A common neural currency account for social and non-social decisions

To date, social and non-social decisions have been studied in isolation. Consequently, the extent to which social and non-social forms of decision uncertainty are integrated using shared neurocomputational resources remains elusive. Here, we address this question using simultaneous EEG-fMRI and a task in which decision evidence in social and non-social contexts varies along comparable scales. First, we identify comparable time-resolved build-up of activity in the EEG, akin to a process of evidence accumulation. We then use the endogenous trial-by-trial variability in the slopes of these accumulating signals to construct parametric fMRI predictors. We show that a region of the posterior-medial frontal cortex (pMFC) uniquely explains trial-wise variability in the process of evidence accumulation in both the social and non-social contexts. We further demonstrate a task-dependent coupling between the pMFC and regions of the human valuation system in dorso- and ventro-medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC/vmPFC) across both contexts. Finally, we report domain-specific representations in regions known to encode the early decision evidence for each context. These results are suggestive of a domain-general decision-making architecture, whereupon domain-specific information is likely converted into a "common currency" in the dmPFC/vmPFC and accumulated for the decision in the pMFC.

The Long and the Short of It: A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Parent–Child Care (PC–CARE) and Parent–Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)

Research shows that parenting interventions struggle with keeping clients in treatment. The purpose of this study was to compare attrition and rates of improvement in caregiver-child dyads participating in either Parent–Child Care (PC–CARE), a brief, 7-session parenting intervention or Parent–Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) over a 7–week period. Participants were 204 caregiver-child dyads referred to either PC-CARE (N = 69) or PCIT (N = 135) between 2016 and 2019. Children were aged 2–7 years, referred for treatment by county Behavioral Health Services, and Medicaid funded. Findings showed that PC–CARE participants were 2.5 times more likely than PCIT participants to complete 7 sessions, all other things being equal, and showed significantly greater rates of improvement during this timeframe in reported child behavior problems and parenting stress. In conclusion, compared with PCIT, PC–CARE showed greater retention and rate of improvement in child and parent outcomes over a comparable time period.

Improved Slit-shaped Microseparator and its Integration with a Microreactor for Modular Biomanufacturing

Modular and distributed biomanufacturing requires continuous flow microreactors integrated with efficient separation units operating at comparable time scales: biphasic reactive extraction of 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF) by fructose dehydration is an...

Faster HbA1c Turnaround Times Using a Dedicated Analyzer Based on Turbidimetric Inhibition Immunoassay Technology

Introduction The Roche Cobas c513 (c513) is a dedicated stand-alone high throughput HbA1c analyzer. We evaluated the performance and the difference in turnaround times (TAT) of the c513 against our Cobas 8000 c502 (c502). Methods We assessed the linearity and precision of the c513, and its agreement (Deming regression and Bland–Altman analysis) with the c502 assay. We compared TAT for these analyzers for a single run of 50 samples and for all samples run over 2 comparable time periods. Results The c513 assay was linear from 4.4–18.3% HbA1c. Interassay precision (CV%) was 1.2 and 0.8 at HbA1c levels of 5.7 and 10.5%, respectively. The c513 assay showed excellent concordance with the c502 assay (r = 0.997) with no significant difference between methods by Bland–Altman analysis (mean difference = 0.021% HbA1c, P = 0.1422). The c513 took 17 min to analyze 50 samples, compared to 40 min on the c502. Over comparable 2-month periods, 90% of samples requiring HbA1c tests only were completed under 25 min (c513) vs 30–35 min (c502). For tubes sharing complete blood count (CBC) testing with HbA1c, the 90th percentile TAT was 35–40 min (c513) compared to 45–50 min (c502). Conclusion The c513 assay performs well with excellent correlation to the c502 assay. The improved TAT of the c513 is suitable when there are demands for rapid HbA1c results and it may forestall requests for point-of-care testing. It is also attractive to sites with heavy workloads with a claimed throughput of 400 tests / h.

A history of university income in the United Kingdom and Australia, 1922–2017

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to create comparable time series data on university income in Australia and the UK that might be used as a resource for those seeking to understand the changing funding profile of universities in the two countries and for those seeking to investigate how such data were produced and utilised.Design/methodology/approachA statistical analysis of university income from all sources in the UK and Australia.FindingsThe article produces a new time series for Australia and a comparable time series for the UK. It suggests some of the ways these data related to broader patterns of economic change, sketches the possibility of strategic influence, and outlines some of their limitations.Originality/valueThis is the first study to systematically create a time series on Australian university income across the twentieth century and present it alongside a comparable dataset for the UK.

Radiocarbon dating supports bivalve-fish age coupling along a bathymetric gradient in high-resolution paleoenvironmental studies

Studies of paleocommunities and trophic webs assume that multispecies assemblages consist of species that coexisted in the same habitat over the duration of time averaging. However, even species with similar durability can differ in age within a single fossil assemblage. Here, we tested whether skeletal remains of different phyla and trophic guilds, the most abundant infaunal bivalve shells and nektobenthic fish otoliths, differed in radiocarbon age in surficial sediments along a depth gradient from 10 to 40 m on the warm-temperate Israeli shelf, and we modeled their dynamics of taphonomic loss. We found that, in spite of the higher potential of fishes for out-of-habitat transport after death, differences in age structure within depths were smaller by almost an order of magnitude than differences between depths. Shell and otolith assemblages underwent depth-specific burial pathways independent of taxon identity, generating death assemblages with comparable time averaging, and supporting the assumption of temporal and spatial co-occurrence of mollusks and fishes.

Secular evolution of close-in planets: the effects of general relativity

ABSTRACT Pairs of planets in a system may end up close to their host star on eccentric orbits as a consequence of planet–planet scattering, Kozai, or secular migration. In this scenario, general relativity and secular perturbations have comparable time-scales and may interfere with each other with relevant effects on the eccentricity and pericenter evolution of the two planets. We explore, both analytically and via numerical integration, how the secular evolution is changed by general relativity for a wide range of different initial conditions. We find that when the faster secular frequency approaches the general relativity precession rate, which typically occurs when the outer planet moves away from the inner one, it relaxes to it and a significant damping of the proper eccentricity of the inner planet occurs. The proper eccentricity of the outer planet is reduced as well due to the changes in the secular interaction of the bodies. The lowering of the peak eccentricities of the two planets during their secular evolution has important implications on their stability. A significant number of two-planet systems, otherwise chaotic because of the mutual secular perturbations, are found stable when general relativity is included.

CRITERIA AND PRINCIPLES OF THE TECHNICAL-ECONOMIC ANALYSIS APPLICABLE IN ECOLOGY

Environment protection, like a new religion consists of: environmental programmes, objectives and targets, training, incentive schemes, audit frequency, site inspections, administration and community relations. This paper presents the main environmental performance indicators. They should therefore be cost-effective and appropriate to the size and type of organization and its needs and priorities. Organizations should make the optimum use of the environmental information they collect. To this end the indicators should fulfill the dual purpose of assisting the management of the organization and providing information to stakeholders. In article we present a set of Environmental Performance Indicators (EPI). These indicators should therefore be cost-effective and appropriate to the size and type of organization and its needs and priorities. We present many categories of environmental performance indicators: comparability (indicators should enable a comparison and show changes in the environmental performance); balance between problematic (bad) and prospective (good) areas, continuity (indicators should be based on the same criteria and should be taken over comparable time sections or units); timeliness (indicators should be updated frequently enough to allow action to be taken); clarity (indicators should be clear and understandable).

Changes in Primary Care Visits in the 24 Weeks After COVID-19 Stay-at-Home Orders Relative to the Comparable Time Period in 2019 in Metropolitan Chicago and Northern Illinois

Objective In this brief report, we characterize pediatric primary care service utilization in metropolitan Chicago over the first 24 weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic response in relation to the comparable time period in 2019. Methods We examined retrospective visit and billing data, regardless of payer, from 16 independent pediatric practices that utilize a common electronic medical record platform within an Accountable Care Organization of 252 pediatricians in 71 offices throughout metropolitan Chicago. We categorized visits as Well-Child and Immunization-Only (WC-IO) or Other types and identified visits with a telemedicine billing modifier. Diagnoses for Other visits were tallied and categorized using the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Clinical Classification System. We summarized counts of visits and the proportion of visits with a telemedicine billing modifier in one-week epochs for 2020 compared with 2019. Results There were 102 942 total visits (72 030 WC-IO; 30 912 Other) in 2020 and 144 672 visits (80 578 WC-IO; 64 094 Other) in 2019. WC-IO visits in 2020 were half of 2019 visits at the start of the Illinois Stay-at-Home Order and returned greater than 90% of 2019 visits in 8 weeks. Other visit types have remained below 70% of 2019 visits. A telemedicine billing modifier peaked in mid-April (21% of all visits) and declined to <10% of all visits in June (Phase 2 reopening). The top 10 most common diagnoses differed between years. Conclusions Recovery of well child and immunization visits suggests that practice-level efforts and policy change can ensure children receive recommended care as the pandemic evolves.

Study of the Inhibitory Effects of Enteral Nutrition Formula on Indomethacin-Induced Gastric Lesions in Mice

We investigated the effects of enteral nutrition formula on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-induced gastric lesions in mice. Male ICR mice aged 7–9 weeks old were fasted, then orally given either purified water, Mermed® One, or 2-fold diluted Terumeal® 2.0α as enteral nutrition (25 or 50 mL/kg each). Indomethacin (IND) was orally administered at 20 mg/kg after 30 min, and the stomach was removed 6 h later and fixed in formalin. The number and area of lesions in the stomachs of the mice given enteral nutrition showed a significant, dose-dependent decrease compared to the purified water-treated group, and no significant difference was seen between the two enteral nutrition-treated groups. Comparable time courses of plasma IND concentrations suggest that enteral nutrition does not inhibit gastrointestinal absorption of IND. Our findings indicate that administering enteral nutrition could inhibit the onset of NSAID-induced gastric ulcers.