Showing papers by "University of Saskatchewan published in 2017"
TL;DR: Chitosan-based NP have various applications in non-parenteral drug delivery for the treatment of cancer, gastrointestinal diseases, pulmonary diseases, drug delivery to the brain and ocular infections which will be exemplified in this review.
Abstract: The focus of this review is to provide an overview of the chitosan based nanoparticles for various non-parenteral applications and also to put a spotlight on current research including sustained release and mucoadhesive chitosan dosage forms. Chitosan is a biodegradable, biocompatible polymer regarded as safe for human dietary use and approved for wound dressing applications. Chitosan has been used as a carrier in polymeric nanoparticles for drug delivery through various routes of administration. Chitosan has chemical functional groups that can be modified to achieve specific goals, making it a polymer with a tremendous range of potential applications. Nanoparticles (NP) prepared with chitosan and chitosan derivatives typically possess a positive surface charge and mucoadhesive properties such that can adhere to mucus membranes and release the drug payload in a sustained release manner. Chitosan-based NP have various applications in non-parenteral drug delivery for the treatment of cancer, gastrointestinal diseases, pulmonary diseases, drug delivery to the brain and ocular infections which will be exemplified in this review. Chitosan shows low toxicity both in vitro and some in vivo models. This review explores recent research on chitosan based NP for non-parenteral drug delivery, chitosan properties, modification, toxicity, pharmacokinetics and preclinical studies.
771 citations
Stanford University1, University of Washington2, University of British Columbia3, University of Guelph4, University of Saskatchewan5, American Museum of Natural History6, University of Victoria7, University of Wyoming8, University of Waterloo9, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources10, Oregon State University11, Memorial University of Newfoundland12, Cornell University13, Colorado State University14, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania15, Georgia State University16
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine the scope and purpose of eighteen subfields of classic, interdisciplinary and applied conservation social sciences and articulates ten distinct contributions that the social sciences can make to understanding and improving conservation.
717 citations
Tel Aviv University1, University of New Hampshire2, Leibniz Association3, University of Saskatchewan4, Kansas State University5, Hebrew University of Jerusalem6, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center7, Montana State University8, University of Haifa9, United States Department of Agriculture10, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign11, Weizmann Institute of Science12, University of Minnesota13, University of Bologna14, National Research Council15, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev16, University of Tsukuba17, Technische Universität München18
TL;DR: A 10.1-gigabase assembly of the 14 chromosomes of wild tetraploid wheat, as well as analyses of gene content, genome architecture, and genetic diversity reveal genomic regions bearing the signature of selection under domestication.
Abstract: Wheat (Triticum spp.) is one of the founder crops that likely drove the Neolithic transition to sedentary agrarian societies in the Fertile Crescent more than 10,000 years ago. Identifying genetic modifications underlying wheat's domestication requires knowledge about the genome of its allo-tetraploid progenitor, wild emmer (T. turgidum ssp. dicoccoides). We report a 10.1-gigabase assembly of the 14 chromosomes of wild tetraploid wheat, as well as analyses of gene content, genome architecture, and genetic diversity. With this fully assembled polyploid wheat genome, we identified the causal mutations in Brittle Rachis 1 (TtBtr1) genes controlling shattering, a key domestication trait. A study of genomic diversity among wild and domesticated accessions revealed genomic regions bearing the signature of selection under domestication. This reference assembly will serve as a resource for accelerating the genome-assisted improvement of modern wheat varieties.
622 citations
TL;DR: This chapter presents the global distribution of Echinococcus species and human AE and CE in maps and summarizes the global data on host assemblages, transmission, prevalence in animal definitive hosts, incidence in people and molecular epidemiology.
Abstract: Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) and cystic echinococcosis (CE) are severe helminthic zoonoses. Echinococcus multilocularis (causative agent of AE) is widely distributed in the northern hemisphere where it is typically maintained in a wild animal cycle including canids as definitive hosts and rodents as intermediate hosts. The species Echinococcus granulosus, Echinococcus ortleppi, Echinococcus canadensis and Echinococcus intermedius are the causative agents of CE with a worldwide distribution and a highly variable human disease burden in the different endemic areas depending upon human behavioural risk factors, the diversity and ecology of animal host assemblages and the genetic diversity within Echinococcus species which differ in their zoonotic potential and pathogenicity. Both AE and CE are regarded as neglected zoonoses, with a higher overall burden of disease for CE due to its global distribution and high regional prevalence, but a higher pathogenicity and case fatality rate for AE, especially in Asia. Over the past two decades, numerous studies have addressed the epidemiology and distribution of these Echinococcus species worldwide, resulting in better-defined boundaries of the endemic areas. This chapter presents the global distribution of Echinococcus species and human AE and CE in maps and summarizes the global data on host assemblages, transmission, prevalence in animal definitive hosts, incidence in people and molecular epidemiology.
601 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide an update to the European Respiratory Society (ERS)/American Thoracic Society (ATS) technical standards for single-breath carbon monoxide uptake in the lung that was last updated in 2005.
Abstract: This document provides an update to the European Respiratory Society (ERS)/American Thoracic Society (ATS) technical standards for single-breath carbon monoxide uptake in the lung that was last updated in 2005. Although both DLCO (diffusing capacity) and TLCO (transfer factor) are valid terms to describe the uptake of carbon monoxide in the lung, the term DLCO is used in this document. A joint taskforce appointed by the ERS and ATS reviewed the recent literature on the measurement of DLCO and surveyed the current technical capabilities of instrumentation being manufactured around the world. The recommendations in this document represent the consensus of the taskforce members in regard to the evidence available for various aspects of DLCO measurement. Furthermore, it reflects the expert opinion of the taskforce members on areas in which peer-reviewed evidence was either not available or was incomplete. The major changes in these technical standards relate to DLCO measurement with systems using rapidly responding gas analysers for carbon monoxide and the tracer gas, which are now the most common type of DLCO instrumentation being manufactured. Technical improvements and the increased capability afforded by these new systems permit enhanced measurement of DLCO and the opportunity to include other optional measures of lung function.
477 citations
University of Alberta1, Montreal Heart Institute2, University Health Network3, McGill University4, McMaster University5, University of Waterloo6, University of Calgary7, Université de Sherbrooke8, University of Western Ontario9, St. Michael's Hospital10, Halifax11, Royal Jubilee Hospital12, University of British Columbia13, St. Boniface General Hospital14, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre15, University of Saskatchewan16, Durham University17, Laval University18, University of Colorado Boulder19, Université de Montréal20, St. John's University21
TL;DR: The 2017 HF guidelines provide updated guidance on the diagnosis and management that should aid in day-to-day decisions for caring for patients with HF, with attention to strategies and treatments to prevent HF, to the organization of HF care, comorbidity management, as well as practical issues around the timing of referral and follow-up care.
465 citations
TL;DR: In a Policy Forum, Teodora Wi and colleagues discuss the challenges of antimicrobial resistance in gonococci and the need to understand more fully the role of antibiotics in the development of resistance.
Abstract: In a Policy Forum, Teodora Wi and colleagues discuss the challenges of antimicrobial resistance in gonococci.
455 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors use the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) to improve and expand the quantification of personal health-care access and quality for 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2015.
427 citations
University of Victoria1, Harvard University2, University of Chicago3, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev4, University of St Andrews5, Australian National University6, Williams College7, Curtin University8, University of Adelaide9, Oregon State University10, Institut de recherche pour le développement11, Université Paris-Saclay12, Santa Fe Institute13, Smithsonian Institution14, University of Birmingham15, University of Reading16, Wheaton College (Massachusetts)17, McGill University18, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris19, University of California, Riverside20, Princeton University21, University of Saskatchewan22, University at Albany, SUNY23, Trinity College, Dublin24, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology25, Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory26, University of Washington27
TL;DR: Modeling shows that the small thermal inertia of a globally frozen surface reverses the annual mean tropical atmospheric circulation, producing an equatorial desert and net snow and frost accumulation elsewhere, and that the evolutionary legacy of Snowball Earth is perceptible in fossils and living organisms.
Abstract: Geological evidence indicates that grounded ice sheets reached sea level at all latitudes during two long-lived Cryogenian (58 and ≥5 My) glaciations. Combined uranium-lead and rhenium-osmium dating suggests that the older (Sturtian) glacial onset and both terminations were globally synchronous. Geochemical data imply that CO2 was 102 PAL (present atmospheric level) at the younger termination, consistent with a global ice cover. Sturtian glaciation followed breakup of a tropical supercontinent, and its onset coincided with the equatorial emplacement of a large igneous province. Modeling shows that the small thermal inertia of a globally frozen surface reverses the annual mean tropical atmospheric circulation, producing an equatorial desert and net snow and frost accumulation elsewhere. Oceanic ice thickens, forming a sea glacier that flows gravitationally toward the equator, sustained by the hydrologic cycle and by basal freezing and melting. Tropical ice sheets flow faster as CO2 rises but lose mass and become sensitive to orbital changes. Equatorial dust accumulation engenders supraglacial oligotrophic meltwater ecosystems, favorable for cyanobacteria and certain eukaryotes. Meltwater flushing through cracks enables organic burial and submarine deposition of airborne volcanic ash. The subglacial ocean is turbulent and well mixed, in response to geothermal heating and heat loss through the ice cover, increasing with latitude. Terminal carbonate deposits, unique to Cryogenian glaciations, are products of intense weathering and ocean stratification. Whole-ocean warming and collapsing peripheral bulges allow marine coastal flooding to continue long after ice-sheet disappearance. The evolutionary legacy of Snowball Earth is perceptible in fossils and living organisms.
408 citations
TL;DR: A novel biochar supported nanoscale iron sulfide (FeS) composite (CMC-FeS@biochar) combining the advantages of biochar, carboxymethyl cellulose, and FeS was synthesized and tested for Cr(VI) removal efficiency and mechanisms as mentioned in this paper.
406 citations
TL;DR: A new version of the widely-used PROSPECT model is presented, hereafter namedPROSPECT-D for dynamic, which adds anthocyanins to chlorophylls and carotenoids, the two plant pigments in the current version, and outperforms all the previous versions.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present results from a high-resolution climate change simulation that permits convection and resolves mesoscale orography at 4-km grid spacing over much of North America using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model.
Abstract: Orographic precipitation and snowpack provide a vital water resource for the western U.S., while convective precipitation accounts for a significant part of annual precipitation in the eastern U.S. As a result, water managers are keenly interested in their fate under climate change. However, previous studies of water cycle changes in the U.S. have been conducted with climate models of relatively coarse resolution, leading to potential misrepresentation of key physical processes. This paper presents results from a high-resolution climate change simulation that permits convection and resolves mesoscale orography at 4-km grid spacing over much of North America using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. Two 13-year simulations were performed, consisting of a retrospective simulation (October 2000–September 2013) with initial and boundary conditions from ERA-interim and a future climate sensitivity simulation with modified reanalysis-derived initial and boundary conditions through adding the CMIP5 ensemble-mean high-end emission scenario climate change. The retrospective simulation is evaluated by validating against Snowpack Telemetry (SNOTEL) and an ensemble of gridded observational datasets. It shows overall good performance capturing the annual/seasonal/sub-seasonal precipitation and surface temperature climatology except for a summer dry and warm bias in the central U.S. In particular, the WRF seasonal precipitation agrees with SNOTEL observations within a few percent over the mountain ranges, providing confidence in the model’s estimation of western U.S. seasonal snowfall and snowpack. The future climate simulation forced with warmer and moister perturbed boundary conditions enhances annual and winter-spring-fall seasonal precipitation over most of the contiguous United States (CONUS), but suppresses summertime precipitation in the central U.S. The WRF-downscaled climate change simulations provide a high-resolution dataset (i.e., High-Resolution CONUS downscaling, HRCONUS) to the community for studying one possible scenario of regional climate changes and impacts.
TL;DR: The classification of silicones in the literature is as broad as their properties and applications; in this work, we have restricted the discussion to polydimethylsiloxanes as discussed by the authors.
TL;DR: In this article, the Global Lung Function Initiative (GLI) all-age reference values for carbon monoxide were derived for Caucasians aged 5-85 years using the LMS (lambda, mu, sigma) method and the GAMLSS (generalised additive models for location, scale and shape) program.
Abstract: There are numerous reference equations available for the single-breath transfer factor of the lung for carbon monoxide ( T LCO ); however, it is not always clear which reference set should be used in clinical practice. The aim of the study was to develop the Global Lung Function Initiative (GLI) all-age reference values for T LCO . Data from 19 centres in 14 countries were collected to define T LCO reference values. Similar to the GLI spirometry project, reference values were derived using the LMS (lambda, mu, sigma) method and the GAMLSS (generalised additive models for location, scale and shape) programme in R. 12 660 T LCO measurements from asymptomatic, lifetime nonsmokers were submitted; 85% of the submitted data were from Caucasians. All data were uncorrected for haemoglobin concentration. Following adjustments for elevation above sea level, gas concentration and assumptions used for calculating the anatomic dead space volume, there was a high degree of overlap between the datasets. Reference values for Caucasians aged 5–85 years were derived for T LCO , transfer coefficient of the lung for carbon monoxide and alveolar volume. This is the largest collection of normative T LCO data, and the first global reference values available for T LCO .
University of British Columbia1, University of Washington2, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources3, University of Guelph4, University of Saskatchewan5, American Museum of Natural History6, University of Waterloo7, Oregon State University8, Cornell University9, Colorado State University10, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania11, University of Victoria12, Memorial University of Newfoundland13, Georgia State University14
TL;DR: Mainstreaming the conservation social sciences will facilitate the uptake of the full range of insights and contributions from these fields into conservation policy and practice and enable more ecologically effective and socially just conservation.
Abstract: Despite broad recognition of the value of social sciences and increasingly vocal calls for better engagement with the human element of conservation, the conservation social sciences remain misunderstood and underutilized in practice. The conservation social sciences can provide unique and important contributions to society's understanding of the relationships between humans and nature and to improving conservation practice and outcomes. There are 4 barriers—ideological, institutional, knowledge, and capacity—to meaningful integration of the social sciences into conservation. We provide practical guidance on overcoming these barriers to mainstream the social sciences in conservation science, practice, and policy. Broadly, we recommend fostering knowledge on the scope and contributions of the social sciences to conservation, including social scientists from the inception of interdisciplinary research projects, incorporating social science research and insights during all stages of conservation planning and implementation, building social science capacity at all scales in conservation organizations and agencies, and promoting engagement with the social sciences in and through global conservation policy-influencing organizations. Conservation social scientists, too, need to be willing to engage with natural science knowledge and to communicate insights and recommendations clearly. We urge the conservation community to move beyond superficial engagement with the conservation social sciences. A more inclusive and integrative conservation science—one that includes the natural and social sciences—will enable more ecologically effective and socially just conservation. Better collaboration among social scientists, natural scientists, practitioners, and policy makers will facilitate a renewed and more robust conservation. Mainstreaming the conservation social sciences will facilitate the uptake of the full range of insights and contributions from these fields into conservation policy and practice.
TL;DR: In this paper, transition-metal atoms coordinated in a graphene shell were used as active centers for aqueous CO 2 reduction to CO with high faradic efficiencies over 90% under significant currents up to ∼60 mA/mg.
Washington State University1, University of Oregon2, University of Minnesota3, Rutgers University4, Illinois State University5, York University6, University of Wisconsin-Madison7, University of Saskatchewan8, University of Vermont9, Leibniz Association10, Uppsala University11, University of Helsinki12, University of Michigan13, Yale University14, Virginia Tech15, University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)16, University of Barcelona17, University of Potsdam18, Estonian University of Life Sciences19, University of New Brunswick20, International Institute for Sustainable Development21, United States Fish and Wildlife Service22, Tallinn University of Technology23, University of California, Santa Barbara24, University College London25, Bowling Green State University26, Brandenburg University of Technology27, Ontario Ministry of the Environment28, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi29, United States Geological Survey30, University of Nottingham31, University of California, Davis32, Irkutsk State University33, Colorado School of Public Health34, Clarkson University35, Trent University36, Environment Canada37, Loughborough University38
TL;DR: This is the first global quantitative synthesis on under-ice lake ecology, including 36 abiotic and biotic variables from 42 research groups and 101 lakes, examining seasonal differences and connections as well as how seasonal differences vary with geophysical factors.
Abstract: Winter conditions are rapidly changing in temperate ecosystems, particularly for those that experience periods of snow and ice cover. Relatively little is known of winter ecology in these systems, due to a historical research focus on summer ‘growing seasons’. We executed the first global quantitative synthesis on under-ice lake ecology, including 36 abiotic and biotic variables from 42 research groups and 101 lakes, examining seasonal differences and connections as well as how seasonal differences vary with geophysical factors. Plankton were more abundant under ice than expected; mean winter values were 43.2% of summer values for chlorophyll a, 15.8% of summer phytoplankton biovolume and 25.3% of summer zooplankton density. Dissolved nitrogen concentrations were typically higher during winter, and these differences were exaggerated in smaller lakes. Lake size also influenced winter-summer patterns for dissolved organic carbon (DOC), with higher winter DOC in smaller lakes. At coarse levels of taxonomic aggregation, phytoplankton and zooplankton community composition showed few systematic differences between seasons, although literature suggests that seasonal differences are frequently lake-specific, species-specific, or occur at the level of functional group. Within the subset of lakes that had longer time series, winter influenced the subsequent summer for some nutrient variables and zooplankton biomass.
TL;DR: A review of the defining features of iron formations and their distribution through the Neo-archaean and Palaeoproterozoic is presented in this article, along with an update of previous reviews by Bekker et al. (2010, 2014).
TL;DR: A computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system for classifying thyroid nodules in ultrasound images using deep learning approach to extract features from thyroid ultrasound images and achieves excellent classification performance.
Abstract: With many thyroid nodules being incidentally detected, it is important to identify as many malignant nodules as possible while excluding those that are highly likely to be benign from fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsies or surgeries. This paper presents a computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system for classifying thyroid nodules in ultrasound images. We use deep learning approach to extract features from thyroid ultrasound images. Ultrasound images are pre-processed to calibrate their scale and remove the artifacts. A pre-trained GoogLeNet model is then fine-tuned using the pre-processed image samples which leads to superior feature extraction. The extracted features of the thyroid ultrasound images are sent to a Cost-sensitive Random Forest classifier to classify the images into “malignant” and “benign” cases. The experimental results show the proposed fine-tuned GoogLeNet model achieves excellent classification performance, attaining 98.29% classification accuracy, 99.10% sensitivity and 93.90% specificity for the images in an open access database (Pedraza et al. 16), while 96.34% classification accuracy, 86% sensitivity and 99% specificity for the images in our local health region database.
TL;DR: In this paper, a post-synthetic modification strategy is explored to selectively confine ammonium ferric citrate on the surface of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) nanoparticles.
01 Apr 2017
TL;DR: The proposed approach presents a path toward automated plant diseases diagnosis on a massive scale and integrates image processing and machine learning to allow diagnosing diseases from leaf images.
Abstract: Modern phenotyping and plant disease detection provide promising step towards food security and sustainable agriculture. In particular, imaging and computer vision based phenotyping offers the ability to study quantitative plant physiology. On the contrary, manual interpretation requires tremendous amount of work, expertise in plant diseases, and also requires excessive processing time. In this work, we present an approach that integrates image processing and machine learning to allow diagnosing diseases from leaf images. This automated method classifies diseases (or absence thereof) on potato plants from a publicly available plant image database called ‘Plant Village’. Our segmentation approach and utilization of support vector machine demonstrate disease classification over 300 images with an accuracy of 95%. Thus, the proposed approach presents a path toward automated plant diseases diagnosis on a massive scale.
University of Calgary1, McGill University Health Centre2, Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta3, University of British Columbia4, Montreal Children's Hospital5, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières6, Université de Montréal7, Laval University8, McMaster University9, University of Alberta10, University of Toronto11, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute12, Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont13, University of Western Ontario14, Memorial University of Newfoundland15, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health16, University of Ottawa17, McGill University18, University Health Network19, University of Saskatchewan20, University of Manitoba21, Concordia University Wisconsin22, St. Michael's Hospital23, Montreal General Hospital24, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada25, Dalhousie University26, Université de Sherbrooke27, Université du Québec à Montréal28, Montreal Heart Institute29, Population Health Research Institute30, Simon Fraser University31, St George's, University of London32, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine33, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario34
TL;DR: Hypertension Canada provides annually updated, evidence-based guidelines for the diagnosis, assessment, prevention, and treatment of hypertension, including 10 new guidelines for individuals with non-AOBP readings ≥ 140 mm Hg.
TL;DR: This document summarises an update to the European Respiratory Society (ERS)/American Thoracic Society (ATS) technical standards for single-breath carbon monoxide uptake in the lung that was last updated in 2005.
Abstract: This document summarises an update to the European Respiratory Society (ERS)/American Thoracic Society (ATS) technical standards for single-breath carbon monoxide uptake in the lung that was last updated in 2005. The full standards are also available online as https://doi.org/10.1183/13993003.00016-2016 The major changes in these technical standards relate to DLCO measurement with systems using rapidly responding gas analysers for carbon monoxide and the tracer gas, which are now the most common type of DLCO instrumentation being manufactured. Technical improvements and the increased capability afforded by these new systems permit enhanced measurement of DLCO and the opportunity to include other optional measures of lung function.
TL;DR: Overall, most guidelines target nonspecific LBP and recommend education, staying active/exercise, manual therapy, and paracetamol or NSAIDs as first‐line treatments.
TL;DR: Synthesis results reveal that two proposed multipliers achieve power savings of 72% and 38%, respectively, compared to an exact multiplier, and have better precision when compared to existing approximate multipliers.
Abstract: Approximate computing can decrease the design complexity with an increase in performance and power efficiency for error resilient applications. This brief deals with a new design approach for approximation of multipliers. The partial products of the multiplier are altered to introduce varying probability terms. Logic complexity of approximation is varied for the accumulation of altered partial products based on their probability. The proposed approximation is utilized in two variants of 16-bit multipliers. Synthesis results reveal that two proposed multipliers achieve power savings of 72% and 38%, respectively, compared to an exact multiplier. They have better precision when compared to existing approximate multipliers. Mean relative error figures are as low as 7.6% and 0.02% for the proposed approximate multipliers, which are better than the previous works. Performance of the proposed multipliers is evaluated with an image processing application, where one of the proposed models achieves the highest peak signal to noise ratio.
TL;DR: An open-source deep learning tool called Deep Plant Phenomics is introduced, which provides pre-trained neural networks for several common plant phenotyping tasks, as well as an easy platform that can be used by plant scientists to train models for their own Phenotyping applications.
Abstract: Plant phenomics has received increasing interest in recent years in an attempt to bridge the genotype-to-phenotype knowledge gap. There is a need for expanded high-throughput phenotyping capabilities to keep up with an increasing amount of data from high-dimensional imaging sensors and the desire to measure more complex phenotypic traits (Knecht et al., 2016). In this paper, we introduce an open-source deep learning tool called Deep Plant Phenomics. This tool provides pre-trained neural networks for several common plant phenotyping tasks, as well as an easy platform that can be used by plant scientists to train models for their own phenotyping applications. We report performance results on three plant phenotyping benchmarks from the literature, including state of the art performance on leaf counting, as well as the first published results for the mutant classification and age regression tasks for Arabidopsis thaliana.
TL;DR: The structured CDs generated were captured by quenching the high-pressure phase to ambient conditions, thus greatly increasing the choice of materials available for a variety of applications.
Abstract: Piezochromic materials, which show color changes resulting from mechanical grinding or external pressure, can be used as mechanosensors, indicators of mechano-history, security papers, optoelectronic devices, and data storage systems. A class of piezochromic materials with unprecedented two-photon absorptive and yellow emissive carbon dots (CDs) was developed for the first time. Applied pressure from 0–22.84 GPa caused a noticeable color change in the luminescence of yellow emissive CDs, shifting from yellow (557 nm) to blue-green (491 nm). Moreover, first-principles calculations support transformation of the sp2 domains into sp3-hybridized domains under high pressure. The structured CDs generated were captured by quenching the high-pressure phase to ambient conditions, thus greatly increasing the choice of materials available for a variety of applications.
TL;DR: This work reviews the experimental and theoretical progress in this field and reports on the discovery of two narrow charm-strange states and more excited heavy hadrons reported in 2003.
Abstract: Since the discovery of the first charmed meson in 1976, many open-charm and open-bottom hadrons were observed. In 2003 two narrow charm-strange states [Formula: see text] and D s1(2460) were discovered by the BaBar and CLEO Collaborations, respectively. After that, more excited heavy hadrons were reported. In this work, we review the experimental and theoretical progress in this field.
University of Toronto1, University of Saskatchewan2, University of Washington3, University of Groningen4, Lund University5, McMaster University6, Curtin University7, Semmelweis University8, Medisch Spectrum Twente9, Ghent University10, University of Vermont11, Johns Hopkins University12, University of Basel13, University of Amsterdam14
TL;DR: This international task force report updates general considerations for bronchial challenge testing and the performance of the methacholine challenge test to include notable changes from prior recommendations in order to accommodate newer delivery devices.
Abstract: This international task force report updates general considerations for bronchial challenge testing and the performance of the methacholine challenge test. There are notable changes from prior recommendations in order to accommodate newer delivery devices. Rather than basing the test result upon a methacholine concentration (provocative concentration (PC20) causing a 20% fall in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1)), the new recommendations base the result upon the delivered dose of methacholine causing a 20% fall in FEV1 (provocative dose (PD20)). This end-point allows comparable results from different devices or protocols, thus any suitable nebuliser or dosimeter may be used, so long as the delivery characteristics are known. Inhalation may be by tidal breathing using a breath-actuated or continuous nebuliser for 1 min (or more), or by a dosimeter with a suitable breath count. Tests requiring maximal inhalations to total lung capacity are not recommended because the bronchoprotective effect of a deep breath reduces the sensitivity of the test.
TL;DR: The International Society for Companion Animal Infectious Diseases convened a Working Group of clinical microbiologists, pharmacologists, and internists to share experiences, examine scientific data, review clinical trials, and develop these guidelines to assist veterinarians in making antimicrobial treatment choices.
Abstract: Respiratory tract disease can be associated with primary or secondary bacterial infections in dogs and cats and is a common reason for use and potential misuse, improper use, and overuse of antimicrobials. There is a lack of comprehensive treatment guidelines such as those that are available for human medicine. Accordingly, the International Society for Companion Animal Infectious Diseases convened a Working Group of clinical microbiologists, pharmacologists, and internists to share experiences, examine scientific data, review clinical trials, and develop these guidelines to assist veterinarians in making antimicrobial treatment choices for use in the management of bacterial respiratory diseases in dogs and cats.