Monte Carlo simulations are commonly used in elemental quantification using energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Here, the Monte Carlo program MC X-ray was incorporated into the image processing software Dragonfly by Object Research Systems (ORS) as a simulation library. The simulation program has been transformed into a complete microscope simulator where the tools of Dragonfly allow complex voxel-based geometries to be constructed, and the electron beam and detectors can be freely placed inside the 3D space. Computation times of simulations have been improved drastically through new data structures and parallelization. Simulations of backscattered electron imaging and EDS mapping are presented here to demonstrate the capabilities of this new library.

This prospective, longitudinal study compared the frequency and pattern of mood changes between outpatients receiving usual care for bipolar disorder who were either taking or not taking antidepressants. One hundred and eighty-two patients with bipolar disorder self-reported mood and psychiatric medications for 4 months using a computerized system (ChronoRecord) and returned 22,626 days of data. One hundred and four patients took antidepressants, 78 did not. Of the antidepressants taken, 95% were selective serotonin or norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, or second-generation antidepressants. Of the patients taking an antidepressant, 91.3% were concurrently taking a mood stabilizer. The use of antidepressants did not influence the daily rate of switching from depression to mania or the rate of rapid cycling, independent of diagnosis of bipolar I or II. The primary difference in mood pattern was the time spent normal or depressed. Patients taking antidepressants frequently remained in a subsyndromal depression. In this naturalistic study using self-reported data, patients with bipolar disorder who were taking antidepressants—overwhelmingly not tricyclics and with a concurrent mood stabilizer—did not experience an increase in the rate of switches to mania or rapid cycling compared to those not taking antidepressants. Antidepressants had little impact on the mood patterns of bipolar patients taking mood stabilizers.

In 2011 the Incidence Assay Critical Path Working Group reviewed the current state of HIV incidence assays and helped to determine a critical path to the introduction of an HIV incidence assay. At that time the Consortium for Evaluation and Performance of HIV Incidence Assays (CEPHIA) was formed to spur progress and raise standards among assay developers, scientists and laboratories involved in HIV incidence measurement and to structure and conduct a direct independent comparative evaluation of the performance of 10 existing HIV incidence assays, to be considered singly and in combinations as recent infection test algorithms. In this paper we report on a new framework for HIV incidence assay evaluation that has emerged from this effort over the past 5 years, which includes a preliminary target product profile for an incidence assay, a consensus around key performance metrics along with analytical tools and deployment of a standardized approach for incidence assay evaluation. The specimen panels for this evaluation have been collected in large volumes, characterized using a novel approach for infection dating rules and assembled into panels designed to assess the impact of important sources of measurement error with incidence assays such as viral subtype, elite host control of viraemia and antiretroviral treatment. We present the specific rationale for several of these innovations, and discuss important resources for assay developers and researchers that have recently become available. Finally, we summarize the key remaining steps on the path to development and implementation of reliable assays for monitoring HIV incidence at a population level.

In this work we present an experimental study where energetic ions were produced in an underdense 2.5 × 1019 cm−3 plasma created by a 50 fs Ti:Sapphire laser with 5 TWs of power. The plasma comprises 95% He and 5% N2 gases. Ionization-induced trapping of nitrogen K-shell electrons in the laser-induced wakefield generates an electron beam with a mean energy of 40 MeV and ~1 nC of charge. Some of the helium ions at the wake–vacuum interface are accelerated with a measured minimum ion energy of He1+ ions of 1.2 MeV and He2+ ions of 4 MeV. The physics of the interaction is studied with 2D particle-in-cell simulations. These reveal the formation of an ion filament on the axis of the plasma due to space charge attraction of the wakefield-accelerated high-charge electron bunch. Some of these high-energy electrons escape the plasma to form a sheath at the plasma–vacuum boundary that accelerates some of the ions in the filament in the forward direction. Electrons with energy less than the sheath potential cannot escape and return to the plasma boundary in a vortex-like motion. This in turn produces a time-varying azimuthal magnetic field, which generates a longitudinal electric field at the interface that further accelerates and collimates the ions.

Fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) gene variants are associated with childhood and adult obesity; however, the influence of FTO polymorphisms on foetal growth is unknown. Associations between the FTO variant rs9939609 and the foetal growth trajectories, maternal pregnancy weight gain, anthropometric measures at birth and body mass index (BMI) at age 14 years were assessed in 1079 singleton-birth Australian Caucasians. Analyses were repeated in 3512 singleton-birth Dutch Caucasians. The rs9939609 obesity-risk AA genotype was associated with symmetrical intrauterine growth restriction; an effect reversed in mothers who smoked during pregnancy. The effect increased over time and was modified by maternal smoking for head circumference (P = 0.007), abdominal circumference (P = 0.007), femur length (P = 0.02) and estimated foetal weight (P = 0.001). The modification of the association between the AA genotype and birth anthropometrics by maternal smoking was consistent across birth weight (P = 0.01) and birth length (P = 0.04) and neonatal day 2 anthropometry. Consistent associations were replicated in the Generation R cohort. Maternal pregnancy weight gain matched the pattern of birth weight and was independent of placental weight. In adolescents, the AA genotype was associated with increased BMI-adjusted-for-age in males (P = 0.00009), but no effect was detected in females. A variant in the FTO gene influences foetal growth trajectories in the third trimester, early postnatal growth and adiposity in adolescence. Maternal smoking during pregnancy reversed the direction of association of rs9939609 on foetal growth, which was probably mediated by maternal energy intake. The detection of genetic variants associated with foetal growth has the potential to identify novel molecular mechanisms underlying growth and targeted early life intervention.

The cognitive profile of early onset Parkinson’s disease (EOPD) has not been clearly defined. Mutations in the parkin gene are the most common genetic risk factor for EOPD and may offer information about the neuropsychological pattern of performance in both symptomatic and asymptomatic mutation carriers. EOPD probands and their first-degree relatives who did not have Parkinson’s disease (PD) were genotyped for mutations in the parkin gene and administered a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. Performance was compared between EOPD probands with (N = 43) and without (N = 52) parkin mutations. The same neuropsychological battery was administered to 217 first-degree relatives to assess neuropsychological function in individuals who carry parkin mutations but do not have PD. No significant differences in neuropsychological test performance were found between parkin carrier and noncarrier probands. Performance also did not differ between EOPD noncarriers and carrier subgroups (i.e., heterozygotes, compound heterozygotes/homozygotes). Similarly, no differences were found among unaffected family members across genotypes. Mean neuropsychological test performance was within normal range in all probands and relatives. Carriers of parkin mutations, whether or not they have PD, do not perform differently on neuropsychological measures as compared to noncarriers. The cognitive functioning of parkin carriers over time warrants further study. (JINS, 2011, 17, 1–10)

The new Core-XAS (X-ray absorption spectroscopy) beamline (B18) at Diamond aims to provide a reliable spectrometer for a broad scientific community. With this in mind, B18 has been built as a general-purpose beamline and offers to users a variety of sample environments and detection methods. Here we will present the first commissioning results and some of the capabilities of this versatile instrument.

Massive O- and B-type stars are “cosmic engines” in the Universe and can be the dominant source of luminosity in a galaxy. The class of Be stars are rapidly rotating B-type stars that lose mass in an equatorial, circumstellar disk (Porter & Rivinius 2003) and cause Balmer and other line emission. Currently, we are unsure as to why these stars rotate so quickly but three scenarios are possible: they may have been born as rapid rotators, spun up by binary mass transfer, or spun up during the main-sequence evolution of B stars. In order to investigate these scenarios for this population of massive stars, we have been spectroscopically observing a set of 115 field Be stars with the Kitt Peak Coudè Feed telescope in both the Hα and Hγ wavelength regimes since 2004. This time baseline allows for examination of variability properties of the circumstellar disks as well as determine candidates for closer examination for binarity. We find that 90% of the observed stars show some variability with 8% showing significant variability over the 5-year baseline. Such values may be compared with the significant variability seen in some clusters such as NGC 3766 (McSwain 2008). Also, while ~20% of the sample consists of known binaries, we find that another 15–30% of the sample shows indications of binarity.

We present blue optical spectra of 92 members of h and χ Per obtained with the WIYN telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. From these spectra, several stellar parameters were measured for the B-type stars, including v sin i, Teff, log gpolar, M∗, and R∗. Strömgren photometry was used to measure Teff and log gpolar for the Be stars. We also analyze photometric data of cluster members and discuss the near- to mid-infrared excesses of Be stars.

In a previous study at Harper Adams University College (Marsh et al., 2007) the progeny from Limousin bulls with either a Top 1% Beef Value (LM44) or Top 10% Beef Value (LM30) were reared through to slaughter on a cereal beef system. The calves sired by the Top 1% Beef Value bull recorded significantly higher daily liveweight gains, daily carcase gain, slaughter weights, carcase weights, improved conformation scores and carcase values. The objective of this trial was to evaluate the performance of Limousin cross Holstein-Friesian bull and heifer calves sired by bulls with either a Top 1% or Bottom 1% Beef Value.

In a previous study at Harper Adams University College (Marsh & Pullar 2002) the progeny from bulls with either a high (Top 10% Beef Value [LM29]) or below average Beef Value (Bottom 25% Beef Value [LM7]) were reared through to slaughter on a silage beef system. The calves sired by the Top 10% Beef Value bull recorded significantly higher carcass weights. The objective of this trial was to evaluate the performance of Limousin cross Holstein Friesian calves sired by bulls with either a Top 1% Beef Value or Top 10% Beef Value.

Este estudio longitudinal prospectivo comparó la frecuencia y el patrón de cambios del estado de ánimo entre pacientes ambulatorios que recibían la atención usual para el trastorno bipolar y tomaban o no tomaban antidepresivos. Ciento ochenta y dos pacientes con trastorno bipolar comunicaron su estado de ánimo y la medicación psiquiátrica durante 4 meses utilizando un sistema informático (ChronoRecord) y entregaron 22.626 días de datos. Ciento cuatro pacientes tomaban antidepresivos; 78, no. De los antidepresivos tomados, 95% eran inhibidores selectivos de la recaptación de serotonina o norepinefrina, o antidepresivos de segunda generación. De los pacientes que tomaban un antidepresivo, 91,3% tomaba concurrentemente un estabilizador del estado de ánimo. El uso de antidepresivos no influyó en la tasa diaria de cambio de depresión a manía o la tasa de ciclos rápidos, con independencia del diagnóstico de trastorno bipolar I o II. La diferencia primaria en el patrón de estado de ánimo era el tiempo en estado normal o deprimido. Los pacientes que tomaban antidepresivos con frecuencia estaban en una depresión subsíndrome. En este estudio naturalista que utilizó datos de autoinforme, los pacientes con trastorno bipolar que tomaban antidepresivos -abrumadoramente no tricíclicos y con un estabilizador del estado de ánimo concurrente- no experimentaron un aumento en la tasa de cambios a manía o ciclos rápidos comparado con los que no tomaban antidepresivos. Los antidepresivos tenían poco impacto en los patrones del estado de ánimo de los pacientes bipolares que tomaban estabilizadores del estado de ánimo.