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We consider misinformation propagating through a social network and study the problem of its prevention. The goal is to identify a set of |$k$| users that need to be convinced to adopt a limiting campaign so as to minimize the number of people that end up adopting the misinformation. This work presents Reverse Prevention Sampling (RPS), an algorithm that provides a scalable solution to the misinformation mitigation problem. Our theoretical analysis shows that RPS runs in |$O((k + l)(n + m)(\frac{1}{1 - \gamma }) \log n / \epsilon ^2)$| expected time and returns a |$(1 - 1/e - \epsilon)$| -approximate solution with at least |$1 - n^{-l}$| probability (where |$\gamma $| is a typically small network parameter and |$l$| is a confidence parameter). The time complexity of RPS substantially improves upon the previously best-known algorithms that run in time |$\Omega (m n k \cdot POLY(\epsilon ^{-1}))$|⁠. We experimentally evaluate RPS on large datasets and show that it outperforms the state-of-the-art solution by several orders of magnitude in terms of running time. This demonstrates that misinformation mitigation can be made practical while still offering strong theoretical guarantees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open in new tab Download slide OBJECTIVES The Commando technique for reconstruction of the aortomitral intervalvular fibrous body is effective to facilitate double valve surgery in cases of endocarditis or infiltrative calcification. The length of patch utilized in reconstruction of the intervalvular fibrous body has an important relationship to the geometry of the mitral valve (MV) and aortic valve (AV) and may impact on potential future valve-in-valve (VIV) therapy. Here we report anatomic measurements after Commando reconstruction in a small group of patients and analyse the impact of reconstruction techniques on transcatheter VIV therapies. METHODS Seven patients from January 2018 to April 2022 who underwent double valve surgery with the Commando technique with postoperative computed tomography (CT) scans were identified. Computed tomographic reconstruction of the AV and MV was performed using 3mensio software and virtual transcatheter valve replacement was performed. Two of these patients who had preoperative imaging was analysed to assess the change in aortomitral geometry resulting from reconstruction. RESULTS Measurements for each patient post-reconstruction are given in the table. Aortomitral length was grossly inversely proportional to aortomitral angle (AMA). AMA and aortomitral curtain (AMC) length were significantly altered post-Commando in 2 analysed patients with pre- and postoperative computed tomography scan. Transcatheter AV and MV replacements were feasible in all patients post-Commando. The AMA was larger and more favorable for mitral VIV in patients in which the AMC was short. CONCLUSIONS AMC length, as determined by location of AV annular sutures, may be an important consideration in surgical decision-making for VIV after the Commando procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macromolecular crowding is a feature of cellular and cell-free systems that, through depletion effects, can impact the interactions of semiflexible biopolymers with surfaces. In this work, we use computer simulations to study crowding-induced adsorption of semiflexible polymers on otherwise repulsive surfaces. Crowding particles are modeled explicitly, and we investigate the interplay between the bending stiffness of the polymer and the volume fraction and size of crowding particles. Adsorption to flat surfaces is promoted by stiffer polymers, smaller crowding particles, and larger volume fractions of crowders. We characterize transitions from non-adsorbed to partially and strongly adsorbed states as a function of bending stiffness. The crowding-induced transitions occur at smaller values of the bending stiffness as the volume fraction of crowders increases. Concomitant effects on the size and shape of the polymer are reflected by crowding- and stiffness-dependent changes to the radius of gyration. For various polymer lengths, we identify a critical crowding fraction for adsorption and analyze its scaling behavior in terms of polymer stiffness. We also consider crowding-induced adsorption in spherical confinement and identify a regime in which increasing the bending stiffness induces desorption. The results of our simulations shed light on the interplay of crowding and bending stiffness on the spatial organization of biopolymers in encapsulated cellular and cell-free systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bupropion toxicity can cause cardiogenic shock, ventricular dysrhythmias, and death. Clinical and electrocardiographic factors associated with adverse cardiovascular events in bupropion toxicity have not been well-studied. This study aimed to identify factors associated with adverse cardiovascular events in adult patients with isolated bupropion exposures. This retrospective cohort study queried the National Poison Data System from 2019 through 2020. We included patients 20 years or older with acute or acute-on-chronic single-agent bupropion exposures evaluated in a healthcare facility. Exclusion criteria were confirmed non-exposure, withdrawal as a reason for exposure, lack of follow-up, documentation that exposure was probably not responsible for the effects, and missing data. The primary outcome was adverse cardiovascular events, defined as the presence of any of the following: vasopressor use, ventricular dysrhythmia, myocardial injury, or cardiac arrest. Independent variables were age, the intentionality of exposure, seizures, tachycardia, QRS widening, and QTc prolongation. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to test for independent associations between independent variables and adverse cardiovascular events. Of 4,640 patients included in the final analysis (56.7% female, 56.5% suspected suicidal intent), 68 (1.47%) experienced an adverse cardiovascular event. Age (odds ratio 1.03; 95% confidence intervals 1.02–1.05), single seizure (odds ratio 9.18; 95% confidence intervals 4.24–19.9) and complicated seizures (odds ratio 38.9; 95% confidence intervals 19.3–78.1), QRS widening (odds ratio 3.01; 95% confidence intervals 1.62–5.59), and QTc prolongation (odds ratio 1.76; 95% confidence intervals 1.00–3.10) were independently associated with adverse cardiovascular events. No patients with unintentional exposure experienced adverse cardiovascular events, prohibiting intentionality from inclusion in the regression model. In the post hoc subgroup analysis of intentional exposures, age, single and complicated seizures, and QRS widening remained independently associated with adverse cardiovascular events. Increasing age, seizures, QRS widening, and QTc prolongation were associated with adverse cardiovascular events in bupropion exposures. Adverse cardiovascular events did not occur in unintentional exposures. Further research is needed to develop screening tools and treatments for bupropion cardiotoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How does the digitisation of the ocean reconfigure capitalist, colonial, and environmental relations? What analytic tools allow us to trace their intersecting dynamics? These are the central questions that we take up through an examination of smart oceans governance along the west coast of Canada, where the state is developing new institutional partnerships to manage the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure across unceded Indigenous lands and waters. In this context, laden with environmental risks and resurgent anti‐colonial politics, state actors are implicating smart oceans governance in efforts to harmonise capitalist growth with sustainability mandates and the 'recognition' of Indigenous self‐determination. Our analysis draws on environmental state theory, critical indigenous studies, and human geographies of the ocean, to analyse interviews, Access to Information requests, scientific studies, and policy reports. Our findings suggest that smart oceans governance poses novel risks to Indigenous peoples and their distinctive 'seascape epistemologies'. At the same time, we observe in this medium new limits to the state's ability to consolidate settler colonial authority and extend possessive colonial entitlements to Indigenous lands and waters. First Nations are also engaging with smart oceans governance in ways that assert 'Indigenous data sovereignty', help chart their own political and territorial ambitions, and carve out meaningful spaces of Indigenous marine stewardship. A comprehensive overview of the politics of smart oceans ‐ that is, ensembles of data intensive sensing tools and associated marine governance practices. The paper draws examples from the west coast of Canada where it finds new risks to First Nations governance but also moments where smart oceans governance is being leveraged by communities to support their political goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bupropion cardiotoxicity widens QRS complexes by inhibiting cardiac gap junctions. Sodium bicarbonate is the standard treatment for QRS widening from sodium channel blockade, but its effect on QRS widening in bupropion cardiotoxicity is not well-studied. This is a retrospective cohort study of bupropion overdoses from 10 hospitals between January 2010 and June 2022. Patients with documented administration of sodium bicarbonate and QRS duration > 100 milliseconds on pre-bicarbonate electrocardiogram were included. Patients with no electrocardiogram within four hours of treatment or with baseline pre-overdose wide QRS and < 10 milliseconds widening from baseline were excluded. The primary outcome was a change in QRS duration between the pre-bicarbonate electrocardiogram and the first electrocardiogram after initial bicarbonate administration. Secondary outcomes included prevalence of post-bicarbonate QRS < 100 milliseconds, change in electrocardiogram intervals after total bicarbonate administration, and change in metabolic parameters and hemodynamics. Wilcoxon signed-rank testing was performed on the primary outcome. Linear regression modeling was performed to test for an association between change in QRS and bicarbonate dosing. Thirteen patients were included for final analysis. The median age was 32 years, and 54% were male. Six patients developed seizures; one developed ventricular tachycardia, and four received vasopressors. The median QRS and QTc pre-bicarbonate were 116 and 495 milliseconds, respectively. The median change in QRS duration was −2.0 milliseconds, which was not statistically significant (P = 0.42). The median bicarbonate dose administered before the first post-bicarbonate electrocardiogram was 100 milliequivalents. We did not identify an association between QRS change and bicarbonate dosing (P = 0.9, R-squared = 0.001). No patient had a QRS duration < 100 milliseconds after the initial bicarbonate dose. There was minimal change in QTc, electrolytes, heart rate, or blood pressure; alkalemia post-bicarbonate was achieved in eight patients. Sodium bicarbonate did not significantly decrease QRS duration in this small retrospective cohort of bupropion overdoses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper traces the trajectory of scholarship on the settler colonial city and argues that this literature could pay closer attention to the dynamic circulations, movements, and mobilities that constitute and sustain urban space. It foregrounds the ways that the movement of commodities, capital, and people must be assiduously managed in order to preserve settler colonial relations in the city and beyond. Building on existing work, it argues that "settler colonial urbanism" operates as a regime of spatial management which is connected to other sites of racial capitalist extraction and accumulation across global space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports work to further develop a process to chlorinate uranium oxide and cause it to dissolve in a molten salt. The method was first reported by Japanese researchers and involves reaction with ZrCl4 and Zr. The challenge with this approach is achieving a high concentration of ZrCl4 in the molten salt due to its high volatility at the required operating temperature (500 °C). Two methods for introducing ZrCl4 into the molten salt were explored in this study and found to be effective to cause formation of UCl3. The first method consisted of in-situ reaction of NiCl2 with zirconium metal in LiCl–KCl eutectic salt. Up to 0.337 wt% zirconium was dissolved in the salt with this method, and 0.386 wt% uranium was measured in the salt after 12 h. After these experiments, particles were cross-sectioned particles and revealed a skeletal ZrO2 product layer formed around an unreacted UO2 core. The second method was based on sublimating ZrCl4 in flowing argon. Using this method, up to 2.56 wt% zirconium was achieved in the salt, and 0.652 wt% uranium was measured in the salt after 2 h. Cyclic voltammetry and open circuit potential electrochemical measurements both confirmed that primarily UCl3 was formed in the salt mixture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Warfarin induces coagulopathy. Guidelines protocolize reversal of supratherapeutic international normalized ratio (INR) in patients dependent on anticoagulation, but practices vary for reversing warfarin-induced coagulopathy after overdose in non-warfarin-dependent patients. Case Report: This is the report of a 15-year-old female who ingested her father's warfarin (100–200 mg) in a self-harm attempt. At hour 24 post-ingestion, her INR was 2.00 and she was admitted for monitoring. Reversal of coagulopathy was initially deferred pending the INR trend. The INR was 5.10 at hour 60 and 2.5 mg oral vitamin K1 (VK1) was given. At hour 85, the INR peaked at 6.67 and she received a second oral dose of 2.5 mg VK1. On day 8, she was medically cleared with an INR of 1.31. On day 11, she developed lower abdominal pain and diarrhea. Imaging revealed a duodenal hematoma, and symptoms improved spontaneously. She was again medically cleared 13 days post-ingestion. Her serum warfarin concentration peaked at 19 mcg/mL at hour 46. Serial warfarin concentrations were obtained, demonstrating first-order elimination kinetics and a 30-hour half-life. Conclusion: A restrictive approach to coagulopathy reversal in non-warfarin-dependent patients with intentional warfarin overdose may result in worsening coagulopathy, bleeding, and lengthy hospital stay. Given the risk for significant, prolonged coagulopathy, these patients should be treated early with VK1, with subsequent serial INR monitoring and probable additional VK1 dosing. Delayed peak warfarin concentrations support consideration of gastrointestinal decontamination in late presenters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The available taxonomic literature on the Argentinian species of Johnstonella is far from reflecting the phylogenetic relationships of the lineage as they are known today. For this reason, an updated taxonomic treatment of the genus in Argentina is reported in this contribution. As a result, a complete synonymy is provided for the accepted species, as well as morphological descriptions, geographical distribution maps, an identification key, uses, illustrations, photographs, and estimates of their conservation status. Additionally, lectotypes are designated for the names Cryptantha capituliflora var. compacta, Cryptantha hossei, Cryptantha modesta, Eritrichium falcatum, and Myosotis albida, as well as a secondstep lectotype for Eritrichium axillare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an earlier molecular phylogenetic study, a sample of what was originally identified as Cryptantha hispida (Boraginaceae) from Chile, grouped with species of the genus Johnstonella. This sample was subsequently shown not to be C. hispida, but an undescribed species, endemic to the dry Puna of Chile. This new species is described here as Johnstonella punensis, along with a key to all South American species of the genus. Johnstonella punensis resembles other members of that genus in having an ovate fruit shape, ovate nutlets and a long style that extends beyond the nutlets. It is unusual in the genus in having a non-tuberculate, dimpled to rugulose nutlet surface sculpturing. Its closest relative within the genus is likely the South American J. diplotricha. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conclusion Opioid-related complications occurred at low frequencies among youth receiving prescription opioids. Prescription opioids (37.9%) were the most common psychoactive substance involved in pediatric overdose deaths followed by methadone (21.9%) and synthetic opioids (11.4%). Keywords: Pediatric; Marijuana; Opioid; Overdose; Cough-and-cold medications EN Pediatric Marijuana Opioid Overdose Cough-and-cold medications 168 171 4 03/24/22 20220401 NES 220401 Article #1 Johnson JK, Johnson RM, Hodgkin D, et al.: Medical marijuana laws (MMLs) and dispensary provisions not associated with higher odds of adolescent marijuana or heavy marijuana use: a 46-state analysis, 1991-2015. Three binary MML predictor variables were determined: MML enactment during the survey year, whether a state permitted dispensaries and the presence of operational dispensaries in the survey year. [Extracted from the article]

A translucent Al-containing garnet type electrolyte (Al-LLZTO) with high lithium-ion conductivity was made by pressure filtration followed by sintering to study in-situ lithium dendrite growth. A transparent tube furnace was built for in-situ dendrite growth studies above room temperature. In-situ lithium dendrite growth in a garnet-type electrolyte under an applied DC voltage was investigated at three different temperatures (room temperature, 100 °C, and 200 °C (above the melting point of lithium)). Critical current density (CCD) was estimated based on a previous model developed for sodium dendrites (which are actually filaments) in Na-β"-alumina. The CCD defined here is different than most of the reported work in lithium and lithium-ion batteries. When the temperature is higher than room temperature but lower than the melting point of lithium, lithium dendrites grow rapidly. However, when the temperature is above the melting point of lithium, no lithium dendrites were observed under similar testing conditions. This is because the CCD for liquid lithium dendrites to form is much higher than that for solid lithium dendrites to form. Approximate estimates of the CCD below and above the melting point of lithium are also given. This investigation provides significant insights into dendrite (filament) growth above room temperature, and possible prevention of lithium dendrites in working solid-state lithium-ion batteries, and the efficiency improvement of solid-state batteries. • Growth of lithium dendrites has been observed optically in-situ in opaque discs of Al-containing garnet type electrolyte (Al-LLZTO). • The mechanism of lithium dendrite growth in solid-state electrolyte has been throughly discussed. • The observed effect of temperature gives insight on how to avoid metal dendrite formation in solid ion conductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To use optical modeling to compare a 6.0 mm and 7.0 mm intraocular lens (IOL) optic diameters on peripheral retinal illumination with implications for negative dysphotopsia. Setting: Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, and Simpson Optics LLC, Arlington, Texas. Design: Model eye. Methods: Ray-tracing software was used to simulate retinal illumination from an extended light source for a pseudophakic eye with in-the-bag biconvex IOLs (refractive index [n] = 1.46 and 1.55) and a 2.5 mm pupil. Ray-tracing diagrams and simulated retina illumination profiles were compared using the 6.0 mm and 7.0 mm optic diameter IOLs. Retinal locations were scaled to relative visual angles from 70 to 110 degrees horizontally. Results: A 7.0 mm optic (n = 1.46) expands the image field by 2.8 degrees compared with a 6.0 mm optic. High-angle input light misses a 7.0 mmoptic at a larger visual angle than a 6.0 mm optic, shifting illumination of the peripheral retina by this light anteriorly by 5.6 degrees. Consequently, a region of nonilluminated peripheral nasal retina is enlarged and shifted peripherally using a 7.0 mm optic (visual angle, 86.3 to 96.3 degrees) compared with a 6.0 mm optic (visual angle, 83.5 to 90.7 degrees). Similar illumination changes were seen modeling a 1.55 n IOL. Conclusions: A narrow dark region in the nasal retina when using a 6.0 mm optic is changed to a broader, more peripheral dark region when using a 7.0 mm optic. An extended, more peripheral dark nasal region may make a temporal shadow less bothersome and explain lower negative dysphotopsia rates using a 7.0 mm optic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

And, as much as this collection of essays offers a window into the intellectual trajectory of Cole Harris as a scholar, it also offers insights into how thinking about what we would today call "settler colonialism" has changed and developed over the past decades. Yet, while it makes sense retrospectively to read settler colonialism as a key analytical thread which binds this diverse work together, most of these essays were written long before the language of settler colonialism enjoyed the currency in academic parlance that it does today. Perhaps I am expecting too much, given that Harris's studies of Indigenous dispossession and settler space-making predate not only these debates but indeed the field of "settler colonial studies" itself. [Extracted from the article]

Background and purpose: Parkinson's disease (PD) reduces independence and quality of life through deterioration of upper limb motor function. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may offer an alternative, adjunctive therapy for PD. However, the efficacy of tDCS for upper limb motor rehabilitation in PD is unknown. In this systematic review, evidence is compiled regarding the effects of tDCS on upper limb motor function in PD. Methods: Studies of tDCS applied to PD patients that assessed upper limb motor function, conducted between January 2000 and November 2018, were screened for inclusion via a systematic search of Medline, Cochrane, PsycINFO, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Web of Science. Results: Ten out of 606 studies were included and their findings synthesized into five categories regarding the effects of tDCS on: (1) Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale motor section (UPDRS III), (2) upper limb motor tasks, (3) manual dexterity, (4) reaction time, and (5) neurophysiology. Conclusions: When applied to the primary motor cortex, tDCS may improve UPDRS III and the speed and force of movement. Considerable variation was found in tDCS parameters and further study is needed to clarify the long-term effects of tDCS on both simple and complex motor tasks and to compile relevant neurophysiological evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To report normative angle alpha orientation and magnitude distribution in a cataract surgery patient population. Setting: U.S. academic medical center. Design: Retrospective review. Methods: A total of 11 871 wavefront aberrometer/corneal topographer angle alpha measurements were performed over 40 months, yielding 8773 bilateral measurements (73.9%) with zero bad wavefront datapoints. The analysis was limited to the first right-eye scan for 3382 unique patients. The angle alpha magnitudes (millimeters) and orientations (degrees) were analyzed for these unique right eyes. Results: For the 3,382 unique patients, the mean angle alpha magnitude was 0.44 +/- 0.15 mm (median, 0.44 mm; 25th and 75th percentiles 0.34 mm, 0.53 mm). Angle alpha orientation was predominantly horizontal (P <.01), with a mean of 186 +/- 32 degrees. The expected point of intraocular lens (IOL) centration (EPIC) based on the geometric center of the corneal limbus was temporal to the visual axis in 3212 eyes (95%), nasal in 92 eyes (2.7%), inferior in 56 eyes (1.7%), and superior in 22 eyes (0.6%). The mean angle alpha magnitude was 0.3 mm or less in 607 eyes (18%) and 0.5 mm or greater in 1089 eyes (32%). Conclusions: Angle alpha is a predominantly horizontal phenomenon with a mean EPIC of 0.44 mm temporal to the visual axis. This information may assist in determining eligibility for patients in multifocal IOL implantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate negative dysphotopsia in the far periphery of the pseudophakic eye by generating simulated images of text charts. Setting: Consultancy. Design: Laboratory study. Methods: Simulated images of a peripheral text chart were created using a ray-trace model of a pseudophakic eye. The point spread function varies strongly with a radial location. Retinal angles subtended at the second nodal point were used to linearly scale retinal locations to a polar plot in object space, weighting rays by the object luminance, the total transmittance, and a cosine normalization for pupil effects. Improved scaling using a phakic 70-year-old eye was also explored. Results: Images demonstrate a distinct shadow with a 2.5 mm pupil between the upper limit of the text image formed by the intraocular lens (IOL) and a second larger image due to light missing the IOL. The shadow is rapidly softened by a small increase in pupil diameter. Conclusions: The images verified characteristics that previously were only inferred indirectly: (1) With a 2.5 mm pupil, there is a prominent dark shadow. (2) Light missing the IOL experiences lower power and forms a larger image and also comes from a lower visual angle. (3) A small increase in pupil diameter causes the shadow to fade. The calculations showed that imaging in the far periphery is very different for the pseudophakic eye in comparison with the phakic eye. The limit of the focused image is probably the primary cause of the shadow, yet relatively few patients find this to be bothersome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on the Anthropocene has emerged fast and furiously across academic disciplines in recent years. While some have suggested that this concept signifies a rupture with the philosophical foundations of Western modernity, this paper stresses the continuities between the Anthropocene and its antecedents. I trace the development of the concept from the late 18th century through to the mid-20th century, identifying several colonial and Eurocentric features of these earlier accounts of the Anthropocene. I then proceed to question whether contemporary debates about the Anthropocene and its periodization evoke similar problematic narratives about progress, modernity, and civilization. In the closing section of this article, I discuss whether or not the Anthropocene can be salvaged as an analytical category without reproducing these colonial logics. Here, I conclude that regardless of whether the term is discarded or redeemed, critical scholars can help to problematize and destabilize the concept's investment in the dominant onto-epistemological categories of Western modernity, thereby opening up possibilities for the plurality of ways of thinking and knowing to shape this conversation about the social and ecological predicaments of the colonial present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Use optical modeling to evaluate the effect of the intraocular lens (IOL) optic–haptic junction on retinal illumination and negative dysphotopsia. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA. Schematic model eye. Ray-tracing software for an extended light source was used to simulate retina illumination in a pseudophakic eye with a biconvex high-index acrylic IOL and a 2.5 mm pupil. The haptic junction was modeled using an annular cone of haptic material of 0.75 mm width located between the optic and haptic. Ray-tracing diagrams and simulated retina illumination profiles were compared with and without the haptic junction. Retinal locations were scaled to visual angles from 70 to 110 degrees horizontally. Light incident on the peripheral optic creates a nonuniform retina illumination pattern consisting of a 5-degree band of nonilluminated retina bounded posteriorly by light refracted by the optic and anteriorly by light that missed the optic. Light incident on the haptic junction illuminates retina differently in that light that typically misses the optic (input angle 79 to 91 degrees) is instead refracted at a large angle or internally reflected by the haptic junction, which removes the illuminated peripheral retina that would otherwise delineate the shadow region. Further modification to the haptic junction region improved peripheral retina illumination and shifted the shadow region 10 degrees anteriorly. The haptic junction illuminated the peripheral retina differently than the peripheral optic, and this might explain why a horizontal haptic junction minimizes negative dysphotopsia. A modification to the optic–haptic junction redirected illumination and shifted the retina shadow anteriorly, possibly decreasing awareness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore whether the endangered White's seahorse Hippocampus whitei would choose to inhabit artificial over natural habitats, 10 adult H. whitei individuals were put through a series of binary choice trials in aquaria, during which they were offered different paired combinations of natural (different types of macroalga and seagrass) and artificial habitat (panels of swimming‐net material). It was found that H. whitei displayed a significant choice for swimming‐net material over all other available natural habitats and chose habitats according to the following rankings: (a) Net; (b) Sargassum sp.; (c) Posidonia australis; (d) Zostera muelleri. Hippocampus whitei's choice of swimming net material over natural habitat suggests that these artificial structures could be a useful conservation measure for seahorses in areas where natural habitat is becoming less favourable due to declines in abundance or quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To use ray-tracing analysis and simulated retinal illumination profiles to design an intraocular lens (IOL) that prevents or reduces negative dysphotopsia after cataract surgery. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, and Simpson Optics LLC, Arlington, Texas, USA. Experimental study. Ray-tracing software was used to simulate peripheral retina illumination from an extended light source for a pseudophakic eye with a biconvex high refractive index IOL. Ray intensities were adjusted to include the effects of the surface reflections and the energy reduction caused by pupil obliquity at high incident angles. The results were compared with similar optical modeling of a modified IOL design with a concave region on the peripheral posterior surface. For a standard biconvex high refractive index IOL, simulated retina illumination profiles showed an area of nonilluminated peripheral nasal retina at a relative visual angle of approximately 85 degrees to 93 degrees. Using a modified IOL optic with a peripheral concave posterior surface, ray-tracing diagrams showed that peripheral input rays were redirected anteriorly into the nonilluminated dark area of the peripheral retina. Simulated retina illumination images confirmed that the redirected input rays improved illumination to the peripheral retina, including the dark area. Optical modeling showed that the new IOL design provides more uniform illumination of the peripheral nasal retina and specifically illuminates the dark region of the nasal retina associated with negative dysphotopsia. This modified IOL design could prevent or reduce negative dysphotopsia after cataract surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose To use optical modeling to demonstrate how a sulcus-fixated piggyback intraocular lens (IOL) affects negative dysphotopsia. Setting Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA. Design Retrospective case series. Methods Optical modeling was performed on 3 patients with negative dysphotopsia who were treated with a sulcus-fixated piggyback IOL. Ray-tracing software was used to simulate peripheral retina illumination preoperatively and postoperatively. Biometric data and ultrasound biomicroscopy images were used to construct eye models. Ray intensities were adjusted for surface reflections and normalized by cosine function to compensate for pupil obliquity at high incident angles. Results Preoperatively, retinal illumination profiles showed a region of dim or nonilluminated peripheral nasal retina at visual angles of approximately 83 to 95 degrees. A piggyback IOL shifted the iris anteriorly (mean 0.41 mm; range 0.37 to 0.47 mm) and the primary IOL posteriorly (mean 0.10 mm; range 0.05 to 0.19 mm) and increased the mean distance between the iris and primary IOL from 0.46 mm preoperatively to 0.75 mm postoperatively. This increased distance allowed input rays to begin missing the primary IOL at lower incident angles (≥76 degrees) compared with preoperatively (≥84 degrees), resulting in increased illumination of the peripheral retina. Illumination of the peripheral retina, including the preoperative dark area, was increased in 2 patients. The negative dysphotopsia shadow resolved in 2 eyes and was unchanged in 1 eye. Conclusions In negative dysphotopsia patients, a secondary piggyback IOL allowed additional light to miss the primary IOL and illuminate larger areas of peripheral retina. Increased illumination of the peripheral retina that included the preoperative dark region was associated with improved negative dysphotopsia postoperatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prevailing approaches to resolving the climate crisis further entrench and extend the same institutions of racial capitalism and colonial domination which have precipitated this crisis. The need to build transformative movements to fight for climate justice is dire. Yet, transformative movements are inevitably structured by many of the same dynamics they oppose. This presents a risk that such movements may reproduce colonial or otherwise unjust relations in the worlds they seek to bring about. We point to four areas of tension where we see this dilemma playing out within efforts to build decolonial climate justice movements, and briefly discuss some questions that arise for scholars committed to this work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose To evaluate how the iris obstructs rays at large visual angles. Setting Simpson Optics, Arlington, Texas, USA, and Spektrum Eye Clinic, Wroclaw, Poland. Design Retrospective case study. Methods Anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) (Visante) images were exported for normal, short, and long eyes and eyes with negative dysphotopsia. Iris characteristics were manually identified, including the maximum iris thickness and its distance from the pupil, and the gap between the iris and intraocular lens (IOL). Ray-tracing software was used for optical modeling. Results The study comprised AS-OCT images of 63 eyes (21 normal eyes, 20 short eyes, and 19 long eyes, as well as 3 eyes with negative dysphotopsia). Preoperative and postoperative iris dimensions were similar, with a mean maximum thickness of 0.47 mm ± 0.08 (SD) at 0.94 ± 0.19 mm radially from the pupillary margin. The mean pupillary plane distance from the corneal epithelium moved from 3.23 ± 0.50 mm preoperatively to 3.99 ± 0.26 mm postoperatively, and the mean gap between the posterior iris and the IOL was 0.50 ± 0.24 mm, with a systematic increase with axial length for both parameters. The anterior iris surface obstructed light at very large angles and contributed to the limiting visual angle for rays focused by the IOL (although light from lower angles also bypassed the IOL). Models for the eyes with negative dysphotopsia had dark retinal regions between the focused image and peripheral light for small pupils. Conclusions Rays at very large angles can be obstructed by the anterior iris surface, which can be modeled to have a triangular profile near the pupillary margin. This limits the visual field for light focused by the IOL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article contributes to the decolonization of urban political ecology (UPE) by centering the ongoing processes of colonization and its resistances that produce urban natures in settler colonial cities. Placing the UPE literature in conversation with scholarship on settler colonialism and Indigenous resurgence, we demonstrate how the ecology of the settler colonial city is marked by the imposition of a colonial socionatural order on existing Indigenous socionatural systems. Examining the case of Lekwungen territory, commonly known as Victoria, British Columbia, we consider how parks, property lines, and settler agriculture are inscribed on a dynamic food system maintained by the Lekwungen over millennia. The erasure of the Lekwungen socioecological system, however, has never been complete. Efforts of the Lekwungen and their allies to continue managing these lands as part of an Indigenous food system have resulted in conflict with volunteer conservationists and parks officials who assert their own jurisdictional authority over the space. Drawing on interviews and participant observation research, we argue that the seemingly quotidian and everyday acts of tending to urban greenspace by these groups are actually of central importance to struggles over the reproduction of UPEs in the settler colonial city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the thermodynamic activity of two lanthanide chlorides (CeCl 3 and NdCl 3 ) in molten LiCl-KCl eutectic salt measured using open circuit potentiometry has been reported. Activity coefficient of CeCl 3 was found to be strongly dependent on the concentration of CeCl 3 in a concentration window of up to 4.66 mol % CeCl 3 . The activity coefficient of NdCl 3 could not be measured due to the uncertainty in NdCl 3/ NdCl 2 molar ratio in the salt, however the thermodynamic activity was measured relative to a 5 mol% Ag∣AgCl reference electrode. The concurrent analysis of data presented in this paper along with previously published activity data for LaCl 3 and GdCl 3 demonstrates that the departure from ideal solution behavior shown by the rare earths chlorides correlates with ionic size of underlying rare earth element. The smaller the ionic size of the species under consideration, the greater its departure from ideal solution behavior. Further, using the activity data of all four rare earth chlorides, an ionic size dependent correlation was developed. Using this empirical correlation, it is possible to calculate the activity of all species from La(Z = 57) to Gd (Z = 64) for a concentration of up to 2.5 mol% rare earth chloride in LiCl-KCl molten salt at 773 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cryptantha, an herbaceous plant genus of the Boraginaceae, subtribe Amsinckiinae, has an American amphitropical disjunct distribution, found in western North America and western South America, butnot in the intervening tropics. In a previous study, Cryptantha was found to be polyphyletic and was split into five genera, including a weakly supported, potentially non-monophyletic Cryptantha s. s. In this and subsequent studies of the Amsinckiinae, interrelationships within Cryptantha were generally not strongly supported and sample size was generally low. Here we analyze a greatly increased sampling of Cryptantha taxa using high-throughput, genome skimming data, in which we obtained the complete ribosomal cistron, the nearly complete chloroplast genome, and twenty-three mitochondrial genes. Our analyses have allowed for inference of clades within this complex with strong support. The occurrence of a non-monophyletic Cryptantha is confirmed, with three major clades obtained, termed here the Johnstonella/Albidae clade, the Maritimae clade, and a large Cryptantha core clade, each strongly supported as monophyletic. From these phylogenomic analyses, we assess the classification, character evolution, and phylogeographic history that elucidates the current amphitropical distribution of the group. Revealing the timing, direction, and number of times of dispersal between North and South America gives insight as to the origin of the great biodiversity of these regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During normal operations, the only deposition on a spent nuclear fuel electrorefiner cathode consists of uranium. A computer model, ERAD, was used to simulate conditions under which the electrorefiner salt was progressively contaminated from spent nuclear fuel processing without operator intervention. The model was adjusted to reflect three scenarios: one in which salt removed with every cathode deposit was returned but the UCl 3 concentration was never adjusted, one in which the salt was not removed and UCl 3 concentration was never adjusted, and one in which the Pu/U ratio in the salt was allowed to reach a value of one before starting the first scenario. Under the base conditions simulated, uranium initially deposits alone but eventually plutonium begins to co-deposit along with uranium. Up to 350 g of plutonium was calculated to deposit along with 8.3–9.5 kg of uranium. While precise tracking of changes in the salt composition may not be possible, the model was able to identify markers for plutonium deposition by tracking changes in electrode potential. This type of marker should ultimately provide inspectors with more options for situations when they have limited access to electrorefiner data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Historical patterns and processes of plants with an American amphitropical disjunct (AAD) distribution have long interested botanists and biogeographers. Here we update examples of AAD vascular plants, their biogeographic history, and aspects of their biology elucidated by recent studies to make inferences about common patterns of AAD plants and formulate future research questions. METHODS: All known examples of AAD vascular plants were tabulated, along with data on plant duration and habit, chromosome number, dispersal direction, and divergence time. The data were then compared with regard to taxonomic categories, AAD bioregions, and character evolution. KEY RESULTS: We clarify the definition of amphitropical and summarize features of AAD plants. We identify 237 AAD plant divergence events. Timing of these events generally corresponds with taxonomic category. Plant duration and habit are associated with AAD bioregions. Increases in chromosome number mostly occurred in members of the recipient area. The AAD plants of bipolar or temperate bioregions entirely or largely dispersed from North to South America, whereas almost half of desert plants dispersed from South to North America. CONCLUSIONS: Tabulating AAD plants by taxonomic group and bioregion yields insight into character evolution and processes of divergence. Phylogenetic studies provide information on the timing and direction of dispersal. However, more research on AAD plants is needed to draw inferences regarding general patterns and processes, especially those at the clade level. Our AAD Working Group website provides current information on AAD vascular plants to aid workers doing research in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The region of far peripheral vision, beyond 60 degrees of visual angle, is important to the evaluation of peripheral dark shadows (negative dysphotopsia) seen by some intraocular lens (IOL) patients. Theoretical calculations show that the limited diameter of an IOL affects ray paths at large angles, leading to a dimming of the main image for small pupils, and to peripheral illumination by light bypassing the IOL for larger pupils. These effects are rarely bothersome, and cataract surgery is highly successful, but there is a need to improve the characterization of far peripheral vision, for both pseudophakic and phakic eyes. Perimetry is the main quantitative test, but the purpose is to evaluate pathologies rather than characterize vision (and object and image regions are no longer uniquely related in the pseudophakic eye). The maximum visual angle is approximately 1050, but there is limited information about variations with age, race, or refractive error (in case there is an unexpected link with the development of myopia), or about how clear cornea, iris location, and the limiting retina are related. Also, the detection of peripheral motion is widely recognized to be important, yet rarely evaluated. Overall, people rarely complain specifically about this visual region, but with "normal" vision including an IOL for >5% of people, and increasing interest in virtual reality and augmented reality, there are new reasons to characterize peripheral vision more completely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we apply an advanced safeguards approach and associated methods for process monitoring to a hypothetical nuclear material processing system. The assessment regarding the state of the processing facility is conducted at a system-centric level formulated in a hybrid framework. This utilizes architecture for integrating both time- and event-driven data and analysis for decision making. While the time-driven layers of the proposed architecture encompass more traditional process monitoring methods based on time series data and analysis, the event-driven layers encompass operation monitoring methods based on discrete event data and analysis. By integrating process- and operation-related information and methodologies within a unified framework, the task of anomaly detection is greatly improved. This is because decision-making can benefit from not only known time-series relationships among measured signals but also from known event sequence relationships among generated events. This available knowledge at both time series and discrete event layers can then be effectively used to synthesize observation solutions that optimally balance sensor and data processing requirements. The application of the proposed approach is then implemented on an illustrative monitored system based on pyroprocessing and results are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of the rotating cylinder electrode (RCE) to molten LiCl-KCl eutectic mixtures for electroanalytical measurements is presented. This enabled the measurement of the limiting current which was observed to follow a linear trend with the rotational rate raised to 0.64–0.65 power on average, which closely agrees with existing RCE mass-transfer correlations. This is the first publication of electroanalytical RCE measurements in LiCl-KCl eutectic based molten salt mixtures, to our knowledge. These measurements were made in mixtures of molten LiCl-KCl eutectic containing UCl 3 and MgCl 2 . Kinetic parameters were calculated for Mg 2+ in LiCl-KCl eutectic. The exchange current density ( i o ) of Mg 2+ deposition varied with mole fraction ( x ) according to i o (A cm −2 ) = 1.64 x 0.689 . The parameters from RCE measurements were also applied in an electrochemical co-deposition model entitled DREP to detect and predict the deposition rate of U and Mg. DREP succeeded in detecting the co-deposition of U and Mg, even when Mg constituted less than 0.5 wt% of the deposit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premise of research. Haemodoraceae are a relatively small monocot family consisting of 14 genera and approximately 108 species and are distributed in parts of Australia, southern Africa, South and Central America, and eastern North America. The family is divided into two subfamilies, Haemodoroideae and Conostylidoideae. This research focuses on the vegetative anatomy of the family, with an emphasis on leaf anatomical features. The aims of this project are (1) to acquire new vegetative anatomical data for a large selection of Haemodoraceae and (2) to evaluate these data in the context of both phylogenetic relationships and environmental factors. Methodology. Cross sections of roots, stems (scapes), or leaves of 60 species and 63 ranked taxa from all 14 genera of the family were prepared and stained using standard histological methods, and SEMs were made of the leaf surface. Line drawings were prepared of leaf cross sections of an exemplar of each genus. Tissues and cells were examined and photographed, and comparisons were made among taxa. For leaf epidermal cells, the ratio of cell wall transectional area:cell transectional area was calculated and plotted. Several discrete anatomical characters and character states were defined and plotted on a recently derived cladogram and examined for phylogenetic signal. Correlation of certain anatomical features with environmental factors was also noted. Pivotal results. Leaf anatomy provides several phylogenetically informative traits, including bulliform cells, tannin cells, marginal fiber caps, the relative wall transectional area of epidermal cells, the morphology of palisade cells, the distribution of fibers in the vascular bundle, leaf aerenchyma, mucilage cells, and silica bodies. These features generally correlate significantly with the pattern of phylogenetic relationships in the family. Silica cells, tannin cells, and mucilage cells, all of which may function to deter herbivory, are generally restricted to particular clades. The relative epidermal wall thickness of members of the genus Conostylis is significantly higher than in other members of the family, a feature that may represent an adaptation to their hot, dry environments. Conclusions. The systematic and ecological value of studying plant vegetative anatomy is supported by this study. Vegetative anatomical features of the Haemodoraceae show considerable and significant variation. Numerous anatomical features exhibit a high phylogenetic signal and are apomorphic for specific clades. Some anatomical features are possible adaptations to habitat, climate, or herbivory. However, quantifiable ecological data are needed in future studies for assessing the adaptive significance of these anatomical features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose To determine the cause of negative dysphotopsia using standard ray-tracing techniques and identify the primary and secondary causative factors. Setting Department of Ophthalmology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA. Design Experimental study. Methods Zemax ray-tracing software was used to evaluate pseudophakic and phakic eye models to show the location of retinal field images from various visual field objects. Phakic retinal field angles (RFAs) were used as a reference for the perceived field locations for retinal images in pseudophakic eyes. Results In a nominal acrylic pseudophakic eye model with a 2.5 mm diameter pupil, the maximum RFA from rays refracted by the intraocular lens (IOL) was 85.7 degrees and the minimum RFA for rays missing the optic of the IOL was 88.3 degrees, leaving a dark gap (shadow) of 2.6 degrees in the extreme temporal field. The width of the shadow was more prominent for a smaller pupil, a larger angle kappa, an equi-biconvex or plano-convex IOL shape, and a smaller axial distance from iris to IOL and with the anterior capsule overlying the nasal IOL. Secondary factors included IOL edge design, material, diameter, decentration, tilt, and aspheric surfaces. Conclusions Standard ray-tracing techniques showed that a shadow is present when there is a gap between the retinal images formed by rays missing the optic of the IOL and rays refracted by the IOL. Primary and secondary factors independently affected the width and location of the gap (or overlap). The ray tracing also showed a constriction and double retinal imaging in the extreme temporal visual field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermodynamic behavior of lanthanides in molten salt systems is of significant scientific interest for the spent fuel reprocessing of Generation IV reactors. In this study, the apparent standard reduction potential (apparent potential) and activity coefficient of LaCl 3 were determined in a molten salt solution of eutectic LiCl-KCl as a function of concentration of LaCl 3 . The effect of adding up to 1.40 mol % CsCl was also investigated. These properties were determined by measuring the open circuit potential of the La—La(III) redox couple in a high temperature molten salt electrochemical cell. Both the apparent potential and activity coefficient exhibited a strong dependence on concentration. A low concentration (0.69 mol %) of CsCl had no significant effect on the measured properties, while a higher concentration (1.40 mol %) of CsCl caused an increase (become more positive) in the apparent potential and activity coefficient at the higher range of LaCl 3 concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we study the problem of clearing contamination spreading through a large network where we model the problem as a graph searching game. The problem can be summarized as constructing a search strategy that will leave the graph clear of any contamination at the end of the searching process in as few steps as possible. We show that this problem is NP-hard even on directed acyclic graphs and provide an efficient approximation algorithm. We experimentally observe the performance of our approximation algorithm in relation to the lower bound on several large online networks including Slashdot, Epinions, and Twitter. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Losses from natural hazards, including geophysical and hydrometeorological hazards, have been increasing worldwide. This review focuses on the process by which scientific evidence about natural hazards is applied to support decision making. Decision analysis typically involves estimating the probability of extreme events; assessing the potential impacts of those events from a variety of perspectives; and evaluating options to plan for, mitigate, or react to events. We consider issues that affect decisions made across a range of natural hazards, summarize decision methodologies, and provide examples of applications of decision analysis to the management of natural hazards. We conclude that there is potential for further exchange of ideas and experience between natural hazard research communities on decision analysis approaches. Broader application of decision methodologies to natural hazard management and evaluation of existing decision approaches can potentially lead to more efficient allocation of scarce resources and more efficient risk management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An unresolved goal in face perception is to identify brain areas involved in face processing and simultaneously understand the timing of their involvement. Currently, high spatial resolution imaging techniques identify the fusiform gyrus as subserving processing of invariant face features relating to identity. High temporal resolution imaging techniques localize an early latency evoked component-the N/M170-as having a major generator in the fusiform region; however, this evoked component is not believed to be associated with the processing of identity. To resolve this, we used novel magnetoencephalographic beamformer analyses to localize cortical regions in humans spatially with trial-by-trial activity that differentiated faces and objects and to interrogate their functional sensitivity by analyzing the effects of stimulus repetition. This demonstrated a temporal sequence of processing that provides category-level and then item-level invariance. The right fusiform gyrus showed adaptation to faces (not objects) at∼150 ms after stimulus onset regardless of face identity; however, at the later latency of∼200 -300 ms, this area showed greater adaptation to repeated identity faces than to novel identities. This is consistent with an involvement of the fusiform region in both early and midlatency face-processing operations, with only the latter showing sensitivity to invariant face features relating to identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At local scales, habitat availability influences interactions between native and invasive species. Habitat availability may also predict patterns in native communities and invasive species at biogeographic scales when both native and invasive species have specific habitat requirements. The New Zealand porcelain crab, Petrolisthes elongatus , has invaded intertidal rocky shores around Tasmania, Australia, where it is found in high densities (>1800 m 2 ) under rocks. A hierarchical sampling approach was used to investigate 1) the relationship between habitat availability (rock cover) and the biomass and abundance of P. elongatus , and 2) the relationship between P. elongatus biomass and native communities at local and regional scales. Invertebrate communities and habitat availability were sampled at multiple sites in the north and south regions of Tasmania. P. elongatus biomass and abundance were positively correlated with rock cover and patterns were consistent at the biogeographic scale (between regions). P. elongatus biomass was positively correlated with native species richness, biomass and abundance highlighting their co-dependence on rock cover. However, multivariate analyses indicated a different native community structure with increasing P. elongatus biomass. Flat, strongly adhering gastropods (chitons and limpets) were positively correlated with P. elongatus biomass, whereas mobile gastropods and crabs were negatively correlated with P. elongatus biomass. Despite local scale variation, there were clear consistent relationships between habitat-availability and the biomass of P. elongatus , and between native communities and the biomass of P. elongatus suggesting that the relationships between native and invasive species may be predictable at large spatial scales. Moreover, the strong relationships between P. elongatus biomass and changes in native community structure suggest a greater understanding of its impact is needed so that appropriate management plans can be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Partial chlorination of CeO2, La2O3, and Nd2O3 was achieved using ZrCl4 dissolved in molten LiCl–KCl at 450 °C over a period of 4–5 h. ZrCl4 was pre-volatilized into an argon stream to maintain a constant vapor pressure for equilibration with the salt. This approach was effective at maintaining the ZrCl4 concentration at the solubility limit of 1.3 mol% in the molten salt throughout the duration of two of the chlorination experiments and within about 60% of the solubility limit in the third experiment. Based on the analysis of salt samples, fractional conversion after four hours of reaction for CeO2, and five hours for La2O3, and Nd2O3 were calculated to be 0.97, 0.28, and 0.65 respectively. Assuming a shrinking core diffusion-limited model, the diffusivity of ZrCl4 through the hypothesized ZrO2 layer was calculated for the chlorination of CeO2, La2O3, and Nd2O3 were 1.76 × 10–10 cm2/sec, 7.85 × 10–12 cm2/sec, and 7.42 × 10–12 cm2/sec, respectively. Given the extremely low values calculated for diffusivity, it was concluded that the process is chemical reaction rate limited and that a complete reaction of each rare earth oxide could be achieved. A chemically controlled shrinking core model was shown to also fit the experimental data closely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses various American Amphitropical Disjunction (AAD) patterns and processes to accelerate research in the topic and interface fields of evolution and biogeography.

Direct electrolytic reduction of UO 2 in LiCl-Li 2 O was performed with a platinum anode surrounded by a mesh shroud. The anode shroud was comprised of three pieces; shaft, cage and screen. The shaft and cage were made of Haynes C2000 and the screen was made of Hastelloy C276. Five reduction tests were performed sequentially with the same anode/shroud set, while two other reduction tests did not use an anode shroud. Based on mass measurements, the average rate of platinum loss from corrosion was determined to be 1.69 µm/hr. It was confirmed with X-ray diffraction that a layer of lithium platinate forms on the surface of the anode. The anode shroud was found to increase the anodic potential by 0.25 V. After each test, a corrosion coupon was removed from the Haynes C2000 anode shroud and analyzed via scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). Salt samples were taken after each test and analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The results indicated that nickel, chromium, and molybdenum were all depleted from the Hastelloy C276 shroud and accumulated in the molten salt. SEM-EDS line scans were used to estimate linear corrosion rates. Based on nickel, chromium, and molybdenum, the shroud corrosion rates were determined to be 0.36, 0.49, and 0.51 µm/hr, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lionfish (Pterois volitans), venomous predators from the Indo-Pacific, are recent invaders of the Caribbean Basin and southeastern coast of North America. Quantification of invasive lionfish abundances, along with potentially important physical and biological environmental characteristics, permitted inferences about the invasion process of reefs on the island of San Salvador in the Bahamas. Environmental wave-exposure had a large influence on lionfish abundance, which was more than 20 and 120 times greater for density and biomass respectively at sheltered sites as compared with wave-exposed environments. Our measurements of topographic complexity of the reefs revealed that lionfish abundance was not driven by habitat rugosity. Lionfish abundance was not negatively affected by the abundance of large native predators (or large native groupers) and was also unrelated to the abundance of medium prey fishes (total length of 5–10 cm). These relationships suggest that (1) higher-energy environments may impose intrinsic resistance against lionfish invasion, (2) habitat complexity may not facilitate the lionfish invasion process, (3) predation or competition by native fishes may not provide biotic resistance against lionfish invasion, and (4) abundant prey fish might not facilitate lionfish invasion success. The relatively low biomass of large grouper on this island could explain our failure to detect suppression of lionfish abundance and we encourage continuing the preservation and restoration of potential lionfish predators in the Caribbean. In addition, energetic environments might exert direct or indirect resistance to the lionfish proliferation, providing native fish populations with essential refuges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Explicit motor sequence learning is impaired in Parkinson's disease (PD). Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied over the motor cortex in healthy can improve explicit motor learning, but comparative effects in PD are unknown. This exploratory study aims to examine the effect of single session tDCS on explicit motor sequence learning in PD. Thirty-three people with mild to moderate PD learnt a short and long finger tapping sequence with their right hand. Participants received either anodal, cathodal, or sham tDCS applied over the left primary motor cortex during task practice. Single- and dual-task finger tapping performance was assessed before and after task practice and functional near-infrared spectroscopy used to measure task related changes of oxygenated haemoglobin. Finger tapping performance of short and long sequences under single-task conditions significantly improved following practice (p = 0.010 and p < 0.001, respectively). A condition-by-time interaction trend was observed for the long finger tapping sequence (p = 0.069) driven by improved performance in the cathodal (p = 0.001) and sham (p < 0.001) tDCS conditions, but not anodal tDCS (p = 0.198). The primary and premotor cortex and supplementary motor area were active in all tasks. No interaction or main effects were observed for task related changes of oxygenated haemoglobin. PD patients retain the capacity to learn an explicit sequence of movements. Motor cortex tDCS does not improve explicit motor learning in PD and anodal tDCS may even suppress the rate of learning. • People with PD retain capacity for explicit motor learning. • Single session tDCS over M1 does not enhance explicit motor learning in PD. • Anodal tDCS over M1 may inhibit explicit motor learning of long sequences in PD. • Task related cortical haemodynamic activity is unchanged by tDCS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Recurrent physostigmine shortages present a challenge to healthcare providers treating antimuscarinic delirium. Other centrally acting acetylcholinesterase inhibitors such as rivastigmine may represent a therapeutic alternative or adjunct during physostigmine shortage; however, previous reports of use have not documented serum antimuscarinic toxin concentrations, limiting evaluation of effectiveness. Combination therapy with physostigmine and rivastigmine has not been described. In this report, the authors present a case of diphenhydramine-induced antimuscarinic delirium with elevated diphenhydramine serum concentrations treated with physostigmine and transdermal rivastigmine without observed adverse effect. Case Report: A 48-year-old female presented to an emergency department after ingesting 3.75 g (41.2 mg/kg) of diphenhydramine. She had antimuscarinic delirium with a presenting serum diphenhydramine concentration of 1500 ng/mL (therapeutic range, 25–112 ng/mL) and required two doses of physostigmine to avert intubation prior to intensive care unit (ICU) admission. At hospital hour 22, in the ICU, antimuscarinic delirium persisted but no further physostigmine was available due to hospital shortage. Therefore, a 9.5-mg transdermal rivastigmine patch was applied. By hospital hour 24, her delirium had resolved. A serum diphenhydramine concentration at hospital hour 25 was elevated at 760 ng/mL. Transdermal rivastigmine was discontinued at hospital hour 48 without recurrent delirium. Despite persistent normal mental status after rivastigmine discontinuation, the patient had a dry mouth, difficulty urinating, and mydriasis until hospital day 5. She never developed muscarinic toxicity. Discussion: Transdermal rivastigmine may be a useful treatment alternative or adjunct during physostigmine shortage for antimuscarinic delirium and has a long duration of action without aspiration risk. Muscarinic toxicity was not observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] An alternative approach to safeguarding and monitoring pyroprocessing is proposed. [•] Possible signals to be used to monitor an electrorefiner are identified. [•] An inverse model was developed to determine deposition rates at the cathode. [•] The sensitivity of certain parameters in the inverse model are presented. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Adaptor protein complex 1 (AP-1) is an evolutionary conserved heterotetramer that promotes vesicular trafficking between the trans-Golgi network and the endosomes. The knockout of most murine AP-1 complex subunits is embryonically lethal, so the identification of human disease-associated alleles has the unique potential to deliver insights into gene function. Here, we report two founder mutations (c.11T>G [p.Phe4Cys] and c.97C>T [p.Arg33Trp]) in AP1S3, the gene encoding AP-1 complex subunit σ1C, in 15 unrelated individuals with a severe autoinflammatory skin disorder known as pustular psoriasis. Because the variants are predicted to destabilize the 3D structure of the AP-1 complex, we generated AP1S3-knockdown cell lines to investigate the consequences of AP-1 deficiency in skin keratinocytes. We found that AP1S3 silencing disrupted the endosomal translocation of the innate pattern-recognition receptor TLR-3 (Toll-like receptor 3) and resulted in a marked inhibition of downstream signaling. These findings identify pustular psoriasis as an autoinflammatory phenotype caused by defects in vesicular trafficking and demonstrate a requirement of AP-1 for Toll-like receptor homeostasis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Finding pathogenic mutations in monogenic diseases represents one of the significant milestones of late 20th century molecular genetics. Mutation data can improve genetic counseling, assist disease modeling and provide a basis for translational research and therapeutics. The logistics of detecting disease mutations, however, has not always been easy or straightforward. Traditional approaches using genetic linkage or candidate gene analysis have often been laborious and expensive, but the advent of next generation sequencing technologies is changing the very nature of modern-day gene discovery and mutation detection. The application of whole-exome and whole-genome sequencing has demonstrated how these new approaches can improve diagnostic sensitivity as well as disclose completely novel and unsuspected disease-gene associations. Use of next generation sequencing in inherited diseases that display genetic heterogeneity is already a cost-effective methodology for mutation detection. Further reductions in sequencing costs and machine run time, as well as improved bioinformatics, are likely to lead to the incorporation of next generation sequencing into routine diagnostics within clinical genetics. In the short term, the impact of next generation sequencing on the genetically diverse and clinically protean heritable connective tissue disorders is likely to mean more comprehensive documentation of individual mutations. Longer term, dissection of bioinformatics data may lead to further insight into individual prognosis and an era of new personal therapeutics. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]