Development of a diagnostic multivariable prediction model of a positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR result in healthcare workers with suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection in hospital settings.

Background: Despite declining COVID-19 incidence, healthcare workers (HCWs) still face an elevated risk of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. We developed a diagnostic multivariate model to predict positive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results in HCWs with suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on episodes involving suspected SARS-CoV-2 symptoms or close contact among HCWs in Bogotá, Colombia.

Overt and hidden polymorphism in the binary system involving the Z- and E- isomers of broparestrol.

Broparestrol has been used as a drug to treat acne in the form of a mixture of its two stereoisomers. Although it has been withdrawn from the market, the binary system is rich in polymorphism and understanding the phase behaviour of the binary system involving the E- and Z-isomers is challenging. Physical mixtures do not immediately give rise to equilibrium phase behaviour, whereas recrystallization often leads to metastable phases and the appearance of stable phases can take years.

Designer TALEs enable discovery of cell death-inducer genes.

Transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs) in plant-pathogenic Xanthomonas bacteria activate expression of plant genes and support infection or cause a resistance response. PthA4AT is a TALE with a particularly short DNA-binding domain harboring only 7.5 repeats which triggers cell death in Nicotiana benthamiana; however, the genetic basis for this remains unknown.

Tuning Pore Size in Graphene in the Angstrom Regime for Highly Selective Ion-Ion Separation.

Zero-dimensional pores spanning only a few angstroms in size in two-dimensional materials such as graphene are some of the most promising systems for designing ion-ion selective membranes. However, the key challenge in the field is that so far a crack-free macroscopic graphene membrane for ion-ion separation has not been realized. Further, methods to tune the pores in the Å-regime to achieve a large ion-ion selectivity from the graphene pore have not been realized.

Unit-cell-thick zeolitic imidazolate framework films for membrane application.

Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) are a subset of metal-organic frameworks with more than 200 characterized crystalline and amorphous networks made of divalent transition metal centres (for example, Zn and Co) linked by imidazolate linkers. ZIF thin films have been intensively pursued, motivated by the desire to prepare membranes for selective gas and liquid separations. To achieve membranes with high throughput, as in ångström-scale biological channels with nanometre-scale path lengths, ZIF films with the minimum possible thickness-down to just one unit cell-are highly desired.

Phytoplanktonic community and bio-optical properties in coastal waters of an Argentinian Patagonian gulf.

The influence of the phytoplankton community in the light absorption budget was quantified in coastal waters of the North region of the San Jorge Gulf (Argentinian Patagonia). The phytoplanktonic composition and their absorption spectra were determined. Nanoflagellates and diatoms were the dominant groups.

Phenolic, Polysaccharides Composition, and Texture Properties during Ripening and Storage Time of New Table Grape Cultivars in Chile.

The aim of this study is to determine the phenolic and polysaccharidic composition, texture properties, and gene expression of new seedless table grape cultivars Timco™ and Krissy™ and compare them to the traditional table grape variety Crimson Seedless ( L.), during ripening and in commercial postharvest conditions. According to the results, phenolic compounds were present in very different proportions.

Microstructure optimization of bioderived polyester nanofilms for antibiotic desalination via nanofiltration.

The successful implementation of thin-film composite membranes (TFCM) for challenging solute-solute separations in the pharmaceutical industry requires a fine control over the microstructure (size, distribution, and connectivity of the free-volume elements) and thickness of the selective layer. For example, desalinating antibiotic streams requires highly interconnected free-volume elements of the right size to block antibiotics but allow the passage of salt ions and water. Here, we introduce stevioside, a plant-derived contorted glycoside, as a promising aqueous phase monomer for optimizing the microstructure of TFCM made via interfacial polymerization.

SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with melanoma: results of the Spanish Melanoma Group registry.

Background: The Spanish Melanoma Group (GEM) developed a national registry of patients with melanoma infected by SARS-CoV-2 ("GRAVID").

Methods: The main objective was to describe the COVID-19 fatality rate in patients with melanoma throughout the pandemic, as well as to explore the effect of melanoma treatment and tumor stage on the risk of COVID-19 complications. These are the final data of the register, including cases from February 2020 to September 2021.

Gas Separation Membranes with Atom-Thick Nanopores: The Potential of Nanoporous Single-Layer Graphene.

Gas separation is one of the most important industrial processes and is poised to take a larger role in the transition to renewable energy, e.g., carbon capture and hydrogen purification.

Quantifying COVID-19's silver lining: Avoided deaths from air quality improvements in Bogotá.

In cities around the world, COVID-19 lockdowns have significantly improved outdoor air quality. Even if only temporary, these improvements could have longer-lasting effects by making chronic air pollution more salient and boosting political pressure for change. To that end, it is important to develop objective estimates of both the air quality improvements associated with lockdowns and the benefits they generate.

Association of Chemotherapy Regimen Intensity and Use of Psychotropic Medications in Pediatric Oncology Patients.

Objective: Pediatric oncology patients endure treatments that may include chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, and transplant. These treatment modalities often have an effect on a patient's mental health. To date, little is known or published about the association between certain cancer treatment regimens and the use of psychotropic medications.

Enhanced Water Evaporation from Å-Scale Graphene Nanopores.

Enhancing the kinetics of liquid-vapor transition from nanoscale confinements is an attractive strategy for developing evaporation and separation applications. The ultimate limit of confinement for evaporation is an atom thick interface hosting angstrom-scale nanopores. Herein, using a combined experimental/computational approach, we report highly enhanced water evaporation rates when angstrom sized oxygen-functionalized graphene nanopores are placed at the liquid-vapor interface.

Unblocking Ion-occluded Pore Channels in Poly(triazine imide) Framework for Proton Conduction.

Poly(triazine imide) or PTI is an ordered graphitic carbon nitride hosting Å-scale pores attractive for selective molecular transport. AA'-stacked PTI layers are synthesized by ionothermal route during which ions occupy the framework and occlude the pores. Synthesis of ion-free PTI hosting AB-stacked layers has been reported, however, pores in this configuration are blocked by the neighboring layer.

Demonstrating and Unraveling a Controlled Nanometer-Scale Expansion of the Vacancy Defects in Graphene by CO.

A controlled manipulation of graphene edges and vacancies is desired for molecular separation, sensing and electronics applications. Unfortunately, available etching methods always lead to vacancy nucleation making it challenging to control etching. Herein, we report CO -led controlled etching down to 2-3 Å per minute while completely avoiding vacancy nucleation.

Bottom-up synthesis of graphene films hosting atom-thick molecular-sieving apertures.

Incorporation of a high density of molecular-sieving nanopores in the graphene lattice by the bottom-up synthesis is highly attractive for high-performance membranes. Herein, we achieve this by a controlled synthesis of nanocrystalline graphene where incomplete growth of a few nanometer-sized, misoriented grains generates molecular-sized pores in the lattice. The density of pores is comparable to that obtained by the state-of-the-art postsynthetic etching (10 cm) and is up to two orders of magnitude higher than that of molecular-sieving intrinsic vacancy defects in single-layer graphene (SLG) prepared by chemical vapor deposition.

Multipulsed Millisecond Ozone Gasification for Predictable Tuning of Nucleation and Nucleation-Decoupled Nanopore Expansion in Graphene for Carbon Capture.

Predictable and tunable etching of angstrom-scale nanopores in single-layer graphene (SLG) can allow one to realize high-performance gas separation even from similar-sized molecules. We advance toward this goal by developing two etching regimes for SLG where the incorporation of angstrom-scale vacancy defects can be controlled. We screen several exposure profiles for the etchant, controlled by a multipulse millisecond treatment, using a mathematical model predicting the nucleation and pore expansion rates.

Millisecond lattice gasification for high-density CO- and O-sieving nanopores in single-layer graphene.

Etching single-layer graphene to incorporate a high pore density with sub-angstrom precision in molecular differentiation is critical to realize the promising high-flux separation of similar-sized gas molecules, e.g., CO from N However, rapid etching kinetics needed to achieve the high pore density is challenging to control for such precision.

Gas-sieving zeolitic membranes fabricated by condensation of precursor nanosheets.

The synthesis of molecular-sieving zeolitic membranes by the assembly of building blocks, avoiding the hydrothermal treatment, is highly desired to improve reproducibility and scalability. Here we report exfoliation of the sodalite precursor RUB-15 into crystalline 0.8-nm-thick nanosheets, that host hydrogen-sieving six-membered rings (6-MRs) of SiO tetrahedra.