Assessment of Neuropsychological Trajectories in Longitudinal Population-Based Studies of Children

This paper provides a strategy for the assessment of brain function in longitudinal cohort studies of children. The proposed strategy invokes both domain-specific and omnibus intelligence test approaches. In order to minimise testing burden and practice effects, the cohort is divided into four groups with one-quarter tested at 6-monthly intervals in the 0–2-year age range (at ages 6 months, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 years) and at annual intervals from ages 3–20 (one-quarter of the children at age 3, another at age 4, etc). This strategy allows investigation of cognitive development and of the relationship between environmental influences and development at each age. It also allows introduction of new domains of function when age-appropriate. As far as possible, tests are used that will provide a rich source of both longitudinal and cross-sectional data. The testing strategy allows the introduction of novel tests and new domains as well as piloting of tests when the test burden is relatively light. In addition to the recommended tests for each age and domain, alternative tests are described. Assessment methodology and knowledge about child cognitive development will change over the next 20 years, and strategies are suggested for altering the proposed test schedule as appropriate

Prenatal Exposure to Tetrachloroethylene-Contaminated Drinking Water and the Risk of Congenital Anomalies: A Retrospective Cohort Study

BACKGROUND: Prior animal and human studies of prenatal exposure to solvents including tetrachloroethylene (PCE) have shown increases in the risk of certain congenital anomalies among exposed offspring. OBJECTIVES: This retrospective cohort study examined whether PCE contamination of public drinking water supplies in Massachusetts influenced the occurrence of congenital anomalies among children whose mothers were exposed around the time of conception. METHODS: The study included 1,658 children whose mothers were exposed to PCE-contaminated drinking water and a comparable group of 2,999 children of unexposed mothers. Mothers completed a self-administered questionnaire to gather information on all of their prior births, including the presence of anomalies, residential histories and confounding variables. PCE exposure was estimated using EPANET water distribution system modeling software that incorporated a fate and transport model. RESULTS: Children whose mothers had high exposure levels around the time of conception had an increased risk of congenital anomalies. The adjusted odds ratio of all anomalies combined among children with prenatal exposure in the uppermost quartile was 1.5 (95% CI: 0.9, 2.5). No meaningful increases in the risk were seen for lower exposure levels. Increases were also observed in the risk of neural tube defects (OR: 3.5, 95% CI: 0.8, 14.0) and oral clefts (OR 3.2, 95% CI: 0.7, 15.0) among offspring with any prenatal exposure. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that the risk of certain congenital anomalies is increased among the offspring of women who were exposed to PCE-contaminated drinking water around the time of conception. Because these results are limited by the small number of children with congenital anomalies that were based on maternal reports, a follow-up investigation should be conducted with a larger number of affected children who are identified by independent records.National Institute of Environmental Health (5 P42 ES007381); National Institutes of Healt

Innowacyjność a postrzeganie wybranych nowych produktów spożywczych i niestandardowych rozwiązań marketingowych na rynku żywności

W artykule przedstawiono problematykę zarządzania innowacjami, a zwłaszcza znaczenie innowacji produktowych (nowych produktów) i innowacji marketingowych w kontekście kształtowania odpowiedniego wizerunku oferty i tym samym osiągania przewagi konkurencyjnej. Celem artykułu jest ustalenie wpływu stopnia innowacyjności produktów spożywczych na ich postrzeganie. Ponadto, zweryfikowano w nim opinie ankietowanych na temat postrzegania nowych produktów oraz innowacji marketingowych (niestandardowych rozwiązań promocyjnych i dystrybucyjnych) stosowanych na rynku żywnościowym, będących rezultatem twórczej techniki kombinacji

Hybridly pumped collisional soft X-ray laser in Ne-like sulphur

Includes bibliographical references (page 98).We describe an experiment demonstrating XUV amplification following collisional excitation in a discharge-created plasma waveguide irradiated by a picosecond optical laser pulse. A capillary discharge was used to generate a plasma radiation pipe with a radially concave electron density profile. Temporally resolved transmission characteristics and guiding effect have been measured. An intense short laser pulse rapidly heated the electrons, producing amplification in the 3p1S0-3s 1P1 transition of Ne-like S at 60.84 nm. The integrated gain-length product obtained within a 3 cm active medium with a laser energy of 0.46 J was ~6.8. The pump energy depletion has been analysed as well. This new, hybridly pumped soft X-ray laser with the transient gain offers a new way towards efficient tabletop coherent XUV sources

Demonstration of a hybrid collisional soft-x-ray laser

Includes bibliographical references (pages 033803-4-033803-5).We report on a demonstration of x-ray-ultraviolet amplification following collisional excitation in a discharge-created plasma waveguide irradiated by a picosecond optical laser pulse. A capillary discharge was used to generate a sulfur plasma column with a large concentration of Ne-like ions and a radially concave electron density profile. The intense short laser pulse rapidly heated the electrons, producing amplification in the 3p 1S0-3s 1P1 transition of Ne-like S at 60.8 nm. The integrated gain-length product obtained exciting a 3-cm-long capillary with a 0.46-J short laser pulse is 6.8. The beam divergence was observed to decrease as a function of plasma column length, reaching 2.5 mrad for 30-mm-long capillaries. This hybrid laser pumping scheme could lead to a new generation of efficient tabletop soft-x-ray lasers

Spatial analysis of learning and developmental disorders in upper Cape Cod, Massachusetts using generalized additive models

The spatial variability of three indicators of learning and developmental disability (LDD) was assessed for Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Maternal reports of receiving special education services, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and educational attainment were available for a birth cohort from 1969-1983. Using generalized additive models and residential history, maps of the odds of LDD were produced that also controlled for known risk factors. While results were not statistically significant, they suggest that children living in certain parts of Cape Cod were more likely to have a LDD. The spatial variation may be due to variation in the physical and social environment

Fast capillary discharge plasma as a preformed medium for longitudinally pumped collisional x-ray lasers

Includes bibliographical references (pages 219-220).Simulations of plasma dynamics in a fast capillary discharge are presented. The temporal dependence of the plasma column's resistance validates the one-dimensional model that was used in the numerical simulations. Numerical analysis of the laser absorption determines the pump parameter range for efficient excitation of longitudinally pumped transient collisional x-ray lasers

Development of foam-based layered targets for laser-driven ion beam production

We report on the development of foam-based double-layer targets (DLTs) for laser-driven ion acceleration. Foam layers with a density of a few mg cm-3 and controlled thickness in the 8-36 μm range were grown on μm-thick Al foils by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The DLTs were experimentally investigated by varying the pulse intensity, laser polarisation and target properties. Comparing DLTs with simple Al foils, we observed a systematic enhancement of the maximum and average energies and number of accelerated ions. Maximum energies up to 30 MeV for protons and 130 MeV for C6+ ions were detected. Dedicated three-dimensional particle-in-cell (3D-PIC) simulations were performed considering both uniform and cluster-assembled foams to interpret the effect of the foam nanostructure on the acceleration process

Host Abundance Correlates With Gulf War Illness Symptom Persistence via NLRP3-Mediated Neuroinflammation and Decreased Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor

Neurological disorders are commonly reported among veterans who returned from the Gulf war. Veterans who suffer from Gulf War illness (GWI) complain of continued symptom persistence that includes neurological disorders, muscle weakness, headaches, and memory loss, that developed during or shortly after the war. Our recent research showed that chemical exposure associated microbial dysbiosis accompanied by a leaky gut connected the pathologies in the intestine, liver, and brain. However, the mechanisms that caused the symptoms to persist even 30 years after the war remained elusive to investigators. In this study, we used a rodent model of GWI to investigate the persistence of microbiome alterations, resultant chronic inflammation, and its effect on neurotrophic and synaptic plasticity marker BDNF. The results showed that exposure to GW chemicals (the pesticide permethrin and prophylactic drug pyridostigmine bromide) resulted in persistent pathology characterized by the low relative abundance of the probiotic bacteria in the gut, which correlated with high circulatory HMGB1 levels, blood-brain barrier dysfunction, neuroinflammation and lowered neurotrophin BDNF levels. Mechanistically, we used mice lacking the NLRP3 gene to investigate this inflammasome\u27s role in observed pathology. These mice had significantly decreased inflammation and a subsequent increase in BDNF in the frontal cortex. This suggests that a persistently low species abundance of and associated chronic inflammation due to inflammasome activation might be playing a significant role in contributing to chronic neurological problems in GWI. A therapeutic approach with various small molecules that can target both the restoration of a healthy microbiome and decreasing inflammasome activation might have better outcomes in treating GWI symptom persistence