Quantum Plasmonics

Quantum plasmonics is an exciting subbranch of nanoplasmonics where the laws of quantum theory are used to describe light–matter interactions on the nanoscale. Plasmonic materials allow extreme subdiffraction confinement of (quantum or classical) light to regions so small that the quantization of both light and matter may be necessary for an accurate description. State-of-the-art experiments now allow us to probe these regimes and push existing theories to the limits which opens up the possibilities of exploring the nature of many-body collective oscillations as well as developing new plasmonic devices, which use the particle quality of light and the wave quality of matter, and have a wealth of potential applications in sensing, lasing, and quantum computing. This merging of fundamental condensed matter theory with application-rich electromagnetism (and a splash of quantum optics thrown in) gives rise to a fascinating area of modern physics that is still very much in its infancy. In this review, we discuss and compare the key models and experiments used to explore how the quantum nature of electrons impacts plasmonics in the context of quantum size corrections of localized plasmons and quantum tunneling between nanoparticle dimers. We also look at some of the remarkable experiments that are revealing the quantum nature of surface plasmon polaritons

Congenital syphilis, still a reality in 21st century: a case report

Congenital syphilis is a preventable disease and its presence reflects a failure of prenatal care delivery systems, as well as syphilis control programmes. The procedure to prevent congenital syphilis through antenatal screening and treatment is well established. But implementation of effective programmes has proved very difficult especially in resource constrained countries

The Diabetes Education Experience of Randomly Selected Patients Under the Care of Community Physicians

The purpose of this study was to describe the diabetes education and nutritional counseling received by patients under the active care of community physicians. The study population consisted of 440 patients with diabetes from the practices of 68 primary care physicians in eight Michigan communities. Fifty-eight percent of the sample reported having received diabetes education, and the mean number of years since the most recent education was 4.15 years. Sixty-six percent reported having seen a dietitian. Patients who had received diabetes education scored higher on a basic diabetes knowledge test (70% correct vs 60%) than patients who had not received diabetes education. From 1981 to 1991, a decline was observed in the percentage of patients who reported having received diabetes education (70% to 58%). Although patient education is an integral part of comprehensive diabetes care, too few patients are receiving it. Furthermore, diabetes education often results in less-than-optimal levels of knowledge. The situation has deteriorated over the past 10 years, and patients who are not on insulin typically are the least well served.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68590/2/10.1177_014572179402000506.pd

“I am not a number!” Opinions and preferences of people with intellectual disability about genetic healthcare

There is limited research exploring the knowledge and experiences of genetic healthcare from the perspective of people with intellectual disability. This study, conducted in New South Wales (Australia), addresses this gap. Eighteen adults with intellectual disability and eight support people were interviewed in this inclusive research study. The transcribed interviews were analysed using inductive content analysis. The findings were discussed in a focus group with ten adults with intellectual disability and in three multi-stakeholder advisory workshops, contributing to the validity and trustworthiness of the findings. Five main themes emerged: (i) access to genetic healthcare services is inequitable, with several barriers to the informed consent process; (ii) the experiences and opinions of people with intellectual disability are variable, including frustration, exclusion and fear; (iii) genetic counselling and diagnoses can be profoundly impactful, but translating a genetic diagnosis into tailored healthcare, appropriate support, peer connections and reproductive planning faces barriers; (iv) people with intellectual disability have a high incidence of exposure to trauma and some reported that their genetic healthcare experiences were associated with further trauma; (v) recommendations for a more respectful and inclusive model of genetic healthcare. Co-designed point-of-care educational and consent resources, accompanied by tailored professional education for healthcare providers, are required to improve the equity and appropriateness of genetic healthcare for people with intellectual disability

Things change: Women’s and men’s marital disruption dynamics in Italy during a time of social transformations, 1970-2003

We study women’s and men’s marital disruption in Italy between 1970 and 2003. By applying an event-history analysis to the 2003 Italian variant of the Generations and Gender Survey we found that the spread of marital disruption started among middle-highly educated women. Then in recent years it appears that less educated women have also been able to dissolve their unhappy unions. Overall we can see the beginning of a reversed educational gradient from positive to negative. In contrast the trend in men’s marital disruption risk appears as a change over time common to all educational groups, although with persisting educational differentials.determinants, educational differences, event history analysis, gender difference, Italy, marital disruption

Rabies-Specific Antibodies: Measuring Surrogates of Protection against a Fatal Disease

Antibodies play a central role in prophylaxis against many infectious agents. While neutralization is a primary function of antibodies, the Fc- and complement-dependent activities of these multifunctional proteins may also be critical in their ability to provide protection against most viruses. Protection against viral pathogens in vivo is complex, and while virus neutralization—the ability of antibody to inactivate virus infectivity, often measured in vitro—is important, it is often only a partial contributor in protection. The rapid fluorescent focus inhibition test (RFFIT) remains the “gold standard” assay to measure rabies virus–neutralizing antibodies. In addition to neutralization, the rabies-specific antigen-binding activity of antibodies may be measured through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), as well as other available methods. For any disease, in selecting the appropriate assay(s) to use to assess antibody titers, assay validation and how they are interpreted are important considerations—but for a fatal disease like rabies, they are of paramount importance. The innate limitations of a one-dimensional laboratory test for rabies antibody measurement, as well as the validation of the method of choice, must be carefully considered in the selection of an assay method and for the interpretation of results that might be construed as a surrogate of protection

Searching for Exoplanets Using a Microresonator Astrocomb

Detection of weak radial velocity shifts of host stars induced by orbiting planets is an important technique for discovering and characterizing planets beyond our solar system. Optical frequency combs enable calibration of stellar radial velocity shifts at levels required for detection of Earth analogs. A new chip-based device, the Kerr soliton microcomb, has properties ideal for ubiquitous application outside the lab and even in future space-borne instruments. Moreover, microcomb spectra are ideally suited for astronomical spectrograph calibration and eliminate filtering steps required by conventional mode-locked-laser frequency combs. Here, for the calibration of astronomical spectrographs, we demonstrate an atomic/molecular line-referenced, near-infrared soliton microcomb. Efforts to search for the known exoplanet HD 187123b were conducted at the Keck-II telescope as a first in-the-field demonstration of microcombs

Admission decisions following contact with an emergency mental health assessment and intervention service.

AIMS: To define the demographic and clinical profile of individuals referred to an emergency mental health assessment team. To identify factors associated with being admitted to inpatient psychiatric services or not admitted following an emergency assessment. BACKGROUND: Crisis resolution and home treatment services are being developed across the UK, targeted towards people with severe mental health problems, who would otherwise require hospitalization. Further information about people presenting to an emergency mental health assessment service may clarify the skills that are required to deliver effective crisis resolution and home treatment services. METHOD: Over a six-month period referrals to, and admission decisions by, an emergency mental health assessment team were recorded. Measures used were the Health of the Nation Outcome Scale and the Crisis Triage Rating Scale. Age, sex and postcode data were recorded. Postcode data were used to identify the Townsend Deprivation Index for each individual. Reasons given for the referral were categorized. A preliminary descriptive analysis was performed for all people referred. The Demographic and clinical characteristics of referrals admitted and not admitted were then compared. A multivariate logistic regression was performed in order to investigate the possible impact of demographic and clinical characteristics on admission status. RESULTS: A total of 375 individuals were referred. Forty-eight (12.8%) were admitted. Higher referral rates were significantly associated with more deprived areas of the city. Referrers most frequently identified suicide risk as the reason for referral, followed by deterioration of an existing serious mental health problem. The mean Health of the Nation Outcome Scale score of all people referred was 10.5. Those admitted had a significantly greater mean Health of the Nation Outcome Scale score than those not admitted. The mean Crisis Triage Rating Scale score of all people referred was 11.0. Those admitted had a significantly lower (worse) mean Crisis Triage Rating Scale score than those not admitted. Individuals with lower Crisis Triage Rating Scale scores tended to have a higher (more deprived) Townsend index scores. Crisis Triage Rating Scale and Health of the Nation Outcome Scale scores were significantly negatively correlated. Conclusions. Crisis resolution and home treatments need to target areas of greatest deprivation. Social interventions will be important. Presentations related to suicide risk are likely to be common. The Crisis Triage Rating Scale may be a useful brief alternative to Health of the Nation Outcome Scale. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: This study highlights the valuable role of mental health nurses in frontline emergency mental health care in particular mental health nurses skills in conducting a risk assessment in an emergency

How a Diverse Research Ecosystem Has Generated New Rehabilitation Technologies: Review of NIDILRR’s Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers

Over 50 million United States citizens (1 in 6 people in the US) have a developmental, acquired, or degenerative disability. The average US citizen can expect to live 20% of his or her life with a disability. Rehabilitation technologies play a major role in improving the quality of life for people with a disability, yet widespread and highly challenging needs remain. Within the US, a major effort aimed at the creation and evaluation of rehabilitation technology has been the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERCs) sponsored by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. As envisioned at their conception by a panel of the National Academy of Science in 1970, these centers were intended to take a “total approach to rehabilitation”, combining medicine, engineering, and related science, to improve the quality of life of individuals with a disability. Here, we review the scope, achievements, and ongoing projects of an unbiased sample of 19 currently active or recently terminated RERCs. Specifically, for each center, we briefly explain the needs it targets, summarize key historical advances, identify emerging innovations, and consider future directions. Our assessment from this review is that the RERC program indeed involves a multidisciplinary approach, with 36 professional fields involved, although 70% of research and development staff are in engineering fields, 23% in clinical fields, and only 7% in basic science fields; significantly, 11% of the professional staff have a disability related to their research. We observe that the RERC program has substantially diversified the scope of its work since the 1970’s, addressing more types of disabilities using more technologies, and, in particular, often now focusing on information technologies. RERC work also now often views users as integrated into an interdependent society through technologies that both people with and without disabilities co-use (such as the internet, wireless communication, and architecture). In addition, RERC research has evolved to view users as able at improving outcomes through learning, exercise, and plasticity (rather than being static), which can be optimally timed. We provide examples of rehabilitation technology innovation produced by the RERCs that illustrate this increasingly diversifying scope and evolving perspective. We conclude by discussing growth opportunities and possible future directions of the RERC program

Esperanto for histones : CENP-A, not CenH3, is the centromeric histone H3 variant

The first centromeric protein identified in any species was CENP-A, a divergent member of the histone H3 family that was recognised by autoantibodies from patients with scleroderma-spectrum disease. It has recently been suggested to rename this protein CenH3. Here, we argue that the original name should be maintained both because it is the basis of a long established nomenclature for centromere proteins and because it avoids confusion due to the presence of canonical histone H3 at centromeres