Four medical cases: submitted for the Wightman Prize in Clinical Medicine, 1958

CASE I: Ulcerative Colitis CASE II: Active duodenal ulcer with some coincident aortic stenosis following Rheumatic Fever CASE III: 1. Tabes dorsalis 2. Bronchiectasis CASE IV: Infective Hepatiti

One-dimensional magnetic order in the metal–organic framework Tb(HCOO)3Tb(HCOO)_3

Variable-temperature neutron scattering measurements, reverse Monte Carlo analysis and direct Monte Carlo simulation are used to characterise magnetic order in the metal–organic framework (MOF) $Tb(HCOO)_3$ over the temperature range 100K to 1.6K = T$_N$. The magnetic transition at T$_N$ is shown to involve one-dimensional ferromagnetic ordering to a partially-ordered state related to the triangular Ising antiferromagnet and distinct from the canonical “partially-disordered antiferromagnet” model. In this phase, the direction of magnetisation of ferromagnetic chains tends to alternate between neighbouring chains but this alternation is frustrated and is not itself ordered. We suggest the existence of low-dimensional magnetic order in $Tb(HCOO)_3$ is stabilised by the contrasting strength of inter- and intra-chain magnetic coupling, itself a consequence of the underlying MOF architecture. Our results demonstrate how MOFs may provide an attractive if as yet under-explored platform for the realisation and investigation of low-dimensional physics

Effects of elevated CO2 on predator avoidance behaviour by reef fishes is not altered by experimental test water

Pioneering studies into the effects of elevated CO2 on the behaviour of reef fishes often tested high-CO2 reared fish using control water in the test arena. While subsequent studies using rearing treatment water (control or high CO2) in the test arena have confirmed the effects of high CO2 on a range of reef fish behaviours, a further investigation into the use of different test water in the experimental arena is warranted. Here, we used a fully factorial design to test the effect of rearing treatment water (control or high CO2) and experimental test water (control or high CO2) on antipredator responses of larval reef fishes. We tested antipredator behaviour in larval clownfish Amphiprion percula and ambon damselfish Pomacentrus amboinensis, two species that have been used in previous high CO2 experiments. Specifically, we tested if: (1) using control or high CO2 water in a two channel flume influenced the response of larval clownfish to predator odour; and (2) using control or high CO2 water in the test arena influenced the escape response of larval damselfish to a startle stimulus. Finally, (3) because the effects of high CO2 on fish behaviour appear to be caused by altered function of the GABA-A neurotransmitter we tested if antipredator behaviours were restored in clownfish treated with a GABA antagonist (gabazine) in high CO2 water. Larval clownfish reared from hatching in control water (496 µatm) strongly avoided predator cue whereas larval clownfish reared from hatching in high CO2 (1,022 µatm) were attracted to the predator cue, as has been reported in previous studies. There was no effect on fish responses of using either control or high CO2 water in the flume. Larval damselfish reared for four days in high CO2 (1,051 µatm) exhibited a slower response to a startle stimulus and slower escape speed compared with fish reared in control conditions (464 µatm). There was no effect of test water on escape responses. Treatment of high-CO2 reared clownfish with 4 mg l−1 gabazine in high CO2 seawater restored the normal response to predator odour, as has been previously reported with fish tested in control water. Our results show that using control water in the experimental trials did not influence the results of previous studies on antipredator behaviour of reef fishes and also supports the results of novel experiments conducted in natural reef habitat at ambient CO2 levels

Factors Impacting COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Resistance Among College Students in Northwest Ohio

Background: Vaccination is a critical strategy for controlling the transmission of COVID-19 and for returning to normalcy on college campuses; however, vaccine hesitancy and resistance persist as a significant barrier. This study utilized the integrated behavior model (IBM) and the precaution adoption process model (PAPM) to identify factors predictive of COVID-19 vaccine willingness (receptive, hesitant, and resistant) among college students. Methods: A sample of 1248 students at 2 universities in northwest Ohio were surveyed online in 2021. Stata/SE, version 17 (StataCorp) software was used to conduct stepwise logistic regression to investigate the association of theoretical constructs with vaccine willingness, after controlling for COVID-19 related factors and sociodemographic factors. Results: Most students (82.5%) were vaccine receptive, 6.9% were vaccine hesitant, and 10.6% were vaccine resistant. Vaccine hesitancy was higher among students aged 18 to 22 years (9.3%), undergraduates (16.5%), and students who identified as Black (13%) or Middle Eastern (14.3%). Lower vaccine hesitance was significantly predicted by IBM constructs of positive attitudes, high self-efficacy, and high salience. Not getting an influenza vaccine in the past 3 years and viewing vaccination as a personal choice were significantly associated with higher vaccine hesitancy. Lower odds of vaccine resistance were predicted by higher subjective norms. Descriptive norms, not getting an influenza vaccine in the past 3 years, agreeing with conspiracies, and viewing vaccination as a personal choice were strongly predictive of higher vaccine resistance. Conclusion: Identifying the factors that predict vaccine hesitancy and resistance among college students is critical for college administrators, and for those who are designing health communication campaigns, to increase vaccination among this priority population

Proteomic Responses to Ocean Acidification in the Brain of Juvenile Coral Reef Fish

Elevated CO₂ levels predicted to occur by the end of the century can affect the physiology and behavior of marine fishes. For one important survival mechanism, the response to chemical alarm cues from conspecifics, substantial among-individual variation in the extent of behavioral impairment when exposed to elevated CO₂ has been observed in previous studies. Whole brain transcriptomic data has further emphasized the importance of parental phenotypic variation in the response of juvenile fish to elevated CO₂. In this study, we investigate the genome-wide proteomic responses of this variation in the brain of 5-week old spiny damselfish, Acanthochromis polyacanthus. We compared the accumulation of proteins in the brains of juvenile A. polyacanthus from two different parental behavioral phenotypes (sensitive and tolerant) that had been experimentally exposed to short-term, long-term and inter-generational elevated CO₂. Our results show differential accumulation of key proteins related to stress response and epigenetic markers with elevated CO₂ exposure. Proteins related to neurological development and glucose metabolism were also differentially accumulated particularly in the long-term developmental treatment, which might be critical for juvenile development. By contrast, exposure to elevated CO₂ in the parental generation resulted in only three differentially accumulated proteins in the offspring, revealing potential for inter -generational acclimation. Lastly, we found a distinct proteomic pattern in juveniles due to the behavioral sensitivity of parents to elevated CO₂, even though the behavior of the juvenile fish was impaired regardless of parental phenotype. Our data shows that developing juveniles are affected in their brain protein accumulation by elevated CO₂, but the effect varies with the length of exposure as well as due to variation of parental phenotypes in the population

Bostonia: The Boston University Alumni Magazine. Volume 12

Founded in 1900, Bostonia magazine is Boston University’s main alumni publication

[89Zr]Oxinate4 for long-term in vivo cell tracking by positron emission tomography

Purpose 111In (typically as [111In]oxinate3) is a gold standard radiolabel for cell tracking in humans by scintigraphy. A long half-life positron-emitting radiolabel to serve the same purpose using positron emission tomography (PET) has long been sought. We aimed to develop an 89Zr PET tracer for cell labelling and compare it with [111In]oxinate3 single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Methods [89Zr]Oxinate4 was synthesised and its uptake and efflux were measured in vitro in three cell lines and in human leukocytes. The in vivo biodistribution of eGFP-5T33 murine myeloma cells labelled using [89Zr]oxinate4 or [111In]oxinate3 was monitored for up to 14 days. 89Zr retention by living radiolabelled eGFP-positive cells in vivo was monitored by FACS sorting of liver, spleen and bone marrow cells followed by gamma counting. Results Zr labelling was effective in all cell types with yields comparable with 111In labelling. Retention of 89Zr in cells in vitro after 24 h was significantly better (range 71 to >90 %) than 111In (43–52 %). eGFP-5T33 cells in vivo showed the same early biodistribution whether labelled with 111In or 89Zr (initial pulmonary accumulation followed by migration to liver, spleen and bone marrow), but later translocation of radioactivity to kidneys was much greater for 111In. In liver, spleen and bone marrow at least 92 % of 89Zr remained associated with eGFP-positive cells after 7 days in vivo. Conclusion [89Zr]Oxinate4 offers a potential solution to the emerging need for a long half-life PET tracer for cell tracking in vivo and deserves further evaluation of its effects on survival and behaviour of different cell types

Electromagnetically induced transparency controlled by a microwave field

We have experimentally studied propagation of two optical fields in a dense rubidium (Rb) vapor in the case when an additional microwave field is coupled to the hyperfine levels of Rb atoms. The Rb energy levels form a close-lambda three-level system coupled to the optical fields and the microwave field. It has been found that the maximum transmission of a probe field depends on the relative phase between the optical and the microwave fields. We have observed both constructive and destructive interference in electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). A simple theoretical model and a numerical simulation have been developed to explain the observed experimental results.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure