Criteria for identifying and evaluating locations that could potentially host the Cosmic Explorer observatories.

Cosmic Explorer is a next-generation ground-based gravitational-wave observatory that is being designed in the 2020s and is envisioned to begin operations in the 2030s together with the Einstein Telescope in Europe. The Cosmic Explorer concept currently consists of two widely separated L-shaped observatories in the United States, one with 40 km-long arms and the other with 20 km-long arms. This order of magnitude increase in scale with respect to the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA observatories will, together with technological improvements, deliver an order of magnitude greater astronomical reach, allowing access to gravitational waves from remnants of the first stars and opening a wide discovery aperture to the novel and unknown.

Nanostructure and Photovoltaic Potential of Plasmonic Nanofibrous Active Layers.

Nanofibrous active layers offer hierarchical control over molecular structure, and the size and distribution of electron donor:acceptor domains, beyond conventional organic photovoltaic architectures. This structure is created by forming donor pathways via electrospinning nanofibers of semiconducting polymer, then infiltrating with an electron acceptor. Electrospinning induces chain and crystallite alignment, resulting in enhanced light-harvesting and charge transport.

Surface Lattice Resonance Lasers with Epitaxial InP Gain Medium.

Surface lattice resonance (SLR) lasers, where the gain is supplied by a thin-film active material and the feedback comes from multiple scattering by plasmonic nanoparticles, have shown both low threshold lasing and tunability of the angular and spectral emission at room temperature. However, typically used materials such as organic dyes and QD films suffer from photodegradation, which hampers practical applications. Here, we demonstrate photostable single-mode lasing of SLR modes sustained in an epitaxial solid-state InP slab waveguide.

Squeezing the quantum noise of a gravitational-wave detector below the standard quantum limit.

The Heisenberg uncertainty principle dictates that the position and momentum of an object cannot be simultaneously measured with arbitrary precision, giving rise to an apparent limitation known as the standard quantum limit (SQL). Gravitational-wave detectors use photons to continuously measure the positions of freely falling mirrors and so are affected by the SQL. We investigated the performance of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) after the experimental realization of frequency-dependent squeezing designed to surpass the SQL.

Building a strong public health nursing workforce in Canada: A continuing education solution.

Building a strong public health nursing (PHN) work-force capable of advancing population health and reducing inequities is critical. Though undergraduate nursing education is expected to provide introductory knowledge and practice of PHN in Canada, this is not always sufficient to adequately prepare nursing graduates for the complexity of PHN practice. To be practice ready for the full scope of PHN roles and interventions, new baccalaureate nurses and new registered nurses in public health are required to apply PHN competencies, theory, and knowledge of nursing and public health sciences, and to practice within the mandates of provincial and territorial public health legislation.

Ethical guidance for conducting health research with online communities: A scoping review of existing guidance.

Online research methods have grown in popularity due in part to the globalised and far-reaching nature of the internet but also linked to the Covid-19 pandemic whereby restrictions to travel and face to face contact necessitated a shift in methods of research recruitment and data collection. Ethical guidance exists to support researchers in conducting online research, however this is lacking within health fields. This scoping review aims to synthesise formal ethical guidance for applying online methods within health research as well as provide examples of where guidance has been used.

Electrospinning Nonspinnable Sols to Ceramic Fibers and Springs.

Electrospinning has been applied to produce ceramic fibers using sol gel-based spinning solutions consisting of ceramic precursors, a solvent, and a polymer to control the viscosity of the solution. However, the addition of polymers to the spinning solution makes the process more complex, increases the processing time, and results in porous mechanically weak ceramic fibers. Herein, we develop a coelectrospinning technique, where a nonspinnable sol (<10 mPa s) consisting of only the ceramic precursor(s) and solvent(s) is encapsulated inside a polymeric shell, forming core-shell precursor fibers that are further calcined into ceramic fibers with reduced porosity, decreased surface defects, uniform crystal packing, and controlled diameters.

Elemental Characterization of Ambient Particulate Matter for a Globally Distributed Monitoring Network: Methodology and Implications.

Global ground-level measurements of elements in ambient particulate matter (PM) can provide valuable information to understand the distribution of dust and trace elements, assess health impacts, and investigate emission sources. We use X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy to characterize the elemental composition of PM samples collected from 27 globally distributed sites in the Surface PARTiculate mAtter Network (SPARTAN) over 2019-2023. Consistent protocols are applied to collect all samples and analyze them at one central laboratory, which facilitates comparison across different sites.

Artificial intelligence predictive analytics in heart failure: results of the pilot phase of a pragmatic randomized clinical trial.

Objectives: We conducted an implementation planning process during the pilot phase of a pragmatic trial, which tests an intervention guided by artificial intelligence (AI) analytics sourced from noninvasive monitoring data in heart failure patients (LINK-HF2).

Materials And Methods: A mixed-method analysis was conducted at 2 pilot sites. Interviews were conducted with 12 of 27 enrolled patients and with 13 participating clinicians.

Community health nurses leadership in advancing health equity.

Objective: To describe the solutions community health nurses (CHNs) identify to address health inequities during the COVID-19 pandemic and to explore what leadership competencies enable CHNs to enact these solutions.

Design: Online survey, distributed to all members of the Community Health Nurses of Canada and associated provincial and territorial networks.

Participants: Inclusion criteria included all nurses who were working during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.

Determination of Treosulfan and Fludarabine in Plasma by Turbulent Flow Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (TFLC-MS/MS).

Treosulfan is a structural analog of the alkylating agent busulfan which has been shown in clinical trials to exhibit comparable myeloablative activity while causing fewer serious side effects. Treosulfan is currently being considered for FDA approval in combination with fludarabine, one of the most commonly used myeloablative agents, as a conditioning regimen prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Because plasma concentrations of both treosulfan and fludarabine exhibit significant interindividual variability, therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is indicated to ensure dosages are administered that maximize efficacy while minimizing toxicity.

Measurement of ThioTEPA and Its Metabolite TEPA in Plasma and Cerebrospinal Fluid by Turbulent Flow Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

N,N',N''-Triethylenethiophosphoramide (thioTEPA) is a polyfunctional, organophosphorus alkylating agent that has been a primary treatment of multiple solid malignancies for many years and more recently as part of conditioning regimens prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for a variety of hematologic malignancies. In vivo, thioTEPA is quickly metabolized to N,N',N″-triethylenephosphoramide (TEPA). ThioTEPA and TEPA have similar alkylating activity and both exhibit outstanding central nervous system penetration.

Simultaneous Determination of Prednisone and Prednisolone in Serum by Turbulent Flow Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) is a potentially curative therapeutic treatment for patients with high-risk hematologic malignancies and bone marrow failure syndromes. While allo-HCT can be highly effective, it is met with significant regimen-related toxicities and complications such as graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), poor immune reconstitution, and infections. Prednisone is the preferred treatment for patients with both acute and chronic GVHD.

Quantification of Clofarabine and Fludarabine in Plasma by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) is a potentially curative therapeutic treatment for many patients with high-risk hematologic malignancies and bone marrow failure syndromes. While allo-HCT can be highly effective, it is met with significant bone marrow conditioning regimen-related toxicities and complications such as infections related to poor immune reconstitution. This chapter describes the measurement of clofarabine and fludarabine concentrations to support clinical trials whose goal is to determine the optimal therapeutic ranges in order to maximize effectiveness while minimizing variability and regimen-related adverse events and toxicities.

Determination of Busulfan and Melphalan in Plasma by Turbulent Flow Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

Melphalan and busulfan are DNA-alkylating agents that are often used concurrently in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HCT) conditioning regimens. Studies have demonstrated that this combination of alkylating agents is very effective and well-tolerated prior to HCT. This combination is widely used for acute leukemia, advanced lymphoid malignancies, and multiple myeloma.

Clinical-scientist-led transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE): using extended roles to improve the service.

At the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, we perform transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE), a semi-invasive diagnostic test using ultrasound for high-quality heart imaging. TOE allows accurate diagnosis of serious heart problems to support high-quality clinical decision-making about treatment pathways. The procedure can be lengthy and is traditionally performed by a consultant cardiologist, who typically has multiple commitments.

British Society of Echocardiography guideline for the transthoracic echocardiographic assessment of cardiac amyloidosis.

These guidelines form an update of the BSE guideline protocol for the assessment of restrictive cardiomyopathy (Knight et al. in Echo Res Prac, 2013). Since the original recommendations were conceived in 2013, there has been an exponential rise in the diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis fuelled by increased clinician awareness, improvements in cardiovascular imaging as well as the availability of new and effective disease modifying therapies.

Vaccine effectiveness for prevention of covid-19 related hospital admission during pregnancy in England during the alpha and delta variant dominant periods of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: population based cohort study.

Objective: To estimate vaccine effectiveness for preventing covid-19 related hospital admission in individuals first infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus during pregnancy compared with those of reproductive age who were not pregnant when first infected with the virus.

Design: Population based cohort study.

Setting: Office for National Statistics Public Health Data Asset linked dataset, providing national linked census and administrative data in England, 8 December 2020 to 31 August 2021.

Replacement of the Mouse LD Assay for Determination of the Potency of AbobotulinumtoxinA with a Cell-Based Method in Both Powder and Liquid Formulations.

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are important therapeutic agents. The in vivo median lethal dose (LD) assay has been commonly used to measure the potency of BoNT commercial preparations. As an alternative, we developed cell-based assays for abobotulinumtoxinA in both powder (Dysport, Azzalure) and liquid (Alluzience) formulations using the in vitro BoCell system.

Quantifying the reduction of airborne infectious viral load using a ventilated patient hood.

Background: Healthcare workers treating SARS-CoV-2 patients are at risk of infection by respiratory exposure to patient-emitted, virus-laden aerosols. Source control devices such as ventilated patient isolation hoods have been shown to limit the dissemination of non-infectious airborne particles in laboratory tests, but data on their performance in mitigating the airborne transmission risk of infectious viruses are lacking.

Aim: We used an infectious airborne virus to quantify the ability of a ventilated hood to reduce infectious virus exposure in indoor environments.

Inequalities in SARS-CoV-2 case rates by ethnicity, religion, measures of socioeconomic position, English proficiency, and self-reported disability: cohort study of 39 million people in England during the alpha and delta waves.

Objective: To examine sociodemographic inequalities in people with SARS-CoV-2 during the second (alpha) and third (delta) waves of the covid-19 pandemic.

Design: Retrospective, population based cohort study.

Setting: Resident population of England.

Developing simulation games to advance public health nursing competence in baccalaureate education.

We describe the development of an innovative baccalaureate nursing education strategy for public health nursing. Virtual simulation pedagogy is known to be effective for acute care nursing practice while less known for public health nursing. Three Canadian nursing schools, the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (CASN), and the Canadian Alliance of Nurse Educators using Simulation (CAN-Sim) partnered to develop three public health nursing virtual simulation games.

Uniaxial strain tuning of organic molecule single photon sources.

Organic fluorophores are excellent single photon sources, combining high brightness, lifetime-limited linewidths and useful emission wavelengths. A key factor in their performance as photon emitters is their dynamic frequency tunability, which can be used to render the emission from multiple molecules indistinguishable. In this work we demonstrate dynamic tuning of dibenzoterrylene molecules embedded in anthracene crystals through the application of uniaxial strain fields.