Terpene polymerization a binary neodymium-based catalytic system with di--butylmagnesium as a co-catalyst.

The development of materials from renewable resources has been increasing, intending to reduce the consumption of fossil sources, with terpenes being one of the main families that reduce the consumption of isoprene. The study of the binary catalytic system neodymium versatate/dibutyl magnesium (NdV/Mg(-Bu)), for the coordination homopolymerization of β-myrcene and β-farnesene, was carried out analysing different [Nd] : [Mg] ratios (between 4 and 10). Reporting conversions of 92% and 83% at an [Nd] : [Mg] ratio of 8 for polymyrcene (PMy) and polyfarnesene (PFa), respectively, and microstructures comprising 1,4 content above 80% for both polymers (PMy, -59% and PFa, -83%).

Phenotypic Sorting of Pink Salmon Hatchery Strays May Alleviate Adverse Impacts of Reduced Variation in Fitness-Associated Traits.

Maladapted immigrants may reduce wild population productivity and resilience, depending on the degree of fitness mismatch between dispersers and locals. Thus, domesticated individuals escaping into wild populations is a key conservation concern. In Prince William Sound, Alaska, over 700 million pink salmon () are released annually from hatcheries, providing a natural experiment to characterize the mechanisms underlying impacts to wild populations.

A weight of evidence review on the mode of action, adversity, and the human relevance of xylene's observed thyroid effects in rats.

Xylene substances have wide industrial and consumer uses and are currently undergoing dossier and substance evaluation under Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) for further toxicological testing including consideration of an additional neurotoxicological testing cohort to an extended one-generation reproduction toxicity (EOGRT) study. New repeated dose study data on xylenes identify the thyroid as a potential target tissue, and therefore a weight of evidence review is provided to investigate whether or not xylene-mediated changes on the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis are secondary to liver enzymatic induction and are of a magnitude that is relevant for neurological human health concerns. Multiple published studies confirm xylene-mediated increases in liver weight, hepatocellular hypertrophy, and liver enzymatic induction the oral or inhalation routes, including an increase in uridine 5'-diphospho-glucuronosyltransferase (UDP-GT) activity, the key step in thyroid hormone metabolism in rodents.

One-quarter of freshwater fauna threatened with extinction.

Freshwater ecosystems are highly biodiverse and important for livelihoods and economic development, but are under substantial stress. To date, comprehensive global assessments of extinction risk have not included any speciose groups primarily living in freshwaters. Consequently, data from predominantly terrestrial tetrapods are used to guide environmental policy and conservation prioritization, whereas recent proposals for target setting in freshwaters use abiotic factors.

Safety and immunogenicity of an optimized self-replicating RNA platform for low dose or single dose vaccine applications: a randomized, open label Phase I study in healthy volunteers.

Self-replicating RNA (srRNA) technology, in comparison to mRNA vaccines, has shown dose-sparing by approximately 10-fold and more durable immune responses. However, no improvements are observed in the adverse events profile. Here, we develop an srRNA vaccine platform with optimized non-coding regions and demonstrate immunogenicity and safety in preclinical and clinical development.

Comparative genomics of the sexually transmitted parasite reveals relaxed and convergent evolution and genes involved in spillover from birds to humans.

is the causative agent of the venereal disease trichomoniasis which infects men and women globally and is associated with serious outcomes during pregnancy and cancers of the human reproductive tract. Trichomonads parasitize a range of hosts in addition to humans including birds, livestock, and domesticated animals. Recent genetic analysis of trichomonads recovered from columbid birds has provided evidence that these parasite species undergo frequent host-switching, and that a current epoch spillover event from columbids likely gave rise to in humans.

A domed window chamber for multi-modality optical imaging.

Current dorsal skin flap window chambers with flat glass windows are compatible with optical coherence tomography (OCT) and multiphoton microscopy (MPM) imaging. However, light sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) performs best with a cylindrical or spherical sample located between its two 90° objectives and when all sample materials have the same index of refraction (). A modified window chamber with a domed viewing window made from fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP), with n similar to water and tissue, was designed.

Birch-Bark-Inspired Synergistic Fabrication of High-Performance Cellulosic Materials.

There is a growing demand for the utilization of sustainable materials, such as cellulose-based alternatives, over fossil-based materials. However, the inherent drawbacks of cellulosic materials, such as extremely low wet strength and resistance to moisture, need significant improvements. Moreover, several of the commercially available wet-strength chemicals and hydrophobic agents for cellulosic material treatment are toxic or fossil-based (e.

Evolutionary and functional divergence of Sfx, a plasmid-encoded H-NS homolog, underlies the regulation of IncX plasmid conjugation.

Conjugative plasmids are widespread among prokaryotes, highlighting their evolutionary success. Conjugation systems on most natural plasmids are repressed by default. The negative regulation of F-plasmid conjugation is partially mediated by the chromosomal nucleoid-structuring protein (H-NS).

"The problem is not detection, it is treatment": Exploring Why Women Needing Pre-Cervical Cancer Care are Lost to Follow-Up at the Hospital in Iquitos, Peru.

Background: The objective of this study was to investigate the barriers to follow-up of women with cervical lesions suspicious of cancer who were ineligible for primary-level treatment and needed, but did not receive, hospital-level care in Loreto, Peru.

Methods: In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 HPV-positive women requiring hospital-level follow-up care for cervical lesions suspicious of cancer but for whom there was no documentation of completion of treatment. After thematically analyzing these patient interviews, interview findings were presented to seven doctors and five nurse-midwives at both the hospital and the primary levels for comments and suggestions regarding barriers to treatment.

Structure of subcortico-cortical tracts in middle-aged and older adults with autism spectrum disorder.

Middle-aged and older adults with autism spectrum disorder may be susceptible to accelerated neurobiological changes in striato- and thalamo-cortical tracts due to combined effects of typical aging and existing disparities present from early neurodevelopment. Using magnetic resonance imaging, we employed diffusion-weighted imaging and automated tract-segmentation to explore striato- and thalamo-cortical tract microstructure and volume differences between autistic (n = 29) and typical comparison (n = 33) adults (40 to 70 years old). Fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, and tract volumes were measured for 14 striato-cortical and 12 thalamo-cortical tract bundles.

Sustainable assessment of ultrasound-assisted extraction of anthocyanins with bio-based solvents for upgrading grape pomace Cabernet Sauvignon derived from a winemaking process.

This work assessed the efficiency and sustainability of ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of anthocyanins from grape pomace using bio-based solvents: Ethanol, Isopropanol, Propylene-glycol, and Ethylene-glycol at different concentrations (50 and 100 % v/v) and temperatures (25 °C and 50 °C). Higher ultrasonic intensities (UI) were obtained at 50 °C and 50 % v/v by decreasing solvents viscosities. Under these conditions, anthocyanin extractions were performed with different combinations of solvent to liquid ratio (SLR) at 1:10 and 1:50 g/mL, and UI (3.

Patterns in California Ambulance Patient Offload Times by Local Emergency Medical Services Agency.

Importance: Ambulance offload delays are a timely and crucial issue with implications for patients, emergency medical services (EMS) agencies, hospitals, and communities. Published data on recent patterns in ambulance patient offload times (APOTs) are sparse.

Objective: To examine patterns in APOT by California local EMS agency and variation between and within local agencies.

Association of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma with head and neck cancer.

Background And Objectives: Esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCC) are often accompanied by head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and vice versa. Our study aimed to describe the prevalence of HNSCC in patients with ESCC, the chronology of appearance and the impact on survival.

Methods: A retrospective review was carried out through a computerized database of patients diagnosed with ESCC at Hospital Clinic of Barcelona between January 1999 and June 2019.

Revision of the Nearctic Species of the Shore-Fly Genus Scatophila Becker (Diptera: Ephydridae).

The Nearctic species of the shore-fly genus Scatophila Becker are revised. We treat 26 species of which three are new (type locality noted in parenthesis): Scatophila angusta sp. nov.

Effects of Nanofat and PRP on Type I Collagen Production in Striae Distensae: Preliminary Findings from a Prospective, Randomized Single-Blind Study.

Introduction: Striae distensae (SD) appear clinically as parallel striae, lying perpendicular to the tension lines of the skin. SD evolve into two clinical phases, an initial inflammatory phase in which they are called "striae rubrae" (SR) and a chronic phase in which they are called striae albae (SA). This study investigates the synergistic effect of nanofat and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections on collagen production in fibroblasts derived from SA (SAF).