Multilayers of InGaAs Nanostructures Grown on GaAs(210) Substrates

Multilayers of InGaAs nanostructures are grown on GaAs(210) by molecular beam epitaxy. With reducing the thickness of GaAs interlayer spacer, a transition from InGaAs quantum dashes to arrow-like nanostructures is observed by atomic force microscopy. Photoluminescence measurements reveal all the samples of different spacers with good optical properties. By adjusting the InGaAs coverage, both one-dimensional and two-dimensional lateral ordering of InGaAs/GaAs(210) nanostructures are achieved

Introduction to “Binary Binds”: Deconstructing Sex and Gender Dichotomies in Archaeological Practice

YesGender archaeology has made significant strides toward deconstructing the hegemony of binary categorizations. Challenging dichotomies such as man/woman, sex/gender, and biology/culture, approaches informed by poststructuralist, feminist, and queer theories have moved beyond essentialist and universalist identity constructs to more nuanced configurations. Despite the theoretical emphasis on context, multiplicity, and fluidity, binary starting points continue to streamline the spectrum of variability that is recognized, often reproducing normative assumptions in the evidence. The contributors to this special issue confront how sex, gender, and sexuality categories condition analytical visibility, aiming to develop approaches that respond to the complexity of theory in archaeological practice. The papers push the ontological and epistemological boundaries of bodies, personhood, and archaeological possibility, challenging a priori assumptions that contain how sex, gender, and sexuality categories are constituted and related to each other. Foregrounding intersectional approaches that engage with ambiguity, variability, and difference, this special issue seeks to “de-contain” categories, assumptions, and practices from “binding” our analytical gaze toward only certain kinds of persons and knowledges, in interpretations of the past and practices in the present

Effect of Interfacial Bonds on the Morphology of InAs QDs Grown on GaAs (311) B and (100) Substrates

The morphology and transition thickness (tc) for InAs quantum dots (QDs) grown on GaAs (311) B and (100) substrates were investigated. The morphology varies with the composition of buffer layer and substrate orientation. Andtcdecreased when the thin InGaAs was used as a buffer layer instead of the GaAs layer on (311) B substrates. For InAs/(In)GaAs QDs grown on high miller index surfaces, both the morphology andtccan be influenced by the interfacial bonds configuration. This indicates that buffer layer design with appropriate interfacial bonds provides an approach to adjust the morphologies of QDs grown on high miller surfaces

Use of Integrated Malaria Management Reduces Malaria in Kenya

BACKGROUND: During an entomological survey in preparation for malaria control interventions in Mwea division, the number of malaria cases at the Kimbimbi sub-district hospital was in a steady decline. The underlying factors for this reduction were unknown and needed to be identified before any malaria intervention tools were deployed in the area. We therefore set out to investigate the potential factors that could have contributed to the decline of malaria cases in the hospital by analyzing the malaria control knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) that the residents in Mwea applied in an integrated fashion, also known as integrated malaria management (IMM). METHODS: Integrated Malaria Management was assessed among community members of Mwea division, central Kenya using KAP survey. The KAP study evaluated community members' malaria disease management practices at the home and hospitals, personal protection measures used at the household level and malaria transmission prevention methods relating to vector control. Concurrently, we also passively examined the prevalence of malaria parasite infection via outpatient admission records at the major referral hospital in the area. In addition we studied the mosquito vector population dynamics, the malaria sporozoite infection status and entomological inoculation rates (EIR) over an 8 month period in 6 villages to determine the risk of malaria transmission in the entire division. RESULTS: A total of 389 households in Mwea division were interviewed in the KAP study while 90 houses were surveyed in the entomological study. Ninety eight percent of the households knew about malaria disease while approximately 70% of households knew its symptoms and methods to manage it. Ninety seven percent of the interviewed households went to a health center for malaria diagnosis and treatment. Similarly a higher proportion (81%) used anti-malarial medicines bought from local pharmacies. Almost 90% of households reported owning and using an insecticide treated bed net and 81% reported buying the nets within the last 5 years. The community also used mosquito reduction measures including, in order of preference, environmental management (35%), mosquito repellent and smoke (31%) insecticide canister sprays (11%), and window and door screens (6%). These methods used by the community comprise an integrated malaria management (IMM) package. Over the last 4 years prior to this study, the malaria cases in the community hospital reduced from about 40% in 2000 to less than 10% by 2004 and by the year 2007 malaria cases decreased to zero. In addition, a one time cross-sectional malaria parasite survey detected no Plasmodium infection in 300 primary school children in the area. Mosquito vector populations were variable in the six villages but were generally lower in villages that did not engage in irrigation activities. The malaria risk as estimated by EIR remained low and varied by village and proximity to irrigation areas. The average EIR in the area was estimated at 0.011 infectious bites per person per day. CONCLUSIONS: The usage of a combination of malaria control tools in an integrated fashion by residents of Mwea division might have influenced the decreased malaria cases in the district hospital and in the school children. A vigorous campaign emphasizing IMM should be adopted and expanded in Mwea division and in other areas with different eco-epidemiological patterns of malaria transmission. With sustained implementation and support from community members integrated malaria management can reduce malaria significantly in affected communities in Africa

Meaning in life in the Federal Republic of Germany: results of a representative survey with the Schedule for Meaning in Life Evaluation (SMiLE)

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

The International Deep Brain Stimulation Registry and Database for Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome: How Does It Work?

Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a neuropsychiatric disease characterized by a combination of motor and vocal tics. Deep brain stimulation (DBS), already widely utilized for Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders, is an emerging therapy for select and severe cases of TS that are resistant to medication and behavioral therapy. Over the last two decades, DBS has been used experimentally to manage severe TS cases. The results of case reports and small case series have been variable but in general positive. The reported interventions have, however, been variable, and there remain non-standardized selection criteria, various brain targets, differences in hardware, as well as variability in the programming parameters utilized. DBS centers perform only a handful of TS DBS cases each year, making large-scale outcomes difficult to study and to interpret. These limitations, coupled with the variable effect of surgery, and the overall small numbers of TS patients with DBS worldwide, have delayed regulatory agency approval (e.g., FDA and equivalent agencies around the world). The Tourette Association of America, in response to the worldwide need for a more organized and collaborative effort, launched an international TS DBS registry and database. The main goal of the project has been to share data, uncover best practices, improve outcomes, and to provide critical information to regulatory agencies. The international registry and database has improved the communication and collaboration among TS DBS centers worldwide. In this paper we will review some of the key operation details for the international TS DBS database and registry

Addressing the migration of health professionals: the role of working conditions and educational placements

This article provides a brief overview of the global health-worker shortage, which could undermine the Millennium Development Goal to halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS. The current situation suggests that long-term solutions to shortages can only be found by addressing the problem from a global perspective; that is, to eliminate shortages through substantial investments in training and retaining health workers in developed and developing countries, and not through policies that do not work towards solving this underlying problem, such as ones that restrict migration

Genetically defined elevated homocysteine levels do not result in widespread changes of DNA methylation in leukocytes

BACKGROUND:DNA methylation is affected by the activities of the key enzymes and intermediate metabolites of the one-carbon pathway, one of which involves homocysteine. We investigated the effect of the well-known genetic variant associated with mildly elevated homocysteine: MTHFR 677C>T independently and in combination with other homocysteine-associated variants, on genome-wide leukocyte DNA-methylation. METHODS:Methylation levels were assessed using Illumina 450k arrays on 9,894 individuals of European ancestry from 12 cohort studies. Linear-mixed-models were used to study the association of additive MTHFR 677C>T and genetic-risk score (GRS) based on 18 homocysteine-associated SNPs, with genome-wide methylation. RESULTS:Meta-analysis revealed that the MTHFR 677C>T variant was associated with 35 CpG sites in cis, and the GRS showed association with 113 CpG sites near the homocysteine-associated variants. Genome-wide analysis revealed that the MTHFR 677C>T variant was associated with 1 trans-CpG (nearest gene ZNF184), while the GRS model showed association with 5 significant trans-CpGs annotated to nearest genes PTF1A, MRPL55, CTDSP2, CRYM and FKBP5. CONCLUSIONS:Our results do not show widespread changes in DNA-methylation across the genome, and therefore do not support the hypothesis that mildly elevated homocysteine is associated with widespread methylation changes in leukocytes

The -1997 G/T and Sp1 Polymorphisms in the Collagen Type I alpha1 (COLIA1) Gene in Relation to Changes in Femoral Neck Bone Mineral Density and the Risk of Fracture in the Elderly: The Rotterdam Study

The COLIA1 Sp1 polymorphism has been associated with bone mineral density (BMD) and fracture. A promoter polymorphism, -1997 G/T, also has been associated with BMD. In this study, we examined whether these polymorphisms alone and in the form of haplotypes influence bone parameters and fracture risk in a large population-based cohort of elderly Caucasians. We determined the COLIA1 -1997 G/T (promoter) and Sp1 G/T (intron) polymorphisms in 6,280 individuals and inferred haplotypes. Femoral neck BMD and BMD change were compared across COLIA1 genotypes at baseline and follow-up (mean 6.5 years). We also investigated the relationship between the COLIA1 polymorphisms and incident nonvertebral fractures, which were recorded during a mean follow-up period of 7.4 years. Vertebral fractures were assessed by radiographs on 3,456 genotyped individuals. Femoral neck BMD measured at baseline was 3.8% lower in women carrying two copies of the T-Sp1 allele (P for trend = 0.03). No genotype dependent differences in BMD loss were observed. In women homozygous for the T allele of the Sp1 polymorphism, the risk of fragility fracture increased 2.3 times (95% confidence interval 1.4–3.9, P = 0.001). No such association was observed with the promoter polymorphism. In men, no association with either the Sp1 or the -1997 G/T promoter polymorphism was seen with BMD or fracture. High linkage disequilibrium (LD; D′ = 0.99, r2 = 0.03) exists between the two studied polymorphisms. We observed three haplotypes in our population: haplotype 1 (Gpromoter–Gintron) frequency (f) = 69%, haplotype 2 (Gpromoter–Tintron) f = 17.6%, and haplotype 3 (Tpromoter–Gintron) f = 13.4%. Haplotype 2 was associated with a 2.1-fold increased risk of fragility fracture in women (95% confidence interval 1.2–3.7, P = 0.001). We confirm that the COLIA1 Sp1 polymorphism influences BMD and the risk of fracture in postmenopausal Caucasian women. In contrast, we found no independent effect of the -1997 G/T promoter polymorphism on BMD or fracture