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Political scientists and historians often credit the intangible heritage of language for the development or manufacturing of national identities. By controlling language through printing and media, it is possible to impose a common identity representing a political, diplomatic, and economic unity. This paper aims to illuminate the often‐unstated influences of urban and architectural language on the impact of cultural production, and to show how modernist syntax and vocabulary were hijacked into a colonial system through the control of the urban fabric, as an attempt to displace primary identity markers such as empire and religion. However, the socialist ideals of the Modern Movement that developed in the USSR after World War I, were a critical tangible component in this melting pot. At time of its ratification of the World Heritage Convention, the USSR did not nominate any properties in Central Asia, perhaps as a reaction against local identities. An exception was Itchan Kala which was nominated for inclusion as an "open‐air city museum." ICOMOS in its evaluation of the long‐term risks involved in transferring all the settlement and artisanal areas beyond its borders, warned that Itchan Kala would become a dead city with the local population cast into the role of "benign traditionalists" (ICOMOS, Evaluation of the Nomination – Historic Centre of Itchan‐kala, Khiva. Paris: ICOMOS, 1990, 39). Following the fall of the Soviet Union, the entire Russian bloc faced issues arising from changing values and renewed identities, the speed of change and active vestiges of the past. The post‐USSR reaction in Central Asia was through a regenerated Timurid narrative in the inscription of World Heritage properties in Uzbekistan, particularly in Shakhrisyabz, Bukhara, and Samarkand. The shift from an emphasis on architectural monuments toward a broader recognition of the social, cultural, and economic processes in the conservation of urban values comes together with the need for integrative sustainable development. This is matched by a drive to adapt existing leftover planning policies from the Soviet regime by creating new tools to address this postcolonial national vision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foliar water uptake can recharge water storage tissue and enable greater hydration than through access to soil water alone; however, few studies have explored the role of the bark in facilitating water uptake. We investigated pathways and dynamics of bark water uptake (BWU) in stems of the mangrove Avicennia marina. We provide novel evidence that specific entry points control dynamics of water uptake through the outer bark surface. Furthermore, using a fluorescent symplastic tracer dye we provide the first evidence that lenticels on the outer bark surface facilitate BWU, thus increasing stem water content by up to 3.7%. X‐ray micro‐computed tomography showed that BWU was sufficient to cause measurable swelling of stem tissue layers increasing whole stem cross‐sectional area by 0.83 mm2 or 2.8%, implicating it as a contributor to the diel patterns of water storage recharge that buffer xylem water potential and maintain hydration of living tissue. Summary statement: We identified a novel function for lenticels as a pathway for bark uptake of liquid water in stems of Avicennia marina. Bark water uptake (BWU) increased stem water content and was sufficient to swell stem tissues implicating BWU as a contributor to recharge of stem water storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the start of the 20th century, cesarean section (CS) was uncommon in obstetrics. By the end of the century, CS rates had increased dramatically worldwide. Although the explanation for the increase is multifactorial, a major driver in the ongoing escalation is the increase in women who are delivered by repeat CS. This is due, in part, to the fact that there has been a sharp fall in vaginal birth after CS (VBAC) rates as fewer women are offered a trial of labor after CS (TOLAC), due principally to fears of a catastrophic intrapartum uterine rupture. This paper reviewed international VBAC policies and trends. A number of themes emerged. The risk of intrapartum rupture and its associated complications is low and may sometimes be overestimated. Individual maternity hospitals in both developed and developing countries are inadequately resourced to safely supervise a TOLAC. Efforts to mitigate the risks of TOLAC by careful patient selection and good clinical practices may be underutilized. Given the serious short‐term and long‐term consequences of rising CS rates for women and for maternity services generally, a review of TOLAC policies worldwide should be prioritized and consideration given to convening a Global Consensus Development Conference on Delivery after CS. Synopsis: The dramatic fall in trial of labor after cesarean section rates globally may reflect overestimation of risks and underestimation of benefits associated with vaginal birth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Embolism refilling is thought to require relaxation of xylem tension, and it is unclear whether and how tall trees or plants growing in arid or saline soils recover from embolism. We tested whether foliar water uptake could enable embolism refilling in dehydrated twigs of the grey mangrove (Avicennia marina).Four dehydrated twigs were imaged by laboratory‐based micro‐computed tomography before and after wetting leaves.Emboli were observed in dehydrated stems and leaves. Embolism decreased with increasing distance from the cut end of stems, suggesting that stem emboli were caused by cutting. A significant (P = 0.026) c. 80% reduction in the embolised area was observed in leaves between the start and the end of the experiment (29 ± 10 h after wetting). Embolus diameter was unaffected by wetting.Embolism refilling occurred slowly, in stems embolised by cutting and leaves embolised by cutting and/or dehydration. The lack of response of embolus diameter to wetting suggests that capillarity was not the main mechanism for refilling. Results show that excised twigs of A. marina are able to recover from embolism by absorption of atmospheric water and call for studies under natural conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrolyte‐gated organic field‐effect transistors (EGOFETs) are subject to intense research for biosensing in fluids. The ability of these devices to quantify a variety of chemical and biological molecules sensitively and selectively, but ex situ, has been widely demonstrated. However, continuous monitoring of analyte‐receptor interactions in real time by EGOFETs, in high demand for practical applications, has rarely been explored. Here, an EGOFET array integrated with a microfluidic device, for real‐time detection of the hybridization of DNA is presented. The integrated devices exhibit highly reproducible electrical performance in the array and can operate under different electrical stresses over >1 h with 85–96% figures of merit retention. The utility of the devices is demonstrated to detect the hybridization of a complementary target DNA in 10 × 10−3 m phosphate‐buffered saline (1× PBS) selectively with a temporal resolution of <1 s in a flow of analyte with no incubation step. The detection time is <30 s and the relative standard deviation of the sensing reproducibility is <15% under the target concentration of 100 × 10−9 m. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrolyte‐gated organic field‐effect transistors (EGOFETs) are gaining interest for application in bioelectronic devices. However, robust performance in terms of charge‐carrier mobility, on‐to‐off drain current ratio (Ion/Ioff), and turn‐on speed are required for real application. Here, donor‐acceptor (D‐A) conjugated polymers, namely poly[2,5‐(2‐octyldodecyl)‐3,6‐diketopyrrolopyrrole‐alt‐5,5‐(2,5‐di(thien‐2‐yl)thieno[3,2‐b]thiophene)] (PDPPDTT) and indacenodithiophene‐co‐benzothiadiazole (PIDTBT), are evaluated in EGOFETs. The operational performance of these materials is compared to that of the well‐established conjugated polymer, poly[2,5‐bis(3‐hexadecylthiophen‐2‐yl)thieno[3,2‐b]thiophene] (PBTTT). The effective mobility extracted for the PDPPDTT (0.18 cm2 V−1 s−1), and PIDTBT (0.16 cm2 V−1 s−1) devices is almost double that of the PBTTT (0.10 cm2 V−1 s−1) based device and the Ion/Ioff is one ((PDPPDTT): 3 × 103) or two ((PIDTBT): 2 × 104) orders of magnitude higher than that of PBTTT (2 × 102) devices. The extracted values compare favorably to those of the highest performing EGOFETs and EGOFETs based on the D‐A polymers turn from off to on state two to ten times faster than the analogous PBTTT device with an improved subthreshold swing. These results show that D‐A polymers with a planar conjugated backbone enable the development of robust EGOFETs that are well appropriate for applications in bioelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CrystalExplorer is a native cross‐platform program supported on Windows, MacOS and Linux with the primary function of visualization and investigation of molecular crystal structures, especially through the decorated Hirshfeld surface and its corresponding two‐dimensional fingerprint, and through the visualization of void spaces in the crystal via isosurfaces of the promolecule electron density. Over the past decade, significant changes and enhancements have been incorporated into the program, such as the capacity to accurately and quickly calculate and visualize quantitative intermolecular interactions and, perhaps most importantly, the ability to interface with the Gaussian and NWChem programs to calculate quantum‐mechanical properties of molecules. The current version, CrystalExplorer21, incorporates these and other changes, and the software can be downloaded and used free of charge for academic research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although hydrogen bonding is one of the most important motifs in chemistry and biology, H‐atom parameters are especially problematic to refine against X‐ray diffraction data. New developments in quantum crystallography offer a remedy. This article reports how hydrogen bonds are treated in three different quantum‐crystallographic methods: Hirshfeld atom refinement (HAR), HAR coupled to extremely localized molecular orbitals and X‐ray wavefunction refinement. Three different compound classes that form strong intra‐ or intermolecular hydrogen bonds are used as test cases: hydrogen maleates, the tripeptide l‐alanyl‐glycyl‐l‐alanine co‐crystallized with water, and xylitol. The differences in the quantum‐mechanical electron densities underlying all the used methods are analysed, as well as how these differences impact on the refinement results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crystal interaction density is generally assumed to be a suitable measure of the polarization of a low‐molecular weight ligand inside an enzyme, but this approximation has seldomly been tested and has never been quantified before. In this study, we compare the crystal interaction density and the interaction electrostatic potential for a model compound of loxistatin acid (E64c) with those inside cathepsin B, in solution, and in vacuum. We apply QM/MM calculations and experimental quantum crystallography to show that the crystal interaction density is indeed very similar to the enzyme interaction density. Less than 0.1 e are shifted between these two environments in total. However, this difference has non‐negligible consequences for derived properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic semiconductors (OSCs) promise to deliver next‐generation electronic and energy devices that are flexible, scalable and printable. Unfortunately, realizing this opportunity is hampered by increasing concerns about the use of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particularly toxic halogenated solvents that are detrimental to the environment and human health. Here, a cradle‐to‐grave process is reported to achieve high performance p‐ and n‐type OSC devices based on indacenodithiophene and diketopyrrolopyrrole semiconducting polymers that utilizes aqueous‐processes, fewer steps, lower reaction temperatures, a significant reduction in VOCs (>99%) and avoids all halogenated solvents. The process involves an aqueous mini‐emulsion polymerization that generates a surfactant‐stabilized aqueous dispersion of OSC nanoparticles at sufficient concentration to permit direct aqueous processing into thin films for use in organic field‐effect transistors. Promisingly, the performance of these devices is comparable to those prepared using conventional synthesis and processing procedures optimized for large amounts of VOCs and halogenated solvents. Ultimately, the holistic approach reported addresses the environmental issues and enables a viable guideline for the delivery of future OSC devices using only aqueous media for synthesis, purification and thin‐film processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a critical research need for efficient luminescent colloidal nanocrystals, free from cadmium and lead whose toxicity subjects them to usage restrictions, with applications from display devices to biology. Approaches to directly replace cadmium‐based materials have mainly focused on indium phosphide‐based nanocrystals, however these too are subject to concerns over toxicity. Few other alternatives have been found that can compete with the emission range and efficiency of Cd‐ and Pb‐based nanocrystals. Group III‐nitride nanocrystals, and their alloys, offer the exciting potential to tune bandgap energies from the ultraviolet to the near infrared yet a robust route toward efficient luminescent nitride nanocrystals is lacking. Here, the synthesis of photoluminescent indium zinc nitride quantum dots exhibiting tunable emission through the visible to near infrared spectra region, with quantum yields of up to 30% is reported. Capping the nanocrystals with both a GaN and ZnS shell significantly increases air stability and emission quantum yields. A proof‐of‐principle indium zinc nitride nanocrystal light emitting diode is also demonstrated. This work overcomes the significant challenges that have prevented the full exploration of nitride‐based semiconductor nanocrystal development, providing a new system for further exploration as a heavy‐metal free alternative to current state‐of‐the‐art materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calcifying organisms and their exoskeletons support some of the most diverse and economically important ecosystems in our oceans. Under a changing climate, we are beginning to see alterations to the structure and properties of these exoskeletons due to ocean acidification, warming and accelerated rates of bioerosion. Our understanding has grown as a result of using micro‐computed tomography (µCT) but its applications in marine biology have not taken full advantage of the technological development in this methodology. We present a significant advancement in the use of this method to studying decalcification in a marine calcifier.We present a detailed workflow on best practice for µCT image processing and analysis of marine calcifiers, designed using coral skeletons subjected to acute, short‐term microbial bioerosion. This includes estimating subresolution microporosity and describing pore space morphological characteristics of macroporosity, in perforate and imperforate exoskeletons. These metrics are compared between control and bieroded samples, and are correlated with skeletal hardness as measured by nanoindentation.Our results suggest that using subresolution microporosity analysis improves the spatiotemporal resolution of µCT data and can detect changes not seen in macroporosity, in both perforate and imperforate skeletons. In imperforate samples, the mean size and relative number of pores in the macroporous portion of the images changed significantly where total macroporosity did not. The increased number of pores and higher microporosity are both directly related to a physical weakening of the calcareous exoskeletons of imperforate corals only. In perforate corals, increased macroporosity was accompanied by an overall widening of pore spaces though this did not correlate with sample hardness.These novel techniques complement traditional approaches and in combination demonstrate the potential for using µCT scanning to sensitively track the process of decalcification from a structural and morphological perspective. Importantly, these approaches do not necessarily rely on ultra‐high resolution (i.e. single micron) scans and so maintain the accessibility of this technology. The continued optimization of these tools for a variety of marine calcifiers will advance our understanding of the effect of climate change on marine biogenic calcified structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: It is established globally that a healthy maternal diet during pregnancy is important in programming fetal growth and development. The assessment of maternal dietary intake, however, is challenging both in clinical practice and in research studies. The aim of this study was to compare three individual dietary quality scores in early pregnancy based on European, American and World Health Organization (WHO) nutrient recommendations for the identification of suboptimal fetal growth.Material and Methods: Women were recruited conveniently at their first antenatal hospital visit and completed a supervised 4-day diet history. The results were dichotomized into those women meeting and those not meeting macronutrient and micronutrient recommendations from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), WHO and the Institute of Medicine (USA). Composite nutrient scores were derived. The relation between the three individual dietary scores in early pregnancy and subsequent birthweight and small-for-gestational-age was compared using regression analyses.Results: Of the 202 women, the mean age was 32.2 (SD 5.0) years and 44.6% were nulliparas. The mean dietary quality scores were: EFSA 9.4 (SD 3.1), WHO 8.5 (SD 3.7) and USA 9.6 (SD 3.6). On multivariable regression, there was a positive relationship between the EFSA (β = 44.7, 95% CI 17.0-72.4, P = 0.002), WHO (β = 39.2, 95% CI 17.2-61.1, P = 0.001), and USA (β = 40.0 95% CI 17.6-62.3, P = 0.001) score and birthweight. All 3 scores were positively associated with birthweight centiles. However, only those in the lowest quartile of the EFSA score were more likely to be small-for-gestational-age (odds ratio 2.8, 95% CI 1.1-7.4, P = 0.03).Conclusions: This study found that a dietary quality score based on European nutrient recommendations was better than other international recommendations at identifying in early pregnancy those women at risk of suboptimal fetal growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic field‐effect transistors (OFETs) have shown great promise for use as chemical sensors for applications that range from the monitoring of food spoilage to the determination of air quality and the diagnosis of disease. However, for these devices to be truly useful, they must deliver reliable and stable low‐voltage operation over extended timescales. An important element to address this challenge is the development of a high‐capacitance gate dielectric that delivers excellent insulation with robust chemical resistance against the solution processing of organic semiconductors (OSC). The development of a bilayer gate dielectric containing a high‐k fluoropolymer relaxor ferroelectric layer modified at the OSC/dielectric interface with a photo‐crosslinked chemically resistant low‐k methacrylate‐based copolymer buffer layer is reported. Bottom‐gate OFET chemical sensors using this bilayer dielectric operate at low‐voltage with exceptional operational stability. They deliver reliable sensing performance over multiple cycles of ammonia exposure (2 to 50 ppm) with an estimated limit‐of‐detection below 1 ppm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This longitudinal observational study examined BMI changes between successive pregnancies.Methods: The computerized medical records of women who attended a large maternity hospital between 2009 and 2017 for their first and second singleton deliveries were analyzed. Women who had their weight first measured after 15 weeks of gestation in either pregnancy were excluded.Results: Of the 9,724 women, the incidence of obesity increased from 11.6% in the first pregnancy to 16.0% in the second. The mean interpregnancy interval was 32.5 ± 15.7 months, and median BMI change was +0.6 kg/m2 (interquartile range 2.2; P < 0.001). Overall, 10.3% (1,006/9,724) developed overweight and 5.9% (571/9,724) developed obesity by the second pregnancy. Of the nulliparas in the overweight category, 20.6% (526/2,558) entered the obesity category. The development of obesity by the second pregnancy was independently associated with a longer interpregnancy interval, formula feeding at hospital discharge, taking antidepressants or anxiolytics, and postnatal depression. Professional/managerial employment was associated with a lower odds ratio of developing obesity.Conclusions: Maternal obesity increased between the first and second pregnancy, with one-fifth of nulliparas in the overweight category developing obesity. Pregnancy-related factors were identified as predictors of developing obesity. Further research is needed to assess whether interventions targeting these related factors could optimize maternal weight management between pregnancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vision for science proficiency presented in A Framework for K‐12 Science Education calls for significant shifts in both teaching and assessment. In this paper, we describe an effort to develop and validate a set of proximal transfer tasks for high school biology classrooms where teachers were implementing a problem‐based curriculum. The proximal transfer tasks presented students with phenomena related to but distinct from the phenomena they had studied in class and asked students to apply their understanding of disciplinary core ideas, practices, and crosscutting concepts targeted in curriculum. We tested these tasks with a sample of 733 students from 11 teachers' classes. Each of these students completed two tasks before beginning the unit and two tasks after they had finished the unit. We found that nearly all pretest and posttest task pairs were aligned to written opportunities to learn in the curriculum, that is, students showed significant growth over the course of a unit. In addition, task pairs revealed differences across teachers. However, the relative growth of students depended on which tasks students completed, indicating wide variation in task difficulty. Our findings point to the potential of developing three‐dimensional proximal transfer tasks and to the difficulty of constructing equivalent tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite major advances in the last century, particularly in high resource settings, maternal sepsis remains a common and potentially preventable cause of direct maternal death globally. A barrier to further progress has been the lack of consensus on the definition of maternal sepsis. Publications from two recent multidisciplinary consensus conferences, one on sepsis in the non-pregnant adult and the other on sepsis in the pregnant woman, concluded that the criteria for diagnosing sepsis should be clinically-based, applicable at the bedside, and should not be laboratory-based. Informed by reviews of the evidence, in 2017 WHO published a new definition of maternal sepsis based on the presence of suspected or confirmed infection. It also announced a Global Maternal and Neonatal Sepsis Initiative to identify the diagnostic criteria for the early identification, epidemiology, and disease classification of maternal sepsis. Standardizing the criteria for maternal sepsis optimizes clinical audit and research. It may facilitate the evaluation of the role of different clinical parameters and biomarkers in the diagnosis, earlier recognition and management of maternal infection and sepsis. Further work is required to develop an international consensus on the criteria for diagnosing maternal sepsis and any associated organ dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covalency and ionicity are orthogonal rather than antipodal concepts. We demonstrate for the case of siloxane systems [R3Si−(O−SiR2)n−O−SiR3] that both covalency and ionicity of the Si−O bonds impact on the basicity of the Si‐O‐Si linkage. The relationship between the siloxane basicity and the Si−O bond character has been under debate since previous studies have presented conflicting explanations. It has been shown with natural bond orbital methods that increased hyperconjugative interactions of LP(O)→σ*(Si‐R) type, that is, increased orbital overlap and hence covalency, are responsible for the low siloxane basicity at large Si‐O‐Si angles. On the other hand, increased ionicity towards larger Si‐O‐Si angles has been revealed with real‐space bonding indicators. To resolve this ostensible contradiction, we perform a complementary bonding analysis, which combines orbital‐space, real‐space, and bond‐index considerations. We analyze the isolated disiloxane molecule H3SiOSiH3 with varying Si‐O‐Si angles, and n‐membered cyclic siloxane systems Si2H4O(CH2)n−3. All methods from quite different realms show that both covalent and ionic interactions increase simultaneously towards larger Si‐O‐Si angles. In addition, we present highly accurate absolute hydrogen‐bond interaction energies of the investigated siloxane molecules with water and silanol as donors. It is found that intermolecular hydrogen bonding is significant at small Si‐O‐Si angles and weakens as the Si‐O‐Si angle increases until no stable hydrogen‐bond complexes are obtained beyond φSiOSi=168°, angles typically displayed by minerals or polymers. The maximum hydrogen‐bond interaction energy, which is obtained at an angle of 105°, is 11.05 kJ mol−1 for the siloxane–water complex and 18.40 kJ mol−1 for the siloxane–silanol complex. Ionic or covalent? Maybe both: The general notion of covalency and ionicity as antipodal concepts is questioned based on a case study of siloxanes. A complementary bonding analysis, which combines orbital‐space, real‐space, and bond‐index considerations, was used to analyze the isolated disiloxane molecule H3SiOSiH3 with varying Si‐O‐Si angles, and n‐membered cyclic siloxane systems Si2H4O(CH2)n−3. All methods show that both covalent and ionic interactions increase simultaneously towards larger Si‐O‐Si angles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 63‐year‐old female with multiple cardiovascular risk factors presented with a nontypical chest pain syndrome. Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) with a regadenoson (Lexiscan) Technetium Tc99 m (Sestamibi) stress test was interpreted as normal. The patient's chest pain syndrome continued, and subsequently, she presented to the emergency room. Cardiac computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) revealed a partially calcified left main coronary artery (LMCA) plaque with mild positive remodeling, having low attenuation (68 Hounsfield units—HU) in the noncalcified portion. In addition, a significant proximal left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) noncalcified plaque was also noted. These lesions were hemodynamically significant by CCTA fractional flow reserve (FFRCT) as evidenced by a significant drop across the LMCA, followed by the LAD and circumflex (CX) vessels. Stenting of the stenosis was performed with resolution of symptoms. The phenomenon of “balanced ischemia” was not readily detected with a regadenoson Technetium Tc99 m perfusion stress test but was readily documented by FFRCT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 63‐year‐old female with multiple cardiovascular risk factors presented with a nontypical chest pain syndrome. Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) with a regadenoson (Lexiscan) Technetium Tc99 m (Sestamibi) stress test was interpreted as normal. The patient's chest pain syndrome continued, and subsequently, she presented to the emergency room. Cardiac computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) revealed a partially calcified left main coronary artery (LMCA) plaque with mild positive remodeling, having low attenuation (68 Hounsfield units—HU) in the noncalcified portion. In addition, a significant proximal left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) noncalcified plaque was also noted. These lesions were hemodynamically significant by CCTA fractional flow reserve (FFRCT) as evidenced by a significant drop across the LMCA, followed by the LAD and circumflex (CX) vessels. Stenting of the stenosis was performed with resolution of symptoms. The phenomenon of “balanced ischemia” was not readily detected with a regadenoson Technetium Tc99 m perfusion stress test but was readily documented by FFRCT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A patient's coronary artery calcium score (CACS) is a strong independent predictor of cardiovascular risk. Used in conjunction with traditional measures of risk, the CACS helps the clinician discuss cardiovascular (CV) risk and recommend therapies with the patient. We present several cases in which measurement of the CACS and traditional risk factors were used to help guide the clinician-patient conversation and guide therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As coronary artery calcium (CAC) is atherosclerosis and not just a marker of cardiovascular (CV) disease, measurement of a patient's coronary artery calcium score (CACS) is a strong predictor of risk. Clinically performed in asymptomatic patients, the CACS, along with several CV risk factors, namely age, sex, ethnicity, diabetes, tobacco use, family history, cholesterol level, blood pressure, and use of cholesterol or hypertensive medications, provide a predictive model of 10 year risk for CV events. A smartphone "App" makes this quick to obtain and use. This helps the clinician in making recommendations for both lifestyle changes and statin therapy. Those patients in which the most benefit occur from measurement of a CACS are those at an intermediate CV risk. Measurement of the CACS has become an integral part of the clinician's assessment of a patient's CV risk and for guiding preventative therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Benzothiadiazole (BT) directed C−H borylation using BCl3, followed by B−Cl hydrolysis and Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐coupling enables facile access to twisted donor–acceptor compounds. A subsequent second C−H borylation step provides, on arylation of boron, access to borylated highly twisted D−A compounds with a reduced bandgap, or on B−Cl hydrolysis/cross‐coupling to twisted D‐A‐D compounds. Photophysical studies revealed that in this series there is long lifetime emission only when the donor is triphenylamine. Computational studies indicated that the key factor in observing the donor dependent long lifetime emission is the energy gap between the S1/T2 excited states, which are predominantly intramolecular charge‐transfer states, and the T1 excited state, which is predominantly a local excited state on the BT acceptor moiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A healthy 20‐year‐old male presented with aborted sudden death. Both thoracic echocardiography and cardiac computed tomographic angiography demonstrated the characteristic findings of ALCAPA noting a dilated and tortuous right coronary artery, dilated coronary collateral arteries within the interventricular septum or along the surface of the heart, and visualization of the left coronary artery origin from the posterior aspect of the main pulmonary artery. Both imaging modalities demonstrated all three characteristic findings of this rare coronary anomaly and served as complementary imaging studies for surgical correction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One poorly constrained reservoir of the Earth's water budget is that of clinopyroxene in metasomatised, mantle peridotites. This study presents reconnaissance Sensitive High-Resolution, Ion Microprobe-Stable Isotope ( SHRIMP-SI) determinations of the H2O contents of (dominantly) clinopyroxenes in rare mantle xenoliths from four different subduction zones, i.e. Mexico, Kamchatka, Philippines, and New Britain (Tabar-Feni island chain) as well as one intra-plate setting (western Victoria). All of the sub-arc xenoliths have been metasomatised and carry strong arc trace element signatures. Average measured H2O contents of the pyroxenes range from 70 ppm to 510 ppm whereas calculated bulk H2O contents range from 88 ppm to 3 737 ppm if the variable presence of amphibole is taken into account. In contrast, the intra-plate, continental mantle xenolith from western Victoria has higher water contents (3 447 ppm) but was metasomatised by alkali and/or carbonatitic melts and does not carry a subduction-related signature. Material similar to the sub-arc peridotites can either be accreted to the base of the lithosphere or potentially be transported by convection deeper into the mantle where it will lose water due to amphibole breakdown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Polytriarylamine copolymers can be prepared by Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions of bis N-methyliminodiacetic acid (MIDA) boronate ester substituted arylamines with dibromo arenes. The roles of solvent composition, temperature, reaction time, and co-monomer structure were examined and (co)polymers prepared containing 9, 9-dioctylfluorene (F8), 4-sec-butyl or 4-octylphenyl diphenyl amine (TFB), and N, N′-bis(4-octylphenyl)- N, N′-diphenyl phenylenediamine (PTB) units, using a Pd(OAc)2/2-dicyclohexylphosphino-2′,6′-dimethoxybiphenyl (SPhos) catalyst system. The performance of a di-functionalized MIDA boronate ester monomer was compared with that of an equivalent pinacol boronate ester. Higher molar mass polymers were produced from reactions starting with a difunctionalized pinacol boronate ester monomer than the equivalent difunctionalized MIDA boronate ester monomer in biphase solvent mixtures (toluene/dioxane/water). Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectroscopic analysis revealed that polymeric structures rich in residues associated with the starting MIDA monomer were present, suggesting that homo-coupling of the boronate ester must be occurring to the detriment of cross-coupling in the step-growth polymerization. However, when comparable reactions of the two boronate monomers with a dibromo fluorene monomer were completed in a single phase solvent mixture (dioxane + water), high molar mass polymers with relatively narrow distribution ranges were obtained after only 4 h of reaction. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017, 55, 2798-2806 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Increased maternal body mass index (BMI) has been consistently associated with elevated blood glucose levels during pregnancy. Studies to date investigating the relationship between maternal blood glucose levels and dietary intake have shown mixed results. We investigated the association between maternal fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels and food group and macronutrient intakes in the first trimester of pregnancy, after adjustment for maternal bodyweight. Methods: Women were recruited after sonographic confirmation of an ongoing singleton pregnancy in the first trimester. Dietary information was collected using the validated Willett Food Frequency Questionnaire. Maternal height and weight were measured and BMI calculated. Body composition was measured using advanced bioelectrical impedance analysis. FPG levels were obtained for women who were selectively screened with a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test. Results: No associations were observed between maternal FPG levels and food group or macronutrient intakes but higher energy and starch intakes were found in obese subjects (P = 0.009 and P = 0.03 respectively). On univariate analysis, higher FPG levels were associated positively with higher maternal bodyweight, BMI, body fat, fat free mass and visceral fat (all P < 0.001). However, on multivariate regression analysis, higher FPG levels remained associated only with maternal BMI > 29.9 kg/m2 (OR 7.4, P = 0.01). Conclusions: Our findings indicate that maternal BMI is the key determinant of maternal glycaemia. Interventions which focus on overall energy restriction and especially the limitation of dietary starch to optimise prepregnancy maternal bodyweight are likely to be useful in improving glycaemic control in higher risk pregnancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stille, Suzuki-Miyaura and Negishi cross-coupling reactions of bromine-functionalised borylated precursors enable the facile, high yielding, synthesis of borylated donor-acceptor materials that contain electron-rich aromatic units and/or extended effective conjugation lengths. These materials have large Stokes shifts, low LUMO energies, small band-gaps and significant fluorescence emission >700 nm in solution and when dispersed in a host polymer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While it may be predictable that plasma norepinephrine (NE) concentration changes with efferent sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) in response to baroreceptor pressure inputs, an exact relationship between SNA and plasma NE concentration remains to be quantified in heart failure. We examined acute baroreflex-mediated changes in plasma NE and epinephrine (Epi) concentrations in normal control (NC) rats and rats with myocardial infarction (MI) (n = 6 each). Plasma NE concentration correlated linearly with SNA in the NC group (slope: 2.17 ± 0.26 pg mL -1 % -1, intercept: 20.0 ± 18.2 pg mL -1) and also in the MI group (slope: 19.20 ± 6.45 pg mL -1% -1, intercept: -239.6 ± 200.0 pg mL -1). The slope was approximately nine times higher in the MI than in the NC group (P < 0.01). Plasma Epi concentration positively correlated with SNA in the NC group (slope: 1.65 ± 0.79 pg mL -1 % -1, intercept: 115.0 ± 69.5 pg mL -1) and also in the MI group (slope: 7.74 ± 2.20 pg mL -1 % -1, intercept: 24.7 ± 120.1 pg mL -1). The slope was approximately 4.5 times higher in the MI than in the NC group (P < 0.05). Intravenous administration of desipramine (1 mg kg -1) significantly increased plasma NE concentration but decreased plasma Epi concentration in both groups, suggesting that neuronal NE uptake had contributed to the reduction in plasma NE concentration. These results indicate that high levels of plasma catecholamine in MI rats were still under the influence of baroreflex-mediated changes in SNA, and may provide additional rationale for applying baroreflex activation therapy in patients with chronic heart failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Maternal obesity has been identified as an important clinical priority in contemporary obstetrics. This study aimed to determine the incidence of maternal obesity in early pregnancy and track recent trends in body mass index ( BMI) categories over 5 years 2009-2013. Material and methods This prospective observational study included all women who delivered an infant weighing ≥500 g during the 5 years 2009-2013 in a large university teaching hospital in Ireland. Body mass index was calculated using early pregnancy weight and height measured at first antenatal visits. Sociodemographic and clinical data were gathered prospectively. Trends in maternal obesity were tracked over 5 years and epidemiological associations with obesity were examined using logistic regression, adjusted for confounding variables. Results Of 42 362 women, 99.0% ( n = 41 927) were eligible for analysis with a mean BMI of 25.5 kg/m2, mean age of 30.7 years and 40.7% ( n = 17054) primigravidas. The absolute number of cases of severe obesity ( BMI ≥40.0 kg/m2) increased by 48.5% from 2009 to 2013 ( p < 0.001). After multivariate logistic regression analyses, obesity incidence increased with increasing parity, advancing age and socioeconomic disadvantage. The maternal obesity rate among women born in the 13 European Union Accession countries was 8.6%, nearly half that of those born in existing European Union countries ( p < 0.001). Conclusion It is concerning that while the overall obesity rate remained stable, the number of cases of severe obesity increased over 5 years. We recommend renewed public health efforts addressing obesity rates before pregnancy and reinforcing attempts to optimize a woman's weight after delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) has been an established noninvasive method for detection of coronary artery disease (CAD). Although CCTA has had a high sensitivity and negative predictive value for CAD detection, specificity for obstructive CAD has been relatively low, partly due to coronary calcium, imaging artifacts, and other factors leading to an overestimation of stenosis severity. A relatively new noninvasive method of calculation of fractional flow reserve (FFR) using CCTA (FFRCT) data has been developed. This noninvasive method yields similar results to invasive FFR measurement, improving specificity for noninvasively detecting lesion‐specific ischemia thus helping guide revascularization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiac CT angiography utilized in the emergency room for triage of low-to-intermediate risk chest pain on occasion identifies unexpected abnormalities. In this case, multiple coronary anomalies existed in the same patient. Images and clinical decision making are discussed in this presentation. Coronary anomalies are being recognized with increased frequency due to increasing use of this modality in the evaluation of chest pain. The clinical implications of these findings are not always clear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective We analyzed trends in folic acid supplementation among women booking for antenatal care between 2009 and 2013. Design Prospective observational study. Setting Large university teaching hospital. Population We included all women who delivered an infant ≥500 g from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2013. Methods Body mass index was calculated using early pregnancy weight and height measured at first antenatal visits. Sociodemographic and clinical data were gathered prospectively. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied to determine the correlates of periconceptional folic acid supplementation. Main outcome measures Rates and correlates of folic acid supplementation. Results Of 42 362 women, 99.2% ( n = 42 042) were suitable for analysis. The mean age was 30.7 years and mean body mass index was 25.6 kg/m2, 40.7% ( n = 17 054) were primigravidas and 70.6% ( n = 29 741) were Irish-born. Overall, 43.9% ( n = 18 473) took periconceptional (preconceptional and postconceptional) folic acid, 49.4% ( n = 20 782) took postconceptional folic acid only, and 6.6% ( n = 2787) took no folic acid. The women most likely to take folic acid were those who planned their pregnancy and were >30 years old, non-obese, Irish-born and employed professionally. The periconceptional folic acid rate decreased from 45.1% in 2009 to 43.1% in 2013 ( p = 0.01). Over five years, periconceptional folic acid supplementation decreased among women who were multiparous (43.8-41.6%, p = 0.02), aged 30-39 years (58.9-55.0%, p < 0.001), Irish-born (50.1-47.1%, p < 0.001) and obese (38.6-36.9%, p = 0.02). Conclusion Overall, the rate of periconceptional folic acid supplementation decreased in the five years 2009-2013, particularly among women who were multiparous, aged 30-39 years, Irish-born and obese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subcutaneous administration of biologics is highly desirable; however, incomplete bioavailability after s.c. administration remains a major challenge. In this work we investigated the effects of excipient dependent hyperosmolarity on lymphatic uptake and plasma exposure of rituximab as a model protein. Using Swiss Webster (SW) mice as the animal model, we compared the effects of NaCl, mannitol and O-phospho-L-serine (OPLS) on the plasma concentration of rituximab over 5 days after s.c. administration. An increase was observed in plasma concentrations in animals administered rituximab in hypertonic buffer solutions, compared with isotonic buffer. Bioavailability, as estimated by our pharmacokinetic model, increased from 29% in isotonic buffer to 54% in hypertonic buffer containing NaCl, to almost complete bioavailability in hypertonic buffers containing high dose OPLS or mannitol. This improvement in plasma exposure is due to the improved lymphatic trafficking as evident from the increase in the fraction of dose trafficked through the lymph nodes in the presence of hypertonic buffers. The fraction of the dose trafficked through the lymphatics, as estimated by the model, increased from 0.05% in isotonic buffer to 13% in hypertonic buffer containing NaCl to about 30% for hypertonic buffers containing high dose OPLS and mannitol. The data suggest that hypertonic solutions may be a viable option for improving s.c. bioavailability. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim To examine the effect of lifelong physical activity on the development of knee osteoarthritis ( OA). Methods Fifteen C57Bl/6J mice (8 male and 7 female) were individually caged with a running wheel, magnetic sensor and digital odometer, and 15 mice (7 male and 8 female) were individually housed without a running wheel. Each mouse was provided with standard chow and water ad libitum. Running wheel distance, duration and speed were recorded daily. A diagnostic ultrasound ( SONOS 5500 Ultrasound and 15-6L ultrasound probe) was used to measure medial and lateral knee joint space in both hind limbs every month until the end of the mice's lifespans. Results Right medial ( P = 0.002), right lateral ( P < 0.0001), left medial ( P = 0.01), and left lateral ( P = 0.007) knee joint spaces were significantly larger from months 3 to 12 in the physically active C57Bl/6J mice. However, there was no significant difference between all knee joint spaces of the running and sedentary C57Bl/6J mice throughout the remainder of the lifespan. All hindlimb knee joint spaces significantly declined with aging ( P < 0.0001). Conclusions During the first 12 months of the lifespan, physical activity seemed to protect the joint from degeneration; however; after that there was no protective benefit. This may be due to the fact that C57Bl/6J mice are genetically known to develop OA at 9 months of age. Physical activity may have no impact on this genetic predisposition. Further study in mice not genetically predisposed to develop OA is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self assembled monolayer field effect transistors (SAMFETs) are reported using a phenylene-thiophene containing semiconducting mesogen attached through a trichlorosilane anchoring group. Monolayer films, covalently attached to silicon dioxide substrates, form in less than 10 h from solution, thanks to the accelerated reaction of the trichlorosilane anchor. Devices exhibit mobilities as high as 1.7 × 10−2 cm2 V−1 s−1, currents of up to 15 μA (on/off current ratio of 106) with device yields close to unity over large areas for channel lengths up to 100 μm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between prenatal measures of subcutaneous tissue as surrogate markers of fetal nutritional status and correlate them with neonatal total body composition. Methods This prospective longitudinal study of 62 singleton pregnancies obtained serial biometry and subcutaneous tissue measurements at 28, 33 and 38 weeks gestation. These measurements were then correlated with neonatal body composition, which was analysed using the PEAPOD™ Infant Body Composition System (Cosmed USA, Concord, CA, USA). Results At 38 weeks gestation, fetal abdominal subcutaneous tissue (FAST) in millimetres was significantly associated with infant fat mass at delivery (+64 g per mm of FAST, p < 0.001). Thigh fat (TF) at 28 weeks gestation was associated with infant fat mass at delivery (+79 g/mm TF, p = 0.023). TF at 38 weeks gestation was associated with infant fat mass (+63/mm TF, p = 0.004). TF and FAST at 38 weeks were also predictive of both birth weight and increased abdominal circumference (AC) ( p = 0.001) with FAST measurement predicting an additional 5.7 mm in AC per millimetre of FAST ( p = 0.002) and TF predicting an additional 6.9 mm per mm of TF ( p = 0.002). Conclusion We believe that this study further validates the use of prenatal measures of subcutaneous tissue and may help to highlight fetuses at risk of newborn adiposity and metabolic syndrome. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 59-year-old male presented to the emergency room with symptoms of chest tightness and palpitations. Following conversion of atrial fibrillation to sinus rhythm, he had deep symmetrical T-wave changes on his electrocardiogram. Symptoms resolved almost immediately, and his initial troponin was negative. He underwent cardiac CT angiography utilizing an emergency room triage protocol which resulted in a diagnosis of nonobstructive coronary artery disease and apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Following a hospital stay of less than 24 hours, he was discharged to outpatient follow-up on medical management and has remained asymptomatic over 6 months. This case presentation illustrates an example of the diversity of pathology that presents in emergency rooms with symptoms consistent with acute coronary syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantification of computed tomography ( CT) noise helps in determination of radiation dosage requirements for adequate image quality. Clinical methods used include calculation of the standard deviation ( SD) of a selected region of interest ( ROI). In industry, wavelet decomposition has been used for image compression while removing high-frequency noise. We evaluated a cohort of 74 consecutive patients referred for coronary artery calcium scoring and quantitated noise within a 16×16 ROI in the ascending aorta using the traditional SD method and also using a two-dimensional dyadic wavelet decomposition method. Clinically, noise has been shown to be proportional to patient weight and also body mass index ( BMI), which is a derived value from height and weight. Noise for both methods was plotted against patient parameters of height, weight, waist circumference and calculated BMI. A regression line was calculated and coefficient of determination (CoD) calculated for each. The CoD was better for height, weight, and waist circumference using the wavelet method as compared to the traditional SD method. The wavelet method of quantification of image noise may be an improved method as compared to the SD method. This method could help further refine an imaging system's determination of radiation dosage requirements to obtain a satisfactory quality image. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increased use of cardiac computed tomography angiography in the emergency room to triage patients who present with chest pain syndrome has led to the identification of individuals with coronary plaques with high-risk characteristics in the absence of significant stenoses. Anecdotal observations have suggested that the presence of coronary high-risk plaque results in an increased risk of acute coronary syndrome over time. This case presentation represents an example of this subgroup of patients. Intuitively, it would seem that high-dose statin therapy would be the treatment of choice, with percutaneous intervention reserved for the development of flow-limiting lesions; however, a prospective trial to determine outcomes to our knowledge has not been performed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]