A phosphorus-rich polymer as a homogeneous catalyst scavenger

© The Royal Society of Chemistry 2017. A soft polymer network prepared through a phosphane-ene reaction successfully sequestered Rh and Ru from hydrogenation and ring closing metathesis reactions, respectively. Scavenging effectively quenches catalytic activity and ultimately removes \u3e98% of the metal

Native Texas Ornamental Bunchgrass Performance Under Water Restrictions

Growing human populations and increasing drought conditions compete with ornamental grassland landscapes for freshwater resources. With outdoor use as the largest consumer of municipal water, irrigation restrictions will likely be increasingly implemented, restricting ornamental municipal grasslands. Substituting irrigation-dependent exotic grasses with drought-adapted native bunchgrasses could help mitigate this problem. Greenhouse (GH) trials revealed exotic ornamental bunchgrasses declined faster than natives under progressive water stress, with natives performing best under moderate water with maximum water treatments decreasing aesthetic quality. There was wide variability among accessions, indicating promising genetic diversity from which to select drought resistance for ornamentals. Native grasses performed best in field trials with supplemental irrigation during warm-season growth and restricted irrigation during the cool season. In northcentral Texas, native little bluestem (LBS; Schizachyrium scoparium L.) accessions outperformed exotics in health and aesthetics across environments. Most response variables were species as well as accession dependent. Select LBS accessions are recommended for commercialization for municipal grasslands due to superior field performance under water restrictions. Replacing favored water-intensive exotic grasses with adapted native grasses could help reduce irrigation water use

Transitioning to Multiple-use Polyculture Grassland-derived Bioenergy Feedstock Systems

We argue that research and development of grassland-derived bioenergy feedstock (GBF) has focused unduly on dedicated monospecific biomass systems to the detriment of more stable multiple-use multispecies grasslands. This has retarded GBF adoption as a viable, sustainable contribution to renewable energy production in North America. We hypothesize that focusing on multiple-use GBFs will foster greater feedstock availability for nascent renewable energy generation while minimizing financial risk to grassland husbandry during market transitions from current grazing systems to more flexible business models. Our hypothesis is that source and demand are more likely to develop simultaneously under less risky multiple-use grassland management. We review what little research exists detailing such multiple-use systems that include GBF as a major component. We propose that more federal and private sector research funding should focus on perennial forage legumes and bunchgrasses for multiple uses including forage, bioenergy, grassland restoration, wildlife, and ecosystems services such as hydrology, carbon capture and biodiversity. These data cover both native and introduced species in cultivated pastures as well as managed rangeland and native grassland. We conclude that more research effort should be focused on multiple-use GBF in order to identify individual species, mixtures and ecosystems that provide flexibility in the face of unpredictable grassland environments and volatile energy markets

Foreign policy beliefs and support for Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party

Similar to other recent Canadian elections, foreign policy did not feature prominently in the 2011 federal election campaign. In fact, many doubt Canadian public opinion on international affairs is linked to the actions taken by recent Governments. In this paper, we examine Canadian public opinion toward a range of foreign policy issues and argue that the survey questions measure two latent dimensions —militarism and internationalism. Our survey evidence indicates the existence of an “issue public” which is prepared to endorse military action and is skeptical of human rights and overseas aid programs, and this group is far more supportive of Prime Minister Harper and the Conservative Party than other Canadians. The absence of an elite discussion, either among politicians or between media elites, about the direction of Canadian foreign policy does not prevent the Canadian voter from thinking coherently about questions pertaining to this issue domain and employing these beliefs to support or oppose political parties and their leaders

A descriptive analysis of child-relevant systematic reviews in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Systematic reviews (SRs) are considered an important tool for decision-making. There has been no recent comprehensive identification or description of child-relevant SRs. A description of existing child-relevant SRs would help to identify the extent of available child-relevant evidence available in SRs and gaps in the evidence base where SRs are required. The objective of this study was to describe child-relevant SRs from the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR, Issue 2, 2009).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>SRs were assessed for relevance using pre-defined criteria. Data were extracted and entered into an electronic form. Univariate analyses were performed to describe the SRs overall and by topic area.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The search yielded 1666 SRs; 793 met the inclusion criteria. 38% of SRs were last assessed as up-to-date prior to 2007. Corresponding authors were most often from the UK (41%). Most SRs (59%) examined pharmacological interventions. 53% had at least one external source of funding. SRs included a median of 7 studies (IQR 3, 15) and 679 participants (IQR 179, 2833). Of all studies, 48% included only children, and 27% only adults. 94% of studies were published in peer-reviewed journals. Primary outcomes were specified in 72% of SRs. Allocation concealment and the Jadad scale were used in 97% and 25% of SRs, respectively. Adults and children were analyzed separately in 12% of SRs and as a subgroup analysis in 14%. Publication bias was assessed in only 14% of SRs. A meta-analysis was conducted in 68% of SRs with a median of 5 trials (IQR 3, 9) each. Variations in these characteristics were observed across topic areas.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We described the methodological characteristics and rigour of child-relevant reviews in the CDSR. Many SRs are not up-to-date according to Cochrane criteria. Our study describes variation in conduct and reporting across SRs and reveals clinicians' ability to access child-specific data.</p

Ethnic difference of clinical vertebral fracture risk

Vertebral fractures are the most common osteoporotic fractures. Data on the vertebral fracture risk in Asia remain sparse. This study observed that Hong Kong Chinese and Japanese populations have a less dramatic increase in hip fracture rates associated with age than Caucasians, but the vertebral fracture rates were higher, resulting in a high vertebral-to-hip fracture ratio. As a result, estimation of the absolute fracture risk for Asians may need to be readjusted for the higher clinical vertebral fracture rate. Introduction: Vertebral fractures are the most common osteoporotic fractures. Data on the vertebral fracture risk in Asia remain sparse. The aim of this study was to report the incidence of clinical vertebral fractures among the Chinese and to compare the vertebral-to-hip fracture risk to other ethnic groups. Methods: Four thousand, three hundred eighty-six community-dwelling Southern Chinese subjects (2,302 women and 1,810 men) aged 50 or above were recruited in the Hong Kong Osteoporosis Study since 1995. Baseline demographic characteristics and medical history were obtained. Subjects were followed annually for fracture outcomes with a structured questionnaire and verified by the computerized patient information system of the Hospital Authority of the Hong Kong Government. Only non-traumatic incident hip fractures and clinical vertebral fractures that received medical attention were included in the analysis. The incidence rates of clinical vertebral fractures and hip fractures were determined and compared to the published data of Swedish Caucasian and Japanese populations. Results: The mean age at baseline was 62 ± 8.2 years for women and 68 ± 10.3 years for men. The average duration of follow-up was 4.0 ± 2.8 (range, 1 to 14) years for a total of 14,733 person-years for the whole cohort. The incidence rate for vertebral fracture was 194/100,000 person-years in men and 508/100,000 person-years in women, respectively. For subjects above the age of 65, the clinical vertebral fracture and hip fracture rates were 299/100,000 and 332/100,000 person-years, respectively, in men, and 594/100,000 and 379/100,000 person-years, respectively, in women. Hong Kong Chinese and Japanese populations have a less dramatic increase in hip fracture rates associated with age than Caucasians. At the age of 65 or above, the hip fracture rates for Asian (Hong Kong Chinese and Japanese) men and women were less than half of that in Caucasians, but the vertebral fracture rate was higher in Asians, resulting in a high vertebral-to-hip fracture ratio. Conclusions: The incidences of vertebral and hip fractures, as well as the vertebral-to-hip fracture ratios vary in Asians and Caucasians. Estimation of the absolute fracture risk for Asians may need to be readjusted for the higher clinical vertebral fracture rate. © 2011 The Author(s).published_or_final_versionSpringer Open Choice, 21 Feb 201

Temporal metabolic profiling of bone healing in a caprine tibia segmental defect model

Bone tissue engineering is an emerging field of regenerative medicine, with a wide array of biomaterial technologies and therapeutics employed. However, it is difficult to objectively compare these various treatments during various stages of tissue response. Metabolomics is rapidly emerging as a powerful analytical tool to establish broad-spectrum metabolic signatures for a target biological system. Developing an effective biomarker panel for bone repair from small molecule data would provide an objective metric to readily assess the efficacy of novel therapeutics in relation to natural healing mechanisms. In this study we utilized a large segmental bone defect in goats to reflect trauma resulting in substantial volumetric bone loss. Characterization of the native repair capacity was then conducted over a period of 12 months through the combination of standard (radiography, computed tomography, histology, biomechanics) data and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS) metabolic profiling. Standard metrics demonstrated that samples formed soft callus structures that later mineralized. Small molecule profiles showed distinct temporal patterns associated with the bone tissue repair process. Specifically, increased lactate and amino acid levels at early time points indicated an environment conducive to osteoblast differentiation and extracellular matrix formation. Citrate and pyruvate abundances increased at later time points indicating increasing mineral content within the defect region. Taurine, shikimate, and pantothenate distribution profiles appeared to represent a shift toward a more homeostatic remodeling environment with the differentiation and activity of osteoclasts offsetting the earlier deposition phases of bone repair. The generation of a comprehensive metabolic reference portfolio offers a potent mechanism for examining novel biomaterials and can serve as guide for the development of new targeted therapeutics to improve the rate, magnitude, and quality of bone regeneration

Defining Responses to Therapy and Study Outcomes in Clinical Trials of Invasive Fungal Diseases: Mycoses Study Group and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Consensus Criteria

Invasive fungal diseases (IFDs) have become major causes of morbidity and mortality among highly immunocompromised patients. Authoritative consensus criteria to diagnose IFD have been useful in establishing eligibility criteria for antifungal trials. There is an important need for generation of consensus definitions of outcomes of IFD that will form a standard for evaluating treatment success and failure in clinical trials. Therefore, an expert international panel consisting of the Mycoses Study Group and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer was convened to propose guidelines for assessing treatment responses in clinical trials of IFDs and for defining study outcomes. Major fungal diseases that are discussed include invasive disease due to Candida species, Aspergillus species and other molds, Cryptococcus neoformans, Histoplasma capsulatum, and Coccidioides immitis. We also discuss potential pitfalls in assessing outcome, such as conflicting clinical, radiological, and/or mycological data and gaps in knowledg