Comparison of the Oxidation State of Fe in Comet 81P/Wild 2 and Chondritic-Porous Interplanetary Dust Particles

The fragile structure of chondritic-porous interplanetary dust particles (CP- IDPs) and their minimal parent-body alteration have led researchers to believe these particles originate in comets rather than asteroids where aqueous and thermal alteration have occurred. The solar elemental abundances and atmospheric entry speed of CP-IDPs also suggest a cometary origin. With the return of the Stardust samples from Jupiter-family comet 81P/Wild 2, this hypothesis can be tested. We have measured the Fe oxidation state of 15 CP-IDPs and 194 Stardust fragments using a synchrotron-based x-ray microprobe. We analyzed ~300 nanograms of Wild 2 material - three orders of magnitude more material than other analyses comparing Wild 2 and CP-IDPs. The Fe oxidation state of these two samples of material are >2{\sigma} different: the CP-IDPs are more oxidized than the Wild 2 grains. We conclude that comet Wild 2 contains material that formed at a lower oxygen fugacity than the parent body, or parent bodies, of CP-IDPs. If all Jupiter-family comets are similar, they do not appear to be consistent with the origin of CP-IDPs. However, comets that formed from a different mix of nebular material and are more oxidized than Wild 2 could be the source of CP-IDPs.Comment: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, in pres

Interventions for raising breast cancer awareness in women

Background: Breast cancer continues to be the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women globally. Early detection, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer are key to better outcomes. Since many women will discover a breast cancer symptom themselves, it is important that they are breast cancer aware i.e. have the knowledge, skills and confidence to detect breast changes and present promptly to a healthcare professional.Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of interventions for raising breast cancer awareness in women.Search methods: We searched the Cochrane Breast Cancer Group's Specialised Register (searched 25 January 2016), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; 2015, Issue 12) in the Cochrane Library (searched 27 January 2016), MEDLINE OvidSP (2008 to 27 January 2016), Embase (Embase.com, 2008 to 27 January 2016), the World Health Organization’s International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) search portal and ClinicalTrials.gov (searched 27 Feburary 2016). We also searched the reference lists of identified articles and reviews and the grey literature for conference proceedings and published abstracts. No language restriction was applied.Selection criteriaRandomised controlled trials (RCTs) focusing on interventions for raising women’s breast cancer awareness i.e. knowledge of potential breast cancer symptoms/changes and the confidence to look at and feel their breasts, using any means of delivery, i.e. one-to-one/group/mass media campaign(s).Data collection and analysis: Two authors selected studies, independently extracted data and assessed risk of bias. We reported the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for dichotomous outcomes and mean difference (MD) and standard deviation (SD) for continuous outcomes. Since it was not possible to combine data from included studies due to their heterogeneity, we present a narrative synthesis. We assessed the quality of evidence using GRADE methods.Main results: We included two RCTs involving 997 women: one RCT (867 women) randomised women to receive either a written booklet and usual care (intervention group 1), a written booklet and usual care plus a verbal interaction with a radiographer or research psychologist (intervention group 2) or usual care (control group); and the second RCT (130 women) randomised women to either an educational programme (three sessions of 60 to 90 minutes) or no intervention (control group).Knowledge of breast cancer symptoms: In the first study, knowledge of non-lump symptoms increased in intervention group 1 compared to the control group at two years postintervention, but not significantly (OR 1.1, 95% CI 0.7 to 1.6; P = 0.66; 449 women; moderate-quality evidence). Similarly, at two years postintervention, knowledge of symptoms increased in the intervention group 2 compared to the control group but not significantly (OR 1.4, 95% CI 0.9 to 2.1; P = 0.11; 434 women; moderate-quality evidence). In the second study, women’s awareness of breast cancer symptoms had increased one month post intervention in the educational group (MD 3.45, SD 5.11; 65 women; low-quality evidence) compared to the control group (MD −0.68, SD 5.93; 65 women; P < 0.001), where there was a decrease in awareness.Knowledge of age-related risk: In the first study, women’s knowledge of age-related risk of breast cancer increased, but not significantly, in intervention group 1 compared to control at two years postintervention (OR 1.8; 95% CI 0.9 to 3.5; P < 0.08; 447 women; moderate-quality evidence). Women's knowledge of risk increased significantly in intervention group 2 compared to control at two years postintervention (OR 4.8, 95% CI 2.6 to 9.0; P < 0.001; 431 women; moderate-quality evidence). In the second study, women’s perceived susceptibility (how at risk they considered themselves) to breast cancer had increased significantly one month post intervention in the educational group (MD 1.31, SD 3.57; 65 women; low-quality evidence) compared to the control group (MD −0.55, SD 3.31; 65 women; P = 0.005), where a decrease in perceived susceptibility was noted.Frequency of Breast Checking: In the first study, no significant change was noted for intervention group 1 compared to control at two years postintervention (OR 1.1, 95% CI 0.8 to 1.6; P = 0.54; 457 women; moderate-quality evidence). Monthly breast checking increased, but not significantly, in intervention group 2 compared to control at two years postintervention (OR 1.3, 95% CI 0.9 to 1.9; P = 0.14; 445 women; moderate-quality evidence). In the second study, women’s breast cancer preventive behaviours increased significantly one month post intervention in the educational group (MD 1.21, SD 2.54; 65 women; low-quality evidence) compared to the control group (MD 0.15, SD 2.94; 65 women; P < 0.045).Breast Cancer Awareness: Women’s overall breast cancer awareness did not change in intervention group 1 compared to control at two years postintervention (OR 1.8, 95% CI 0.6 to 5.30; P = 0.32; 435 women; moderate-quality evidence) while overall awareness increased in the intervention group 2 compared to control at two years postintervention (OR 8.1, 95% CI 2.7 to 25.0; P < 0.001; 420 women; moderate-quality evidence). In the second study, there was a significant increase in scores on the Health Belief Model (that included the constructs of awareness and perceived susceptibility) at one month postintervention in the educational group (mean 1.21, SD 2.54; 65 women) compared to the control group (mean 0.15, SD 2.94; 65 women; P = 0.045).Neither study reported outcomes relating to motivation to check their breasts, confidence to seek help, time from breast symptom discovery to presentation to a healthcare professional, intentions to seek help, quality of life, adverse effects of the interventions, stages of breast cancer, survival estimates or breast cancer mortality rates.Authors' conclusions: Based on the results of two RCTs, a brief intervention has the potential to increase women’s breast cancer awareness. However, findings of this review should be interpreted with caution, as GRADE assessment identified moderate-quality evidence in only one of the two studies reviewed. In addition, the included trials were heterogeneous in terms of the interventions, population studied and outcomes measured. Therefore, current evidence cannot be generalised to the wider context. Further studies including larger samples, validated outcome measures and longitudinal approaches are warranted

Design and preliminary results from a high temperature superconducting SQUID milliscope used for non-destructive evaluation

The authors present the design and preliminary results from a SQUID milliscope. The device was designed for nondestructive evaluation (NDE) as part of the Enhanced Surveillance Program at Los Alamos National Laboratory and uses a high temperature superconducting (HTS) SQUID sensor to map magnetic fields induced in the sample. Eddy currents are induced in the conducting sample by a wire coil designed to produce minimal magnetic field at the SQUID when no sample is present. The features of interest are characterized by anomalies in the induced magnetic field. The goal of the instrument is sensitivity to small features generally buried under several intervening layers ({approximately}1--10 mm) of conducting and/or non-conducting materials and robustness of design (i.e., the ability to operate in a noisy, unshielded environment). The device has primarily focused on specific NDE problems such as the ability to detect buried seams in conducting materials and quantify the width of these seams. The authors present the design of the instrument, and some data to demonstrate its capabilities

Preventing empirical antibiotic treatment failure in migrant populations: screening by infection risk, not ethnic background

Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) are a major international health threat. In many low and middle-income countries poorly regulated antibiotic use, limited surveillance, and inadequate sanitation give rise to high rates of antibiotic resistance. A resulting reliance on last-line antibiotic options further contributes to the emergence of MDROs. The potential for these pathogens to spread across international borders is a matter of considerable concern. However, this problem is commonly framed as primarily a threat to the health security of countries where resistance is not yet endemic. In fact, it is little acknowledged that those at greatest risk from antibiotic treatment failure are individuals who move from regions of high MDRO prevalence to settings where standard empirical treatment options remain largely effective. In this perspective, we highlight the poor treatment outcomes for disseminated bacterial infections in individuals who have moved from settings in which MDROs are common to those where MDROs are currently less common. We discuss MDRO screening strategies that could avoid stigmatizing vulnerable populations by focusing on future risk of disseminated infection, rather than past risk of acquisition. In practical terms, this means screening individuals before childbirth, immunosuppressive treatments, major surgery, or other events associated with disseminated infection risk, rather than prioritizing screening for individuals from regions with high carriage rates. We argue that such measures would reduce antibiotic treatment failure and improve outcomes while protecting migrant populations from the divisive consequences of targeted screening programs.Steven L. Taylor, Lito E. Papanicolas, Erin Flynn, Mark A. Boyd, Steve L. Wesselingh, Geraint B. Roger

A Taylor Model Based Description of the proof stress of magnesium AZ31 during hot working

A series of hot-compression tests and Taylor-model simulations were carried out with the intention of developing a simple expression for the proof stress of magnesium alloy AZ31 during hot working. A crude approximation of wrought textures as a mixture of a single ideal texture component and a random background was employed. The shears carried by each deformation system were calculated using a full-constraint Taylor model for a selection of ideal orientations as well as for random textures. These shears, in combination with the measured proof stresses, were employed to estimate the critical resolved shear stresses for basal slip, prismatic slip, ⟨c+a⟩ second-order pyramidal slip, and { } twinning. The model thus established provides a semianalytical estimation of the proof stress (a one-off Taylor simulation is required) and also indicates whether or not twinning is expected. The approach is valid for temperatures between ∼150 °C and ∼450 °C, depending on the texture, strain rate, and strain path