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Commonly known as "Kissing Spines" (KS), the pathological mechanisms underlying impingement and overriding of spinous processes (ORSPs) in horses are poorly understood. Thoroughbreds, Warmbloods, and stock-type breeds, including Paint Horses and Quarter Horses are at increased risk for developing clinical signs of KS. A total of 155 stock-type and Warmblood horses presented at collaborating veterinary clinics and hospitals were examined using a strict clinical and radiographical phenotyping scheme to grade each horse from 0 for unaffected controls to 4 for severe KS. Following genotyping with the Illumina Equine SNP70 array (Illumina, Inc.) a Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS) using 61,229 filtered individual Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) was performed to the KS grade phenotype. Two significantly associated SNPs (BIEC2-668062 and BIEC2-668013) on chromosome 25 defined a ~1.4 Gb candidate region containing approximately 17 coding genes (EquCab3) and 195 ENSEMBL annotated variants. Investigation of the best associated SNP (BIEC2-668062) on chr25 demonstrates a significant correlation with an increase in one KS grade, on average, per A allele in this population. A significant effect of breed group, age, height or sex was not observed in this population. These preliminary results demonstrate the potential for KS diagnosis and preventative measures for WB/ST individuals supported by increased genetic risk for more severe KS grade. We propose further research including other affected breeds and evaluating causative variants, as well as the effect of BIEC2-668062 in these populations.

Maize is consumed world-wide as staple food, livestock feed, and industrial raw material. However, it is susceptible to fungal attack and at risk of aflatoxin contamination under certain conditions. Such contamination is a serious threat to human and animal health. Ensuring that the maize used by food industry meets standards for aflatoxin levels requires significant investment across the supply chain. Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) form a critical part of a broader, integrated strategy for reduction of aflatoxin contamination. We reviewed and summarised the GAP of maize that would be effective and practicable for aflatoxin control within high-risk regions for smallholder farmers. The suggested practicable GAP for smallholder farmers were: use of drought-tolerant varieties; timely harvesting before physiological maturity; sorting to remove damaged ears and those having poor husk covering; drying properly to 13% moisture content; storage in suitable conditions to keep the crop clean and under condition with minimally proper aeration, or ideally under hermetic conditions. This information is intended to provide guidance for maize growers that will help reduce aflatoxin in high-risk regions, with a specific focus on smallholder farmers. Following the proposed guidelines would contribute to the reduction of aflatoxin contamination during pre-harvest, harvest, and post-harvest stages of the maize value chain.

This commentary serves to raise awareness for health care professionals about the potential risks of accidental ingestion of flibanserin tablets by children. Flibanserin was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of acquired generalized hypoactive sexual desire disorder in premenopausal women. Since its approval in 2015, the FDA has identified five reports of serious accidental ingestion by toddlers. All five children, boys with ages ranging from 18 months to 2 years, presented with central nervous system and respiratory depression, and two of them required intubation. A combination of hypertension, hyperthermia, and seizure-like activity was also seen in four of the five children. The clinical manifestation resembles serotonin syndrome (eg, tachycardia, hypertension, and muscle stiffness). As flibanserin use increases, greater awareness by health care professionals regarding the risk of accidental pediatric ingestion is needed to facilitate preventative counseling for patients with young children.

Towards scalable manufacturing of perovskite solar panels, high-performance planar p-i-n perovskite solar cells (PVSCs) and modules have been demonstrated with blade-coating and rapid thermal proce...

Background In-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) has an incidence of approximately 200,000 adults per year in the United States. Most events occur in patients without known heart disease. The majority of IHCA data is heterogenous from registries, pooled databases, and insurance claims. We sought to examine single-center data from our institution over a 5-year period. Purpose Does the category of admitting diagnosis impact the outcome of IHCA? We hypothesized that patients with cardiac admitting diagnoses would have higher rates of survival to discharge and discharge home due to an increased amount of shockable (ventricular) rhythms. Methods All IHCA events over 5 years were identified, and 1,105 charts were examined. Charts with missing information were excluded. Admitting diagnoses were reviewed and categorized by organ system. If there were multiple categories, the most causative was chosen. If equally causative, the most severe was chosen. Charts were organized by survival and sorted by the organ system of the admitting diagnosis. Categories with Results Patients with a cardiac category of admitting diagnosis (Table 1) had the highest rate of IHCA (29.68%) while hematologic had the lowest (1.45%). Immediate survival and survival to discharge respectively were highest for transplant patients (85.71%, 32.14%) and lowest for vascular (37.5%, 12.5%). The initial rhythm was predominantly PEA across all groups. Patients with cardiac and pulmonary diagnoses had higher rates of ventricular rhythms than asystole, which was reversed in the other groups. Discharge disposition (Table 2) home was highest for transplant (55.56%), cancer (52%), and cardiac (49.35%). Cardiac patients were nearly as likely to be discharged to an inpatient facility (45.46%). Pulmonary and gastrointestinal patients were most likely to be discharged to a long-term acute care hospital (28.89% and 28.57%, respectively). Neurologic patients were all, and trauma patients were mostly, discharged to inpatient facilities. Conclusion(s) In keeping with established data, cardiac patients were most likely to suffer an IHCA and had more ventricular rhythms than the other groups. However, their initial rhythm was predominantly PEA, they had the third-highest survival to discharge, and were predominantly discharged home. Transplant and trauma patients surprisingly had the highest survival to discharge while gastrointestinal and infectious patients had the lowest. The data presented herein can serve as a guide for clinicians to better predict survival to discharge and disposition for their patients who suffer an IHCA. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

Fifteen lots of wheat were sampled to characterise the total variance and distribution among sample test results associated with measuring deoxynivalenol (DON) in bulk wheat lots. An unbalanced nested experimental design based on past research was used to determine contributions to the total variance from sampling, sample preparation, and analysis. The wheat lots used in the study contained average DON concentrations that ranged from 0.17 to 24.5 mg/kg. Sampling was determined to be the largest contributor to the total variance of measuring DON at low mg/kg concentrations, which are relevant to existing maximum levels. With the experimental design parameters of 1 kg laboratory samples, sub-division of whole and ground grain using rotary sample division, sample comminution using a commercial-grade coffee grinder, extraction of 100 g test portions, and making one measurement of DON in the test portion by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, the total variance of DON measurement at 2 mg/kg was 0.046 mg2/kg2 (coefficient of variation=10.7%). At this concentration, sampling contributed 67% to the total variance, followed by sample preparation (18%) and analysis (15%). The DON distribution among sample test results was accurately described by the normal distribution. The mathematical model of variance was used with the normal distribution of DON measurement results to construct operating characteristics curves to model the likelihood of mischaracterising a wheat lot as (non) compliant with a certain decision limit. With realistic laboratory sample and test portion sizes, as well as a practicable decision limit of 1.5 mg/kg, the estimated probability of mischaracterising a wheat lot containing 2 mg/kg DON as less than this concentration was reduced to 1%.

Summary Tandem solar cells coupling narrow- and wide-band-gap thin-film polycrystalline absorbers are attractive for achieving ultrahigh efficiency with low manufacturing cost. For established narrow-band-gap CIGS thin-film bottom cells, a challenge is to develop highly efficient polycrystalline wide-band-gap top cells. Here, we demonstrate a 1.68-eV (FA0.65MA0.20Cs0.15)Pb(I0.8Br0.2)3 wide-band-gap perovskite solar cell with an efficiency of ∼20% enabled by using PEAI and Pb(SCN)2 complementary additives in the perovskite precursor. The coupling of PEA+ and SCN− provides a synergistic effect that overcomes growth challenges with either additive individually and improves perovskite film quality with enhanced crystallinity, reduced formation of excess PbI2 (in comparison to using Pb(SCN)2 additive alone), lower defect density and energetic disorder, and an improved carrier mobility (∼47 cm2 V−1s−1) and lifetime (∼2.9 μs). When coupling a semi-transparent 1.68-eV perovskite top cell fabricated by this approach with a 1.12-eV CIGS bottom cell, we achieve 25.9%-efficient polycrystalline perovskite/CIGS 4-terminal thin-film tandem solar cells.

The laboratory sample preparation for mycotoxin determination in cereals, often overlooked among sampling plans and analytical methods, was further studied. The precision of aflatoxin analysis in comminuted maize samples using 25 g slurry (prepared from 250 g test portion of comminuted maize, water/matrix (1+1, v/w)) and 12.5 g dry grind test portion were compared against the conventional 50 g dry grind test portion through replicated (10) Aflatest® immunoaffinity fluorometric tests of naturally contaminated samples with aflatoxin concentration ranging from 4.9 to 81.7 μg/kg. The overall mean aflatoxin concentration obtained from the 10 different samples tested using 12.5 g and 50.0 g dry grind procedures was 12% significantly (P

In the past 15 years, researchers utilizing prescription databases to assess medication usage have concluded that antipsychotics reduce mortality in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. These findings stand in contrast to studies in non-psychiatric patients that have found that antipsychotics, because of their adverse effects on physical health, increase the risk of early death. A critical review of the evidence reveals that the worry remains. There is reason to conclude that antipsychotics contribute to the ‘mortality gap’ between the seriously mentally ill and the general population and that the database studies are plagued with methodological and reporting issues. Most importantly, the database studies tell of mortality rates within a drug-centered paradigm of care, which confounds any comparison of mortality risks when patients are on or off antipsychotics.

Aflatoxin in maize and peanuts remains a critical problem in much of Africa and Asia. Many countries in these regions lack a systematic preharvest approach for providing government agencies with warnings of a potential threat to human and animal health resulting from excessive levels of aflatoxin in crops at harvest. This paper sets out an approach to such a system. It is based on the establishment of a surveillance system in each community to monitor aflatoxin contamination resulting from drought stress before harvest and advise on remedial actions. The system should be under the control of a central government coordinator. If severe drought stress occurs, the coordinator would arrange for samples of the affected crop to be provided to a central aflatoxin laboratory established and controlled by the relevant government department. Assays from the central laboratory would be sent via the central coordinator to a government scientific advisory body, which would recommend appropriate remedial action to be taken at government level.

High efficiency combined with transformative roll-to-roll (R2R) printability makes metal halide perovskite-based solar cells the most promising solar technology to address the terawatt challenge of the future energy demand. However, translation from lab-scale deposition solution processing techniques to large-scale R2R methods has typically led to reduced photovoltaic performance. Here, we demonstrate large-scale, highly crystalline, uniaxially oriented, smooth perovskite films printed at room temperature and in the ambient environment. Confirmed with high speed in situ X-ray diffraction measurements, the perovskite films reach 98% of relative crystallinity at room temperature and display high texture within 1 s of the coating. We demonstrate an all-blade-coated metal halide perovskite cell with power conversion efficiency (PCE) up to 19.6%, a slot-die coated cell with a PCE of 17.3%, and a partially R2R slot-die coated flexible glass-based cell efficiency of 14.1%. The developed printing method can be ap...

Rapid development of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) during the past several years has made this photovoltaic (PV) technology a serious contender for potential large-scale deployment on the terawatt scale in the PV market. To successfully transition PSC technology from the laboratory to industry scale, substantial efforts need to focus on scalable fabrication of high-performance perovskite modules with minimum negative environmental impact. Here, we provide an overview of the current research and our perspective regarding PSC technology toward future large-scale manufacturing and deployment. Several key challenges discussed are (1) a scalable process for large-area perovskite module fabrication; (2) less hazardous chemical routes for PSC fabrication; and (3) suitable perovskite module designs for different applications.

Perovskite based photovoltaic devices hold the promise to greatly reduce the cost of solar energy production; however, this potential depends greatly on the ability to deposit perovskite active layers using large scale deposition methods such as slot-die coating without sacrificing efficiency. Using a perovskite precursor ink with long wet-film processing window, we demonstrate efficient perovskite solar cells based on slot-die coated perovskite layer. We found almost no difference in the photophysical and structural details of perovskite films that were deposited by spin coating to films deposited by slot-die coating. We explored various slot-die coating parameters to determine their effect on the performance of the device metrics. In addition to slot-die coating, we demonstrate the versatility of this wide wet-film processing window by fabricating perovskite solar cells with active layers deposited by spin coating, blade coating, and spray coating that all exhibited similar performance.

Sampling and sample preparation (grinding and subsampling) are largest sources of variability that negate precision and accuracy of mycotoxin quantitation, particularly in grains. In general, halving sample or sub-sample (e.g., ground test portion) size doubles variance. Therefore, this paper reports on trends in sample and test portion masses used for the quantification of mycotoxin in maize between 1991 and 2020 by reviewing articles on mycotoxin quantitation in maize (grain and flour) published during this period. About 50% of the articles did not explicitly state the sample mass that was ground. Sample and test portion masses show a significant (p

Heterogeneous gluten distribution in certain food commodities, such as oat flour, warrants a sound sampling plan to reduce measurement variability and the risk associated with lot misclassification. Ten lots of oat flour, 45 kg each, with varying gluten content were produced in a pilot-scale hammer mill to evaluate various sampling plans for gluten in oat flour. Thirty-two samples from each lot were collected during milling to study the effect of discrete (individual samples taken from the lot) and composite (samples taken from a bulk sample prepared by compositing several individual samples) sampling methods. A 5 g test sample was manually taken from each of the 32 samples, extracted with a cocktail extraction buffer, and gluten content was estimated using ELISA by analyzing duplicate aliquots of the extract. The total variance (Vt) from gluten measurements was partitioned into variance between samples (Vs) and aliquots analyzed (Va). Regression analysis revealed a linear relationship between the log of all three variances and the log of gluten concentration, which can be explained by the power equation for discrete and composite sampling methods. The Vt and Vs for discrete sampling tended to be higher than those for composite sampling at a given gluten concentration. A log-normal distribution was found suitable to characterize the distribution of measured gluten in oat flour samples from a test procedure. Operating characteristic (OC) curves plotted to evaluate various sampling plans for gluten in oat flour showed reduced risk of misclassification for composite sampling, as compared to the discrete sampling method for a given sampling plan. Examples are shown for the change in OC curves depending on the sampling method, sample size, number of samples analyzed, and accept/reject limit.

Background Current blood pressure (BP) measurement guidelines specify patient requirements, including being still. Some populations of patients cannot comply. A new International Organization for Standards is being developed to test devices that claim tolerance to transport-induced motion artifacts. This study proposes the first protocol to assess BP device accuracy in the presence of patient-induced motion. Participants and methods Forty healthy volunteers (23 males) participated. The device tested was the Welch Allyn Connex Spot Monitor (CSM) using the SureBP algorithm. A reusable cuff was placed on the left arm. During inflation/deflation cycles the participant performed pronation/supination movements of the left forearm every 5 s. The CSM readings during motion were compared to the average of manual resting auscultatory estimations immediately before and after each motion cycle (bracketing). Results The CSM recorded a BP reading on the first cycle in 37 participants. It displayed a reading in all 40 participants with one repeat cycle in the other three. The mean±SD for the device minus the manual BP values was 0.9±7.3 mmHg for systolic BP and −3.4±7.9 mmHg for diastolic BP. Conclusion This study represents a proposal for an automated BP device assessment in the presence of patient-induced motion. The CSM device, which uses an inflation-based algorithm, routinely produced BP values that closely matched auscultatory values bracketed immediately before and after the motion-associated cycle. The CSM should be of significant clinical value in populations in whom resting ‘still’ readings are not usually feasible, such as pediatric and geriatric patients, and patients in pain from injury or illness.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a toxic fungal metabolite associated with human and animal diseases, is a natural contaminant encountered in agricultural commodities, food and feed. Heterogeneity of AFB1 makes risk estimation a challenge. To overcome this, novel sample selection, preparation and extraction steps were designed for representative sampling of chicken feed. Accuracy, precision, limits of detection and quantification, linearity, robustness and ruggedness were used as performance criteria to validate this modification and Horwitz function for evaluating precision. A modified sampling protocol that ensured representativeness is documented, including sample selection, sampling tools, random procedures, minimum size of field-collected aggregate samples (primary sampling), procedures for mass reduction to 2 kg laboratory (secondary sampling), 25 g test portion (tertiary sampling) and 1.3 g analytical samples (quaternary sampling). The improved coning and quartering procedure described herein (for secondary and tertiary sampling) has acceptable precision, with a Horwitz ratio (HorRat = 0.3) suitable for splitting of 25 g feed aliquots from laboratory samples (tertiary sampling). The water slurring innovation (quaternary sampling) increased aflatoxin extraction efficiency to 95.1% through reduction of both bias (−4.95) and variability of recovery (1.2–1.4) and improved both intra-laboratory precision (HorRat = 1.2–1.5) and within-laboratory reproducibility (HorRat = 0.9–1.3). Optimal extraction conditions are documented. The improved procedure showed satisfactory performance, good field applicability and reduced sample analysis turnaround time.

The presence of gluten-containing grains in oat groats is not uncommon. Many countries with regulations on “gluten-free” labeling of foods, such as the US, EU and Canada, have a 20 mg/kg (ppm) limit and allow “gluten-free” claims on oat products, provided that the limit is not exceeded. The non-uniform spatial distribution of gluten-containing grains in a bulk lot poses a challenge when selecting a representative sample of oat groats from a lot to determine if the lot is within regulatory compliance limits. A probability-based method for evaluating sampling plan designs was developed. A balanced nested experimental design was used to estimate gluten concentration in 16 laboratory samples from each of 10 mini-lots of oat groats spiked with varying amounts of wheat kernels used as the gluten source. The total variance of the gluten test procedure was partitioned into the variances between laboratory samples (Vs), test portions (Vtp) and aliquots tested (Va). From regression analysis, each variance was found to be a function of gluten concentration (G): Vs = ( 100 / Ns ) 35.0880 G , Vtp = ( 1 / Ntp ) 20.0078 G and Va = ( ( 1 / Na ) 0.0264 ) G 1.5167 , where Ns is laboratory sample size in g, Ntp is test portion size in g, and Na is number of aliquots analyzed for gluten. The observed gluten distribution among samples of oat groats tended to follow gamma and negative binomial distributions compared to normal and lognormal distributions, especially at low gluten concentrations. An R program was developed using the relation of variance with gluten concentration and negative binomial distribution to compute and plot an operating characteristic (OC) curve for various gluten sampling plan designs. The OC curve was used to predict the acceptance (or rejection) probability of a bulk lot at given gluten concentration by a specific sampling plan design. The effect of change in laboratory sample size, test portion size, number of laboratory samples and manufacturer's accept/reject limit (generally lower than the regulatory limit) on the OC curve was determined.

Leisure involves people engaging in structured and unstructured activities in community settings. Despite the myriad benefits of leisure participation, some people do not have opportunities to use their free time in a satisfying manner. Although most professionals consider inclusion to be an important goal of leisure services, many agencies do not welcome or offer unwelcoming or inaccessible services to people who are marginalized and/or oppressed as a result of various characteristics (e.g., ability, economic resources, age, gender, religion, ethnicity, race, sexuality). There is a need for research that highlights facilitators to inclusive leisure services. This study is part of a larger initiative to identify best practices in structured inclusive leisure programs and to develop an accreditation process with standards that reflect evidence-based practices. To this end, a focus group allowed a team of professionals to share its knowledge and experiences with inclusive leisure services. Focus group participants were eight members of the accreditation development team. The following lead request drove the discussion: Please describe services you consider best practices for inclusive leisure services . The focus group, lasting approximately three hours, was audio-recorded and transcribed. Following the constant comparative analytic framework, researchers identified patterns in data and relationships between concepts. Member check sessions providing opportunities for participants to provide input on codes, categories, and themes. Seven themes emerged: (a) participation, (b) social connections, (c) enjoyment, (d) choice, (e) competence, (f) social responsibility, and (g) learning. The themes of participation and social connections are primary themes because of the extensiveness of examples and emphasis discussants placed on them. Although several participants have expertise associated with inclusion of people with disabilities, their expertise and comments during the focus group encompassed other characteristics that often result in challenges to leisure (e.g., economic resources, age, gender, religion, ethnicity, race, sexuality). Results encourage practitioners to deliver inclusive leisure services by making accommodations to ensure all participants regardless of characteristics experience leisure, and by intentionally fostering social connections to help participants develop meaningful relationships. Focus group members emphasized the importance of leisure service providers creating enjoyable experiences, encouraging all participants to make choices, instilling a sense of competence in participants, modeling and rewarding social responsibility, and teaching a variety of skills. By following these best practices, practitioners can actively promote social inclusion across various leisure experiences for all community members

We report scalable deposition of perovskite thin film by blade coating and slot-die coating towards large-area perovskite solar cell and module development. We find that extending perovskite ink processing window is critical to transitioning from laboratory-scale spin coating to scalable deposition. Using blade coated perovskite thin films, we demonstrate perovskite mini-modules with efficiency near 16‥. Using slot-die coating, we show uniform deposition of perovskite thin films on substrate with area larger than 200 cm2. Using slot-diecoated perovskite thin films, we obtain perovskite solar cells with efficiency higher than14‥. Further optimization of coating conditions is expected to improve device performance comparable to those prepared by spin coating for small area devices.