New Organic/inorganic Hybrid Sol-gel Nanocomposite Materials For Raman Gain In Fiber Optics

The recent increased availability of additional wavelengths in the telecommunications window of about 1300-1600 nm has generated an interest in new optical materials and devices that can operate outside the normally used regions of 840 nm, 1310 nm, and 1550 nm. Specifically, methods to amplify fiber optical data transmission in the regions where there is limited or no existing methods to achieve amplification is of interest in the chemistry and photonic communities. Raman gain is one method that has been proposed to passively amplify optical data transmission through a distributed process. Amplification is obtained through a nonlinear light scattering process where an optical wave is amplified at the expense of a higher frequency pump wave. Multiple wavelengths can be evenly amplified simultaneously in a desired region by specific selection of one or more pump wavelengths. Herein, the synthesis and characterization of new hybrid inorganic/organic sol-gels and monomers capable of producing broad wavelength Raman scattering over a spectral range of 1200-1670 nm are presented. The synthetic methodology developed facilitates the systematic approach to produce sol-gel derivatives with functional groups known to be strongly Raman scattering. Additionally, a method to synthesize and characterize a large number of different compounds using a combinatorial approach was demonstrated. Thio based derivatives of sulfonyldiphenol, isopropylidenediphenol, and triallyloxy triazine were synthesized in addition to thio derivatives of poly(hydroxystyrene). Micro-Raman spectra of the hybrid sol-gels, thiobased derivatives, and IR spectra of select sol-gel monomers were obtained

Sexual decision making in the absence of choice: The African American female dating experience.

Although links between low mate availability and increased HIV and STI risk for African American women have been documented in the literature, we know little about the impact of limited mate choices on the quality of relationships between Black men and women and how these relationship dynamics impact risk for young Black women. We conducted a qualitative study with African American female young adults (N=12) to explore the perceived impact of structural forces on African American female young adults’ dating and sexual behavior. Participants reported (1) perceptions of Black men as untrustworthy and manipulative, (2) the limited and often negative roles for Black men in the larger Black community, and (3) heterosexual relationships in the Black community as increasingly influenced by economics and commerce. Recommendations for HIV prevention interventions that include micro and macro level approaches are discussed

Gendered Violence, HIV Acquisition, and Clinical/Behavioral Research

HIV incidence and prevalence rates for US women continue to increase, especially among Black and Latina women. In addition, the link between violence and HIV acquisition has been well documented. However, the interaction between violence, HIV risk, and HIV acquisition remains an under-addressed issue in current clinical and behavioral HIV research designs. Because violence against women plays an important role in HIV acquisition and transmission, it is imperative for clinical research to address violence in trial design and implementation. In this article, we discuss the prevalence of violence in women’s lives; the role violence plays in HIV acquisition; and the absence of violence in clinical research designs. We conclude with recommendations for integrating concerns about HIV and violence against women into sponsor- and investigator-driven HIV research priorities and clinical trial design

An innovative approach for migraine prevention in young age: a preliminary study

Headache is one of the commonest conditions to affect children and adolescents in industrialized countries. Effective pharmacological treatments without side effects are still lacking. Ginkgolide B, an herbal constituent extract from ginkgo biloba tree leaves, is a natural antiplatelet activating factor (PAF). PAF is a potent proinflammatory and nociceptive agent released during the inflammation process. Therefore, Ginkgolide B can be considered a promising non-pharmacological tool for treatment of migraine with and without aura. We propose to determine the efficacy of Ginkgolide B as preventive treatment in a group of young patients suffering from migraine without aura. A small sample of 24 young patients suffering from migraine without aura entered the open-label prospective trial. Migraine without aura was diagnosed according to International Headache Society criteria. The treatment was well tolerated and the compliance was good. These preliminary data show that Ginkgolide B seems to be effective as preventive treatment in reducing migraine attack frequency and in attenuating the use of symptomatic medication in our small series of children with primary headache

Singlet Oxygen Generation Using New Fluorene-based Photosensitizers Under One- And Two-photon Excitation

Molecular oxygen in its lowest electronically excited state plays an important roll in the field of chemistry. This excited state is often referred to as singlet oxygen and can be generated in a photosensitized process under one- or two-photon excitation of a photosensitizer. It is particularly useful in the field of photodynamic cancer therapy (PDT) where singlet oxygen formation can be used to destroy cancerous tumors. The use of two-photon activated photosensitizers possesses great potential in the field of PDT since near-IR light is used to activate the sensitizer, resulting in deeper penetration of light into biological tissue, less photobleaching of the sensitizer, and greatly improved resolution of excitation. The synthesis and photophysical characterization of new fluorene-based photosensitizers for efficient singlet oxygen production were investigated. The spectral properties for singlet oxygen production were measured at room temperature and 77 K. Two-photon absorption (2PA) cross-sections of the fluorene derivatives were measured by the open aperture Z-scan method. The quantum yields of singlet oxygen generation under one- and two-photon excitation (Φ∆ and 2PAΦ∆, respectively) were determined by the direct measurement of singlet oxygen luminescence at ≈ 1270 nm. The values of Φ∆ were independent of excitation wavelength, ranging from 0.6 - 0.9. The singlet oxygen quantum yields under two-photon excitation were 2PAΦ∆ ≈ ½Φ∆, indicating that the two processes exhibited the same mechanism of singlet oxygen production, independent of the mechanism of photon absorption

Roadkill risk and population vulnerability in European birds and mammals

Roads represent a threat to biodiversity, primarily through increased mortality from collisions with vehicles. Although estimating roadkill rates is an important first step, how roads affect long-term population persistence must also be assessed. We developed a trait-based model to predict roadkill rates for terrestrial bird and mammalian species in Europe and used a generalized population model to estimate their long-term vulnerability to road mortality. We found that ~194 million birds and ~29 million mammals may be killed each year on European roads. The species that were predicted to experience the highest mortality rates due to roads were not necessarily the same as those whose long-term persistence was most vulnerable to road mortality. When evaluating which species or areas could be most affected by road development projects, failure to consider how roadkill affects populations may result in misidentifying appropriate targets for mitigation

Who is a Nuisance? Criminal Activity Nuisance Ordinances in Ohio

Criminal Activity Nuisance Ordinances (CANOs) are local laws found in thousands of cities throughout the country which penalize property owners if repeated incidents of criminal activity related to their property occur over a set period of time (typically, 12 months). Nearly 50 cities in Ohio have CANOs, including more than 20 in Northeast Ohio.Drawing on extensive public records from a sample of Northeast Ohio cities, this report offers a snapshot of CANOs and how they are being used. • CANOs disproportionately impact renters, people using housing vouchers, and people of color. • Race and class stereotypes surface in public discussions of CANOs, and are sometimes invoked to justify the establishment or enhancement of CANOs • CANOs are frequently applied beyond their scope to target minor, non-criminal behavior • Many cities across Ohio put survivors of domestic violence at heightened risk of eviction by defining domestic violence as a “nuisance activity”; in some cities, more than half of CANO letters are sent in response to domestic violence incidents• If emergency services are sent to a home in response to a call made to a suicide hotline, that property can be deemed a nuisance • Seeking medical assistance for someone experiencing a drug overdose crisis is a common reason that properties are placed on a nuisance list • It is often difficult or even impossible for a property owner or tenant to challenge a mistaken nuisance designationWhile the findings presented in this report center on Northeast Ohio, residents in the thousands of other cities with CANOs across the country may be experiencing similar impact. We encourage policymakers, researchers, and community stakeholders to use this report to inform deeper conversations on the implications of CANOs, and to expand research on the use and consequences of these laws

Non-pharmacological Approaches for Headaches in Young Age: An Updated Review

Headache disorders are common in children and adolescents. Most of the studies on non-pharmacological treatments have however been carried out on adults. In this review we provide information on recent studies examining non-pharmacological approaches for managing headache in children and adolescents. Our search of SCOPUS for primary studies conducted between January 2010 and July 2018 uncovered 11 controlled studies, mostly addressing behavioral approaches, in which a total of 613 patients with a diagnosis of primary headache, and average age 10.2–15.7 years (30–89% females) were recruited. Non-pharmacological treatments were shown to produce sizeable effects on the classical primary endpoint, i.e., headache frequency, with reductions from baseline ranging between 34 and 78%. Among commonly reported secondary endpoints, particularly disability, quality of life, depression and anxiety, marked improvements were noted as well. Taken as a whole, our findings suggest that non-pharmacological treatments constitute a valid option for the prevention of primary headaches in young age. Future research with higher-quality studies is needed. Particular attention needs to be given to studies that randomize patients to condition, blind researchers in charge of evaluating treatment outcomes, routinely include headache frequency as the primary endpoint, include adequate-length follow-up, address changes in biomarkers of disease and other possible mediators of outcome, and that employ predictive models to enhance the level of evidence for these approaches

Treatment of primary headache in children: a multicenter hospital-based study in France

The aim of this 6-month, prospective, multicenter study of 398 children and adolescents with primary headaches was to collect data on headache treatment in neuropediatric departments. Treatments were compared before and after consultation. Prior to consultation, the acute treatments that had been prescribed most frequently were paracetamol (82.2% of children) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs treatment (53.5%); 10.3% had received a prophylactic treatment. No differences in either acute or prophylactic treatment with respect to headache diagnosis were observed. After the neuropediatric consultation, paracetamol was replaced by a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug in about three-quarters of cases and by triptan in about one-quarter of cases. The number of children prescribed a prophylactic treatment nearly doubled, whereas there was a 5-fold and 23-fold increase in psychotherapy and relaxation training, respectively, between pre-referral and referral. We conclude that specific treatments were underused for primary headache