Sexual networks and the transmission of HIV in London

Copyright @ 1998 Cambridge University Press.This paper discusses ways in which empirical research investigating sexual networks can further understanding of the transmission of HIV in London, using information from a 24-month period of participant observation and 53 open-ended, in-depth interviews with eighteen men and one woman who have direct and indirect sexual links with each other. These interviews enabled the identification of a wider sexual network between 154 participants and contacts during the year August 1994-July 1995. The linked network data help to identify pathways of transmission between individuals who are HIV + and those who are HIV -, as well as sexual links between 'older' and 'younger' men, and with male prostitutes. There appears to be considerable on-going transmission of HIV in London. The majority of participants reported having had unprotected anal and/or vaginal sex within a variety of relationships. The implications of these findings for policies designed to prevent the transmission of HIV are discussed.The Wellcome Trust and The Health Education Authority

STEM Engagement with NASA's Solar System Treks Portals for Lunar and Planetary Mapping and Modeling

This presentation will provide an overview of the uses and capabilities of NASA's Solar System Treks family of online mapping and modeling portals. While also designed to support mission planning and scientific research, this presentation will focus on the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) engagement and public outreach capabilities of these web based suites of data visualization and analysis tools

Position and energy-resolved particle detection using phonon-mediated microwave kinetic inductance detectors

We demonstrate position and energy-resolved phonon-mediated detection of particle interactions in a silicon substrate instrumented with an array of microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs). The relative magnitude and delay of the signal received in each sensor allow the location of the interaction to be determined with ≲ 1mm resolution at 30 keV. Using this position information, variations in the detector response with position can be removed, and an energy resolution of σ_E = 0.55 keV at 30 keV was measured. Since MKIDs can be fabricated from a single deposited film and are naturally multiplexed in the frequency domain, this technology can be extended to provide highly pixelized athermal phonon sensors for ∼1 kg scale detector elements. Such high-resolution, massive particle detectors would be applicable to rare-event searches such as the direct detection of dark matter, neutrinoless double-beta decay, or coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering

Electrospray synthesis of PLGA TIPS microspheres

We successfully demonstrate the synthesis of polymer microspheres using a single electrospray source, and show their physical characterisation. Electrospray has proven to be a versatile method to manufacture particles, giving tight control over size with quasi-monodisperse size distributions. It is a liquid atomisation technique that generates a monodisperse population of highly charged liquid droplets over a broad size range (nanometres to tens of microns). The droplets contain liquid precursors for the in-flight synthesis of particles, and control over the trajectory of these droplets can be precisely manipulated with the use of electric fields to drive them to a grounded substrate. This study reports a method to synthesize poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) microspheres using the electrospray and thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) techniques, followed by subsequent freeze-drying, for particle production. These microspheres are of interest as vehicles for controlled drug release systems

Discovery of Northern Fur Seals (Callorhinus ursinus) Breeding on Bogoslof Island Southeastern Bering Sea

A small group of northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) including one male with two females, each with a small pup, and two lone males were discovered on Bogoslof Island, Alaska in the Bering Sea on 20 July 1980. This is the first evidence of breeding on Bogoslof, or on any island in the eastern Bering Sea other than the Pribilof Islands. We suggest that these fur seals require breeding islands adjacent to the continental shelf break where they are supported by the pelagic food web characteristic of the oceanic and outer shelf domains.Key words: fur seal, Callorhinus ursinus, Steller sea lion, Eumetopias jubatus, Aleutian Islands, Bering SeaMots clés: otarie à fourrure, Callorhinus ursinus, otarie, Eumetopias jubatus, îles Aléoutiennes, mer de Bérin

Efimov states and their Fano resonances in a neutron-rich nucleus

Asymmetric resonances in elastic n+$^{19}$C scattering are attributed to Efimov states of such neutron-rich nuclei, that is, three-body bound states of the n+n+$^{18}$C system when none of the pairs is bound or some of them only weakly bound. By fitting to the general resonance shape described by Fano, we extract resonance position, width, and the "Fano profile index". While Efimov states have been discussed extensively in many areas of physics, there is only one very recent experimental observation in trimers of cesium atoms. The conjunction that we present of the Efimov and Fano phenomena may lead to experimental realization in nuclei.Comment: 4 double-column pages, 3 figure