Should we reconsider competition in residential electricity supply? Survey results in North Carolina

Retail competition has been introduced in many states as part of electricity industry deregulation. Following problems in the electricity market in California in 2000/01 many states, including NC, put deregulation plans on hold. Where retail competition is allowed consumers can choose their electricity supplier, and companies can compete for customers on the basis of rates and/or other options such as green energy choices. The welfare benefits of retail competition depend on consumers’ willingness to switch suppliers, and in many cases people choose to stay with their current supplier even though rivals offer savings. In that sense consumers are ‘sticky’ in the same way they are with other services such as banking and credit. The question then becomes: should states reconsider retail competition or stay with the status quo? To help answer this question we survey residents in two North Carolina counties. Our survey focuses on: (i) households’ knowledge of and interest in retail competition (ii) factors that would encourage them to switch suppliers, with an emphasis on smart meters and (iii) how large the potential savings would have to be to encourage switching. Key Words: electricity supply, retail competition, switching

Response to Pediatric Physical Therapy in Infants With Positional Preference and Skull Deformation

Background Pediatric physical therapy (PPT) seems to reduce skull deformation in infants with positional preference. However, not all infants show improvement. \ud \ud Objective The purpose of this study was to determine which infant and parent characteristics were related to response to PPT in 2-4 month-old infants with positional preference and/or skull deformation. \ud \ud Design A prospective cohort study. \ud \ud Methods Infants 2–4 months old with positional preference and/or skull deformation were recruited by pediatric physical therapists at the start of PPT. Primary outcome was good or poor response (moderate/severe skull deformation) at 4.5 to 6.5 months of age. Potential predictors for response to PPT were assessed at baseline using questionnaires, plagiocephalometry, and the Alberta Infant Motor Scale. Univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses using a stepwise backward elimination method were performed. \ud \ud Results 657 infants participated in the study. At follow-up 364 infants (55.4%) showed poor response and 293 infants (44.6%) good response to therapy. Multiple logistic regression analysis resulted in the identification of four significant predictors at baseline for poor response to PPT: starting therapy after 3 months of age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.50, 95% CI 1.04 to 2.17), skull deformation (plagiocephaly (aOR: 2.64, 1.67 to 4.17), brachycephaly (aOR: 3.07, 2.09 to 4.52)) and a low parental satisfaction score (aOR: 2.64, 1.67 to 4.17). \ud \ud Limitations Information about PPT was collected retrospectively and concerned general therapy characteristics. Subsequently no adjustment for therapy for the individual participants could be made. \ud \ud Conclusions Four predictors for response to PPT in infants of 2-4 months of age with positional preference and/or skull deformation were identified. Health professionals can use these predictors in daily practice to provide infants with more individualized therapy, resulting in better chances of a good outcom

Approaching the Gamow Window with Stored Ions : Direct Measurement of Xe 124 (p,γ) in the ESR Storage Ring

© 2019 American Physical Society. All rights reserved.We report the first measurement of low-energy proton-capture cross sections of Xe124 in a heavy-ion storage ring. Xe12454+ ions of five different beam energies between 5.5 and 8 AMeV were stored to collide with a windowless hydrogen target. The Cs125 reaction products were directly detected. The interaction energies are located on the high energy tail of the Gamow window for hot, explosive scenarios such as supernovae and x-ray binaries. The results serve as an important test of predicted astrophysical reaction rates in this mass range. Good agreement in the prediction of the astrophysically important proton width at low energy is found, with only a 30% difference between measurement and theory. Larger deviations are found above the neutron emission threshold, where also neutron and γ widths significantly impact the cross sections. The newly established experimental method is a very powerful tool to investigate nuclear reactions on rare ion beams at low center-of-mass energies.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Prenatal and pubertal testosterone affect brain lateralization

After decades of research, the influence of prenatal testosterone on brain lateralization is still elusive, whereas the influence of pubertal testosterone on functional brain lateralization has not been investigated, although there is increasing evidence that testosterone affects the brain in puberty. We performed a longitudinal study, investigating the relationship between prenatal testosterone concentrations in amniotic fluid, pubertal testosterone concentrations in saliva, and brain lateralization (measured with functional Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography (fTCD)) of the Mental Rotation, Chimeric Faces and Word Generation tasks. Thirty boys and 30 girls participated in this study at the age of 15 years. For boys, we found a significant interaction effect between prenatal and pubertal testosterone on lateralization of Mental Rotation and Chimeric Faces. In the boys with low prenatal testosterone levels, pubertal testosterone was positively related to the strength of lateralization in the right hemisphere, while in the boys with high prenatal testosterone levels, pubertal testosterone was negatively related to the strength of lateralization. For Word Generation, pubertal testosterone was negatively related to the strength of lateralization in the left hemisphere in boys. For girls, we did not find any significant effects, possibly because their pubertal testosterone levels were in many cases below quantification limit. To conclude, prenatal and pubertal testosterone affect lateralization in a task-specific way. Our findings cannot be explained by simple models of prenatal testosterone affecting brain lateralization in a similar way for all tasks. We discuss alternative models involving age dependent effects of testosterone, with a role for androgen receptor distribution and efficiency

Stage-Specific Inhibition of MHC Class I Presentation by the Epstein-Barr Virus BNLF2a Protein during Virus Lytic Cycle

gamma-herpesvirus Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) persists for life in infected individuals despite the presence of a strong immune response. During the lytic cycle of EBV many viral proteins are expressed, potentially allowing virally infected cells to be recognized and eliminated by CD8+ T cells. We have recently identified an immune evasion protein encoded by EBV, BNLF2a, which is expressed in early phase lytic replication and inhibits peptide- and ATP-binding functions of the transporter associated with antigen processing. Ectopic expression of BNLF2a causes decreased surface MHC class I expression and inhibits the presentation of indicator antigens to CD8+ T cells. Here we sought to examine the influence of BNLF2a when expressed naturally during EBV lytic replication. We generated a BNLF2a-deleted recombinant EBV (ΔBNLF2a) and compared the ability of ΔBNLF2a and wild-type EBV-transformed B cell lines to be recognized by CD8+ T cell clones specific for EBV-encoded immediate early, early and late lytic antigens. Epitopes derived from immediate early and early expressed proteins were better recognized when presented by ΔBNLF2a transformed cells compared to wild-type virus transformants. However, recognition of late antigens by CD8+ T cells remained equally poor when presented by both wild-type and ΔBNLF2a cell targets. Analysis of BNLF2a and target protein expression kinetics showed that although BNLF2a is expressed during early phase replication, it is expressed at a time when there is an upregulation of immediate early proteins and initiation of early protein synthesis. Interestingly, BNLF2a protein expression was found to be lost by late lytic cycle yet ΔBNLF2a-transformed cells in late stage replication downregulated surface MHC class I to a similar extent as wild-type EBV-transformed cells. These data show that BNLF2a-mediated expression is stage-specific, affecting presentation of immediate early and early proteins, and that other evasion mechanisms operate later in the lytic cycle

Bioconjugation strategies to couple supramolecular exo-functionalized palladium cages to peptides for biomedical applications

Supramolecular Pd2L4 cages (L = ligand) hold promise as drug delivery systems. With the idea of achieving targeted delivery of the metallacages to tumor cells, the bioconjugation of exo-functionalized self-assembled Pd2L4 cages to peptides following two different approaches is reported for the first time. The obtained bioconjugates were analyzed and identified by high-resolution mass spectrometry

The Effect of Provider Density on Lung Cancer Survival Among Blacks and Whites in the United States

IntroductionLung cancer mortality rates may vary with access to specialty providers and local resources. We sought to examine the effect of access to care, using density of lung cancer care providers, on lung cancer mortality among blacks and whites in the United States.MethodsWe examined U.S. county-level data for age-adjusted lung cancer mortality rates from 2003 to 2007. Our primary independent variable was per capita number of thoracic oncologic providers, adjusting for county-level smoking rates, socioeconomic status, and other geographic factors. Data were obtained from 2009 Area Resource File, National Center for Health Statistics, and the County Health Rankings Project.ResultsProviders of lung cancer care were unevenly distributed among the U.S. counties. For example, 41.4% of the U.S. population reside in counties with less than four thoracic surgeons per 100,000 people, 23.4% in counties with 4 to 15 surgeons per 100,000 people, and 35.3% in counties with more than 15 surgeons per 100,000 people. Geographically, 4.3% of whites compared with 11.2% of blacks lived in high lung cancer mortality zones. Lung cancer mortality did not vary by density of thoracic surgeons or oncology services; however, higher primary care provider density was associated with lung cancer mortality reduction of 4.1 per 100,000 for whites.ConclusionVariation in provider density for thoracic oncology in the United States was not associated with a difference in lung cancer mortality. Lower mortality associated with higher primary care provider density suggests that equitable access to primary care may lead to reduced cancer disparities

Helmet therapy in infants with positional skull deformation: randomised controlled trial

Objective To determine the effectiveness of helmet therapy for positional skull deformation compared with the natural course of the condition in infants aged 5-6 months. Design Pragmatic, single blinded, randomised controlled trial (HEADS, HElmet therapy Assessment in Deformed Skulls) nested in a prospective cohort study. Setting 29 paediatric physiotherapy practices; helmet therapy was administered at four specialised centres. Participants 84 infants aged 5 to 6 months with moderate to severe skull deformation, who were born after 36 weeks of gestation and had no muscular torticollis, craniosynostosis, or dysmorphic features. Participants were randomly assigned to helmet therapy (n=42) or to natural course of the condition (n=42) according to a randomisation plan with blocks of eight. Interventions Six months of helmet therapy compared with the natural course of skull deformation. In both trial arms parents were asked to avoid any (additional) treatment for the skull deformation. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was change in skull shape from baseline to 24 months of age assessed using plagiocephalometry (anthropometric measurement instrument). Change scores for plagiocephaly (oblique diameter difference index) and brachycephaly (cranioproportional index) were each included in an analysis of covariance, using baseline values as the covariate. Secondary outcomes were ear deviation, facial asymmetry, occipital lift, and motor development in the infant, quality of life (infant and parent measures), and parental satisfaction and anxiety. Baseline measurements were performed in infants aged between 5 and 6 months, with follow-up measurements at 8, 12, and 24 months. Primary outcome assessment at 24 months was blinded. Results The change score for both plagiocephaly and brachycephaly was equal between the helmet therapy and natural course groups, with a mean difference of −0.2 (95% confidence interval −1.6 to 1.2, P=0.80) and 0.2 (−1.7 to 2.2, P=0.81), respectively. Full recovery was achieved in 10 of 39 (26%) participants in the helmet therapy group and 9 of 40 (23%) participants in the natural course group (odds ratio 1.2, 95% confidence interval 0.4 to 3.3, P=0.74). All parents reported one or more side effects. Conclusions Based on the equal effectiveness of helmet therapy and skull deformation following its natural course, high prevalence of side effects, and high costs associated with helmet therapy, we discourage the use of a helmet as a standard treatment for healthy infants with moderate to severe skull deformatio

Neutralizing antibodies against the preactive form of respiratory syncytial virus fusion protein offer unique possibilities for clinical intervention

Human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV) is the most important viral agent of pediatric respiratory infections worldwide. The only specific treatment available today is a humanized monoclonal antibody (Palivizumab) directed against the F glycoprotein, administered prophylactically to children at very high risk of severe hRSV infections. Palivizumab, as most anti-F antibodies so far described, recognizes an epitope that is shared by the two conformations in which hRSV_F can fold, the metastable prefusion form and the highly stable postfusion conformation. We now describe a unique class of antibodies specific for the prefusion form of this protein that account for most of the neutralizing activity of either a rabbit serum raised against a vaccinia virus recombinant expressing hRSV_F or a human Ig preparation (Respigam), which was used for prophylaxis before Palivizumab. These antibodies therefore offer unique possibilities for immune intervention against hRSV, and their production should be assessed in trials of hRSV vaccines