Nurturing Care for China’s Orphaned Children

As the number of children orphaned or abandoned worldwide rises, we worry about their rights and welfare. Children without parents or loving guardians are vulnerable to neglect, poor health care, and diminished education. Many come to live in institutions where they may experience a host of long-term problems, including malnutrition, growth retardation, sensory processing difficulties, behavioral and attachment disorders, and cognitive and language delays (e.g., Rutter, Quinton, & Hill 1990; Judge 1999; Zeanah 2000; Beckett et al. 2002). Yet, people are finding helpful solutions. Half the Sky Foundation (HTS) conducts infant nurture and preschool enrichment programs that dramatically enhance the quality of life and the development of orphaned children living in Chinese state-run institutions. Launched as two small pilots in 2000 by founder Jenny Bowen and a group of American adoptive parents, Half the Sky (www.halfthesky.org) operates today in partnership with the Chinese government in 34 state-run welfare institutions in 12 municipalities and provinces. The foundation serves over 3,500 children and adolescents, without regard to gender or disability, with funding from individual, foundation, and corporate donors worldwide. More than 12,000 children have benefited already from HTS programs. This article describes the programs for the youngest children: infants, toddlers, and preschoolers

Aggregation state and magnetic properties of magnetite nanoparticles controlled by an optimized silica coating

The control of magnetic interactions is becoming essential to expand/improve the applicability of magnetic nanoparticles (NPs). Here, we show that an optimized microemulsion method can be used to obtain homogenous silica coatings on even single magnetic nuclei of highly crystalline Fe3-xO4 NPs (7 and 16nm) derived from a high-temperature method. We show that the thickness of this coating is controlled almost at will allowing much higher average separation among particles as compared to the oleic acid coating present on pristine NPs. Magnetic susceptibility studies show that the thickness of the silica coating allows the control of magnetic interactions. Specifically, as this effect is better displayed for the smallest particles, we show that dipole-dipole interparticle interactions can be tuned progressively for the 7 nm NPs, from almost non-interacting to strongly interacting particles at room temperature. The quantitative analysis of the magnetic properties unambiguously suggests that dipolar interactions significantly broaden the effective distribution of energy barriers by spreading the distribution of activation magnetic volumes. Published by AIP Publishing

Maximum tree height in European Mountains decreases above a climate-related elevation threshold

Mountain forests face important threats from global change and spatio-temporal variation in tree height can help to monitor these effects. In this study, we used the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation space-borne laser sensor to examine the relationship between maximum tree height and elevation, and the role of climate, in the main European mountain ranges. We found a piecewise relationship between elevation and maximum tree height in all mountain ranges, supporting the existence of a common breakpoint that marks the beginning of tree development limitations. Temperature and precipitation were identified as the most important drivers of tree height variation. Additionally, we predicted significant upward displacement of the breakpoint for the period 2080-2100 under climate change scenarios, potentially increasing the area without growth limitations for trees. These findings contribute to understanding the impacts of global warming on mountain forest ecosystems and provide insights for their monitoring and management

For the common good: Measuring residents\' efforts to protect their community from drug- and sex-related harm

People in high-risk neighbourhoods try to protect their friends, neighbours, relatives and others from the social and physical risks associated with sex and drug use. This paper develops and validates a community-grounded questionnaire to measure such ‘intravention\' (health-directed efforts to protect others). An initial ethnography, including life-history interviews and focus groups, explored the forms of intravention activities engaged in by residents of Bushwick (a high-risk New York City neighbourhood). Grassroots categories of intraventions were derived and questions developed to ask about such behaviours. Face validity and adequacy of the questions were assessed by independent experts. Pre-testing was conducted, and reliability and validity were assessed. An instrument including 110 intravention items was administered to 57 community-recruited residents. Analysis focused on 57 items in 11 domain-specific subscale. All subscales had good to very good reliability; Cronbach\'s alpha ranged from .81 to .95. The subscales evidenced both convergent and discriminant validity. Although further testing of this instrument on additional populations is clearly warranted, this intravention instrument seems valid and reliable. It can be used by researchers in comparative and longitudinal studies of the causes, prevalence and affects of different intravention activities in communities. It can benefit public health practitioners by helping them understand the environments in which they are intervening and by helping them find ways to cooperate with local neighbourhood-level health activists. Keywords: Intravention, drug prevention, harm reduction, community actions, protecting others.SAHARA-J Vol. 5 (3) 2008: pp. 144-15

Conductance oscillations of a spin-orbit stripe with polarized contacts

We investigate the linear conductance of a stripe of spin-orbit interaction in a 2D electron gas; that is, a 2D region of length $\ell$ along the transport direction and infinite in the transverse one in which a spin-orbit interaction of Rashba type is present. Polarization in the contacts is described by means of Zeeman fields. Our model predicts two types of conductance oscillations: Ramsauer oscillations in the minority spin transmission, when both spins can propagate, and Fano oscillations when only one spin propagates. The latter are due to the spin-orbit coupling with quasibound states of the non propagating spin. In the case of polarized contacts in antiparallel configuration Fano-like oscillations of the conductance are still made possible by the spin orbit coupling, even though no spin component is bound by the contacts. To describe these behaviors we propose a simplified model based on an ansatz wave function. In general, we find that the contribution for vanishing transverse momentum dominates and defines the conductance oscillations. Regarding the oscillations with Rashba coupling intensity, our model confirms the spin transistor behavior, but only for high degrees of polarization. Including a position dependent effective mass yields additional oscillations due to the mass jumps at the interfaces.Comment: 8.5 pages, 9 figure

Aquatic Organic Matter in the Seine Basin: Sources, Spatio-Temporal Variability, Impact of Urban Discharges and Influence on Micro-pollutant Speciation

International audienc

Temporal fossa arachnoid cyst presenting with bilateral subdural hematoma following trauma: two case reports

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Intracranial arachnoid cysts are considered to be congenital malformations with a predilection for the temporal fossa. They are often asymptomatic but can sometimes be symptomatic due to enlargement or hemorrhage. There are multiple case reports of arachnoid cysts becoming symptomatic with hemorrhagic complications following head trauma. In such cases, the bleeding is often confined to the side ipsilateral to the arachnoid cyst. Occurrence of contralateral subdural hematomas in patients with temporal fossa arachnoid cysts has rarely been observed and is reported less frequently in the medical literature.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report two cases of people (a 23-year-old man and a 41-year-old man) with temporal fossa arachnoid cysts complicated by a subdural hematoma following head injury. Both patients developed a subdural hematoma contralateral to the side of a temporal fossa arachnoid cyst. It is likely that lack of adequate intracranial cushioning in the presence of an intracranial arachnoid cyst may result in injury not only to ipsilateral but also to contralateral bridging veins, following head trauma.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>It is important to identify and report such rare complications with intracranial arachnoid cysts, so that asymptomatic patients with an intracranial arachnoid cyst can be counseled about such possibilities following head trauma.</p

Bilateral asynchronous acute epidural hematoma : a case report

BACKGROUND: Bilateral extradural hematomas have only rarely been reported in the literature. Even rarer are cases where the hematomas develop sequentially, one after removal of the other. Among 187 cases of operated epidural hematomas during past 4 years in our hospital, we found one case of sequentially developed bilateral epidural hematoma. CASE PRESENTATION: An 18-year-old conscious male worker was admitted to our hospital after a fall. After deterioration of his consciousness, an emergency brain CT scan showed a right temporoparietal epidural hematoma. The hematoma was evacuated, but the patient did not improve afterwards. Another CT scan showed contralateral epidural hematoma and the patient was reoperated. Postoperatively, the patient recovered completely. CONCLUSIONS: This case underlines the need for monitoring after an operation for an epidural hematoma and the need for repeat brain CT scans if the patient does not recover quickly after removal of the hematoma, especially if the first CT scan has been done less than 6 hours after the trauma. Intraoperative brain swelling can be considered as a clue for the development of contralateral hematoma

A multi-institutional experience in adventitial cystic disease

AbstractBackgroundAdventitial cystic disease (ACD) is an unusual arteriopathy; case reports and small series constitute the available literature regarding treatment. We sought to examine the presentation, contemporary management, and long-term outcomes using a multi-institutional database.MethodsUsing a standardized database, 14 institutions retrospectively collected demographics, comorbidities, presentation/symptoms, imaging, treatment, and follow-up data on consecutive patients treated for ACD during a 10-year period, using Society for Vascular Surgery reporting standards for limb ischemia. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed comparing treatment methods and factors associated with recurrent intervention. Life-table analysis was performed to estimate the freedom from reintervention in comparing the various treatment modalities.ResultsForty-seven patients (32 men, 15 women; mean age, 43 years) were identified with ACD involving the popliteal artery (n = 41), radial artery (n = 3), superficial/common femoral artery (n = 2), and common femoral vein (n = 1). Lower extremity claudication was seen in 93% of ACD of the leg arteries, whereas patients with upper extremity ACD had hand or arm pain. Preoperative diagnosis was made in 88% of patients, primarily using cross-sectional imaging of the lower extremity; mean lower extremity ankle-brachial index was 0.71 in the affected limb. Forty-one patients with lower extremity ACD underwent operative repair (resection with interposition graft, 21 patients; cyst resection, 13 patients; cyst resection with bypass graft, 5 patients; cyst resection with patch, 2 patients). Two patients with upper extremity ACD underwent cyst drainage without resection or arterial reconstruction. Complications, including graft infection, thrombosis, hematoma, and wound dehiscence, occurred in 12% of patients. Mean lower extremity ankle-brachial index at 3 months postoperatively improved to 1.07 (P < .001), with an overall mean follow-up of 20 months (range, 0.33-9 years). Eight patients (18%) with lower extremity arterial ACD required reintervention (redo cyst resection, one; thrombectomy, three; redo bypass, one; balloon angioplasty, three) after a mean of 70 days with symptom relief in 88%. Lower extremity patients who underwent cyst resection and interposition or bypass graft were less likely to require reintervention (P = .04). One patient with lower extremity ACD required an above-knee amputation for extensive tissue loss.ConclusionsThis multi-institutional, contemporary experience of ACD examines the treatment and outcomes of ACD. The majority of patients can be identified preoperatively; surgical repair, consisting of cyst excision with arterial reconstruction or bypass alone, provides the best long-term symptomatic relief and reduced need for intervention to maintain patency