motor tempo. Data from N = 16 children with DLD and N = 114 TD children showed that whereas entrainment-region width did not differ across the two groups, slowest motor tempo, the determinant of the upper (slow) limit of the entrainment region, was at a faster tempo in children with DLD vs. TD. In other words, the DLD group could not pace their slow tapping as slowly as the TD group. Entrainment-region width was positively associated with rhythm aptitude and receptive grammar even after taking into account potential confounding factors, whereas expressive grammar did not show an association with any of the tapping measures. Preferred tempo was not associated with any study variables after including covariates in the analyses. These results motivate future neuroscientific studies of low-frequency neural oscillatory mechanisms as the potential neural correlates of entrainment-region width and their associations with musical rhythm and spoken language processing in children with typical and atypical language development