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This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine mean estimates of prevalence rates for fulfilling all diagnostic criteria of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or at least showing significant levels of posttraumatic stress (PTSS) in relation to the traumatic event of childbirth. For the first time, both mothers and fathers were included in the synthesis. Studies were identified through systematic database search and manual searches, irrespective of language. Meta-analyses of 154 studies (N = 54,711) applied a random-effects model to four data sets, resulting in pooled prevalence rates of 4.7% for PTSD and 12.3% for PTSS in mothers. Lower rates of 1.2% for PTSD and 1.3% for PTSS were found among fathers. Subgroup analyses showed elevated rates in targeted samples (those with a potential risk status) most distinctly for maternal PTSS. The significant amount of heterogeneity between studies could not be explained to a satisfactory degree through meta-regression. Given the substantial percentage of affected parents, the adoption of adequate prevention and intervention strategies is needed. As this field of research is evolving, attention should be broadened to the whole family system, which may directly and indirectly be affected by birth-related PTSD. Further studies on paternal PTSD/PTSS are particularly warranted.

Morphology, structure and magnetic properties of nanocomposites of magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles and alginic acid (AA) are studied. Magnetite Fe3O4 nanoparticles and the nanoparticles capped with alginic acid exhibit very distinct properties. The chemical bonding between alginic acid and surface of magnetite nanoparticles results in recovery of surface magnetization. On the other hand, it also leads to enhanced surface spin disorder and unconventional behavior of magnetization observed in Fe3O4-AA nanocomposites at low temperatures., 4 pages, 5 figures

(Abridged) We have observed velocity resolved spectra of four ro-vibrational far-infrared transitions of C3 between the vibrational ground state and the low-energy nu2 bending mode at frequencies between 1654--1897 GHz using HIFI on board Herschel, in DR21(OH), a high mass star forming region. Several transitions of CCH and c-C3H2 have also been observed with HIFI and the IRAM 30m telescope. A gas and grain warm-up model was used to identify the primary C3 forming reactions in DR21(OH). We have detected C3 in absorption in four far-infrared transitions, P(4), P(10), Q(2) and Q(4). The continuum sources MM1 and MM2 in DR21(OH) though spatially unresolved, are sufficiently separated in velocity to be identified in the C3 spectra. All C3 transitions are detected from the embedded source MM2 and the surrounding envelope, whereas only Q(4) & P(4) are detected toward the hot core MM1. The abundance of C3 in the envelope and MM2 is \sim6x10^{-10} and \sim3x10^{-9} respectively. For CCH and c-C3H2 we only detect emission from the envelope and MM1. The observed CCH, C3, and c-C3H2 abundances are most consistent with a chemical model with n(H2)\sim5x10^{6} cm^-3 post-warm-up dust temperature, T_max =30 K and a time of \sim0.7-3 Myr. Post warm-up gas phase chemistry of CH4 released from the grain at t\sim 0.2 Myr and lasting for 1 Myr can explain the observed C3 abundance in the envelope of DR21(OH) and no mechanism involving photodestruction of PAH molecules is required. The chemistry in the envelope is similar to the warm carbon chain chemistry (WCCC) found in lukewarm corinos. The observed lower C3 abundance in MM1 as compared to MM2 and the envelope could be indicative of destruction of C3 in the more evolved MM1. The timescale for the chemistry derived for the envelope is consistent with the dynamical timescale of 2 Myr derived for DR21(OH) in other studies., 11 Pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

This paper presents a finding of the correlation between the width of a strong diffuse interstellar band at 6196A and the excitation temperature of C2 based on high resolution and high signal-to-noise ratio spectra. The excitation temperature was determined from absorption lines of the Phillips A-X and Mulliken D-X systems. The width and shape of the narrow 6196A DIB profile apparently depend on the C2 temperature, being broader for higher values., 7 pages, 8 figures, A&A 2009

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In this paper, we present new data with interstellar C2 (Phillips bands A-X), from observations made with the Ultraviolet-Visual Echelle Spectrograph of the European Southern Observatory. We have determined the interstellar column densities and excitation temperatures of C2 for nine Galactic lines. For seven of these, C2 has never been observed before, so in this case the still small sample of interstellar clouds (26 lines of sight), where a detailed analysis of C2 excitation has been made, has increased significantly. This paper is a continuation of previous works where interstellar molecules (C2 and diffuse interstellar bands) have been analysed. Because the sample of interstellar clouds with C2 has increased, we can show that the width and shape of the profiles of some diffuse interstellar bands (6196 and 5797 A) apparently depend on the gas kinetic and rotational temperatures of C2; the profiles are broader because of the higher values of the gas kinetic and rotational temperatures of C2. There are also diffuse interstellar bands (4964 and 5850 A) for which this effect does not exist., Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, accepted to MNRAS 2010

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International audience

Multiple gene activities control complex biological processes such as cell fate specification during development and cellular reprogramming. Investigating the manifold gene functions in biological systems requires also simultaneous depletion of two or more gene activities. RNA interference-mediated knockdown (RNAi) is commonly used in Caenorhabditis elegans to assess essential genes, which otherwise lead to lethality or developmental arrest upon full knockout. RNAi application is straightforward by feeding worms with RNAi plasmid-containing bacteria. However, the general approach of mixing bacterial RNAi clones to deplete two genes simultaneously often yields poor results. To address this issue, we developed a bacterial conjugation-mediated double RNAi technique ‘CONJUDOR’. It allows combining RNAi bacteria for robust double RNAi with high-throughput. To demonstrate the power of CONJUDOR for large scale double RNAi screens we conjugated RNAi against the histone chaperone gene lin-53 with more than 700 other chromatin factor genes. Thereby, we identified the Set1/MLL methyltransferase complex member RBBP-5 as a novel germ cell reprogramming barrier. Our findings demonstrate that CONJUDOR increases efficiency and versatility of RNAi screens to examine interconnected biological processes in C. elegans with high-throughput., Graphical Abstract Graphical AbstractCONJUDOR adapts bacterial conjugation to combine RNAi plasmids in bacteria for robust knock-down of multiple genes in the nematode C. elegans. CONJUDOR has been used for RNAi screening to deplete multiple gene pairs with high-throughput in order to identify barriers of germ cell reprogramming into GABAergic motor neurons. The Set1/MLL methyltransferase complex member RBBP-5 could be identified using CONJUDOR as a novel barrier for germ cell to neuron reprogramming.

We demonstrate a novel method for the stable and selective surface functionalization of germanium (Ge) embedded in silicon dioxide. The Ge(001) surface is functionalized using a-lipoic acid (ALA), which can potentially be utilized for the immobilization of a wide range of biomolecules. We present a detailed pH-dependence study to establish the effect of the incubation pH value on the adsorption layer of the ALA molecules. A threshold pH value for functionalization is identified, dividing the examined pH range into two regions. Below a pH value of 7, the formation of a disordered ALA multilayer is observed, whereas a stable well-ordered ALA mono- to bi-layer on Ge(001) is achieved at higher pH values. Furthermore, we analyze the stability of the ALA layer under ambient conditions, revealing the most stable functionalized Ge(001) surface to effectively resist oxidation for up to one week. Our established functionalization method paves the way towards the successful immobilization of biomolecules in future Ge-based biosensors