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Acenes and N-heteroacenes have been synthesized and studied for over a century because of their fundamentally interesting materials properties and promise for device applications. Within this context, our laboratory has previously synthesized nitrogen-containing tetrabenzo[de,hi,op,st]pentacenes via an aza-Diels-Alder reaction-based approach, and herein, we expand our methodology to obtain substituted, expanded, functionalized, and dimeric tetrabenzoacenes. Overall, our study adds to the limited number of tetrabenzoacene derivatives reported to date and may open further opportunities for these materials in organic optoelectronics applications.

Multilevel interventions (MLIs) are appropriate to reduce health disparities among Indigenous peoples because of their ability to address these communities' diverse histories, dynamics, cultures, politics, and environments. Intervention science has highlighted the importance of context-sensitive MLIs in Indigenous communities that can prioritize Indigenous and local knowledge systems and emphasize the collective versus the individual. This paradigm shift away from individual-level focus interventions to community-level focus interventions underscores the need for community engagement and diverse partnerships in MLI design, implementation, and evaluation. In this paper, we discuss three case studies addressing how Indigenous partners collaborated with researchers in each stage of the design, implementation, and evaluation of MLIs to reduce health disparities impacting their communities. We highlight the following: (1) collaborations with multiple, diverse tribal partners to carry out MLIs which require iterative, consistent conversations over time; (2) inclusion of qualitative and Indigenous research methods in MLIs as a way to honor Indigenous and local knowledge systems as well as a way to understand a health disparity phenomenon in a community; and (3) relationship building, maintenance, and mutual respect among MLI partners to reconcile past research abuses, prevent extractive research practices, decolonize research processes, and generate co-created knowledge between Indigenous and academic communities.

While the #LandBack movement has captured popular imagination, it remains unconvincing to many settlers who are the primary landowners in settler states. This article seeks to expand Indigenous studies understandings of the LandBack movement by looking at the strategic relations the Osage Nation used to get back 43,000 acres of land in 2016. Such strategic relations are mired in colonial and capitalist systems, but they are also how many Native nations, such as the Osage, are rebuilding their homelands. This article thus seeks to tell fuller stories of Indigenous strategies for survival and, ultimately, relationality.

BackgroundLow grip strength and gait speed are associated with mortality. However, investigation of the additional mortality risk explained by these measures, over and above other factors, is limited.AimWe examined whether grip strength and gait speed improve discriminative capacity for mortality over and above more readily obtainable clinical risk factors.MethodsParticipants from the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study, Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study, and the Hertfordshire Cohort Study were analysed. Appendicular lean mass (ALM) was ascertained using DXA; muscle strength by grip dynamometry; and usual gait speed over 2.4-6 m. Verified deaths were recorded. Associations between sarcopenia components and mortality were examined using Cox regression with cohort as a random effect; discriminative capacity was assessed using Harrell's Concordance Index (C-index).ResultsMean (SD) age of participants (n = 8362) was 73.8(5.1) years; 5231(62.6%) died during a median follow-up time of 13.3 years. Grip strength (hazard ratio (95% CI) per SD decrease: 1.14 (1.10,1.19)) and gait speed (1.21 (1.17,1.26)), but not ALM index (1.01 (0.95,1.06)), were associated with mortality in mutually-adjusted models after accounting for age, sex, BMI, smoking status, alcohol consumption, physical activity, ethnicity, education, history of fractures and falls, femoral neck bone mineral density (BMD), self-rated health, cognitive function and number of comorbidities. However, a model containing only age and sex as exposures gave a C-index (95% CI) of 0.65(0.64,0.66), which only increased to 0.67(0.67,0.68) after inclusion of grip strength and gait speed.ConclusionsGrip strength and gait speed may generate only modest adjunctive risk information for mortality compared with other more readily obtainable risk factors.

How human genetic variation contributes to vaccine effectiveness in infants is unclear, and data are limited on these relationships in populations with African ancestries. We undertook genetic analyses of vaccine antibody responses in infants from Uganda (n = 1391), Burkina Faso (n = 353) and South Africa (n = 755), identifying associations between human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and antibody response for five of eight tested antigens spanning pertussis, diphtheria and hepatitis B vaccines. In addition, through HLA typing 1,702 individuals from 11 populations of African ancestry derived predominantly from the 1000 Genomes Project, we constructed an imputation resource, fine-mapping class II HLA-DR and DQ associations explaining up to 10% of antibody response variance in our infant cohorts. We observed differences in the genetic architecture of pertussis antibody response between the cohorts with African ancestries and an independent cohort with European ancestry, but found no in silico evidence of differences in HLA peptide binding affinity or breadth. Using immune cell expression quantitative trait loci datasets derived from African-ancestry samples from the 1000 Genomes Project, we found evidence of differential HLA-DRB1 expression correlating with inferred protection from pertussis following vaccination. This work suggests that HLA-DRB1 expression may play a role in vaccine response and should be considered alongside peptide selection to improve vaccine design.

Multilevel interventions (MLIs) are appropriate to reduce health disparities among Indigenous peoples because of their ability to address these communities' diverse histories, dynamics, cultures, politics, and environments. Intervention science has highlighted the importance of context-sensitive MLIs in Indigenous communities that can prioritize Indigenous and local knowledge systems and emphasize the collective versus the individual. This paradigm shift away from individual-level focus interventions to community-level focus interventions underscores the need for community engagement and diverse partnerships in MLI design, implementation, and evaluation. In this paper, we discuss three case studies addressing how Indigenous partners collaborated with researchers in each stage of the design, implementation, and evaluation of MLIs to reduce health disparities impacting their communities. We highlight the following: (1) collaborations with multiple, diverse tribal partners to carry out MLIs which require iterative, consistent conversations over time; (2) inclusion of qualitative and Indigenous research methods in MLIs as a way to honor Indigenous and local knowledge systems as well as a way to understand a health disparity phenomenon in a community; and (3) relationship building, maintenance, and mutual respect among MLI partners to reconcile past research abuses, prevent extractive research practices, decolonize research processes, and generate co-created knowledge between Indigenous and academic communities.

Globe-LFMC 2.0, an updated version of Globe-LFMC, is a comprehensive dataset of over 280,000 Live Fuel Moisture Content (LFMC) measurements. These measurements were gathered through field campaigns conducted in 15 countries spanning 47 years. In contrast to its prior version, Globe-LFMC 2.0 incorporates over 120,000 additional data entries, introduces more than 800 new sampling sites, and comprises LFMC values obtained from samples collected until the calendar year 2023. Each entry within the dataset provides essential information, including date, geographical coordinates, plant species, functional type, and, where available, topographical details. Moreover, the dataset encompasses insights into the sampling and weighing procedures, as well as information about land cover type and meteorological conditions at the time and location of each sampling event. Globe-LFMC 2.0 can facilitate advanced LFMC research, supporting studies on wildfire behaviour, physiological traits, ecological dynamics, and land surface modelling, whether remote sensing-based or otherwise. This dataset represents a valuable resource for researchers exploring the diverse LFMC aspects, contributing to the broader field of environmental and ecological research.

INTRODUCTION: There are many reasons why orthopaedic surgeons move or change careers. We asked the questions: (1) What is the geographic distribution of orthopaedic surgeons with respect to age, sex, and race and ethnicity? (2) How has our workforce changed over time with regard to these factors? (3) Are there any patterns or trends detected regarding policy or regulatory events that coincide with these differences? METHODS: The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons surveys over 30,000 members, collecting data on demographics, age, race sex, and practice statistics. We calculated geographic distributions and evaluated these differences over time-potential influences from malpractice suits or tort reform were investigated. RESULTS: Overall surgeon density increased over time. The largest negative changes were noted in District of Columbia, Wyoming, and North Dakota and positive changes in Colorado, South Dakota, and West Virginia. Age across all states increased (mean 1.7 years). Number of female surgeons increased in most states (4.6% to 5.7%). Number of  African Americans increased from 1.6% to 1.8%, Hispanic/LatinX from 1.8% to 2.2%, Asian from 5.5% to 6.7%, and multiracial from 0.8% to 1.2%. No change was noted in the percentage of Native American surgeons. DISCUSSION: Surgeon density increased from 2012 to 2018; the cause for this change was not evident. Small increases in surgeon population, female surgeons, and in some underrepresented minorities were seen.

Multifunctional platforms that can dynamically modulate their color and appearance have attracted attention for applications as varied as displays, signaling, camouflage, anti-counterfeiting, sensing, biomedical imaging, energy conservation, and robotics. Within this context, the development of camouflage systems with tunable spectroscopic and fluorescent properties that span the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared spectral regions has remained exceedingly challenging because of frequently competing materials and device design requirements. Herein, we draw inspiration from the unique blue rings of the Hapalochlaena lunulata octopus for the development of deception and signaling systems that resolve these critical challenges. As the active material, our actuator-type systems incorporate a readily-prepared and easily-processable nonacene-like molecule with an ambient-atmosphere stability that exceeds the state-of-the-art for comparable acenes by orders of magnitude. Devices from this active material feature a powerful and unique combination of advantages, including straightforward benchtop fabrication, competitive baseline performance metrics, robustness during cycling with the capacity for autonomous self-repair, and multiple dynamic multispectral operating modes. When considered together, the described exciting discoveries point to new scientific and technological opportunities in the areas of functional organic materials, reconfigurable soft actuators, and adaptive photonic systems.

Abstract Background We previously reported that increases in circulating sphingolipids are associated with elevated risk of biopsy Gleason grade group (GG) upgrading in men on Active Surveillance (AS) for prostate cancer. Here, we aimed to validate these findings and establish a blood-based sphingolipid biomarker panel for identifying men on AS who are at high-risk of biopsy GG upgrading. Methods Men diagnosed with low- or intermediate-risk prostate cancer in one of two AS cohorts (CANARY PASS and MDACC) were followed for GG upgrading after diagnostic and confirmatory biopsy. The PASS cohort consisted of 544 patients whereas the MDACC Cohort consisted of 697 patients. The number of patients with GG upgrading during course of study follow-up in the PASS and MDACC cohorts were 98 (17.7%) and 133 (19.1%), respectively. Plasmas collected prior to confirmatory biopsy were used for mass spectrometry-based quantitation of 87 unique sphingolipid species. A neural network layer based on 21 sphingolipids was developed in the CANARY PASS cohort for predicting biopsy GG upgrading. Tertile-based thresholds for low-, intermediate-, and high-risk strata were subsequently developed for the sphingolipid panel as well as a model that combined the sphingolipid panel with PSA density and rate of core positivity on diagnostic biopsy. The resultant models and risk thresholds for GG upgrading were validated in the MDACC cohort. Performance was assessed using Cox proportional hazard models, C-index, AUC, and cumulative incidence curves. Results The sphingolipid panel had a HR (per unit standard deviation increase) of 1.36 (95% CI: 1.07–1.70) and 1.35 (95% CI: 1.11–1.64) for predicting GG biopsy upgrading in the PASS and MDACC cohort, respectively. The model that combined the sphingolipid panel with PSA density and rate of core positivity achieved a HR of 1.63 (95% CI: 1.33-2.00) and 1.44 (1.25–1.66), respectively. Tertile-based thresholds, established in the PASS cohort, were applied to the independent MDACC cohort. Compared to the low-risk group, MDACC patients in the high-risk strata had a GG biopsy upgrade HR of 3.65 (95% CI: 2.21–6.02), capturing 50% of the patients that had biopsy upgrading during study follow-up. Conclusions The sphingolipid panel is independently associated with GG biopsy upgrading among men in two independent AS cohorts who have previously undergone diagnostic and confirmatory biopsy. The sphingolipid panel, together with clinical factors, provides a potential means for risk stratification to better guide clinical management of men on AS.

Abstract Accurate prediction of walking travel rates is central to wide-ranging applications, including modeling historical travel networks, simulating evacuation from hazards, evaluating military ground troop movements, and assessing risk to wildland firefighters. Most of the existing functions for estimating travel rates have focused on slope as the sole landscape impediment, while some have gone a step further in applying a limited set of multiplicative factors to account for broadly defined surface types (e.g., “on-path” vs. “off-path”). In this study, we introduce the Simulating Travel Rates In Diverse Environments (STRIDE) model, which accurately predicts travel rates using a suite of airborne lidar-derived metrics (slope, vegetation density, and surface roughness) that encompass a continuous spectrum of landscape structure. STRIDE enables the accurate prediction of both on- and off-path travel rates using a single function that can be applied across wide-ranging environmental settings. The model explained more than 80% of the variance in the mean travel rates from three separate field experiments, with an average predictive error less than 16%. We demonstrate the use of STRIDE to map least-cost paths, highlighting its propensity for selecting logically consistent routes and producing more accurate yet considerably greater total travel time estimates than a slope-only model.

Carbon dioxide and methane emissions are the two primary anthropogenic climate-forcing agents and an important source of uncertainty in the global carbon budget. Uncertainties are further magnified when emissions occur at fine spatial scales (

Abstract Serial CA125 and second line transvaginal ultrasound (TVS) screening in the UKCTOCS indicated a shift towards detection of earlier stage ovarian cancer (OvCa), but did not yield a significant mortality reduction. There remains a need to establish additional biomarkers that can complement CA125 for even earlier and at a larger proportion of new cases. Using a cohort of plasma samples from 219 OvCa cases (59 stage I/II and 160 stage III/IV) and 409 female controls and a novel Sensitivity Maximization At A Given Specificity (SMAGS) method, we developed a blood-based metabolite-based test consisting of 7 metabolites together with CA125 for detection of OvCa. At a 98.5% specificity cutpoint, the metabolite test achieved sensitivity of 86.2% for detection of early-stage OvCa and was able to capture 64% of the cases with low CA125 levels (

Abstract Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) remains a significant area of research since it’s discovery 50 years ago. The surface-based technique has been used in a wide variety of fields, most prominently in chemical detection, cellular imaging and medical diagnostics, offering high sensitivity and specificity when probing and quantifying a chosen analyte or monitoring nanoparticle uptake and accumulation. However, despite its promise, SERS is mostly confined to academic laboratories and is not recognised as a gold standard analytical technique. This is due to the variations that are observed in SERS measurements, mainly caused by poorly characterised SERS substrates, lack of universal calibration methods and uncorrelated results. To convince the wider scientific community that SERS should be a routinely used analytical technique, the field is now focusing on methods that will increase the reproducibility of the SERS signals and how to validate the results with more well-established techniques. This review explores the difficulties experienced by SERS users, the methods adopted to reduce variation and suggestions of best practices and strategies that should be adopted if one is to achieve absolute quantification. Graphical Abstract

Weight-bearing physical activity is considered beneficial to bone health throughout the course of life, with the most marked benefits for bone health often considered to be high levels of activity around the time of peak bone mass (PBM) acquisition. To date, the research focus has been on the benefits of recreational weight-bearing sporting activity. Participation in elite sport is associated with enhanced sporting activity but is often also associated with low body weight, menstrual disturbance in females, and rest periods following injury. The benefit of sporting activity may, therefore, be attenuated in these groups. Here, we undertook a systematic review to consider what evidence is available regarding whether elite sporting activity in young adulthood has lasting benefits for bone health. Studies of retired athletes aged >50 years, who participated in elite sport from 15 to 30 years, were considered for inclusion. Elite sport was defined as participation at the national level or above. Following protocol development, the search strategy was applied to PubMed, Medline, Embase, and Web of Science. The selection was managed with Rayyan software, and the bias was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa scale. Two reviewers independently identified papers; a third adjudicated and screened the final selection for consideration. The protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021293644). Two reviewers screened 951 articles, of which 4 papers met the inclusion criteria. One paper reported findings in women and three in men; no paper included both sexes. The sample sizes varied from 24 to 193 and considered football, endurance running, weightlifting, and swimming. Bone density was measured at the femoral neck, trochanter, and lumbar spine. All studies reported higher density in former athletes than non-elite controls, though the information available regarding confounding lifestyle factors was variable. A meta-analysis was not possible as studies were too heterogenous. In conclusion, from the limited available evidence, our study suggests elite sporting activity in young adulthood may have lasting benefits for bone health. However, given the paucity of available data, we highlight an urgent need for future research, especially in female athletes.