Cranial anatomy of Libognathus sheddi Small, 1997 (Parareptilia, Procolophonidae) from the Upper Triassic Dockum Group of West Texas, USA.

Libognathus sheddi, a leptopleuronine procolophonid from the Upper Triassic Cooper Canyon Formation, Dockum Group, West Texas, was based on an isolated left dentary and partial coronoid. New material referable to Libognathus sheddi, from the Cooper Canyon Formation, provides new information on the cranial anatomy. This new cranial material includes the antorbital portion of a skull, a left maxilla and premaxilla, quadratojugals, and dentaries, including intact tooth rows in the upper and lower jaws. Libognathus shows autapomorphies including; dentary deep with ventral margin oblique to tooth row immediately from the symphysis at ≥23°; anterior projecting coronoid contacting the lingual surface of the dentary underlying the last two dentary teeth; reduced contact between the lacrimal and the nasal; suborbital foramen formed by the maxilla and ectopterygoid, excluding the palatine; a posterior supralabial foramen shared by the maxilla and jugal; a Y-shaped antorbital pillar formed by the palatine, and massive orbitonasale and facial foramina (shared with unnamed southwest USA leptopleuronines). Phylogenetic analysis indicates that Libognathus is a highly derived leptopleuronine procolophonid, closely related to Hypsognathus fenneri and other southwest USA Revueltian leptopleuronines, which fall out as sister taxa to Hypsognathus, a relationship supported by a maxillary dentition restricted anterior to the orbital margin, a possibly synapomorphic orbitonasale septum in the form of an "antorbital pillar" created by the palatine, an anteroventral process of the jugal, and the presence of a small diastema between the first dentary tooth and the more posterior dentition. Libognathus exhibits a possible ankylosed protothecodont tooth implantation with frequent replacement, differing from some other proposed procolophonid implantation and replacement models. Chinle Formation and Dockum Group leptopleuronines are restricted to the Revueltian teilzone/holochronozone, making them possible Revueltian index taxa.

Total force fitness: the military family fitness model.

The military lifestyle can create formidable challenges for military families. This article describes the Military Family Fitness Model (MFFM), a comprehensive model aimed at enhancing family fitness and resilience across the life span. This model is intended for use by Service members, their families, leaders, and health care providers but also has broader applications for all families. The MFFM has three core components: (1) family demands, (2) resources (including individual resources, family resources, and external resources), and (3) family outcomes (including related metrics). The MFFM proposes that resources from the individual, family, and external areas promote fitness, bolster resilience, and foster well-being for the family. The MFFM highlights each resource level for the purpose of improving family fitness and resilience over time. The MFFM both builds on existing family strengths and encourages the development of new family strengths through resource-acquiring behaviors. The purpose of this article is to (1) expand the military's Total Force Fitness (TFF) intent as it relates to families and (2) offer a family fitness model. This article will summarize relevant evidence, provide supportive theory, describe the model, and proffer metrics that support the dimensions of this model.

Antibody-gold quantum dot-PAMAM dendrimer complex as an immunoglobulin immunoassay.

Gold quantum dots (AuQDs) were synthesized and electrostatically conjugated to goat-derived anti-human IgG for the purpose of detecting human IgG in solution over a broad range of concentrations. The system is able to detect human IgG by linear fluorescence quenching over a micromolar to nanomolar concentration range. We have demonstrated the specificity and a wide dynamic range of the proposed immunoassay. The quenching is a result of competitive surface quenching of the AuQDs. Characterization, details of the immunoassay, and the quenching mechanism, are discussed.