Patent foramen ovale closure in recreational divers: effect on decompression illness and ischaemic brain lesions during long-term follow-up

To test the effect of patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure on neurological events in divers.

Preparation of silicon-metal nanocomposites based on electrophoretic deposition

Silicon has long been considered as one of the most promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries. However, the poor cycle life due to stress during charge/discharge cycling has been a major concern for its practical applications. In this report, novel Si-metal nanocomposites have been explored to accommodate the stress generated in the intercalation process. Several approaches have been studied with the aim of getting uniform mixing, good mechanical stability and high Si content. Among the three approaches being investigated, Si- Galinstan nanocomposite based on electrophoretic deposition showed the best promise by achieving at least 32.3% Si theoretical weight percentage, and our in current experiments we’ve already get 13% Silicon weight percentage, which gave us an anode material 46% more capacity than the current commercial product.

The Impact of a Brief Intervention on Medical Students' Readiness to Screen for DV - Changes in Decisional Balance and Self-Efficacy

Introduction: Domestic violence (DV) affects millions of Americans each year. Yet, there is a dearth of theory-based DV curricula, resulting in physicians unprepared to screen for DV. This study utilized a survey based on constructs from the Transtheoretical Model to assess the readiness of first- and second-year medical students to screen for DV. Information from this survey will be used to help institutionalize DV education into the medical curriculum. [See PDF for complete abstract]

Spatial biases during mental arithmetic: evidence from eye movements on a blank screen

While the influence of spatial-numerical associations in number categorization tasks has been well established, their role in mental arithmetic is less clear. It has been hypothesized that mental addition leads to rightward and upward shifts of spatial attention (along the “mental number line”), whereas subtraction leads to leftward and downward shifts. We addressed this hypothesis by analyzing spontaneous eye movements during mental arithmetic. Participants solved verbally presented arithmetic problems (e.g., 2 + 7, 8–3) aloud while looking at a blank screen. We found that eye movements reflected spatial biases in the ongoing mental operation: Gaze position shifted more upward when participants solved addition compared to subtraction problems, and the horizontal gaze position was partly determined by the magnitude of the operands. Interestingly, the difference between addition and subtraction trials was driven by the operator (plus vs. minus) but was not influenced by the computational process. Thus, our results do not support the idea of a mental movement toward the solution during arithmetic but indicate a semantic association between operation and space.

An in situ surface electrochemistry approach towards whole-cell studies: the structure and reactivity of a Geobacter sulfurreducens submonolayer on electrified metal/electrolyte interfaces

A direct electron transfer process between bacterial cells of electrogenic species Geobacter sulfurreducens (Gs) and electrified electrode surfaces was studied to exploit the reactivity of Gs submonolayers on gold and silver surfaces. A submonolayer of Gs was prepared and studied to explore specifically the heterogeneous electron transfer properties at the bacteria/electrode interface. In situ microscopic techniques characterised the morphology of the Gs submonolayers under the operating conditions. In addition, complementary in situ spectroscopic techniques that allowed us to access in situ molecular information of the Gs with high surface selectivity and sensitivity were employed. The results provided clear evidence that the outermost cytochrome C in Gs is responsible for the heterogeneous electron transfer, which is in direct contact with the metal electrode. Feasibility of single cell in situ studies under operating conditions was demonstrated where the combination of surface-electrochemical tools at the nano- and micro-scale with microbiological approaches can offer unique opportunities for the emerging field of electro-microbiology to explore processes and interactions between microorganisms and electrical devices.

When to Monitor CD4 Cell Count and HIV RNA to Reduce Mortality and AIDS-Defining Illness in Virologically Suppressed HIV-Positive Persons on Antiretroviral Therapy in High-Income Countries: A Prospective Observational Study.

OBJECTIVE To illustrate an approach to compare CD4 cell count and HIV-RNA monitoring strategies in HIV-positive individuals on antiretroviral therapy (ART). DESIGN Prospective studies of HIV-positive individuals in Europe and the USA in the HIV-CAUSAL Collaboration and The Center for AIDS Research Network of Integrated Clinical Systems. METHODS Antiretroviral-naive individuals who initiated ART and became virologically suppressed within 12 months were followed from the date of suppression. We compared 3 CD4 cell count and HIV-RNA monitoring strategies: once every (1) 3 ± 1 months, (2) 6 ± 1 months, and (3) 9-12 ± 1 months. We used inverse-probability weighted models to compare these strategies with respect to clinical, immunologic, and virologic outcomes. RESULTS In 39,029 eligible individuals, there were 265 deaths and 690 AIDS-defining illnesses or deaths. Compared with the 3-month strategy, the mortality hazard ratios (95% CIs) were 0.86 (0.42 to 1.78) for the 6 months and 0.82 (0.46 to 1.47) for the 9-12 month strategy. The respective 18-month risk ratios (95% CIs) of virologic failure (RNA >200) were 0.74 (0.46 to 1.19) and 2.35 (1.56 to 3.54) and 18-month mean CD4 differences (95% CIs) were -5.3 (-18.6 to 7.9) and -31.7 (-52.0 to -11.3). The estimates for the 2-year risk of AIDS-defining illness or death were similar across strategies. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that monitoring frequency of virologically suppressed individuals can be decreased from every 3 months to every 6, 9, or 12 months with respect to clinical outcomes. Because effects of different monitoring strategies could take years to materialize, longer follow-up is needed to fully evaluate this question.