Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease with significant health implications, particularly among children. A cross-sectional study was conducted among school-aged children (SAC) in Mwanga district, Tanzania, a region known to be co-endemic for S. haematobium and S. mansoni infection and where annual mass drug administration (MDA) has been conducted for 20 years. In total, 576 SAC from 5 schools provided a urine sample for the detection of Schistosoma circulating anodic antigen using the upconverting particle-based lateral flow (UCP-LF CAA) test. Additionally, the potential of the point-of-care circulating cathodic antigen (POC-CCA) and microhaematuria dipstick test as field-applicable diagnostic alternatives for schistosomiasis were assessed and the prevalence outcome compared to UCP-LF CAA. Risk factors associated with schistosomiasis was assessed based on UCP-LF CAA. The UCP-LF CAA test revealed an overall schistosomiasis prevalence of 20.3%, compared to 65.3% based on a combination of POC-CCA and microhaematuria dipstick. No agreement was observed between the combined POC tests and UCP-LF CAA. Factors associated with schistosomiasis included age (5–10 years), involvement in fishing, farming, swimming activities and attending 2 of the 5 primary schools. Our findings suggest a significant progress in infection control in Mwanga district due to annual MDA, although not enough to interrupt transmission. Accurate diagnostics play a crucial role in monitoring intervention measures to effectively combat schistosomiasis.

A mother new to my general pediatrics practice says that she wants no vaccines for her infant because she says, “I have read on the internet…,” or “I heard from a nurse…,” or “So-and-so celebrity says they can cause autism, brain damage, poisoning, cancer, neurological disorders, and even death.” Perhaps she has read about “the dangers” of vaccines in the first edition of Dr. Sears’ The Vaccine Book. Or people on her Facebook page also say that the “preventable” diseases are just too rare anymore to ever take “the risk” of a vaccine with “known” risks. These vaccine risks are clearly explained, and even sometimes overstated (such as a risk of death for Haemophilus influenzae type B (HIB) vaccine) in the routinely distributed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Vaccine Information Sheet (VIS). On the other hand, the families typically overlook the risks of “omission,” or non-vaccination, such as brain damage or meningitis, etc., which are also clearly stated in the VIS.

A relationship between epilepsy and damage to mesial temporal structures has long been recognized. Recent advances have clarified somewhat the issue of whether the pathological changes seen in mesial temporal sclerosis represent the cause or the effect of seizures. This paper reviews mesial temporal sclerosis from an historical perspective and summarizes recent developments in the fields of excitotoxicity, selective vulnerability, and synaptic reorganization as they pertain to the pathogenesis of mesial temporal sclerosis.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, August 7–August 11, 2011.

This study shows that biaxially textured SmxZr1−xOy (SZO) with a wide range of compositions (0.06 < x < 0.75) can be grown directly on ion-beam-assisted deposition (IBAD) MgO template using reactive cosputtering. The SZO crystal structure can be changed, and the lattice parameter can be tailored (from 5.23 to 5.49 Å) by changing the composition. We have developed a simplified high-temperature superconducting coated conductor using SZO as the buffer layer. YBa2Cu3O7−δ (YBCO) films grown by pulsed laser deposition on the SZO buffered IBAD MgO have self-field critical current densities (Jc) in the 2–4 MA/cm2 range. The in-field measurements demonstrate that high-quality YBCO films can be grown on SZO buffered IBAD MgO. The present results are especially important because they were obtained on coated conductors with the simpler architecture by eliminating the additional homoepitaxial layer of MgO. This translates in faster production and lower manufacturing cost.

A thin layer of SrTiO3 (STO) has successfully been used as a buffer layer to grow high-quality superconducting YBa2Cu3O7-δ(YBCO) thick films on polycrystalline metal substrates with a biaxially oriented MgO template produced by ion-beam-assisted deposition. Using this architecture, 1.5-μm-thick YBCO films with an in-plane mosaic spread in the range of 2.5° to 3.5° in full width at half-maximum and critical current density over 2 × 10 6A/cm2 in self-field at 75 K have routinely been achieved. It is interesting to note that the pulsed laser deposition growth conditions of SrTiO3 buffer layers, such as growth temperature and oxygen pressure, have strong effects on the superconducting properties of YBCO. Detailed studies using transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy were used to explore the microstructures of STO deposited at different conditions and to understand further their effects on the growth and properties of YBCO films.

The diffusion behavior of elements constituting Hastelloy C-276 (C, Si, Mn, Co, W, Fe, Cr, Mo, and Ni) in alumina films was investigated using secondary ion mass spectroscopy. The films were deposited by ion-beam-assisted deposition and annealed in vacuum over a temperature range of 500–1000 °C. Characterization of film microstructure was performed using transmission electron microscopy and selected area diffraction analyses. The films were predominantly amorphous with alumina nanocrystallites nonuniformly dispersed throughout the volume both before and after annealing. A relatively wide interface region between the Hastelloy substrate and alumina film was formed in the as-deposited sample due to ion beam mixing. No diffusion of any of the substrate elements was observed after annealing, except for Mn, Cr, and Ni. The impurity depth distributions consisted of two components, which differed by several orders of magnitude with respect to diffusion coefficient and solubility. Activation energies and temperature dependencies of the diffusion coefficients were determined, and a diffusion mechanism was discussed.

A single LaMnO3 buffer layer was developed for the growth of superconducting thick YBa2Cu3O7−δ (YBCO) films on polycrystalline Ni-alloy substrates where a biaxially textured MgO layer, produced by ion-beam assisted deposition (IBAD), was used as a template. Using pulsed laser deposition, a 1.65-μm-thick YBCO film with a critical current density of 1.4 × 106 A/cm2 in self field at 75 K was achieved on sputtered LaMnO3-buffered IBAD MgO substrates. This corresponds to a critical current (Ic) of 231 A/cm-width. This result demonstrates the possibility of using both LaMnO3 buffer and IBAD MgO template for producing high current density YBCO-coated conductors.

The “new” paradigm proposed by Shanker & King (S&K) is neither new nor a significant advance in our understanding of communication. Although we agree that social interaction is important, ignoring the roles of mental processes and the significance of information exchange is theoretically dangerous. Moreover, the “communicative dance” is sequential. If one partner does not lead, how is the other to follow?

Nickel-based superalloys have been coated with magnesium oxide (MgO) using ion-beam-assisted deposition (IBAD). This technique produced a well-oriented bi-axially textured MgO template layer with a Ф scan full width half maximum of 6.4°. The layer architecture for these samples was as follows: polished hastelloy C276/amorphous Si3N4/IBAD MgO/ pulsed laser deposited (PLD) Y2O3–ZrO2/PLD CeO2/PLD YBa2Cu3O7?δ. The subsequent heteroepitaxial PLD of 1.5-mm-thick YBCO showed a nominal critical current density of over 1 MA/cm2 (75 K, self-field) along a microbridge and had an in-plane mosaic spread of 4.8° and an out-of-plane spread of 1.3°. These results compare well with our earlier work using IBAD yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) as a template layer and indicate that IBAD MgO is a suitable substitute. Furthermore, these results suggest that IBAD MgO could be adapted to and increase the feasibility of a continuous process to fabricate longer lengths of coated conductors at speeds 100 times faster than that previously realized with IBAD YSZ.

Silicon carbide films have been grown on 6H-SiC (0001) and Si (001) wafers by laser ablation using an excimer laser. The films were deposited at heater plate temperatures between 970° C to 1270° C. Film composition, morphology and polytypism were determined by Auger electron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In the course of these experiments growth of 2H-SiC on 6H-SiC was observed at the highest heater plate temperatures. Cross-sectional TEM images clearly show the symmetry of a film grown at 1270° C as c-axis oriented 2H-SiC containing columnar grains with average diameter of 20 nm and length of 100 nm.

Three copper systems with relevance to materials technology are discussed. In the first, a CuS precursor, Cu4S 10(4-methylpyridine)4 (4-MePy), was prepared by three routes: reaction of Cu2S, reaction of CuBr•SMe2 and oxidation of copper powder with excess sulfur in 4-methylpyridine by sulfur. In the second, copper powder was found to react with excess thiourea (H2NC(S)NH2) in 4-methylpyridine to produce thiocyanate (NCS-) complexes. Three isolated and characterized compounds are: Cu(NCS)(4-MePy)2, a polymer, [4-MePy•H][Cu(NCS)3(4-MePy)2], a salt, and t-Cu(NCS)2(4-MePy)4. Finally, an attempt to produce a mixed-metal sulfide precursor of Cu and Ga in N-methylimidazole (N-MeIm) resulted in the synthesis of a Cu-containing polymer, Cu(S04)(N-Melm). The structures are presented; the chemistry will be briefly discussed in the context of preparation and processing of copper-containing materials for aerospace applications.