Sorption of K from mixed KCl and CaCl2 solutions by K-depleted, Ca-saturated phlogopite was studied to determine the effect of particle size. The experiments were done at room temperature with 25 mg of K-depleted phlogopite samples in 50 ml solutions which were 0·002 N with respect to KCl and 0·02 N with respect to CaCl2.

Sorption of K increased sharply with increase in particle size. The 54–75 μm fraction sorbed nearly all, whereas the 0·2–2 μm fraction sorbed less than half, of its depleted K. The 5–20 μm fraction sorbed an intermediate amount. This relationship is explained by the same hypothesis which accounts for the increase of K release with increase in particle size. That is, bending of unit mica layers due to peripheral expansion is greater in large and thick particles than in small and thin ones. This increased bending induces the greater K release from large particles. Similarly, bending due to peripheral collapse of hydrated layers is greater in large particles than in small ones. Thus, more energy is needed to initiate layer collapse and restrict further K uptake in the large particles which results in their greater K sorption capacity.

These results imply that in natural conditions, as in soils, the coarse vermiculite and weathered mica fractions may be more effective in sorbing K from solution than their fine counterparts.

Rates of exchange of K with Ca for fine (0·2–2 μm) and coarse (54–75 μm) and for thin and thick (37–45 μm) phlogopite particles were determined using a repeated batch technique, which gave a measure of K selectivity.

Potassium selectivity of the fine fraction was higher than that of the coarse one throughout the exchange process in which 93 per cent of the total K was exchanged from the fine fraction and 100 per cent from the coarse one. Potassium selectivity of the thin 37–45 μm particles was higher initially than that of the thick 37–45 μm particles but the difference disappeared subsequently and practically 100 per cent of the total K was exchanged from both the thin and thick particles.

The results are interpreted as tentatively confirming the hypothesis that bending and deformation of elementary layers during K exchange increase with particle thickness, which in turn increase K exchange and decrease K selectivity.

The K exchange curves for the fine and coarse phlogopite fractions suggest that in natural conditions, as in soils, where K is not continuously removed from solution, vermiculization of coarse mica particles may be not only more complete but also more rapid than vermiculization of fine mica particles.

The selectivity of K over Ca of Amelia biotite increased sharply upon oxidation by H2O2 at pH 6·0. This increase in K selectivity was only partially reversible upon reduction by Na2S2O4. Oxidation by H2O2 of the Ca-form of this biotite resulted in a loss of no more than 2·8 and 0·4 per cent of the total Fe and Al, respectively, and caused a small and perhaps insignificant decrease in layer charge. Although 95 per cent of the structural Fe2+ of the Ca-form of this biotite was ozidized by H2O2, only 17 per cent was reduced again by four treatments with Na2S2O4.

The evidence indicates that under the conditions of this experiment the loss of protons from structural hydroxyls was the dominant mechanism by which electroneutrality in the biotite was maintained during oxidation of structural Fe2+. Because this mechanism increases the bond strength of interlayer K, it explains the increased K selectivity of biotite upon H2O2 oxidation. The relatively small reduction by Na2S2O4 of structural Fe3+ to Fe2+, which implies an equally small reprotonation of structural hydroxyls, explains the incomplete reversibility of K selectivity by Na2S2O4 treatment.

In 1935, the Nazi Party promulgated the Reich citizenship law, which, to protect the purity of the Volksgemeinschaft, denaturalized numerous people who perceived themselves as German. Despite this perceived threat to the national body, the Third Reich drafted some mixed-race men to serve in the Wehrmacht during World War II. Traditionally, scholars have focused their studies of mixed-race veterans on the so-called Jewish Mischlinge who served in the Wehrmacht. This article expands the aperture by examining the oral history testimony of Hans Hauck, a Black German Wehrmacht veteran whose wartime experiences present a complex story of a man who claimed to be German despite legal structures and normative ideals about Germanness that excluded him. Drawing on Hauck's oral history testimonies regarding two periods of his military service, I argue that Hauck used his body, symbols, and physical spaces to seek recognition as a legitimate claimant of Germanness.

This pilot study provides preliminary insights into whether Latino preschool children living in an emerging Latino community (ELC) are meeting recommendations for healthy diet and activity behaviours and whether those behaviours are associated with sociodemographic or home environment variables. Secondary data analysis was conducted utilising cross-sectional baseline survey data from ANDALE Pittsburgh, a home-based intervention study. Measures included parent-reported information on child dietary intake, screen time and the home environment, and objectively measured physical activity and anthropometry. χ2 and Fischer's exact tests were used to determine associations. The study was conducted in an ELC in western Pennsylvania in the US. Fifty-one Latina mothers (age: 33⋅5 ± 6⋅1 years; 63 % Mexican origin; 86 % low acculturation) and their children (age: 3⋅9 ± 1⋅3 years; 55 % male) 2–5 years of age. On average, children consumed 2⋅25 ± 1⋅44 cups of fruits/vegetables, viewed 98⋅7 ± 74⋅2 min of screen time, accumulated 12⋅9 ± 2⋅9 min/h of total physical activity and consumed 15⋅5 ± 26⋅0 kcals of sugar-sweetened beverages per day. Forty-one percent met the fruit/vegetable recommendation, 54 % met the screen time recommendation, 27 % met the physical activity recommendation and 58 % met the sugary drink recommendation. Country of origin (P = 0⋅032) and acculturation (P = 0⋅048) were significantly associated with children meeting sugary drink recommendations. No other relationships were significant. The proportion of children in this sample meeting diet and activity recommendations was mixed. More research with larger sample sizes is needed in ELCs to identify effective intervention strategies for improving health behaviours.

Neutron scattering studies have indicated that the non-coordinated water at smectite surfaces has a similar mobility to that of bulk water, but that the water coordinated to the cations is immobile on the time scale of the neutron measurements. Thus hydrophylic polymers can readily displace the non-coordinated water and bind to the silicate surface, and to the exchangeable cations through a water-bridge mechanism. Poly(ethylene oxide) molecules with molecular weights up to 4000 appear to be bound to Na-montmorillonite in flattened conformations at the clay surface. Poly(vinyl alcohol) is extensively bound by Na-montmorillonite and by Na-Laponite (a synthetic hectorite-like clay); as binding progresses fewer molecule segments can contact the surface and so at the higher levels of adsorption extensive loops of polymer extend away from the silicate surface. Some polyanions provide good protection for smectites against flocculation with salt. The abilities of such polymers to protect the clays is dependent both on the extents of the charges and on the solution conformations which these polymers can assume.

This is the final report on the nomenclature of pyroxenes by the Subcommittee on Pyroxenes established by the Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names of the International Mineralogical Association. The recommendations of the Subcommittee as put forward in this report have been formally accepted by the Commission. Accepted and widely used names have been chemically defined, by combining new and conventional methods, to agree as far as possible with the consensus of present use. Twenty names are formally accepted, among which thirteen are used to represent the end-members of definite chemical compositions. In common binary solid-solution series, species names are given to the two end-members by the ‘50% rule’. Adjectival modifiers for pyroxene mineral names are defined to indicate unusual amounts of chemical constituents. This report includes a list of 105 previously used pyroxene names that have been formally discarded by the Commission.

Background: Cerebral palsy (CP) is a debilitating disorder (1). Based on neuromotor impairments it is divided to spastic, dyskinetic and ataxic types (2). Inborn Errors of Metabolism (IEMs), monogenic and chromosomal disorders mimic CP (3). We aimed to identify causal genetic variants in patients with atypical dyskinetic CP in whom known IEMs were ruled out. Timely diagnosis is essential for proper management, especially in conditions that mimic CP and are treatable. Methods: We enrolled 23 patients with unexplained atypical dyskinetic CP, for whole exome sequencing. Variants were filtered against public and in-house databases to identify variants predicted as damaging (in silico tools and ACMG criteria). We applied a virtual gene panel of known and suspected CP and movement disorder genes and investigated each sample. Results: The participants presented with symptoms including: spasticity, dystonia, choera-athetosis, ataxia and cognitive delays. We identified 23 diagnoses: 13 dominant,6 recessive and 4 X-linked. 12 patients had movement disorders. In 4, the diagnoses enabled targeted treatment (neurotransmitter supplements in Unverricht Lundborg diseases (CSTB) and PAK3 deficiency, deep brain stimulation in GNAO1 deficiency, medical diet in Glutaric Aciduria (GCDH). Conclusions: Whole Exome Sequencing contributes to establishing diagnosis in patients with atypical dyskinetic CP resulting in precision medicine and improved health outcomes.

Background: Diaphragm pacing (DP) is an experimental ALS treatment, available through a compassionate use program. Eligibility requires forced vital capacity (FVC) between 45-50% predicted and phrenic nerve conduction study (NCS) evidence showing the diaphragm can be electrically stimulated. Diaphragm ultrasound (DU) also evaluates diaphragm function by demonstrating thickening with inspiration. Methods: A 63 year old man with advanced ALS requested DP as his respiratory functions worsened. He was wheelchair bound and had severe dysarthria and dysphagia. He had exertional dyspnea and used CPAP at night for obstructive apnea. Results: FVC was 47% predicted. Initial phrenic NCS showed a normal response on the right but no response on the left, making him ineligible for DP. Diaphragm function was further assessed with DU. This showed normal thickening with inspiration bilaterally. The DU result prompted repeating the right phrenic NCS which then showed a normal response. He successfully completed surgical implantation of diaphragm leads for DP. At surgery both diaphragms showed good responses to electrical stimulation. Conclusions: Phrenic NCS can be technically challenging and yield a false positive (absent) result. In this patient, DU indicated good diaphragm function, which prompted repeating phrenic NCS. The normal phrenic NCS allowed the patient to pursue DP.

The number of wineries in nontraditional cool climate regions of the United States has increased dramatically in the last decade. We examine factors influencing distribution channel choices by these wineries, including winery characteristics, marketing strategies, and the extent of vertical and horizontal integration. Using a survey of winery operators in Michigan, Missouri, and New York, we developed fractional logit models to test hypotheses regarding their distribution channel choices. We find that the share of wine sold through intermediated channels increases with winery size, years of operation, increased vertical and horizontal integration, and greater promotional intensity and levels of self-reported marketing challenges.

A 60-year-old patient with a clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan related to the evaluation of isolated seizures that emerged while medicated with clozapine. Unexpectedly, the MRI scan revealed evidence of asymmetric and enlarged cerebral ventricles that were interpreted as congenital in origin. The presence of both congenital lateral ventricular asymmetry and ventriculomegaly may interact to increase risk of schizophrenia. The history and clinical features, including cognitive testing, of the illustrative patient are presented.