Roman diet and trade: evidence from organic residues on pottery sherds recovered at the Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum (Silchester Hants.)

The analysis of organic residues from pottery sherds using Gas-Chromatography with mass-spectroscopy (GC-MS) has revealed information about the variety of foods eaten and domestic routine at Silchester between the second and fourth–sixth centuries A.D. Two results are discussed in detail: those of a second-century Gauloise-type amphora and a fourth-century SE Dorset black-burnished ware (BB1) cooking pot, which reveal the use of pine pitch on the inner surface of the amphora and the use of animal fats (ruminant adipose fats) and leafy vegetables in cooking at the Roman town of Silchester, Hants

Transfer pricing: strategies, practices, and tax minimization

Using a survey of tax executives from multinational corporations, we document that some firms set their transfer pricing strategy to minimize tax payments, but more firms focus on tax compliance. We estimate that a firm focusing on minimizing taxes has a GAAP effective tax rate that is 6.6 percentage points lower and generates about $43 million more in tax savings, on average, than a firm focusing on tax compliance. Available COMPUSTAT data on sample firms confirm our survey‐based inferences. We also find that transfer pricing‐related tax savings are greater when higher foreign income, tax haven use, and R&D activities are combined with a tax minimization strategy. Finally, compliance‐focused firms report lower FIN 48 tax reserves than tax‐minimizing firms, consistent with the former group using less uncertain transfer pricing arrangements. Collectively, our study provides direct evidence that multinational firms have differing internal priorities for transfer pricing, and that these differences are strongly related to the taxes reported by these firms.First author draf

Electronic Health Record Availability and Anxiety Treatment in Office Based Practices

Objective: This study compared the probability of receiving anxiety treatment during a physician visit to primary care practices with and without an electronic health record (EHR). Methods: The 2007–2010 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey was used to identify visits for anxiety (N=290). The outcome was receipt of anxiety treatment. The independent variable was the presence of a fully functioning EHR. Logistic regression was used to conduct the analysis. Results: Patients who were seen in practices with a fully functioning EHR had lower odds of being offered antianxiety medication (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=.37, 95% confidence interval [CI]=.15–.90, p=.028), mental health counseling (AOR=.43, CI=.18–1.04, p=.061), and any anxiety treatment (AOR=.40, CI=.15–1.05, p=.062) compared with patients at practices without a fully functioning EHR. Conclusions: EHRs may have a negative impact on the delivery of care for anxiety during primary care visits. Future studies should monitor the impact of EHRs on delivery and quality of care

Elastic moduli of model random three-dimensional closed-cell cellular solids

Most cellular solids are random materials, while practically all theoretical results are for periodic models. To be able to generate theoretical results for random models, the finite element method (FEM) was used to study the elastic properties of solids with a closed-cell cellular structure. We have computed the density ($\rho$) and microstructure dependence of the Young's modulus ($E$) and Poisson's ratio (PR) for several different isotropic random models based on Voronoi tessellations and level-cut Gaussian random fields. The effect of partially open cells is also considered. The results, which are best described by a power law $E\propto\rho^n$ ($1 < n <2$), show the influence of randomness and isotropy on the properties of closed-cell cellular materials, and are found to be in good agreement with experimental data.Comment: 13 pages, 13 figure

Blooms of cyanobacteria in a temperate Australian lagoon system post and prior to European settlement

Blooms of noxious N2 fixing cyanobacteria such as Nodularia spumigena are a recurring problem in some estuaries; however, the historic occurrence of such blooms in unclear in many cases. Here we report the results of a palaeoecological study on a temperate Australian lagoon system (the Gippsland Lakes) where we used stable isotopes and pigment biomarkers in dated cores as proxies for eutrophication and blooms of cyanobacteria. Pigment proxies show a clear signal, with an increase in cyanobacterial pigments (echinenone, canthaxanthin and zeaxanthin) in the period coinciding with recent blooms. Another excursion in these proxies was observed prior to the opening of an artificial entrance to the lakes in 1889, which markedly increased the salinity of the Gippsland Lakes. A coincident increase in the sediment organic-carbon content in the period prior to the opening of the artificial entrance suggests that the bottom waters of the lakes were more stratified and hypoxic, which would have led to an increase in the recycling of phosphorus. After the opening of the artificial entrance, there was a  ∼  60-year period with low values for the cyanobacterial proxies as well as a low sediment organic-carbon content suggesting a period of low bloom activity associated with the increased salinity of the lakes. During the 1940s, the current period of re-eutrophication commenced, as indicated by a steadily increasing sediment organic-carbon content and cyanobacterial pigments. We suggest that increasing nitrogen inputs from the catchment led to the return of hypoxia and increased phosphorus release from the sediment, which drove the re-emergence of cyanobacterial blooms

Maternal vitamin D and E intakes during early pregnancy are associated with airway epithelial cell responses in neonates

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors would like to thank the children who participated in this study and their parents. We would also like to express our gratitude to staff at Aberdeen Maternity Hospital. This study was funded by the Chief Scientist Office, Edinburgh, UK (Clinical Academic Fellowship to DM).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Disparity in chromosomal variation within the Apiomorpha minor species-group

Στο γένος Apiomorpha παρατηρείται μια από τις μεγαλύτερες χρωμοσωμικές αποκλίσεις στα γένη ζωικών οργανισμών, με τον διπλοειδή αριθμό χρωμοσωμάτων να κυμαίνεται από 4 ως 192. Παρατηρείται επίσης σημαντική διαφοροποίηση και σε πολλά από τα 41 αναγνωρισμένα είδη. Για παράδειγμα, η παραλλακτικότητα στην ομάδα ειδών A. minor (A. minor, A. sessilis και A. annulata) παρουσιάζει ένα εξαιρετικά μεγάλο εύρος που κυμαίνεται από 2n = 4 ως 2n = 84. Ωστό- σο, η μεγαλύτερη από αυτή την παραλλακτικότητα υπάρχει στο είδος A. minor. Αντίθετα, σε ένα άλλο είδος από την ομάδα ειδών του A. minor το A. sessilis, έχουν παρατηρηθεί μόνο 2n = 4. Για να εξακριβώσουμε αν η παρατηρούμενη έλλειψη παραλλακτικότητας στο A. sessilis ήταν λόγω περιο- ρισμένης δειγματοληψίας, συγκεντρώσαμε άτομα από ολόκληρο το γνωστό εύρος διασποράς στην ανατολική Αυστραλία (&gt; 1,100 km). Δεν βρήκαμε κανένα διαφορετικό αριθμό χρωμοσωμάτων στο A. sessilis, επιβεβαιώνοντας τη σταθερότητα του καρυότυπου στο είδος. Αυτό εγείρει την ερώτηση "γιατί στο είδος A. sessilis υπάρχει ένας τόσο σταθερός καρυότυπος σε όλο το εύρος διασποράς του ενώ στο A. minor είναι τόσο ποικίλος;The scale insect genus Apiomorpha is one of the most chromosomally diverse of all animal genera, with diploid complements ranging from 4 to 192. There is even considerable variation within many of the 41 described species. For example, variation within the A. minor speciesgroup (A. minor, A. sessilis and A. annulata) shows an extraordinary range with counts from 2n = 4 through to 2n = 84. However, much of this variation is within a single currently recognized species – A. minor. In contrast, another species in the A. minor species group, A. sessilis, has been reported to have only counts of 2n = 4. To determine whether the reported lack of variation within A. sessilis was due to limited sampling, we collected specimens from across its known range of more than 1,100 km in eastern Australia. We did not find any additional chromosome counts for A. sessilis, confirming the constancy of karyotype in this species. This suggests the question "why does A. sessilis have such a conserved karyotype throughout its range while A. minor is so diverse?

An investigation into the role of pregnancy in the development of stress incontinence of urine

Methods: For the prospective observational study, 250 women were recruited from the antenatal clinics of University College London Hospital and The Whittington Hospital at their booking appointment. All women were less than 20 weeks pregnant at booking. The patients were interviewed with a standard questionnaire at booking, 28 weeks, 34 - 36 weeks of pregnancy and at 6 and 12 weeks postpartum. At the first interview patients were asked about incontinence prior to the pregnancy. The patients then completed a frequency volume voiding chart for each visit except the first. They were asked to attend the clinic with a full bladder and performed a standing stress test at the 28 and 34 - 36 week visit. The delivery details were collected at the first postpartum interview. For the retrospective study 300 primiparous patients who had delivered at The Whittington hospital were sent a questionnaire three months after delivery. Results: 181 women completed the prospective study. The reported frequency of micturition increased during pregnancy and declined after delivery. The frequency of micturition recorded on the charts showed a similar pattern. The total volume voided per day increased during pregnancy and declined after delivery whereas the mean volume voided at each micturition decreased in pregnancy compared to postpartum. There was no difference in the mean volume voided in the women who reported incontinence compared to those women who were dry. The numbers of women reporting incontinence increased in pregnancy to 44.8% at 28 weeks and then declined after delivery to 12.2% at 12 weeks postpartum. 58.1% of the retrospective questionnaires were returned. 32.9% had some form of incontinence at the time of completing the questionnaire whereas 31.8% had incontinence in pregnancy

A Computation in a Cellular Automaton Collider Rule 110

A cellular automaton collider is a finite state machine build of rings of one-dimensional cellular automata. We show how a computation can be performed on the collider by exploiting interactions between gliders (particles, localisations). The constructions proposed are based on universality of elementary cellular automaton rule 110, cyclic tag systems, supercolliders, and computing on rings.Comment: 39 pages, 32 figures, 3 table

Endogenous Maternal Lipids and Supplementation with Vitamin E Isoform Regulate Neonatal Dendritic Cells during Development of Allergic Disease

Background and Hypothesis:&nbsp;CDllb+CDllc+ dendritic cells (DCs) play a role in the development of allergic disease. It has been shown that of the vitamin E isoforms, α-Tocopherol decreases and γ-Tocopherol increases the generation of bone marrow-derived CD11b+CD11c+ DCs&nbsp;in vivo. And,&nbsp;in vivo&nbsp;experiments have also shown that β-glucosylceramides, endogenous maternal lipids, increase the neonate proliferation of this same subset of DCs.&nbsp;The mechanism for β-glucosylceramide regulation of these specific DC subsets is not known. Furthermore, it is also not known how vitamin E isoforms regulate DC development and differentiation. We determined whether α-tocopherol decreases and γ-tocopherol increases responses to&nbsp;β-glucosylceramide by regulating Protein Kinase C (PKC) activation during&nbsp;CDllb+CDllc+ DC differentiation and proliferation.&nbsp;&nbsp; Project Methods:&nbsp;Cultured bone marrow cells (harvested from mice) were treated with lipid metabolites with and without supplementation of tocopherol isoforms,&nbsp;immunolabeled&nbsp;with antibodies that define DCs and with antibodies that detect active auto phosphorylated forms of PKC. Then, these cells were analyzed using flow cytometry.&nbsp; Results:&nbsp;In vitro&nbsp;β-glucosylceramide&nbsp;elevated DC PKCα/β activity during&nbsp;CDllb+CDllc+ DC differentiation and proliferation/activation. Furthermore, these&nbsp;effects of β-glucosylceramide on DC PKCα/β activity were blocked by α-Tocopherol and elevated by γ-Tocopherol.&nbsp;&nbsp; Potential Impact:&nbsp;These data provides a better understanding of how maternal β-glucosylceramide and dietary supplementation with vitamin E isoforms&nbsp;regulate DC proliferation and differentiation and ultimately development of allergic inflammation in offspring of allergic mothers.&nbsp