Direct patterning of solution deposited metal oxides

Patterning of metal oxides typically involves a multi step process, involving depositing a resist, patterning that resist with some form of lithography, etching the oxide through the resist, and finally removing. This process can be simplified if the resist is removed and replaced with a metal oxide that can be directly patterned. Solution deposition of metal oxides allows the possibility of depositing materials that are responsive to traditional lithographic patterning methods. A directly patterned resist can be integrated into devices with less difficulty. It is also possible, with a directly patterned metal oxide, to consider this material also as a resist for the patterning of another material. This metal oxide can then be considered an inorganic resist. Inorganic resists have proven to offer a higher resolution and etch resistance than a comparable polymer resist. The work presented here represents efforts to develop directly patterned metal oxides that exhibits these desired resist properties, but which also competes with polymer resist in terms of sensitivity, the one area inorganic resists have always performed unsuitably. An inorganic resist has been developed that exhibits excellent performance in these important metrics, as well as others which are required of state-of-the-art resists. This inorganic resist has shown sensitivity to a variety of modern exposure sources. The patterning chemistry which has been develop is adaptable to a large number of metal oxides. Direct pattern of metal oxides also offers potential for the modification of the material through solution based or solid state methods in order to access a variety of material properties not found in the initial metal oxide

A CBPR Partnership Increases HIV Testing Among Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM): Outcome Findings From a Pilot Test of the CyBER/testing Internet Intervention

The Internet has emerged as an important tool for the delivery of health promotion and disease prevention interventions. Our community-based participatory research (CBPR) partnership developed and piloted CyBER/testing, a culturally congruent intervention designed to promote HIV testing among men who have sex with men (MSM) within existing Internet chat rooms. Using a quasi-experimental, single-group study design, cross-sectional data were collected from chat room participants, known as “chatters,” at pretest (n=346) and post-test (n=315). Extant profile data also were collected to describe the demographics of the online population. The intervention significantly increased self-reported HIV testing among chatters overall, increasing rates from 44.5% at pretest to nearly 60% at post-test (p<.001). Furthermore, chatters who reported having both male and female sexual partners had nearly 6 times the odds of reporting HIV testing at post-test. Findings suggest that chat room-based HIV testing intervention may increase testing among MSM who may be difficult to reach in traditional physical spaces

Comparing Men who have Sex with Men and Transgender Women who Use Grindr, Other Similar Social and Sexual Networking Apps, or no Social and Sexual Networking Apps: Implications for Recruitment and Health Promotion

Objective: Researchers and public health professionals have increased their attention to GPS-based social and sexual networking applications (apps) tailored to gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women. These populations continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV in the United States; therefore, these apps, in particular Grindr, have become an important sampling venue for the recruitment of HIV-related research participants. As such, it is essential to identify differences among app users to avoid potential sampling bias. This paper seeks to identify differences in MSM and transgender women who use Grindr and those who use other similar apps. Methods: A community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach was used to recruit participants online who then completed a 25-item anonymous survey. Five domains were assessed: sociodemographics, HIV testing, sexual risk, substance abuse, and use of GPS-based social and sexual networking apps. Results: 457 participants completed surveys. There were significant differences in the sociodemographic characteristics by app use, including age, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and outness. After adjusting for the sociodemographic characteristics associated with app use, there were significant differences in HIV risk and substance use between the groups. Conclusion: This paper is the first to report on findings that compare MSM and transgender women who report using Grindr to MSM and transgender women who report using other similar apps. GPS-based social and sexual networking apps may offer a valuable recruitment tool for future HIV research seeking to recruit populations at increased risk for HIV or those living with HIV for therapeutic trials. Because of the differences identified across users of different apps, these findings suggest that if researchers recruited participants from just one app, they could end up with a sample quite different than if they had recruited MSM and transgender women from other apps

HIV-prevention Opportunities With GPS-based Social and Sexual Networking Applications for Men Who Have Sex With Men

The goal of this study was to gain insight on the sexual health needs of men who have sex with men (MSM) who use GPS-based social and sexual networking mobile applications (apps) and the future utility of app-based interventions. A health educator promoted HIV-testing resources in four popular apps used by MSM. Content analysis was used to identify salient themes that emerged from the conversations. Four major themes were identified: (1) soliciting sexual encounters, (2) relationship building, (3) HIV and STI-testing inquiries, and (4) seeking other sexual health information. The results suggest the intervention\u27s social media-based strategy, respect for community culture, and unobtrusive approach was advantageous in establishing credibility and rapport with app users. These results highlight a need for convenient and discreet methods to access accurate sexual health information and suggest that apps provide an alternative, non-traditional venue for sexual health education in addition to HIV testing promotion

Voluntary urination control by brainstem neurons that relax the urethral sphincter.

Voluntary urination ensures that waste is eliminated when safe and socially appropriate, even without a pressing urge. Uncontrolled urination, or incontinence, is a common problem with few treatment options. Normal urine release requires a small region in the brainstem known as Barrington's nucleus (Bar), but specific neurons that relax the urethral sphincter and enable urine flow are unknown. Here we identify a small subset of Bar neurons that control the urethral sphincter in mice. These excitatory neurons express estrogen receptor 1 (BarESR1), project to sphincter-relaxing interneurons in the spinal cord and are active during natural urination. Optogenetic stimulation of BarESR1 neurons rapidly initiates sphincter bursting and efficient voiding in anesthetized and behaving animals. Conversely, optogenetic and chemogenetic inhibition reveals their necessity in motivated urination behavior. The identification of these cells provides an expanded model for the control of urination and its dysfunction

A Pilot Intervention Utilizing Internet Chat Rooms to Prevent HIV Risk Behaviors Among Men Who Have Sex with Men

Chat room-based prevention interventions for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are being implemented to reduce the risk of HIV exposure, infection, and re-infection among men who have sex with men (MSM)

Voluntary urination control by brainstem neurons that relax the urethral sphincter.

Voluntary urination ensures that waste is eliminated when safe and socially appropriate, even without a pressing urge. Uncontrolled urination, or incontinence, is a common problem with few treatment options. Normal urine release requires a small region in the brainstem known as Barrington's nucleus (Bar), but specific neurons that relax the urethral sphincter and enable urine flow are unknown. Here we identify a small subset of Bar neurons that control the urethral sphincter in mice. These excitatory neurons express estrogen receptor 1 (BarESR1), project to sphincter-relaxing interneurons in the spinal cord and are active during natural urination. Optogenetic stimulation of BarESR1 neurons rapidly initiates sphincter bursting and efficient voiding in anesthetized and behaving animals. Conversely, optogenetic and chemogenetic inhibition reveals their necessity in motivated urination behavior. The identification of these cells provides an expanded model for the control of urination and its dysfunction