The Social Transmission of Attractiveness Stereotypes: An Investigation of Parental Expectations of Children\u27s Behavior

Eighty-six children from the Utah State University Child Development Laboratories and Hillcrest Elementary School and their parents participated in the study. The study focused on the use of attractiveness stereotyping used by children across four age groups. The study also analyzed the social transmission of attractiveness stereotypes from parents to their children. The study included two parts: 1) a play-preference measure, and 2) a social attribution measure. The stimuli were sketches of twelve children, six toys and six girls. The sketches of children included attractive, unattractive, mesomorphic, endomorphic, handicapped and nonhandicapped children. In the study we found that parents and children use attractiveness stereotypes. Further, parents and children utilized a beauty-is-good assumption when evaluating the children\u27s personalities and social tendencies from the sketches. Finally, we found that parents in this study expected their children to use a similar physical attractiveness hypothesis in their Social judgement

Spatio-temporal evolution of intraplate strike-slip faulting: the Neogene-Quaternary Kuh-e-Faghan Fault, Central Iran

Central Iran provides an ideal region to study the long-term morphotectonic response to the nucleation and propagation of intraplate faulting. In this study, a multidisciplinary approach that integrates structural and stratigraphic field investigations with apatite (U+Th)/He (AHe) thermochronometry is used to reconstruct the spatio-temporal evolution of the Kuh-e-Faghan Fault (KFF) in northeastern Central Iran. The KFF is a narrow, ca. 80 km long, deformation zone that consists of three main broadly left stepping, E-W trending, dextral fault strands that cut through the Mesozoic-Paleozoic substratum and the Neogene-Quaternary sedimentary cover. The AHe thermochronometry results indicate that the intra-fault blocks along the KFF experienced two major episodes of fault-related exhumation at ~18 Ma and ~4 Ma. The ~18 Ma faulting/exhumation episode is chiefly recorded by the structure and depositional architecture of the Neogene deposits along the KFF. A source-to-sink scenario can be reconstructed for this time frame, where topographic growth caused the synchronous erosion/exhumation of the pre-Neogene units and deposition of the eroded material in the surrounding fault-bounded continental depocenters. Successively, the KFF gradually entered a period of relative tectonic quiescence and, probably, of regional subsidence during which a thick pile of fine-grained onlapping sediments were deposited. This may have caused resetting of the He ages of apatite in the pre-Neogene and the basal Neogene successions. The ~4 Ma faulting episode caused the final exhumation of the fault system, resulting in the current fault zone and topography. The two fault-related exhumation episodes fit with the regional early Miocene collision-enhanced uplift/exhumation, and the late Miocene–early Pliocene widespread tectonic reorganization of the Iranian plateau. The reconstructed long term, spatially and temporally punctuated fault system evolution in intraplate Central Iran during Neogene-Quaternary times may reflect states of far-field stress changes at the collisional boundaries

Role of interferon lambda 4 and ALT levels in optimising treatment of HCV for patients with low-stage fibrosis

The use of new anti-HCV drugs is currently limited by high costs and dual therapy; pegylated interferon and ribavirin (peg-IFN+RBV) still represents the only affordable treatment in patients with low-stage fibrosis. We evaluated the role of Interferon lambda4 (IFNL4) polymorphisms and its combination with on-treatment alanine transaminase (ALT) modification in predicting sustained virological response (SVR) in HCV genotype 1 and 4 patients with low-stage fibrosis. We retrospectively analysed 124 patients with Metavir ≤F2, who received dual therapy at our centre. Genotyping for IFNL4 polymorphisms was assessed at baseline, as well as ALT levels (baseline and week 2, 4, 12 and 24 of therapy). Thirty patients (24%) were TT/TT, 74 (60%) TT/DG and 20 (16%) DG/DG. The SVR rate was significantly higher in TT/TT genotype compare to TT/DG and DG/DG (97% vs. 53% and 50%, respectively, p=0.001). Patients that achieved a 60% reduction of ALT baseline value after 4 weeks of therapy had a significantly higher SVR rate (94% vs. 52%, p<0.001). Factors significantly associated with SVR were TT/TT genotype (p=0.029), RVR (p=0.019) and 60% ALT reduction at 4 week of therapy (p=0.005). The absence of both TT/TT genotype and 60% ALT reduction were negative predictors of SVR (p<0.001). In conclusion, the combined use of IFNL4 polymorphisms and ALT reduction at 4 week of treatment is able to optimize candidates’ selection for peg-IFN+RBV, discriminating those that could still benefit from dual therapy from the ones that need the new regimen

Exploring the Role of Killer Cell Immunoglobulin-Like Receptors and Their HLA Class I Ligands in Autoimmune Hepatitis

Background Natural killer cells are involved in the complex mechanisms underlying autoimmune diseases but few studies have investigated their role in autoimmune hepatitis. Killer immunoglobulin-like receptors are key regulators of natural killer cell-mediated immune responses. Methods and Findings KIR gene frequencies, KIR haplotypes, KIR ligands and combinations of KIRs and their HLA Class I ligands were investigated in 114 patients diagnosed with type 1 autoimmune hepatitis and compared with a group of 221 healthy controls. HLA Class I and Class II antigen frequencies were compared to those of 551 healthy unrelated families representative of the Sardinian population. In our cohort, type 1 autoimmune hepatitis was strongly associated with the HLA-B18, Cw5, DR3 haplotype. The KIR2DS1 activating KIR gene and the high affinity HLA-C2 ligands were significantly higher in patients compared to controls. Patients also had a reduced frequency of HLA-Bw4 ligands for KIR3DL1 and HLA-C1 ligands for KIR2DL3. Age at onset was significantly associated with the KIR2DS1 activating gene but not with HLA-C1 or HLA-C2 ligand groups. Conclusions The activating KIR gene KIR2DS1 resulted to have an important predictive potential for early onset of type 1 autoimmune hepatitis. Additionally, the low frequency of the KIR-ligand combinations KIR3DL1/HLA-Bw4 and KIR2DL3/HLA-C1 coupled to the high frequency of the HLA-C2 high affinity ligands for KIR2DS1 could contribute to unwanted NK cell autoreactivity in AIH-1

The double-sided of human leukocyte antigen-G molecules in type 1 autoimmune hepatitis

The immunomodulatory effects of HLA-G expression and its role in cancers, human liver infections and liver transplantation are well documented, but so far, there are only a few reports addressing autoimmune liver diseases, particularly autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). Method and materialsWe analyzed the genetic and phenotypic characteristics of HLA-G in 205 type 1 AIH patients (AIH-1) and a population of 210 healthy controls from Sardinia (Italy). ResultsAnalysis of the HLA-G locus showed no substantial differences in allele frequencies between patients and the healthy control population. The HLA-G UTR-1 haplotype was the most prevalent in both AIH-1 patients and controls (40.24% and 34.29%). Strong linkage was found between the HLA-G UTR-1 haplotype and HLA-DRB1*03:01 in AIH-1 patients but not controls (D' = 0.92 vs D' = 0.50 respectively; P = 1.3x10(-8)). Soluble HLA-G (sHLA-G) levels were significantly lower in AIH-1 patients compared to controls [13.9 (11.6 - 17.4) U/mL vs 21.3 (16.5 - 27.8) U/mL; P = 0.011]. Twenty-four patients with mild or moderate inflammatory involvement, as assessed from liver biopsy, showed much higher sHLA-G levels compared to the 28 patients with severe liver inflammation [33.5 (23.6 - 44.8) U/mL vs 8.8 (6.1 - 14.5) U/mL; P = 0.003]. Finally, immunohistochemistry analysis of 52 liver biopsies from AIH-1 patients did not show expression of HLA-G molecules in the liver parenchyma. However, a percentage of 69.2% (36/52) revealed widespread expression of HLA-G both in the cytoplasm and the membrane of plasma cells labeled with anti-HLA-G monoclonal antibodies. ConclusionThis study highlights the positive immunomodulatory effect of HLA-G molecules on the clinical course of AIH-1 and how this improvement closely correlates with plasma levels of sHLA-G. However, our results open the debate on the ambiguous role of HLA-G molecules expressed by plasma cells, which are pathognomonic features of AIH-1

Contrasting styles of (U)HP rock exhumation along the Cenozoic Adria-Europe plate boundary (Western Alps, Calabria, Corsica)

Since the first discovery of ultrahigh pressure (UHP) rocks 30 years ago in the Western Alps, the mechanisms for exhumation of (U)HP terranes worldwide are still debated. In the western Mediterranean, the presently accepted model of synconvergent exhumation (e.g., the channel-flow model) is in conflict with parts of the geologic record. We synthesize regional geologic data and present alternative exhumation mechanisms that consider the role of divergence within subduction zones. These mechanisms, i.e., (i) the motion of the upper plate away from the trench and (ii) the rollback of the lower plate, are discussed in detail with particular reference to the Cenozoic Adria-Europe plate boundary, and along three different transects (Western Alps, Calabria-Sardinia, and Corsica-Northern Apennines). In the Western Alps, (U)HP rocks were exhumed from the greatest depth at the rear of the accretionary wedge during motion of the upper plate away from the trench. Exhumation was extremely fast, and associated with very low geothermal gradients. In Calabria, HP rocks were exhumed from shallower depths and at lower rates during rollback of the Adriatic plate, with repeated exhumation pulses progressively younging toward the foreland. Both mechanisms were active to create boundary divergence along the Corsica-Northern Apennines transect, where European southeastward subduction was progressively replaced along strike by Adriatic northwestward subduction. The tectonic scenario depicted for the Western Alps trench during Eocene exhumation of (U)HP rocks correlates well with present-day eastern Papua New Guinea, which is presented as a modern analog of the Paleogene Adria-Europe plate boundary

Traces of trauma – a multivariate pattern analysis of childhood trauma, brain structure and clinical phenotypes

Background: Childhood trauma (CT) is a major yet elusive psychiatric risk factor, whose multidimensional conceptualization and heterogeneous effects on brain morphology might demand advanced mathematical modeling. Therefore, we present an unsupervised machine learning approach to characterize the clinical and neuroanatomical complexity of CT in a larger, transdiagnostic context. Methods: We used a multicenter European cohort of 1076 female and male individuals (discovery: n = 649; replication: n = 427) comprising young, minimally medicated patients with clinical high-risk states for psychosis; patients with recent-onset depression or psychosis; and healthy volunteers. We employed multivariate sparse partial least squares analysis to detect parsimonious associations between combinations of items from the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and gray matter volume and tested their generalizability via nested cross-validation as well as via external validation. We investigated the associations of these CT signatures with state (functioning, depressivity, quality of life), trait (personality), and sociodemographic levels. Results: We discovered signatures of age-dependent sexual abuse and sex-dependent physical and sexual abuse, as well as emotional trauma, which projected onto gray matter volume patterns in prefronto-cerebellar, limbic, and sensory networks. These signatures were associated with predominantly impaired clinical state- and trait-level phenotypes, while pointing toward an interaction between sexual abuse, age, urbanicity, and education. We validated the clinical profiles for all three CT signatures in the replication sample. Conclusions: Our results suggest distinct multilayered associations between partially age- and sex-dependent patterns of CT, distributed neuroanatomical networks, and clinical profiles. Hence, our study highlights how machine learning approaches can shape future, more fine-grained CT research

Dating the topography through thermochronology: Application of Pecube code to inverted vertical profile in the eastern Sila Massif, southern Italy

none4noneOlivetti, Valerio; Balestrieri, Maria Laura; Faccenna, Claudio; Stuart, Fin M.Olivetti, Valerio; Balestrieri, Maria Laura; Faccenna, Claudio; Stuart, Fin M