Exploring the cultural effects of gender on perceptions of cutaneous leishmaniasis: a systematic literature review.

Background: More than one million people each year become infected by parasites that cause the disease cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). This disease manifests as one or more skin lesions or ulcers that are slow to heal with variable response rates to drug treatments. Thus far, little attention has been paid to how the cultural effects of gender shape perceptions and experiences of CL.

Negotiating agency and belonging during the first lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic: an interview study among older adults in England, UK.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the agency of older adults and their strategies to restructure ways of being and belonging in a rapidly and radically changed social environment during the UK's first COVID-19 lockdown in Spring 2020.

Design: Qualitative study consisting of semi-structured interviews. Findings were derived from a thematic analysis of interview transcripts.

Ultrafast Self-Assembly of Sub-10 nm Block Copolymer Nanostructures by Solvent-Free High-Temperature Laser Annealing.

Laser spike annealing was applied to PS-b-PDMS diblock copolymers to induce short-time (millisecond time scale), high-temperature (300 to 700 °C) microphase segregation and directed self-assembly of sub-10 nm features. Conditions were identified that enabled uniform microphase separation in the time frame of tens of milliseconds. Microphase ordering improved with increased temperature and annealing time, whereas phase separation contrast was lost for very short annealing times at high temperature.

Model Amphiphilic Block Copolymers with Tailored Molecular Weight and Composition in PDMS-Based Films to Limit Soft Biofouling.

A set of controlled surface composition films was produced utilizing amphiphilic block copolymers dispersed in a cross-linked poly(dimethylsiloxane) network. These block copolymers contained oligo(ethylene glycol) (PEGMA) and fluoroalkyl (AF6) side chains in selected ratios and molecular weights to control surface chemistry including antifouling and fouling-release performance. Such properties were assessed by carrying out assays using two algae, the green macroalga Ulva linza (favors attachment to polar surfaces) and the unicellular diatom Navicula incerta (favors attachment to nonpolar surfaces).

Interactions, Structure, and Dynamics of Polymer-Tethered Nanoparticle Blends.

We report on the structure, jamming, and dynamics of blends of self-suspended hairy silica nanoparticles grafted with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). We find that favorable enthalpic attraction between tethered PEG and PMMA chains augment previously reported entropic attractions between tethered polymer chains in self-suspended suspensions to enhance particle-particle correlations, increase jamming, and slow down chain dynamics. As with their single-component counterparts, the hairy SiO2-PEG/SiO2-PMMA nanoparticle blends exhibit soft glassy rheological behavior and both the energy dissipated at yielding and the plateau elastic modulus display strong maxima in the symmetric case.

Micrometer-Scale Ordering of Silicon-Containing Block Copolymer Thin Films via High-Temperature Thermal Treatments.

Block copolymer (BCP) self-assembly is expected to complement conventional optical lithography for the fabrication of next-generation microelectronic devices. In this regard, silicon-containing BCPs with a high Flory-Huggins interaction parameter (χ) are extremely appealing because they form high-resolution nanostructures with characteristic dimensions below 10 nm. However, due to their slow self-assembly kinetics and low thermal stability, these silicon-containing high-χ BCPs are usually processed by solvent vapor annealing or in solvent-rich ambient at a low annealing temperature, significantly increasing the complexity of the facilities and of the procedures.

Effects of surface-active block copolymers with oxyethylene and fluoroalkyl side chains on the antifouling performance of silicone-based films.

Block copolymers made from a poly(dimethyl siloxane) (Si) and a poly(meth)acrylate carrying oxyethylene (EG) or fluoroalkyl (AF) side chains were synthesized and incorporated as surface-active components into a silicone matrix to produce cross-linked films with different surface hydrophilicity/phobicity. Near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) studies showed that film surfaces containing Si-EG were largely populated by the siloxane, with the oxyethylene chains present only to a minor extent. In contrast, the fluorinated block was selectively segregated to the polymer-air interface in films containing Si-AF as probed by NEXAFS and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses.

Autonomic responses in boys with externalizing disorders.

Objective: Autonomous hyporesponsiveness in children appears to be an indicator of a greater future likelihood of antisocial behavior. Since externalizing disorders are suggested to implicate a risk of antisocial behavior in later life, psychophysiological measurements were assessed commonly used in the realm of antisocial behavior.

Method: Arousal measures and electrodermal responses to orienting and startling stimuli were assessed in 8-13 year old boys diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder (CD), the comorbid condition of ADHD+CD, and in controls.

Risk factors and long-term follow-up of patients with the immune type of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.

Dispositional risk factors for developing the immune-type of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) are yet unclear. This article presents a long-term follow-up of patients with HIT to define possible risk factors that may increase the risk of HIT. The clinical course of acute HIT was analyzed retrospectively in 52 patients with HIT.

Psychophysiological responses in ADHD boys with and without conduct disorder: implications for adult antisocial behavior.

Objective: Several studies have demonstrated that the presence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in childhood increases the risk of antisocial behavior developing in adulthood. However, because previous research did not consider comorbid conduct disorder (CD), the question of whether ADHD by itself or only the association of ADHD with CD implies a risk of adult antisocial behavior developing is still under discussion.

Method: Because several characteristics of psychophysiological response had been shown to be associated with future increased likelihood of adult antisocial behavior, autonomic arousal as well as electrodermal responses to orienting and aversive stimuli were assessed in 26 boys with ADHD+CD compared with 21 boys with ADHD alone and 21 controls.

Evidence of abnormal amygdala functioning in borderline personality disorder: a functional MRI study.

Background: Intense and rapidly changing mood states are a major feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD); however, there have only been a few studies investigating affective processing in BPD, and in particular no neurofunctional correlates of abnormal emotional processing have been identified so far.

Methods: Six female BPD patients without additional major psychiatric disorder and six age-matched female control subjects underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure regional cerebral hemodynamic changes following brain activity when viewing 12 standardized emotionally aversive slides compared to 12 neutral slides, which were presented in random order.

Results: Our main finding was that BPD subjects but not control subjects were characterized by an elevated blood oxygenation level dependent fMRI signal in the amygdala on both sides.