In Situ Observation of Nonpolar to Strongly Polar Atom-Ion Collision Dynamics.

The onset of collision dynamics between an ion and a Rydberg atom is studied in a regime characterized by a multitude of collision channels. These channels arise from coupling between a nonpolar Rydberg state and numerous highly polar Stark states. The interaction potentials formed by the polar Stark states show a substantial difference in spatial gradient compared to the nonpolar state leading to a separation of collisional timescales, which is observed in situ.

Effects of vegetation on methylmercury concentrations and loads in a mercury contaminated floodplain.

The Yolo Bypass (YB) is a large flood conveyance system designed to protect the city of Sacramento, California, USA from flooding when the Sacramento River approaches flood stage. The Sacramento River watershed and YB are a source of methylmercury (MeHg) to downstream habitat as a result of historic mercury (Hg) and gold mining practices. In the dry season, the YB is extensively farmed and grazed.

In Situ Observations of Phase Transitions in Metastable Nickel (Carbide)/Carbon Nanocomposites.

Nanocomposite thin films comprised of metastable metal carbides in a carbon matrix have a wide variety of applications ranging from hard coatings to magnetics and energy storage and conversion. While their deposition using nonequilibrium techniques is established, the understanding of the dynamic evolution of such metastable nanocomposites under thermal equilibrium conditions at elevated temperatures during processing and during device operation remains limited. Here, we investigate sputter-deposited nanocomposites of metastable nickel carbide (NiC) nanocrystals in an amorphous carbon (a-C) matrix thermal postdeposition processing via complementary in situ X-ray diffractometry, in situ Raman spectroscopy, and in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

Nano-optical single-photon response mapping of waveguide integrated molybdenum silicide (MoSi) superconducting nanowires.

We present low temperature nano-optical characterization of a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) waveguide integrated SNSPD. The SNSPD is fabricated from an amorphous MoSi thin film chosen to give excellent substrate conformity. At 350 mK, the SNSPD exhibits a uniform photoresponse under perpendicular illumination, corresponding to a maximum system detection efficiency of approximately 5% at 1550 nm wavelength.

Contemporary issues in the training of UK health and social care professionals--Looking after people with a learning disability.

The health and social care of people labelled with 'learning disability' has historically been a disputed territory for those individuals working within the nursing and allied health professions. In recent times this situation has seen public debate as instances of poor care and avoidable deaths have received a high profile in the popular and professional presses. Here we report on a local initiative where students can study for a joint honours award which allows them to practise as a generic social worker and a learning disability nurse.

Who does workforce planning well? Workforce review team rapid review summary.

Purpose: This paper sets out to disseminate new knowledge about workforce planning, a crucial health sector issue. The Health Select Committee criticised NHS England's failure to develop and apply effective workforce planning. The Workforce Review Team (WRT) commissioned the Institute for Employment Research, Warwick University, to undertake a "rapid review" of global literature to identify good practice.

A modified technique for measurement of nasal transepithelial potential difference in infants.

Objective: To establish a method for measuring nasal transepithelial potential difference (PD) in infants.

Study Design: A modified infant method (smaller catheter size, reduced flow rates, and shorter protocol time) was compared with an established adult nasal PD method in 10 adult volunteers (4 with cystic fibrosis [CF]). Nasal PD was measured in 13 infants with a possible diagnosis of CF.

Quantitation and localization of ENaC subunit expression in fetal, newborn, and adult mouse lung.

The newborn lung is cleared of fetal liquid by active Na+ transport. The heterotrimeric (alpha, beta, gamma) epithelial Na+ channel, ENaC, mediates this process. To understand the role of individual ENaC subunits in Na+ transport during development, we quantified murine ENaC (mENaC) subunit messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels of fetal, neonatal, and adult mouse lung by Northern blot analysis and studied regional expression by in situ hybridization.

Effectiveness of home versus hospital care in the routine treatment of cystic fibrosis.

Many cystic fibrosis patients with Pseudomonas lung infections receive intravenous (IV) antibiotics and chest physiotherapy (CPT) at home. Previous studies have suggested that home care, in the setting of a clinical study, is as efficacious as hospital care. This report compares the outcomes of home care with minimal supervision to outcomes of hospital care.

A study of the heterogeneity of bacterial fluctuation-test data and the effects of auxotrophic-growth enhancement.

Microtitre fluctuation tests using Salmonella typhimurium TA100 and TA98 and Escherichia coli WP2uvrApKM101 were performed to determine the heterogeneity of spontaneous mutagenicity data and how this affects interpretation of results. Assays were performed in the absence and presence of additional amino acids to simulate the effects of the auxotrophic growth enhancement characteristic of tests of complex biological mixtures. The results indicate that the heterogeneity of the data did not depart significantly from that expected from binomial theory and that two criteria must be satisfied in order to define a positive result: (i) a net increase which significantly exceeds the background mutation and which takes account of its heterogeneity; and (ii) a statistically significant dose response.

The bacterial mutagenicity of synthetic all-trans fecapentaene-12 changes when assayed under anaerobic conditions.

Fecapentaenes are potent mutagens produced in the anaerobic environment of the human colon. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of anaerobic conditions on the bacterial mutagenicity of all-trans fecapentaene-12, a synthetic fecapentaene. Fecapentaene-12 was tested aerobically and anaerobically at doses from 0.

A forward mutation assay using ampicillin-resistance in Escherichia coli designed for investigating the mutagenicity of biological samples.

The development of a bacterial mutation assay using forward mutation to ampicillin-resistance is described. It is a technically simple assay using Escherichia coli D494uvrB transformed with a multi-copy mutator plasmid pGW1700. Mutation is detected by an increase in the frequency of ampicillin-resistant colonies following treatment of bacteria with the test material during logarithmic growth.

Lack of mutagenic activity of bile acids in bacterial fluctuation tests.

3 bile acids (cholic acid, chenodeoxycholic acid and deoxycholic acid) were assayed for mutagenicity in Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100 in fluctuation tests in the absence of an external source of metabolic activation. At the doses tested, there were no dose-related statistically significant increases in mutagenicity compared with appropriate controls. These results do not support the claim (Watabe, J.

Pilot study of the effect of diet on the mutagenicity of human faeces.

A healthy non-smoking man, consuming a normal 'western' diet (meat, vegetables, bread and alcohol) collected five consecutive complete bowel movements. He then added an extra 150 g of fat (from butter, cheese, milk, chocolate, peanuts, bacon and eggs) to his daily diet for 2 weeks, and collected four further consecutive bowel movements in the second week. After 6 months on his normal diet, he added 30 g of wheat bran to his daily diet for 3 weeks, and collected four complete stool samples in the third week.

Testing human faecal extracts for genotoxic activity with the SOS Chromotest: the importance of controlling for faecal enzyme activity.

Two aqueous extracts of human faeces were prepared from a healthy male donor and assayed in the SOS Chromotest. Both extracts were positive in microtitre fluctuation tests in Salmonella typhimurium TA100 and Escherichia coli WP2uvrA(pKM101). Differences were observed in the induction factors of these samples when p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside (p-NPG) and o-nitrophenyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside (o-NPG) were used as substrates for the beta-galactosidase assay in the SOS Chromotest.

Further studies on the detection of mutagenic and genotoxic activity in human faeces: aerobic and anaerobic fluctuation tests with S. typhimurium and E. coli, and the SOS Chromotest.

The product of six complete bowel movements were collected from one man (consuming a normal western diet) over a period of 5 months. Aqueous faecal extracts were prepared (0.75 g wet wt.

Kingella (Moraxella) kingae infections in children.

Kingella (Moraxella) kingae occasionally colonizes the nasopharynx and rarely causes serious infections. Three children with K kingae infections treated over a two-month period were studied. Epidemiologic investigation concluded that infection was community acquired, not pseudoinfection or nosocomial infection.

The development of anaerobic methods for bacterial mutation assays: aerobic and anaerobic fluctuation tests of human faecal extracts and reference mutagens.

Methods for performing microtitre fluctuation tests in an anaerobic enclosure have been devised in order to study the mutagenic activity of human faecal extracts under conditions of strict anaerobiosis. Under these conditions (monitored by growth of obligate anaerobes), two mutagens (4-chloromethylbiphenyl (4CMB) and potassium dichromate) were reproducibly mutagenic to Salmonella typhimurium TA 100 and Escherichia coli WP2uvrA(pKM101), respectively. We investigated the mutagenicity of aqueous extracts of faeces, prepared aerobically and anaerobically, collected from a single donor.

The role of imaging modalities in diagnosis and management of pyomyositis.

A case of tropical pyomyositis in a temperate climate is reported and 29 more cases are reviewed from the literature. Because of its rarity and deceiving clinical presentation, the disorder may go unrecognized for weeks in nontropical regions. The role of various imaging modalities in timely and accurate diagnosis and nonsurgical management of this disorder is discussed.

UKEMS trial: bacterial mutation tests of 4-chloromethylbiphenyl, 4-hydroxymethylbiphenyl, and benzyl chloride, using E. coli WP2uvrA(pKM101) and S. typhimurium TA98 and TA100.

4CMB, 4HMB and BC were assayed in plate tests, using E. coli WP2urvA(pKM101), and S. typhimurium TA98 and TA100, in the presence or absence of microsomal activation.