Mechanisms determining the multi-diversity of carrion visiting species along a gradient of carrion body mass.

Resource availability and habitat heterogeneity are essential drivers of biodiversity, but their individual roles often remain unclear since both factors are often correlated. Here, we tested the more-individuals hypothesis (MIH) and the habitat-heterogeneity hypothesis (HHH) for bacteria, fungi, dipterans, coleopterans, birds, and mammals on 100 experimentally exposed carcasses ranging by three orders of magnitude in body mass. At the level of each carcass we found marginal or significant support for the MIH for bacteria, fungi, and beetles in spring and significant support for fungi, dipterans, and mammals in summer.

Chemical Conversions within the Mo-Ga-C System: Layered Solids with Variable Ga Content.

Layered carbides are fascinating compounds due to their enormous structural and chemical diversity, as well as their potential to possess useful and tunable functional properties. Their preparation, however, is challenging and forces synthesis scientists to develop creative and innovative strategies to access high-quality materials. One unique compound among carbides is MoGaC.

Where alcohol use disorder meets interoception: A meta-analytic view on structural and functional neuroimaging data.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) has been associated with changes in the processing of internal body signals, known as interoception. Changes in brain structure, particularly in the insula, are thought to underlie impaired interoception. As studies specifically investigating this association are largely lacking, this analysis takes an approach that compares meta-analytic results on interoception with recently published meta-analytic results on gray matter reduction in AUD.

Extending the Chemistry of Layered Solids and Nanosheets: Chemistry and Structure of MAX Phases, MAB Phases and MXenes.

MAX phases are layered solids with unique properties combining characteristics of ceramics and metals. MXenes are their two-dimensional siblings that can be synthesized as van der Waals-stacked and multi-/single-layer nanosheets, which possess chemical and physical properties that make them interesting for a plethora of applications. Both families of materials are highly versatile in terms of their chemical composition and theoretical studies suggest that many more members are stable and can be synthesized.

Variation of bending rigidity with material density: bilayer silica with nanoscale holes.

Two dimensional (2D) materials are a young class of materials that is foreseen to play an important role as building blocks in a range of applications, flexible electronics. For such applications, mechanical properties such as the bending rigidity are important. Only a few published measurements of the bending rigidity are available for 2D materials.

Erratum: Bending Rigidity of 2D Silica [Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 226101 (2018)].

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.

A qualitative model of the HIV care continuum in Vancouver, Canada.

A team of health care stakeholders and researchers collaboratively developed a qualitative model and graphic representation of the continuum of HIV care in Vancouver to inform delivery of antiretroviral therapy and other HIV health services. The model describes the patient journey through the HIV care continuum, including states of infection, health services, and care decisions. We used a Unified Modelling Language (UML) to capture patient and provider activities and to guide the construction of a UML .

Routine HIV testing in acute care hospitals: Changing practice to curb a local HIV epidemic in Vancouver, BC.

Early treatment of HIV infection increases life expectancy and reduces infectivity; however, delayed HIV diagnosis remains common. Implementation and sustainability of hospital-based routine HIV testing in Vancouver, British Columbia, was evaluated to address a local HIV epidemic by facilitating earlier diagnosis and treatment. Public health issued a recommendation in 2011 to offer HIV testing to all patients presenting to three Vancouver hospitals as part of routine care, including all patients admitted to medical/surgical units with expansion to emergency departments (ED).

Opening Canada's first Health Canada-approved supervised consumption sites.

Setting: In response to the opioid overdose crisis, a Public Health Emergency was declared in British Columbia (BC) in April 2016. There were 1448 deaths in BC in 2017 (30.1 deaths per 100,000 individuals).

Bending Rigidity of 2D Silica.

A chemically stable bilayers of SiO_{2} (2D silica) is a new, wide band gap 2D material. Up till now graphene has been the only 2D material where the bending rigidity has been measured. Here we present inelastic helium atom scattering data from 2D silica on Ru(0001) and extract the first bending rigidity, κ, measurements for a nonmonoatomic 2D material of definable thickness.

Differences in experiences of barriers to STI testing between clients of the internet-based diagnostic testing service GetCheckedOnline.com and an STI clinic in Vancouver, Canada.

Objectives: Internet-based STI testing programmes may overcome barriers posed by in-clinic testing, though uptake could reflect social gradients. The role these services play in comparison to clinical testing services is unknown. We compared experiences of testing barriers between STI clinic clients to clients of GetCheckedOnline.

Use of GetCheckedOnline, a Comprehensive Web-based Testing Service for Sexually Transmitted and Blood-Borne Infections.

Background: The British Columbia Centre for Disease Control implemented a comprehensive Web-based testing service GetCheckedOnline (GCO) in September 2014 in Vancouver, Canada. GCO's objectives are to increase testing for sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBIs), reach high-prevalence populations facing testing barriers, and increase clinical STI service capacity. GCO was promoted through email invitations to provincial STI clinic clients, access codes to clients unable to access immediate clinic-based testing (deferred testers), and a campaign to gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM).

Assessing the amorphousness and periodicity of common domain boundaries in silica bilayers on Ru(0 0 0 1).

Domain boundaries are hypothesized to play a role in the crystalline to amorphous transition. Here we examine domain boundary structures in comparison to crystalline and amorphous structures in bilayer silica grown on Ru(0 0 0 1). Atomically resolved scanning probe microscopy data of boundaries in crystalline bilayer films are analyzed to determine structural motifs.

Perioperative transfusion of leukocyte depleted blood products in gastric cancer patients negatively influences oncologic outcome: A retrospective propensity score weighted analysis on 610 curatively resected gastric cancer patients.

The influence of perioperative transfusion (PT) on outcome following surgery for gastric cancer (GC) remains controversial, with randomized trials lacking and observational series confounded by patient risk factors. This analysis determines the association between reception of leukocyte-depleted blood products and post-operative survival for GC.Data from 610 patients who underwent curative surgery for GC in a German tertiary care clinic from 2001 to 2013 were included.

A Large-Area Transferable Wide Band Gap 2D Silicon Dioxide Layer.

An atomically smooth silica bilayer is transferred from the growth substrate to a new support via mechanical exfoliation at millimeter scale. The atomic structure and morphology are maintained perfectly throughout the process. A simple heating treatment results in complete removal of the transfer medium.

Apparatus for low temperature thermal desorption spectroscopy of portable samples.

An experimental setup for low temperature thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) integrated in an ultrahigh vacuum-chamber housing a high-end scanning probe microscope for comprehensive multi-tool surface science analysis is described. This setup enables the characterization with TDS at low temperatures (T > 22 K) of portable sample designs, as is the case for scanning probe optimized setups or high-throughput experiments. This combination of techniques allows a direct correlation between surface morphology, local spectroscopy, and reactivity of model catalysts.

Successes and gaps in uptake of regular, voluntary HIV testing for hidden street- and off-street sex workers in Vancouver, Canada.

Despite evidence globally of the heavy HIV burden among sex workers (SWs) as well as other poor health outcomes, including violence, SWs are often excluded from accessing voluntary, confidential and non-coercive health services, including HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. This study therefore assessed the prevalence and association with regular HIV testing among street- and off-street SWs in Vancouver, Canada. Cross-sectional baseline data were used from a longitudinal cohort known as "An Evaluation of Sex Worker's Health Access" (AESHA; January 2010-July 2012).

Anti-nuclear antibody screening using HEp-2 cells.

The American College of Rheumatology position statement on ANA testing stipulates the use of IIF as the gold standard method for ANA screening(1). Although IIF is an excellent screening test in expert hands, the technical difficulties of processing and reading IIF slides--such as the labor intensive slide processing, manual reading, the need for experienced, trained technologists and the use of dark room--make the IIF method difficult to fit in the workflow of modern, automated laboratories. The first and crucial step towards high quality ANA screening is careful slide processing.

Novel clinical and diagnostic aspects of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies.

Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) are the serological hallmark of some idiopathic systemic vasculitides. Besides the investigation of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and constant effort for a standardized nomenclature and classification of the AAV, a main focus of research during the last few years has been to constantly improve the performance of enzyme immunoassays. With the latest so called third generation ELISA, this goal seemed to be fulfilled.

Ultrathin silica films: the atomic structure of two-dimensional crystals and glasses.

For the last 15 years, we have been studying the preparation and characterization of ordered silica films on metal supports. We review the efforts so far, and then discuss the specific case of a silica bilayer, which exists in a crystalline and a vitreous variety, and puts us into a position to investigate, for the first time, the real space structure (AFM/STM) of a two-dimensional glass and its properties. We show that pair correlation functions determined from the images of this two-dimensional glass are similar to those determined by X-ray and neutron scattering from three-dimensional glasses, if the appropriate sensitivity factors are taken into account.

Toxicity of chlorine to zebrafish embryos.

Surface disinfection of fertilized fish eggs is widely used in aquaculture to reduce extraovum pathogens that may be released from brood fish during spawning, and this is routinely used in zebrafish Danio rerio research laboratories. Most laboratories use approximately 25 to 50 ppm unbuffered chlorine solution for 5 to 10 min. Treatment of embryos with chlorine has significant germicidal effects for many Gram-negative bacteria, viruses, and trophozoite stages of protozoa, but is less effective against cyst or spore stages of protozoa and certain Mycobacterium spp.

A portable quartz micro balance for physical vapor deposition techniques.

A portable quartz crystal micro balance for physical vapor deposition techniques is presented. The device is used for the calibration of evaporators employed in the preparation of thin film systems that are studied in surface science. The design is based upon a portable sample setup, highly versatile and customizable.

A retrospective study of the prevalence and classification of intestinal neoplasia in zebrafish (Danio rerio).

For over a decade, spontaneous intestinal neoplasia has been observed in zebrafish (Danio rerio) submitted to the ZIRC (Zebrafish International Resource Center) diagnostic service. In addition, zebrafish displayed preneoplastic intestinal changes including hyperplasia, dysplasia, and enteritis. A total of 195 zebrafish, representing 2% of the total fish submitted to the service, were diagnosed with these lesions.

Analysis of homodimeric avian and human galectins by two methods based on fluorescence spectroscopy: different structural alterations upon oxidation and ligand binding.

Spectroscopic monitoring is applied to detect structural alterations for homodimeric adhesion/growth-regulatory galectins. Mammalian galectin-1 and the avian ortholog CG-1B, due to their distinct patterns of cysteine positioning, can undergo oxidation. When monitoring tryptophan fluorescence anisotropy comparatively, an indicator of structural changes affecting rotational diffusion, segmental motion and/or fluorescence life time, reductions are seen in both cases upon oxidation.

The atomic structure of a metal-supported vitreous thin silica film.

Clear as glass: The atomic structure of a metal-supported vitreous thin silica film was resolved using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Based on the STM image, a model was constructed and the atomic arrangement of the thin silica glass determined (see picture). The total pair correlation function of the structural model shows good agreement with diffraction experiments performed on vitreous silica.