Advances in Nonreactive Polymer Compatibilizers for Commodity Polyolefin Blends.

Recycling mixed polyolefin plastics is a significant challenge due to the limitations in sorting and degraded mechanical properties of blends. Nonreactive compatibilization by adding a small amount of polymeric additive is a widespread approach to restoring the performance and value of recycled plastics. Over the past several decades, synthetic advances have enabled access to low-cost copolymers and precision architectures for deepening the understanding of compatibilization mechanisms in semicrystalline polyolefins.

Control of biofilm formation by an pterin-binding periplasmic protein conserved among diverse .

Biofilm formation and surface attachment in multiple Alphaproteobacteria is driven by unipolar polysaccharide (UPP) adhesins. The pathogen produces a UPP adhesin, which is regulated by the intracellular second messenger cyclic diguanylate monophosphate (c-di-GMP). Prior studies revealed that DcpA, a diguanylate cyclase-phosphodiesterase, is crucial in control of UPP production and surface attachment.

Bacterial-fungal crosstalk is defined by a fungal lactone mycotoxin and its degradation by a bacterial lactonase.

Unlabelled: Bacteria, fungi, and mammals contain lactonases that can degrade the Gram-negative bacterial quorum sensing (QS) molecules N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs). AHLs are critical for bacteria to coordinate gene expression and pathogenicity with population density. However, AHL-degrading lactonases present variable substrate ranges, including degradation of the lactone mycotoxin patulin.

Anionic Conjugate Addition Oligomerization of Carbon Dioxide/Butadiene Derived Lactones.

Nucleophilic and non-nucleophilic bases have been employed in anionic oligomerization of unsaturated δ-valerolactone (3-ethylidene-6-vinyltetrahydro-2-pyran-2-one) (). Compared to the seminal findings with 1,5,7-triazabicyclo[4.4.

Sustainable Copolymer Synthesis from Carbon Dioxide and Butadiene.

Carbon dioxide (CO) has long been recognized as an ideal C1 feedstock comonomer for producing sustainable materials because it is renewable, abundant, and cost-effective. However, activating CO presents a significant challenge because it is highly oxidized and stable. A CO/butadiene-derived δ-valerolactone (EVP), generated via palladium-catalyzed telomerization between CO and butadiene, has emerged as an attractive intermediate for producing sustainable copolymers from CO and butadiene.

Management of a major varicella zoster exposure in a pediatric oncology population.

Management of the exposure of pediatric oncology patients to varicella zoster virus (VZV) is controversial. We report the exposure of 56 patients to a single child with chicken pox at a pediatric cancer housing facility and describe our strategic approach for their management. We reviewed the immune and clinical status of 56 children with cancer receiving ongoing treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) who, while living at a pediatric cancer housing facility, were exposed to the index patient.

Metal-catalyzed copolymerizations of epoxides and carbon disulfide for high-refractive index low absorbance adhesives and plastics.

High-refractive index plastics are useful materials due to their optical properties, ease of processing, and low-costs compared to their inorganic counterparts. Catalytic carbon disulfide (CS) copolymerization with epoxides is one method for producing low-cost high refractive index polymers. The reaction is accompanied by an oxygen-sulfur exchange reaction which produces irregular microstructures in the repeating units.

Control of Biofilm Formation by an Pterin-Binding Periplasmic Protein Conserved Among Pathogenic Bacteria.

Biofilm formation and surface attachment in multiple Alphaproteobacteria is driven by unipolar polysaccharide (UPP) adhesins. The pathogen produces a UPP adhesin, which is regulated by the intracellular second messenger cyclic diguanylate monophosphate (cdGMP). Prior studies revealed that DcpA, a diguanylate cyclase-phosphodiesterase (DGC-PDE), is crucial in control of UPP production and surface attachment.

The Hydrophobin Gene Family Confers a Fitness Trade-off between Spore Dispersal and Host Colonization in Penicillium expansum.

Hydrophobins are small amphipathic surface proteins found exclusively in fungi. In filamentous ascomycetes, one conserved role of a subset of hydrophobins is their requirement for spore dispersal. Other contributions of these proteins to fungal biology are less clear and vary across genera.

The Divergent Reactivity of Lactones Derived from Butadiene and Carbon Dioxide in Macromolecular Synthesis.

The catalytic conversion of carbon dioxide and 1,3-butadiene into unsaturated lactone monomers provides an efficient route for converting sustainable carbon feedstocks into novel macromolecules. The chemical reactivity of this monomer is reviewed in order to highlight the many viable mechanistic pathways. Polymerization strategies, monomer alterations, and post-polymerization modifications are covered.

Asymmetric Molecular Dynamics and Anisotropic Phase Separation in the Cocrystal of the Crystalline/Crystalline Polymer Blend.

Semicrystalline polymers are categorized as either mobile or fixed crystals, depending on chain mobility in the crystalline region. In this work, we investigate molecular dynamics and phase structure in the cocrystal consisting of fixed and mobile polymer crystals by solid-state (ss) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. It is demonstrated that (i) the mobile component begins large amplitude motions associated with crystal-crystal transition, while fixed ones keep their rigidity in the cocrystal, and (ii) asymmetric molecular dynamics leads to nanosegregations into mobile- and fixed-rich domains in the cocrystal below the melting temperature ().

Degradable Polymer Structures from Carbon Dioxide and Butadiene.

The utilization of carbon dioxide as a polymer feedstock is an ongoing challenge. This report describes the catalytic conversion of carbon dioxide and an olefin comonomer, 1,3-butadiene, into a polymer structure that arises from divergent propagation mechanisms. Disubstituted unsaturated δ-valerolactone (EVL) was homopolymerized by the bifunctional organocatalyst 1,5,7-triazabicyclo[4.

Inadvertent Selection of a Pathogenic Fungus Highlights Areas of Concern in Human Clinical Practices.

In studying the development of tolerance to common hospital cleaners (Oxivir and CaviCide™) in clinical isolate stocks of the emerging, multidrug-resistant yeast pathogen , we selected for a cleaner-tolerant subpopulation of a more common nosocomial pathogen, . Through the purification of each species and subsequent competition and other analyses, we determined that is capable of readily dominating mixed populations of and when exposed to hospital cleaners. This result suggests that exposure to antimicrobial compounds can preferentially select for low-level, stress-tolerant fungal pathogens.

The predictive validity of the Functional Assessment for Burns - Critical Care (FAB-CC) score for discharge outcomes in major burns.

Introduction: Physical function scoring of burn ICU patients is recommended but currently validated scores are lacking.

Objective: To evaluate the predictive validity of the FAB -CC for burn ICU patients' discharge outcome.

Methods: All patients underwent daily exercise and FAB -CC screen if they were stable.

Co-dependent and Interdigitated: Dual Quorum Sensing Systems Regulate Conjugative Transfer of the Ti Plasmid and the At Megaplasmid in 15955.

Members of the , often carry multiple secondary replicons in addition to the primary chromosome with compatible -based replication systems. Unlike secondary chromosomes and chromids, -based megaplasmids and plasmids can undergo copy number fluctuations and are capable of conjugative transfer in response to environmental signals. Several lineages harbor three secondary -based replicons, including a secondary chromosome (often linear), the Ti (tumor-inducing) plasmid and the At megaplasmid.

Identification of Uric Acid Gluconucleoside-Ascaroside Conjugates in by Combining Synthesis and MicroED.

Few nucleoside-derived natural products have been identified from animals, despite the ubiquity of nucleosides in living organisms. Here, we use a combination of synthesis and the emerging electron microscopy technique microcrystal electron diffraction to determine the structures of several -(β-glucopyranosyl)uric acid derivatives in . These noncanonical gluconucleosides further integrate an ascaroside moiety, for which we present a shortened synthetic route.

Understanding the Role of Alternatives in Data Analysis Practices.

Data workers are people who perform data analysis activities as a part of their daily work but do not formally identify as data scientists. They come from various domains and often need to explore diverse sets of hypotheses and theories, a variety of data sources, algorithms, methods, tools, and visual designs. Taken together, we call these alternatives.

Reciprocal control of motility and biofilm formation by the PdhS2 two-component sensor kinase of Agrobacterium tumefaciens.

A core regulatory pathway that directs developmental transitions and cellular asymmetries in Agrobacterium tumefaciens involves two overlapping, integrated phosphorelays. One of these phosphorelays putatively includes four histidine sensor kinase homologues, DivJ, PleC, PdhS1 and PdhS2, and two response regulators, DivK and PleD. In several different alphaproteobacteria, this pathway influences a conserved downstream phosphorelay that ultimately controls the phosphorylation state of the CtrA master response regulator.

Investigating the interrater reliability of a novel functional outcome measure for use in the burns intensive care unit: The Functional Assessment for Burns - Critical Care (FAB-CC).

Introduction: Intensive Care Unit Acquired Weakness challenges the clinical care of critically ill patients. Despite a surge in validated ICU functional outcome measures following the publication of Clinical Guideline 83 'Rehabilitation After Critical Illness' by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2009), there are none composed specifically for use in the Burns ICU. We therefore developed and tested the inter-rater reliability of a burn specific novel functional outcome measure; The Functional Assessment for Burns-Critical Care (FAB-CC).

Effectiveness of ultraviolet disinfection in reducing hospital-acquired Clostridium difficile and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus on a bone marrow transplant unit.

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of ultraviolet (UV) environmental disinfection system on rates of hospital-acquired vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE) and Clostridium difficile.

Design: Using active surveillance and an interrupted time-series design, hospital-acquired acquisition of VRE and C. difficile on a bone marrow transplant (BMT) unit were examined before and after implementation of terminal disinfection with UV on all rooms regardless of isolation status of patients.

Effectiveness of a multidisciplinary patient care bundle for reducing surgical-site infections.

Background: Surgical-site infection (SSI) is associated with significant healthcare costs. To reduce the high rate of SSI among patients undergoing colorectal surgery at a cancer centre, a comprehensive care bundle was implemented and its efficacy tested.

Methods: A pragmatic study involving three phases (baseline, implementation and sustainability) was conducted on patients treated consecutively between 2013 and 2016.

Artificial Differences in Clostridium difficile Infection Rates Associated with Disparity in Testing.

In 2015, Clostridium difficile testing rates among 30 US community, multispecialty, and cancer hospitals were 14.0, 16.3, and 33.

Nocturnal phantom shock cessation with zolpidem.

A 77 year old man with a biventricular ICD-pacemaker complained of painful, electric jolts disturbing him nightly from sleep. Extensive work-up including device interrogation revealed no defibrillations or arrhythmia, and he was subsequently diagnosed with phantom shocks (PS). His nightly PS symptoms terminated after starting zolpidem 10 mg each night.

Interventional cardiologists: Beware and be aware: An updated report of radiation-induced cutaneous cancers.

We describe 5 years of follow-up of a previously reported case of disabling ionizing radiation (IR)-related cutaneous cancer in a high-volume interventional cardiologist. This case illustrates the cycle of exposure, disease, remission, and re-exposure that demonstrates the cause-and-effect relationship between radiation exposure and cutaneous cancer. Prior cautions for working in environments with radiation exposure emphasized strict adherence to the ALARA principle and called for improved radiation protection equipment.