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Ryan Fischer,1 Pat Furlong,1 Annie Kennedy,2 Kelly Maynard,3,4 Marissa Penrod,4,5 Debra Miller,6 Chamindra G Laverty,7 Linda P Lowes,8,9 Nancy L Kuntz,10,11 Perry B Shieh,12 Jane Kondejewski,13 Peter J Neumann,14 Jason Shafrin,15 Richard J Willke16 1Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, Washington, DC, USA; 2EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases, Washington, DC, USA; 3Little Hercules Foundation, Dublin, OH, USA; 4Duchenne Family Assistance Program, Detroit, MI, USA; 5Team Joseph, West Bloomfield, MI, USA; 6Cureduchenne, Newport Beach, CA, USA; 7Department of Neuroscience, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA; 8Center for Gene Therapy, Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA; 9Department of Pediatrics, the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA; 10Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA; 11Division of Neurology, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; 12Department of Neurology and Pediatrics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; 13SNELL Medical Communication, Inc., Montreal, QC, Canada; 14Center for the Evaluation of Value and Risk in Health, Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA; 15FTI Consulting, Los Angeles, CA, USA; 16Scintegral Health Economics, Chattanooga, TN, USACorrespondence: Richard J Willke, Scintegral Health Economics, Chattanooga, TN, USA, Tel +1-908-672-4156, Email willkerj@aol.comPurpose: Traditional value assessment frameworks are challenged in comprehensively assessing the societal value new therapies bring to individuals with rare, progressive, genetic, fatal, neuromuscular diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The objective of this study was to identify how value assessment frameworks may need to be adapted to measure the value to society of DMD therapies.Patients and Methods: Three stakeholder groups (6 patient advocates, 4 clinicians, 3 health economists; N = 13) participated in semi-structured interviews around the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research’s Value Flower, which includes elements to consider within value assessments of healthcare technologies.Results: All stakeholders agreed that traditional value assessment frameworks based on the quality-adjusted life year (QALY) are narrow and will undervalue new DMD therapies. All stakeholders expressed some level of concern that using the QALY as a key metric of value discriminates against patients with severe progressive diseases and disabilities. Some stakeholders saw value in using the QALY for cross-disease comparisons in resource-constrained environments if the methodology was appropriate. All stakeholders recommended considering additional elements of value in decision-making around new DMD therapies. These elements reflect: economic and humanistic costs incurred by patients, caregivers, and families with Duchenne, such as indirect out-of-pocket costs, lost productivity, and family spillovers; meaningful attributes for individuals with disabilities and high unmet need, such as severity of disease, value of hope, and real option value; and factors that contribute to improvements in population health, such as insurance value, equity, and scientific spillovers.Conclusion: These findings highlight the need to expand traditional value assessment frameworks and take a holistic approach that incorporates the perspectives of individuals with Duchenne, caregivers, clinicians, and health economists when assessing the societal value of new DMD therapies. Broadening value assessment will prevent restricted or delayed access to therapies for individuals with Duchenne.Keywords: value assessment framework, qualitative research, rare diseases, ISPOR value flower

A detailed analysis of the vibrational spectra of CH3, CH2D, and CD3 adsorbed on Ni(111) and the products of their reactions is presented. The synthesis of adsorbed methyl radicals from CH4, CH3D, or CD4 is effected by molecular beam techniques. The ability to measure these spectra by high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) at higher resolution (35 cm-1) and higher sensitivity (5×106 counts/s) has allowed new features to be observed and a symmetry analysis to be carried out. It is concluded that the CH3 radical is adsorbed with C3v symmetry on a threefold hollow site. The symmetric C–H stretch mode of CH3 and the overtone of the antisymmetric deformation mode are observed to be in Fermi resonance. At temperatures above 150 K, CH3 dissociates to form adsorbed CH. Confirmation for the assignment to a CH species is found in the observation that the spectrum measured after thermal decomposition of CH2D is a superposition of those from the decomposition of CH3 and CD3. The adsorption site of the CH species is concluded to be a threefold hollow site and the geometry of the Ni3–C–H is concluded to be pyramidal. At temperatures above 250 K, carbon–carbon bond formation between the CH species is observed to yield C2H2. Low coverages of C2H2 are shown to dehydrogenate at 400 K. High coverages of C2H2 are shown conclusively to trimerize to form adsorbed benzene in contrast to a literature report of C2H2 dissociation to adsorbed CH at these temperatures. The relative stabilities of the hydrocarbon species on Ni(111) are determined to be CH3

New Zealand has high rates of acute alcohol-related harm relative to chronic harm, and when compared with other countries. Acute harm is typically caused by binge drinking. New Zealand alcohol use surveys consistently find that about 20-25% of adult drinkers binge drink.There is substantial overseas evidence that alcohol screening and brief intervention (SBI) in primary health care is effective and cost-effective for reducing alcohol harm among binge drinkers. However, while there is also growing evidence that alcohol SBI can successfully be implemented in New Zealand, the approach has been significantly under-utilised. This article provides a brief overview of New Zealand research that supports a case for increasing the use of alcohol SBI in primary health care. It also highlights that when looking to successfully implement alcohol SBI in other settings, it is important to ensure that the intervention is simple and purpose-built for both the setting and recipient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern small satellites (MSS) are revolutionizing the space industry. They can drastically reduce the mission cost, and can make access to space more affordable. The relationship between a modern small satellite and a "conventional" large satellite is similar to that between a modern compact laptop and a "conventional" work-station computer. This paper gives an overview of antenna technologies for applications in modern small satellites. First, an introduction to modern small satellites and their structures is presented. This is followed by a description of technical challenges in the antenna designs for modern small satellites, and the interactions between the antenna and modern small satellites. Specific antennas developed for modern small-satellite applications are then explained and discussed. The future development and a conclusion are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pump shafts used for power generation are susceptible to fatigue cracking while often in near-continuous operation. Technology based on torsional vibration is under development for condition-based assessment of shaft health. The focus of this paper is on the relationship between a crack, which propagated due to bending loads, and the torsional stiffness of the shaft. An analytical method to determine the compliance associated with a crack has been implemented for a semi-elliptical surface crack. A 3-D finite element model of a shaft section with a crack has also been used to predict the effect of a crack on stiffness. Fatigue cracks were seeded in shafts on a three-point bend apparatus. A benchtop test rig was constructed to evaluate the torsional natural frequencies of a cracked shaft system. Quasistatic torsional stiffness tests indicated that crack closure has an effect on the results. A torsional finite element model of the benchtop test rig indicates that the first torsional natural frequency is reduced by the propagation of a crack. The reduction in torsional stiffness of the shaft inferred from the natural frequency results is in reasonable agreement with the quasistatic results and the model predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports that permanent lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL) obtained by transformation of peripheral B lymphocytes with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) have proven useful for detecting genetic differences in human populations. Although the agar cloning assay used in initial experiments remains the primary standard, an alternative labelling method was also tested. The former method was considered to be too tedious for repetitively screening the large numbers of cell tines envisaged in this study. The higher melphalan resistance found for the untreated ovarian cancer group compared with non-tumour donors was unexpected and raised the question of whether differences in LCL passage level. EBV pool, or donor age were responsible.

The article reports on periodontal traumatism. This is used when there are pathologic developments in the periodontium following occlusal forces in excess of physiologic limits. Occlusal forces, caused by dentures or clenching habits, can cause dense periodontal ligaments, thicker dental cementum, and thrombosis of blood vessels.

BSTRACT Within a few years all domestic wastewater effluents in the United States will be subjected to a minimum of a properly operated primary and secondary treatment process. This implies a very high degree of removal of the more readily biologically degradable material as measured by the BOD test. This practice will to a large degree negate the value of the BOD test as a pollution parameter. Organic carbon appears to be a more suitable means for determining the strength of a wastewater or for controlling the operation of physical and chemical treatment processes. Studies were conducted to determine the effect of time of passage on the ratio of organic carbon to BOD, COD and carbohydrate. The ratio was found to vary with both time and the state of the sample. The carbon content was reduced to a lesser degree than the other parameters. Organic carbon content appears to correlate better with COD than with BOD. The efficiency of a chemical precipitation process can be determined on the basis of organic carbon removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses an investigation regarding the variations that exist with oral flora within an organism's mouth. The investigation found that small differences exist with an organism's oral flora at different time periods. The author states that these differences were not statistically significant.

La investigación y desarrollo de líquidos iónicos a temperatura ambiente (RTILsl va cobrando mayor importancia, como una necesidad de contar con materiales y sustancias químicas apropiados para diversos procesos químico-industriales, así como al creciente uso de ciertas fuentes alternativas de energía, más llevaderos con nuestro medio ambiente. En este artículo se hace una reseña sobre los líquidos iónicos, sus propiedades físicas y de transporte, aplicaciones presentes y futuras.

La problemática de la educación escolar en elLatinoamérica, particularmente en los cursos de cienciasnaturales en Primaria y Secundaria, ha inducido a la necesidadde reformular el modo de enseñanza tradicional. Entre otrasmetodologías, se espera que la Educación en Ciencias Basadaen la Indagación (ECBI) favorezca actitudes propias de unpensamiento crítico y científico en los educandos, lo cual esindispensable para el desarrollo científico-tecnológico de lospaíses de la región.A continuación se da a conocer algunas experiencias sobrecómo se lleva a cabo este proceso de indagación en las clasesescolares, los principios de esta metodología, las dificultadesen su aplicación y la necesidad de trazar los ejes de un planestratégico para su ejecución, desarrollo y evaluación ennuestro país.

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Se estudió la adsorción de 1,3-butadieno y de 2,3-dimetil-1,3-butadieno sobre una superficie monocristalina de Si(100)-2x1 bajo condiciones de máximo vacío (ultra-high vacuum, UHV) observándose que, a temperatura ambiente, cada dieno reacciona mediante una cicloadición [4+2] sobre el dímero Si2 de esta superficie. El producto de esta reacción ha sido comparado con el aducto formado en una reacción Diels-Alder, con el dímero superficial Si2 actuando como dienófilo. Esta reacción, a la que llamaremos del tipo Diels-Alder, ha sido estudiada bajo distintas condiciones de temperatura. El aducto Diels-Aldcr fue sometido luego a reacciones térmicas. La formación de este aducto fue detectada por espectroscopia infraroja de reflexión múltiple interna (multiple internal reflection infrared spectroscopy, MIR-IRS), espectrometría de desorción térmica (thermal desorption spectrometry), y confirmada luego al estudiar la estructura fina cerca al límite de ionización por absorción de rayos X (near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure- NEXAFS) de la especie adsorbida. En este último estudio, para 2,3-dimetil-1,3-butadieno, también se determinó el ángulo (41") entre el plano de la superficie Si( lOO) y el plano que contiene los orbitales [pi] del aducto formado. Por otro lado, al repetir la reacción tipo Diels-Alder sobre la superficie enfriada a temperaturas criogénicas (100 K), se observa más bien una adsorción física sobre la superficie, y no la reacción detectada a temperatura ambiente. Estos resultados de dependencia térmica de la reacción sugieren que hay una barrera de activación para la quimisorción a baja temperatura. Esta reacción tipo Diels-Alder no es reversible sobre la superficie Si(100)-2x1 pues, al activar térmicamente la superficie, no ocurre la desorción molecular del dieno precursor en fase gas, sino que el a dueto se descompone, formando carbono e hidrógeno adsorbidos sobre la superficie.

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The article presents several news briefs relating to dental research. The author's opinions regarding the potential impact that an energy shortage in the U.S. may have on scientific research is mentioned. David B. Scott has been named the director of the National Institute of Dental Research. Corrections to the article "Postdevelopmental Effects of Boron, Fluoride, and Their Combination on Dental Caries Activity in the Rat," which appeared in a previous issue are presented.