Topological Analysis of Void Spaces in Tungstate Frameworks: Assessing Storage Properties for the Environmentally Important Guest Molecules and Ions: CO<inf>2</inf>, UO<inf>2</inf>, PuO<inf>2</inf>, U, Pu, Sr²⁺, Cs⁺, CH<inf>4</inf>, and H<inf>2</inf>

The identification of inorganic materials, which are able to encapsulate environmentally important small molecules or ions via host-guest interactions, is crucial for the design and development of next-generation energy sources and for storing environmental waste. Especially sought after are molecular sponges with the ability to incorporate CO2, gas pollutants, or nuclear waste materials such as UO2 and PuO2 oxides or U, Pu, Sr2+ or Cs+ ions. Porous framework structures promise very attractive prospects for applications in environmental technologies, if they are able to incorporate CH4 for biogas energy applications, or to store H2, which is important for fuel cells e.g. in the automotive industry. All of these applications should benefit from the host being resistant to extreme conditions such as heat, nuclear radiation, rapid gas expansion, or wear and tear from heavy gas cycling. As inorganic tungstates are well known for their thermal stability, and their rigid open-framework networks, the potential of Na2O-Al2O3-WO3 and Na2O-WO3 phases for such applications was evaluated. To this end, all known experimentally-determined crystal structures with the stoichiometric formula MaM’bWcOd (M = any element) are surveyed together with all corresponding theoretically calculated NaaAlbWcOd and NaxWyOz structures that are statistically likely to form. Network descriptors that categorize these host structures are used to reveal topological patterns in the hosts, including the nature of porous cages which are able to accommodate a certain type of guest; this leads to the classification of preferential structure types for a given environmental storage application. Crystal structures of two new tungstates NaAlW2O8 (1) and NaAlW3O11 (2) and one updated structure determination of Na2W2O7 (3) are also presented from in-house X-ray diffraction studies, and their potential merits for environmental applications are assessed against those of this larger data-sourced survey. Overall, results show that tungstate structures with three-nodal topologies are most frequently able to accommodate CH4 or H2, while CO2 appears to be captured by a wide range of nodal structure types. The computationally generated host structures appear systematically smaller than the experimentally determined structures. For the structures of 1 and 2, potential applications in nuclear waste storage seem feasible.J. M. C. is indebted to the Fulbright Commission for a UK-US Fulbright Scholar Award hosted by Argonne National Laboratory where work done was supported by DOE Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from ACS via http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.5b0036

A review of agricultural, food security, food systems and climate change adaptation policies, institutions and actors in East Africa

Agricultural production systems in East Africa are mainly rain-fed and highly vulnerable to climate change and variability. Moreover, the smallholder subsistence production base increases the vulnerability of the agricultural sector in East Africa to climate risks. The frequency and severity of climate shocks such as drought, heat and cold stress as well as floods are increasing and likely to lead to major food crises. Governmental and nongovernmental actors in East African countries have instituted policies and programs aimed at increasing agricultural productivity, improving food security and enhancing adaptation to climate change. This paper examines the various policies, institutions and actors related to climate change adaptation, food security, food system and agricultural development in East Africa—focusing on Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The paper combines a review of literature with key informant interviews from various actors in the four countries

Distinct human stem cell populations in small and large intestine

The intestine is composed of an epithelial layer containing rapidly proliferating cells that mature into two regions, the small and the large intestine. Although previous studies have identified stem cells as the cell-of-origin for intestinal epithelial cells, no studies have directly compared stem cells derived from these anatomically distinct regions. Here, we examine intrinsic differences between primary epithelial cells isolated from human fetal small and large intestine, after in vitro expansion, using the Wnt agonist R-spondin 2.We utilized flow cytometry, fluorescence-activated cell sorting, gene expression analysis and a three-dimensional in vitro differentiation assay to characterize their stemcell properties. We identified stem cell markers that separate subpopulations of colony-forming cells in the small and large intestine and revealed important differences in differentiation, proliferation and disease pathways using gene expression analysis. Single cells from small and large intestine cultures formed organoids that reflect the distinct cellular hierarchy found in vivo and respond differently to identical exogenous cues. Our characterization identified numerous differences between small and large intestine epithelial stem cells suggesting possible connections to intestinal disease

Removal or storage of environmental pollutants and alternative fuel sources with inorganic adsorbents: Via host-guest encapsulation

© 2017 The Royal Society of Chemistry. The ever-increasing demands of the modern world continue to place substantial strain on the environment. To help alleviate the damage done to the natural world, the encapsulation of small molecules or ions (guests) into porous inorganic structural frameworks (hosts) provides a potential remedy for some of the environmental concerns facing us today. These concerns include the removal of harmful pollutants from water or air, the safe entrapment of nuclear waste materials, or the purification and storage of small molecules that act as alternative fuel sources. We review the trends in using inorganic materials as host media for the removal or storage of various wastes and alternative fuels. We cover the treatment of water contaminated with dyes or heavy metals, air pollution alleviation via CO2, SOx, NOx, and volatile organic compound containment, nuclear waste immobilization, and storage for H2 and methane as alternative fuels.Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 (DF/05/14

Characteristics of C-4 photosynthesis in stems and petioles of C-3 flowering plants

Most plants are known as C-3 plants because the first product of photosynthetic CO2 fixation is a three-carbon compound. C-4 plants, which use an alternative pathway in which the first product is a four-carbon compound, have evolved independently many times and are found in at least 18 families. In addition to differences in their biochemistry, photosynthetic organs of C-4 plants show alterations in their anatomy and ultrastructure. Little is known about whether the biochemical or anatomical characteristics of C-4 photosynthesis evolved first. Here we report that tobacco, a typical C-3 plant, shows characteristics of C-4 photosynthesis in cells of stems and petioles that surround the xylem and phloem, and that these cells are supplied with carbon for photosynthesis from the vascular system and not from stomata. These photosynthetic cells possess high activities of enzymes characteristic of C-4 photosynthesis, which allow the decarboxylation of four-carbon organic acids from the xylem and phloem, thus releasing CO2 for photosynthesis. These biochemical characteristics of C-4 photosynthesis in cells around the vascular bundles of stems of C-3 plants might explain why C-4 photosynthesis has evolved independently many times

A head-to-head comparison of speckle tracking echocardiography and feature tracking cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging in right ventricular deformation

Aims: Speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) and feature tracking cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (FT-CMR) are advanced imaging techniques which are both used for quantification of global and regional myocardial strain. Direct comparisons of STE and FT-CMR regarding right ventricular (RV) strain analysis are limited. We aimed to study clinical performance, correlation and agreement of RV strain by these techniques, using arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) as a model for RV disease. // Methods and results: We enrolled 110 subjects, including 34 patients with definite ARVC, 30 preclinical relatives of ARVC patients, and 46 healthy control subjects. Global and regional RV longitudinal peak strain (PS) were measured by STE and FT-CMR. Both modalities showed reduced strain values in ARVC patients compared to ARVC relatives (STE global PS: P < 0.001; FT-CMR global PS: P < 0.001) and reduced strain values in ARVC relatives compared to healthy control subjects (STE global PS: P = 0.042; FT-CMR global PS: P = 0.084). There was a moderate, albeit significant correlation between RV strain values obtained by STE and FT-CMR [global PS r = 0.578 (95% confidence interval 0.427–0.697), P < 0.001]. Agreement between the techniques was weak (limits of agreement for global PS: ±11.8%). Correlation and agreement both deteriorated when regional strain was studied. // Conclusion: RV STE and FT-CMR show a similar trend within the spectrum of ARVC and have significant correlation, but inter-modality agreement is weak. STE and FT-CMR may therefore both individually have added value for assessment of RV function, but RV PS values obtained by these techniques currently cannot be used interchangeably in clinical practice

An observational study of patient characteristics associated with the mode of admission to acute stroke services in North East, England

Objective Effective provision of urgent stroke care relies upon admission to hospital by emergency ambulance and may involve pre-hospital redirection. The proportion and characteristics of patients who do not arrive by emergency ambulance and their impact on service efficiency is unclear. To assist in the planning of regional stroke services we examined the volume, characteristics and prognosis of patients according to the mode of presentation to local services. Study design and setting A prospective regional database of consecutive acute stroke admissions was conducted in North East, England between 01/09/10-30/09/11. Case ascertainment and transport mode were checked against hospital coding and ambulance dispatch databases. Results Twelve acute stroke units contributed data for a mean of 10.7 months. 2792/3131 (89%) patients received a diagnosis of stroke within 24 hours of admission: 2002 arrivals by emergency ambulance; 538 by private transport or non-emergency ambulance; 252 unknown mode. Emergency ambulance patients were older (76 vs 69 years), more likely to be from institutional care (10% vs 1%) and experiencing total anterior circulation symptoms (27% vs 6%). Thrombolysis treatment was commoner following emergency admission (11% vs 4%). However patients attending without emergency ambulance had lower inpatient mortality (2% vs 18%), a lower rate of institutionalisation (1% vs 6%) and less need for daily carers (7% vs 16%). 149/155 (96%) of highly dependent patients were admitted by emergency ambulance, but none received thrombolysis. Conclusion Presentations of new stroke without emergency ambulance involvement were not unusual but were associated with a better outcome due to younger age, milder neurological impairment and lower levels of pre-stroke dependency. Most patients with a high level of pre-stroke dependency arrived by emergency ambulance but did not receive thrombolysis. It is important to be aware of easily identifiable demographic groups that differ in their potential to gain from different service configurations

Moving from evidence-based medicine to evidence-based health.

While evidence-based medicine (EBM) has advanced medical practice, the health care system has been inconsistent in translating EBM into improvements in health. Disparities in health and health care play out through patients' limited ability to incorporate the advances of EBM into their daily lives. Assisting patients to self-manage their chronic conditions and paying attention to unhealthy community factors could be added to EBM to create a broader paradigm of evidence-based health. A perspective of evidence-based health may encourage physicians to consider their role in upstream efforts to combat socially patterned chronic disease

Ego-Splitting and the Transcendental Subject. Kant’s Original Insight and Husserl’s Reappraisal

In this paper, I contend that there are at least two essential traits that commonly define being an I: self-identity and self-consciousness. I argue that they bear quite an odd relation to each other in the sense that self-consciousness seems to jeopardize self-identity. My main concern is to elucidate this issue within the range of the transcendental philosophies of Immanuel Kant and Edmund Husserl. In the first section, I shall briefly consider Kant’s own rendition of the problem of the Egosplitting. My reading of the Kantian texts reveals that Kant himself was aware of this phenomenon but eventually deems it an unexplainable fact. The second part of the paper tackles the same problematic from the standpoint of Husserlian phenomenology. What Husserl’s extensive analyses on this topic bring to light is that the phenomenon of the Ego-splitting constitutes the bedrock not only of his thought but also of every philosophy that works within the framework of transcendental thinking

Vaccine-associated enhanced disease : case definition and guidelines for data collection, analysis, and presentation of immunization safety data

This is a Brighton Collaboration Case Definition of the term & ldquo;Vaccine Associated Enhanced Disease & rdquo; to be utilized in the evaluation of adverse events following immunization. The Case Definition was developed by a group of experts convened by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) in the context of active development of vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and other emerging pathogens. The case definition format of the Brighton Collaboration was followed to develop a consensus definition and defined levels of certainty, after an exhaustive review of the literature and expert consultation. The document underwent peer review by the Brighton Collaboration Network and by selected Expert Reviewers prior to submission. (c) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)