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Objectives Methods Results Conclusions Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited disorder that causes lifelong complications, substantially impacting the physical and emotional well‐being of patients and their caregivers. Studies investigating the effects of SCD on quality of life (QOL) are often limited to individual countries, lack SCD‐specific QOL questionnaires, and exclude the caregiver experience. The SHAPE survey aimed to broaden the understanding of the global burden of SCD on patients and their caregivers and to capture the viewpoint of healthcare providers (HCPs).A total of 919 patients, 207 caregivers, and 219 HCPs from 10, 9, and 8 countries, respectively, answered a series of closed‐ended questions about their experiences with SCD.The symptoms most frequently reported by patients were fatigue/tiredness (84%) and pain/vaso‐occlusive crises (71%). Patients' fatigue/tiredness had one of the greatest impacts on both patients' and caregivers' QOL. On average, patients and caregivers reported missing 7.5 days and 5.0 days per month, respectively, of school or work. HCPs reported a need for effective tools to treat fatigue/tiredness and a desire for more support to educate patients on long‐term SCD‐related health risks.The multifaceted challenges identified using the SHAPE survey highlight the global need to improve both patient and caregiver QOL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Megachile rotundata F. is the primary commercial pollinator for alfalfa seed production in North America. Managed M. rotundata populations are susceptible to several mortality factors including attack by parasitoids. One such parasitoid, Melittobia acasta Walker, is a multivoltine wasp whose infestations can decimate bee stocks. Details of M. acasta life history using M. rotundata as a host are needed to develop control strategies. Our objectives were (i) to describe the M. acasta life cycle using M. rotundata prepupae as hosts and (ii) to determine the M. acasta developmental base temperature and propose a degree-day model. First, 150–300 M. acasta adults were introduced to 60 M. rotundata prepupae (10–20 wasp females/4 bee prepupae) upon which they oviposited. Progeny development (at 30 °C) was monitored through adulthood. We identified 12 distinct phases of the M. acasta life cycle that were observed among samples over an average of 19.5 days. Second, vials each containing a M. rotundata prepupa with M. acasta eggs were positioned across a temperature gradient bar (2 vials per temperature). In repeated trials, wasp development was tracked from egg to adult where a mean development time for 30 °C was found to be 13 days. A linear regression analysis determined the lower developmental temperature threshold to be 8.55 °C. Application of this base temperature in a degree-day model revealed an average of 305.8-degree-day accumulation from egg to adult. These results provide a framework to assist bee managers in devising M. acasta control strategies and timing their implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melittobia acasta Walker is one among other hymenopterous parasitoids of Megachile rotundata F. Commercial M. rotundata populations are employed to pollinate North American alfalfa for seed production. This wasp can be prolific when using M. rotundata as a host and can reduce or destroy bee stocks. Hundreds of M. acasta female offspring can develop in a single M. rotundata cell and disperse to infest other cells, producing thousands of more parasitoids. In this study, we determined (i) upon what bee life stages M. acasta females choose to lay eggs and if those eggs ultimately become adults and (ii) M. acasta female longevity when exposed to various resources within M. rotundata cells. We found that M. acasta females lay eggs on M. rotundata prepupae and pupae and that those eggs can hatch and survive to adulthood. Eggs are not laid on early instar bee larvae; eggs laid on adults do not survive. Average female life span is 5 days without feeding, 8–9 days if a pollen–nectar provision is available while the bee develops through larval stages, and 34 days if the wasp can feed on prepupal hemolymph. Wasp females can emerge from bee cells several days after trays of cells are taken to fields. Therefore, adult females could survive long enough for new bee offspring to become prepupae. Our findings support a better understanding of host life stage preference and the longevity of M. acasta females that can inform the timing of the implementation of possible control measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water dissolution mechanism in silicate melts under high pressures is not well understood. Here we present the first direct structure investigation of a water-saturated albite melt to monitor the interactions between water and the network structure of silicate melt at the molecular level. In situ high-energy X-ray diffraction was carried out on the NaAlSi3O8-H2O system at 800 °C and 300 MPa, at the Advanced Photon Source synchrotron facility. The analysis of the X-ray diffraction data was augmented with classical Molecular Dynamics simulations of a hydrous albite melt, incorporating accurate water-based interactions. The results show that metal–oxygen bond breaking at the bridging sites occurs overwhelmingly at the Si site upon reaction with H2O, with subsequent Si–OH bond formation and negligible Al–OH formation. Furthermore, we see no evidence for the dissociation of the Al3+ ion from the network structure upon breaking of the Si–O bond in the hydrous albite melt. The results also indicate that the Na+ ion is an active participant in the modifications of the silicate network structure of the albite melt upon water dissolution at high P–T conditions. We do not find evidence for the Na+ ion dissociating from the network structure upon depolymerization and subsequent formation of NaOH complexes. Instead, our results show that the Na+ ion persists as a structure modifier with a shift away from Na–BO bonding to an increase in the extent of Na-NBO bonding, in parallel with pronounced depolymerization of the network. Our MD simulations show that the Si–O and Al–O bond lengths are expanded by about 6% in the hydrous albite melt compared to those of the dry melt at high P–T conditions. The changes in the network silicate structure of a hydrous albite melt at high pressure and temperature, as revealed in this study, must be considered in the advancement of water dissolution models of hydrous granitic (or alkali aluminosilicate) melts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In particular, diarrhoea occurred in 23% of patients receiving voxelotor 1500 mg in the HOPE trial, more than double the frequency observed with placebo (11%).19 Pro-active steps can be taken to reduce gastrointestinal-related side effects, such as recommending that patients take voxelotor at night with food and instructing patients to treat functionally significant diarrhoea with loperamide as a first supportive mitigation step. Case reports and post-hoc analyses stemming from clinical trial data have also contributed insights into the benefits patients are experiencing with voxelotor treatment. The impact of voxelotor treatment on leg ulcers in patients with sickle cell disease. [Extracted from the article]

Men with cystic fibrosis are nearly always infertile due to congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens, but can undergo assisted reproduction. Ill health may influence reproductive choices. This paper reports data on fertility and family formation in CF including the use of assisted reproduction in a total cohort of 205 men (mean age 30.9, range 16.6–64.3 years) studied over a 10-year period. Overall 102 (49.5%) were single, 52 (25.7%) were married, 48 (23.3%) were in long-term heterosexual relationships, and 3 (1.5%) were in same-sex relationships. One (0.5%) was fertile naturally. In total, 30 children were born to 23 (11%) men by assisted reproduction: 4 used donor sperm and 19 had sperm retrieval and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Two men each adopted two children; 15 (7.3%) men were acting as step-fathers to 20 children from their partners' previous relationships. Overall 41 (20%) men had fatherhood roles. ICSI was unsuccessful in 4 men. A further 16 men were referred for fertility treatment but did not proceed. Of the 19 men having children by ICSI, 3 died leaving 4 children. Men with CF face complex decisions when considering their relationships, fertility and fatherhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first title benzoyl amide, C17H20CINO5 (3a), crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/c with Z = 4 and the second, C19H24CINO5 (3b), also crystallizes in P21/c with Z = 8 (Z' = 2), thus there are two independent molecules in the asymmetric unit. In 3a, the phenyl ring makes a dihedral angle of 50.8 (3)° with the amide moiety with the C O group on the same side of the molecule as the C--Cl group. One methoxy group is almost in the plane of the benzene ring, while the ethoxy and other methoxy substituent are arranged on opposite sides of the ring with the ethoxy group occupying the same side of the ring as the C=O group in the amide moiety. For one of the two molecules in 3b, both the amide and 5,5-dimethyl-3-oxocyclohex-1-en-1-yl moieties are disordered over two sets of sites with occupancies of 0.551 (2)/0.449 (2) with the major difference between the two conformers being due to the conformation adopted by the cyclohex-2-en-1-one ring. The three molecules in 3b (i.e., the undisordered molecule and the two disorder components) differ in the arrangement of the subsituents on the phenyl ring and the conformation adopted by their 5,5-dimethyl-3-oxocyclohex-1-en-1-yl moieties. In the crystal of 3a, N--H…O hydrogen bonds link the molecules into a zigzag chain propagating in the [001] direction. For 3b a combination of C--H…O and N--H…O intermolecular interactions link the molecules into a zigzag ribbon propagating in the [001] direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past two decades have witnessed significant advances in the application of X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to the study of supercritical aqueous fluids. The data obtained usingin situXAS have provided insights into the stability and the structure of metal complexes that are fundamental to understanding natural and industrial hydrothermal processes. Important recent advances using XAS can be attributed to the use of new high temperature and pressure autoclaves designed specifically for the analysis of fluids at extreme temperatures and pressures, improved techniques for the acquisition of X-ray absorption spectra and molecular-level computational modelling used in association with XAS analysis. High-brilliance light sources have not only provided new opportunities for XAS investigations of supercritical fluids, but have also revealed the effects of beam-induced radiolysis of the same fluids. The advent of energy-dispersive and rapid-acquisition XAS holds promise for future studies of beam-induced radiolysis and of the kinetics associated with the formation of metal complexes in high-temperature fluids. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Diomignite (Li2B4O7) is discredited as a mineral species, and this discreditation has been approved by the International Mineralogical Association, Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification. Diomignite was originally reported to occur in virtually every crystal-rich inclusion in spodumene from the Tanco pegmatite in southeastern Manitoba, Canada. However, detailed study of 30 randomly selected crystal-rich inclusions in the purported type material deposited at the U.S. National Museum of Natural History, 30 inclusions in the purported type material from the American Museum of Natural History, and several hundred inclusions in self-collected samples reveals that diomignite is absent in every inclusion examined. Because no holotype specimen exists and no neotype sample was provided by the surviving authors of the original description, the presence of diomignite could not be validated. The evidence provided in the original description to the IMA in 1984 is shown to be insufficient to support the existence of diomignite as a mineral species. The previously reported boron-rich (12 mass% B2O3) composition of the melt represented as crystalrich inclusions in spodumene and petalite from the Tanco pegmatite was predicated on the assumption that diomignite is a common daughter mineral that occurs in most inclusions and that the inclusions are primary melt inclusions. The nonexistence of diomignite, and the absence of other borate daughter minerals, in these crystal-rich inclusions indicates that the boron content was greatly overestimated and so comparisons to experimentally generated boron-rich (>10 mass% B2O3) boundary-layer melts are unwarranted. Furthermore, the discreditation of diomignite negates the inferred role of a Li2B4O7- flux-rich melt in the generation of primary pegmatite textures and rare element oxide mineralization in the Tanco pegmatite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aluminum hydroxysulfate, AlSO4(OH), is postulated to play a vital role in controlling the solubility of aluminum in sulfate-rich acidic soils and ground waters, but it has not yet been confirmed in nature. This study reports the synthesis of an AlSO4(OH) crystal at 700 °C and ~1.0 GPa in a hydrothermal diamond-anvil cell from a mixture of 95% H2SO4 and Al2O3 powder and its structure determination from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. AlSO4(OH) is monoclinic with space group C2/c and unitcell parameters a = 7.1110(4), b = 7.0311(5), c = 7.0088(4) Å, b = 119.281(2)°, and V = 305.65(3) Å ³. Its crystal structure is characterized by kinked chains of corner-sharing AlO6 octahedra that run parallel to the c-axis. These chains are linked together by SO4 tetrahedra and hydrogen bonds, forming an octahedral-tetrahedral framework. Except for the numbers and positions of H atoms, AlSO4(OH) is isostructural with the kieserite-type minerals, a subgroup of the titanite group of minerals. A comparison of powder X-ray diffraction patterns indicates that our AlSO4(OH) is the same as that obtained by Shanks et al. (1981) through hydrolysis of Al2(SO4)3 solutions at temperatures above 310 °C. To date, AlSO4(OH) has been synthesized only at temperatures above 290 °C, implying that it may not stable in low-temperature environments, such as acidic soils and mine waters. The possible environments to find Al(OH)SO4 may include places where sulfur-rich magma-derived fluids react with aluminous rocks under elevated temperature and pressure, and on Venus where a sulfur-rich atmosphere interacts with surface rocks at temperatures above 400 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pressure in a series of Hydrothermal Diamond Anvil Cell (HDAC) experiments with water plus haplogranite was determined via in-situ observation of the alpha to beta quartz transformation in the range 130–900 MPa and 600–800 °C, by means of laser interferometry. The pressures measured at the alpha-beta quartz transformation temperature are found to be similar or less than the values estimated using the EOS of pure water (including the error) for runs where the transition temperature is ≤ 665 °C. On the contrary, at ~ 780 °C the pressure in the HDAC is ~ 100 MPa greater than that estimated using pure water isochore. A simplified model of haplogranite dissolution in water for an isochoric sample chamber is proposed to explain the negative sign and the variation of the observed discrepancy between measured and calculated pressure. We suggest that, beyond the change in the intrinsic properties of the fluid phase with increasing solute concentration, two factors control the P – T path in the HDAC: (1) hydration of the glass prior to the glass transition; and (2) changing volume of the aqueous pressure medium. The measurements made in this study demonstrate that laser interferometry on quartz inversion is an effective tool for precise pressure determination in HDAC experiments aimed at the investigation of physical and chemical properties of quartz-saturated hydrous melts in the mid and upper continental crust (i.e., P < 1 GPa). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In situhigh-energy X-ray diffraction measurements were made for the first time on a water-saturated silicate melt at high pressure and temperature. A modified hydrothermal diamond anvil cell (HDAC), designed to minimize the path length of the X-ray beam within a diamond anvil and to increase the solid angle of the diffracted beam, was used to reduce high background contributions and extend X-ray diffraction data collection inQspace. Quantitative differential pair distribution function (PDF) analysis of X-ray diffraction data show that the first measurable (Si–O) peak is 0.095 Å greater in length in the hydrous melt than in the starting glass. Contributions from the H2O O–O correlations, as well as from the second nearest neighbor O–O correlations within the silicate melt, are evident within the second peak of the differential PDF. The procedure described opens new opportunities to directly investigate volatile-rich melts at high pressure and temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The oxygen fugacity in Hydrothermal Diamond Anvil Cell (HDAC) experiments was determined by means of direct observation of the thermal reduction of molybdite or hematite in water and water–H2O2 solutions. HDAC experiments were conducted with and without rhenium gasket in order to evaluate the effect of rhenium on oxygen fugacity of the contained sample. In experiments where pure water and no Re gasket were used, i.e., when the sample charge is loaded into a laser-drilled recess in the lower anvil, the Log(fO2) was shown to be −19.55±0.13 over a wide range of temperature and pressure conditions (335–500°C, 15.0–136.3MPa — pressure determined using EOS of water by Wagner and Pruss, 2002), i.e., HM+8 to HM−0.5, at the limit temperatures. In contrast, in experiments where a Re gasket was used to contain the sample, the Log(fO2) is slightly more reducing (−20.60±0.04), e.g., equals to HM+6 at 350°C, but is significantly higher than that predicted at a given temperature using the Re–ReO2 buffer. Experiments with hydrogen peroxide showed a non-linear increase of oxygen fugacity with increasing molarity of H2O2 from 0.10 to 0.25M. Results indicate that the oxygen fugacity in water dominated HDAC runs is imposed by the fluid medium, and that hydrogen peroxide may be used to increase oxygen fugacity of water-dominated fluid media in HDAC experiments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Radiolysis-induced effects on aqueous tungsten ions are observed to form a precipitate within seconds upon exposure to a synchrotron X-ray micro-beam in a WO3 + H2O system at 873 K and 200 MPa. In situ Fe K-edge energy-dispersive X-ray absorption spectroscopy (ED-XAS) measurements were made on Fe(II)Cl2 aqueous solutions to 773 K in order to study the kinetics of high-temperature reactions of Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions with transient radiolysis species. The radiolytic reactions in a fluid sample within a hydrothermal diamond anvil cell result in oxidation of the Fe2+ ion at 573 K and reduction of Fe3+ at temperatures between 673 and 773 K and of the Fe2+ ion at 773 K. The edge-energy drift evident in the ED-XAS data directly reflects the kinetics of reactions resulting in oxidation and/or reduction of the Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions in the aqueous solutions at high temperatures. The oxidation and reduction trends are found to be highly consistent, making reliable determinations of reaction kinetics possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the implementation of an interprofessional patient record (IPPR) at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (STHFT). The IPPR was a two year project, commencing in May 2008, aimed at creating a single IPPR to which all staff contribute. Prior to the IPPR, records were profession specific with nursing, medical and therapy staff keeping separate ones. This paper describes the process for the project including the stakeholder engagement plan, the development of IPPR standards, the education and training programme and the key measures used to assess implementation. The staff survey and clinical audit data suggest that the IPPR was successfully implemented with many of the perceived benefits realised. The keys to success of this major change project were: time spent engaging clinical staff, board level support, the appointment of a dedicated project team and the involvement and support of many staff involved in patient records throughout STHFT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is a presentation of process New Thought. It is woven out of the raw material of my spirituality. It is a religion that combines: New Thought practices, including meditation, affirmation, visualization, consistent and persistent God-oriented attitudes toward life, for greater health, wealth, and happiness with a new, process-oriented understanding of the natures and relationships of God and ourselves. It is summed up with the expression "new every moment." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the development and zoning laws in Australia which run contrary to private and public interests of the broader community. It notes that development laws which tighten up the effective use of inner suburbs are the primary reason of the housing crisis in the country. It cites that zoning laws which divide the land into residential, commercial, and industrial categories prevent economic and social development as they hamper the establishment of businesses in domestic premises.

Abstract: Cathodoluminescence (CL) reveals red and blue colors within single, non-turbid albite (Ab98–99) grains from the Georgeville granite, Nova Scotia. A 720 nm X-ray excited optical luminescence (XEOL) peak characterizes red CL regions, while a 280 nm XEOL feature dominates blue CL regions. Synchrotron X-ray fluorescence results indicate that red CL and the 720 nm XEOL peak intensities relate to total Fe concentrations. The relationship between red CL and Fe content is confirmed by electron microprobe (EMPA) and laser ablation-inductively coupled mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The XEOL technique is used to exclude the Fe K-edge as the cause of red CL. X-ray absorption spectroscopy results indicate that Fe in both the red and blue CL regions is Fe3+, and that red CL activation may relate to the Si–Al order of the feldspar and to the distribution of Fe on tetrahedral sites. The CL textures, combined with EMPA and LA-ICPMS analyses, indicate that blue CL albite (Ab98) regions contain higher concentrations of Ca, Ti, Pb and rare earth elements, and were replaced, in part, by a more Fe-rich, trace element depleted albite (Ab99) which displays red CL. Complex diffraction contrasts and amorphous deposits identified in transmission electron microscope images suggest that aqueous fluids have reacted with both red and blue CL regions. Fluid inclusion homogenization temperatures of up to 430 °C provide a lower estimate of the fluid temperature. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Raman analysis of the vapor phase formed after heating pure water to near critical (355–374°C) temperatures in a hydrothermal diamond-anvil cell (HDAC) reveals the synthesis of abiogenic methane. This unexpected result demonstrates the chemical reactivity of diamond at relatively low temperatures. The rate of methane production from the reaction between water and diamond increases with increasing temperature and is enhanced by the presence of a metal gasket (Re, Ir, or Inconel) which is compressed between the diamond anvils to seal the aqueous sample. The minimum detection limit for methane using Raman spectroscopy was determined to be ca. 0.047MPa, indicating that more than 1.4 nanograms (or 8.6×10−11 mol) of methane were produced in the HDAC at 355°C and 30MPa over a period of ten minutes. At temperatures of 650°C and greater, hydrogen and carbon dioxide were detected in addition to methane. The production of abiogenic methane, observed in all HDAC experiments where a gasket was used, necessitates a reexamination of the assumed chemical systems and intensive parameters reported in previous hydrothermal investigations employing diamonds. The results also demonstrate the need to minimize or eliminate the production of methane and other carbonic species in experiments by containing the sample within a HDAC without using a metal gasket. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A series of X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) experiments were made to determine the structure and stability of aqueous REE (La, Nd, Gd, and Yb) chloride complexes to 500 °C and 520 MPa. The REE3+ ions exhibit inner-sphere chloroaqua complexation with a steady increase of chloride coordination with increasing temperature in the 150 to 500 °C range. Furthermore, the degree of chloride coordination of REE3+ inner-sphere chloroaqua complexes decreases significantly from light to heavy REE. These results indicate that steric hindrance drives the reduction of chloride coordination of REE3+ inner-sphere chloroaqua complexes from light to heavy REE. This results in greater stability and preferential transport of light REE3+ over heavy REE3+ ions in saline hydrothermal fluids. Accordingly, the preferential mobility of light REE directly influences the relative abundance of REE in rocks and minerals and thus needs to be considered in geochemical modeling of petrogenetic and ore-forming processes affected by chloride-bearing hydrothermal fluids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Sickle cell disease (SCD) patients have unique transfusion considerations during bone marrow transplantation (BMT), including prophylaxis against stroke and alloimmunization. Characterization of transfusion requirements is important for blood bank and clinician patient management. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of red blood cell (RBC) and platelet (PLT) transfusion of SCD patients during myeloablative matched sibling donor (MSD) BMT at one institution from 1993 to 2007 was performed. Patient characteristics (RBC blood group antibodies, ABO-incompatible donor, BMT-related morbidity) and transfusion practices (RBC phenotype matching, transfusion threshold, and blood age) were assessed for effect on total RBC transfusion volumes. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients received MSD BMT with 96% survival and 0% rejection. Six alloimmunized patients received RBCs with extended phenotype matching (C, c, E, e, K, Fya, Jkb), 14 nonalloimmunized received limited matching (C, c, E, e, K), and 7 did not have phenotype matching. Among 26 survivors, a median seven RBC transfusions (range, 3-15) and 13.5 PLT transfusions (range, 4-48) per patient were administered, equivalent to 64 mL/kg RBCs (range, 22-122 mL/kg) and 106 mL/kg PLTs (range, 26-343 mL/kg). BMT-related morbidity predicted increased RBC transfusions (p = 0.006). Venoocclusive disease was associated with greater RBC (p = 0.016) and PLT transfusion volumes (p = 0.016). Greater phenotype matching was associated with decreased RBC transfusions (p = 0.0247). CONCLUSIONS: SCD patients have high transfusion support during MSD BMT. Communication of BMT complications to the blood bank is essential for transfusion inventory management. Phenotype matching decreased RBC transfusions in this cohort and warrants further investigation in SCD transfusion therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is characterized by decreased platelet numbers secondary to platelet destruction and reduced platelet production. Even if the ITP persists, it typically responds to ‘ITP-specific’ therapies, such as intravenous immunoglobulin, steroids, intravenous anti-D, and splenectomy. Several reports, including our previous study, have implicated cytomegalovirus (CMV) in the pathogenesis of infrequent cases of ITP that were not severe in nature. A recent study from China suggested that CMV is the aetiology of some cases of acute ITP of childhood and may require different treatment. We report two adult and two paediatric patients with refractory, severe, symptomatic thrombocytopenia, who were diagnosed with ITP and found to have active CMV infection. Their presentations included fever, transaminitis, neutropenia, and atypical lymphocytosis, but in particular, treatment-refractory, severe ITP. Treatment with steroids appeared to worsen the CMV-ITP. All four cases showed improvement in platelet counts within two weeks of starting ganciclovir and cytogam and tapering steroids. Based on the four patients described here, we believe that, in certain cases, CMV infection will result in symptomatic, severe, refractory ITP, which may be indistinguishable from typical ITP. Eradication of CMV with antiviral therapy improved the ITP in these cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) measurements were made at the Nd L 3-edge on neodymium(III) aqua and chloroaqua complexes in low pH aqueous solutions from 25 to 500 °C and up to 520 MPa. Analysis of the extended X-ray absorption fine structure of the XAS spectra measured from a 0.07 m Nd/0.16 m HNO3 aqueous solution reveals a contraction of the Nd-O distance of the Nd3+ aqua ion at a uniform rate of ~0.013 Å/100 °C and a uniform reduction of the number of coordinated H2O molecules from 10.0±0.9 to 7.4±0.9 over the range from 25 to 500 °C and up to 370 MPa. The rate of reduction of the first-shell water molecules with temperature for Nd3+ (26%) is intermediate between the rate for the Gd3+ aqua ion (22% from 25 to 500 °C) and the rates for the Eu3+ (29% from 25 to 400 °C) and the Yb3+ aqua ions (42% from 25 to 500 °C) indicating an intermediate stability of the Nd3+ aqua ion consistent with the tetrad effect. Nd L 3-edge XAS measurements of 0.05 m NdCl3 aqueous solution at 25 to 500 °C and up to 520 MPa show that stepwise inner-sphere complexes most likely of the type Nd(H2O) δ − n Cl n +3− n occur in the solution at elevated temperatures, where δ ≈9 at 150 °C decreasing to ~6 at 500 °C and the number of chloride ions (n) of the chloroaqua complexes increases uniformly with temperature from 1.2±0.2 to 2.0±0.2 in the solution upon increase of temperature from 150 to 500 °C. Conversely, the number of H2O ligands of Nd(H2O) δ − n Cl n +3− n complexes is uniformly reduced with temperature from 7.5±0.8 to 3.7±0.3 in the aqueous solution, in the same temperature range. These data show greater stability of neodymium(III) than gadolinium(III) and ytterbium(III) chloride complexes in low pH aqueous solutions at elevated temperatures. Our data suggest a greater stability of aqueous light REE than that of heavy REE chloride complexes in low pH fluids at elevated temperatures consistent with REE analysis of fluids from deep-sea hydrothermal vents. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Cytochrome P450s (CYPs) are key enzymes of Phase I metabolism of xenobiotics and endobiotics in the liver, and many hepatic CYPs are inducible by xenobiotics. A striking example of inducible CYPs is furnished by the CYP2B proteins in rat and mouse liver, which are strongly induced by phenobarbital (PB). A 163-bp Sau3AI fragment in the CYP2B2 5' flank confers PB inducibility on reporter genes in primary rat hepatocytes and has the properties of a transcriptional enhancer. This fragment is referred to as the PB response unit (PBRU). The purpose of this review is to summarize present understanding of the molecular mechanism whereby the PBRU confers PB responsiveness, and to examine what remains to be learned concerning the induction of CYP2B proteins (chiefly in rodents, but also in humans) by PB and PB-like inducers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bridges and Foundations Project on Urban Aboriginal Housing, a Community-University Research Alliance (CURA) project financed primarily by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), has been operational in Saskatoon since early 2001. During these past 5 years over 50 specific research projects, community surveys, graduate theses, workshops, conferences, seminars and other meetings have been conducted under the auspices of the Bridges and Foundations Project as a whole. This paper first discusses the various social indicators employed in seven surveys, which probed deeply into the views of local Aboriginal residents of their quality of life, particularly their living conditions and affordable housing. The paper focuses less on the vast amount of data gathered from some 2,000 residents than on the relevance of social indicators used in these surveys—for example which were most or least informative, and which were of most or least interest and pertinence to the residents themselves. In the process it would seem pertinent to discern which of various research approaches seemed, in retrospect, to have been most appropriate, informative and beneficial. The paper then proceeds to place our experience in the Bridges and Foundations Project within a broader theoretical discussion of social indicator development; and concludes with a brief commentary on the linkages between theory and research and between academic and community-based research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A modified hydrothermal diamond anvil cell (HDAC) rail assembly has been constructed for making synchrotron x-ray absorption spectroscopy, x-ray fluorescence, and x-ray mapping measurements on fluids or solid phases in contact with hydrothermal fluids up to ∼900 °C and 700 MPa. The diamond anvils of the HDAC are modified by laser milling grooves or holes, for the reduction of attenuation of incident and fluorescent x rays and sample cavities. The modified HDAC rail assembly has flexibility in design for measurement of light elements at low concentrations or heavy elements at trace levels in the sample and the capability to probe minute individual phases of a multiphase fluid-based system using focused x-ray microbeam. The supporting rail allows for uniform translation of the HDAC, rotation and tilt stages, and a focusing mirror, which is used to illuminate the sample for visual observation using a microscope, relative to the direction of the incident x-ray beam. A structure study of Eu(III) aqua ion behavior in high-temperature aqueous solutions and a study of Nb partitioning and coordination in a silicate melt in contact with a hydrothermal fluid are described as applications utilizing the modified HDAC rail assembly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Synchrotron X-ray spectroscopy experiments were made on the Gd(III) aqua and chloro complexes in low pH aqueous solutions at temperatures ranging from 25 to 500 °C and at pressures up to 480 MPa using a hydrothermal diamond anvil cell. Analysis of fluorescence Gd L3-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectra measured from a 0.006m Gd/0.16m HNO3 aqueous solution at temperatures up to 500 °C and at pressures up to 260 MPa shows that the Gd–O distance of the Gd3+ aqua ion decreases steadily at a rate of ∼0.007 Å/100 °C whereas the number of coordinated H2O molecules decreases from 9.0±0.5 to 7.0±0.4. The loss of water molecules in the Gd3+ aqua ion inner hydration shell over this temperature range (a 22% reduction) is smaller than exhibited by the Yb3+ aqua ion (42% reduction) indicating that the former is significantly more stable than the later. We conjecture that the anomalous enrichment of Gd reported from measurement of REE concentrations in ocean waters may be attributed to the enhanced stability of the Gd3+ aqua ion relative to other REEs. Gd L3-edge XAFS measurements of 0.006m and 0.1m GdCl3 aqueous solutions at temperatures up to 500 °C and pressures up to 480 MPa reveal that the onset of significant Gd3+–Cl− association occurs around 300 °C. Partially-hydrated stepwise inner-sphere complexes most likely of the type Gd(H2O) δ−n Cl n +3−n occur in the chloride solutions at higher temperatures, where δ ≈8 at 300 °C decreasing slightly to an intermediate value between 7 and 8 upon approaching 500 °C. This is the first direct evidence for the occurrence of partially-hydrated REE Gd (this study) and Yb [Mayanovic, R.A., Jayanetti, S., Anderson, A.J., Bassett, W.A., Chou, I-M., 2002a. The structure of Yb3+ aquo ion and chloro complexes in aqueous solutions at up to 500 °C and 270 MPa. J. Phys. Chem. A 106, 6591–6599.] chloro complexes in hydrothermal solutions. The number of chlorides (n) of the partially-hydrated Gd(III) chloro complexes increases steadily with temperature from 0.4±0.2 to 1.7±0.3 in the 0.006m chloride solution and from 0.9±0.7 to 1.8±0.7 in the 0.1m GdCl3 aqueous solution in the 300–500 °C range. Conversely, the number of H2O ligands of Gd(H2O) δ−n Cl n +3−n complexes decreases steadily from 8.9±0.4 to 5.8±0.7 in the 0.006m GdCl3 aqueous solution and from 9.0±0.5 to 5.3±1.0 in the 0.1m GdCl3 aqueous solution at temperatures from 25 to 500 °C. Analysis of our results shows that the chloride ions partially displace the inner-shell water molecules during Gd(III) complex formation under hydrothermal conditions. The Gd–OH2 bond of the partially-hydrated Gd(III) chloro complexes exhibits slightly smaller rates of length contraction (∼0.005 Å/100 °C) for both solutions. The structural aspects of chloride speciation of Gd(III) as measured from this study and of Yb(III) as measured from our previous experiments are consistent with the solubility of these and other REE in deep-sea hydrothermal fluids. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Structure–activity relationship studies were employed to synthesize a series of 3- and 3,4-substituted benzamides from 3-amino-2-cyclohexenones. An improved method for the synthesis of benzamides from 3-amino-2-cyclohexenones is presented which provided significantly higher yields (71–79%) for the reported compounds. NMR and X-ray structural analyses were undertaken to note the possible intra- and intermolecular interactions of the synthesized analogs. Molecular modeling studies were used to determine the minimized configuration and were compared to their X-ray structures for correlation. These new entities were evaluated as potential anticonvulsants and type IV phosphodiesterase inhibitors (PDE4). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article assesses the possible consequences of the judicial activists' push for a Bill of Rights in Australia. The author believes that the major aim of judicial activists is to reform the judicial appointment process. Through a Bill of Rights, the selection of judges could result in direct elections just like in some jurisdictions in the United States. He also explains the implications of the Bill of Rights for the Australian political culture.

Abstract: In October of 2001, global positioning system (GPS) – based vehicle tracking systems (VTS) were placed on 20 vehicles involved in an 8-day field training exercise at Yakima Training Center, Washington. Based on the GPS data, an analysis of the potential for identifying new roads was conducted. Analysis of vehicle use patterns within selected 25-m grids was utilized to identify new formed or previously unidentified roads in the training area. The factors used to determine the existence of these new roads were (1) if a vehicle actually passed through the grid, (2) the number of vehicles following the same trail segment, (3) if the vehicles passed on different days, (4) if the vehicles were in different troops, and (5) if the vehicles traveled in both directions. A site visit was conducted and confirmed the existence of new roads along segments that met all five criteria levels. Military road class 4 and 5 roads were identified at sites meeting all five criteria. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We assessed short-term impacts of changes in military training load on vegetative cover at Fort Hood, TX. From 1989 to 1995, permanent field transects were monitored for vegetative cover and land use disturbance using standard army monitoring methods [Land Condition Trend Analysis (LCTA)]. Land use intensity (training load) was quantified and used to develop a model to predict future vegetation cover values. We found that standard Army monitoring methods detected changes in installation resources associated with changes in training load. Increased training loads were associated with increased measures of disturbance, decreased ground cover, and decreased aerial vegetative cover. We found that the spatial pattern of disturbance and vegetation cover remained relatively constant over the study period despite large variations in overall training load. Our model used the consistency in spatial cover patterns over time and the strong relationship between training load and vegetation cover to predict the impact of future training loads on vegetation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The American Society of Agronomy A-2 Division, Military Land Use and Management, and the International Society for Terrain-Vehicle Systems cosponsored a symposium titled “Assessing the Impacts of Military Vehicle Traffic on Natural Areas”. The symposium was held in Denver, CO on 4 November 2003. The objectives of this symposium were to characterize the types of environmental impacts associated with off-road vehicle use at varying spatial scales, to characterize common study approaches used to quantify vehicle impacts, and to identify knowledge gaps that limit the use of study results in decision-making. A series of papers originating from the symposium characterize the range of impact studies frequently conducted on military installations and the application of study results to typical land management, decision-making processes. This paper summarizes the relationships between these studies, integrates the studies into a larger impact analysis framework, and identifies knowledge gaps that limit application of study results in decision-making processes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Presents a study that investigated the hydration structure of lanthanum (La) ion in aqueous nitrate solutions in a hydrothermal diamond anvil cell. Use of X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) technique; Analysis of XAFS data; Comparison of results with previous studies of La hydration at room temperature.

Building on recent work outlining various theoretical approaches to ethnic identification and diasporas, in this article I attempt to evaluate the utility of these approaches in understanding the complexity of ethnicity at the advent of the new millennium. Theoretical approaches discussed include assimilation theory, primordialism, circumstantialism, constructionism, various reinterpretations of the "new ethnicity" or "symbolic ethnicity" and types of diaspora ethnicities. I adopt the relativistic view that some utility may be found in virtually all these approaches, not the least in understanding ethnic conflict. Yet, it is crucial to be cognizant of the fast-emerging emphasis in the social sciences on postmodernist impressions of how diasporas, transnationalism, and globalization have been affecting-and will increasingly influence-the trend toward complex multiethnicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

p53 has been postulated to be the guardian of the genome. However, results supporting the prediction that point mutation frequencies are elevated in p53-deficient cells either have not been forthcoming or have been equivocal. To analyse the effect of p53 on point mutation frequency, we used the supF gene of the pYZ289 shuttle vector as a mutagenic target. pYZ289 was treated in vitro by ultraviolet irradiation, aflatoxin B1, (±)7,8-dihydroxy-9,10-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene and meta-chloroperoxybenzoic acid and then transfected into p53-deficient cells with or without a p53 expression vector. p53 reduced the mutant frequency up to fivefold when pYZ289 was treated with aflatoxin B1, (±)7,8-dihydroxy-9,10-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene or meta-chloroperoxybenzoic acid but not when it was ultraviolet-irradiated. The p53-dependent mutation frequency reduction was higher at a higher level of premutational lesions for aflatoxin B1 and (±)7,8-dihydroxy-9,10-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene and at a lower level of lesions for meta-chloroperoxybenzoic acid. This suggests that the chemical mutagens produce, in a dose-dependent fashion, two kinds of DNA damage, one subject to p53-dependent mutation frequency reduction and the other not. These results indicate that p53 can reduce the point mutation frequency in a shuttle vector treated by chemical mutagens and suggest that p53 can act as guardian of the genome for at least some kinds of point mutations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes an adaptation of the spindle stage for geometric analysis of fluid inclusions. Three-dimensional observation of fluid inclusions; Fluid inclusion phase ratios; Paleo-fracture analysis; Quantitative microanalysis; Evaluation of decrepitation behavior.

Presents a study on organic-walled fossils, such as graptolites and Chitinozoa. Methodology employed in this study; Use of infrared video microscopy (IVM) to provide real-time images of the three-dimensional form and internal structure of many specimens that are opaque to visible light; Results of study.

This article presents a set of technical and instructional strategies for the effective implementation of desktop video-assisted teaching and learning. It is noted that further advances in desktop video technology are likely to herald new application possibilities.

A hydrothermal diamond anvil cell (HDAC) was used to observe the microthermometricbehavior of solid + liquid + vapor inclusions in spodumene under confining pressure. At25˚ C most spodumene-hosted inclusions contain a carbonate mineral (zabuyelite,rarely calcite or nahcolite), SiO2 (quartz and or cristobalite), a lithium-bearingphyllosilicate (cookeite), and an aqueous fluid and carbonic phase. Dissolution of inclusionsolids at high temperatures and the simultaneous growth of new spodumene on theinclusion walls resulted in a reduction of inclusion volume by up to 30%. Aftercooling to room temperature, the homogenized inclusions contained only aqueousfluid and a carbonic phase. In contrast, inclusions that failed to homogenize due toleakage or insufficient heating contained glass or partially dissolved minerals whenquenched. The volume of spodumene formed on the walls of the inclusion, as measured from thedifference in inclusion size before and after heating, was used to calculate the volume ofzabuyelite, cristobalite and cookeite produced by the reaction: 5LiAlSi2O6 + 4H2O + 2CO2 = 2Li2CO3 + 7SiO2 + LiAl4(Si3Al)O10(OH)8 The relative volumes of the calculated reaction products are in close agreement theproportion of daughter minerals in the inclusions prior to heating. The absence of glass in thequenched homogenized inclusions shows that their contents do not represent theproducts of an entrapped hydrous silicate melt. Furthermore, changes in volumeduring heating indicate reequilibration with the host mineral making these inclusionsunsuitable for temperature and pressure estimation of spodumene crystallization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Critical aspects of the crystallization dynamics of H2O-saturated melts of a typical granitic composition as well as granitic melts enriched in lithium (8800 ppm) were investigated in real-time experiments using the hydrothermal diamond anvil cell at 480-700 °C and 220-960 MPa. Complete crystallization of the charges was achieved within 5-118 h with average crystal growth rates ranging from 3 to 41 cm/year for quartz and from 18 to 58 cm/year for alkali feldspars, demonstrating that crystals formed from a silicate melt in the presence of a coexisting aqueous phase crystallize rapidly. The combination of substantial nucleation delays, low nucleation densities, and rapid growth rates for quartz and alkali feldspars led to the formation of euhedral megacrysts of these minerals in the vicinity of clusters comprised of much smaller muscovite or α-spodumene crystals. Subsolidus replacement processes initiated during crystal-fluid interactions after the silicate melt was consumed were directly observed in the experiments. The experimental results underscore the important role of water as a medium for the transport of essential elements such as Si, Al, Na, and K from the silicate melt to the newly formed crystals, and provide important insights into the crystallization of miarolitic pegmatites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]