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Objective: Compared to nonaffiliated students, Greek students engage in higher rates of prescription drug abuse (PDA). We examined PDA among Greek students compared to non-Greek students, and whether PDA in high school predicted joining a Greek organization in college. Participants: From November to December 2014, 509 undergraduate students at a large, southeastern institution participated in an online survey. Methods: Stratified random sampling with academic classification as the strata; chi-square analyses were conducted to test study hypotheses. Results: Greek students were no more likely than non-Greek students to ever engage in overall PDA. However, Greek students were significantly more likely to report abuse of stimulants, but not downers, in college and in high school. Conclusions: Future research to examine individual types of prescription drugs abused in high school and their affiliation with PDA among Greek students, compared to non-Greek students, in college is warranted.

Protein-truncating variants protective against human disease provide in vivo validation of therapeutic targets. Here we used targeted sequencing to conduct a search for protein-truncating variants conferring protection against inflammatory bowel disease exploiting knowledge of common variants associated with the same disease. Through replication genotyping and imputation we found that a predicted protein-truncating variant (rs36095412, p.R179X, genotyped in 11,148 ulcerative colitis patients and 295,446 controls, MAF=up to 0.78%) in RNF186, a single-exon ring finger E3 ligase with strong colonic expression, protects against ulcerative colitis (overall P=6.89 × 10(-7), odds ratio=0.30). We further demonstrate that the truncated protein exhibits reduced expression and altered subcellular localization, suggesting the protective mechanism may reside in the loss of an interaction or function via mislocalization and/or loss of an essential transmembrane domain.

Within the JGI?s Production Sequencing group, a robust Roche Genome Sequencer and Illumina Genome Analyzer pipeline has been established. Optimization of these sequencer pipelines has been ongoing with the aim of continual process improvement of the laboratory workflow. These process improvement projects are being lead by the JGI's Process Optimization, Sequencing Technologies, Instrumentation and Engineering, and the core Roche/454 and Illumina/GA Production groups. Primary focus has been on improving the procedural ergonomics and the technician's operating environment, reducing manually intensive technician operations with tools and robotic automation, reducing associated production costs, and improving the overall process and generated sequence quality. The foremost of these optimization projects, along with sequencing strategies, throughput numbers, and sequencing quality results will be presented.

This paper discusses the reorganisation of archaeometallurgical legacy data for future research. When archaeometallurgical research aims to answer questions that involve significant movements of raw material or metal objects, it needs to rely on large sets of data. These data are available but scattered across hundreds publications, where they are differently organised, based on the focus of the original papers. The FLAME‐D database aims to collect this corpus of data and include it in a versatile structure that also maintains the information about the original data organization. The production of such a database requires transparent data transformations. The database is complemented by a series of online tools that make data available to answer new questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a planar waveguide based sensor capable of simultaneous surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)/surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensing methodologies. The sensor consists of a nanostructured area etched into a low loss planar waveguide fabricated from silicon oxynitride. The selective deposition of the 25 nm thick gold film on the nanostructured features was applied to create the SERS/SPR active sites. In this work, we adapt the SPR approach, coupling light propagating along the slab waveguide to the nano-textured area from underneath. The shapes of the nanostructures, thickness, and morphology of the gold coating are chosen to be suitable for SERS and SPR. Effects of geometric parameters associated with the nanostructured features such as diameters, length, and pitch were investigated. Detection of Benzyl Mercaptan was accomplished using a 785 nm laser in a SERS configuration excited from the underlying waveguide core. The detection of the analyte was confirmed by normal incident SERS measurements using an InVia Raman spectrometer. The surface enhanced Raman scattering signal from the 25 nm thick Au coated nanostructures provided a maximum intensity signal of 104. Using the same device in the SPR sensing arrangement provided a wavelength shift of 25 nm and an average signal to noise ratio of 10 dB to Benzyl Mercaptan. The fabricated sensor can easily be fabricated using nano imprinting into cheap polymer substrates and would provide disposable real-world remote sensing capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The occurrence of a macroalgal bloom at eelgrass (Zostera capensis) sampling sites in the summer of 2014/2015 provided an opportunity to use underwater video cameras to monitor the possible effects of environmental change on fish diversity and abundance in the lower reaches of the Knysna Estuary. A General Linear Model (GLM) showed that there was a significant difference in the abundance of fish before and after an invasion of the sampling sites by the macroalga Ulva lactuca. The eelgrass bed fish abundance was more affected by the macroalgal bloom than the bare substratum fish abundance, with the Ulva impacting negatively on the relative abundance of Mugilidae in the former habitat. The hypothesis that macroalgal invasions have a negative effect on fish diversity and abundance is therefore supported by this preliminary study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epstein Barr virus (EBV) infects 95% of the global population and is associated with up to 2% of cancers globally. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody levels to EBV have been shown to be heritable and associated with developing malignancies. We, therefore, performed a pilot genome-wide association analysis of anti-EBV IgG traits in an African population, using a combined approach including array genotyping, whole-genome sequencing and imputation to a panel with African sequence data. In 1562 Ugandans, we identify a variant in human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DQA1, rs9272371 (p = 2.6 × 10−17) associated with anti-EBV nuclear antigen-1 responses. Trans-ancestry meta-analysis and fine-mapping with European-ancestry individuals suggest the presence of distinct HLA class II variants driving associations in Uganda. In addition, we identify four putative, novel, very rare African-specific loci with preliminary evidence for association with anti-viral capsid antigen IgG responses which will require replication for validation. These findings reinforce the need for the expansion of such studies in African populations with relevant datasets to capture genetic diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seagrass beds serve as nursery grounds for many fish species and often play an important role in the juvenile stages of economically and recreationally important fishes. The eelgrassZostera capensisis the dominant submerged macrophyte in permanently open South African estuaries and occupies large intertidal and subtidal areas within the Knysna system. The primary objective of this study was to compare the occurrence of sparids and mugilids in eelgrass and nearby bare sediment areas using sampling with seine nets. The hypothesis that was tested is that mugilids are dominant in unvegetated areas of the Knysna Estuary littoral whereas sparids predominate within eelgrass beds located in the same zone. The results indicate that the family Mugilidae is better represented at unvegetated sites when compared to members of the family Sparidae, with the exception ofLithognathus lithognathus,but that the dominant three sparids and dominant two mugilids were most abundant in sparse eelgrass beds that included both bare and vegetated areas within this habitat type. The main fish species responsible for the separation of fish assemblages associated with unvegetated sites versus those associated with vegetated areas wereRhabdosargus holubi, Liza dumerili, Liza richardsonii, Lithognathus lithognathus, Sarpa salpaandDiplodus capensis,withR. holubi, S. salpaandD. capensisbeing mainly attracted to eelgrass habitats andL. dumerili, L. richardsoniiandL. lithognathushaving a stronger affinity for bare areas. This finding confirms a previous estuarine study in the nearby Swartvlei lake littoral, which found that sparids dominated areas where aquatic macrophytes were extensive and that mugilids became more prevalent at those same sites when the macrophytes underwent complete senescence. The length-frequency distributions of some sparid and mugilid species differed considerably between eelgrass and bare sediment areas, whereas those of other species showed little or no difference between these two habitat types. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The distribution, population structure, condition and gonad indices, and the attachment strengths of the invasive Mediterranean musselMytilus galloprovincialisare described from the Knysna Estuary, South Africa. Mussels were found in the rocky intertidal at the mouth of the estuary and on all man-made hard substrata as far as 12 km from the mouth in 2013. However, mussel beds were found only in the lower reach of the estuary, where mussel densities were as high as 120 per 0.01 m2. When compared to mussels from the embayment regions of the estuary, those at the estuary mouth, where wave action was high, were generally smaller, had significantly lower condition and gonad indices, and greater attachment strength. This suggests that mussels within the sheltered regions of the estuary invest more energy in growth and reproduction, and that this is one reason for their success as an invasive species in the Knysna estuarine embayment. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Protein-truncating variants protective against human disease provide in vivo validation of therapeutic targets. Here we used targeted sequencing to conduct a search for protein-truncating variants conferring protection against inflammatory bowel disease exploiting knowledge of common variants associated with the same disease. Through replication genotyping and imputation we found that a predicted protein-truncating variant (rs36095412, p.R179X, genotyped in 11,148 ulcerative colitis patients and 295,446 controls, MAF=up to 0.78%) in RNF186, a single-exon ring finger E3 ligase with strong colonic expression, protects against ulcerative colitis (overall P=6.89 × 10−7, odds ratio=0.30). We further demonstrate that the truncated protein exhibits reduced expression and altered subcellular localization, suggesting the protective mechanism may reside in the loss of an interaction or function via mislocalization and/or loss of an essential transmembrane domain.

Southeast Asian metallurgical developments have been a focus of international academic interest since ) and ) first published bronze artefacts in claimed early/middle third millennium contexts from northeastern Thailand, igniting a regional 'origins' of metallurgy debate that has smouldered for 40 years (e.g., , ). In this paper, we present the results of a lead isotope pilot study centred on the Khao Wong Prachan Valley of central Thailand-currently Southeast Asia's only documented prehistoric copper smelting locale. These preliminary data indicate that our ongoing regional metal exchange research programme may be able to elucidate interaction networks between copper-producing and -consuming societies within and beyond Southeast Asia from c. 2000 to c. 500 . Furthermore, we are able to offer tentative evidence relevant to ) 'Rapid Eurasian Technological Expansion Model' for the Sino-Siberian derivation of regional metal technologies around the turn of the third/second millennium . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A high frame rate active pixel sensor designed to track the position of up to six optically trapped objects simultaneously within the field of view of a microscope is described. The sensor comprises 520×520 pixels from which a flexible arrangement of six independent regions of interest is accessed at a rate of up to 20 kHz, providing the capability to measure motion in multiple micron scale objects to nanometer accuracy. The combined control of both the sensor and optical traps is performed using unique, dedicated electronics (a field programmable gate array). The ability of the sensor to measure the dynamic position and the forces between six optically trapped spheres, down to femtonewton level, is demonstrated paving the way for application in the physical and life sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]