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Herbert J. Sullivan, a pioneer in the field of palynology, played a crucial role in the founding of the American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologists (AASP) in 1967. Sullivan, originally from Wales, obtained his BSc and PhD from the University of Sheffield and became an expert in Carboniferous miospores. He worked at the Pan-American Petroleum Corporation in Tulsa, Oklahoma, before moving to Calgary, Alberta, where he held various positions at Amoco Canada. Sullivan retired in 1992 and passed away in 2023. His contributions to palynology and the formation of the AASP have had a lasting impact on the field. [Extracted from the article]

This document summarizes various research articles presented at the 92nd Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association. The articles cover a range of topics including thyroid development, iodide uptake, thyroid autoimmunity, anaplastic thyroid cancer, and T3 action in cancer. One article discusses the generation of human ES cell-derived thyroid organoids for studying thyroid function and potential treatments for hypothyroidism. Another article focuses on the structure and function of the sodium/iodide symporter (NIS) in thyroid hormone synthesis. The document also mentions other articles on topics such as thyroid cancer progression and thyroid hormone action in different tissues. These studies provide valuable insights into thyroid biology and have implications for the development of new treatments and therapies. [Extracted from the article]

The journey of young athletes on the talent pathway in sport has been identified as non-linear. Central to this has been the influence of challenging experiences, yet little is known on the experiences of currently young athletes during the challenge, particularly in the early years of the talent pathway. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of young athletes as they negotiated their self-identified most difficult challenge. Eight participants were purposefully sampled based on their involvement in the early years of a talent pathway and their status as currently young athletes. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted at two time points separated by five months. Data was analysed via thematic analysis. Participants identified the bespoke nature and impact of their most difficult challenge, a range of psychobehavioural skills and diverse social support to engage with and embrace their most difficult challenge and the influence of their most difficult challenge on the preparation for future challenges. Talent pathway stakeholders should be cognisant of the preparation, individualisation and reflection processes required to optimise talent development via challenges. Specifically, young athletes should be supported in skilfully deploying psychobehavioural skills, assisted by key personnel who purposefully aid in navigating the most difficult challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The history of letter-writing in Europe is profoundly multilingual: not just in the obvious sense that Europe is historically multilingual, but also in that the language of letters from different vernacular traditions often shares similar influences. Jane Austen's letters to her niece Cassandra, written in the first years of the nineteenth century, draw an idiosyncratic character whose notion of the letter is an occasion for an intimate, honest, if slightly mischievous intervention (ed. [8]: 114-115): In English letters, the writer's attitude has, over time, been conventionalized in the salutations that open and close letters. Likewise, the signatory encodes the relationship that the writer shares with the addressee with terms such as I sincerely i , I faithfully i , etc., but these emerge as constitutive of letters only in the nineteenth century, as discussed by Shvanyukova (this volume), who examines the gradual formalisation of the closing formula I yours sincerely i in the business letter and its codification in contemporary letter-writing manuals. [Extracted from the article]

This paper investigates performative manifestations of sincerity across Anglo-Norman and Middle English. In particular, it locates adverbial sincerity markers used to qualify performative speech act verbs in late medieval letters (fourteenth and fifteenth centuries), at a point when Middle English was rapidly replacing Anglo-Norman as the vernacular of epistolarity in England. Employing historical dictionaries and corpora, the study 1) locates the range of words for 'sincerity' from a time when the modern lexeme had yet to be borrowed in either vernacular, and 2) demonstrates that while it is clear that Middle English epistolarity was greatly influenced by Anglo-Norman, quantitative and qualitative analyses suggest that sincerity markers were much less commonplace in Middle English performatives, which further suggests ways in which the communicative ideal and practice of sincerity were reanalyzed from one language to the next. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A group of mainly Cretaceous areoligeracean dinoflagellate cyst genera, which we call the 'Cyclonephelium group', has proved difficult to classify. The group comprises Aptea, Canningia, Canninginopsis, Cassidium, Cauveridinium, Cerbia, Circulodinium, Cyclonephelium, Doidyx, Senoniasphaera and Tenua. As a group, they also converge morphologically with ceratiaceans. Cyclonephelium-group taxa show considerable morphological diversity and gradation. However, the most important criteria for discriminating dinoflagellate cyst-based genera – tabulation and archaeopyle type – are uniform among areoligeraceans and ceratiaceans and so are not useful in this case. Any subdivision of the Cyclonephelium group will break apparently natural continuities; nevertheless, any resolution must involve a hierarchy of morphological criteria. In developing a 'best-fit' hierarchy of morphological criteria for the Cyclonephelium group and its separation from ceratiaceans, we consider historical concepts, morphological variation, illustrations in the literature (especially of types) and taxonomic stability. We conclude that the most pragmatic distinguishing feature of ceratiaceans in contrast to the Cyclonephelium group (and areoligeraceans in general) is that the former possess a lateral horn or distinct prominence on the inner body or wall. The hierarchy we favour within the Cyclonephelium group (in decreasing importance) is: (i) wall structure; (ii) whether the ornament is linear or free standing; and (iii) the distribution of the ornament. As a consequence, we propose one new genus (Trimuridinium), one new species (Aptea cassis), two new names (Canningia glomerata for Senoniasphaera rotundata and Circulodinium vectensis for Pseudoceratium distinctum), 49 new combinations and one new status. We emend the descriptions/diagnoses of Aptea, Circulodinium, Cyclonephelium, Pseudoceratium, Senoniasphaera, Tenua and Tenua hystrix. Cyclonephelium-group taxa predominate in neritic marine palaeoenvironments, and their use in palaeoecological analyses should be improved by a more cohesive and consistent taxonomy. The group may have been the root stock for ceratiaceans in the Late Jurassic, the two families becoming more clearly separate from the Late Cretaceous onwards. Cyclonephelium-group areoligeraceans are sparse in the Paleogene and confirmed species are absent in the Neogene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interrelationships between time-correlation functions for molecular reorientation, their apparent memory functions and dielectric permittivity for the α relaxation in glass-forming liquids and amorphous polymers are considered briefly and a method is given for the determination of an apparent first-order memory function K1(ω) in the frequency domain from dielectric relaxation data. For the Kohlrausch–Williams–Watts (KWW) function and the Cole–Cole function and for experimental data for three amorphous polymers it is shown that the real and imaginary components of K1(ω) increase without limit as frequency f(=ω/2π) is increased. The physical significance of such apparent memory functions is considered in view of this behavior and the recent experimental studies of the α relaxation in polymers by Schmidt–Rohr and Spiess and in glass-forming liquids by Cicerone and Ediger, who suggest that a ‘‘dynamic heterogeneity’’ is present that leads to a broad distribution of relaxation times where each elementary process has no proper memory. For such cases it appears that the apparent memory functions are simply related to the parameters characterizing the distribution and may have no physical significance for the α process in glass-forming materials. © 1996 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on topics related to breeding population of Peregrine (Falco peregrinus) birds in Wales in 2014. Topics mentioned include the surveys on the breeding Peregrine population, the contribution of Mark Wilson, lead organiser of British Trust for Ornithology organization, on the surveys of Peregrine population, and the rate of occupancy by Peregrine.

The paper by Williams et al. (2015) concerning a proposed taxonomic revision of the subfamily Wetzelielloideae has led to a comment by Bijl et al. (2016) that questions the validity of our assumptions regarding recognition of the equiepeliform, latiepeliform, hyperepeliform and soleiform archaeopyle types and their significance at the generic level. In this response we address the points that they raise, which are: the introduction of taxonomic criteria allegedly not followed in other fossil subfamilies; the erection of too many taxa; the unworkable nature of the proposed classification; and the reduction of stratigraphic applicability of many significant marker species. We have organised our response under the following topics: pragmatism versus theory; generic criteria: intergroup consistency; the genusApectodiniumand operculum attachment; stratigraphic utility; the number of taxa; and recognition problems. We also discuss specimens illustrated in the two plates included with the comment. The variations in archaeopyle shapes and types of attachment of the operculum (the latter concept has been modified following more recent research) that we have used in part to separate the genera within the Wetzelielloideae have been previously applied to other peridiniacean subfamilies, most notably the Deflandreoideae. As with that subfamily, we consider that our focus on archaeopyle shape and operculum attachment for differentiating wetzelielloidean genera introduces an approach that may help refine the stratigraphic ranges of individual species. While it is a fundamental truth that there are no ‘correct’ taxonomic ideas, we consider that new approaches should be tested with usage over time, not rejected out of hand prior to careful study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most change management initiatives fail. Here, we explore data which emerged from a larger research study of local authority chief executives’ subjective experiences of New Labour’s modernisation programme and argue that the route to change so often taken by central government is detrimental to the successful embedding of change within local government because it ignores fundamental human reactions to coercion and control. We demonstrate that the seeds of failure are sown in the processes adopted as much as in the content of any programme of change. A contributory factor to such failures is the apparent reliance on the part of legislators that their policies and procedures will receive a neutral reaction. We show that the reality is that legislation is responded to and enacted by people who react in ways designed to defend their own positions, irrespective of the worth of those positions. Whether seen as actors in the policy implementation process, or as agents of change, chief executives act and react emotionally. This contributes to our theoretical understanding of the policy process and the practical application of change programmes. This article will be of interest to those in central and local government who are promoting or responding to change. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses the biostratigraphic correlation of the palynological assemblages in the offshore wells of the western and eastern margins of Labrador-Baffin Seaway region. Topic discussed include the tectonic setting in the Labrador Sea, the general stratigraphy of West Greenland and North-eastern Canada, and palaeoenvironmental interpretations from the seaway.

Meditative techniques aim for and meditators report states of mental alertness and focus, concurrent with physical and emotional calm. We aimed to determine the electroencephalographic (EEG) correlates of five states of Buddhist concentrative meditation, particularly addressing a correlation with meditative level. We studied 12 meditators and 12 pair-matched meditation-naïve participants using high-resolution scalp-recorded EEG. To maximise reduction of EMG, data were pre-processed using independent component analysis and surface Laplacian transformed data. Two non-meditative and five meditative states were used: resting baseline, mind-wandering, absorptions 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 (corresponding to four levels of absorption and an absorption with a different object of focus, otherwise equivalent to level 4; these five meditative states produce repeatable, distinctly different experiences for experienced meditators). The experimental protocol required participants to experience the states in the order listed above, followed immediately by the reverse. We then calculated EEG power in standard frequency bands from 1 to 80 Hz. We observed decreases of central scalp beta (13–25 Hz), and central low gamma (25–48 Hz) power in meditators during deeper absorptions. In contrast, we identified increases in frontal midline and temporo-parietal theta power in meditators, again, during deeper absorptions. Alpha activity was increased over all meditative states, not depth-related. This study demonstrates that the subjective experiences of deepening meditation partially correspond to measures of EEG. Our results are in accord with prior studies on non-graded meditative states. These results are also consistent with increased theta correlating with tightness of focus, and reduced beta/gamma with the desynchronization associated with enhanced alertness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2001 the Atlantic Geoscience Society (AGS), with Nimbus Publishing, produced the first edition of "The Last Billion Years: A Geological History ofthe Maritime Provinces of Canada" (LBY1). It was an immediate hit: the first print run sold out within weeks, and reviews were enthusiastic. The success of LBY1 continued over the ensuing years, eventually with over 10 000 copies in print. Significant advances in the understanding of Maritimes geology since 2001 warranted an updated edition (LBY2), published in May 2022. LBY2 is essentially a new book, although similar in structure to the first edition. The new edition comprises chapters and boxes, the latter being "mini-chapters" devoted to specific topics. General aspects of geology, with a Maritimes slant, are introduced in Chapters 1-3. The next five chapters describe the geological history of the Maritimes, from the late Proterozoic ("a billion years ago") to the Ice Age. LBY1 included a single chapter on resources and environmental concerns, whereas in LBY2 these topics are covered by three chapters, one each on resources, natural hazards, and human-induced problems (such as climate change). There are new boxes on rivers, building stones, remote sensing, and evaporites and limestones. New and revised graphics include updated paleogeographic maps from 850 to 3 Ma and revised geological maps of the Maritimes. As in LBY1, LBY2 features many attractive photographs and artworks, including some new watercolours. About 50 experts compiled the text, which in turn was reviewed by a geologist, three non-geologists, and a technical editor. As was its predecessor, LBY2 is aimed at an interested, non-specialist audience. Funding for LBY2 was provided by AGS, the Canadian Geological Foundation, the Association of Professional Engineers and Geologists of New Brunswick, and the Association of Professional Geologists of Nova Scotia, with in-kind support from the Geological Survey of Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essay is presented on the use of Scots for particular communicative purposes by the late Queen Margaret Tudor. It examines the holograph writing of Margaret which found to reflect contemporary Scots forms. It also analyzes her epistolary language as evidence for a written idiolect in pragmatic contexts and the extent of her acquisition of Scots form of language into her idiolectal repertoire.

George Talbot, sixth Earl of Shrewsbury, is infamous among historians and paleographers of sixteenth-century England for the thousands of documents he has left in his horrible handwriting, or uglyography. Taking this unanimously bemoaned situation as its point of departure, this study uses a selection of Shrewsbury's surviving letters to explore what more his handwriting can tell us when considered in conjunction with the letters' contents and the Elizabethan sociocultural interpretations of poor handwriting and disease. In particular, "gout" (the term Shrewsbury himself uses for his infirmity) is described as a paleopathological condition that had significant implications not only for legibility but also for the management of Shrewsbury's epistolary networks and the discourse of illness found throughout his correspondence with his second wife, Bess of Hardwick, as well as other period figures, specifically Burghley and Elizabeth I. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reassortment between H5 or H9 subtype avian and mammalian influenza A viruses (IAV) can generate a novel virus that causes disease and transmits between mammals. Such information is currently not available for H7 subtype viruses. We evaluated the ability of a low-pathogenicity North American avian H7N3 virus (A/shorebird/Delaware/22/2006) to reassort with mammalian or avian viruses using a plasmid-based competition assay. In addition to genome segments derived from an avian H7N9 virus, the H7N3 virus reassorted efficiently with the PB2, NA, and M segments from the 2009 pandemic H1N1 (PH1N1) virus. In vitro and in vivo evaluation of the H7N3:PH1N1 (7+1) reassortant viruses revealed that the PB2, NA, or M segments from PH1N1 largely do not attenuate the H7N3 virus, whereas the PB1, PA, NP, or NS genome segments from PH1N1 do. Additionally, we assessed the functionality of the H7N3:PH1N1 7+1 reassortant viruses by measuring the inflammatory response in vivo. We found that infection with wild-type H7N3 resulted in increased inflammatory cytokine production relative to that seen with the PH1N1 strain and that the increase was further exacerbated by substitution of PH1N1 PB2 but not NA or M. Finally, we assessed if any adaptations occurred in the individually substituted segments after in vivo inoculation and found no mutations, suggesting that PH1N1 PB2, NA, and M are genetically stable in the background of this H7N3 virus. Taking the data together, we demonstrate that a North American avian H7N3 IAV is genetically and functionally compatible with multiple gene segments from the 2009 pandemic influenza virus strain without prior adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ‘Lentin & Williams Index’, of which the first version was published in 1973, was intended to keep those involved in fossil dinoflagellate research abreast of the burgeoning taxonomic literature. An additional role has been to ‘tidy up’ nomenclatural issues that have been left unresolved in publications. The printed Index has moved to an online database, DINOFLAJ, a new version of which is projected for 2016. Although since 2012 the International Code of Nomenclature makes allowance for nomenclatural novelties to be proposed online, these digital sources need to be in PDF format in a recognised online publication. As DINOFLAJ3 will arguably not meet formal rules of nomenclature, this brief communication is intended to formalise nomenclatural changes that are needed before the database is released. Thus, the following names are herein validated:Alterbidinium compactum,Alterbidinium nuculum,Alterbidinium nummiliforme,Alterbidinium pentangulare,Alterbidinium prominense,Alterbidinium pseudocirculum,Alterbidinium saltanovae,Alterbidinium simplex; andPalaecysta palmulasubspeciesankamotraensis. Also proposed herein are the following new combinations:Amphorulacysta delicata,Amphorulacysta?dodekovae,Amphorulacysta?expirata,Amphorulacysta metaelliptica,Amphorulacysta?monteilii;Bonetocardiella peregrinaensis;Cordosphaeridium gracileformaareolatum;Cribroperidinium graemeisubspeciestrabeculosum;Dinopterygium asteriforme;Nyktericysta granorugosa,Nyktericysta pentaradiata;Palaecysta complicata,Palaecysta palmula,Palaecysta silyba; andPithonella melloi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fossil dinoflagellate cysts of the Paleogene peridiniacean subfamily Wetzelielloideae have a stable tabulation pattern similar to that of other fossil peridiniaceans, but distinguished by a four-sided (quadra) rather than a six-sided (hexa) 2a plate. Aside from tabulation, wetzelielloideans show great morphological variability, especially in ornamentation and horn development, but also in wall structure. This diversity has distracted attention from the morphological variation of the archeopyle, which, although always formed through loss of the 2a plate only, shows variations that we consider critical in unravelling the group's phylogeny. Important factors are the shape and relative dimensions of the archeopyle and whether the operculum is attached (adnate) or detached. These parameters allow us to define five archeopyle types: equiepeliform, hyperepeliform, hypersoleiform, latiepeliform and soleiform. Based primarily on archeopyle type and secondarily on wall morphology and ornamentation, we recognise six genera with an equiepeliform archeopyle, four with a hyperepeliform archeopyle, five with a latiepeliform archeopyle, five with a soleiform archeopyle and one with a hypersoleiform archeopyle. The earliest known wetzelielloideans, which occur around the Paleocene–Eocene boundary, have an equiepeliform archeopyle. Other archeopyle types evolved rapidly: taxa with hyperepeliform, latiepeliform and hypersoleiform types are known from the Ypresian. Latiepeliform and hyperepeliform types are restricted to the Ypresian and Lutetian. Forms with the soleiform archeopyle appeared in the late Lutetian, but were rare until the Bartonian, when they became the dominant type, and they were the only type in Priabonian and younger strata. Wetzelielloideans became extinct in the middle Oligocene. We make numerous taxonomic proposals, including the following new genera:Castellodinium,Dolichodinium,Epelidinium,Kledodinium,Michouxdinium,Petalodinium,Piladinium,Rhadinodinium,Sagenodinium,Sophismatia,Stenodinium,StichodiniumandVallodinium.We emend the diagnoses ofCharlesdowniea,DracodiniumandWilsonidium, and erect the speciesKledodinium filosum,Petalodinium sheppeyenseandSagenodinium franciscanum. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Studies made at Aberystwyth and Swansea of siloxane-chain liquid crystalline side-chain polymers (SC-LCP) provided by Professor George Gray at Hull University, together with those for certain carbon-chain SC-LCP are summarised briefly. Methods were developed to obtain materials homeotropically aligned (n||E), planarly/homogeneously aligned (n⊥E) or in any intermediate state of alignment through the use of ac electric fields of variable frequency. The molecular dynamics of the dipolar groups in these materials were studied over wide ranges of temperature and hydrostatic pressure using Broad Band Dielectric Spectroscopy covering 10−4to 105 Hz. Multiple relaxation processes were observed whose dielectric spectra changed markedly as the nature and degree of alignment were changed and the results were interpreted using macroscopic and molecular theories for the dielectric relaxation of such LCPs developed during these studies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article brings together linguistic and literary approaches in order to illuminate aspects of the fourteenth-century Pearl poem that might otherwise go unnoticed by a modern reader. In particular, it investigates the sound-semantic (i.e. phonaesthetic) significance incurred by polysemous Middle English gl- words. The essay begins by using the Middle English Dictionary to locate the interrelated semantic fields for words beginning with gl- in Middle English: ‘light/vision’, ‘joy/gladness’, ‘vitreousness/viscosity’, ‘quick/smooth movement’ and ‘deceptiveness’. Then, in the second half of the essay, I describe how sound-salient collocations of gl- words occur at significant moments in Pearl and exploit a phonaesthetic network, particularly in relation to the now diminished ‘deceptiveness’ category, in ways that add to the aural stylistics of the poem and augment themes to do with the limitations of human perception in the context of spiritual consolation (i.e. ocular/aural scepticism). In turn, it is suggested that Pearl subtly registers questions to do with the limitations of alliterative poetry and the aural ‘glossing’ it entails. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article summarises the scientific career of Professor Friedrich Kremer including sufficient technical detail so that his achievements will be fully appreciated. He was born in Lower Saxony, Germany in 1949 and studied at the University of Munich and at the University of Freiburg where he had his doctorate in zoology. He was appointed Senior Scientist in 1986 at the Max Planck Institute (MPI) and in 1993 was appointed as Professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Leipzig.

The article offers information about the case Boudreaux v. Transocean Deepwater Inc. that was executed in the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court. Topics discussed include claims of the defendant for summary judgment, en banc hearings for the case related to the recovery of damages and right of the employees for getting proper maintenance and medical care. It further discusses the compensatory damages offered by the employer for workplace injuries.

That the first documented appearance of the word “sincerity” in English comes from the sixteenth century is related to ideological developments in court culture, theatre and (most importantly) the Reformation. Orientating itself at the intersection of current developments in rhetorical theory and historical linguistics, this study investigates how these macro-cultural factors had implications for the “everyday” language of early modern England. Using material extracted from the 2.2 million-word Parsed Corpus of Early English Correspondence , several “rhetoricalities” are located and described as evidence for the ways in which sincerity was performed, not in prescriptive manuals, but in actual period letter-exchanges. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Studies in genetically modified mice have highlighted the importance of the hypothalamic–pituitary–thyroid (HPT) axis during skeletal development and the maintenance of adult bone. Recently, the conventional view that skeletal responses to abnormal thyroid status result solely from altered T3 action in bone has been complicated by studies proposing TSH as a negative regulator of bone turnover. Although skeletal consequences of thyrotoxicosis may result from thyroid hormone excess or TSH deficiency, the two alternatives are not necessarily mutually exclusive and cannot easily be differentiated because the HPT axis maintains them in a physiological reciprocal relationship. By contrast, situations in which this inverse relationship is disrupted have the potential to resolve the roles of T3 and TSH in the skeleton. We discuss these situations and the relative importance of T3 and TSH in skeletal homeostasis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background A survey of physicians’ practice relating to radioiodine administration for hyperthyroidism was carried out in the UK over 15 years ago and showed wide variations in patient management. This led to the development of national guidelines for the use of radioiodine in hyperthyroidism. As there have been significant advances in the field since that survey, we carried out another survey to study the prevalent practices relating to radioiodine therapy for benign thyroid disorders across the UK. Subjects and methods We mailed 698 UK consultant endocrinologists a questionnaire on radioiodine treatment based on three patient scenarios: hyperthyroid Graves’ disease, subclinical hyperthyroidism and nontoxic goitre. Results The response rate was 40%. For the scenario of an initial presentation of Graves’ disease, 80%, 19% and 0·4% of respondents preferred thionamide, radioiodine or thyroidectomy, respectively. There were inconsistencies in respondents’ recommendations on radioiodine dose, the use of pre- and post-radioiodine supplementary treatments, timing of a repeat dose, and the use of radioiodine in thyroid eye disease. For the case of subclinical hyperthyroidism, one-third of respondents would generally initiate treatment. The majority were more likely to treat subclinical hyperthyroidism in the presence of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation or osteoporosis. If a decision were made to treat subclinical hyperthyroidism, 63%, 35%, 1% and 0·4% would recommend radioiodine, thionamide, beta-blocker and thyroidectomy, respectively. For the scenario of nontoxic goitre, 62%, 21%, 13% and 5% favoured observation, thyroidectomy, radioiodine and thyroxine, respectively. Conclusions There remain significant differences in several aspects of clinical practice relating to the use of radioiodine treatment for benign thyroid disorders in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Repeated, intermittent administration of psychomotor stimulants, or D1 agonists in dopamine-deficient states, induces behavioral sensitization, characterized by an enhanced response to a subsequent acute low dose challenge, which may be manifested in form of altered behavior or cognitive function. Amphetamine sensitization in the nonhuman primate encompasses profound and enduring changes to similar neuronal and neurochemical substrates that occur in rodents. The process of sensitization in the monkey also results in a long-lasting depression in baseline behavioral responding, as well as emergence of hallucinatory-like behaviors reminiscent of human psychosis in response to an acute challenge. Nonhuman primates show a reduction in spine density and dendritic length in prefrontal neurons and a marked reduction in basal dopamine turnover in both prefrontal cortex and striatum. A major hallmark of amphetamine sensitization in both nonhuman primates and rodents is the manifestation of deficits in executive function and working memory which rely upon the integrity of prefrontal cortex and thereby, may yield significant insights into the cognitive dysfunction associated with addiction. Together with evidence from human and rodent studies, it can be concluded that repeated exposure to psychomotor stimulants can lead to a corruption of neuroadaptive systems in the brain by an extraordinary influence on synaptic plasticity, learning, and memory. Actively harnessing this same process by repeated, intermittent D1 agonist administration may be the key to improved working memory and decision making in addiction and other dopamine dysfunctional states, such as schizophrenia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The prefrontal cortex of the primate frontal lobes provides the capacity for judgment which can constantly adapt behavior in order to optimize its outcome. Adjudicating between long-term memory programs and prepotent responses, this capacity reviews all incoming information and provides an interpretation dependent on the events that have just occurred, the events that are predicted to happen, and the alternative response strategies that are available in the given situation. It has been theorized that this function requires two essential integrated components, a central executive which guides selective attention based on mechanisms of associative memory, as well as the second component, working memory buffers, in which information is held online, abstracted, and translated on a mental sketchpad of work in progress. In this review, we critically outline the evidence that the integration of these processes and, in particular, the induction and maintenance of persistent activity in prefrontal cortex and related networks, is dependent upon the interaction of dopamine D1 and glutamate NMDA receptor signaling at critical nodes within local circuits and distributed networks. We argue that this interaction is not only essential for representational memory, but also core to mechanisms of neuroadaptation and learning. Understanding its functional significance promises to reveal major new insights into prefrontal dysfunction in schizophrenia and, hence, to target a new generation of drugs designed to ameliorate the debilitating working memory deficits in this disorder. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The many contributions of Professor Daniel Kivelson (1929–2003) formerly of the Chemistry Department, University of California at Los Angeles, to experimental and theoretical studies of the dynamics of molecular liquids are summarized briefly. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Explores the bone biology and skeletal consequences of thyroid disease. Side effects associated with thyroxine; Molecular actions of thyroid hormone; Observation on the clinical effects of childhood thyroid dysfunction.

Commercial mud crab (Scylla spp.) aquaculture in many countries has been stifled to some degree by a lack of seed stock. A commercially viable larval rearing protocol for Scylla serrata has yet to be established. Two experiments were conducted to assess the requirement for rotifers in the larval feeding regime for S. serrata. These examined the timing of introduction and cessation of rotifers, and co-feeding protocols with Artemia. In the first experiment, it was shown that rotifers were necessary in the feeding regime for acceptable growth and survival, and when used as the only food source during the first zoeal stage (Z1), gave better survival than when co-fed with Artemia. It was also found that when rotifers were removed from the co-feeding regime at Z3, no detrimental effect on growth or survival occurred. Final survival to megalop of 58.67±7.35% was achieved when rotifers were fed singly up to zoea 2 and then co-fed with Artemia through to megalop. Crab larvae fed only Artemia throughout the rearing period took significantly longer to reach the megalop stage and suffered higher levels of mortality. The second experiment investigated the effects on survival, when rotifer feeding was discontinued at Z2, Z3, Z4, Z5 and when rotifers were fed up to the megalop stage (M). Artemia were offered to these treatments from Z2 onwards. A no-rotifer (NR) control that was fed Artemia-only from stocking, was also tested. It was again shown that rotifers, especially in the early stages, promoted acceptable levels of survival and growth. Without rotifers, moulting of crab larvae was delayed and survival was significantly lower during the first two zoeal stages. There was also a significant difference in survival to megalop, and a significant negative relationship between duration of rotifer feeding and survival to megalop. The best survival of 78.00±5.54% was achieved when rotifers were removed from the feeding regime at Z2. The NR treatment had the lowest survival of 32.00±7.51%. These trials established that while rotifers are a valuable inclusion in the feeding regime for larval S. serrata, their use should be limited to the first zoeal stage only to maximise growth and survival. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Thyroid hormone (T3) is essential for the normal development of endochondral and intramembranous bone and plays an important role in the linear growth and maintenance of bone mass. Childhood T3 deficiency results in retardation of skeletal development and growth arrest, whereas T3 excess leads to accelerated growth and bone formation. In adult thyrotoxicosis, there is increased bone remodelling, characterized by an imbalance between bone resorption and formation, which results in net bone loss and an increased risk for posteoporotic fracture. These clinical observations demonstrate the importance of T3 in skeletal development and metabolism. Nevertheless, the molecular mechanisms of T3 action in bone are poorly understood. Here, we provide an overview of T3 regulation of chondrocytes, osteoblasts and osteoclasts, and the actions of thyroid hormone receptor (TR) isoforms in skeletal development. The possible roles of T3 and TRs in nuclear receptor crosstalk, prereceptor ligand metabolism, heparan sulfate proteoglycan synthesis and angiogenesis are also considered. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The prefrontal cortex is important in guiding or inhibiting future responses, which requires the temporal integration of events and which provides continuity to the thought process. No cellular mechanism has been proposed to explain how the mental representation of a response or idea is linked to the next. Using simultaneous recordings in monkeys, we revealed inhibitory interactions between neurons active at different time points relative to the cue presentation, delay interval and response period of a working memory task. These findings suggest an important role of inhibition in the cerebral cortex—controlling the timing of neuronal activities during cognitive operations and thereby shaping the temporal flow of information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells are a widely used in vitro model approximating neurons for testing the target engagement of therapeutics designed for neurodegenerative diseases and pain disorders. However, their potential as a model for receptor-mediated delivery and uptake of novel modalities, such as antibody-drug conjugates, remains understudied. Investigation of the SH-SY5Y cell surfaceome will aid in greater in vitro to in vivo correlation of delivery and uptake, thereby accelerating drug discovery. So far, the majority of studies have focused on total cell proteomics from undifferentiated and differentiated SH-SY5Y cells. While some studies have investigated the expression of specific proteins in neuroblastoma tissue, a global approach for comparison of neuroblastoma cell surfaceome to the brain and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons remains uninvestigated. Furthermore, an isoform-specific evaluation of cell surface proteins expressed on neuroblastoma cells remains unexplored. In this study, we define a bioinformatic workflow for the identification of high-confidence surface proteins expressed on brain and DRG neurons using tissue proteomic and transcriptomic data. We then delineate the SH-SY5Y cell surfaceome by surface proteomics and show that it significantly overlaps with the human brain and DRG neuronal surface proteome. We find that, for 32% of common surface proteins, SH-SY5Y-specific major isoforms are alternatively spliced, maintaining their protein-coding ability, and are predicted to localize to the cell surface. Validation of these isoforms using surface proteomics confirms a SH-SY5Y-specific alternative NRCAM (neuron-glia related cell adhesion molecule) isoform, which is absent in typical brain neurons, but present in neuroblastomas, making it a receptor of interest for neuroblastoma-specific therapeutics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports that dopamine D1 antagonists can selectively potentiate the `memory fields' of prefrontal neurons which subserve working memory. Specific action of D1 antagonists; Dose dependency of D1 receptor function; Mnemonic versus sensorimotor activity; Anatomical basis of D1 specificity; Mechanism of memory field enhancement; Modulation of memory fields.

Reviews the evidence supporting the cerebral cortex as a pivotal site for these mechanisms underlying the action of antipsychotics. Focus on anatomical and pharmacological commonality of action of antipsychotic drugs; Cortical D2 receptors as candidates for the common sites of antipsychotic action; Clinical implications of D1 and D2 receptor regulation. INSET: Box 1. optimal dopamine D1 receptor activation for cognition.

The article offers the author's insights on various issues related to the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland (ACPGBI), in which he is President. The author discusses the debates on the possible extension of a President's tenure. He mentions the benefits delivered by the adoption of teleconferences, however, he argues that it is unlikely that the technology take the place of Council meetings. He discusses concerns regarding specialties related to colorectal surgery.

An allegation of sexual assault was made in which a bra was torn off by the assailant causing extensive damage; however, it was observed that the hook and eye fastening was still intact. It was felt that it was not possible for a garment to receive such damage without damage to the hook and eye fastening, thus indicating that the complainant caused the damage to the bra herself to support a false allegation. Reconstruction experiments were conducted in which the conditions of the allegation were simulated utilizing a range of similar bras. Following the infliction of damage, the hook and eye fastenings were examined. In eight of nine experiments, the hook and eye fastening were intact, despite the application of enough force to cause separation of the bra cups in five of the experiments. This shows that bras may suffer extensive damage without damage to the hook and eye fastening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Results are reported of small-scale explosive experiments with Hybrid III and Mil-Lx anthropomorphic test device (ATD) legs. The legs were subject to loadings from deforming metallic plates, driven by explosive loadings to replicate the movement of the floor of a protected vehicle subject to a land-mine strike. The forces measured by the legs are reported and compared between the two different leg types. The benefits of protective measures, including false-floors and commercially available footpads, are compared for their ability to reduce the forces measured in each leg type. It is concluded that the two leg types respond differently to different protective measures and hence cannot be used interchangeably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on a study which showed that chronic blockade of dopamine D2 receptors, a common mechanism of action for antipsychotic drugs, produces severe impairments in working memory. Administration of haloperidol, a neuroleptic drug for treatment of schizophrenia, in female monkeys; Determination of the cognitive specificity of the haloperidol-induced deficits.

The article offers information on the 13th International Workshop on Resistance to Thyroid Hormone that will be held in Netherlands in September 2018.

Introduction. This study investigated the ecology of Petalophyllum ralfsii in an oceanic dune system, including relationships with grazing livestock, hydrology and habitat restoration. Methods. The study site was two large slacks at Newborough Warren, NW Wales, UK. In areas of one slack, there are 6-yr-old 'restoration scrapes', where vegetation was stripped to restore early successional habitat. Since 2001, both slacks have had continuous conservation grazing, primarily by ponies. Locations of P. ralfsii were recorded using high-precision GPS. Vegetation was recorded by relevés and hydrology investigated from dipwell data. Results. Petalophyllum ralfsii was recorded at 1322 locations, mostly along pony trails, but also in sparsely vegetated depressions and restoration scrapes. The most frequent associates were Carex flacca, Didymodon tophaceus, Equisetum variegatum and Ptychostomum pseudotriquetrum. Wetter locations could be flooded for prolonged periods in some winters. Drier locations did not flood at all during the five winters of the study. Within occupied 5 × 5 m grid cells, vertical range of locations was no more than 16 cm. Locations in restoration scrapes are confined to areas where the water table is relatively high. Conclusions. Livestock grazing had a major positive impact on P. ralfsii. Trampling along pony trails provided competitive release and, due to greater soil bulk density, prolonged water availability at the surface. Ponies likely provided directed dispersal into suitable microhabitats via transport of diaspores on their hooves. Restoration scrapes have been colonised by P. ralfsii, but the population is small, likely related, at least in part, to water availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of the craniofacial skeleton relies on complex temporospatial organization of diverse cell types by key signalling molecules. Even minor disruptions to these processes can result in deleterious consequences for the structure and function of the skull. Thyroid hormone deficiency causes delayed craniofacial and tooth development, dysplastic facial features and delayed development of the ossicles in the middle ear. Thyroid hormone excess, by contrast, accelerates development of the skull and, in severe cases, might lead to craniosynostosis with neurological sequelae and facial hypoplasia. The pathogenesis of these important abnormalities remains poorly understood and underinvestigated. The orchestration of craniofacial development and regulation of suture and synchondrosis growth is dependent on several critical signalling pathways. The underlying mechanisms by which these key pathways regulate craniofacial growth and maturation are largely unclear, but studies of single-gene disorders resulting in craniofacial malformations have identified a number of critical signalling molecules and receptors. The craniofacial consequences resulting from gain-of-function and loss-of-function mutations affecting insulin-like growth factor 1, fibroblast growth factor receptor and WNT signalling are similar to the effects of altered thyroid status and mutations affecting thyroid hormone action, suggesting that these critical pathways interact in the regulation of craniofacial development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The passive margin offshore Labrador began forming during rifting in the Early Cretaceous, with seafloor spreading starting in the Maastrichtian and ending near the Eocene–Oligocene boundary. A foundational understanding of the associated stratigraphy of this margin has been developed through previous studies of the lithostratigraphy, biostratigraphy, and seismic stratigraphy, but the significance of clinoforms, stratal boundaries, and transgressive and regressive events has never been fully explored. In this study, we identify a series of clinoform successions from the Late Cretaceous through Pleistocene and apply a second-order sequence stratigraphic model to refine the geological framework for the margin. We focus on the Hopedale Basin where there is sufficient well and reflection seismic data, with substantial new seismic data collected over the last decade. Seismic interpretation is combined with paleoenvironmental and biostratigraphic data from the wells to map clinothem packages along the margin including: seven shoreline, five subaqueous delta, one shelf-edge, and three shelf-edge deltas, with illustration of these on seismic profiles and paleogeographic maps representing several time slices. Trajectory analysis of these clinothems permits the delineation of eight second-order sequences, with systems tracts and sequence stratigraphic surfaces identified. Broader implications of our results include a revised lithostratigraphic column for the Labrador margin. We further demonstrate regional trends during rifting and opening in term of controlling factors on clinoform development through comparison with adjacent and conjugate margins. Tectonism dominated as a controlling factor in the Cretaceous and dwindled near the end of the Paleocene. Eustasy and climate also influenced clinoform development in the Late Cretaceous, but became major factors during the Cenozoic, enhancing relative sea level fall and sediment supply, with similarities to other clinoform successions developed during Greenhouse and Icehouse conditions. Impacts to petroleum prospectivity in the region are also discussed, and our overall seismic and stratigraphic framework provide a basis for future study. • Presence of several Late Cretaceous through Cenozoic shoreline, subaqueous delta, and shelf-edge clinothems. • Clinoform trajectory analysis shows the magnitude and nature of regressive and transgressive events. • New age, seismic, and stratigraphic interpretations allow for a revised lithostratigraphic column for the margin. • Stratigraphic succession is linked to regional tectonic, climatic and eustatic events through time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented related to colorectal surgery performance.

Hyperthyroidism-associated bone loss has been attributed to excess of thyroid hormones. Animal studies, however, suggest that TSH deficiency might affect bone turnover independently of thyroid hormones. Here, I discuss the study by Heemstra and colleagues, who assessed the relationship between serum TSH level and markers of bone turnover in patients with thyroid cancer receiving supraphysiological doses of levothyroxine. The effect of thyroid hormones could not be distinguished from that of TSH as the intact hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis maintained the typical inverse relationship between thyroid hormones and TSH. The study included 27 men and 76 premenopausal women, although previous data indicate that suppressive doses of levothyroxine have no effect on BMD in such patients. Accordingly, Heemstra et al. did not identify a relationship between TSH level and BMD. Although mechanisms of thyrotoxicosis-related bone loss remain controversial, postmenopausal women with thyroid cancer who require long-term TSH suppression should be monitored carefully for osteoporosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]