Parrondo games as lattice gas automata

Parrondo games are coin flipping games with the surprising property that alternating plays of two losing games can produce a winning game. We show that this phenomenon can be modelled by probabilistic lattice gas automata. Furthermore, motivated by the recent introduction of quantum coin flipping games, we show that quantum lattice gas automata provide an interesting definition for quantum Parrondo games.Comment: 12 pages, plain TeX, 10 PostScript figures included with epsf.tex (ignore the under/overfull \vbox error messages); for related work see http://math.ucsd.edu/~dmeyer/research.htm

Unmet Expectations in Healthcare Settings: Experiences of Transgender and Gender Diverse Adults in the Central Great Plains

Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals face a long-term, multi-faceted process if they choose to begin a gender affirmation journey. Decisions to go on hormone therapy and/or have a surgical procedure necessitate the TGD individual to set up an appointment with a healthcare provider. However, when TGD patients interact with healthcare practitioners, problems can arise. This article documents and categorizes the types of unmet expectations that are common in the TGD patient-healthcare provider social dynamic in the Central Great Plains of the United States. Utilizing a community-based participatory research model, qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with 27 TGD individuals about their healthcare experiences. From this, the researchers identified four main themes of unmet expectations: probing, gatekeeping, stigmatizing stance, and misgendering/deadnaming. Steps that can be taken by both the healthcare provider and the TGD individual to have a more successful encounter are discussed

Generational Differences in Consumer Decision-Making Constructs

Reference groups supply the individual with a sense of group membership, and thereby social identity. In the consumer behavior literature, reference groups have been shown to impact not only individual purchases, the decision-making process, and attitude formation towards brands and products. Generational cohort theory argues that people who experience major life events during a similar point in time possess synonymous values, characteristics, and preferences that are manifested through individual behaviors. The goal of this study is to extend prior research by examining generational differences in various consumer decision-making constructs. The results were mixed as are discussed

How useful are autoantibodies in diagnosing thyroid disorders?

Thyrotropin receptor antibodies (TRAb) may be mildly elevated in a variety of thyroid disorders, but a TRAb level >10 U/L increases the probability of Graves' disease by a moderate to large degree (strength of recommendation [SOR]: B, cross-sectional study). A positive or negative thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) test increases or decreases the probability of autoimmune thyroid disease by only a small to moderate degree (SOR: B, 3 cross-sectional studies)

Reaching Out: Successful Efforts to Provide Children and Families With Health Care

Interweaves personal stories and policy recommendations to offer an inventory of ideas and resources to improve enrollment rates and help more people access essential health care

Maternal plasma DHA levels increase prior to 29 days post-LH surge in women undergoing frozen embryo transfer: a prospective, observational study of human pregnancy

Context: Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an important fatty acid required for neurological development but its importance during early fetal neurological organogenesis is unknown. Objective: To assess plasma fatty acid changes in early pregnancy in women undergoing natural cycle-frozen embryo transfer as a means of achieving accurately-timed periconceptual sampling. Design: Women undergoing frozen embryo transfer were recruited and serial fasting blood samples were taken pre-luteinising hormone (LH) surge, and at days 18, 29 and 45 post-LH surge and fatty acids were analysed using gas chromatography. Setting: Assisted Conception Unit, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Scotland Main outcome measures: Plasma fatty acid concentrations, influence of twin pregnancies on DHA plasma concentration. Results: In pregnant women, there was a rapid, early increase in the maternal rate of change of plasma DHA concentration observed by 29 days post-LH surge (mean±SD, from 0.1±1.3 to 1.6±2.9 nmol DHA per mL plasma per day). This early pressure to increase plasma DHA concentration was further emphasised in twin pregnancies where the increase in DHA concentration over 45 days was two-fold higher than in singleton pregnancies (mean±SD increase, 74±39 nmol/mL versus 36±40 nmol/mL). An index of delta-6 desaturase activity increased 30% and positively correlated with the rate of change of DHA concentration between day 18 and 29-post LH surge (R-squared adjusted = 41%, P=0.0002). DHA was the only fatty acid with a continual accelerated increase in plasma concentration and a positive incremental area under the curve (mean±SD, 632±911 nmol/mL x day) over the first 45 days of gestation. Conclusions: An increase in maternal plasma DHA concentration is initiated in human pregnancy prior to neural tube closure which occurs at 28 days' gestation

Is it safe to vaccinate children against varicella while they're in close contact with a pregnant woman?

All healthy children without evidence of immunity to varicella who are living in a household with a susceptible pregnant woman should be vaccinated (strength of recommendation [SOR]: C, expert opinion). The risk of transmission of vaccine virus to household contacts is very low (SOR: B, observational studies). Transmission is higher, but still rare, among contacts of immunocompromised vaccinees (SOR: B, observational studies). Varicella infection has not been reported in unborn babies of women who had contact with a recently vaccinated person

The Provider Perspective on Behavioral Health Care for Transgender and Gender NonConforming Individuals in the Central Great Plains: A Qualitative Study of Approaches and Needs

Purpose—Transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) individuals interact with mental health care systems at high rates and experience substantial barriers to care. Rural TGNC individuals face additional disparities in accessing appropriate mental health services. Little research has focused on the mental healthcare providers who work with TGNC individuals in underserved areas. The current study sought to describe the mental health care services delivered by providers perceived as affirming by TGNC community members in the Central Great Plains. Methods—We conducted qualitative interviews with 10 providers to understand how providers seek cultural competency and conceptualize and work with their TGNC clients given the barriers to care. Results—Providers held diverse theoretical orientations and described challenges to working with TGNC clients including the impact of stigma and marginalization and financial and structural barriers to care. Emphasis was placed on individualizing care, helping clients manage stigma and build resiliency, connecting clients to resources (when available) and support systems, and navigating the intersections of physical health care and mental health care such as writing letters for medical transition. Providers largely educated themselves on TGNC topics and had previous experience working with marginalized populations. Conclusions—Overall, the providers’ approaches to working with TGNC clients mapped on to models of cultural competency but few providers described their work in the context of an evidence-based model. Implications for increasing the quality and availability of mental health care services for TGNC individuals in underserved areas are discussed. Public Policy Statement—Affirming mental healthcare providers working with transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) clients in underserved areas strive towards cultural competency, but lack of resources and structural barriers to care prohibit wide dissemination of affirming evidence-based care. This study highlights the need for increased research and evidence-informed policy regarding the delivery of mental health services to TGNC individuals in underserved areas

The Large GTPase Dynamin Associates with the Spindle Midzone and Is Required for Cytokinesis

AbstractCytokinesis involves the concerted efforts of the microtubule and actin cytoskeletons as well as vesicle trafficking and membrane remodeling to form the cleavage furrow and complete daughter cell separation (for reviews, see [1–6]). The exact mechanisms that support membrane remodeling during cytokinesis remain largely undefined. In this study, we report that the large GTPase dynamin, a protein involved in membrane tubulation and vesiculation [7, 8], is essential for successful cytokinesis. Using biochemical and morphological methods, we demonstrate that dynamin localizes to the spindle midzone and the subsequent intercellular bridge in mammalian cells and is also enriched in spindle midbody extracts. In Caenorhabditis elegans, dynamin localized to newly formed cleavage furrow membranes and accumulated at the midbody of dividing embryos in a manner similar to dynamin localization in mammalian cells. Further, dynamin function appears necessary for cytokinesis, as C. elegans embryos from a dyn-1 ts strain [9], as well as dynamin RNAi-treated embryos, showed a marked defect in the late stages of cytokinesis. These findings indicate that, during mitosis, conventional dynamin is recruited to the spindle midzone and the subsequent intercellular bridge, where it plays an essential role in the final separation of dividing cells

Daring to DREAM: Results from a mentoring programme for at-risk youth

Recent research and empirical investigations of mentoring programmes have focused on how mentors can help at-risk youth to develop trusting relationships through consistent frequency of contact and emotional closeness. Many mentoring programmes are also geared toward enhancing students’ academic potential. This quantitative study examined whether participation in DREAM, a Northeastern United States, activity-based mentoring programme, was positively associated with children’s physical self-efficacy; global self-esteem; academic self-concept and educational expectations and their interest in travel experiences. Self-report data were collected from participating mentors and mentees. The results indicated that adjustment outcomes for boys and children over ten evidenced the strongest pattern of links with mentors’ reports