Suchergebnisse

Raba Kistner Environmental, Inc. (RKEI) was contracted by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (CLIENT), to conduct archaeological monitoring for proposed improvements to the Cleveland-Partlow House, Liberty, Liberty County, Texas. The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a Recorded Texas Landmark, and documented as archaeological Site 41LB84. The project proposed to alleviate drainage issues around the house through the excavation of a wide, shallow trench in which geofabric and river gravels were placed along the perimeter of the house to divert water and install new support piers below the house. In total, eleven piers were excavated under the house, eight of which were located on the western side of the home. In November 2017, Carter Design Associates, the architectural firm associated with the project, sought guidance from the Texas Historical Commission (THC) concerning the planned improvements. As the property is under the ownership of a political subdivision of the State, the project was subject to review under the Antiquities Code of Texas (Texas Natural Resource Code, Title 9, Chapter 191). All work was conducted under Texas Antiquities Code Permit No. 8502 with Ashley E. Jones serving as Principal Investigator. Ms. Jones conducted monitoring of drainage trench excavations on July 30 through August 1, 2018, and pier excavations on August 31 and September 1, 2018. All of the matrix that was excavated during construction activities was screened and diagnostic artifacts were collected. The material culture observed in the perimeter trench for drainage alleviation included white earthenwares, milk glass, window glass, lamp glass, container glass (amber, aqua, and colorless), wire nails, terracotta flower pots, and fragments of brick. Three small personal items, a button, a faux pearl, and a marble, were recovered. The open crawl space under the house contained architectural materials, including brick, tile, and shingles. Other artifacts observed included animal bone, some with processing marks, and larger fragments of white earthenware and leaded glass. As no significant features were encountered during the installation of the new drainage feature and piers, RKEI does not recommend any further archaeological investigations of the monitored areas. However, should additional excavation of trenches, or further excavation of newly installed trenches or piers exceed their current depths, further work may be required. All field records and artifacts produced during monitoring activities are curated at the Center for Archaeological Studies at Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.

Raba Kistner Environmental, Inc. (RKEI), was contracted by Kleinfelder (CLIENT), on behalf of Valley Proteins, Inc., to perform cultural resources investigations for a pipeline rehabilitation and replacement project east of San Angelo in Tom Green County, Texas. The pipeline targeted for replacement is located within the channel of the Concho River, approximately 18 feet below the current banks. Archaeological investigations of this lower terrace focused on areas that may be impacted by the project, which includes laydown and equipment staging areas, as well as ingress and egress areas. Ashley E. Jones acted as Principal Investigator and Rhiana D. Ward served as Project Archaeologist. Rhiana D. Ward and Chris Matthews completed field investigations, which resulted in negative findings. All work was conducted under Texas Antiquities Committee Permit No. 8286. Although the pipeline is controlled by a privately-owned wastewater company, the project is located within and adjacent to lands owned by the City of San Angelo, a political subdivision of the state. As such, the project was subject to review under the jurisdiction of the Antiquities Code of Texas (Texas Natural Resource Code, Title 9, Chapter 191). Furthermore, because the proposed project will directly impact the Concho River, compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (54 United States Code 306108) and its implementing regulations (36 Code of Federal Regulations 800) will be required. A preliminary review conducted by the Texas Historical Commission (THC) and the U. S. Army Corp of Engineers-Fort Worth Division (USACE-FW) determined that archaeological investigations were required for the project due to its proximity to the Concho River, as well as its location within the boundaries of known archaeological site 41TG307. Site 41TG307 is designated as eligible for listing as a National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) property and was designated as a State Antiquities Landmark (SAL) in 1996. Archaeological investigations for the San Angelo Veribest Pipeline Replacement Project were conducted on January 24-25, 2018. Investigations consisted of an intensive pedestrian survey augmented with shovel testing of the 1.26-acre Area of Potential Effects (APE). Twelve shovel tests (STs) were excavated, with eight on the western side of the Concho River and four on the eastern side. Excavations encountered compact to very hard silty clay soils with modern refuse identified as deep as 50 centimeters below surface (cmbs) (ST 5 and ST 10). STs were excavated to a depth of 60 cmbs, except in locations where bedrock was shallowly buried beneath the soil. Compact soils and the presence of modern refuse indicated that the APE has been impacted, likely from the construction of Farm to Market 380 and the existing pipeline right-of-way. Additional disturbances documented include multiple sewer manholes near the western APE terminus, and an underground electric cable to the north of the APE. Approximately 0.27-acres of the western APE is located within the site boundaries of 41TG307. Site 41TG307 is a prehistoric open campsite recorded in 1991 atop an upper terrace of the Concho River. During a revisit in 1996, the site tested positive for multiple occupational components that date as early as the Early Archaic (5170-8210 B.C.). The artifact assemblage consists of burned rock, mussel shell fragments, lithic chert flakes at ground surface, and one possible rock-lined hearth feature. Site 41TG307 was designated as eligible for listing as a NRHP property and listed as an SAL in 1996 (THC 2018). Investigations conducted a total of five shovel tests (ST 1-5) within the known site boundaries of 41TG307, none of which identified any evidence of cultural materials or features. The portion of the site within the APE has been impacted from road and utility construction, evidenced by compact soils and the presents of modern materials (two aluminum pull tabs) at 20 to 40 cmbs within ST 5. Given this conclusion, RKEI does not recommend further archaeological investigations for the documented site located within the boundaries of the APE. Furthermore, no further work is recommended for the remaining APE. However, should changes be made to the project area, it is recommended that additional testing be conducted to determine the extent and significance of cultural deposits beyond the currently defined boundaries. Furthermore, because site 41TG307 is designated as eligible for listing as a NRHP property and is listed as an SAL, avoidance measures are recommended to prevent impacts of any cultural deposits that might not have been identified during investigations. The regulating agencies have required avoidance measures of the site and request the use of timber mats or other protective materials to prevent ground disturbance within the laydown area within the site boundary.

In December 2016, the Northside Independent School District (Client) contracted with Raba Kistner Environmental, Inc. (RKEI) to perform a cultural resources pedestrian survey within a 107-acre tract near Galm Road in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. The purpose of this survey was to determine whether cultural resources were located within the Area of Potential Effects (APE), and if feasible, assess their significance and eligibility for designation as State Antiquities Landmarks (SALs) and for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The project was sponsored by the Client and the owner of the project is currently George Weimer (soon to be owned by the Client). Since the area of potential effects (APE) is owned by a political subdivision of the state, the project falls under the Antiquities Code of Texas, as administered by the Texas Historical Commission (THC). Additionally, the APE is 2.5 kilometers to the southeast of Government Canyon State Natural Area. The field work was carried out between January 10 and 13, 2017 under Texas Antiquities Committee Permit No. 7866, issued to Kristi M. Nichols, who served as Principal Investigator. Mark Luzmoor served as the Project Archaeologist and Chris Murray, Richard Sample, Chris Matthews, and Kendra Brownlow assisted during the field work. Background research revealed that no previously recorded archaeological sites are located within the boundary of the APE. However, there are five archaeological sites within a 1-kilometer radius of the APE. In total, 19 shovel tests (STs) were excavated within the APE. Surface visibility was around 80% throughout the APE. Approximately 75% of the APE was open-plowed fields, with the other 25% located in fairly thick underbrush. During the pedestrian survey, 25 isolated artifacts were encountered within the plowed fields of the APE. These included secondary and tertiary flakes, bifaces, and utilized flakes; only the tools were collected. A historic bottle dump also was encountered during the pedestrian survey on the eastern end of the APE. The bottles date to the middle of the twentieth century. Two shovel tests (ST 3 & 5) were positive for cultural material in the top 20 centimeters below surface (cmbs) (two pieces of debitage and one burned rock). 41BX2162 was designated as a multi-component archaeological site due to the large amount of surface finds, the two positive STs, and the historic bottle dump, all along the eastern end of the APE. However, no cultural deposits were encountered beneath 20 cmbs, the majority of the cultural material was recorded on the surface, and no diagnostic prehistoric material was encountered. Thus, RKEI finds that the site lacks research potential and recommends no further archaeological work within the project boundaries. All field records generated by this project will be curated in accordance with the Texas Archaeology Research Laboratory guidelines.

AbstractInformation from social media is used in evaluations of parental fitness with some regularity. Yet, research is lacking on perceptions of this information and no research has examined how social media data impacts forensic evaluators' opinions related to parental fitness. This study compared forensic evaluators' perceptions of data trustworthiness, usefulness, and initial opinion of parental fitness in a fictitious case in which parental fitness was questioned. Perceptions of a parent's behavior were compared across two types of data in which it was presented (an Instagram post or a medical record note) and across genders of the parent (mother or father) being hypothetically evaluated. As hypothesized, information documented on social media was viewed more critically than information documented by a healthcare provider. Further, information primarily referencing the father in the case was viewed as less trustworthy than information referencing the mother, which appeared influenced by evaluators' identified self‐reported sexist attitudes. Results suggest that family law attorneys, regardless of which parent they are representing, should advise their clients of the risks to using social media.

Background Riluzole is the only drug to prolong survival for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and, at a dose of 100 mg, was associated with a 35% reduction in mortality in a clinical trial. A key question is whether the survival benefit occurs at an early stage of disease, late stage, or is spread throughout the course of the disease. To address this question, we used the King's clinical staging system to do a retrospective analysis of data from the original dose-ranging clinical trial of riluzole. Methods In the original dose-ranging trial, patients were enrolled between December, 1992, and November, 1993, in Belgium, France, Germany, Spain, Canada, the USA, and the UK if they had probable or definite ALS as defined by the El Escorial criteria. The censor date for the riluzole survival data was set as the original study end date of Dec 31, 1994. For this analysis, King's clinical ALS stage was estimated from the electronic case record data of the modified Norris scale, UK Medical Research Council score for muscle strength, El Escorial category, vital capacity, and gastrostomy insertion data. The lowest allocated stage was 2 because the original trial only included patients with probable or definite ALS. We used a χ2 test to assess the independence of stage at trial enrolment and treatment group, Kaplan-Meier product limit distribution to test the transition from each stage to subsequent stages, and Cox regression to confirm an effect of treatment group on time in stage, controlling for covariates. We did sensitivity analyses by combining treatment groups, using alternative strategies to stage, stratifying by stage at trial enrolment, and using multistate outcome analysis of treatments (MOAT). Findings We analysed the case records of all 959 participants from the original dose-ranging trial, 237 assigned to 50 mg/day riluzole, 236 to 100 mg/day, 244 to 200 mg/day, and 242 to daily placebo. Clinical stage at enrolment did not significantly differ between treatment groups (p=0·22). Time in stage 4 was longer for patients receiving 100 mg/day riluzole than for those receiving placebo (hazard ratio [HR] 0·55, 95% CI 0·36–0·83; log-rank p=0·037). Combining treatment groups and stratifying by stage at enrolment showed a similar result (HR 0·638, 95% CI 0·464–0·878; p=0·006), as did analysis with MOAT where the mean number of days spent in stage 4 was numerically higher for patients given riluzole at higher doses compared with patients receiving placebo. Time from stages 2 or 3 to subsequent stages or death did not differ between riluzole treatment groups and placebo (p=0·83 for stage 2 and 0·88 for stage 3). Interpretation We showed that riluzole prolongs survival in the last clinical stage of ALS; this finding needs to be confirmed in a prospective study, and treatment effects at stage 1 still need to be analysed. The ALS stage at which benefit occurs is important for counselling of patients before starting treatment. Staging should be used in future ALS clinical trials to assess the stage at which survival benefit occurs, and a similar approach could be used for other neurodegenerative diseases. Funding NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, The European Union Joint Programme on Neurodegeneration, and the King's Summer Undergraduate Studentship.

Introduction The emergence and rapid spread of COVID-19 have caused widespread and catastrophic public health and economic impact, requiring governments to restrict societal activity to reduce the spread of the disease. The role of household transmission in the population spread of SARS-CoV-2, and of host immunity in limiting transmission, is poorly understood. This paper describes a protocol for a prospective observational study of a cohort of households in Liverpool City Region, UK, which addresses the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 between household members and how immunological response to the infection changes over time. Methods and analysis Households in the Liverpool City Region, in which members have not previously tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 with a nucleic acid amplification test, are followed up for an initial period of 12 weeks. Participants are asked to provide weekly self-throat and nasal swabs and record their activity and presence of symptoms. Incidence of infection and household secondary attack rates of COVID-19 are measured. Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 will be investigated against a range of demographic and behavioural variables. Blood and faecal samples are collected at several time points to evaluate immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection and prevalence and risk factors for faecal shedding of SARS-CoV-2, respectively. Ethics and dissemination The study has received approval from the National Health Service Research Ethics Committee; REC Reference: 20/HRA/2297, IRAS Number: 283 464. Results will be disseminated through scientific conferences and peer-reviewed open access publications. A report of the findings will also be shared with participants. The study will quantify the scale and determinants of household transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, immunological responses before and during the different stages of infection will be analysed, adding to the understanding of the range of immunological response by infection severity.

Importance: Juvenile amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare form of ALS characterized by age of symptom onset less than 25 years and a variable presentation. Objective: To identify the genetic variants associated with juvenile ALS. Design, Setting, and Participants: In this multicenter family-based genetic study, trio whole-exome sequencing was performed to identify the disease-associated gene in a case series of unrelated patients diagnosed with juvenile ALS and severe growth retardation. The patients and their family members were enrolled at academic hospitals and a government research facility between March 1, 2016, and March 13, 2020, and were observed until October 1, 2020. Whole-exome sequencing was also performed in a series of patients with juvenile ALS. A total of 66 patients with juvenile ALS and 6258 adult patients with ALS participated in the study. Patients were selected for the study based on their diagnosis, and all eligible participants were enrolled in the study. None of the participants had a family history of neurological disorders, suggesting de novo variants as the underlying genetic mechanism. Main Outcomes and Measures: De novo variants present only in the index case and not in unaffected family members. Results: Trio whole-exome sequencing was performed in 3 patients diagnosed with juvenile ALS and their parents. An additional 63 patients with juvenile ALS and 6258 adult patients with ALS were subsequently screened for variants in the SPTLC1 gene. De novo variants in SPTLC1 (p.Ala20Ser in 2 patients and p.Ser331Tyr in 1 patient) were identified in 3 unrelated patients diagnosed with juvenile ALS and failure to thrive. A fourth variant (p.Leu39del) was identified in a patient with juvenile ALS where parental DNA was unavailable. Variants in this gene have been previously shown to be associated with autosomal-dominant hereditary sensory autonomic neuropathy, type 1A, by disrupting an essential enzyme complex in the sphingolipid synthesis pathway. Conclusions and Relevance: These data broaden the phenotype associated with SPTLC1 and suggest that patients presenting with juvenile ALS should be screened for variants in this gene.