In this prospective, longitudinal study, we examined the risk factors for severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection among a cohort of chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients and healthcare personnel (HCPs) over a 6-month period. The risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection among HD patients and HCPs was consistently associated with a household member having SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Over the last two decades, heart centres have developed strategies to meet the neurodevelopmental needs of children with congenital heart disease. Since the publication of guidelines in 2012, cardiac neurodevelopmental follow-up programmes have become more widespread. Local neurodevelopmental programmes, however, have been developed independently in widely varying environments. We sought to characterise variation in structure and personnel in cardiac neurodevelopmental programmes. A 31-item survey was sent to all member institutions of the Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Outcome Collaborative. Multidisciplinary teams at each centre completed the survey. Responses were compiled in a descriptive fashion. Of the 29 invited centres, 23 responded to the survey (79%). Centres reported more anticipated neurodevelopment visits between birth and 5 years of age (median 5, range 2–8) than 5–18 years (median 2, range 0–10) with 53% of centres lacking any standard for routine neurodevelopment evaluations after 5 years of age. Estimated annual neurodevelopment clinic volume ranged from 85 to 428 visits with a median of 16% of visits involving children >5 years of age. Among responding centres, the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development and Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence were the most routinely used tests. Neonatal clinical assessment was more common (64%) than routine neonatal brain imaging (23%) during hospitalisation. In response to clinical need and published guidelines, centres have established formal cardiac neurodevelopment follow-up programmes. Centres vary considerably in their approaches to routine screening and objective testing, with many centres currently focussing their resources on evaluating younger patients.

The perinatal period is a vulnerable time for the development of psychopathology, particularly mood and anxiety disorders. In the study of maternal anxiety, important questions remain regarding the association between maternal anxiety symptoms and subsequent child outcomes. This study examined the association between depressive and anxiety symptoms, namely social anxiety, panic, and agoraphobia disorder symptoms during the perinatal period and maternal perception of child behavior, specifically different facets of development and temperament. Participants (N = 104) were recruited during pregnancy from a community sample. Participants completed clinician-administered and self-report measures of depressive and anxiety symptoms during the third trimester of pregnancy and at 16 months postpartum; child behavior and temperament outcomes were assessed at 16 months postpartum. Child development areas included gross and fine motor skills, language and problem-solving abilities, and personal/social skills. Child temperament domains included surgency, negative affectivity, and effortful control. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses demonstrated that elevated prenatal social anxiety symptoms significantly predicted more negative maternal report of child behavior across most measured domains. Elevated prenatal social anxiety and panic symptoms predicted more negative maternal report of child effortful control. Depressive and agoraphobia symptoms were not significant predictors of child outcomes. Elevated anxiety symptoms appear to have a distinct association with maternal report of child development and temperament. Considering the relative influence of anxiety symptoms, particularly social anxiety, on maternal report of child behavior and temperament can help to identify potential difficulties early on in mother–child interactions as well as inform interventions for women and their families.

For the first time, valence electron energy-loss spectroscopy (VEELS) was applied to individual single-crystalline SnO2 nanowires to investigate the dielectric function, band gap, and optical absorption coefficient. The results are compared with data from optical techniques such as spectroscopic ellipsometry and UV-Vis, and theoretical calculations from variations of density functional theory. The data obtained agree well with the standard optical and theoretical techniques. The dielectric function and optical absorption coefficient are given up to 20 eV, which otherwise requires a synchrotron source and large single crystals via optical methods. The energy loss function is given up to 40 eV, which gives a useful comparison to previous theoretical studies in an energy range that cannot be achieved via optical measurements. The comparison gives confidence in the accuracy of this method for exploring spatially-resolved measurements in individual nanoparticles or more complex nanostructures that are otherwise difficult to measure accurately using optical techniques.

A major hindrance to establishment of successful complementary forage systems that include warm-season perennial grasses and clovers is tolerance of the latter to herbicides available for weed control. Field experiments were conducted in 2013 at two locations in northeast Louisiana to evaluate simulated residual rate effects of fluroxypyr plus triclopyr and 2,4-D plus picloram applied at 0, 0.25, 0.38, and 0.5× use rates immediately after fall planting of ball, white, crimson, and red clover. For all clovers, when averaged across herbicide rates, plant population 161/171 d after planting (DAP), ground cover, and height 184/196 DAP were equivalent for fluroxypyr plus triclopyr and the nontreated control and greater than 2,4-D plus picloram. Averaged across clovers, plant height after all rates of fluroxypyr plus triclopyr was equivalent to the nontreated control (14.2 to 14.3 vs. 15.3 cm) and greater than 2,4-D plus picloram. Compared with the nontreated control, 2,4-D plus picloram at 25, 38, and 50% of the normal use rates reduced height 58, 76, and 85%, respectively. When averaged across clover species, yield for fluroxypyr plus triclopyr at all rates was equivalent to the nontreated control (2,624 to 2,840 vs. 2,812 kg ha−1). Compared with the nontreated control, 2,4-D plus picloram at the 0.25, 0.38, and 0.50× use rates reduced yield 65, 89, and 99%, respectively.

Field studies were conducted in 2011 and 2012 at the Horticultural Crops Research Station near Clinton, NC, to determine ‘Covington' sweetpotato tolerance to S-metolachlor rate and application timing. Treatments were a factorial arrangement of four S-metolachlor rates (0, 1.1, 2.2, or 3.4 kg ai ha−1) and six application timings (0, 2, 5, 7, 9, or 14 d after transplanting [DAP]). Immediately following application, 1.9 cm of irrigation was applied to individual plots. Sweetpotato injury was minimal for all treatments (≤ 10%). No. 1 grade sweetpotato yield displayed a negative linear response to S-metolachlor rate, and decreased from 25,110 to 20,100 kg ha−1 as S-metolachlor rate increased from 0 to 3.4 kg ha−1. Conversely, no. 1 sweetpotato yield displayed a positive linear response to S-metolachlor application timing and increased from 19,670 to 27,090 kg ha−1 as timing progressed from 0 to 14 DAP. Total marketable sweetpotato yield displayed a quadratic response to both S-metolachlor application rate and timing. Total marketable yield decreased from 44,950 to 30,690 kg ha−1 as S-metolachlor rate increased from 0 to 3.4 kg ha−1. Total marketable yield increased from 37,800 to 45,780 kg ha−1 as application timing was delayed from 0 to 14 DAP. At 1.1 kg ha−1S-metolachlor, sweetpotato storage root length to width ratio displayed a quadratic relationship to application timing and increased from 1.87 to 2.23 for applications made 0 to 14 DAP. At 2.2 kg ha−1 of S-metolachlor, sweetpotato length to width ratio displayed a quadratic response to application timing, increased from 1.57 to 2.09 for 0 to 10 DAP, and decreased slightly from 2.09 to 2.03 for 10 to 14 DAP. Application timing did not influence length to width ratio of sweetpotato storage roots for those plots treated with S-metolachlor at either 0 or 3.4 kg ha−1.

A study was conducted in 2004 and 2005 to evaluate the benefit of applying fluometuron PRE versus glyphosate-only POST programs in second-generation GR cotton (Roundup Ready Flex®). Fluometuron was either included or excluded with POST application timings of glyphosate at the following cotton growth stages: (1) 3 leaf (lf) followed by (fb) 7 lf fb 14 lf (over the top) OT (2) 3 fb 7 lf OT (3) 7 lf OT fb 14 lf postemergence directed (PD), and (4) 7 fb 14 lf OT. Control of goosegrass, Palmer amaranth, pitted morningglory, sicklepod, and smellmelon was increased 2 to 8 percentage points with the addition of fluometuron PRE. The inclusion of fluometuron PRE did not improve control of barnyardgrass, browntop millet, hemp sesbania, johnsongrass, or redroot pigweed and control ranged from 81% to 84%, 69% to 75%, 94% to 94%, 87% to 89%, and 92% to 93%, respectively. By 56 d after the last POST application, control of johnsongrass, Palmer amaranth, pitted morningglory, and smellmelon was at least 83%, 93%, 92%, and 86%, respectively, with only slight differences noted among POST glyphosate programs. Control of barnyardgrass, browntop millet, and redroot pigweed was 68%, 47%, 86%, respectively, with the POST glyphosate program of 3 fb 7 lf OT, which was significantly less than all other glyphosate POST programs. Cotton yield increased 32% and 36% with the addition of fluometuron PRE to glyphosate POST programs consisting of 7 lf OT fb 14 lf PD and 7 lf fb 14 lf OT, respectively. Cotton yield for other glyphosate POST programs including an earlier 3 lf application was not improved when fluometuron was applied PRE. Without inclusion of fluometuron PRE, yield was maximized with the glyphosate POST program that included three applications of glyphosate (2,510 kg/ha). Overall, this research emphasizes the fact that weed control is important in the early season as well as in the late season in second-generation GR cotton.

Herbicide soil/solution distribution coefficients (Kd) are used in mathematical models to predict the movement of herbicides in soil and groundwater. Herbicides bind to various soil constituents to differing degrees. The universal soil colloid that binds most herbicides is organic matter (OM), however clay minerals (CM) and metallic hydrous oxides are more retentive for cationic, phosphoric, and arsenic acid compounds. Weakly basic herbicides bind to both organic and inorganic soil colloids. The soil organic carbon (OC) affinity coefficient (Koc) has become a common parameter for comparing herbicide binding in soil; however, because OM and OC determinations vary greatly between methods and laboratories, Koc values may vary greatly. This proposal discusses this issue and offers suggestions for obtaining the most accurate Kd, Freundlich constant (Kf), and Koc values for herbicides listed in the WSSA Herbicide Handbook and Supplement.

A humerus, coracoid, and pedal phalanx of the California Condor, Gymnogyps californianus, were recovered from the Hiscock Site in western New York, in an inorganic stratum containing wood that is 11,000 radiocarbon years old. Associated vertebrates include mastodont, wapiti, and caribou. Pollen and plant macrofossils from the sediments indicate a spruce-jack pine woodland and a local, herb-dominated wetland community. Historic records (all from western North America) and previous late Pleistocene fossils of the California Condor are associated mainly with warm-temperate climates and floras. The New York fossils show that this bird was able to live in a colder climate and in a boreal, coniferous setting at a time when appropriate food (large mammal carrion) was available. The California Condor, which survives only in captivity, has suffered a greater reduction in geographical range than previously suspected. Much of this reduction in range probably occurred ca. 11,000 yr B.P. when the extinction many North American large mammals resulted in severely reduced availability of food for the California Condor and other large scavenging birds.

Information linking seed movement, along with changes in seed viability, is critical for understanding weed seed dynamics. Studies were conducted to examine the use of passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags placed in nylon mesh packets in combination with GPS (Global Positioning System) technology to track weed seed movement after tillage. Cylindrical PIT tags 11.5, 12, 20, and 23 mm long by 2 mm wide were evaluated in water and soil. Detection improved as tag size increased because of greater signal strength. Tags with the main axis oriented vertically were recovered at greater depths than when placed horizontally. Average detection depths for 12-mm PIT tags were 29.5 cm in water, 18.2 cm in sand, 24 cm in artificial soil, and 21.2 cm in sandy loam soil. Tests also showed that PIT tags and nylon mesh packets were resilient to intense tillage with a rototiller. No significant differences in displacement because of tillage were observed between free PIT tags and PIT-tagged packets. PIT tag performance was further tested in a 2-yr field experiment conducted between September 2003 and October 2005 at six sites in Nebraska and Wyoming. Tilled and no-till blocks were established at each site. PIT-tagged packets in the tilled block and untagged packets in the no-till block were used. Sample burial depths were 0, 2.5, 7.5, and 15 cm. Sample recovery rate did not differ between tilled and no-till blocks. Time of recovery was the main factor affecting recovery of packets buried at 0 and 2.5 cm in both blocks. Seed predation by small rodents and movement of samples beyond the area of study by tillage implements were the main sources of packet loss. Nevertheless, 2 yr after initiation of the study, more than 85% of the samples were recovered. Future development of PIT tag technology will lead to an enhanced ability to monitor seed movement.

Epidemiological studies have identified increased colorectal cancer (CRC) risk with high red meat (HRM) intakes, whereas dietary fibre intake appears to be protective. In the present study, we examined whether a HRM diet increased rectal O6-methyl-2-deoxyguanosine (O6MeG) adduct levels in healthy human subjects, and whether butyrylated high-amylose maize starch (HAMSB) was protective. A group of twenty-three individuals consumed 300 g/d of cooked red meat without (HRM diet) or with 40 g/d of HAMSB (HRM+HAMSB diet) over 4-week periods separated by a 4-week washout in a randomised cross-over design. Stool and rectal biopsy samples were collected for biochemical, microbial and immunohistochemical analyses at baseline and at the end of each 4-week intervention period. The HRM diet increased rectal O6MeG adducts relative to its baseline by 21 % (P< 0·01), whereas the addition of HAMSB to the HRM diet prevented this increase. Epithelial proliferation increased with both the HRM (P< 0·001) and HRM+HAMSB (P< 0·05) diets when compared with their respective baseline levels, but was lower following the HRM+HAMSB diet compared with the HRM diet (P< 0·05). Relative to its baseline, the HRM+HAMSB diet increased the excretion of SCFA by over 20 % (P< 0·05) and increased the absolute abundances of the Clostridium coccoides group (P< 0·05), the Clostridiumleptum group (P< 0·05), Lactobacillus spp. (P< 0·01), Parabacteroides distasonis (P< 0·001) and Ruminococcus bromii (P< 0·05), but lowered Ruminococcus torques (P< 0·05) and the proportions of Ruminococcus gnavus, Ruminococcus torques and Escherichia coli (P< 0·01). HRM consumption could increase the risk of CRC through increased formation of colorectal epithelial O6MeG adducts. HAMSB consumption prevented red meat-induced adduct formation, which may be associated with increased stool SCFA levels and/or changes in the microbiota composition.

Farmers' markets presumably benefit local economies through enhanced retention of local dollars. Unlike other studies, the net impact of farmers' markets on the West Virginia economy is examined. Producer survey results are used in estimating annual direct sales ($1,725 million). Using an IMPLAN-based input-output model, gross impacts are 119 jobs (69 full-time equivalent jobs) and $2,389 million in output including $1.48 million in gross state product (GSP). When the effect of direct revenue losses are included (primarily for grocery stores), the impact is reduced to 82 jobs (43 full-time equivalent jobs), $1,075 million in output, and $0,653 million in GSP.

Standard pharmacotherapy for the maintenance of treatment of patients with bipolar I disorder consists of lithium, valproate, or carbamazepine. However, many patients fail to respond to monotherapy with any of these agents, and as a result, psychiatrists often resort to polypharmacy. Findings from some open-label trials and retrospective chart reviews suggest this approach may be useful, but in the few controlled trials that have been conducted, the results have been negative. One drug combination that warrants further study as maintenance therapy is lithium plus valproate. Each is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of acute mania, and lithium has demonstrated efficacy for maintenance treatment as well. Some preliminary evidence suggests that the combination can be effective for patients who do not respond to monotherapy, and it seems to be no more dangerous than monotherapy. Concomitant administration of lithium plus valproate does not significantly alter lithium pharmacokinetics, and statistically significant changes that arise in valproate pharmacokinetics are not clinically significant. Although it is not known whether the drugs interact to augment response, many of their effects in the central nervous system do differ, and there is no indication of pharmacodynamic interactions that oppose each other. Finally, some evidence suggests that lithium and valproate may differ with regard to clinical variables that predict response to treatment. (J Clin Psychopharmacol 1998;18:38–49)

Bipolar I disorder afflicts approximately 1% of the U.S. adult population, with a median age at onset of 19 years. In many respects, it is a disabling disease. Acute episodes of mania and depression are often protracted with 24% of patients still acutely ill after 1 year has elapsed, 16% after 2 years, and 9% after 5 years. Subsyndromal symptoms, which impose significant morbidity that falls short of meeting full criteria for a mood episode, may occur frequently. Patients with bipolar I disorder are more likely than not to be unemployed or underemployed, less likely to marry and more likely to divorce than matched control subjects, and almost every family perceives the illness as a burden. Even remitted patients manifest poor psychosocial functioning, Ultimately, nearly 19% of patients die from suicide.