Observation of centimetre-scale argon diffusion in alkali feldspars: implications for ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar thermochronology

New data from a gem-quality feldspar from Itrongay, Madagascar, record naturally occurring 40Ar/39Ar age profiles which can be numerically modelled by invoking a single diffusion mechanism and show that microtexturally simple crystals are capable of recording complex thermal histories. We present the longest directly measured, naturally produced 40Ar*-closure profiles from a single, homogeneous orthoclase feldspar. These data appear to confirm the assumption that laboratory derived diffusion parameters are valid in nature and over geological timescales. Diffusion domains are defined by crystal faces and ancient cracks, thus in gem-quality feldspars the diffusion domain size equates to the physical grain size. The data also illustrate the potential of large, gem-quality feldspars to record detailed thermal histories over tens of millions of years and such samples should be considered for future studies on the slow cooling of continental crust

Transnational Crossroads

The twentieth century was a time of unprecedented migration and interaction for Asian, Latin American, and Pacific Islander cultures in the Americas and the American Pacific. Some of these ethnic groups already had historic ties, but technology, migration, and globalization during the twentieth century brought them into even closer contact. Transnational Crossroads explores and triangulates for the first time the interactions and contacts among these three cultural groups that were brought together by the expanding American empire from 1867 to 1950. Through a comparative framework, this volume weaves together narratives of U.S. and Spanish empire, globalization, resistance, and identity, as well as social, labor, and political movements. Contributors examine multiethnic celebrities and key figures, migratory paths, cultural productions, and social and political formations among these three groups. Engaging multiple disciplines and methodologies, these studies of Asian American, Latin American, and Pacific Islander cultural interactions explode traditional notions of ethnic studies and introduce new approaches to transnational and comparative studies of the Americas and the American Pacific

Foremost Insurance Co. v. Richardson: If This Is Water, It Must Be Admiralty

This article will examine the two decisional approaches that the Richardson Court considered in support of the proposition that admiralty jurisdiction should not apply to the facts of the case before it, and will explore the shortcomings of each in an attempt to understand why the majority ultimately felt compelled to reject both. The article will then focus on the five specific arguments thought to mandate that rejection, demonstrating that the conclusion the Court reached is not logically supportable. Finally, a new approach to the issue will be forwarded, one that provides the basis for a more rational approach to the broad issue of admiralty tort jurisdiction

Differences in telomere length between sporadic and familial cutaneous melanoma

BACKGROUND: Several pieces of evidence indicate that a complex relationship exists between constitutional telomere length (TL) and the risk of cutaneous melanoma. Although the general perception is that longer telomeres increase melanoma risk, some studies do not support this association. We hypothesise that discordant data are due to the characteristics of the studied populations. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the association of telomere length with familial and sporadic melanoma. METHODS: TL was measured by multiplex quantitative PCR in leukocytes from 310 melanoma patients according to familial/sporadic and single/multiple cancers and 216 age-matched controls. RESULTS: Patients with sporadic melanoma were found to have shorter telomeres as compared to those with familial melanoma. In addition, shorter telomeres, while tending to reduce the risk of familial melanoma regardless of single or multiple tumors, nearly trebled the risk of single sporadic melanoma. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first time that TL has been correlated to opposite effects on melanoma risk according to the presence or absence of familial predisposition. Individual susceptibility to melanoma should be taken into account when assessing the role of TL as a risk factor. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Automated, high accuracy classification of Parkinsonian disorders: a pattern recognition approach

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), multiple system atrophy (MSA) and idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (IPD) can be clinically indistinguishable, especially in the early stages, despite distinct patterns of molecular pathology. Structural neuroimaging holds promise for providing objective biomarkers for discriminating these diseases at the single subject level but all studies to date have reported incomplete separation of disease groups. In this study, we employed multi-class pattern recognition to assess the value of anatomical patterns derived from a widely available structural neuroimaging sequence for automated classification of these disorders. To achieve this, 17 patients with PSP, 14 with IPD and 19 with MSA were scanned using structural MRI along with 19 healthy controls (HCs). An advanced probabilistic pattern recognition approach was employed to evaluate the diagnostic value of several pre-defined anatomical patterns for discriminating the disorders, including: (i) a subcortical motor network; (ii) each of its component regions and (iii) the whole brain. All disease groups could be discriminated simultaneously with high accuracy using the subcortical motor network. The region providing the most accurate predictions overall was the midbrain/brainstem, which discriminated all disease groups from one another and from HCs. The subcortical network also produced more accurate predictions than the whole brain and all of its constituent regions. PSP was accurately predicted from the midbrain/brainstem, cerebellum and all basal ganglia compartments; MSA from the midbrain/brainstem and cerebellum and IPD from the midbrain/brainstem only. This study demonstrates that automated analysis of structural MRI can accurately predict diagnosis in individual patients with Parkinsonian disorders, and identifies distinct patterns of regional atrophy particularly useful for this process

Feather barbs as a good source of mtDNA for bird species identification in forensic wildlife investigations

Background: The ability to accurately identify bird species is crucial for wildlife law enforcement and bird-strikeinvestigations. However, such identifications may be challenging when only partial or damaged feathers areavailable for analysis.Results: By applying vigorous contamination controls and sensitive PCR amplification protocols, we found that itwas feasible to obtain accurate mitochondrial (mt)DNA-based species identification with as few as two featherbarbs. This minimally destructive DNA approach was successfully used and tested on a variety of bird species,including North American wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), Canada goose (Branta canadensis), blue heron (Ardeaherodias) and pygmy owl (Glaucidium californicum). The mtDNA was successfully obtained from ‘fresh’ feathers,historic museum specimens and archaeological samples, demonstrating the sensitivity and versatility of thistechnique.Conclusions: By applying appropriate contamination controls, sufficient quantities of mtDNA can be reliablyrecovered and analyzed from feather barbs. This previously overlooked substrate provides new opportunities foraccurate DNA species identification when minimal feather samples are available for forensic analysis

Impacto de uma experiência de quase-morte e conversão religiosa sobre a saúde mental de um criminoso: relato de caso e revisão da literatura

OBJECTIVE: Near-death experiences have been defined as profound psychological events that may occur to a person while close to death or in a situation of extreme physical or emotional distress. These experiences seem to have an important effect on the patients’ mental health and may occur in several situations despite their cultural and religious beliefs. CASE DESCRIPTION: The present case report describes the positive impact of a near-death experience (Greyson scale > 7) followed by religious conversion on the mental health of a former prisoner. COMMENTS: Investigation of the role of near-death experiences by the scientific community could shed light on the coping mechanisms and moral/ethical transformations that take place in these individuals.OBJETIVO: As experiências de quase-morte são definidas como eventos psicológicos profundos, que podem ocorrer quando uma pessoa está em morte iminente ou em situação de intensa crise física ou emocional. Essas experiências parecem ter efeito importante sobre a saúde mental desses pacientes e ocorrem em diversas situações, a despeito de culturas e crenças religiosas. RELATO DE CASO: O presente relato de caso descreve a influência positiva de uma experiência de quase-morte (escala de Greyson > 7) seguida de conversão religiosa sobre a saúde mental de um ex-detento. COMENTÁRIO: A investigação do papel de experiências de quase-morte em âmbito científico poderia ajudar a elucidar os mecanismos de coping e transformações éticas e morais que ocorrem nesses indivíduos.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Hospital São PauloAssociação Médico-Espírita de São PauloClínica OtossonoFaculdade de Ciências Médicas Santa Casa de São PauloInstituto de Psiquiatria Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São PauloInstituto de Psiquiatria HCFMUSP Conselho Penitenciário do Estado de São PauloUniversidade Federal de Juiz de ForaHospital João EvangelistaUNIFESP, Hospital São PauloSciEL

Reliability of Fronto-Amygdala Coupling during Emotional Face Processing.

One of the most exciting translational prospects for brain imaging research is the potential use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) 'biomarkers' to predict an individual's risk of developing a neuropsychiatric disorder or the likelihood of responding to a particular intervention. This proposal depends critically on reliable measurements at the level of the individual. Several previous studies have reported relatively poor reliability of amygdala activation during emotional face processing, a key putative fMRI 'biomarker'. However, the reliability of amygdala connectivity measures is much less well understood. Here, we assessed the reliability of task-modulated coupling between three seed regions (left and right amygdala and the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex) and the dorsomedial frontal/cingulate cortex (DMFC), measured using a psychophysiological interaction analysis in 29 healthy individuals scanned approximately two weeks apart. We performed two runs on each day of three different emotional face-processing tasks: emotion identification, emotion matching, and gender classification. We tested both between-day reliability and within-day (between-run) reliability. We found good-to-excellent within-subject reliability of amygdala-DMFC coupling, both between days (in two tasks), and within day (in one task). This suggests that disorder-relevant regional coupling may be sufficiently reliable to be used as a predictor of treatment response or clinical risk in future clinical studies