Continuous isomerisation of 2,5-dimethylfuran to 2,4-dimethylfuran over Ga-silicate.

2,4-dimethylfuran has a rare disubstitution pattern in the five-membered heterocyclic furan ring that is highly interesting chemically but challenging to access synthetically. We present a heterogeneously catalysed route to synthesise 2,4-dimethylfuran from commonly available 2,5-dimethylfuran using a zeolite packed-bed flow reactor. As supported by DFT calculations, the reaction occurs inside the zeolite channels, where the acid sites catalyse proton transfer followed by migration of a methyl group.

Methylation-directed regulatory networks determine enhancing and silencing of mutation disease driver genes and explain inter-patient expression variation.

Background: Common diseases manifest differentially between patients, but the genetic origin of this variation remains unclear. To explore possible involvement of gene transcriptional-variation, we produce a DNA methylation-oriented, driver-gene-wide dataset of regulatory elements in human glioblastomas and study their effect on inter-patient gene expression variation.

Results: In 175 of 177 analyzed gene regulatory domains, transcriptional enhancers and silencers are intermixed.

Thoracic Dorsal Root Ganglion Application of Resiniferatoxin Reduces Myocardial Ischemia-Induced Ventricular Arrhythmias.

Background: A myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury activates the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. The activation of TRPV1 DRG neurons triggers the spinal dorsal horn and the sympathetic preganglionic neurons in the spinal intermediolateral column, which results in sympathoexcitation. In this study, we hypothesize that the selective epidural administration of resiniferatoxin (RTX) to DRGs may provide cardioprotection against ventricular arrhythmias by inhibiting afferent neurotransmission during IR injury.

Going Beyond Silver in Ethylene Epoxidation with First-Principles Catalyst Screening.

Ethylene epoxidation is industrially and commercially one of the most important selective oxidations. Silver catalysts have been state-of-the-art for decades, their efficiency steadily improving with empirical discoveries of dopants and co-catalysts. Herein, we perform a computational screening of the metals in the periodic table, identify prospective superior catalysts and experimentally demonstrate that Ag/CuPb, Ag/CuCd and Ag/CuTl outperform the pure-Ag catalysts, while they still confer an easily scalable synthesis protocol.

Multiple Sclerosis Followed by Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder: From the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Case Conference Proceedings.

A woman presented at age 18 years with partial myelitis and diplopia and experienced multiple subsequent relapses. Her MRI demonstrated T2 abnormalities characteristic of multiple sclerosis (MS) (white matter ovoid lesions and Dawson fingers), and CSF demonstrated an elevated IgG index and oligoclonal bands restricted to the CSF. Diagnosed with clinically definite relapsing-remitting MS, she was treated with various MS disease-modifying therapies and eventually began experiencing secondary progression.

Synthesis and Characterization of Catalytically Active Au Core─Pd Shell Nanoparticles Supported on Alumina.

A two-step seeded-growth method was refined to synthesize Au@Pd core@shell nanoparticles with thin Pd shells, which were then deposited onto alumina to obtain a supported Au@Pd/AlO catalyst active for prototypical CO oxidation. By the strict control of temperature and Pd/Au molar ratio and the use of l-ascorbic acid for making both Au cores and Pd shells, a 1.5 nm Pd layer is formed around the Au core, as evidenced by transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy.

The effects of low intensity focused ultrasound on neuronal activity in pain processing regions in a rodent model of common peroneal nerve injury.

Background: Non-invasive, external low intensity focused ultrasound (liFUS) offers promise for treating neuropathic pain when applied to the dorsal root ganglion (DRG).

Objective: We examine how external liFUS treatment applied to the L5 DRG affects neuronal changes in single-unit activity from the primary somatosensory cortex (SI) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in a common peroneal nerve injury (CPNI) rodent model.

Methods: Male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into two cohorts: CPNI liFUS and CPNI sham liFUS.

Nanofluidic Trapping of Faceted Colloidal Nanocrystals for Parallel Single-Particle Catalysis.

Catalyst activity can depend distinctly on nanoparticle size and shape. Therefore, understanding the structure sensitivity of catalytic reactions is of fundamental and technical importance. Experiments with single-particle resolution, where ensemble-averaging is eliminated, are required to study it.

Faith Community Nurses as Health Leaders During a Pandemic.

In the face of a public health emergency, nurses, particularly those serving faith communities, need to understand and live out their roles in adhering to evidence-based practice while demonstrating grace and obedience to Scripture. Serving as public health role models and advocates, nurses in faith communities can inform and support church leaders in following government directives for the common good. Applicable Scripture, ethical, and research considerations are presented.

Effects of Spatiotemporal Constraints on Geostatistical Analysis of Groundwater Depth.

Geostatistical evaluation of the groundwater depth (GWD) in California's South Coast hydrologic region, and its sensitivity to different spatiotemporal assumptions, is presented in this paper. We obtain a pseudo-stationary representation of the groundwater depth, using the publicly available, online database from the GAMA GeoTracker project, while tracking the associated uncertainty throughout the process. We create nine different sub-datasets, using different temporal constraints, such as seasonal partitioning and different long-term variability filtering criteria.

Light-Off in Plasmon-Mediated Photocatalysis.

In plasmon-mediated photocatalysis it is of critical importance to differentiate light-induced catalytic reaction rate enhancement channels, which include near-field effects, direct hot carrier injection, and photothermal catalyst heating. In particular, the discrimination of photothermal and hot electron channels is experimentally challenging, and their role is under keen debate. Here we demonstrate using the example of CO oxidation over nanofabricated neat Pd and AuPd alloy catalysts, how photothermal rate enhancement differs by up to 3 orders of magnitude for the same photon flux, and how this effect is controlled solely by the position of catalyst operation along the light-off curve measured in the dark.

Predicting ablation zones with multislice volumetric 2-D magnetic resonance thermal imaging.

Background: High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) serves as a noninvasive stereotactic system for the ablation of brain metastases; however, treatments are limited to simple geometries and energy delivery is limited by the high acoustic attenuation of the calvarium. Minimally-invasive magnetic resonance-guided robotically-assisted (MRgRA) needle-based therapeutic ultrasound (NBTU) using multislice volumetric 2-D magnetic resonance thermal imaging (MRTI) overcomes these limitations and has potential to produce less collateral tissue damage than current methods.

Objective: To correlate multislice volumetric 2-D MRTI volumes with histologically confirmed regions of tissue damage in MRgRA NBTU.

Electroencephalography in Orthostatic Tremor: A Prospective Study of 30 Patients.

Background: Orthostatic tremor (OT) is characterized by a sensation of instability while standing, associated with high frequency (1318 Hz) tremor in the legs. Small retrospective series have reported electroencephalography (EEG) findings in OT with discordant results.

Methods: We prospectively enrolled 30 OT subjects.

Effects of external low intensity focused ultrasound on inflammatory markers in neuropathic pain.

Background: Changes in inflammatory cytokine levels contribute to the induction and maintenance of neuropathic pain. We have shown that external low intensity focused ultrasound (liFUS) reduces allodynia in a common peroneal nerve injury (CPNI). Here, we investigate an underlying mechanism of action for this treatment and measure the effect of liFUS on inflammatory markers.

Pilot study on the effects of low intensity focused ultrasound in a swine model of neuropathic pain.

Objective: The authors' laboratory has previously demonstrated beneficial effects of noninvasive low intensity focused ultrasound (liFUS), targeted at the dorsal root ganglion (DRG), for reducing allodynia in rodent neuropathic pain models. However, in rats the DRG is 5 mm below the skin when approached laterally, while in humans the DRG is typically 5-8 cm deep. Here, using a modified liFUS probe, the authors demonstrated the feasibility of using external liFUS for modulation of antinociceptive responses in neuropathic swine.

Development of a common peroneal nerve injury model in domestic swine for the study of translational neuropathic pain treatments.

Objective: To date, muscular and bone pain have been studied in domestic swine models, but the only neuropathic pain model described in swine is a mixed neuritis model. Common peroneal nerve injury (CPNI) neuropathic pain models have been utilized in both mice and rats.

Methods: The authors developed a swine surgical CPNI model of neuropathic pain.

Hydrogen induced interface engineering in FeO-TiO heterostructures for efficient charge separation for solar-driven water oxidation in photoelectrochemical cells.

Semiconductor heterostructure junctions are known to improve the water oxidation performance in photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells. Depending on the semiconductor materials involved, different kinds of junctions can appear, for instance, type II band alignment where the conduction and valence bands of the semiconductor materials are staggered with respect to each other. This band alignment allows for a charge separation of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs, where the holes will go from low-to-high valance band levels and for the electrons.

Ataxia Prevalence in Primary Orthostatic Tremor.

Background: The exact pathophysiology of primary Orthostatic Tremor (OT) is unknown. A central oscillator is assumed, and previous imaging studies show involvement of cerebellar pathways. However, the presence of ataxia on clinical exam is disputed.

YAP and TAZ regulate Schwann cell proliferation and differentiation during peripheral nerve regeneration.

YAP and TAZ are effectors of the Hippo pathway that controls multicellular development by integrating chemical and mechanical signals. Peripheral nervous system development depends on the Hippo pathway. We previously showed that loss of YAP and TAZ impairs the development of peripheral nerve as well as Schwann cell myelination.

To Every Rule There is an Exception: A Rational Extension of Loewenstein's Rule.

Loewenstein's rule, which states that Al-O-Al motifs are energetically unstable, is fundamental to the understanding and design of zeolites. Here, using a combination of electronic structure calculations and lattice models, we show under which circumstances this rule becomes invalid and how it can be rationally extended using the chabasite framework for demonstration.

Effect of First-Line Ziconotide Intrathecal Drug Therapy for Neuropathic Pain on Disability, Emotional Well-Being, and Pain Catastrophizing.

Background: Previous studies have shown decreased pain scores with ziconotide as a first-line agent for intrathecal drug therapy (IDT). Subset analysis suggests that patients with neuropathic pain have greater improvement. We prospectively examine the role of first-line ziconotide IDT on the tridimensional pain experience in ziconotide IDT-naive patients with neuropathic pain.

Copper catalysis at operando conditions-bridging the gap between single nanoparticle probing and catalyst-bed-averaging.

In catalysis, nanoparticles enable chemical transformations and their structural and chemical fingerprints control activity. To develop understanding of such fingerprints, methods studying catalysts at realistic conditions have proven instrumental. Normally, these methods either probe the catalyst bed with low spatial resolution, thereby averaging out single particle characteristics, or probe an extremely small fraction only, thereby effectively ignoring most of the catalyst.

Synergies of co-doping in ultra-thin hematite photoanodes for solar water oxidation: In and Ti as representative case.

Solar energy induced water splitting in photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells is one of the most sustainable ways of hydrogen production. The challenge is to develop corrosion resistant and chemically stable semiconductors that absorb sunlight in the visible region and, at the same time, have the band edges matching with the redox level of water. In this work, hematite (α-FeO) thin films were prepared onto an indium-doped tin oxide (ITO; In:SnO) substrate by e-beam evaporation of Fe, followed by air annealing at two different temperatures: 350 and 500 °C.

Efficacy of Simultaneous Usage of Spinal Cord Stimulation and Intrathecal Therapy for Nonmalignant Chronic Neuropathic Pain.

Background: Some patients with chronic pain and implanted spinal cord stimulators or intrathecal (IT) pumps fail to obtain significant pain relief. The use of dual modality treatment with both therapies is understudied. This study evaluated comprehensive outcomes in this patient population and reported outcomes primarily using IT ziconotide.