Phase transition kinetics of superionic HO ice phases revealed by Megahertz X-ray free-electron laser-heating experiments.

HO transforms to two forms of superionic (SI) ice at high pressures and temperatures, which contain highly mobile protons within a solid oxygen sublattice. Yet the stability field of both phases remains debated. Here, we present the results of an ultrafast X-ray heating study utilizing MHz pulse trains produced by the European X-ray Free Electron Laser to create high temperature states of HO, which were probed using X-ray diffraction during dynamic cooling.

Land-use change from market responses to oil palm intensification in Indonesia.

Oil palm is a major driver of tropical deforestation. A key intervention proposed to reduce the footprint of oil palm is intensifying production to free up spare land for nature, yet the indirect land-use implications of intensification through market forces are poorly understood. We used a spatially explicit land-rent modeling framework to characterize the supply and demand of oil palm in Indonesia under multiple yield improvement and demand elasticity scenarios and explored how shifts in market equilibria alter projections of crop expansion.

A MHz X-ray diffraction set-up for dynamic compression experiments in the diamond anvil cell.

An experimental platform for dynamic diamond anvil cell (dDAC) research has been developed at the High Energy Density (HED) Instrument at the European X-ray Free Electron Laser (European XFEL). Advantage was taken of the high repetition rate of the European XFEL (up to 4.5 MHz) to collect pulse-resolved MHz X-ray diffraction data from samples as they are dynamically compressed at intermediate strain rates (≤10 s), where up to 352 diffraction images can be collected from a single pulse train.

A Medical Ethics Framework for Conversational Artificial Intelligence.

The launch of OpenAI's GPT-3 model in June 2020 began a new era for conversational chatbots. While there are chatbots that do not use artificial intelligence (AI), conversational chatbots integrate AI language models that allow for back-and-forth conversation between an AI system and a human user. GPT-3, since upgraded to GPT-4, harnesses a natural language processing technique called sentence embedding and allows for conversations with users that are more nuanced and realistic than before.

The WHO FCTC's lessons for addressing the commercial determinants of health.

The tobacco, alcohol, beverage, processed food, firearms, gambling, fossil fuel and mining industries, inter alia, are implicated in fostering negative commercial determinants of health. They do this by shaping our environments, tastes, knowledge and politics in favour of the unlimited consumption and unencumbered promotion of their deadly and dangerous products. To shift the determinants of health, emphasis should be put on preventing industry actors whose profit lies in harming health from wielding influence over the institutions and actors of global and national governance.

A case of neck abscess caused by rare hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae, capsular type K20 and sequence type 420.

Background: This case report describes a neck abscess caused by a strain of Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae in a middle aged man with diabetes without a history of travel to East and South East Asia. This case report is of notable significance as Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae neck abscesses are rarely seen in the UK and are very infrequently documented in individuals who have not first travelled to the high prevalence areas of East and South East Asia.

Case Presentation: This case report describes a 53 year old diabetic man who contracted a Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae neck abscess which led to the development of sepsis.

Novel experimental setup for megahertz X-ray diffraction in a diamond anvil cell at the High Energy Density (HED) instrument of the European X-ray Free-Electron Laser (EuXFEL).

The high-precision X-ray diffraction setup for work with diamond anvil cells (DACs) in interaction chamber 2 (IC2) of the High Energy Density instrument of the European X-ray Free-Electron Laser is described. This includes beamline optics, sample positioning and detector systems located in the multipurpose vacuum chamber. Concepts for pump-probe X-ray diffraction experiments in the DAC are described and their implementation demonstrated during the First User Community Assisted Commissioning experiment.

X-ray Free Electron Laser-Induced Synthesis of ε-Iron Nitride at High Pressures.

The ultrafast synthesis of ε-FeN in a diamond-anvil cell (DAC) from Fe and N under pressure was observed using serial exposures of an X-ray free electron laser (XFEL). When the sample at 5 GPa was irradiated by a pulse train separated by 443 ns, the estimated sample temperature at the delay time was above 1400 K, confirmed by transformation of α- to γ-iron. Ultimately, the Fe and N reacted uniformly throughout the beam path to form FeN, as deduced from its established equation of state (EOS).

Ayrshire and Arran coronary prevention programme--baseline risk factor survey.

Scotland has very high mortality rates for coronary heart disease in both men and women. The Ayrshire and Arran health Board Area is co-terminus with four local government districts which all have male coronary mortality rates above the Scottish average. A survey of lifestyle and coronary risk factors was conducted in these four districts in preparation for the launch of a Prevention Programme's 'Healthy Heart Campaign'.

Endemic Kaposi's sarcoma: incidence and risk factors in the West Nile District of Uganda.

Out of 72 Kaposi's sarcoma patients diagnosed between 1951 and March 1976 at Kuluva Hospital, West Nile District, Uganda, 64 with known co-ordinates were plotted on a map. Sixty-two of these were noted to live at an altitude of 853 metres or more (greater than or equal to 2,800 feet). Twenty-four patients were thought to be still alive and visits were made to their homes.

Electrical stimulation with Pt electrodes. VII. Dissolution of Pt electrodes during electrical stimulation of the cat cerebral cortex.

Procedures are described for determining trace quantities of Pt released into brain tissue directly beneath cortical surface stimulation electrodes. Implanted electrodes (1.1 mm Pt discs) were stimulated for 4.

Preparation of etched tantalum semimicro capacitor stimulation electrodes.

The ideal electrode for stimulation of the nervous system is one that will inject charge by purely capacitive processes. One approach is to exploit the type of metal-oxide combination used in electrolytic capacitors, e.g.

Electrical stimulation with Pt electrodes. V. The effect of protein on Pt dissolution.

The effect of protein on the charge-induced dissolution of Pt stimulation electrodes was studied in an in vitro system. Biphasic pulses (+/- 400 mA, +/- 400 microC cm-2 geom.) were applied to smooth Pt bead electrodes (surface area = 0.

Electrical stimulation with pt electrodes. IV. Factors influencing Pt dissolution in inorganic saline.

Trace analysis has shown that Pt electrodes can suffer appreciable dissolution when used to apply biphasic current pulses of the type used in neural stimulation. The dissolution occurs even under conditions where other irreversible faradaic reactions, e.g.

Changes in motochondrial calcium metabolism after treating mastocytoma cells with N6,O2'-dibutyryladenosine 3',5' cyclic monophosphate.

Comparison of Ca2+ uptake by isolated mouse liver mitochondria, and mitochondria prepared from mastocytoma cells grown with and without N6,O2'-dibutyryladenosine 3',5' cyclic monophosphate (DB cyclic AMP) and theophylline showed several differences in their capacity to take up and retain calcium. In particular mitochondria from DB cyclic AMP-treated mastocytoma cells took up more Ca2+ than mitochondria from untreated mastocytoma cells. Ca2+ uptake by mitochondria from DB cyclic AMP-treated cells was also increased in the presence of oxalate whereas oxalate did not affect Ca2+ uptake by mitochondria from untreated mastocytoma cells and it reduced Ca2+ uptake by mouse liver mitochrondria.

Antibody patterns to herpesviruses in Kaposi's sarcoma. II. Serological association of American Kaposi's sarcoma with cytomegalovirus.

The prominent finding of this extended serologic analysis on American and African Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) patients and appropriately matched control groups is the detection of a specific serologic association of cytomegalovirus (CMV) with American KS patients. All American KS sera contained CMV antibodies and their geometric mean titers (GMT) were significantly higher than those in sera of melanoma patients (GMT ratio k = 5.3 to 7.

Electrical stimulation with Pt electrodes: Trace analysis for dissolved platinum and other dissolved electrochemical products.

A conservative requirement for 'safe' electrical stimulation is the absence of chemical changes adjacent to the stimulating electrodes. In electrochemical terms, this means that charge transfer processes producing dissolved species must be avoided. With this restriction, the aim of this study has been to establish the maximum charge density that can be passed during each half of a biphasic stimulation pulse.

Twice weekly prophylactic therapy in haemophilia A.

Factor VIII-containing materials were administered to four severely affected haemophiliacs twice weekly in doses calculated to raise the factor VIII level to either 15% or 30% of average normal. The pooled results from those patients with statistically similar baseline bleeding frequencies showed a significant reduction in bleeding frequency on both doses in the first 48 hours. The 30% dose produced a more significant reduction than the 15% dose in the first 24 hours, but there was no significant difference between the two doses in the second 24 hours.

Active specific immunotherapy for ovarian cancer.

Ten patients with advanced or recurrent ovarian cancer were treated with a combination of chemotherapy and active specific immunotherapy after tumour stasis had been induced. They were inoculated with irradiated allogeneic cryopreserved tumour cells and B.C.

Improvement in lacrimal and salivary secretions after alkali therapy in Sjøgren's syndrome with renal tubular acidosis.

A patient with Sjøgren's syndrome developed renal tubular acidosis which led to systemic acidosis and potassium depletion. Treatment with Shohl's solution and potassium supplements was followed by subjective improvement in tear flow, salivary flow, and by disappearance of bronchitic symptoms. Detailed objective assessments were then made during the next year, twice on treatment and twice without.

Tumour associated immunity and immunocompetence in ovarian cancer.

Cell-free extracts of autologous ovarian cancer cells evoked a delayed hypersensitivity response (DHR) in skin in four out of six patients in remission from disease and none of seven patients in relapse. These initial results appear to be consistent with in vitro blastogenic assay using the same autologous extracts. To assess whether diminished tumour-associated immunity was due to impaired cell-mediated immunocompetence, blastogenic responses to purified protein derivative of tuberculin (PPD), a secondary recall antigen, and phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) were assessed.

Tumour-associated immune responses and isolated carcinoembryonic antigen and alpha feto-protein levels related to survival in ovarian cancer patients.

The presence of a tumour-associated immune response in 37 patients with ovarian cancer as assessed by blastogenesis (lymphocyte transformation) evoked by ovarian cancer cell extracts, has been correlated with survival following the test. The difference in these responses is unlikely to be accounted for on the basis of general impairment of cell-mediated immuno-competence. Serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was also determined in 27 ovarian cancer patients to assess its prognostic significance.