A colimit decomposition for homotopy algebras in Cat

Badzioch showed that in the category of simplicial sets each homotopy algebra of a Lawvere theory is weakly equivalent to a strict algebra. In seeking to extend this result to other contexts Rosicky observed a key point to be that each homotopy colimit in simplicial sets admits a decomposition into a homotopy sifted colimit of finite coproducts, and asked the author whether a similar decomposition holds in the 2-category of categories Cat. Our purpose in the present paper is to show that this is the case.Comment: Some notation changed; small amount of exposition added in intr

Americans\u27 Foreign Language Deficit and Possible Solutions

This paper describes why knowledge of a foreign language is important and investigates why Americans are falling behind others around the world in regards to their knowledge of a foreign language. The paper then gives descriptions of different types of foreign language classes in the US, specifically classes that use the “book method” of teaching and classes that use the “immersion method” of teaching. Students from these classes also give feedback about their foreign language learning. The paper concludes with recommendations for how more Americans can more effectively learn a foreign language and how the United States can fix its foreign language deficit. For this paper, research regarding benefits of learning a foreign language, Americans’ lack of foreign language skills and effective methods for teaching a foreign language was done using scholarly and other reliable sources. To see the difference between the “book method” and the “immersion method” of teaching a foreign language, different classes on La Salle University’s campus were observed. Students from these classes were then surveyed in order to get feedback about how they perceived their classes and progression learning a foreign language. Recommendations at the end of the paper are made based off the research, observations and surveys conducted. It was discovered that learning a foreign language has many benefits, such as more career opportunities, improved cognitive functions, higher test scores and better understanding of other people and cultures. It was also found that Americans are severely trailing behind Europeans in the way of proficiency in foreign languages, most likely because there is much less stress put on foreign languages in the American educational system. Since this is the case, the United States should change how it teaches foreign languages in schools; this includes teaching students foreign languages at a younger age, employing the immersion method, and using more effective classroom exercises and activities

Collisional Detachment of Anions using Fourier Transform Mass Spectrometry

Fourier Transform Mass Spectrometry (FTMS) is used to make energy resolved ion-neutral reaction measurements at high translational energies (up to several hundred eV). The technique is demonstrated for collisional detachment of anions, and should be easily applied to other inelastic reactions. Collisional detachment cross sections of iodine anions onto gas phase targets of neon, xenon, and trifluoromethyl iodide are measured for 1-300 eV (lab frame). Peak detachment cross sections are roughly 2, 8.5, and 7 Å2, respectively. Ion kinetic measurements show the iodine anion is unreactive in trifluoromethyl iodide at thermal energies. Positive ion chemistry is consistent with previous results from well established techniques. However, the influence of internal energy is quantified for the first time by varying the electron energy of ion formation. Changes in the observed reactions of iodine cations and trifluoromethyl iodide cations are attributed to ion formation in excited states. Ionization and attachment cross sections for electron impact on trifluoromethyl iodide are reported for the first time over the energy range 10- 50 eV. The ion motion in the FTMS ion trap is modelled and the relationship between the ion trajectory and the ion image current is quantified

Carbon stable isotope analysis of cereal remains as a way to reconstruct water availability: preliminary results

Reconstructing past water availability, both as rainfall and irrigation, is important to answer questions about the way society reacts to climate and its changes and the role of irrigation in the development of social complexity. Carbon stable isotope analysis of archaeobotanical remains is a potentially valuable method for reconstructing water availability. To further define the relationship between water availability and plant carbon isotope composition and to set up baseline values for the Southern Levant, grains of experimentally grown barley and sorghum were studied. The cereal crops were grown at three stations under five different irrigation regimes in Jordan. Results indicate that a positive but weak relationship exists between irrigation regime and total water input of barley grains, but no relationship was found for sorghum. The relationship for barley is site-specific and inter-annual variation was present at Deir ‘Alla, but not at Ramtha and Khirbet as-Samra

Signatures of arithmetic simplicity in metabolic network architecture

Metabolic networks perform some of the most fundamental functions in living cells, including energy transduction and building block biosynthesis. While these are the best characterized networks in living systems, understanding their evolutionary history and complex wiring constitutes one of the most fascinating open questions in biology, intimately related to the enigma of life's origin itself. Is the evolution of metabolism subject to general principles, beyond the unpredictable accumulation of multiple historical accidents? Here we search for such principles by applying to an artificial chemical universe some of the methodologies developed for the study of genome scale models of cellular metabolism. In particular, we use metabolic flux constraint-based models to exhaustively search for artificial chemistry pathways that can optimally perform an array of elementary metabolic functions. Despite the simplicity of the model employed, we find that the ensuing pathways display a surprisingly rich set of properties, including the existence of autocatalytic cycles and hierarchical modules, the appearance of universally preferable metabolites and reactions, and a logarithmic trend of pathway length as a function of input/output molecule size. Some of these properties can be derived analytically, borrowing methods previously used in cryptography. In addition, by mapping biochemical networks onto a simplified carbon atom reaction backbone, we find that several of the properties predicted by the artificial chemistry model hold for real metabolic networks. These findings suggest that optimality principles and arithmetic simplicity might lie beneath some aspects of biochemical complexity

Development and validation of the brief esophageal dysphagia questionnaire

BackgroundEsophageal dysphagia is common in gastroenterology practice and has multiple etiologies. A complication for some patients with dysphagia is food impaction. A valid and reliable questionnaire to rapidly evaluate esophageal dysphagia and impaction symptoms can aid the gastroenterologist in gathering information to inform treatment approach and further evaluation, including endoscopy.Methods1638 patients participated over two study phases. 744 participants completed the Brief Esophageal Dysphagia Questionnaire (BEDQ) for phase 1; 869 completed the BEDQ, Visceral Sensitivity Index, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Questionnaire, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale for phase 2. Demographic and clinical data were obtained via the electronic medical record. The BEDQ was evaluated for internal consistency, split‐half reliability, ceiling and floor effects, and construct validity.Key ResultsThe BEDQ demonstrated excellent internal consistency, reliability, and construct validity. The symptom frequency and severity scales scored above the standard acceptable cutoffs for reliability while the impaction subscale yielded poor internal consistency and split‐half reliability; thus the impaction items were deemed qualifiers only and removed from the total score. No significant ceiling or floor effects were found with the exception of 1 item, and inter‐item correlations fell within accepted ranges. Construct validity was supported by moderate yet significant correlations with other measures. The predictive ability of the BEDQ was small but significant.Conclusions & InferencesThe BEDQ represents a rapid, reliable, and valid assessment tool for esophageal dysphagia with food impaction for clinical practice that differentiates between patients with major motor dysfunction and mechanical obstruction.Validated, rapid clinical assessment tools for esophageal dysphagia are lacking. The brief esophageal dysphagia questionnaire aims to gauge the severity and frequency of dysphagia with additional items to gauge food impaction. The BEDQ is a reliable and valid tool to assess esophageal dysphagia.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135130/1/nmo12889.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135130/2/nmo12889_am.pd

Heterotopic Ossification (HO) Prophylaxis in Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA): A Systematic Review of Level I and Level II Evidence Since 2000

Introduction: Heterotopic ossification (HO) is a somewhat common occurrence after total hip arthroplasty (THA), particularly with certain approaches. This complication can be detrimental to the success of the surgical outcome. Indomethacin and radiotherapy remain common treatment modalities; however, no true gold-standard treatment is universally agreed upon. This study aims to evaluate Level I and Level II evidence for treatment practices of HO prophylaxis since 2000. Methods: To evaluate HO prophylaxis in total hip arthroplasty, a search was conducted across MEDLINE/Pubmed, Cochrane, and Embase databases using keywords and Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms. Titles and abstracts were screened for eligibility for inclusion criteria. Full texts were screened and included if they met eligibility criteria. Results: HO chemical prophylaxis was more effective than no HO prophylaxis, except for aspirin. Multiple NSAIDs showed equivalence and better side effect profiles than indomethacin. No one superior NSAID was found, and numerous modalities showed efficacy. The most effective dosages of radiation therapy and combination therapy remain unclear. Additionally, both etidronate and salmon calcitonin showed benefit in preventing HO in one study each. Conclusion: Radiation, NSAIDs, and combination therapy all showed efficacy as HO prophylaxis modalities. HO prophylaxis treatment and modalities should be guided upon patient and surgical factors such as surgical approach, side effects and tolerability of modalities, comorbidities, and available facility resources to optimize the prevention of HO. Level of evidence: Level IV Therapeutic

Elbow Ulnar Collateral Ligament Repair: A Systematic Review of Trends and Outcomes

Background Ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injuries of the elbow have rapidly risen among high-level baseball players. These injuries have led to the rise of the UCL repair for partial tears. This technique has been theorized to allow for an earlier return to sport. This review aims to evaluate the current literature regarding UCL repair to help guide surgeons in managing UCL injuries. Methods A search was conducted across MEDLINE/PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases to evaluate for UCL repair. The search used a combination of keywords and Medical Subject Heading terms. Titles and abstracts were screened for eligibility for inclusion criteria. Full texts were screened and included if they met eligibility criteria. Demographics and results of the studies were extracted from the articles that met inclusion criteria. Results Thirteen relevant studies were found and included in this scoping review. Five studies found that the incidence of UCL repair surgery has increased in recent years. One study found that the incidence of UCL repair surgery increased at a 5.4% faster rate than UCL reconstruction surgery. Repair with suture augmentation was used as the UCL repair technique in four studies. UCL repair showed a return to sport of 86.7% or higher in studies that evaluated return to sport. Four studies reported return to sport at same level or higher, with four studies not specifying return to sport level or return to sport metrics. The most common complication reported was postoperative ulnar nerve neuropathy or paresthesias. Overall, there was a low rate of return to the operating room for complications. Conclusion This scoping review found that UCL repair surgery continues to rise in popularity. It also found that UCL repair is safe and effective, with patients having low complication rates and high rates of return to sport

The Application of DNA Barcodes for the Identification of Marine Crustaceans from the North Sea and Adjacent Regions

During the last years DNA barcoding has become a popular method of choice for molecular specimen identification. Here we present a comprehensive DNA barcode library of various crustacean taxa found in the North Sea, one of the most extensively studied marine regions of the world. Our data set includes 1,332 barcodes covering 205 species, including taxa of the Amphipoda, Copepoda, Decapoda, Isopoda, Thecostraca, and others. This dataset represents the most extensive DNA barcode library of the Crustacea in terms of species number to date. By using the Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD), unique BINs were identified for 198 (96.6%) of the analyzed species. Six species were characterized by two BINs (2.9%), and three BINs were found for the amphipod species Gammarus salinus Spooner, 1947 (0.4%). Intraspecific distances with values higher than 2.2% were revealed for 13 species (6.3%). Exceptionally high distances of up to 14.87% between two distinct but monophyletic clusters were found for the parasitic copepod Caligus elongatus Nordmann, 1832, supporting the results of previous studies that indicated the existence of an overlooked sea louse species. In contrast to these high distances, haplotype-sharing was observed for two decapod spider crab species, Macropodia parva Van Noort & Adema, 1985 and Macropodia rostrata (Linnaeus, 1761), underlining the need for a taxonomic revision of both species. Summarizing the results, our study confirms the application of DNA barcodes as highly effective identification system for the analyzed marine crustaceans of the North Sea and represents an important milestone for modern biodiversity assessment studies using barcode sequence

Molecular psychiatry of zebrafish

Due to their well-characterized neural development and high genetic homology to mammals, zebrafish (Danio rerio) have emerged as a powerful model organism in the field of biological psychiatry. Here, we discuss the molecular psychiatry of zebrafish, and its implications for translational neuroscience research and modeling central nervous system (CNS) disorders. In particular, we outline recent genetic and technological developments allowing for in vivo examinations, high-throughput screening and whole-brain analyses in larval and adult zebrafish. We also summarize the application of these molecular techniques to the understanding of neuropsychiatric disease, outlining the potential of zebrafish for modeling complex brain disorders, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), aggression, post-traumatic stress and substance abuse. Critically evaluating the advantages and limitations of larval and adult fish tests, we suggest that zebrafish models become a rapidly emerging new field in modern molecular psychiatry research