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In 2014, trained healthcare provider capacity was insufficient to deliver care to an estimated 70 000 persons in Maryland with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The goal of Maryland Community Based Programs to Test and Cure Hepatitis C, a public health implementation project, was to improve HCV treatment access by expanding the workforce. Sharing the Cure (STC) was a package of services deployed 10/1/14‐9/30/18 that included enhanced information technology and public health infrastructure, primary care provider training and practice transformation. Nine primary care sites enrolled. HCV clinical outcomes were documented among individuals who presented for care at sites and met criteria for HCV testing including risk factor or birth cohort (born between 1945 and 1965) based testing. Fifty‐three providers completed the STC training. STC providers identified 3237 HCV antibody‐positive patients of which 2624 (81%) were RNA+. Of those HCV RNA+, 1739 (66%) were staged, 932 (36%) were prescribed treatment, 838 (32%) started treatment, 721 (27%) completed treatment and 543 (21%) achieved cure. Among 1739 patients staged, 693 (40%) patients had a liver fibrosis assessment score < F2, rendering them ineligible for treatment under Maryland Medicaid guidelines. HCV RNA testing among HCV antibody‐positive people increased from 40% (baseline) to 95% among STC providers. Of 554 patients with virologic data reported, 543 (98%) achieved cure. Primary care practices can effectively serve as HCV treatment centers to expand treatment access. However, criteria by insurance providers in Maryland were a major barrier to treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most archaeological lithic raw material studies depend upon a macroscopic classification. However, since the human eye is a limited tool, some inconsistencies in classification may arise. Thus, a process for evaluating and increasing the reliability of macroscopic classification is needed. We present the results of a blind test designed to evaluate consistency in macroscopic lithic materials analysis, based on archaeological material taken from the Acheulo‐Yabrudian site Qesem Cave (Israel), focusing on interobserver error, aimed at identifying consistencies and weaknesses within our own study scheme. Twelve students, with various degrees of experience and familiarity with the Qesem material, sorted 100 randomly selected flint pieces into flint types, based on a previously established database, after a brief tutorial process. In addition, the authors, LW and AA, performed the same test. We then compared the results, using LW's results as an anchor. Our results show that experience affects the consistency in classification, demonstrating that it is an acquired skill. Furthermore, the blind test allowed us to identify weaknesses within the classification scheme. We suggest that blind tests should be regularly used to check accuracy and reproducibility of results and to assess the definitions set by the analyst, allowing fine‐tuning and calibration of the classification process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyclic multiredox centered systems are currently of great interest, with new compounds being reported and developments made in understanding their behavior. Efficient, elegant, and high-yielding (for macrocyclic species) synthetic routes to two novel alkynyl-conjugated multiple ferrocene- and biferrocene-containing cyclic compounds are presented. The electronic interactions between the individual ferrocene units have been investigated through electrochemistry, spectroelectrochemistry, density functional theory (DFT), and crystallography to understand the effect of cyclization on the electronic properties and structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biferrocene systems offer a motif that incorporates multiple redox-active centres, enabling redox control, high levels of stability and near perfect conductance levels, and thus is an ideal participant within future molecular electronic systems. However, the incorporation of biferrocene can be restricted by current synthetic routes. Herein, we discuss a new method for the synthesis and incorporation of biferrocenyl motifs within extended conjugated systems. We have synthesised a family of compounds featuring biferrocenyl-ethynyl units with various pendant heteroaromatic linkages. The new compounds are probed with use of cyclic voltammetry, UV/Vis/near-infrared (NIR) spectroelectrochemistry and X-ray crystallography to gain further understanding of their structural and electronic properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Much of the evidence underlying guidelines for producing accessible information for people with aphasia focuses on client preference for particular design features. There is limited evidence regarding the effects of these features on comprehension. Aims To examine the effects of specific design features on text comprehension. It was hypothesized that font style, letter case and supporting images would all have a significant impact on people with aphasias' ability to comprehend text. Methods & Procedures Participants ( N = 9) read 35 paragraphs and selected the most appropriate word or phrase from a choice of four to finish the final sentence. Reading comprehension was assessed in three conditions: font style, letter case and text with a supporting image. One-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs) with Bonferroni post-hoc tests were used to test the effect of each design feature on reading comprehension. Outcomes & Results People with aphasia comprehended significantly more written information when presented in sans-serif font than in a serif style ( p = .01) and when presented in lower case than in upper case ( p = .03). The inclusion of a single supporting image to illustrate a paragraph of text did not have a significant effect on comprehension. Conclusions & Implications This research supports the premise that font style and letter case have a significant effect on text comprehension, but that illustrating a paragraph of text with a single image may not significantly improve comprehension when text is written at a low readability level. Although it is critical to produce accessible information, improving comprehension is only one rationale for modified text presentation and therefore these results must be viewed in the context of other recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current models for the exceptional preservation of Burgess Shale fossils have focused on either the HF-extractable carbonaceous compressions or the mineral films identified by elemental mapping. BSEM, EDX and microprobe analysis of two-dimensionally preserved Marpolia, Wiwaxia and Burgessia identifies the presence of both carbonaceous and aluminosilicate films for most features, irrespective of original lability. In the light of the deep burial and greenschist facies metamorphism documented for the Burgess Shale, the aluminosilicate films are identified as products of late-stage volatilization and coincident mineralization of pre-existing compression fossils, whereas the three-dimensionally preserved gut-caecal system of Burgessia is interpreted as an aluminosilicate replacement of a pre-existing carbonate phase. The case for late diagenetic emplacement of aluminosilicate minerals is supported by the extensive aluminosilicification of trilobite shell and (originally) calcareous veinlets in the Burgess Shale, as well as documentation of other secondarily aluminosilicified compression fossils. By distinguishing late diagenetic alteration from the early diagenetic processes responsible for exceptional preservation, it is possible to reconcile the range of preservational modes currently expressed in the Burgess Shale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]