Lanthanide separations using rate-controlled solvent extraction

In this study, certain trivalent lanthanide ions (Nd+3, Sm+3, Eu+3, D/3, Tm+3, and Yb+3) along with Sc+3 and Y-3, were complexed with DTPA (diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid) and extracted into a water-immiscible kerosene layer containing DEHP A ( di-2-ethylhexylphosphoric acid). Data were collected by measuring the cation content of the post-extraction aqueous phase via atomic emission. The purpose of this study was to investigate the kinetics and separation efficiencies in the extractions of binary mixtures via non-equilibrium solvent extraction and to compare these results with equilibrium results. In addition, mixture data were compared to results obtained from studies of extractions containing a single type of ion. In the single ion studies, the ions listed above were extracted in addition to Lu+ 3 and Al+ 3 • The extraction speeds were found to decrease with decreasing cation radius, except for Y-3. y+3 extracted faster than expected from eight or nine coordinate size considerations. However, if the generally accepted change in coordination number from nine to eight occurs after Sm+3 in the lanthanide series, and if Y-3 is nine-coordinate in this system, then its size would fall in line with the observed kinetic series. It was also observed that non-equilibrium extraction gives enhanced separation over equilibrium extraction in most binary mixtures. A mixing time of ten minutes seemed to give optimal separation of binary mixtures. For ions that extract at close to the same rate, a counter current non-equilibrium extraction system should require fewer stages than its equilibrium counterpart

The challenge and promise of autism spectrum disorders in adulthood and aging: a systematic review of the literature (1990-2013)

pre-printAbstract: In the past five years, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of publications addressing the issues of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in the domain of adulthood and aging. However this increase still represents an extremely small proportion of the overall literature which is predominantly focused on autism in the childhood and adolescence stages of development. The purpose of this paper is to present results from a systematic literature review covering the timeframe of 1990 to 2013 (including advance online publications). Five data bases were queried at the intersection of ASD in the domain of adulthood and aging. Using "ASD" and "adulthood and aging" as the two primary foci, we had several objectives: (1) to conduct an exhaustive and comprehensive review of the literature; (2) to determine emergent sub-themes from the comprehensive review of publications; (3) to identify the top exemplar articles per emergent theme; (4) to establish an emergent theme that had the greatest number of publications; and (5) to document three journals that most frequently publish articles exploring ASDs, adulthood and aging. This review is different than previous reviews in that: (a) it emphasizes intergenerational factors; (b) it stresses multidisciplinary perspectives; (c) it is life-course oriented; and (d) we review the promise and potential of neurodiversity and highlight the abilities and capabilities possible for individuals with ASDs into adulthood and aging

Strategies for Implementing Successful Mentoring Programs

Organizations face challenges with leadership succession in the healthcare industry because of the enormous number of baby boomers retiring. Leaders in the healthcare industry are concerned with the large number of employees retiring in leadership roles and finding replacements for these roles. Grounded in social learning theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies healthcare leaders use to implement mentoring programs for early-career leaders. The nine participants were managers and leaders in health care agencies in South Carolina who had at least ten years of experience implementing successful mentoring programs. Data were collected using semistructured interviews, a review of the employee manuals, brochures on employee development, and public documents on the websites. Through thematic analysis, three themes were named: (a) identification of leaders for mentors, (b) role modeling for successful behaviors, and (c) communication between the mentor/mentee. A key recommendation is for healthcare leaders to provide growth opportunities through mentoring to support employees\u27 career goals. The implications for positive social change include the potential to keep skilled employees, allowing organizations to deliver continuous social services to clients in the community, and improving human and social conditions

QTc prolongation and torsades de pointes associated with methadone therapy.

Oral methadone therapy is an effective and increasingly popular treatment for opioid dependency and chronic pain. Although it is not typically considered pro-dysrhythmic, we present the unique case of a 52-year-old HIV-positive woman without underlying cardiac disease who developed QTc prolongation and pulseless Torsades secondary to high dose methadone therapy

Three year follow-up of an early childhood intervention : is movement skill sustained?

BackgroundMovement skill competence (e.g. the ability to throw, run and kick) is a potentially important physical activity determinant. However, little is known about the long-term impact of interventions to improve movement skills in early childhood. This study aimed to determine whether intervention preschool children were still more skill proficient than controls three years after a 10 month movement skill focused intervention: &lsquo;Tooty Fruity Vegie in Preschools&rsquo;.MethodsChildren from 18 intervention and 13 control preschools in NSW, Australia were assessed at ages four (Time1), five (T2) and eight years (T3) for locomotor (run, gallop, hop, leap, horizontal jump, slide) and object control proficiency (strike, bounce, catch, kick, overhand throw, underhand roll) using the Test of Gross Motor Development-2. Multi-level object control and locomotor regression models were fitted with variables time, intervention (yes/no) and a time*intervention interaction. Both models added sex of child and retained if significant, in which case interactions of sex of child with other variables were modelled and retained. SPSS (Version 17.0) was used.ResultsOverall follow-up rate was 29% (163/560). Of the 137 students used in the regression models, 53% were female (n = 73). Intervention girls maintained their object control skill advantage in comparison to controls at T3 (p = .002), but intervention boys did not (p = .591). At T3, there were no longer intervention/control differences in locomotor skill (p = .801).ConclusionEarly childhood settings should implement movement skill interventions and more intensively target girls and object control skills.<br /

Automated Assessment of Pavlovian Conditioned Freezing and Shock Reactivity in Mice Using the Video Freeze System

The Pavlovian conditioned freezing paradigm has become a prominent mouse and rat model of learning and memory, as well as of pathological fear. Due to its efficiency, reproducibility and well-defined neurobiology, the paradigm has become widely adopted in large-scale genetic and pharmacological screens. However, one major shortcoming of the use of freezing behavior has been that it has required the use of tedious hand scoring, or a variety of proprietary automated methods that are often poorly validated or difficult to obtain and implement. Here we report an extensive validation of the Video Freeze system in mice, a “turn-key” all-inclusive system for fear conditioning in small animals. Using digital video and near-infrared lighting, the system achieved outstanding performance in scoring both freezing and movement. Given the large-scale adoption of the conditioned freezing paradigm, we encourage similar validation of other automated systems for scoring freezing, or other behaviors

Genetic Variation in Cell Death Genes and Risk of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Background Non-Hodgkin lymphomas are a heterogeneous group of solid tumours that constitute the 5th highest cause of cancer mortality in the United States and Canada. Poor control of cell death in lymphocytes can lead to autoimmune disease or cancer, making genes involved in programmed cell death of lymphocytes logical candidate genes for lymphoma susceptibility. Materials and Methods We tested for genetic association with NHL and NHL subtypes, of SNPs in lymphocyte cell death genes using an established population-based study. 17 candidate genes were chosen based on biological function, with 123 SNPs tested. These included tagSNPs from HapMap and novel SNPs discovered by re-sequencing 47 cases in genes for which SNP representation was judged to be low. The main analysis, which estimated odds ratios by fitting data to an additive logistic regression model, used European ancestry samples that passed quality control measures (569 cases and 547 controls). A two-tiered approach for multiple testing correction was used: correction for number of tests within each gene by permutation-based methodology, followed by correction for the number of genes tested using the false discovery rate. Results Variant rs928883, near miR-155, showed an association (OR per A-allele: 2.80 [95% CI: 1.63–4.82]; pF = 0.027) with marginal zone lymphoma that is significant after correction for multiple testing. Conclusions This is the first reported association between a germline polymorphism at a miRNA locus and lymphoma

Rapid detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by recombinase polymerase amplification.

Improved access to effective tests for diagnosing tuberculosis (TB) has been designated a public health priority by the World Health Organisation. In high burden TB countries nucleic acid based TB tests have been restricted to centralised laboratories and specialised research settings. Requirements such as a constant electrical supply, air conditioning and skilled, computer literate operators prevent implementation of such tests in many settings. Isothermal DNA amplification technologies permit the use of simpler, less energy intensive detection platforms more suited to low resource settings that allow the accurate diagnosis of a disease within a short timeframe. Recombinase Polymerase Amplification (RPA) is a rapid, low temperature isothermal DNA amplification reaction. We report here RPA-based detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) DNA in <20 minutes at 39 °C. Assays for two MTC specific targets were investigated, IS6110 and IS1081. When testing purified MTC genomic DNA, limits of detection of 6.25 fg (IS6110) and 20 fg (IS1081)were consistently achieved. When testing a convenience sample of pulmonary specimens from suspected TB patients, RPA demonstrated superior accuracy to indirect fluorescence microscopy. Compared to culture, sensitivities for the IS1081 RPA and microscopy were 91.4% (95%CI: 85, 97.9) and 86.1% (95%CI: 78.1, 94.1) respectively (n = 71). Specificities were 100% and 88.6% (95% CI: 80.8, 96.1) respectively. For the IS6110 RPA and microscopy sensitivities of 87.5% (95%CI: 81.7, 93.2) and 70.8% (95%CI: 62.9, 78.7) were obtained (n = 90). Specificities were 95.4 (95% CI: 92.3,98.1) and 88% (95% CI: 83.6, 92.4) respectively. The superior specificity of RPA for detecting tuberculosis was due to the reduced ability of fluorescence microscopy to distinguish Mtb complex from other acid fast bacteria. The rapid nature of the RPA assay and its low energy requirement compared to other amplification technologies suggest RPA-based TB assays could be of use for integration into a point-of-care test for use in resource constrained settings

A Quality Assessment of a Collaborative Model of a Pediatric Antimicrobial Stewardship Program

BACKGROUND: Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines recommend that key antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) personnel include an infectious disease (ID) physician leader and dedicated ID-trained clinical pharmacist. Limited resources prompted development of an alternative model by using ID physicians and service-based clinical pharmacists at a pediatric hospital. The aim of this study was to analyze the effectiveness and impact of this alternative ASP model. METHODS: The collaborative ASP model incorporated key strategies of education, antimicrobial restriction, day 3 audits, and practice guidelines. High-use and/or high-cost antimicrobial agents were chosen with audits targeting vancomycin, caspofungin, and meropenem. The electronic medical record was used to identify patients requiring day 3 audits and to communicate ASP recommendations. Segmented regression analyses were used to analyze quarterly antimicrobial agent prescription data for the institution and selected services over time. RESULTS: Initiation of ASP and day 3 auditing was associated with blunting of a preexisting increasing trend for caspofungin drug starts and use and a significant downward trend for vancomycin drug starts (relative change -12%) and use (-25%), with the largest reduction in critical care areas. Although meropenem use was already low due to preexisting requirements for preauthorization, a decline in drug use (-31%, P = .021) and a nonsignificant decline in drug starts (-21%, P = .067) were noted. A 3-month review of acceptance of ASP recommendations found rates of 90%, 93%, and 100% for vancomycin, caspofungin, and meropenem, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This nontraditional ASP model significantly reduced targeted drug usage demonstrating acceptance of integration of service-based clinical pharmacists and ID consultants