We Have a Voice: An Examination of Intimate Partner Violence in a Native American Community.

Indigenous people experience a higher rate of intimate partner violence (IPV) than other racial/ethnic groups; however, limited research examines IPV among this population. In collaboration with a tribe in the western United States, this study surveyed a sample of indigenous people ( = 27) to learn about their experiences with victimization. Results show that respondents experienced high amounts of recent relationship and lifetime victimization, mostly consistent with previous literature.

Native Missing Persons Cases Will Not be Solved by Police Alone: The Case for "Missing Persons Advocates".

This study explored the potential role of victim advocacy in Native American missing person cases. Interviews with 25 tribal and non-tribal victim/social service providers were conducted to assess their perspectives on the factors which make Native Americans vulnerable to going missing, the barriers and challenges regarding reporting and investigating missing persons, as well as how victim/social service providers might better support the families of missing persons. Findings suggest that advocates perceive that responding to and offering services for Native families who experience a missing loved one will be extremely difficult because of the intersection of isolation, poverty, and jurisdictional complexities among tribal lands, combined with social service providers and law enforcement officers' lack of resources and training regarding cultural sensitivity.

Positioning Methods and the Use of Location and Activity Data in Forests.

In this paper, we provide an overview of positioning systems for moving resources in forest and fire management and review the related literature. Emphasis is placed on the accuracy and range of different localization and location-sharing methods, particularly in forested environments and in the absence of conventional cellular or internet connectivity. We then conduct a second review of literature and concepts related to several emerging, broad themes in data science, including the terms , , , , , , and .

Tweet success? Scientific communication correlates with increased citations in Ecology and Conservation.

Science communication is seen as critical for the disciplines of ecology and conservation, where research products are often used to shape policy and decision making. Scientists are increasing their online media communication, via social media and news. Such media engagement has been thought to influence or predict traditional metrics of scholarship, such as citation rates.

Density-dependent signaling: An alternative hypothesis on the function of chemical signaling in a non-territorial solitary carnivore.

Brown bears are known to use rubbing behavior as a means of chemical communication, but the function of this signaling is unclear. One hypothesis that has gained support is that male bears rub to communicate dominance to other males. We tested the communication of dominance hypothesis in a low-density brown bear population in southeast British Columbia.

Retrieval and radiographic analysis of the Contour antiprotrusio cage.

Introduction: Acetabular reconstruction in the setting of severe bone loss or pelvic discontinuity remains a challenging problem. Multiple methods of treatment have been described including antiprotrusio cages (APCs). The objective of this study is to combine biomechanical analysis of retrieved APCs with radiographic and clinical data to determine which factors influence or predict APC failure.

OARSI osteoarthritis cartilage histopathology assessment system: A biomechanical evaluation in the human knee.

The study compared the OARSI osteoarthritis cartilage histopathology assessment system with the biomechanical quality of human in vivo cartilage samples. In a prospective cohort study, 84 patients (100 knees) with varus deformity of the knee were included between May, 2010 and January, 2012. Osteochondral samples underwent biomechanical and histologic analysis.

Cellular responses of eastern oysters, Crassostrea virginica, to titanium dioxide nanoparticles.

Because of the continued development and production of a variety of nanomaterials and nanoparticles, their uptake and effects on the biota of marine ecosystems must be investigated. Filter feeding bivalve molluscs are highly adapted for capturing particles from the external environment and readily internalize nano- and micro-sized particles through endocytosis, so they are commonly used as valuable indicator species for nanoparticle studies. In these studies, adult eastern oysters, Crassostrea virginica, were exposed to a range of titanium dioxide nanoparticle (TiO2-NP) concentrations (5, 50, 500, and 5000 μg/L) in conjunction with natural sunlight.

A statistically-augmented computational platform for evaluating meniscal function.

Meniscal implants have been developed in an attempt to provide pain relief and prevent pathological degeneration of articular cartilage. However, as yet there has been no systematic and comprehensive analysis of the effects of the meniscal design variables on meniscal function across a wide patient population, and there are no clear design criteria to ensure the functional performance of candidate meniscal implants. Our aim was to develop a statistically-augmented, experimentally-validated, computational platform to assess the effect of meniscal properties and patient variables on knee joint contact mechanics during the activity of walking.

Reconstruction of the medial talonavicular joint in simulated flatfoot deformity.

Background: Reconstructing the ligamentous constraints of the medial arch associated with adult acquired flatfoot deformity remains a challenge. The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of several reconstruction techniques of the medial arch. We hypothesized that an anatomic reconstruction of the spring ligament complex would correct the deformity better than other techniques tested.

Fluoroquinolones impair tendon healing in a rat rotator cuff repair model: a preliminary study.

Background: Recent studies suggest that fluoroquinolone antibiotics predispose tendons to tendinopathy and/or rupture. However, no investigations on the reparative capacity of tendons exposed to fluoroquinolones have been conducted.

Hypothesis: Fluoroquinolone-treated animals will have inferior biochemical, histological, and biomechanical properties at the healing tendon-bone enthesis compared with controls.

Design changes improve contact patterns and articular surface damage in total knee arthroplasty.

Background: The Optetrak PS (Exactech, Inc., Gainesville, FL) has been a well-functioning posterior stabilized knee replacement since its introduction in 1995. In 2009, the Optetrak Logic incorporated modifications to the anterior face of the tibial post and the corresponding anterior articulating surface of the femoral component to reduce edge loading on the polyethylene post.

Graft shape affects midfoot correction and forefoot loading mechanics in lateral column lengthening osteotomies.

Background: Adult acquired flatfoot deformity is characterized by midfoot abduction and collapse of the medial longitudinal arch. Lateral column lengthening osteotomies primarily correct the abduction deformity, but the effects of graft shape on deformity correction and forefoot loading are unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to demonstrate the effect of graft shape and taper on deformity correction and forefoot loading mechanics in a cadaveric flatfoot model.

Using a statistically calibrated biphasic finite element model of the human knee joint to identify robust designs for a meniscal substitute.

This paper describes a methodology for selecting a set of biomechanical engineering design variables to optimize the performance of an engineered meniscal substitute when implanted in a population of subjects whose characteristics can be specified stochastically. For the meniscal design problem where engineering variables include aspects of meniscal geometry and meniscal material properties, this method shows that meniscal designs having simultaneously large radial modulus and large circumferential modulus provide both low mean peak contact stress and small variability in peak contact stress when used in the specified subject population. The method also shows that the mean peak contact stress is relatively insensitive to meniscal permeability, so the permeability used in the manufacture of a meniscal substitute can be selected on the basis of manufacturing ease or cost.

Does intraarticular inflammation predict biomechanical cartilage properties?

Background: Intact cartilage in the lateral compartment is an important requirement for medial unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA). Progression of cartilage degeneration in the lateral compartment is a common failure mode of medial UKA. Little is known about factors that influence the mechanical properties of lateral compartment cartilage.

Limited-Open Achilles Tendon Repair Using Locking Sutures Versus Nonlocking Sutures: An In Vitro Model.

Background: Several limited-open Achilles tendon repair techniques that use locking or nonlocking sutures have been developed, but direct comparisons of in vitro mechanical properties have not yet been reported in the literature. It was our hypothesis that loads applied to the repaired Achilles tendon would be better resisted by limited-open techniques that use locking stitches compared with limited-open repairs that use nonlocking stitches.

Methods: The Achilles tendons of 31 fresh-frozen cadaver lower limbs were incised 4 cm proximal to the calcaneal insertion.

The Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM (COPUS): a new instrument to characterize university STEM classroom practices.

Instructors and the teaching practices they employ play a critical role in improving student learning in college science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses. Consequently, there is increasing interest in collecting information on the range and frequency of teaching practices at department-wide and institution-wide scales. To help facilitate this process, we present a new classroom observation protocol known as the Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM or COPUS.

μCT-generated carpal cartilage surfaces: validation of a technique.

Computational models are increasingly being used for the analysis of kinematics and contact stresses in the wrist. To this point, however, the morphology of the carpal cartilage has been modeled simply, either with non-dimensional spring elements (in rigid body spring models) or via simple bone surface extrusions (e.g.

X-ray reconstruction of moving morphology (XROMM): precision, accuracy and applications in comparative biomechanics research.

X-Ray Reconstruction of Moving Morphology (XROMM) comprises a set of 3D X-ray motion analysis techniques that merge motion data from in vivo X-ray videos with skeletal morphology data from bone scans into precise and accurate animations of 3D bones moving in 3D space. XROMM methods include: (1) manual alignment (registration) of bone models to video sequences, i.e.

Interferometric measurement of refractive-index change in photosensitive glass.

We report on a technique for determining the change in the refractive index of photosensitive glass. We have demonstrated our interferometer-based technique on fiber preform and bulk glass samples, achieving an optical-path-difference (OPD) repeatability of 0.2 nm.

The ongoing adaptive evolution of ASPM and Microcephalin is not explained by increased intelligence.

Recent studies have made great strides towards identifying putative genetic events underlying the evolution of the human brain and its emergent cognitive capacities. One of the most intriguing findings is the recurrent identification of adaptive evolution in genes associated with primary microcephaly, a developmental disorder characterized by severe reduction in brain size and intelligence, reminiscent of the early hominid condition. This has led to the hypothesis that the adaptive evolution of these genes has contributed to the emergence of modern human cognition.

Sonic Hedgehog, a key development gene, experienced intensified molecular evolution in primates.

Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) is one of the most intensively studied genes in developmental biology. It is a highly conserved gene, found in species as diverse as arthropods and mammals. The mammalian SHH encodes a signaling molecule that plays a central role in developmental patterning, especially of the nervous system and the skeletal system.

Trak1 mutation disrupts GABA(A) receptor homeostasis in hypertonic mice.

Hypertonia, which results from motor pathway defects in the central nervous system (CNS), is observed in numerous neurological conditions, including cerebral palsy, stroke, spinal cord injury, stiff-person syndrome, spastic paraplegia, dystonia and Parkinson disease. Mice with mutation in the hypertonic (hyrt) gene exhibit severe hypertonia as their primary symptom. Here we show that hyrt mutant mice have much lower levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA(A)) receptors in their CNS, particularly the lower motor neurons, than do wild-type mice, indicating that the hypertonicity of the mutants is likely to be caused by deficits in GABA-mediated motor neuron inhibition.