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Interlayer (IL) excitons, comprising electrons and holes residing in different layers of van der Waals bonded two-dimensional semiconductors, have opened new opportunities for room-temperature excitonic devices. So far, two-dimensional IL excitons have been realized in heterobilayers with type-II band alignment. However, the small oscillator strength of the resulting IL excitons and difficulties with producing heterostructures with definite crystal orientation over large areas have challenged the practical applicability of this design. Here, following the theoretical prediction and recent experimental confirmation of the existence of IL excitons in bilayer MoS2, we demonstrate the electrical control of such excitons up to room temperature. We find that the IL excitonic states preserve their large oscillator strength as their energies are manipulated by the electric field. We attribute this effect to the mixing of the pure IL excitons with intralayer excitons localized in a single layer. By applying an electric field perpendicular to the bilayer MoS2 crystal plane, excitons with IL character split into two peaks with an X-shaped field dependence as a clear fingerprint of the shift of the monolayer bands with respect to each other. Finally, we demonstrate the full control of the energies of IL excitons distributed homogeneously over a large area of our device. The existence of interlayer excitons with strong oscillator strength in bilayer MoS2 enables their electrical manipulation up to room temperature.

A rapid development in personal electronics has raised challenging requirements for portable and sustainable power sources. For example, in wearable technologies, the concept of wearable body area network brings body motion and vital signs monitoring together in synergy. For this, a key aspect is sustainable portable energy, available anywhere, at any time, as generated by triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG). This technology usually demands high-cost processes and materials and still suffer from low power output, as well as unstable output values due to charge generating stimulus with variable intensities. In this work, we present TENGs using shear exfoliated graphene as electrodes as well as active triboelectric layer deposited by a simple solution process. Graphene in combination with polymers such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) were used to produce TENG devices using low-cost solution processing methods. Device electrical power generation was tested with a cyclic physical stimulus for better control and understanding of device output. The triboelectric response of these materials showed open circuit voltages (Voc) and short-circuit currents (Isc)of approximately 233 V and 731 nA respectively when stimulated at 1.5 Hz. A power density of 13.14 μW/cm2 under a load of 200 MΩ was achieved, which can be 40 times higher when compared to devices made with aluminum and PDMS. These results demonstrate the potential of solution process for low-cost triboelectric devices for self-sustainable wearable portable nanogenerators on health and security applications using contact and positional sensors.

Background: Patients with early-stage breast cancer are more likely to die from cardiovascular disease (CVD) than breast cancer. Aromatase inhibitors (AI) are used as adjuvant therapy in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer to improve survival rates, however, AI use has numerous adverse effects including increasing the risk of CVD due to negative effects on blood pressure and cholesterol levels. The American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association 2019 guidelines recommend that all patients at intermediate or high risk for CVD based on 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk score be on a statin. We aimed to evaluate CVD risk and statin use among racially/ethnically diverse women with breast cancer on adjuvant AI therapy. Methods: We evaluated postmenopausal women with stage I-III breast cancer treated with AIs between 2007 and 2018 at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York, NY. Ten-year ASCVD risk score was calculated at breast cancer diagnosis from age (20-79 years), gender (female only), race (white/black/other), serum total cholesterol (130-320 mg/dL) and HDL cholesterol (20-100 mg/dL), systolic blood pressure (90-200 mm Hg), hypertension treatment (yes/no), diabetes (yes/no), and smoking status (current/former/never). Individuals were categorized based upon their 10-year ASCVD risk as low (20%). We used descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression to determine predictors of statin use among patients with intermediate or high risk ASCVD risk scores. Results: Of 363 evaluable patients, median age at diagnosis was 64 years (range, 50-80) and 35.8% were non-Hispanic white, 32.5% Hispanic, 23.4% non-Hispanic black, and 8.3% other races. Overall, the proportion of women with low risk ASCVD risk was 25.6%, borderline risk was 8.0%, intermediate risk was 37.7%, and high risk was 28.7%. Mean 10-year ASCVD risk scores were 13.7% for black women, 11.5% Hispanics, and 11.0% for white women and other races (p=0.082). The percentage of patients on statins was 50% in the intermediate risk category and 77% in the high risk category. Among those with intermediate or high ASCVD risk scores (N=240), statin use was associated with higher ASCVD risk, higher total cholesterol and systolic blood pressure, and a diagnosis of hypercholesterolemia. Conclusions: Among women with early-stage breast cancer starting adjuvant AI therapy, there is a high prevalence with intermediate and high ASCVD risk. Given the effects of AI therapy on CVD risk factors, these patients should be screened for ASCVD risk and started on statin therapy when indicated. Citation Format: Monica F Chen, Morgan Manger, Katherine D Crew. Cardiovascular disease risk and statin use among women with breast cancer treated with adjuvant aromatase inhibitor therapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-10-07.

Presents informationon on the 27th European Signal Processing Conference in A Coruna, Spain: Looking Into the Future of Signal Processing [Conference Highlights]

Introduction: Loss-of-function mutation of MKRN3 represents the most frequent genetic cause of familial central precocious puberty (CPP). The outcomes of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog (GnRHa) treatment in CPP patients with MKRN3 defects are unknown. Objective: To describe the clinical and hormonal features of patients with CPP with or without MKRN3 mutations after GnRHa treatment. Anthropometric, metabolic and reproductive parameters were evaluated. Patients and Methods: Twenty-nine female patients with CPP due to loss-of-function mutations in the MKRN3 and 43 female patients with idiopathic CPP were included. Their medical records were retrospectively evaluated for clinical, laboratory, and imaging study, before, during, and after GnRHa treatment. All patients with idiopathic CPP and 11 patients with CPP due to MKRN3 defects reached final height (FH). Results: At the diagnosis, there were no significant differences between clinical and laboratory features of patients with CPP with or without MKRN3 mutations. A high prevalence of overweight and obesity was observed in patients with CPP with or without MKRN3 mutations (47.3 and 50%, respectively), followed by a significant reduction after GnRHa treatment. No significant differences in the values of mean FH and target height were found between the 2 CPP groups after GnRHa treatment. Menarche occurred at the expected age in patients with or without CPP due to MKRN3 mutations (11.5 ± 1.3 and 12 ± 0.6 years, respectively). The prevalence of polycystic ovarian syndrome was 9.1% in patients with CPP due to MKRN3 mutations and 5.9% in those with idiopathic CPP. Conclusion: Anthropometric, metabolic, and reproductive outcomes after GnRHa treatment were comparable in CPP patients, with or without MKRN3 mutations, suggesting the absence of deleterious effects of MKRN3 defects in young female adults’ life.

Time-resolved terahertz spectroscopy has become a common method both for fundamental and applied studies focused on improving the quality of human life. However, the issue of finding materials applicable in these systems is still relevant. One of the appropriate solution is 2D materials. Here, we demonstrate the transmission properties of unique graphene-based structures with iron trichloride FeCl3 dopant on glass, sapphire and Kapton polyimide film substrates that previously were not investigated in the framework of the above-described problems in near infrared and THz ranges. We also show properties of a thin tungsten disulfide WS2 film fabricated from liquid crystal solutions transferred to a polyimide and polyethylene terephthalate substrates. The introduction of impurities, the selection of structural dimensions and the use of an appropriate substrate for modified 2D layered materials allow to control the transmission of samples for both the terahertz and infrared ranges, which can be used for creation of effective modulators and components for THz spectroscopy systems. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s11671-019-3062-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Cerebral hemispherectomy is typically used to treat patients with pharmacoresistant epilepsy. Visual-related outcomes are relatively unstudied in this population, aside from the knowledge that patients develop a complete homonymous hemianopia contralateral to the side of the hemispherectomy. The purpose of this study was to determine and characterize parent-reported functional visual, oculomotor, and postural changes in a large population of patients following cerebral hemispherectomy.An online survey was sent to parents of children who had undergone hemispherectomy for seizure control. Families were recruited by the Brain Recovery Project: Childhood Epilepsy Surgery Foundation. Parent-reported subjective visual function was assessed by the presence of peripheral field defects, ocular misalignment and anomalous head posture.A total of 196 (12.5%) participants responded. Postoperative follow-up was 92±78 months (range: 1-382). Ninety-three percent of parents reported the child had difficulties with peripheral vision. Torticollis was present postoperatively in 122 (62%) patients. Strabismus was noted in 93 (49%). Fifty-five (59%) of the strabismus patients demonstrated exotropia with the majority of exotropia patients demonstrating the exo-deviated eye in the direction contralateral to the hemispherectomy (74.5%). Both torticollis and strabismus were most frequently seen immediately after surgery. Sixty-six patients (34%) underwent strabismus treatment. Patients with younger age of seizure onset, younger age of surgery, and certain epilepsy etiologies (hemimegencephaly, Sturge-Weber syndrome) were more likely to develop strabismus and torticollis.Torticollis and strabismus are common after hemispherectomy and appear to be influenced by etiology and age at surgery. Preoperative discussion with parents and patients regarding those compensatory mechanisms is recommended, and postoperative ophthalmologic assessments are also encouraged.

Online, open access databases for biological knowledge serve as central repositories for research communities to store, find and analyze integrated, multi-disciplinary datasets. With increasing volumes, complexity and the need to integrate genomic, transcriptomic, metabolomic, proteomic, phenomic and environmental data, community databases face tremendous challenges in ongoing maintenance, expansion and upgrades. A common infrastructure framework using community standards shared by many databases can reduce development burden, provide interoperability, ensure use of common standards and support long-term sustainability. Tripal is a mature, open source platform built to meet this need. With ongoing improvement since its first release in 2009, Tripal provides full functionality for searching, browsing, loading and curating numerous types of data and is a primary technology powering at least 31 publicly available databases spanning plants, animals and human data, primarily storing genomics, genetics and breeding data. Tripal software development is managed by a shared, inclusive governance structure including both project management and advisory teams. Here, we report on the most important and innovative aspects of Tripal after 11 years development, including integration of diverse types of biological data, successful collaborative projects across member databases, and support for implementing FAIR principles.

SUMMARY & CONCLUSIONSThe spread of COVID-19 has transformed our world over, propelling individuals and organizations to adapt quickly. Often, changing directions mid-step as new information becomes available. This has subsequently evolved the concept of new knowledge learning to quantum levels.The nursing workforce is the largest profession within healthcare systems and is central to the response and prevention efforts of COVID-19. Registered Nurses (RN) are the front-line caregivers for the sickest of COVID-19 patients in the intensive care arena. Therefore, it is imperative nursing operations monitor, adapt, and function in times of constraint while exhibiting essential principles of resilience to survive under surge conditions. These principles are: Top-level Commitment, Just Culture, Learning Culture, Awareness, Preparedness, Flexibility, and Opacity. The focus of this paper is to present a case study with lessons learned on COVID-19 nursing operational initiatives within the context of the principles of resilience.The principals of resilience were demonstrated during the initial response to the pandemic through multiple operational initiatives. The Incident Command structure directed decisions and action items through an even sharper lens for driving outcomes. This was impacted by a sense of urgency in responding to social media influences, overt staff fear of the disease and potential impact to self and their families, and the evolution of incoming scientific information on disease management.Staff quickly adapted to the education while sustaining an ability to provide direct care to patients. There were 932 hospital admissions with 895 successful COVID-19 hospital discharges from March - May 2020. The remaining 114 admissions were resulting in-hospital COVID-19 related deaths. During the escalation of the COVID-19 crisis, 2845 ChristianaCare employees were tested for COVID. Five hundred and one tests came back positive for the disease. One hundred and fifty three positive tests were nursing staff that worked on the dedicated COVID-19 patient care units. Interestingly, the hypothesis in the beginning of the crisis was that the COVID patient care staff were at more risk for exposure and acquired infections. These statistics infer that the directed attention of RNs from COVID-19 units on education resulted in purposeful application too proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and hand hygiene practices, along with a preparedness for working in the stressful environment. This coupled with purposeful leadership presence and responsiveness to staff feedback, resulted in better system resilience among COVID-19-unit staff versus non-COVID-19 unit staff. Opportunities have emerged to inform recovery plans in the future to include opportunities for providing acute care in the population health setting with supportive technology.

In this paper, we present the first organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices fabricated with FeCl3 intercalated few layer graphene (i-FLG) electrodes. i-FLG electrodes were first fabricated and characterized by electrical and spectroscopic means, showing enhanced conductive properties compared to pristine graphene. These electrodes were then used in the fabrication of OPV devices and tested against devices made with commercially available Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) electrodes. Both types of device achieved similar efficiencies, while the i-FLG based device exhibited superior charge transport properties due to the increase in work function characterizing i-FLG. Both types of device underwent a stability study using both periodic and continuous illumination measurements, which revealed i-FLG based OPVs to be significantly more stable than those based on ITO. These improvements are expected to translate to increased device lifetimes and a greater total energy payback from i-FLG based photovoltaic devices. These results highlight the potential benefits of using intercalated graphene materials as an alternative to ITO in photovoltaic devices.

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic expanded rapidly around the world in 2020 and health services needed to be reconfigured to meet the new demand and ensure the care of patients with chronic diseases, whether or not aggravated by this COVID-19 (disease caused by SARS-Cov-2). For patients with chronic diseases - such as diabetes mellitus - the teleconsultation stood out as a tool for clinical management in this period. This study aims to evaluate the impact of teleconsultation on glycemic control and prevention of acute complications related to diabetes mellitus in children and adolescents treated by the pediatric endocrinology team at Hospital das Clínicas, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (HC-FMRP -USP) during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Method: Descriptive study of data from pediatric diabetic patients who received teleconsultation via messages in the months of April to September 2020. Results: Regarding the patients evaluated (N = 143), there were 3.4 teleconsultations per patient in the studied period; requiring adjustment of insulin doses in 84.6% of cases. The hospital admission rate was 17.5% due to diabetic decompensation and / or the opening of diabetes mellitus. The dosage of glycosylated hemoglobin showed a worsening in 46% of the sample and an improvement in 37%. Conclusion: The teleconsultation was effective in ensuring health care for patients with DM1 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background and Aims: The Diverticular Inflammation and Complication Assessment (DICA) endoscopic classification of diverticulosis and diverticular disease (DD) is currently available. It scores severity of the disease as DICA 1, DICA 2 and DICA 3. Our aim was to assess the agreement on this classification in an international endoscopists community setting. Methods: A total of 96 doctors (82.9% endoscopists) independently scored a set of DD endoscopic videos. The percentages of overall agreement on DICA score and a free-marginal multirater kappa (κ) coefficient were reported as statistical measures of interrater agreement. Results: Overall agreement in using DICA was 91.8% with a free-marginal kappa of 88% (95% CI 80-95). The overall agreement levels were: DICA 1, 85.2%; DICA 2, 96.5%; DICA 3, 99.5%. The free marginal κ was: DICA 1 = 0.753, DICA 2 = 0.958, DICA 3 = 0.919. The agreement about the main endoscopic items was 83.4% (k 67%) for diverticular extension, 62.6% (k 65%) for number of diverticula for each district, 86.8% (k 82%) for presence of inflammation, and 98.5 (k 98%) for presence of complications. Conclusions: The overall interrater agreement in this study ranges from good to very good. DICA score is a simple and reproducible endoscopic scoring system for diverticulosis and DD.

Genomic selection approaches have increased the speed of plant breeding, leading to growing crop yields over the last decade. However, climate change is impacting current and future yields, resulting in the need to further accelerate breeding efforts to cope with these changing conditions. Here we present approaches to accelerate plant breeding and incorporate nonadditive effects in genomic selection by applying state‐of‐the‐art machine learning approaches. These approaches are made more powerful by the inclusion of pangenomes, which represent the entire genome content of a species. Understanding the strengths and limitations of machine learning methods, compared with more traditional genomic selection efforts, is paramount to the successful application of these methods in crop breeding. We describe examples of genomic selection and pangenome‐based approaches in crop breeding, discuss machine learning‐specific challenges, and highlight the potential for the application of machine learning in genomic selection. We believe that careful implementation of machine learning approaches will support crop improvement to help counter the adverse outcomes of climate change on crop production.

Fernando de Noronha Archipelago is highly vulnerable to microplastic pollution, which has been previously reported with snapshot samplings on the site. The present study has performed daily beach sediment samplings on the archipelago, aiming to assess the distribution, characteristics and short-term variability of microplastics (1–5 mm), expressing concentrations in three different units. The concentrations ranged from 0.6 ± 2.5 particles/m2 to 1059.3 ± 1385.6 particles/m2 and showed a large spatial and temporal small-scale variability. The results indicate that microplastic contamination is recurrent in Fernando de Noronha and the distribution of these particles is associated with a combination of various physical processes. A wider comparison with results obtained in beaches worldwide was possible using different units of concentration, but standard methods for sampling and analysis of microplastics is needed to better understanding of large-scale spatial and temporal variability.

Tailoring of the band gap in semiconductors is essential for the development of novel devices. In standard semiconductors, this modulation is generally achieved through highly energetic ion implantation. In two-dimensional (2D) materials, the photophysical properties are strongly sensitive to the surrounding dielectric environment presenting novel opportunities through van der Waals heterostructures encompassing atomically thin high-κ dielectrics. Here, we demonstrate a giant tuning of the exciton binding energy of the monolayer WSe2 as a function of the dielectric environment. Upon increasing the average dielectric constant from 2.4 to 15, the exciton binding energy is reduced by as much as 300 meV in ambient conditions. The experimentally determined exciton binding energies are in excellent agreement with the theoretical values predicted from a Mott-Wannier exciton model with parameters derived from first-principles calculations. Finally, we show how texturing of the dielectric environment can be used to realize potential-well arrays for excitons in 2D materials, which is a first step toward exciton metamaterials.

BACKGROUND In cases of intractable epilepsy resistant to drug therapy, hemispherectomy is often the only treatment option to mitigate seizures; however, the true long-term subjective visual outcomes are relatively unexplored. In this study, we sought to determine and characterize patient-reported visual function years after hemispherectomy. METHODS This was an observational study conducted on a large cohort of children with seizure disorder treated with cerebral hemispherectomy. An online survey was sent to parents with questions to assess subjective visual function with a variety of questions from presence of visual field defects after hemispherectomy, to improvement over time, compensatory mechanisms used, and development of strabismus. RESULTS This survey was emailed to 248 parents of previously evaluated children who agreed to be re-surveyed, 48 (20%) of which responded. The average age at hemispherectomy was approximately 5 (±4) years, and the average time after hemispherectomy was 7 (±5) years. Thirty-nine patients (81%) were seizure-free after 1 surgery and 85% (n = 41) were seizure-free after ≥1 surgeries. Thirty-four (71%) experienced a visual field defect after surgery, but 25 (52%) experienced subjective improvement over time. Thirty-eight (79%) used compensatory mechanisms, such as head tilting, with 16 (33%) patients experiencing subjective improvement over time. Twenty-seven (56%) patients experienced a decrease in visual acuity after surgery with 12 (25%) experiencing subjective improvement over time. CONCLUSION In a large cohort examining patient-reported visual outcomes years after hemispherectomy, most patients experienced strabismus and/or visual field defects. However, more than half reported improvements and compensatory mechanisms (exotropic strabismus and ipsilateral esotropic strabismus) over time, presumably to enhance visual field function. By exploring subjective visual and cognitive function, this paper uniquely characterizes patient-reported improvements over time, and provides motivation for larger longitudinal studies using more quantitative measures of visual function and improvement after hemispherectomy.

There has been an exponential interest in the occurrence and potential ecotoxicological consequences stemming from the growing prevalence of (micro)plastics in the environment. This has been especially evident by the increasing concern regarding the visible effects on marine ecosystems, with multiple local, regional and trans-national initiatives developed towards the mitigation of what has been construed as an environmental disaster. However, it is not clear what the benefits – if any – of the multitude of norms, regulations, laws and recommendations that have been proposed and/or implemented in recent years are. Furthermore, many of the proposed laws may be of limited applicability, particularly considering the extent to which plastic occurs in everyday life. Herein, the current regulatory instruments are overviewed, focusing on the existing proposals and the extent to which these are based on the currently available scientific data, as well as the foreseen challenges that may restrain the relevancy and suitability of such legislative proposals.

Background: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is characterized for an uncomfortable sensation in legs and an irresistible desire to move them. This disorder has been more recently recognized in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) and can interfere with the quality of life (QOL). Objectives: The aims of this study are to describe the prevalence of RLS and its severity and influence on the QOL in patients with MG. Method: This was a cross-sectional study conducted from May to June 2016 in Recife, Brazil. A sample of 42 patients was interviewed using a sociodemographic questionnaire, MG QOL questionnaire-15 and The RLS Rating Scale. Results: RLS was present in 47.6% of patients and of these 40.5% met moderate to severe RLS criteria. Patients were 45 years on average (SD ± 14.4) and women represented 57.1% of the study population. Among patients with RSL, the quality-of-life scores were worse (p = 0.010) on average. There was no association of RLS with the duration of MG, use of immunosuppressant or clinical conditions that could mimic the occurrence of RLS. Conclusion: RLS is a prevalent condition in patients with MG, and may be severe enough to negatively impact QOL.

The first observation of liquid crystalline dispersions of liquid phase-exfoliated tungsten disulfide flakes is reported in a range of organic solvents. The liquid crystals demonstrate significant birefringence as observed in the linear and circular dichroism measurements respectively. In particular, linear dichroism is observed throughout the visible range while broad-band circular dichroism can be observed in the range from 500-800 nm. Under an applied magnetic field of ±1.5 T the circular dichroism can be switched ON/OFF, while the wavelength range for switching can be tuned from large to narrow range by the proper selection of the host solvent. In combination with photoluminescence capabilities of WS2, this opens a pathway to a wide variety of applications, such as deposition of highly uniform films over large areas for photovoltaic and terahertz devices.

Background: The pathogenesis of adrenocortical tumors (ACTs) in the pediatric population is partially known, and few prognostic factors have been identified in this age group. Recently, ATRX and DAXX have been implicated in the pathogenesis and prognosis of a variety of cancers. Their altered function has been shown to affect telomere length through a telomerase-independent mechanism. Objective: To investigate ATRX and DAXX gene expression, ATRX and DAXX protein expression, and telomere length, as well as their clinical significance, in ACT samples from pediatric patients. Methods: The records of 110 pediatric patients with available ACT samples were reviewed. ATRX, DAXX, TERT and TERC gene expression was assessed by qPCR (n = 100 ACTs; n = 12 normal adrenals). ATRX and DAXX protein expression was assessed by IHC (n = 45 ACTs). Telomere length was assessed by qPCR (n = 64 ACTs). For survival analysis, Kaplan-Meier curves were obtained. For association analysis, simple linear regression models were adjusted. Results: Most patients were female (70.9%) and harbored germline TP53 mutations (90.2%). Median age at diagnosis was 21.1 months (2.1 – 199). Younger patients (< 3 years) had better survival (p < 0.01), while those with metastasis at diagnosis and carcinomas (classified by the Wieneke score) had worse survival (p < 0.01). ATRX gene expression was decreased (p < 0.01), while DAXX gene expression was increased (p < 0.01) in ACTs, compared to normal adrenals. ATRX gene expression was even lower in the context of the germline TP53 (R337H) mutation (p < 0.01). TERT expression was not detected in ACTs or normal adrenals, and TERC expression was not altered (p = 0.69). ATRX protein expression was lost in the majority of ACTs (95.6%), while DAXX was lost in a minority (21.1%). There was no association between gene or protein expression and disease-free or overall survival. There was a significant association between decreased ATRX and DAXX gene expression and increased telomere length (p < 0.01 and p = 0.03, respectively). Conclusion: In pediatric ACTs, decreased ATRX and DAXX gene expression was associated with increased telomere length, independently of TERT or TERC expression. In these tumors, ATRX gene expression was decreased and ATRX protein expression was overall lost, while DAXX gene expression was increased and DAXX protein expression was overall retained. No significant association between these alterations and prognosis was found in this cohort. These findings suggest that ATRX and DAXX altered function may be more involved in the pathogenesis of pediatric ACTs than in the prognosis of the affected patients.

Pediatric adrenocortical tumors (pACT) are rare, display complex genomic background and lack robust prognostic markers. Very recently, distinct genomic methylation profiles of pACT were associated with prognosis. The vitamin D receptor (VDR) was shown to be underexpressed in ACT, especially in carcinomas (ACC). In adult ACC, VDR inactivation by methylation was demonstrated. On the other hand, VDR activation was shown to inhibit ACC proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Aim: To evaluate VDR DNA methylation profile and its clinical and prognostic significance in pediatric ACT. Methods: Genomic DNA methylation from 57 pACTs [40 girls; median age: 2.1 (0.2-16.4) years] was assessed using Infininium Methylation EPIC BeadChip Array. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering analysis (Ward method, R Stats Package) was performed considering the M-values of the 49 probes targeting the whole extension of VDR gene contained in the array. Clinical, histopathological and molecular features, as well as pACT VDR mRNA levels (qPCR) and nuclear immunoreactivity (IHC) were used for association analysis. Results: Hierarchical clustering identified three clusters of pACT. Methylated VDR-targeted probes (M-values different from 0; n=37) composed the VDR methylation profile, which differed significantly between the clusters [M-values: C1=1.77 (1.1-1.9) (low), C2=2.15 (1.7-2.7) (intermediate), and C3=2.65 (2.2-3.1) (high); p=4), were not carriers of somatic Beta-catenin activating mutations, or died. Although cluster C2 patients (n=21) presented intermediary disease features, only 2 patients died and the overall outcome was positive. Instead, the C3 cluster concentrated patients (n=18) with non-localized/metastatic disease (IPACTR stages I/II vs. III/IV; p=0.004), post-surgical metastasis/recurrence (p=0.009), and patients who needed adjuvant chemotherapy (p=0.005). Moreover, C3 patients had lower overall and disease-free survival rates (log-rank: p=0.001 and p=0.014, respectively). VDR methylation was not associated with sex, clinical presentation, P53 mutations, nor with tumor VDR mRNA expression or nuclear immunoreactivity. Conclusions: Three VDR methylation profiles were associated with distinct pACT clinical features and outcome. High VDR methylation was associated with worst outcome. Fully functioning VDR may play a beneficial role against pediatric adrenocortical tumorigenesis. This finding highlights the potential of targeting VDR as an adjuvant therapeutic target.

Reports on the activities of the Signal Processing Theory and Methods Technical Committee.

The spatial distribution and behavior of beach users, was studied in relation to rip currents signaling in 2004 and 2015. Overcrowded areas were classified according to the presence or absence of rip currents (RC) and red warning flags (RF). Images from an Argus video system and official drowning records were also analyzed to identify the most likely pattern of drowning and its relation to dangerous bathing conditions. The use of beach decreased when comparing 2004 and 2015 (40–67% in overcrowded areas). The annual drowning cases average (n = 402) was 67 ± 7 per year, of which ∼5% resulted in fatalities. Drowning cases during weekends accounted for 60% of all records for the period. Overcrowded areas had the highest drowning records and fatalities. Images suggested that beach users choose to swim between the red warning flags. About 50% of the time, flags are in different places of those that denote risk, or permanent danger. The video images helped understand behavior of beach users concerning their choice of bathing area. Based on our study, we propose the video monitoring of the beach is continued and expanded. Therefore, the most critical areas of users safety can be identified. Also, clear, updated and well-distributed signaling of environmental assets and risks must be deployed. The collection and management of information about the beach, will greatly help in decision making and improvement of public environmental literacy, improving beach users recreational experience at urban crowded beaches by improving safety at different aspects.

Pediatric adrenocortical tumors (pACTs) display complex genomic background and lack robust prognostic biomarkers. However, pACT methylation profiling was recently associated with patient prognosis. In order to evaluate whether tumor DNA methylation is associated with patient prognosis, we studied a Brazilian cohort of pACT in which most of the patients were carriers of the germline P53 p.R337H mutation (86%). We analyzed the DNA methylation profile of 57 tumor samples (MethylationEPIC BeadChip Array, Illumina) and the respective patients’ clinicopathological features associated with outcome and overall survival. Median age at diagnosis of the 40 girls and 17 boys was 2.1 years (range: 0.2–16.6). Reduced overall survival was observed in patients diagnosed after 4 years of age (n=43, HR=26.5, p2) between the groups was 0.084% (n=642 probes). Tumors from pACT1 were enriched for hypomethylation in genes’ body region and for hypermethylation in promoter regions (p

Plastic pollution has become a global problem and a threat for environmental and human health. The management of plastic pollution has been mainly focused on macroplastics, involving several strategies such as legislation and waste management. Education and awareness are increasingly used for controlling the demand of disposable plastic items, for the increase of the recycling effectiveness and for raising consciousness regarding plastic pollution impacts on the environment. Biotechnology tools, as discussed in this review, are currently under development for the remediation of plastics, and particularly, micro(nano)plastics, and demonstrated to be promising in facilitating degradation and subsidizing research on a new generation of biodegradable plastics.

Importance: Given concerns that cancer patients may be at increased risk of COVID-19 and may have more severe complications if infected, there have been profound changes to routine cancer care. We aimed to identify risk factors for developing COVID-19 among cancer patients. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of cancer patients tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection between March 1, 2020 and June 6, 2020 at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (NYPH)/Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) in New York City. During this time period, all hospitalized patients (starting April 4, 2020) and all symptomatic cancer patients seen in the outpatient clinics were tested for COVID-19. Our primary outcome of interest was COVID-19 test results, defined as positive (SARS-CoV-2 detected on at least one test) or negative (not detected on any COVID-19 tests). Clinical data extraction included: age, sex, race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, Hispanic, Asian, other, unknown), body mass index (BMI), smoking status, time since cancer diagnosis, cancer type, current cancer status, most recent cancer treatment type within the past year, time since last cancer treatment prior to COVID-19 testing, and infusion center visit within the past year. Chi-squared tests and multivariable logistic regression were used to examine the association between demographic, clinical, tumor and treatment-related factors and COVID-19 test results while controlling for covariates. Results: A total of 1,174 cancer patients were tested for COVID-19 with 317 (27%) patients testing positive. Demographic characteristics of the study population included a median age of 67 years (range, 1-103), 55.1% female, and 35.7% non-Hispanic white, 32.5% Hispanic, 15.2% non-Hispanic black, and 4.0% Asian. About 27.2% had a recent cancer diagnosis, 56.7% had active disease, and 56.7% were on active cancer treatment within the past year. In multivariable analysis, older age and higher BMI were associated with COVID-19. Compared to non-Hispanic whites, black and Hispanic cancer patients were more likely to test positive for COVID-19 (odds ratio [OR]=2.21, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.44-3.40 and OR=2.71, 95% CI=1.91-3.83, respectively). A recent cancer diagnosis, active disease, and active cancer treatment were not associated with COVID-19. Compared to cancer patients not on active treatment, those receiving chemotherapy were less likely to develop COVID-19 (OR=0.65, 95% CI=0.44-0.95). We observed excess deaths among cancer patients who tested positive vs. negative for COVID-19 (28.4% vs. 8.3%, p Citation Format: Monica F. Chen, Monica T. Coronel, Samuel Pan, Arreum Kim, Jessica Hawley, Gary Schwartz, Katherine Crew. Factors associated with developing COVID-19 among cancer patients in New York City [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Meeting: COVID-19 and Cancer; 2021 Feb 3-5. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2021;27(6_Suppl):Abstract nr S11-02.

This article discusses the current landscape of outreach efforts in the United States to engage K-12 students in engineering. It then provides an overview of two programs run by the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and the Institute for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education at Stony Brook University (SBU) to promote student participation and interest in engineering. These efforts are aligned with the recently released Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which emphasize incorporating engineering design principles in K-12 science education. We describe two models, one in the form of an on-campus summer camp and the other as a series of after-school activities with both on-and off-campus offerings. These experiences are rarely available in K-12 schools and have the added benefit of exposing students to engineering faculty and researchers. The programs are focused on electrical and computer engineering with emphasis on signal and information processing and analysis and have hosted more than 200 students for the past six years.

We aimed to robustly categorize glycemic control in our medical intensive care unit (ICU) as either acceptable or suboptimal based on time-weighted daily blood glucose averages of180 mg/dL or180 mg/dL; identify clinical risk factors for suboptimal control; and compare clinical outcomes between the 2 glycemic control categories.This was a retrospective cohort study in an academic tertiary and quaternary medical ICU.Out of total of 974 unit stays over a 2-year period, 920 had complete data sets available for analysis. Of unit stays 63% (575) were classified as having acceptable glycemic control and the remaining 37% were classified (345) as having suboptimal glycemic control. Adjusting for covariables, the odds of suboptimal glycemic control were highest for patients with diabetes mellitus (odds ratio [OR] 5.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.72-6.93), corticosteroid use during the ICU stay (OR 4.50, 95% CI 3.21-6.32), and catecholamine infusions (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.04-1.93). Adjusting for acuity, acceptable glycemic control was associated with decreased odds of hospital mortality but not ICU mortality (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.48-0.88 and OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.55-1.17, respectively). Suboptimal glycemic control was associated with increased odds of longer-than-predicted ICU and hospital stays (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.30-2.38 and OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.12-2.01, respectively).In our high-acuity medically critically ill patient population, achieving time-weighted average daily blood glucose levels180 mg/dL reliably while in the ICU significantly decreased the odds of subsequent hospital mortality. Suboptimal glycemic control during the ICU stay, on the other hand, significantly increased the odds of longer-than-predicted ICU and hospital stay.

Graphene shows great promise as a replacement electrode material for flexible optoelectronic applications for its conductive, transparent and flexible properties. Here, we demonstrate the fabrication and application of functionalized graphene electrodes for flexible photovoltaics.

Data and metadata interoperability between data storage systems is a critical component of the FAIR data principles. Programmatic and consistent means of reconciling metadata models between databases promote data exchange and thus increases its access to the scientific community. This process requires (i) metadata mapping between the models and (ii) software to perform the mapping. Here, we describe our efforts to map metadata associated with genome assemblies between the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) data resources and the Chado biological database schema. We present mappings for multiple NCBI data structures and introduce a Tripal software module, Tripal EUtils, to pull metadata from NCBI into a Tripal/Chado database. We discuss potential mapping challenges and solutions and provide suggestions for future development to further increase interoperability between these platforms.Database URL: https://github.com/NAL-i5K/tripal_eutils

To fully exploit van der Waals materials and their vertically stacked heterostructures, new mass-scalable production routes which are low cost but preserve the high electronic and optical quality of the single crystals are required. Here, we demonstrate an approach to realise a variety of functional heterostructures based on van der Waals nanocrystal films produced through the mechanical abrasion of bulk powders. We find significant performance enhancements in abraded heterostructures compared to those fabricated through inkjet printing of nanocrystal dispersions. To highlight the simplicity, applicability and scalability of the device fabrication, we demonstrate a multitude of different functional heterostructures such as resistors, capacitors and photovoltaics. We also demonstrate the creation of energy harvesting devices, such as large area catalytically active coatings for the hydrogen evolution reaction and enhanced triboelectric nanogenerator performance in multilayer films. The ease of device production makes this a promising technological route for up-scalable films and heterostructures., Low-cost, mass-scalable production routes which preserve the quality of the single crystals are required to up-scale van der Waals materials. Here, the authors demonstrate an approach to realise a variety of functional heterostructures based on van der Waals nanocrystal films produced through the mechanical abrasion of bulk powders.

This chapter explores the added value (i.e., opportunities, knowledge, skills, and attributes) that the qualification of earning a PhD in engineering brings its recipients. Reasons to earn a PhD rather than a Bachelor’s or a Master’s are important since unlike many disciplines, an engineering Bachelor’s degree can be a terminal one in which graduates earn above average salaries. Although this chapter focused initially on the positive aspects, or value, of earning an engineering PhD, negative aspects of getting a PhD (e.g., being overqualified to do fundamental engineering work) and neutral aspects (i.e., no added value) of obtaining an engineering PhD also emerged.

Dynamic spectral tunability is a key feature for plasmonic color filter. We numerically investigate the tuning of resonance wavelength of gold-based plasmonic structure exploiting the electrochromism of tungsten trioxide.

Background Preterm infants are a group at high risk of having experienced placental insufficiency. It is unclear which growth charts perform best in identifying infants at increased risk of stillbirth and other adverse perinatal outcomes. We compared 2 birthweight charts (population centiles and INTERGROWTH-21st birthweight centiles) and 3 fetal growth charts (INTERGROWTH-21st fetal growth charts, World Health Organization fetal growth charts, and Gestation Related Optimal Weight [GROW] customised growth charts) to identify which chart performed best in identifying infants at increased risk of adverse perinatal outcome in a preterm population. Methods and findings We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all preterm infants born at 24.0 to 36.9 weeks gestation in Victoria, Australia, from 2005 to 2015 (28,968 records available for analysis). All above growth charts were applied to the population. Proportions classified as 10th and, Anthea Clare Lindquist and colleagues reveal the growth charts that are best used for identifying certain perinatal outcomes in preterm babies., Author summary Why was this study done? Preterm infants are a high-risk group for growth restriction resulting from placental dysfunction. Growth charts are widely used during antenatal ultrasound to identify fetuses at increased risk of adverse outcomes related to being small for gestational age (SGA), but these charts vary in their ability to identify the most at risk growth-restricted infants in utero. This study was performed to ascertain whether intrauterine or birthweight growth charts are most appropriate in a preterm population, in particular, which chart most accurately identifies the SGA infant at increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes. What did the researchers do and find? We performed a state-wide retrospective cohort analysis that included data on 28,968 preterm births from Victoria, Australia, during the period 2005–2015. Using

PhD prepared nurse scientists within healthcare systems are uniquely positioned to advance nursing science through research and evidence-based practice (EBP) initiatives due to their ability to closely collaborate with nurses and other healthcare professionals in the clinical setting. The purpose of this paper is threefold: 1) to describe the roles and contributions of Nurse Scientists, from their perspectives, in four different health care systems in the Greater Philadelphia area, three of which are Magnet® designated hospitals; 2) to highlight organizational approaches to increase nursing research and EBP capacity; and 3) to explore strategies that Nurse Scientists used to overcome barriers to build nursing research capacity. Nurse Scientists employed in these healthcare systems share many of the same essential roles and contributions focused on developing nursing research and EBP initiatives through education and mentorship of clinical nurses, conduct and oversight of independent research, and dissemination activities. With supportive executive nurse leadership, the Nurse Scientists within each healthcare system employed different strategies to overcome barriers in building nursing research and EBP capacity. Nurse scientists within healthcare settings have potentially powerful positions to generate and apply new knowledge to guide nursing practice and improve outcomes.

Here, we demonstrate the transmission properties of a thin tungsten disulfide WS2 film fabricated from liquid crystal solutions in near-infrared and THz ranges. These results are compared with other transition metal dichalcogenides transferred to different substrates and unique FeCl3 intercalated graphene-based structures. The introduction of impurities, the selection of structural dimensions and the use of a suitable substrate for modified 2D layered materials allow controlling the transmission of samples for both the terahertz and infrared ranges, which can be used for the creation of effective modulators and components for THz spectroscopy systems.

Our understanding of diabetic kidney disease pathogenesis has been hampered by the lack of easily generated pre-clinical animal models that faithfully recapitulate critical features of human disease. While most standard animal models develop manifestations of early stage diabetic injury such as hyperfiltration and mesangial matrix expansion, only a select few develop key late stage features such as interstitial fibrosis and reduced glomerular filtration rate. An underlying theme in these late stage disease models has been the addition of renin-angiotensin system hyperactivation, an important contributor to human disease pathogenesis. Widespread use of these models has been limited, however, as they are either labour intensive to generate, or have been developed in the rat, preventing the use of the many powerful genetic tools developed for mice. Here we describe the Akita+/− Ren+/− mouse, a new, easily generated murine model of diabetic kidney disease that develops many features of late stage human injury, including not only hyperglycemia, hypertension, and albuminuria, but also reduced glomerular filtration rate, glomerulosclerosis, and interstitial fibrosis.

Carbon-based nonvolatile resistive memories are an emerging technology. Switching endurance remains a challenge in carbon memories based on tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C). One way to counter this is by oxygenation to increase the repeatability of reversible switching. Here, we overview the current status of carbon memories. We then present a comparative study of oxygen-free and oxygenated carbon-based memory devices, combining experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations.

Smoking is a social phenomenon of global scope. The impacts start from the cultivation of the plant to the disposal of cigarette butts in the most diverse places. These aspects go beyond economic and public health issues, also affecting natural environments and their biota in a serious and indistinct way. Of the six trillion cigarettes consumed globally each year, four and a half trillion are disposed somewhere in the environment. Cigarette butts are predominantly plastic, non-biodegradable waste, prevalent in coastal environments in various parts of the world, and with high potential for generating impacts on a wide range of socioeconomic and environmental aspects. Among the 5000 compounds found in a cigarette, those with higher toxic potential are mainly concentrated in the filter and in tobacco remnants, which are items found in discarded cigarette butts. After surveying published studies on this topic, the present study addressed the interaction between the impacts related to tobacco smoking, highlighting the problem as an important and emerging issue that demands joint efforts, and actions especially focused on the reduction of environmental impacts, an aspect that has not yet been assessed.

Biodiversity research is seeing unprecedented global collaboration with initiatives such as the Earth BioGenome Project, an effort to sequence all known eukaryotic life, and Genesys, a global database for sharing crop genetic resources. However, as in other disciplines, public funding and policy for scientific research in agriculture tend to follow national borders even when science and its collaborations do not. In addition, agriculture is similar to biomedicine in having significant private investment in research and development where competition could inhibit sharing. It would seem that significant challenges lie ahead for making progress on ambitious global initiatives at least where agricultural samples, collections, and data are concerned. In this talk we will review several activities at the United States Department of Agriculture that illustrate how policy and infrastructure can overcome difficulties. For example, recent policies for openness of publicly-funded research products and adoption of FAIR data principles even for private or proprietary data hold promise and have elevated the importance of data infrastructure. The US Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) launched its Ag100Pest contribution to the Earth BioGenome Project, including the use of the i5K Workspace@NAL platform for its sequenced and annotated genomes. The GRIN Global platform supports not just USDA germplasm data management but a growing network of plant and animal researchers and collections around the world. The Ag Data Commons provides standardized metadata and machine-readable data dictionaries to the publicly accessible products of these and other USDA-funded efforts. It is teaming with the ARS high performance computing system SCINet to explore cost-effective public access to big data storage for agricultural data and models. Finally, many of these efforts extend and contribute back to widely used open source software systems. While challenges remain in coordinating and sustaining these efforts with international stakeholders, engagement with groups like AgBioData, the Research Data Alliance (RDA) Interest Group on Agricultural Data, and the Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition coalition will continue to bear fruit (pun intended). We seek similar engagement with the broader biodiversity data community in order to ensure that policy and infrastructure investments result in maximum mutual benefit.

Simple Summary High-quality genome assemblies are essential tools for modern biological research. In the past, creating genome assemblies was prohibitively expensive and time-consuming for most non-model insect species due to, in part, the technical challenge of isolating the necessary quantity and quality of DNA from many species. Sequencing methods have now improved such that many insect genomes can be sequenced and assembled at scale. We created the Ag100Pest Initiative to propel agricultural research forward by assembling reference-quality genomes of important arthropod pest species. Here, we describe the Ag100Pest Initiative’s processes and experimental procedures. We show that the Ag100Pest Initiative will greatly expand the diversity of publicly available arthropod genome assemblies. We also demonstrate the high quality of preliminary contig assemblies. We share arthropod-specific technical details and insights that we have gained during the project. The methods and preliminary results presented herein should help other researchers attain similarly high-quality assemblies, effectively changing the landscape of insect genomics. Abstract The phylum Arthropoda includes species crucial for ecosystem stability, soil health, crop production, and others that present obstacles to crop and animal agriculture. The United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service initiated the Ag100Pest Initiative to generate reference genome assemblies of arthropods that are (or may become) pests to agricultural production and global food security. We describe the project goals, process, status, and future. The first three years of the project were focused on species selection, specimen collection, and the construction of lab and bioinformatics pipelines for the efficient production of assemblies at scale. Contig-level assemblies of 47 species are presented, all of which were generated from single specimens. Lessons learned and optimizations leading to the current pipeline are discussed. The project name implies a target of 100 species, but the efficiencies gained during the project have supported an expansion of the original goal and a total of 158 species are currently in the pipeline. We anticipate that the processes described in the paper will help other arthropod research groups or other consortia considering genome assembly at scale.

CDW would like to acknowledge funding via EPSRC grants EP/M015173/1 and EP/M015130/1. TJO acknowledges funding from the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Metamaterials, grant number EP/L015331/1

Takotsubo syndrome is rare in pediatric patients but must be considered in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage with pulmonary edema and cardiomyopathy. A systematic, collaborative approach is needed to facilitate emergent transfer of patients where extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (e-CPR) is used as a lifesaving measure. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) use in transport requires preplanning, role delineation, resources, and research efforts to be successful. We present an unusual transport case of successful e-CPR/ECMO treatment of Takotsubo syndrome in a 12-year-old boy with an isolated traumatic intracranial injury, cardiomyopathy with pulmonary edema, and multiple cardiac arrests.