Review of \u3ci\u3eThe Masterworks of Charles M. Russell: A Retrospective of Paintings and Sculpture\u3c/i\u3e edited by Joan Carpenter Troccoli

Charles M. Russell (1864-1926) has long been celebrated as America\u27s Cowboy Artist, beloved as much for his charismatic personality as for his authentic portrayal of the Old West. The magnitude of Russell\u27s celebrity may have, at times, overshadowed his artistic achievement, and thus the complexity of cultural themes reflected in his work, the iconographic richness of his art, and the evolving sophistication of his technique may come as revelations to some. These qualities emerge, perhaps more comprehensibly than ever, in The Masterworks of Charles M. Russell, a superb catalogue of the excellent retrospective exhibition organized jointly by the Denver Art Museum and the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Both museums were venues for the exhibition in 2009-10, as was the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Environmental Impacts of the Border Wall

On January 25, 2017, during his first week in office, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order calling for the “immediate construction of a physical wall on the southern border” of the United States . Such a wall would span more than one thousand miles, across many different habitats and many different communities . Before a wall will be built, numerous questions must be answered: Which environmental laws apply? How might all this work? On February 16, ELI convened experts to discuss how environmental law and policy may interact with the Executive Order, and to spark discussion about important environmental resources and communities along the border . Below, we present a transcript of the event, which has been edited for style, clarity, and space considerations

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy-Enhanced Fatherhood Curriculum Pilot Study: A Comparison of Delivery Methods in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Many fatherhood programs provide curriculum-based peer groups, but the evidence for their effectiveness is limited and prior studies highlight challenges in recruiting and retaining participants. This pilot study aimed to test the effectiveness of a standard fatherhood curriculum enhanced with Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) using a quasi-experimental design. Study outcomes included father involvement and parenting skills measured immediately post-intervention. A sample of 92 fathers (M age = 35.2) participating in a fatherhood program were recruited to participate in the study. Due to COVID-19, the treatment groups were moved to an online format. Independent samples and paired samples t-test were used to detect group differences and Hedges’s effect sizes were also calculated to examine magnitude of treatment effects. Although the SFBT-enhanced peer group curriculum did not outperform the comparison curriculum, the online version of the SFBT-enhanced curriculum was found to be equivalent to the in-person curriculum. These novel findings suggest that online fatherhood groups may be similarly as effective as in-person groups, which may increase opportunities for access and participation in fatherhood programs

Influences on patient safety in intrapartum electronic fetal heart rate monitoring with cardiotocography (iSafe): protocol for a systematic scoping review

Intrapartum electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) using cardiotocography (CTG) is the recommended method for monitoring the fetal heart rate during labour for high-risk births in England. An abnormal CTG indicates the need for further review and management including potential urgent intervention (e.g. expediting birth) to minimise risk of serious long-term harm to the baby or stillbirth. In the UK, as other European countries, sub-optimal intrapartum EFM management is implicated in a large share of cerebral palsy, birth asphyxia, peripartum hypoxic brain injuries and obstetric malpractice claims. In addition to the psychosocial and social impact of stillbirth or life-long disability on parents and babies, obstetric brain injury is costly, potentially resulting in settlements for millions of pounds to support families over a lifetime of care. Every baby born in the NHS in England now incurs indemnity costs of £1,100. Of the total Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts provision of £78bn, 70% relates to maternity. Though maternity claims made up just 10% of the number of clinical negligence claims received by NHS Resolution in 2018-19, they accounted for 50% of the total value of claims. The need for action to improve safety of intrapartum EFM is now urgent, but questions remain about how it can best be achieved. We propose that reducing avoidable harm linked to intrapartum EFM requires sound understanding of the influences on sub-optimal practice. A perhaps more fruitful approach than one that focuses solely on CTG interpretation, more technology and/or solely on training, is to look more broadly at influences on safety. Such an approach would be consistent with the literature in patient safety that has advocated a systems approach to understanding and addressing the effects and interactions of real-world contexts such as teamwork, tasks, equipment, workspace, culture and organisation on clinical performance. It is also consistent with a well-established definition of safety as an attribute of health systems. This systematic scoping review aims to identify what is known in the published literature about such influences on patient safety in intrapartum electronic fetal heart rate monitoring with cardiotocography.This work is part of THIS Institute’s research programme and is funded by the Health Foundation’s grant for THIS Institute to the University of Cambridge. The Health Foundation is an independent charity committed to bringing about better health and health care for people in the UK. The Health Foundation have had no involvement in the development of this protocol

Probing the Transformation of Boron Nitride Catalysts under Oxidative Dehydrogenation Conditions

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and boron nitride nanotubes (BNNT) were recently reported as highly selective catalysts for the oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of alkanes to olefins in the gas phase. Previous studies revealed a substantial increase in surface oxygen content after exposure to ODH conditions (heating to ca. 500 °C under a flow of alkane and oxygen); however, the complexity of these materials has thus far precluded an in-depth understanding of the oxygenated surface species. In this contribution, we combine advanced NMR spectroscopy experiments with scanning electron microscopy and soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy to characterize the molecular structure of the oxygen functionalized phase that arises on h-BN and BNNT following catalytic testing for ODH of propane. The pristine BN materials are readily oxidized and hydrolyzed under ODH reaction conditions to yield a phase consisting of three-coordinate boron sites with variable numbers of hydroxyl and bridging oxide groups which is denoted B(OH)xO3–x (where x = 0–3). Evidence for this robust oxide phase revises previous literature hypotheses of hydroxylated BN edges as the active component on h-BN

DNA copy number alterations in central primitive neuroectodermal tumors and tumors of the pineal region: an international individual patient data meta-analysis

Little is known about frequency, association with clinical characteristics, and prognostic impact of DNA copy number alterations (CNA) on survival in central primitive neuroectodermal tumors (CNS-PNET) and tumors of the pineal region. Searches of MEDLINE, Pubmed, and EMBASE—after the original description of comparative genomic hybridization in 1992 and July 2010—identified 15 case series of patients with CNS-PNET and tumors of the pineal region whose tumors were investigated for genome-wide CNA. One additional case study was identified from contact with experts. Individual patient data were extracted from publications or obtained from investigators, and CNAs were converted to a digitized format suitable for data mining and subgroup identification. Summary profiles for genomic imbalances were generated from case-specific data. Overall survival (OS) was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and by univariable and multivariable Cox regression models. In their overall CNA profiles, low grade tumors of the pineal region clearly diverged from CNS-PNET and pineoblastoma. At a median follow-up of 89months, 7-year OS rates of CNS-PNET, pineoblastoma, and low grade tumors of the pineal region were 22.9±6, 0±0, and 87.5±12%, respectively. Multivariable analysis revealed that histology (CNS-PNET), age (≤2.5years), and possibly recurrent CNAs were associated with unfavorable OS. DNA copy number profiling suggests a close relationship between CNS-PNET and pineoblastoma. Low grade tumors of the pineal region differed from CNS-PNET and pineoblastoma. Due to their high biological and clinical variability, a coordinated prospective validation in future studies is necessary to establish robust risk factor

Sociodemographic inequalities in patients’ experiences of primary care: an analysis of the General Practice Patient Survey in England between 2011 and 2017

Objective: Younger people, minority ethnic groups, sexual minorities and people of lower socioeconomic status report poorer experiences of primary care. In light of NHS ambitions to reduce unwarranted variations in care, we aimed to investigate whether inequalities in patient experience of primary care changed between 2011 and 2017, using data from the General Practice Patient Survey in England. Methods: We considered inequalities in relation to age, sex, deprivation, ethnicity, sexual orientation and geographical region across five dimensions of patient experience: overall experience, doctor communication, nurse communication, access and continuity of care. We used linear regression to explore whether the magnitude of inequalities changed between 2011 and 2017, using mixed models to assess changes within practices and models without accounting for practice to assess national trends. Results: We included 5,241,408 responses over 11 survey waves from 2011–2017. There was evidence that inequalities changed over time (p < 0.05 for 27/30 models), but the direction and magnitude of changes varied. Changes in gaps in experience ranged from a 1.6 percentage point increase for experience of access among sexual minorities, to a 5.6 percentage point decrease for continuity, where experience worsened for older ages. Inequalities in access in relation to socio-economic status remained reasonably stable for individuals attending the same GP practice; nationally inequalities in access increased 2.1 percentage points (p < 0.0001) between respondents living in more/less deprived areas, suggesting access is declining fastest in practices in more deprived areas. Conclusions: There have been few substantial changes in inequalities in patient experience of primary care between 2011 and 2017