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The aim of the present work was to examine cultural differences in the development of speed of information processing. Four samples of US children ("N" = 509) and four samples of East Asian children ("N" = 661) completed psychometric measures of processing speed on two occasions. Analyses of the longitudinal data indicated that, although processing speed was comparable among US and East Asian children at the youngest age (4.5 years), it developed more rapidly in some but not all of the East Asian samples. Results are discussed in terms of factors that may promote more rapid development of processing speed in some East Asian cultures. (Contains 2 figures, 1 footnote, and 3 tables.)

Seasonal water temperature variations exhibit a first-order control on the mineralogy, texture, and timing of formation of modern, temperate zone lacustrine evaporites. However, seasonality is generally absent from the thermochemical models used to interpret ancient nonmarine evaporites. Here, a seasonal model is presented which correctly reproduced the complex history of evaporite precipitation, dissolution, and back-reactions observed during the drying up of the shallow (2.4 m) Owens Lake, California (ca. 1969). Additional parameters were then added to simulate a deep (>10 m), perennial lake with the same chemical composition (e.g., ancient Searles Lake). Variations in temperature drive saline mineral precipitation and syndepositional alteration in both models, but in different ways. In shallow, well-mixed temperate lakes, minerals crystallize and transform in rhythm with seasonal temperature fluctuations. In deeper stratified lakes, alteration occurs when salts settle from surface waters (variable seasonal temperatures) to the bottom waters (constant temperatures). The deep lake model shows that more than half of the salts that precipitate at low temperatures later dissolve or back-react in warmer bottom waters. Closed basin evaporite deposits formed in temperate lakes thus preferentially preserve high temperature salts. This means that midlatitude lacustrine evaporites contain more climatic and limnological information than previously recognized, and can be interpreted in terms of seasonal temperatures, mean annual temperatures, and lake depths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Average development times differed significantly among the test plants and ranged from 27.9 days on Populus nigra to 61.5 days on Ligustrum japonicum. Average pupal mass differed significantly among the test plants and varied from 1330 mg on Prunus serotina to 740 mg on Fraxinus latifolia. There was a significant negative relationship between developmental time and percent larval survival and a significant positive relationship between larval survival and pupal mass. Fast larval development on a plant meant higher survival and heavier pupae. The growth rate of Papilio rutulus larvae varied from a high of 0.256 mg/day on Populus nigra to a low of 0.143 mg/day on Populus alba and 0.126 mg/day on Alnus tenuifolia. The larvae were able to extend their development time on some plants like Alnus tenuifolia and Prunus ilicifolia to produce heavier pupae. Biochemical flexibility in larval survival, developmental time and pupal mass allow P. rutulus larvae to utilize a wide variety of native and introduced plants and to colonize large areas in California with few to no native Populus or Salix hosts including urban areas with extensive plantings of ornamental plants and scattered individual apple and stone fruit trees, and the 651,000+ hectares of commercial California almond, stone fruit and apples. Selection of the host plants with the fastest development times allows P. rutulus to survive at high altitude areas in which there are otherwise too few heat units to allow their offspring to attain the pupal stage and overwinter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern and ancient saline lakes are important sites for the deposition of carbonates and evaporites. Here we describe a generalized computer model of chemical sediment production in a closed-basin lake subject to: (1) variable inflow sources through time; (2) variable volumes of these inflows; (3) variable temperature, and; (4) variable evaporation rates through time. We then apply our model to gain insights into some aspects of late Pleistocene evaporite deposits beneath Searles Lake, California, a well-described chemical sedimentary deposit. We tuned our model to match the masses and proportions of the major saline minerals trona and halite deposited in layers circa 32 ka to 24 ka. However, we could not reproduce the thicknesses of mixed siliciclastic, carbonate and organic layers sandwiched between the evaporites. The model is useful for interpreting and constraining the environmental conditions in and around any ancient saline lakes during evaporite deposition where the amounts, mineralogies, and vertical distribution of chemical sediments are known. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/objectives: This study examined the long-term relation of lipid-soluble micronutrients with diet quality as assessed by four a priori-defined dietary patterns.Subjects/methods: In a prospective design, nutritional biomarkers (carotenoids, tocopherols, retinol, and coenzyme Q10) were measured using a validated HPLC-based assay. General linear models were applied to obtain covariate-adjusted means of biomarkers for tertiles of four a priori diet quality indices: Healthy Eating Index (HEI) 2010, Alternative HEI (AHEI) 2010, Alternate Mediterranean Diet Score (aMED), and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH). For a subcohort of 8367 participants within the Multiethnic Cohort (MEC), diet was assessed by a validated quantitative food frequency questionnaire in 1993-96 and serum was collected in 2001-06.Results: Participants with the highest diet-quality scores had significantly higher serum concentrations of all carotenoids, total tocopherols, and α-tocopherol, whereas γ-tocopherol was inversely associated with diet quality. Adjusted means for the lowest vs. highest tertile of HEI 2010 were 1.2 vs. 1.5 mg/L for total carotenoids, 11.4 vs. 12.3 mg/L for total tocopherols, and 1.9 vs. 1.6 mg/L for γ-tocopherol (ptrend < 0.0001). The associations for the other dietary indices were similar; no indication for sex and ethnic differences was detected. Vegetable and fruit components were major predictors of most circulating micronutrients, but most other components were also associated.Conclusions: Higher diet-quality scores measured by four a priori diet quality indices were significantly associated higher serum concentrations of carotenoids and α-tocopherol, whereas γ-tocopherol was inversely associated with diet quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes the formation and organization of a statewide energy consortium consisting of faculty from 19 campuses of the California State University and Colleges system. Also describes three major consortium activities and reasons for its success. (SK)

The attraction of non-target insects to the male fruit fly lures methyl eugenol (1,2-Dimethoxy-4-prop-2-en-1-ylbenzene), cue-lure (4-[4-(acetyloxy)phenyl]-2-butanone), and trimedlure (t-Butyl-2-methyl-4-chlorocyclohexanecarboxylate) was examined in the main plant communities in California, except the desert, in 2012 and 2013. A total of 39,166 non-target insects were trapped during the study. Of these, 27 species or morphospecies in five orders and 20 families were deemed as attracted to one of the male lures. The most common of these were in the Syrphidae (Diptera) genera: Platycheirus Le Peletier & Serville, 1828, Melanostoma Schiner, 1860, Meliscaeva Zetterstadt, 1843, Ferdinandea Latreille, 1802, Hadromyia Verrall, 1901, Blera Billberg, 1820, and Melangyna Williston, 1882, as well as the genus Empis Linnaeus, 1758 (Diptera: Empididae) and the genus Orchesia Latreille, 1807 (Coleoptera: Melandryidae). The low capture rate of these non-target insects (<4/day maximum), combined with the discrete nature of the California Department of Food and Agriculture's trapping and fruit fly eradication programs using the lures, indicates that the use of these lures will not have a significant impact on non-target insects attracted to them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A workshop entitled “Challenges and Opportunities in Evaluating Protein Allergenicity across Biotechnology Industries” was held at the 51st Annual Meeting of the Society of Toxicology (SOT) in San Francisco, California. The workshop was sponsored by the Biotechnology Specialty Section of SOT and was designed to present the science-based approaches used in biotechnology industries to evaluate and regulate protein allergenicity. A panel of experts from industry and government highlighted the allergenicity testing requirements and research in the agricultural, pharmaceutical/biopharma, and vaccine biotechnology industries and addressed challenges and opportunities for advancing the science of protein allergenicity. The main learning from the workshop was that immunoglobulin E-mediated allergenicity of biotechnology-derived products is difficult to assess without human data. The approaches currently being used to evaluate potential for allergenicity across biotechnology industries are very different and range from bioinformatics, in vitro serology, in vivo animal testing, in vitro and in vivo functional assays, and “biosimilar” assessments (ie, biotherapeutic equivalents to innovator products). The challenge remains with regard to the different or lack of regulatory requirements for allergenicity testing across industries, but the novel approaches being used with bioinformatics and biosimilars may lead to opportunities in the future to collaborate across biotechnology industries. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We determined the distribution of Rhagoletis fausta (Osten Sacken 1877) and Rhagoletis indifferens Curren 1932 (Diptera: Tephritidae) in California outside the state interior quarantine area. Our data confirmed the historical records of R. fausta in Alpine, Amador, El Dorado, Fresno, Kern, Mariposa, Mendocino, Modoc, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sierra, Tehama, Tulare, and Tuolumne counties and we trapped R. fausta for the first time in Butte, Calavaras, Glenn, Inyo, Lassen, Madera, and Yuba counties. We confirmed the historical records of R. indifferens in Amador, El Dorado, Fresno, Mendocino, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, and Sierra counties and we trapped R. indifferens for the first time in Butte, Calaveras, Lassen, Madera, Mariposa, Tulare, Tuolumne, and Yuba counties. No R. fausta were trapped in Lake, Los Angeles, or San Bernardino counties and no R. indifferens were trapped in Alpine, Glenn, Inyo, Lake, Mono, or Tehama counties. The lower altitude at which we trapped both flies increased significantly southward from the northern end of the flies' range in California. The large, host free distances between the populations of R. fausta and R. indifferens and the major commercial sweet cherry production areas in California and the asynchrony between the time when commercial sweet cherry fruit are available for attack and the presence of adults of both fly species effectively prevent the adult flies from naturally dispersing into the major commercial sweet cherry production areas of the state and establishing breeding populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations to prostate cancer within a large multiethnic cohort in Hawaii and California using a nested case-control design. The study included 329 incidents of prostate cancer of African American, Native Hawaiian, Japanese, Latino and White ancestry, and 656 controls matched on age, race/ethnicity, date/time of blood collection and fasting status. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). No association with prostate cancer risk was found in an analysis based on quartiles of 25(OH)D. When clinically defined cutpoints were used, there was no increased risk for the lowest 25(OH)D concentration (OR for <20 versus 30–<50ng/ml=1.10, 95% CI=0.68–1.78), while there was a suggestive increased risk for higher concentrations (OR for ⩾50ng/ml=1.52, 95% CI=0.92–2.51). The findings from this prospective study of men in the Multiethnic Cohort do not support the hypothesis that vitamin D lowers the risk of prostate cancer. Further follow-up is warranted to determine whether the findings are consistent across ethnic groups. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This article reports on a study of the civil load of two trial courts in California's Alameda and San Benito counties, between 1890 and 1970. One court sits in an urban county, the other in a rural county. It was assumed for the purpose of the study that trial courts have come to do less and less work in settling disputes and that most of their labor is now routine, administrative, cut-and-dried. Quantitative indicators of court performances in these two counties confirm one general hypothesis that the dispute settlement function in these courts is declining. In general, the trial courts today perform routine administration and dispute settlement has steadily shrunk as a proportion of their caseload. In 1890, a higher percentage of cases involved genuine disputes and the work of these courts was on the whole less stereotyped. The rate of uncontested judgments has multiplied while the incidence of contested judgments has fallen. A smaller percentage of cases are brought to trial today and courts issue formal opinions or findings in far fewer cases.

The article presents the highlights of the archaeological survey conducted at the wreck site of the U.S. Navy Akron-class rigid airship USS Macon off the coast of California in August 2015. The study is a joint project by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC), and the Ocean Exploration Trust. Among the objectives of the study is to benchmark the area as an early modern-metals aviation site.

Colonic perineuriomas are recently described benign mucosal polyps that are composed of a bland spindle cell proliferation surrounding crypts that often demonstrate hyperplastic/serrated epithelial changes. However, the origin of this unique stromal proliferation is still unclear, and the association with serrated polyps, including sessile serrated adenomas, has not been fully described. We evaluated the pathologic and molecular features of colonic polyps associated with perineurial-like proliferations in 2 retrospective cohorts: (1) a series of 198 consecutive sessile serrated adenomas and (2) 20 colonic polyps diagnosed as a perineurioma irrespective of the presence of serrated colonic crypts. Thirteen of 198 (6.5%) sessile serrated adenomas demonstrated a perineurial-like stromal proliferation, with most (12 of 13, 92%) involving the right (9 cases) and transverse colon (3 cases). In all 13 cases, the perineurial-like proliferation surrounded serrated colonic crypts and typically involved only a small area of the sessile serrated adenoma (average 9% of polyp size; range, 2% to 19%). All 11 polyps evaluated for epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) expression demonstrated stromal EMA staining limited to the perineurial-like proliferation. Twelve of 13 (92%) sessile serrated adenomas with perineurial-like proliferations demonstrated a pV600E BRAF mutation. Of the 20 colonic polyps diagnosed as a perineurioma, 18 (90%) demonstrated serrated crypts intimately associated with the perineurial-like proliferation. In 13 of 18 polyps with associated serrated crypts, all serrated crypts were invested with the perineurial proliferation. In 5 cases, serrated crypts were seen away from the perineurial proliferation. Of these 18 polyps, the majority (16 of 18, 89%) were microvesicular hyperplastic polyps involving the left colon. However, 2 (11%) polyps in the right colon demonstrated histologic features diagnostic of sessile serrated adenoma. All 18 polyps with serrated crypts demonstrated a pV600E BRAF mutation. In contrast, the 2 polyps not associated with serrated crypts were negative for a BRAF mutation. Our results show for the first time that perineurial-like stromal proliferations frequently occur in sessile serrated adenomas. The presence of focal perineurial-like stromal proliferations in sessile serrated adenomas and the common finding of serrated crypts in colonic perineuriomas are likely indicative of an epithelial-stromal interaction, possibly related to some factor elaborated by the serrated epithelium.

Although smoking is the primary risk factor for lung cancer, there is evidence to suggest that fruit and vegetable intake are important cofactors. The present case-control study, nested within the Multiethnic Cohort Study, examined the associations of biomarkers of fruit and vegetable intake (individual plasma micronutrient levels), serum selenium, and a urinary biomarker for total lipid peroxidation with lung cancer risk. Two hundred seven incident cases were matched to 414 controls on age, sex, ethnicity, study location (Hawaii or California), smoking status, date/time of collection, and hours of fasting. We measured prediagnositic circulating levels of individual tocopherols and carotenoids, retinol, and serum selenium, and urinary 15-isoprostane F(2t). Conditional logistic regression was used to compute odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). For men, strong reductions in risk were seen with increasing tertiles of each plasma carotenoid, with the ORs for the third tertile, compared with the first tertile, ranging from 0.24 to 0.45 (P(trends), 0.002-0.04). No associations were found among women for carotenoids or among either sex for tocopherols, selenium, and retinol. A doubling in risk was seen for men in the second and third tertiles, compared with the first tertile of urinary 15-isoprostane F(2t) (OR, 2.31; 95% CI, 1.02-5.25; and OR, 2.16; 95% CI, 0.98-4.78). This study supports the previously observed association between circulating carotenoids and lung cancer risk in men, and adds to the limited literature regarding urinary 15-isoprostane F(2t) as a marker of cancer risk. Future research examining the possible relationship between isoprostanes and lung cancer is warranted.

At Mediterranean fruit fly rearing centers, genetic sexing strains such as the male-only temperature sensitive lethal (tsl) strains, are replacing many of the older bisexual strains, such as Maui-93. Three tests were performed to compare the performance of the Vienna-4 (which carries tsl) and Maui-93 strains. Using standard laboratory quality control tests, the Maui-93 strain had higher percent fliers and a lower percentage deformed and partially eclosed flies. Analyses of data from field mark-recapture tests with Jackson traps failed to find significant differences in recapture numbers between the two strains. In field cage survivorship tests, the Vienna-4 strain showed significantly lower mortality in comparison to the Maui-93 strain. These results suggest that although the quality of Vienna-4 flies is lower than Maui-93 at the time of adult emergence, it is comparable with or better than Maui-93 several days later, because weaker flies have been eliminated from the cohort. The benefits of releasing only sterile males, instead of both males and females, was not factored into the quality assessment in this study, but would be an additional benefit in using a strain that carries a tsl mutation.