Reconstructing dietary ecology of extinct strepsirrhines (Primates, Mammalia) with new approaches for characterizing and analyzing tooth shape

The morphological and ecological diversity of lemurs and lorisiformes once rivaled that of the rest of the primate order. Here, we assemble a dataset of 3D models representing the second mandibular molars of a wide range of extant and fossil strepsirrhines encompassing this diversity. We use these models to distill quantitative descriptors of tooth form and then analyze these data using new analytical methods. We employ a recently developed dental topography metric (ariaDNE), which is less sensitive to details of random error in 3D model quality than previously used metrics (e.g., DNE); Bayesian multinomial modeling with metrics designed to measure overfitting risk; and a tooth segmentation algorithm that allows the shapes of disaggregated tooth surface features to be quantified using dental topography metrics. This approach is successful at reclassifying extant strepsirrhine primates to known dietary ecology and indicates that the averaging of morphological information across the tooth surface does not interfere with the ability of dental topography metrics to predict dietary adaptation. When the most informative combination of dental topography metrics is applied to extinct species, many subfossil lemurs and the most basal fossil strepsirrhines are predicted to have been primarily frugivorous or gummivorous. This supports an ecological contraction among the extant lemurs and the importance of frugivory in the origins of crown Strepsirrhini, potentially to avoid competition with more insectivorous and folivorous members of Paleogene Afro-Arabian primate faunas.

Abstract P581: Neonatal Stroke is Not Associated With Birth Trauma

Acute neonatal stroke causes cerebral palsy, lifelong morbidity and mortality. Neonatal arterial ischemic stroke (NAIS) and hemorrhagic stroke (NHS) are most common. Pathophysiology is poorly understood and causation is often attributed to observed obstetrical factors such as instrumentation (forceps or vacuum) or operative delivery despite no empiric evidence supporting an association. We explored the relationship between birth trauma and neonatal stroke via population-based, prospectively collected registries in Southern Alberta, Canada. Consecutive cases of NAIS (n=59), NHS (n=20), and neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy HIE with MRI-confirmed injury (HIE+, n=78)) were compared to neonates without injury (HIE-n=77). Cranial soft tissue swelling was objectively quantified as a trauma score from T1-weighted images using a semi-automatic segmentation method performed by two blinded investigators. Maternal, obstetrical, perinatal, and outcome variables were obtained from medical records. Multinomial regression modeling evaluated the relationship between diagnosis and birth trauma as measured by total soft tissue swelling score and diagnosis (HIE- as controls). Across the 234 infants studied, mean age at MRI (4.1+/-1.3 days) and sex (54% male) were comparable. Measurable scalp trauma was present in 93(40%), the proportion of which did not differ across groups. On univariate analysis, mean trauma scores did not differ between groups, were not associated with NHS or HIE+, and were lower for the NAIS group compared to HIE- (controls). Multinomial modeling revealed no relationship between scalp trauma and outcome. We conclude that the leading forms of acquired neonatal brain injury are not associated with objectively measured birth trauma. The term “birth trauma” should be removed from the perinatal stroke vernacular to help counsel traumatized parents and advance studies of genuine pathophysiology.

Attitudinal Effects of Stimulus Co-Occurrence and Stimulus Relations: Range and Limits of Intentional Control

Research suggests that evaluations of an object can be simultaneously influenced by (a) the mere co-occurrence of the object with a pleasant or unpleasant stimulus (e.g., mere co-occurrence of object A and negative event B) and (b) the object’s particular relation to the co-occurring stimulus (e.g., object A starts vs. stops negative event B). Using a multinomial modeling approach to disentangle the two kinds of influences on choice decisions, three experiments investigated whether learners can intentionally control the relative impact of stimulus co-occurrence and stimulus relations. An integrative analysis of the data from the three experiments ( N = 1,154) indicate that incentivized instructions to counteract effects of stimulus co-occurrence by focusing on stimulus relations increased the impact of stimulus relations without affecting the impact of stimulus co-occurrence. Implications for evaluative learning, intentional control, and public policy are discussed.

Serum CGRP, VIP, and PACAP Usefulness in Migraine: A Case-Control Study in Chronic Migraine Patients in Real Clinical Practice.

Background: Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypetide-38 (PACAP-38) have relevant roles in migraine pathophysiology. Their serum levels have been proposed as biomarkers for migraine. Our aim was to assess their diagnostic value in real clinical practice in a cohort of chronic migraine (CM), episodic migraine (EM) and healthy controls (HC).Methods: We recruited subjects with CM, EM and HC at two medical centers. Blood samples were drawn under fasting conditions in the interictal period, immediately centrifuged and stored at -80º C. Serum levels were determined by ELISA. Neuropeptide levels, the effect of preventatives, correlations with clinical and demographic variables, and their diagnostic value were studied among clinical categories.Results: 296 age- and sex-matched subjects (101 CM, 98 EM and 97 HC) were included. All three neuropeptide serum levels were higher in CM [median and IQ for CGRP= 18.023 pg/ml (14.4-24.7); VIP= 121.732 pg/ml (48.72-186.72) and PACAP= 204.931 pg/ml (101.08-597.64)] vs EM [CGRP = 14.659 pg/ml (10.29-17.45); VIP = 75.603 pg/ml (28.722-107.10); and PACAP = 94.992 pg/ml (65.77-128.48)] and vs HC [CGRP = 13.988 pg/ml (10.095-17.87); VIP = 84.685 pg/ml (35.32-99.79), and PACAP = 103.142 pg/ml (59.42-123.97)]. Using multinomial modeling, only VIP (OR 1.011, 95% CI=1.003-1.018, p=0.005) and PACAP (OR=1.003, 95% CI=1.001-1.005, p=0.002) increased the risk for CM, but not for EM. CGRP did not predict CM or EM. This model could correctly classify only 62/101 (61.38%) of CM, 75/98 (76.53%) of EM, and 5/97 (4.12%) of HC [globally 147/296 (49.8%)]. Individually, PACAP performed the best for classifying clinical categories [global accuracy 150/296 (50.67%)]. In CM, neuropeptide levels were higher in those OnaBT-treated than in no-treated patients.Conclusions: Although interictal serum CGRP and VIP were higher in CM than both EM or HC, their utility to discriminate migraine categories was low. Contrary to other studies, PACAP serum levels were also higher in CM than in EM or HC and had more discriminative capability to distinguish CM from EM and HC. Further investigation is needed for determination technique standardization.

State variation in the drug felony lifetime ban on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families: Why the modified ban matters

The drug felony lifetime ban on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) affects thousands of individuals with felony drug convictions in the United States. Federal law allows states to choose to opt out or modify the full ban. Prior research has treated the ban as a binary outcome, characterizing anything but a full ban as a sign of state reform of this harsh collateral consequence. We argue that modified versions of the ban, which simultaneously allow greater access to public aid while also monitoring and sanctioning recipient behavior, have been overlooked but pose important theoretical and empirical challenges to this narrative. To address this gap, we analyze state discretion in the implementation of the drug felony lifetime ban on TANF receipt between 1997 and 2010 utilizing a multilevel multinomial modeling strategy. Results reveal that distinct patterns of state-level factors are associated with each form of the ban, highlighting the need to treat modified bans as unique policy choices in their own right. Our study informs the understanding of state implementation of collateral consequences that straddle both the penal and welfare systems in the United States.