Anisotropic Assembly of Colloidal Nanoparticles: Exploiting Substrate Crystallinity

We show that the crystal structure of a substrate can be exploited to drive the anisotropic assembly of colloidal nanoparticles. Pentanethiol-passivated Au particles of approximately 2 nm diameter deposited from toluene onto hydrogen-passivated Si(111) surfaces form linear assemblies (rods) with a narrow width distribution. The rod orientations mirror the substrate symmetry, with a high degree of alignment along principal crystallographic axes of the Si(111) surface. There is a strong preference for anisotropic growth with rod widths substantially more tightly distributed than lengths. Entropic trapping of nanoparticles provides a plausible explanation for the formation of the anisotropic assemblies we observe

Differences in demographic composition and in work, social, and functional limitations among the populations with unipolar depression and bipolar disorder: results from a nationally representative sample

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Existing literature on mood disorders suggests that the demographic distribution of bipolar disorder may differ from that of unipolar depression, and also that bipolar disorder may be especially disruptive to personal functioning. Yet, few studies have directly compared the populations with unipolar depressive and bipolar disorders, whether in terms of demographic characteristics or personal limitations. Furthermore, studies have generally examined work-related costs, without fully investigating the extensive personal limitations associated with diagnoses of specific mood disorders. The purpose of the present study is to compare, at a national level, the demographic characteristics, work productivity, and personal limitations among individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder versus those diagnosed with unipolar depressive disorders and no mood disorder.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey 2004-2006, a nationally representative survey of the civilian, non-institutionalized U.S. population, was used to identify individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder and unipolar depressive disorders based on ICD-9 classifications. Outcomes of interest were indirect costs, including work productivity and personal limitations.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Compared to those with depression and no mood disorder, higher proportions of the population with bipolar disorder were poor, living alone, and not married. Also, the bipolar disorder population had higher rates of unemployment and social, cognitive, work, and household limitations than the depressed population. In multivariate models, patients with bipolar disorder or depression were more likely to be unemployed, miss work, and have social, cognitive, physical, and household limitations than those with no mood disorder. Notably, findings indicated particularly high costs for bipolar disorder, even beyond depression, with especially large differences in odds ratios for non-employment (4.6 for bipolar disorder versus 1.9 for depression, with differences varying by gender), social limitations (5.17 versus 2.85), cognitive limitations (10.78 versus 3.97), and work limitations (6.71 versus 3.19).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The bipolar disorder population is distinctly more vulnerable than the population with depressive disorder, with evidence of fewer personal resources, lower work productivity, and greater personal limitations. More systematic analysis of the availability and quality of care for patients with bipolar disorder is encouraged to identify effectively tailored treatment interventions and maximize cost containment.</p

Four-dimensional pure compact U(1) gauge theory on a spherical lattice

We investigate the confinement-Coulomb phase transition in the four-dimensional (4D) pure compact U(1) gauge theory on spherical lattices. The action contains the Wilson coupling beta and the double charge coupling gamma. The lattice is obtained from the 4D surface of the 5D cubic lattice by its radial projection onto a 4D sphere, and made homogeneous by means of appropriate weight factors for individual plaquette contributions to the action. On such lattices the two-state signal, impeding the studies of this theory on toroidal lattices, is absent for gamma le 0. Furthermore, here a consistent finite-size scaling behavior of several bulk observables is found, with the correlation length exponent nu in the range nu = 0.35 - 40. These observables include Fisher zeros, specific-heat and cumulant extrema as well as pseudocritical values of beta at fixed gamma. The most reliable determination of nu by means of the Fisher zeros gives nu = 0.365(8). The phase transition at gamma le 0 is thus very probably of 2nd order and belongs to the universality class of a non-Gaussian fixed point.Comment: 40 pages, LaTeX, 12 figure

Effects of high-intensity interval training while using a breathing-restrictive mask compared to intermittent hypobaric hypoxia

Background: Previous studies of the Elevation Training Mask (ETM) describe comparisons between groups using the ETM and controls for effects on aerobic performance. However, comparisons have not been made to intermittent hypoxic training (IHT). Further, how the ETM impacts exercise economy is unknown. Therefore, we sought to determine the effects of training with the ETM compared to IHT on aerobic performance and cycling economy. Methods: Thirty participants were randomized into an ETM, IHT, or control group (n = 10 each). Pre- and post-testing occurred using a ramp VO2max test on a cycle ergometer allowing submaximal power output (PO) measures of economy. Economy was measured using POs of 100, 125, and 150W. High-intensity cycling interval training (HIIT) occurred 2x/week for 30 min/session for six weeks. Sessions were 20 min of HIIT (30s at 100% peak power output (PPO) of pre VO2max, 90s active recovery at 25W, 10 bouts) with a 5-minute warm-up and cool-down. Repeated measures ANOVA was used for statistical analyses. RESULTS: All participants improved VO2max, PPO, and PO at ventilatory threshold 2 pre- to post-training (p < 0.05). Interactions between groups showed that the RER for the IHT group increased at 100W and 125W, and decreased at RERmax pre- to post-training while the ETM group showed the opposite response (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The ETM and IHT groups performed similarly to the control at maximal and submaximal effort following six weeks of training. The IHT group, but not the ETM group, experienced an increased glycolytic energy shift during submaximal exercise.This project was funded by the University of the New Mexico Graduate and Professional Student Association grants

Contemporary Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia in the United States: Insights From the CASCADE FH Registry

Erratum in: J Am Heart Assoc. 2023 Jun 6;12(11):e027706. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.122.027706. Epub 2023 Jun 1.Free PMC article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10227232/Background: Homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) is a rare, treatment-resistant disorder characterized by earlyonset atherosclerotic and aortic valvular cardiovascular disease if left untreated. Contemporary information on HoFH in the United States is lacking, and the extent of underdiagnosis and undertreatment is uncertain. Methods and Results: Data were analyzed from 67 children and adults with clinically diagnosed HoFH from the CASCADE (Cascade Screening for Awareness and Detection) FH Registry. Genetic diagnosis was confirmed in 43 patients. We used the clinical characteristics of genetically confirmed patients with HoFH to query the Family Heart Database, a US anonymized payer health database, to estimate the number of patients with similar lipid profiles in a “real-world” setting. Untreated lowdensity lipoprotein cholesterol levels were lower in adults than children (533 versus 776mg/dL; P=0.001). At enrollment, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and supravalvular and aortic valve stenosis were present in 78.4% and 43.8% and 25.5% and 18.8% of adults and children, respectively. At most recent follow-up, despite multiple lipid-lowering treatment, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol goals were achieved in only a minority of adults and children. Query of the Family Heart Database identified 277 individuals with profiles similar to patients with genetically confirmed HoFH. Advanced lipid-lowering treatments were prescribed for 18%; 40% were on no lipid-lowering treatment; atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease was reported in 20%; familial hypercholesterolemia diagnosis was uncommon. Conclusions: Only patients with the most severe HoFH phenotypes are diagnosed early. HoFH remains challenging to treat. Results from the Family Heart Database indicate HoFH is systemically underdiagnosed and undertreated. Earlier screening, aggressive lipid-lowering treatments, and guideline implementation are required to reduce disease burden in HoFH.Dr Martin is supported by grants/contracts from the American Heart Association (20SFRN35380046, 20SFRN35490003, 878924, and 882415), Patient‐Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) (ME‐2019C1‐15328), National Institutes of Health (NIH) (R01AG071032 and P01 HL108800), the David and June Trone Family Foundation, Pollin Digital Health Innovation Fund, and Sandra and Larry Small; Dr Knowles is supported by the NIH through grants P30 DK116074 (to the Stanford Diabetes Research Center), R01 DK116750, R01 DK120565, and R01 DK106236; and by a grant from the Bilateral Science Foundation. Dr Linton is supported by NIH grants P01HL116263, HL148137, HL159487, and HL146134.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cross-National Differences in Victimization : Disentangling the Impact of Composition and Context

Varying rates of criminal victimization across countries are assumed to be the outcome of countrylevel structural constraints that determine the supply ofmotivated o¡enders, as well as the differential composition within countries of suitable targets and capable guardianship. However, previous empirical tests of these ‘compositional’ and ‘contextual’ explanations of cross-national di¡erences have been performed upon macro-level crime data due to the unavailability of comparable individual-level data across countries. This limitation has had two important consequences for cross-national crime research. First, micro-/meso-level mechanisms underlying cross-national differences cannot be truly inferred from macro-level data. Secondly, the e¡ects of contextual measures (e.g. income inequality) on crime are uncontrolled for compositional heterogeneity. In this paper, these limitations are overcome by analysing individual-level victimization data across 18 countries from the International CrimeVictims Survey. Results from multi-level analyses on theft and violent victimization indicate that the national level of income inequality is positively related to risk, independent of compositional (i.e. micro- and meso-level) di¡erences. Furthermore, crossnational variation in victimization rates is not only shaped by di¡erences in national context, but also by varying composition. More speci¢cally, countries had higher crime rates the more they consisted of urban residents and regions with lowaverage social cohesion.

Spent Culture Medium from Virulent Borrelia burgdorferi Increases Permeability of Individually Perfused Microvessels of Rat Mesentery

Lyme disease is a common vector-borne disease caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb), which manifests as systemic and targeted tissue inflammation. Both in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that Bb-induced inflammation is primarily host-mediated, via cytokine or chemokine production that promotes leukocyte adhesion/migration. Whether Bb produces mediators that can directly alter the vascular permeability in vivo has not been investigated. The objective of the present study was to investigate if Bb produces a mediator(s) that can directly activate endothelial cells resulting in increases in permeability in intact microvessels in the absence of blood cells.The effects of cell-free, spent culture medium from virulent (B31-A3) and avirulent (B31-A) B. burgdorferi on microvessel permeability and endothelial calcium concentration, [Ca(2+)](i), were examined in individually perfused rat mesenteric venules. Microvessel permeability was determined by measuring hydraulic conductivity (Lp). Endothelial [Ca(2+)](i), a necessary signal initiating hyperpermeability, was measured in Fura-2 loaded microvessels. B31-A3 spent medium caused a rapid and transient increase in Lp and endothelial [Ca(2+)](i). Within 2-5 min, the mean peak Lp increased to 5.6+/-0.9 times the control, and endothelial [Ca(2+)](i) increased from 113+/-11 nM to a mean peak value of 324+/-35 nM. In contrast, neither endothelial [Ca(2+)](i) nor Lp was altered by B31-A spent medium.A mediator(s) produced by virulent Bb under culture conditions directly activates endothelial cells, resulting in increases in microvessel permeability. Most importantly, the production of this mediator is associated with Bb virulence and is likely produced by one or more of the 8 plasmid(s) missing from strain B31-A

Financing U.S. Graduate Medical Education: A Policy Position Paper of the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine and the American College of Physicians

In this position paper, the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine and the American College of Physicians examine the state of graduate medical education (GME) financing in the United States and recent proposals to reform GME funding. They make a series of recommendations to reform the current funding system to better align GME with the needs of the nation's health care workforce. These recommendations include using Medicare GME funds to meet policy goals and to ensure an adequate supply of physicians, a proper specialty mix, and appropriate training sites; spreading the costs of financing GME across the health care system; evaluating the true cost of training a resident and establishing a single per-resident amount; increasing transparency and innovation; and ensuring that primary care residents receive training in well-functioning ambulatory settings that are financially supported for their training roles

Empathy among undergraduate medical students: A multi-centre cross-sectional comparison of students beginning and approaching the end of their course

BACKGROUND: Although a core element in patient care the trajectory of empathy during undergraduate medical education remains unclear. Empathy is generally regarded as comprising an affective capacity: the ability to be sensitive to and concerned for, another and a cognitive capacity: the ability to understand and appreciate the other person's perspective. The authors investigated whether final year undergraduate students recorded lower levels of empathy than their first year counterparts, and whether male and female students differed in this respect. METHODS: Between September 2013 and June 2014 an online questionnaire survey was administered to 15 UK, and 2 international medical schools. Participating schools provided both 5-6 year standard courses and 4 year accelerated graduate entry courses. The survey incorporated the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Student Version (JSE-S) and Davis's Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), both widely used to measure medical student empathy. Participation was voluntary. Chi squared tests were used to test for differences in biographical characteristics of student groups. Multiple linear regression analyses, in which predictor variables were year of course (first/final); sex; type of course and broad socio-economic group were used to compare empathy scores. RESULTS: Five medical schools (4 in the UK, 1 in New Zealand) achieved average response rates of 55 % (n = 652) among students starting their course and 48 % (n = 487) among final year students. These schools formed the High Response Rate Group. The remaining 12 medical schools recorded lower response rates of 24.0 % and 15.2 % among first and final year students respectively. These schools formed the Lower Response Rate Group. For both male and female students in both groups of schools no significant differences in any empathy scores were found between students starting and approaching the end of their course. Gender was found to significantly predict empathy scores, with females scoring higher than males. CONCLUSIONS: Participant male and female medical students approaching the end of their undergraduate education, did not record lower levels of empathy, compared to those at the beginning of their course. Questions remain concerning the trajectory of empathy after qualification and how best to support it through the pressures of starting out in medical practice

Chronic Cigarette Smoke Causes Oxidative Damage and Apoptosis to Retinal Pigmented Epithelial Cells in Mice

The purpose of this study was to determine whether mice exposed to chronic cigarette smoke develop features of early age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Two month old C57Bl6 mice were exposed to either filtered air or cigarette smoke in a smoking chamber for 5 h/day, 5 days/week for 6 months. Eyes were fixed in 2.5% glutaraldehyde/2% paraformaldehyde and examined for ultrastructural changes by transmission electron microscopy. The contralateral eye was fixed in 2% paraformaldehyde and examined for oxidative injury to the retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) by 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) immunolabeling and apoptosis by TUNEL labeling. Mice exposed to cigarette smoke had immunolabeling for 8-OHdG in 85±3.7% of RPE cells counted compared to 9.5±3.9% in controls (p<0.00001). Bruch membrane was thicker in mice exposed to smoke (1086±332 nm) than those raised in air (543±132 nm; p = 0.0069). The two most pronounced ultrastructural changes (severity grading scale from 0–3) seen were a loss of basal infoldings (mean difference in grade = 1.98; p<0.0001), and an increase in intracellular vacuoles (mean difference in grade = 1.7; p<0.0001). Ultrastructural changes to Bruch membrane in cigarette-smoke exposed mice were smaller in magnitude but consistently demonstrated significantly higher grade injury in cigarette-exposed mice, including basal laminar deposits (mean difference in grade = 0.54; p<0.0001), increased outer collagenous layer deposits (mean difference in grade = 0.59; p = 0.002), and increased basal laminar deposit continuity (mean difference in grade = 0.4; p<0.0001). TUNEL assay showed a higher percentage of apoptotic RPE from mice exposed to cigarette smoke (average 8.0±1.1%) than room air (average 0±0%; p = 0.043). Mice exposed to chronic cigarette smoke develop evidence of oxidative damage with ultrastructural degeneration to the RPE and Bruch membrane, and RPE cell apoptosis. This model could be useful for studying the mechanism of smoke induced changes during early AMD