Moral Judgments of Differing Transgressions & the Influence of Willingness to Seek Counseling & Religiosity

The purpose of this study was to examine how moral judgments differ towards substance abusers and unfaithful spouses. Furthermore, the study compared judgments regarding the gender of the transgressor, the transgressor\u27s willingness to go to counseling, and the participant\u27s level of religiosity. Participants in the study were provided with a scenario describing a substance abuse transgression or an infidelity transgression followed by a survey of questions inquiring about their judgments towards the transgressor. Results indicated individuals judge a transgressor more harshly in an infidelity transgression compared to a substance abuse transgression. Results also indicated a gender bias between transgressions as participants judged the female transgressor more harshly for committing infidelity and the male transgressor more harshly for the substance abuse. As predicted, participants viewed infidelity more harshly that substance abuse. There was also an interaction of transgression type and gender: Participants judged a female transgressor more harshly than a male for infidelity, but they judged the male more harshly than the female for substance abuse. Willingness to go to counseling did not affect judgments of the transgressors. A scale was created for the current study to measure religiosity. Results showed that religiosity did not affect participant\u27s judgments

A prospective cohort study comparing the reactogenicity of trivalent influenza vaccine in pregnant and non-pregnant women

Background: Influenza vaccination during pregnancy can prevent serious illness in expectant mothers and provide protection to newborns; however, historically uptake has been limited due to a number of factors, including safety concerns. Symptomatic complaints are common during pregnancy and may be mistakenly associated with reactions to trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV). To investigate this, we compared post-vaccination events self-reported by pregnant women to events reported by non-pregnant women receiving TIV. Methods: A prospective cohort of 1,086 pregnant women and 314 non-pregnant female healthcare workers (HCWs) who received TIV between March-May 2014 were followed-up seven days post-vaccination to assess local and systemic adverse events following immunisation (AEFIs). Women were surveyed by text message regarding perceived reactions to TIV. Those reporting an AEFI completed an interview by telephone or mobile phone to ascertain details. Logistic regression models adjusting for age and residence were used to compare reactions reported by pregnant women and non-pregnant HCWs. Results: Similar proportions of pregnant women and non-pregnant, female HCWs reported ≥1 reaction following vaccination with TIV (13.0% and 17.3%, respectively; OR = 1.2 [95% CI: 0.8-1.8]). Non-pregnant, female HCWs were more likely to report fever or headache compared to pregnant women (OR: 4.6 [95% CI 2.1-10.3] and OR: 2.2 [95% CI 1.0-4.6], respectively). No other significant differences in reported symptoms were observed. No serious vaccine-associated adverse events were reported, and less than 2% of each group sought medical advice for a reaction. Conclusions: We found no evidence suggesting pregnant women are more likely to report adverse events following influenza vaccination when compared to non-pregnant female HCWs of similar age, and in some cases, pregnant women reported significantly fewer adverse events. These results further support the safety of TIV administered in pregnant women

Tagging Live Cells that Express Specific Peptidase Activity with Solid-State Fluorescence

International audienceA three-component probe harnesses the extraordinary properties of a solid-state fluorophore for the detection of living cells exhibiting a particular peptidase activity. The off–on mode by which the probe operates, the bright fluorescence of the resulting precipitate, and the rapid response allow an exceptional signal-to-background ratio during microscopic imaging. A tertiary carbamate link between the spacer and phenolic fluorophore is at the heart of the probe's long-term stability. The degree of chlorination of the probe determines its response time and thus its suitability for live-cell analysis. Our probe also allows highly resolved localization of peptidase activity during gel analysis or on agar. In comparison, probes releasing soluble fluorophores demonstrate complete diffusion of the fluorescent signal. These results demonstrate the probe's potential for diverse biomedical applications, including high-fidelity flow cytometry and sensitive colony assays

Advancing the understanding of bulk metallic glasses as structural materials through exploration of mechanical properties

Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) offer a great deal of potential through their near-theoretical strength, potentially high toughness and unique forming and molding traits. However, there are still a number of outstanding issues that bar their widespread use. This thesis describes the investigation of three research questions each designed to further the scientific community's understanding of BMGs. First, the strong fatigue properties of Zr₅₂.₅CU₁₇.₉Ni₁₄.₆Al₁₀Ti₅ BMG were explored as a function of the ambient environment by testing in ambient air (20 to 40 % relative humidity) and a dry inert nitrogen environment. It was found that in both environments Zr₅₂.₅CU₁₇.₉Ni₁₄.₆Al₁₀Ti₅ exhibited a relatively high fatigue threshold of ~2 MPa√m and lacked the environmentally influenced stress insensitive fatigue crack growth rate plateaus observed in other Zr-based BMGs tested in ambient air. Additionally, the author hypothesized that the root cause of the fatigue plateaus in Zr-based BMGs is a reactive species in the ambient air, though not water itself. Second, the effect of sample size upon the fracture properties of BMGs was explored. SE(B) and C(T) BMG test samples of composition Zr₅₂.₅CU₁₇.₉Ni₁₄.₆Al₁₀Ti₅ and varying un-cracked ligament sizes were tested. It was found that all samples that conformed to the K[subscript IC] standards found in ASTM E399 regardless of un-cracked ligament size had statistically similar values of K[subscript IC]. However, comparing these results to samples only conforming to the J-integral standards found in ASTM E1820 showed higher values of K[subscript J] by a statistically significant margin. Additionally, sub-sized samples (those which did not conform to either K[subscript IC] or J-integral requirements) were found to show an increase in conditional stress intensity factor, K[subscript Q]. These results are of particular interest as they are in contrast to reported results for crystalline metals. It was concluded that there are no size effects in samples that conform to the K[subscript IC] standards; however, size does affect results for samples analyzed by the J-integral method. The author hypothesized that the size dependence of the J-integral method is the result of the strain softening behavior of BMGs which is in contrast to the strain hardening behavior expected in the J-integral method. Additionally, the author hypothesized that the increase in K[subscript Q] in sub-sized samples is the result of the size dependent plasticity reported for BMGs at small sample sizes. Finally, the mechanical effect of the slow β relaxation in BMGs was explored. Au₄₉Ag₅.₅Pd₂.₃Cu₂₆.₉Si₁₆.₃ BMG samples were tested by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), isothermal aging near the slow β relaxation temperature and compression testing. The results of DMA testing revealed the slow β relaxation temperature for Au₄₉Ag₅.₅Pd₂.₃Cu₂₆.₉Si₁₆.₃ to be ~50 ºC. Isothermal aging revealed that at the slow β relaxation temperature, two specific effects are taking place; an initial quick drop in elastic modulus followed by a slow rise in elastic modulus. Compression testing was performed using as-cast and heat treated samples at a minimum observed elastic modulus. These compression tests revealed a statistically insignificant decrease in compressive strength with heat treatment. The author hypothesized that the microscopic cause of the two phase slow β relaxation is similar to a previously reported process in silicate oxide glass. The author hypothesized that the two phases corresponded to; first, the low density flow units in the BMG spontaneously collapsing, locally stressing the surrounding high density matrix, second, with continued thermal energy, the local stresses being uniformly released into the collapsed flow unit, stressed matrix and surrounding high density matrix allowing the BMG to microscopically form shear transformation zones. These results and hypothesis hope to further the understanding of BMGs and enhance their use in scientific, commercial and industrial applications

Surveillance of antenatal influenza vaccination: validity of current systems and recommendations for improvement

Abstract Background: Although influenza vaccination is recommended during pregnancy as standard of care, limited surveillance data are available for monitoring uptake. Our aim was to evaluate the validity of existing surveillance in Western Australia for measuring antenatal influenza immunisations. Methods: The self-reported vaccination status of 563 women who delivered between April and October 2013 was compared against three passive data collection sources: a state-wide antenatal influenza vaccination database maintained by the Department of Health, a public maternity hospital database, and a private health service database. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were calculated for each system using self-report as the “gold standard.” Results: The state-wide antenatal vaccination database detected 45.7 % (95 % CI: 40.1–51.4 %) of influenza vaccinations, the public maternity hospital database detected 66.7 % (95 % CI: 55.1–76.9 %), and the private health service database detected 29.1 % (95 % CI: 20.5–39.4 %). Specificity exceeded 90 % and positive predictive values exceeded 80 % for each system. Sensitivity was lowest for women whose antenatal care was provided by a private obstetrician. Conclusions: Existing resources for surveillance of antenatal influenza vaccinations detect 29–67 % of vaccinations. Considering the importance of influenza immunisation as a public health intervention, particularly in pregnant women, improvements to routine monitoring of influenza vaccination is warranted

Vesicular glutamate release from central axons contributes to myelin damage

Neuronal activity can lead to vesicular release of glutamate. Here the authors demonstrate that vesicular release of glutamate occurs in axons during ischemic conditions, and that an allosteric modulator of GluN2C/D is protective in models of ischemic injury

Antibody Testing and Lyme Disease Risk

Lyme disease test results for >9,000 dogs were collected from participating veterinary clinics. Testing was conducted by using the IDEXX 3Dx kit, used widely by Maine veterinarians to screen clinically normal dogs during heartworm season. This study demonstrates how this test can be a valuable public health disease surveillance tool

Population-based lupus registries: Advancing our epidemiologic understanding

No abstract.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/64329/1/24835_ftp.pd

Patterns of pneumococcal vaccination and revaccination in elderly and non-elderly adults: a Vaccine Safety Datalink study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV) is recommended for all adults 65 years of age and older and for younger adults with high-risk conditions. While data from national surveys provide information on the proportion of adults 65 years of age and older reporting ever receipt of PPV they do not collect more detailed information, such as age at vaccination or the total number of vaccinations received. In addition, there is relatively little information available on PPV coverage in younger adults with chronic conditions. To assess contemporary patterns of pneumococcal vaccination and revaccination of adults, we conducted a cross-sectional study of adults enrolled in medical care organizations (MCOs) participating in the Vaccine Safety Datalink project.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study population included 1.5 million adults 25 years of age and older enrolled in the four participating MCOs on December 1, 2006. PPVs administered to members of the study population prior to that date were identified from computerized immunization registries maintained by the MCOs.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Among the general population of adults 25 through 64 years of age, vaccine coverage increased from 2% in the 25–29 year old age-group to 26% in the 60–64 year old age-group. In all age-groups, coverage was substantially higher in persons defined as having a chronic high risk condition. This was particularly true for diabetes mellitus, with vaccine coverage of over 50% in the lower age-groups and 75% in those 60–64 years of age. Among adults 65 years of age and older, 82% had received at least one PPV and 18% had received two or more PPVs.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We found higher levels of PPV coverage among adults 65 years of age and older and among younger adults with diabetes mellitus than reported by national surveys and for those groups PPV coverage approached the <it>Healthy People 2010 </it>national objectives. These results suggest that achieving those objectives for PPV is possible and that high vaccination coverage may be facilitated by vaccine tracking and reminder systems.</p