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Designing surfaces that enable controlled presentation of multivalent ligand clusters (e.g., for rapid screening of biomolecular binding constants or design of artificial extracellular matrices) is a cross-cutting challenge in materials and interfacial chemistry. Existing approaches frequently rely on complex building blocks or scaffolds and are often specific to individual substrate chemistries. Thus, an interlayer chemistry that enabled efficient nanometer-scale patterning on a transferrable layer and subsequent integration with other classes of materials could substantially broaden the scope of surfaces available for sensors and wearable electronics. Recently, we have shown that it is possible to assemble nanometer-resolution chemical patterns on substrates including graphite, use diacetylene polymerization to lock the molecular pattern together, and then covalently transfer the pattern to amorphous materials (e.g., polydimethylsiloxane, PDMS), which would not natively enable high degrees of control over ligand presentation. Here, we develop a low-viscosity PDMS formulation that generates very thin films (<10 μm) with dense cross-linking, enabling high-efficiency surface functionalization with polydiacetylene arrays displaying carbohydrates and other functional groups (up to 10-fold greater than other soft materials we have used previously) on very thin films that can be integrated with other materials (e.g., glass and soft materials) to enable a highly controlled multivalent ligand display. We use swelling and other characterization methods to relate surface functionalization efficiency to the average distance between cross-links in the PDMS, developing design principles that can be used to create even thinner transfer layers. In the context of this work, we apply this approach using precision glycopolymers presenting structured arrays of N-acetyl glucosamine ligands for lectin binding assays. More broadly, this interlayer approach lays groundwork for designing surface layers for the presentation of ligand clusters on soft materials for applications including wearable electronics and artificial extracellular matrix.

Some countries are just happier than others--scientists have actually studied this. You (probably) can't move to those places, but you can use their strategies from afar. I NEVER THOUGHT I'd [...]

BACKGROUND:Distinguishing features of our stroke network include routine involvement of a telestroke nurse (TSRN) for code stroke activations at nonthrombectomy centers and immediate availability of neuroradiologists for imaging interpretation. On May 1, 2021, we implemented a new workflow for code stroke activations presenting beyond 4.5 hours from last known well that relied on a TSRN supported by a neuroradiologist for initial triage. Patients without a target large vessel occlusion (LVO) were managed without routine involvement of a teleneurologist, which represented a change from the preimplementation period. METHODS:We collected data 6 months before and after implementation of the new workflow. We compared preimplementation process metrics for patients managed with teleneurologist involvement with the postimplementation patients managed without teleneurologist involvement. RESULTS:With the new workflow, teleneurologist involvement decreased from 95% (n = 953) for patients presenting beyond 4.5 hours from last known well to 37% (n = 373; P< .001). Compared with patients in the preimplementation period, postimplementation patients without teleneurologist involvement experienced less inpatient hospital admission and observation (87% vs 90%; unadjusted P= .038, adjusted P= .06). Among the preimplementation and postimplementation admitted patients, there was no statistically significant difference in follow-up neurology consultation or nonstroke diagnoses. A similar percentage of LVO patients were transferred to the thrombectomy center (54% pre vs 49% post, P= .612), whereas more LVO transfers in the postimplementation cohort received thrombectomy therapy (75% post vs 39% pre, P= .014). Among LVO patients (48 pre and 41 post), no statistical significance was observed in imaging and management times. CONCLUSION:Our work shows the successful teaming of a TSRN and a neuroradiologist to triage acute stroke patients who present beyond an eligibility window for systemic thrombolysis, without negatively impacting care and process metrics. This innovative partnering may help to preserve the availability of teleneurologists by limiting their involvement when diagnostic imaging drives decision making.

Background: Previous research highlights burning eye syndrome (BES) and burning mouth syndrome (BMS) as chronic complications of COVID-19 infection. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to establish the prevalence of COVID-19-related BES and COVID-19-related BMS and describe their phenomenology. Methodology: A literature search in the PubMed database was performed, and seven papers (five on BES and two on BMS) were eligible to be included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. Results: The pooled prevalence of COVID-19-related BES was 9.9% (95% CI 3.4–25.4%). The frequency of COVID-19-related BMS is only reported in isolated cases and ranges from 4% in mild-to-moderate cases to 15% in severe, hospitalized cases, with female patients being mostly affected. COVID-19 severity is a potential risk factor for both BES and BMS. Neither syndrome occurs in isolation. COVID-19-related BES usually appears within the first week post-infection, persisting up to 9 weeks later. COVID-19-related BMS occurs during and after initial infection, and may also persist as a chronic disease. Conclusions: Both BES and BMS are neuropathic COVID-19 infection complications, still under-studied and under-investigated, despite the fact that both are prevalent. Both COVID-19-related BES and COVID-19-related BMS could potentially be initial long COVID syndrome manifestations, and further research should be carried out in this field.

Control over the surface chemistry of elastomers such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is important for many applications. However, achieving nanostructured chemical control on amorphous material interfaces below the length scale of substrate heterogeneity is not straightforward, and can be particularly difficult to decouple from changes in network structure that are required for certain applications (e.g., variation of elastic modulus for cell culture). We have recently reported a new method for precisely structured surface functionalization of PDMS and other soft materials, which displays high densities of ligands directly on the material surface, maximizing steric accessibility. Here, we systematically examine structural factors in the PDMS components (e.g., base and cross-linker structures) that impact efficiency of the interfacial reaction that leads to surface functionalization. Applying this understanding, we demonstrate routes for generating equivalent nanometer-scale functional patterns on PDMS with elastic moduli from 0.013 to 1.4 MPa, establishing a foundation for use in applications such as cell culture.

WHEN 20 OPENED THE DOOR, SHE THOUGHT SHE must still be sleeping. What stood there was some strange bird: that's what I9 would've said. He wasn't a boy, but he [...]

Again and again, Russian nature photographer Igor Shpilenok felt the pull of Kalmykia's wide-open steppe. Few other places in Russia have this hold on him. For five years running, as [...]

We made 2 Z-based in situ hybridization (ISH) probes for the detection of rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2; LagovirusGI.2) nucleic acid in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues from European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) that had died during an outbreak of RHD in Washington, USA. One probe system was made for detection of negative-sense RNA (i.e., the replicative intermediate RNA for the virus), and the other probe system was constructed for detection of genomic and mRNA of the virus (viral mRNA). Tissue sets were tested separately, and the viral mRNA probe system highlighted much broader tissue distribution than that of the replicative intermediate RNA probe system. The latter was limited to liver, lung, kidney, spleen, myocardium, and occasional endothelial staining, whereas signal for the viral mRNA was seen in many more tissues. The difference in distribution suggests that innate phagocytic activity of various cell types may cause overestimation of viral replication sites when utilizing ISH of single-stranded, positive-sense viruses.

The covid-19 pandemic instigated a rapid digital shift in UK higher education libraries, changing the way teaching was delivered. The digital shift of the pandemic meant library teaching was reimagined for online delivery, however pedagogical principles were challenged by new ways of working. How can a pedagogical approach for art and design librarianship adapt to online delivery when grounded in embodied, material and sensory experiences? Taking a reflective approach which brings together personal experience with discussion of selected literature, this article explores how pedagogical approaches to art and design librarianship have been continually reshaped by the pandemic.

Hydrogels are broadly used in applications where polymer materials must interface with biology. The hydrogel network is amorphous, with substantial heterogeneity on length scales up to hundreds of nanometers, in some cases raising challenges for applications that would benefit from highly structured interactions with biomolecules. Here, we show that it is possible to generate ordered patterns of functional groups on polyacrylamide hydrogel surfaces. We demonstrate that, when linear patterns of amines are transferred to polyacrylamide, they pattern interactions with DNA at the interface, a capability of potential importance for preconcentration in chromatographic applications, as well as for the development of nanostructured hybrid materials and supports for cell culture.

Many health plan sponsors face the questions of whether to provide a prescription drug benefit through a standalone pharmacy benefit manager or integrate the pharmacy benefit with medical benefits. Based on their company's analysis of health care costs involved in managing chronic diseases, the authors believe that integrating medical and pharmacy benefits saves money--and affects patient outcomes positively--by better aligning benefits and services.

The Steller's sea eagle, which is among the largest raptors in the world, lives in Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula. The Steller's, which feed on salmon, is threatened by pollution, overfishing, and oil development in its habitat. Other information on Steller's are presented.

Growing up in Denver, I never had much of an opportunity to develop a green thumb. Now, living in a remote village in western Russia, I have found that tending [...]

Kamchatka is Russia's final frontier, a land of big bears, large salmon resources, and vast swaths of old growth conifer forests. And now I am in its heart--the Kronotsky Nature [...]

I cringed at each bump as we drove down an endless washboard of gravel road--the main north-south highway to the interior of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula. Perched in the front seat [...]

Two rangers from the Klyazma Wildlife Sanctuary, 120 miles east of Moscow, carefully draw an illegal fishing net from a floodplain lake into their small boat. Fish squirm in the [...]

Just before the onset of the Second World War, my 83-year-old neighbor Olga Ivanovna had a dream. The wooden chest in her entryway stood empty with the lid open. Clothes [...]

Desman, a small, bedraggled animal with a long nose and scaly tail, is an aquatic insectivore distantly related to the mole, whose ancestors have inhabited lakes for 30 million years. It is found only in floodplain lakes of central Russia, but the accidental drowning in fishing nets, and hunting, habitat destruction and run-ins with invasive species, have decreased the animal's population.

The population of the saiga antelope, which inhabits Russia and Central Asia has fallen down by nearly ninety percent and is declining at a very fast rate. The migrating nature of saiga, poaching, black market for the saiga's horns, reduction in the male population and the lack of male combat may be responsible for the decrease in the number of saiga antelopes.

We are standing on what was once the vast, smooth floor of the Caspian Sea. Today, not a drop of water glistens within sight. The parched semi-desert plain, flat as [...]

PACKHORSE IN TOW, I SCRAMBLE ALONG THE ROCKY PACIFIC COAST OF Kunashir, the southernmost of Russia's Kurile Islands, a volcanic chain extending from Kamchatka to Japan. As the sun sets [...]

We describe a large-scale linear programming model for optimizing strategic (intercontinental) airlift capability. The model routes cargo and passengers through a specified transportation network with a given fleet of aircraft [...]

Sagit Galin, 69, saddles up his chestnut mare, strapping a long, braided leather rope and small wooden vat to the horn. He calls to his son, Sabit, 35, who is [...]

I STRAP THE belt of my shoulder bag around my waist, hunkering down for the steep, seven-kilometer hike to the top of the thickly forested mountain. The trail starts as [...]

IGOR PULLED UP to the local hospital in our UAZ jeep and ran around to the passenger side to pull me out. I winced as he lifted me and carried [...]

Background Basilar thrombosis frequently leads to poor functional outcomes, even with good endovascular reperfusion. We studied factors associated with severe disability or death in basilar thrombectomy patients achieving revascularization.Methods We retrospectively analyzed records from a health system's code stroke registry, including successful basilar thrombectomy patients from January 2017 to May 2023 who were evaluated with pretreatment computed tomography perfusion. The primary outcome was devastating functional outcome (90-day modified Rankin Scale [mRS] score 5–6). A multivariable logistic regression model was constructed to determine independent predictors of the primary outcome. The area under the receiver operator characteristics curve (AUC) was calculated for the model distinguishing good from devastating outcome.Results Among 64 included subjects, with mean (standard deviation) age 65.6 (14.1) years and median (interquartile range) National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) 18 (5.75–24.5), the primary outcome occurred in 28 of 64 (43.8%) subjects. Presenting NIHSS (odds ratio [OR] 1.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01–1.14, p = 0.02), initial glucose (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.97–1.00, p < 0.05), and proximal occlusion site (OR 7.38, 95% CI 1.84–29.60, p < 0.01) were independently associated with 90-day mRS 5–6. The AUC for the multivariable model distinguishing outcomes was 0.81 (95% CI 0.70–0.92).Conclusion We have identified presenting stroke severity, lower glucose, and proximal basilar occlusion as predictors of devastating neurological outcome in successful basilar thrombectomy patients. These factors may be used in medical decision making or for patient selection in future clinical trials.

Rapid growth in aquaculture has resulted in high-density production systems in ecologically and geographically novel conditions in which the emergence of diseases is inevitable. Well-characterized methods for detection and surveillance of infectious diseases are vital for rapid identification, response, and recovery to protect economic and food security. We implemented a proof-of-concept approach for virus detection using a known high-consequence fish pathogen, infectious salmon anemia virus (ISAV), as the archetypal pathogen. In fish infected with ISAV, we integrated histopathology, virus isolation, whole-genome sequencing (WGS), electron microscopy (EM), in situ hybridization (ISH), and reverse transcription real-time PCR (RT-rtPCR). Fresh-frozen and formalin-fixed tissues were collected from virus-infected, control, and sham-infected Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Microscopic differences were not evident between uninfected and infected fish. Viral cytopathic effect was observed in cell cultures inoculated with fresh-frozen tissue homogenates from 3 of 3 ISAV-infected and 0 of 4 uninfected or sham-infected fish. The ISAV genome was detected by shotgun metagenomics in RNA extracted from the medium from 3 of 3 inoculated cell cultures, 3 of 3 infected fish, and 0 of 4 uninfected or sham-infected fish, yielding sufficient coverage for de novo assembly. An ISH probe against ISAV revealed ISAV genome in multiple organs, with abundance in renal hematopoietic tissue. Virus was detected by RT-rtPCR in gill, heart, kidney, liver, and spleen. EM and metagenomic WGS from tissues were challenging and unsuccessful. Our proof-of-concept methodology has promise for detection and characterization of unknown aquatic pathogens and also highlights some associated methodology challenges that require additional investigation.

A GUNSHOT RINGS through the crisp January air. The sound rebounds off the tall conifer trees of the Russian taiga forest in the Tver Region, 100 miles north of Moscow. [...]

When most Americans think of Russian nature, they think of environmental catastrophe--Chernobyl, oil spills, pollution. Yet Russia, with one-eighth of the Earth's land area, has one of the world's premiere [...]

A Russian peasant without an [LANGUAGE NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (garden) is like a fish without water. The villagers of Chukhrai slave over the land from May to September, working [...]

Abstract: We report three cases of pica for foam rubber among sickle cell disease patients. All three were African-American males, and at the times of initial presentation for the pica, [...]

Introduction: Chronic pain is one of the most prevalent causes of disability worldwide, and digital interventions may be one of the ways to meet this need. Randomised controlled trials have demonstrated that digital interventions can be effective in treating chronic pain. This study aimed to establish the clinical effectiveness of a web-based pain management programme (PMP), specifically whether it would lead to improved clinical outcomes and reduced health care costs in a real-world clinical setting.Methods: Of 738 participants, 438 engaged with the programme and 300 did not. Two analyses were conducted: a within-subjects pre–post comparison of clinical outcomes for participants who completed the programme and a between-groups comparison of health care usage for those who engaged and those who did not.Results: Participants who completed the programme made significant improvements with regard to their perceived health status, level of disability, mood, confidence managing pain, problems in life due to pain and level of pain. Around one-third of participants made reliable changes in their levels of disability, depression and anxiety. There was no relationship between gender or age and engagement with the programme. Those who engaged with the programme demonstrated reduced health care costs in the year following referral, whereas health care costs of non-engagers increased. Limitations of the study include a high drop-out rate and a non-randomised comparison group. Results must therefore be interpreted with some caution.Conclusion: A web-based pain management programme can be clinically effective and may be a useful addition to the treatments offered by pain management services.

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After a stint working in Hong Kong, Laura Williams reflects on the UK's future role in the global creative industry Marilyn Monroe was placed next to Chairman Mau, Che Guevara [...]

Bizarre, S-shaped gas jets emerging from Heinze 3-1475 earned the young planetary nebula a nickname: 'The Garden Sprinkler Nebula.' Long outflows of fast-moving gas, or 'jets,' are found near a [...]

An aging star hides behind a thick dust belt at the center of the Egg Nebula, 3,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus. Concentric rings of dust, normally invisible, [...]

A burst of star formation just 26 to 31 million years ago is responsible for the formation of a giant star cluster at the center of NGC 1705, as well [...]

The coolest place in the universe has no cover charge and no bouncer at the door. But you'll have to wear a tie to get in--a bow tie, that is. [...]