Nutritional Rehabilitation of HIV-Exposed Infants in Malawi: Results from the Drug Resources Enhancement Against AIDS and Malnutrition Program

Infant malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa is a public health priority and a challenge in high HIV prevalence areas. The Drug Resources Enhancement Against AIDS and Malnutrition program, with multiple medical centers in Sub-Saharan Africa, developed an innovative intervention for the surveillance and control of malnutrition. In a pilot initiative, 36 HIV-exposed children were evaluated at baseline upon presentation for malnutrition and at six months post- treatment. Parameters included HIV-free survival, nutritional status and change in diet. Food diary data was entered and processed using the Nutrisurvey (WHO) software. At 6 months post-intervention, a significant improvement in anthropometric parameters was noted. Slowing of linear growth was observed in patients with malaria with a mean gain in centimetres of 4.4 ± 1.7 as compared to 5.6 ± 1.7 in children with no malaria, p < 0.048 (CL 95%: −2.32, −0.01). Dietary diversity scores increased from 5.3 ± 1.9 to 6.5 ± 1.3, p < 0.01 at 6 months. A significant increase (+25%, p < 0.02) in the number of children eating fish meals was noted. Our pilot data describes positive outcomes from a rehabilitative nutritional approach based on use of local foods, peer education, anthropometric and clinical monitoring in areas of high food insecurity. The relationship between malaria and linear growth retardation requires further investigation

Metal-poor Stars Observed with the Automated Planet Finder Telescope. III. CEMP-no Stars are the Descendant of Population III Stars

In this study, we report a probabilistic insight into the stellar mass and supernovae (SNe) explosion energy of the possible progenitors of five CEMP-no stars. This was done by a direct comparison between the abundance ratios [X/Fe] of the light-elements and the predicted nucleosynthetic yields of SN of high-mass metal-free stars. This comparison suggests possible progenitors with stellar mass range of 11 - 22\,M$_{\odot}$ and explosion energies of $0.3 - 1.8 \times 10^{51}$\,erg. The coupling of the chemical abundances with kinematics derived from $Gaia$ DR2 suggests that our sample do not enter the outer-halo region. In addition, we suggest that these CEMP-no stars are not $Gaia$-Sausage nor $Gaia$-Sequoia remnant stars, but another accretion event might be responsible for the contribution of these stars to the Galactic Halo of the Milky-Way

Infrared and optical emission spectroscopy study of the surface chemistry in atmospheric-pressure plasma-enhanced spatial ALD of Al2O3

Atmospheric-pressure plasma-enhanced spatial atomic layer deposition (PE-s-ALD) is an emerging high-throughput technique used to deposit thin films at low temperatures on large-area substrates. The spatial separation of the ALD half-reactions and the use of an atmospheric-pressure plasma in the co-reactant step give rise to a complex surface chemistry which to date is not well understood. In this study, we employed gas-phase infrared spectroscopy and optical emission spectroscopy (OES) to unravel the underlying chemistry of the PE-s-ALD process for Al2O3 films grown at 80 °C using Al(CH3)3 as the precursor and Ar-O2 plasma as the co-reactant. We identified the reaction products generated at various exposure times of the substrate to the precursor. Infrared absorbance spectra show CO, CO2, H2O and CH4 as the main reaction by-products formed from a) combustion-like reactions of the methylated substrate surface with oxygen radicals and O3 species, and b) H2O molecules either residual or formed in the process that give rise to a concurrent latent thermal ALD component. In addition, CH2O and CH3OH were identified as reaction by-products formed either at the substrate surface or in the plasma. The OES spectra confirmed the combustive nature of the PE-s-ALD reactions as shown by the OH and CH emission peaks that appeared during the spatial ALD process while excited O-species are being consumed

Probabilistic Decision-Making in Children With Dyslexia.

BackgroundNeurocognitive mechanisms underlying developmental dyslexia (dD) remain poorly characterized apart from phonological and/or visual processing deficits. Assuming such deficits, the process of learning complex tasks like reading requires the learner to make decisions (i.e., word pronunciation) based on uncertain information (e.g., aberrant phonological percepts)-a cognitive process known as probabilistic decision making, which has been linked to the striatum. We investigate (1) the relationship between dD and probabilistic decision-making and (2) the association between the volume of striatal structures and probabilistic decision-making in dD and typical readers.MethodsTwenty four children diagnosed with dD underwent a comprehensive evaluation and MRI scanning (3T). Children with dD were compared to age-matched typical readers (n = 11) on a probabilistic, risk/reward fishing task that utilized a Bayesian cognitive model with game parameters of risk propensity (γ+) and behavioral consistency (β), as well as an overall adjusted score (average number of casts, excluding forced-fail trials). Volumes of striatal structures (caudate, putamen, and nucleus accumbens) were analyzed between groups and associated with game parameters.ResultsdD was associated with greater risk propensity and decreased behavioral consistency estimates compared to typical readers. Cognitive model parameters associated with timed pseudoword reading across groups. Risk propensity related to caudate volumes, particularly in the dD group.ConclusionDecision-making processes differentiate dD, associate with the caudate, and may impact learning mechanisms. This study suggests the need for further research into domain-general probabilistic decision-making in dD, neurocognitive mechanisms, and targeted interventions in dD

Enhanced visceromotor emotional reactivity in dyslexia and its relation to salience network connectivity

Dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental disorder mainly defined by reading difficulties. During reading, individuals with dyslexia exhibit hypoactivity in left-lateralized language systems. Lower activity in one brain circuit can be accompanied by greater activity in another, and, here, we examined whether right-hemisphere-based emotional reactivity may be elevated in dyslexia. We measured emotional reactivity (i.e., facial behavior, physiological activity, and subjective experience) in 54 children ages 7-12 with (n&nbsp;=&nbsp;32) and without (n&nbsp;=&nbsp;22) dyslexia while they viewed emotion-inducing film clips. Participants also underwent task-free functional magnetic resonance imaging. Parents of children with dyslexia completed the Behavior Assessment System for Children, which assesses real-world behavior. During film viewing, children with dyslexia exhibited significantly greater reactivity in emotional facial behavior, skin conductance level, and respiration rate than those without dyslexia. Across the sample, greater emotional facial behavior correlated with stronger connectivity between right ventral anterior insula and right pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (pFWE&lt;.05), key salience network hubs. In children with dyslexia, greater emotional facial behavior related to better real-world social skills and higher anxiety and depression. Our findings suggest there is heightened visceromotor emotional reactivity in dyslexia, which may lead to interpersonal strengths as well as affective vulnerabilities

Enhanced visceromotor emotional reactivity in dyslexia and its relation to salience network connectivity

Dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental disorder mainly defined by reading difficulties. During reading, individuals with dyslexia exhibit hypoactivity in left-lateralized language systems. Lower activity in one brain circuit can be accompanied by greater activity in another, and, here, we examined whether right-hemisphere-based emotional reactivity may be elevated in dyslexia. We measured emotional reactivity (i.e., facial behavior, physiological activity, and subjective experience) in 54 children ages 7-12 with (n = 32) and without (n = 22) dyslexia while they viewed emotion-inducing film clips. Participants also underwent task-free functional magnetic resonance imaging. Parents of children with dyslexia completed the Behavior Assessment System for Children, which assesses real-world behavior. During film viewing, children with dyslexia exhibited significantly greater reactivity in emotional facial behavior, skin conductance level, and respiration rate than those without dyslexia. Across the sample, greater emotional facial behavior correlated with stronger connectivity between right ventral anterior insula and right pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (p(FwE)&lt;.05), key salience network hubs. In children with dyslexia, greater emotional facial behavior related to better real-world social skills and higher anxiety and depression. Our findings suggest there is heightened visceromotor emotional reactivity in dyslexia, which may lead to interpersonal strengths as well as affective vulnerabilities. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved