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Background. Human infection by orthopoxviruses is being reported with increasing frequency, attributed in part to the cessation of smallpox vaccination and concomitant waning of population-level immunity. In July 2015, a female resident of interior Alaska presented to an urgent care clinic with a dermal lesion consistent with poxvirus infection. Laboratory testing of a virus isolated from the lesion confirmed infection by an Orthopoxvirus. Methods. The virus isolate was characterized by using electron microscopy and nucleic acid sequencing. An epidemiologic investigation that included patient interviews, contact tracing, and serum testing, as well as environmental and small-mammal sampling, was conducted to identify the infection source and possible additional cases. Results. Neither signs of active infection nor evidence of recent prior infection were observed in any of the 4 patient contacts identified. The patient's infection source was not definitively identified. Potential routes of exposure included imported fomites from Azerbaijan via the patient's cohabiting partner or wild small mammals in or around the patient's residence. Phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that the virus represents a distinct and previously undescribed genetic lineage of Orthopoxvirus, which is most closely related to the Old World orthopoxviruses. Conclusions. Investigation findings point to infection of the patient after exposure in or near Fairbanks. This conclusion raises questions about the geographic origins (Old World vs North American) of the genus Orthopoxvirus. Clinicians should remain vigilant for signs of poxvirus infection and alert public health officials when cases are suspected.

Development of a scalable flat-panel neutron radiography device is needed to meet the nondestructive testing needs of a growing industrial market. Flood field images from a Cs-137 gamma source and a Cf-252 fission neutron source were generated using a detector composed of a 3-mm-thick sheet of EJ-200, and 3-mm-thick sheet of acrylic light spreader, an 8 × 8 array of SensL MICROFJ-60035-TSV SiPMs, and an IDEAS ROSSPAD readout module. The readout module can be tiled together with similar systems to create a panel of any size, and is only limited by the number of available Ethernet ports in a switching system. A collimated gamma line image demonstrated a 90% spatial resolution of approximately 0.47 line pairs per centimeter and a 10% spatial resolution of approximately 2.32 line pairs per centimeter. A neutron edge image demonstrated a 90% spatial resolution of approximately 0.70 line pairs per centimeter and a 10% spatial resolution of approximately 3.35 line pairs per centimeter. Both of these images show the ability to generate radiographs with sub-SiPM spatial resolution. Using these readout modules, a large-scale radiographic panel can be developed by tiling ROSSPAD modules together.

A multi-detector fast neutron radiography panel was built using the previous work on scalable neutron radiography using the IDEAS ROSSPAD readout module. A new aluminum housing was built to accommodate a large number of detectors tiled together. Additional changes to startup and processing code were made to operate the detector as one cohesive unit. Spatial resolution of the full panel using Cs-137 gammas was reported to be 0.42 line pairs per centimeter at 90% MTF and 2.09 line pairs per centimeter at 10% MTF. Three neutron radiographs generated using a Cf-252 fission neutron source were used to determine the spatial resolution of the panel for neutrons. The experiments had 90% MTF values of 0.24, 0.3, and 0.27 line pairs per centimeter and 10% MTF values of 1.30, 1.46, and 1.40 line pairs per centimeter. An example neutron radiograph was also used to prove that the radiography panel can perform true neutron radiography.

In July 2015, personnel in the Alaska Division of Public Health's Section of Epidemiology became aware of an increase in the number of patients being treated in Anchorage hospital emergency departments for adverse reactions associated with use of synthetic cannabinoids (SCs). SCs are a chemically diverse class of designer drugs that bind to the same cannabinoid receptors as tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive component of cannabis. A public health investigation was initiated to describe clinical outcomes, characterize the outbreak, and identify SC chemicals circulating in Anchorage. During July 15, 2015-March 15, 2016, a total of 1,351 ambulance transports to Anchorage emergency departments for adverse SC reactions were identified. A review of charts obtained from two Anchorage hospitals determined that among 167 emergency department visits for adverse SC reactions during July 15-September 30, 2015, 11 (6.6%) involved a patient who required endotracheal intubation, 17 (10.2%) involved a patient who was admitted to the intensive care unit, and 66 (39.5%) involved a patient classified as being homeless. Testing of 25 product and paraphernalia samples collected from patients at one hospital identified 11 different SC chemicals. Educational outreach campaigns focused on the considerable health risks of using SCs need to complement judicial and law enforcement actions to reduce SC use.

Phospholipids, a major constituent of cell membranes, contain a hydrophobic tail and a hydrophilic head group. Cell membranes are composed of two leaflets forming a bilayer. The hydrophobic tails form the bilayer core while the hydrophilic headgroups form the exterior of the bilayer. While phospholipids have a similar structure in general, there is variety among headgroup moieties as well as tail moieties. In living cells, phospholipids are distributed asymmetrically between the two leaflets of the bilayer according to head group chemistry. However, it has been shown that phospholipids can undergo rapid flip-flop between the two leaflets, which would favor a symmetric distribution due to mixing. Sum frequency vibrational spectroscopy (SFVS), a surface specific technique, can be used to determine the amount of asymmetry in a lipid bilayer on a planar support. As such, SFVS was used to study one possible mechanism of bilayer asymmetry maintenance, namely electrostatic association. Specifically, asymmetry was induced in bilayers consisting of 1,2-distearoyl-sn -glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine and 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylserine by electrostatic interaction with the positively charged polypeptide polylysine. Lipid bilayers were created on planar silica surfaces through the Langmuir-Blodgett/Langmuir-Schaefer deposition method. To confirm the validity of using the Langmuir-Blodgett/Langmuir-Schaefer deposition method for the asymmetry study, mass spectrometry was used to verify bilayers of a known composition that were formed on a silica substrate.

Assembled nearly 200 years ago, the mineral collection of one of English Society's most remarkable woman, Georgiana Spencer, has recently been reassembled and painstakingly restored to its original order. The collection contains an impressive variety of classic 18th and 19th-century specimens, many of which carry fascinating stories. Copper details the history of the Devonshire Mineral Collection at Chatsworth House and its restoration.

The America Invents Act (ALA) has changed certain procedures concerning inventors and applicants for patent applications. The majority of these new procedures are applicable only to applications with filing dates on or after September 16, 2012. However, there are some new procedures that apply to all applications regardless of filing date. The authors, Michael P. Cooper, Carol Laherty, Angie Mah, and Bonnie Weiss McLeod of Cooley LLP, summarize the changes. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]