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Invasive species are a major driver in the global decline of biodiversity. Invasive herpetofauna cause ecological harm through different mechanisms that vary in scope and severity, and Florida boasts more established nonnative herpetofauna species than any other region in the world. There, black spiny-tailed iguanas (Ctenosaura similis) are one of several large invasive reptiles known to occupy the burrows of the imperiled, native gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) and may even exclude tortoises from their burrows. To test the hypothesis that iguanas exclude tortoises from their burrows, we conducted a field study on Gasparilla Island, Florida, USA. We used a burrow scope to estimate occupancy of each species within tortoise burrows at sites with and without sustained iguana removal efforts and modelled co-occurrence patterns between the two species. We used two-species occupancy analyses to test three predictions relating to gopher tortoise burrow use. Our results support the hypothesis that gopher tortoises are excluded from their burrows by black spiny-tailed iguanas. The energetic cost to a tortoise of excavating a new burrow is unknown but may be substantial. In addition, tortoises are more vulnerable to extreme temperatures and predation while searching for a new burrow location and digging a burrow. Our results also show that sustained iguana removal is likely effective at reducing iguana occupancy of tortoise burrows. Other large invasive reptiles and perhaps even some native species typically thought of as “burrow commensals” may have similar deleterious effects on tortoise behavior.

Stars form in clusters, while planets form in gaseous disks around young stars. Cluster dissolution occurs on longer time scales than disk dispersal. Planet formation thus typically takes place while the host star is still inside the cluster. We explore how the presence of other stars affects the evolution of circumstellar disks. Our numerical approach requires multi-scale and multi-physics simulations where the relevant components and their interactions are resolved. The simulations start with the collapse of a turbulent cloud, from which stars with disks form, which are able to influence each other. We focus on the effect of extinction due to residual cloud gas on the early evolution of circumstellar disks. We find that this extinction protects circumstellar disks against external photoevaporation, but these disks then become vulnerable to dynamic truncation by passing stars. We conclude that circumstellar disk evolution is heavily affected by the early evolution of the cluster.

The fraction of stars in binary systems within star clusters is important for their evolution, but what proportion of binaries form by dynamical processes after initial stellar accretion remains unknown. In previous work, we showed that dynamical interactions alone produced too few low-mass binaries compared to observations. We therefore implement an initial population of binaries in the coupled MHD and direct N-body star cluster formation code Torch. We compare simulations with, and without, initial binary populations and follow the dynamical evolution of the binary population in both sets of simulations, finding that both dynamical formation and destruction of binaries take place. Even in the first few million years of star formation, we find that an initial population of binaries is needed at all masses to reproduce observed binary fractions for binaries with mass ratios above the $q \geq 0.1$ detection limit. Our simulations also indicate that dynamical interactions in the presence of gas during cluster formation modify the initial distributions towards binaries with smaller primary masses, larger mass ratios, smaller semi-major axes and larger eccentricities. Systems formed dynamically do not have the same properties as the initial systems, and systems formed dynamically in the presence of an initial population of binaries differ from those formed in simulations with single stars only. Dynamical interactions during the earliest stages of star cluster formation are important for determining the properties of binary star systems., 15 pages, 14 figures, submitted to MNRAS and edited to address positive referee's report

Author(s): Bennert, Vardha N; Loveland, Donald; Donohue, Edward; Cosens, Maren; Lewis, Sean; Komossa, S; Treu, Tommaso; Malkan, Matthew A; Milgram, Nathan; Flatland, Kelsi; Auger, Matthew W; Park, Daeseong; Lazarova, Mariana S | Abstract: For a sample of $\sim$80 local ($0.02 \leq z \leq 0.1$) Seyfert-1 galaxies with high-quality long-slit Keck spectra and spatially-resolved stellar-velocity dispersion ($\sigma_{\star}$) measurements, we study the profile of the [OIII]$\lambda$5007A emission line to test the validity of using its width as a surrogate for $\sigma_{\star}$. Such an approach has often been used in the literature, since it is difficult to measure $\sigma_{\star}$ for type-1 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) due to the AGN continuum outshining the stellar-absorption lines. Fitting the [OIII] line with a single Gaussian or Gauss-Hermite polynomials overestimates $\sigma_{\star}$ by 50-100%. When line asymmetries from non-gravitational gas motion are excluded in a double Gaussian fit, the average ratio between the core [OIII] width ($\sigma_{\rm {[OIII],D}}$) and $\sigma_{\star}$ is $\sim$1, but with individual data points off by up to a factor of two. The resulting black-hole-mass-$\sigma_{\rm {[OIII],D}}$ relation scatters around that of quiescent galaxies and reverberation-mapped AGNs. However, a direct comparison between $\sigma_{\star}$ and $\sigma_{\rm {[OIII],D}}$ shows no close correlation, only that both quantities have the same range, average and standard deviation, probably because they feel the same gravitational potential. The large scatter is likely due to the fact that line profiles are a luminosity-weighted average, dependent on the light distribution and underlying kinematic field. Within the range probed by our sample (80-260 km s$^{-1}$), our results strongly caution against the use of [OIII] width as a surrogate for $\sigma_{\star}$ on an individual basis. Even though our sample consists of radio-quiet AGNs, FIRST radio-detected objects have, on average, a $\sim$10% larger [OIII] core width.

Objective To report the results of a preliminary analysis of a quality improvement initiative aimed to identify potential latent systems defects. Methods A pilot study of an anonymous, voluntary, event reporting system made available to all members of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery was performed. The National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCC MERP) index was used to classify error types. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize submissions to the database. Results In the 53 cases reported to the database over 22 months, the majority involved errors that had resulted in harm (n = 34, 64%), followed by errors that occurred and did not result in harm (n = 7, 13%). Errors occurred predominantly in the hospital (n = 23, 44%) and operating room (n = 19, 35%). Most entries were classified as either technical (n = 21, 39%) or related to postoperative care (n = 15, 30%). Discussion This preliminary descriptive analysis of a novel otolaryngology patient safety event reporting tool shows that this platform brings unique value to the identification of errors and adverse events in our specialty. Most reported events were classified as errors resulting in harm. The most common type of reported event was a technical error, most often resulting in a nerve injury. Implications for Practice This reporting tool will likely allow for identification and prioritization of improvement opportunities. This example may serve as a guide for other societies to create similar platforms as we strive for a standardized process for event reporting.

Objectives/Hypothesis To determine if open surgical treatment options for adult and adolescent laryngotracheal stenosis are more successful than endoscopic procedures. Study Design Systematic review. Methods Embase and MEDLINE were searched for publications on adult and adolescent patients (>13 years old) with laryngotracheal stenosis. Cause of stenosis (intubation, idiopathic, or trauma) and treatments (open laryngotracheal resection with anastomosis, open laryngotracheal reconstruction with expansion grafting, or endoscopic procedures) were included. Primary outcomes are decreased additional surgery performed and success of decannulation, if previously tracheostomy. Results There were 297 abstracts reviewed, 104 articles selected for full-text review, and 39 articles, with 834 pooled patients, included in the analysis. Patients who had an open procedure (resection with anastomosis or reconstruction with expansion grafting) had significantly different outcomes rates; 32% versus 38% (P

Objectives To compare the treatment outcomes and adverse event rates for primary closure compared to simple excision with healing by secondary intention for persistent tracheocutaneous fistula (TCF) in children. Study Design Systematic review. Methods Systematic review using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses reporting standards. MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, and manual search were used to identify articles. Inclusion criteria were case series or comparative studies of surgery for persistent TCF in children under age 18 years. Exclusion criteria were age 18 years or older, duplicate patient series, case series with less than two patients, or case reports. Data were pooled using random effects meta-analysis to assess outcomes, adverse events, and comparative effectiveness. Results We identified 14 articles with 413 patients treated with excision with primary closure and 233 patients treated with excision with closure by secondary intention. Pooled success rates were 95.7% with primary closure (95% confidence interval [CI]: 93.1% to 97.4%) and 92.7% with secondary intention (95% CI: 88.4% to 95.4%). Subcutaneous emphysema or urgent airway problems were uncommon, occurring in 3.8% and 3.6% of patients, respectively. Five studies had data suitable for comparative meta-analysis, which showed no differences by closure technique for treatment success (P = .480), overall complications (P = .551), need for revision surgery (P = .624), or the incidence of subcutaneous emphysema or pneumothorax (P = .512), urgent airway problems (P = .126), wound infection (P = 1.00), or wound dehiscence or fistula (P = .818). Conclusions There are no differences in the rates of success or complications with surgical closure of TCF in children, whether performed by primary closure or by secondary intention. Both techniques have high success rates with a low incidence of serious complications. Laryngoscope, 2016

El grupo etnico hispano es asociado con una ventaja de mortalidad en todas las causas, comparado a los blancos no hispanos (NH). Esta ventaja puede ser debido a mejores resultados en varios puntos a traves del transcurso de la enfermedad, incluyendo la sobrevivencia y la recuperacion de eventos agudas. El objetivo actual era examinar la hipotesis que el grupo etnico hispano es asociado con una ventaja en supervivencia y recuperacion en el contexto de todas las causas de hospitalizacion. Se llevo a cabo un analisis de poblacion retrospectivo de 23,028 blancos NH, negros NH, e hispanos admitidos en un hospital comunitario para personas de bajos recursos. Controlando la edad, el sexo y el codigo ICD-9 de los pacientes admitidos, los pacientes hispanos tuvieron menos mortalidad en el hospital durante su primera hospitalizacion. Los hispanos reingresaron con mas frecuentemente pero fueron hospitalizados por un total de menos dias durante el periodo de doce meses del estudio, relativo a pacientes blancos NH. Estos resultados proveen apoyo inicial de una ventaja hispana en supervivencia y recuperacion en el contexto de todas las causas de hospitalizacion, y amplifican el alcance de la capacidad de recuperacion de la salud asociada con el grupo etnico hispano.

During the past 30 years, seismic attributes have evolved beyond simple measures of amplitude, frequency, and phase to include measures of waveform similarity, amplitude variation with offset (AVO), spectral content, and structural deformation. Although neural networks and geostatistics are effective ways of combining the information content of these many attributes, such analyses cannot replicate the pattern-recognition capabilities of an experienced interpreter. For this reason, careful visualization and display of multiple attributes remains one of the most powerful interpretation tools at our disposal. The two most important color display models are based on red, green, and blue (RGB) or hue, lightness, and saturation (HLS). Each of these color models in turn can be modulated by transparency. We recommend using the RGB color model to map attributes of similar type, such as-volumes of near-, mid-, and far-angle amplitude or low-, moder-ate-, and high-frequency spectral components. The HLS model is preferred when one attribute modulates another, such as dip magnitude modulating dip azimuth or amplitude of the peak spectral frequency modulating the phase measured at the peak frequency. Transparency/opacity provides a fourth color dimension and additional attribute modulation capabilities. This tutorial demonstrates those attributes best displayed in each of the two basic color models with examples from the Gulf of Mexico and Fort Worth Basin, Texas, U.S.A. Sometimes these combinations can be achieved using commercial voxel-based interpretation software. By careful use of color and transparency applied to modern volumetric attributes, one can display the strike of faults and flexures in three dimensions, isolate collapse features, and qualitatively display the geomorphology and thickness of channels.

Poorly functioning, and often corrupt, public procurement procedures are widely faulted for the low quality of infrastructure provision in developing countries. Can electronic procurement (e-procurement), which reduces both the cost of acquiring tender information and personal interaction between bidders and procurement officials, ameliorate these problems? In this paper we develop a unique micro-dataset on public works procurement from two fast-growing economies, India and Indonesia, and use regional and time variation in the adoption of e-procurement across both countries to examine its impact. We find no evidence that e-procurement reduces prices paid by the government, but do find that it is associated with quality improvements. In India, where we observe an independent measure of construction quality, e-procurement improves the average road quality, and in Indonesia, e-procurement reduces delays in completion of public works projects. Bidding data suggests that an important channel of influence is selection -- regions with e-procurement have a broader distribution of winners, with (better) winning bidders more likely to come from outside the region where the work takes place. On net, the results suggest that e-procurement facilitates entry from higher quality contractors.

A mobile telephone handset comprising a radio telecommunications interface for wirelessly transmitting and receiving radio signals to and from a mobile telecommunications network is disclosed. The handset comprises first and second audio loudspeakers positioned to output audio from two different locations on the handset, wherein the first audio loudspeaker is mounted on a first portion and the second audio loudspeaker is mounted on a second, different portion, and wherein the first and second portions are movable from a first relative position in which the handset is compact and in which the audio loudspeakers are relatively closely spaced to a second relative position in which the audio loudspeakers are relatively widely spaced.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for reconstructing and simulating neocortical microcircuitry. In one aspect, a method includes providing a model of neural tissue, the model including different types of neural cells and dynamic synaptic interconnections between the neural cells, changing a parameter in the model; and identifying a change in a computational state of the model of the neural tissue responsive to the change in the parameter. The change in the parameter can, e.g., change behavior of neural cells of at least one type, change interconnectivity between neural cells, or target a location within a volume in the model that interacts with multiple types of neural cells.