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Well-graded soils can be found in nature and in engineered structures, such as dams and embankments. Prediction of their behavior is still an engineering challenge in part due to the lack of data in the literature, arguably due to difficulties associated in testing these soils in the laboratory and in situ. Particularly, there is still debate over the effect of the increased range of particle sizes (i.e., widening gradation) on the shear strength and dilatancy of coarse-grained soils. This paper presents the results of drained and undrained isotropically-consolidated triaxial compression tests on six soil mixes of varying gradation. These soils were sourced from a single natural deposit and selectively sieved and mixed to isolate the effects of gradation from those of particle shape and mineralogy. The results indicate that the critical state lines in void ratio – mean effective stress space move downward as the gradation becomes wider. For the same state parameter, the soils with a wider gradation exhibit greater dilatancy and generate negative excess pore pressures with greater magnitudes than the poorly-graded soils. In drained conditions, the greater dilatancy of the well-graded soils leads to greater peak friction angles, while in undrained conditions it leads to greater undrained shear strengths. The results show that these differences in behavior can only be captured when interpreting the results in terms of the state parameter and normalized state parameter, while comparing the results in terms of the void ratio or relative density obscures the effect of differences in gradation.

In recent years, there has been a growing emphasis to incorporate sustainability metrics into geotechnical engineering design decisions, driven by the surging eco-consciousness of industry standards. Consequently, life cycle assessment (LCA) has emerged as a popular method for evaluating the environmental impacts of geotechnical systems or projects. This paper conducts a critical review of 54 publications that apply LCA to various geotechnical systems, including deep foundations, biogeotechnics, dams, ground improvement, earth retaining structures, tunnels, and others. This review assesses the current state of practice for LCA in geotechnical engineering, identifies common barriers to implementation, and provides suggestions for successful execution. While sustainability practices have been more readily adopted by some subdisciplines of civil engineering including structural and transportation, geotechnical engineering faces distinct challenges due to its inherent site-specific nature, characterized by non-homogeneous soils and the necessity for bespoke solutions. Despite the notable increase in geotechnical LCAs, the absence of uniform standards remains a critical issue. Many studies could be improved by enhancing transparency in reporting data and results, clearly justifying input assumptions, and assessing the effects of variable soil conditions. Geotechnical LCA studies often concentrate on highly specialized problems, limiting the relevance of findings to other projects and impeding the development of clear recommendations for industry practitioners. Future research endeavors would benefit from establishment of comprehensive frameworks and multi-indicator models tailored to geotechnical systems to more accurately capture expected environmental impacts and opportunities for their reduction. A standardized approach could reduce redundancy in studies, encourage knowledge transfer, and provide a basis for broader applicability of sustainability practices in the geotechnical engineering profession.

Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP), or bio-cementation, is a promising bio-mediated technology that can improve the engineering properties of soils through the precipitation of calcium carbonate. Despite significant advances in the technology, concerns regarding the fate of produced NH4+ by-products have remained largely unaddressed. In this study, five 3.7-meter long soil columns each containing one of three different soils were improved using ureolytic bio-cementation, and post-treatment NH4+ by-product removal was investigated during the application of 525 L of a high pH and high ionic strength rinse solution. During rinsing, reductions in aqueous NH4+ were observed in all columns from initial concentrations between ≈100 mM to 500 mM to final values between ≈0.3 mM and 20 mM with higher NH4+ concentrations observed at distances furthest from the injection well. In addition, soil Vs measurements completed during rinse injections suggested that no significant changes in cementation integrity occurred during NH4+ removal. After rinsing and a 12 hour stop flow period, all column solutions achieved cumulative NH4+ removals exceeding 97.9%. Soil samples collected following rinsing, however, contained significant sorbed NH4+ masses that appeared to have a near linear relationship with surrounding aqueous NH4+ concentrations. While these results suggest that NH4+ can be successfully removed from bio-cemented soils, acceptable limits for NH4+ aqueous concentrations and sorbed NH4+ masses will likely be governed by site-specific requirements and may require further investigation and refinement of the developed techniques.

The effects of soil plasticity and penetration rate on cone penetration resistance in low-plasticity fine-grained soils are evaluated. A series of centrifuge tests with in-flight variable rate cone penetration soundings was performed on models of four slurry deposited mixtures of nonplastic silica silt and kaolin clay (0%, 2.5%, 5%, and 20% kaolin by dry mass) with plasticity indices ranging from 0 to 6. Cone penetration resistances for an effective overburden stress of 100 kPa ranged from 26 to 40 MPa (260 to 400 atm) in the nonplastic silica silt to 0.4-1.8 MPa (4-18 atm) in the silt-clay mixture with a plasticity index of 6. The addition of a small amount of clay (as little as 2.5% by dry mass) to nonplastic silt resulted in an order of magnitude decrease in drained penetration resistance. Faster penetration rates produced partially drained and undrained conditions, with negative excess pore pressures developing in the nonplastic silica silt and positive excess pore pressures developing in the mixtures with 5% and 20% kaolin.

The effects of partial drainage on the cyclic strength of saturated sand in a set of dynamic centrifuge model tests were evaluated. Three models of level profiles of saturated Ottawa F-65 sand with initial relative densities of 25%, 43%, and 80% were tested using a 9-m-radius centrifuge. Models were subjected to multiple sinusoidal shaking events with acceleration amplitudes ranging from 0.03g to 0.55g. The cyclic resistance ratios (CRR) obtained from inverse analyses of dense accelerometer and pore pressure transducer arrays were correlated with cone penetration resistances (qc1N) from in-flight cone penetration tests. Time histories of volumetric strain and surface settlement due to partial drainage were determined by inverse analyses of the array data and compared with measured surface settlements. The effect of volumetric strain on cyclic strength is examined through single-element simulations using the constitutive model PM4Sand version 3. Results of these simulations are compared to prior laboratory and numerical studies investigating the effect of partial saturation on cyclic strength. The magnitude of the volumetric strains developed in the centrifuge models due to partial drainage and their effects on the centrifuge CRR-qc1N correlation are examined.

Trees in seasonal climates gauge winter progression to assure vital and productive blooming. However, how dormant plants asses environmental conditions remains obscure. We postulated that it involves the energetic reserves required for bloom, and therefore studied winter carbohydrate metabolism in deciduous trees. We quantified non-structural carbohydrates throughout winter in almond, peach, and pistachio trees in California and Israel and characterized winter metabolism. We constructed a carbohydrate-temperature (C–T) model that projects changes in starch and soluble carbohydrate concentrations by temperature mediated kinetics. Then, we tested the C–T model projections of bloom times by 20 years of temperature and phenology records from California. The C–T model attributes winter carbohydrate regulation in dormant trees to continuous updates of metabolic pathways. The model projects a surge in starch synthesis at the end of winter, and critically low concentrations of soluble carbohydrates, that trigger bloom. This is supported by field measurements of starch accumulation at the end of winter (˜50 mg g−1 DW in almonds) that preceded bloom by ˜10 days. The C–T model provides a physiological framework for bloom forecasts in deciduous orchards. It integrates contrasting notions of chill and heat and elucidates why abnormal winter temperatures may compromise bloom in deciduous orchards.

Trees in seasonal climates gauge winter progression to assure vital and productive blooming. However, how dormant plants asses environmental conditions remains obscure. We postulated that it involves the energetic reserves required for bloom, and therefore studied winter carbohydrate metabolism in deciduous trees. We quantified non-structural carbohydrates throughout winter in almond, peach, and pistachio trees in California and Israel and characterized winter metabolism. We constructed a carbohydrate-temperature (C–T) model that projects changes in starch and soluble carbohydrate concentrations by temperature mediated kinetics. Then, we tested the C–T model projections of bloom times by 20 years of temperature and phenology records from California. The C–T model attributes winter carbohydrate regulation in dormant trees to continuous updates of metabolic pathways. The model projects a surge in starch synthesis at the end of winter, and critically low concentrations of soluble carbohydrates, that trigger bloom. This is supported by field measurements of starch accumulation at the end of winter (˜50 mg g−1 DW in almonds) that preceded bloom by ˜10 days. The C–T model provides a physiological framework for bloom forecasts in deciduous orchards. It integrates contrasting notions of chill and heat and elucidates why abnormal winter temperatures may compromise bloom in deciduous orchards.

A set of saturated Ottawa sand models was treated with microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) and subjected to repeated shaking events using the 1-m radius centrifuge at the UC Davis Center for Geotechnical Modeling. Centrifuge models were constructed to initial relative densities (DR0) of approximately 38% and treated to light, moderate, and heavy levels of cementation (calcium carbonate contents by mass of approximately 0.8%, 1.4%, and 2.2%, respectively) as indicated by shear wave velocities (light≈200 m/s, moderate≈325 m/s, and heavy≈600 m/s). The cemented centrifuge models were compared to a pair of uncemented saturated Ottawa sand models with initial DR0≈38 and 53% and subjected to similar levels of shaking. Cone penetration resistances and shear wave velocities were monitored throughout shaking to investigate (1) the effect of cementation on cone penetration resistance, shear wave velocity, and cyclic resistance to liquefaction triggering; and (2) the effect of shaking on cementation degradation. Accelerometers, pore pressure transducers, and a linear potentiometer were used to monitor the effect of cementation on liquefaction triggering and consequences. Cone penetration resistances and shear wave velocities were sensitive to light, moderate, and heavy levels of cementation (increases in penetration resistance from 2 to 5 MPa, from 2 to 10 MPa, and from 2 to 18 MPa and increases in shear wave velocity from 140 to 200 m/s, from 140 to 325 m/s, and from 140 to 660 m/s, respectively), and were able to capture the effects of cementation degradation.

Mechanistic approaches to developing cone penetration test-based liquefaction triggering correlations are presented and evaluated with an application to Ottawa sand. The mechanistic approaches utilize combinations of data from undrained cyclic direct simple shear tests, dynamic geotechnical centrifuge tests with in-flight cone penetration profiles, and cone penetration simulations. Cyclic direct simple shear tests on Ottawa sand characterize the relationship between cyclic resistance ratio (CRR) and relative density (DR). Relationships between cone tip resistance (qc) and DR are developed from geotechnical centrifuge tests and cone penetration simulations. Penetration simulations using the MIT-S1 constitutive model with three different calibrations for Ottawa sand examine the role of critical state line shape and position on simulated qc values. The CRR-DR relationship from laboratory tests is composed with measured and simulated qC-DR relationships via common DR values to develop CRR-qc relationships. An alternative CRR-qc relationship is developed from inverse analyses of centrifuge test sensor array data (i.e., arrays of accelerometers and pore pressure sensors). The results of these different approaches are compared to case history-based correlations for clean sand and their relative merits discussed. Recommendations are provided for future application of these mechanistic approaches to developing liquefaction-triggering correlations of poorly characterized or unique soils.

The performance of Çark Canal in the 1999 M=7.5 Kocaeli earthquake was evaluated using common liquefaction vulnerability index (LVI) methods, a nonlinear dynamic analysis (NDA) method, and a Newmark sliding block method to examine possible factors contributing to why different analysis approaches often overestimate liquefaction effects in interbedded deposits. The characterization of the interbedded fluvial stratum based on cone penetration test (CPT) data utilized an inverse filtering procedure to correct CPT data for thin-layer and transition zone effects. Common LVIs computed using the measured and inverse-filtered CPT data with a site-specific fines content calibration showed that the combination of these two steps reduced the LVIs by 30%-50% for this site and seismic loading. Two-dimensional NDAs were performed using stochastic realizations for the interbedded stratum and the PM4Sand and PM4Silt constitutive models for the sandlike and claylike portions, respectively. Computed deformations were evaluated for their sensitivity to stochastic model parameters, the cyclic strength assigned to the sandlike soils, the undrained shear strengths assigned to the claylike soils, the level of shaking, and other input parameters. Newmark sliding block analyses were performed with different allowances for the influence of interbedding on the composite strength of the interbedded stratum. The differences between results obtained with these analysis methods, along with those presented by others, provided insights into how the various factors can contribute to an overestimation of ground deformations in interbedded deposits of sands, silts, and clays.

Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP) is a bio-mediated cementation process that can improve the engineering properties of granular soils through the precipitation of calcite. The process is made possible by soil microorganisms containing urease enzymes, which hydrolyze urea and enable carbonate ions to become available for precipitation. While most researchers have injected non-native ureolytic bacteria to complete bio-cementation, enrichment of native ureolytic microorganisms may enable reductions in process treatment costs and environmental impacts. In this study, a large-scale bio-cementation experiment involving two 1.7-meter diameter tanks and a complementary soil column experiment were performed to investigate biogeochemical differences between bio-cementation mediated by either native or augmented (Sporosarcina pasteurii) ureolytic microorganisms. Although post-treatment distributions of calcite and engineering properties were similar between approaches, the results of this study suggest that significant differences in ureolysis rates and related precipitation rates between native and augmented microbial communities may influence the temporal progression and spatial distribution of bio-cementation, solution biogeochemical changes, and precipitate microstructure. The role of urea hydrolysis in enabling calcite precipitation through sustained super-saturation following treatment injections is explored.

Background and aimsIn peach (Prunus persica) trees, three types of shoots can be distinguished depending on the time of their appearance: sylleptic, proleptic and epicormic. On proleptic shoots, an average of ten phytomers are preformed in dormant buds prior to shoot growth after bud-break, whereas all phytomers are considered neoformed in sylleptic and epicormic shoots. However, casual observations indicated that proleptic and sylleptic shoots appear quite similar in number of phytomers and structure in spite of their different origins. The goal of this research was to test the hypothesis that both proleptic and sylleptic shoots exhibit similar growth characteristics by analysing their node numbers and bud fate patterns. If their growth characteristics are similar, it would indicate that the structure of both types of shoots is primarily under genetic rather than environmental control.MethodsThe number of phytomers and bud fate patterns of proleptic and sylleptic shoots of four peach cultivars grown in the same location (Winters, California) were analysed and characterized using hidden semi-Markov models. Field data were collected during winter 2016, just prior to floral bud-break.Key resultsSylleptic shoots tended to have slightly fewer phytomers than proleptic shoots of the same cultivars. The bud fate patterns along proleptic and sylleptic shoots were remarkably similar for all the cultivars, although proleptic shoots started growing earlier (at least 1 month) in the spring than sylleptic shoots.ConclusionsThis study provides strong evidence for the semi-deterministic nature of both proleptic and sylleptic shoots across four peach cultivars in terms of number of phytomers and bud fate patterns along shoots. It is apparent that the overall structure of shoots with similar numbers of phytomers was under similar genetic control for the two shoot types. Understanding shoot structural characteristics can aid in phenotypic characterization of vegetative growth of trees and in providing a foundation for vegetative management of fruit trees in horticultural settings.

The effects of shaking history on cone penetration test (CPT)-based liquefaction triggering correlations for clean saturated sand are examined by using cone penetration resistance and cyclic strength data pairs from dynamic centrifuge model tests. Three model tests on a 9-m-radius centrifuge examined the liquefaction responses of level profiles of saturated Ottawa F-65 sand subjected to multiple (17-29) shaking events that produced successive changes in density and model response characteristics. Inverse analysis of data from dense accelerometer arrays were used to define time series of cyclic stress ratios and shear strains throughout the profile. Cyclic resistance ratios against triggering of ~100% excess pore pressure ratio in 15 equivalent uniform cycles were computed at multiple depths based on weighting of the cyclic stress ratio time series up to the time of triggering. Cone penetration tests performed at select times during each model test were used to define the variation in cone tip resistances with depth and shaking history. The resulting data pairs, with normalized cone tip resistances ranging from 20 to 340 and cyclic resistance ratios ranging from 0.1 to 2.0, show that both quantities progressively increase as a result of recurrent liquefaction events and generally follow the trends predicted by case history-based liquefaction triggering correlations. Three 1-m-radius centrifuge tests of similar configurations produced consistent results. Implications for the interpretation of case histories and engineering practice are discussed.

Abstract Background Limited real‐world studies are available comparing infection risk between biologics for psoriasis. Objectives The primary aim was to determine the differential effect of currently available biologics on the risk of respiratory tract infections (RTI) among psoriasis patients in a real‐world setting. Secondary aims were to explore the differential risk of all types of serious infections (SI) between biologics and to provide an early overview of SARS‐CoV‐2 infections during the pre‐vaccine era. Methods Crude incidence rates of RTI and SI were calculated per 100 patient‐years (PY) per biologic using prospective BioCAPTURE data. Negative Binomial Regression modeling was used to explore the risk of RTI. Frailty Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to estimate hazard ratios for the risk of the first SI. Confounders adjusted for both models were selected by a directed acyclic graph. A post hoc exploratory analysis of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection incidence rates during 2020 was performed. Results We included 714 patients with 1325 treatment episodes (3607.7PY between 2005 and 2020), in which 2224 RTI and 63 SI occurred. Among RTI, 1.3% were serious. The crude incidence rates were 61.7 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 59.1–64.3) per 100PY for RTI, and 1.8 (95% CI: 1.4–2.2) per 100PY for SI. Confounder adjusted analyses showed no differential risk of RTI between adalimumab, etanercept, infliximab, ustekinumab, secukinumab, ixekizumab and guselkumab. For SI, no differential risk was found between biologics either. Extended single‐center data showed 3.8 (95% CI: 2.2–6.1) SARS‐CoV‐2 infections per 100PY in 2020. Conclusions Confounder adjusted analyses showed no differential risks of RTI or SI between included biologics (adalimumab, etanercept, infliximab, ustekinumab, secukinumab, ixekizumab and guselkumab) in a prospective psoriasis patients cohort. In general, absolute numbers of all types of SI were low.

Abstract Blood‐based biomarkers are gaining interest for response evaluation in classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). However, it is unknown how blood‐based biomarkers relate to quantitative 18F‐FDG‐PET features. We correlated extracellular vesicle‐associated miRNAs (EV‐miRNA), serum TARC, and complete blood count (CBC) with PET features (e.g., metabolic tumor volume [MTV], dissemination and intensity features) in 30 cHL patients at baseline. EV‐miR127‐3p, EV‐miR24‐3p, sTARC, and several CBC parameters showed weak to strong correlations with MTV and dissemination features, but not with intensity features. Two other EV‐miRNAs only showed weak correlations with PET features. Therefore, blood‐based biomarkers may be complementary to PET features, which warrants further exploration of combining these biomarkers in prognostic models.

Abstract Background Interprofessional collaboration is key to improving the health of individuals and communities. It is supported by provision of Interprofessional education (IPE) which has recently emerged in the Middle East region. This study investigated changes in healthcare students’ attitudes towards interprofessional collaboration after undertaking the Interprofessional Education and Collaboration (IPEC) course. Methods A paper-based anonymous survey using the Interprofessional Attitude Scale (IPAS) was administered to a sample of 346 health students (nursing, medicine, and public health) pre/post undertaking the IPEC course. Less than half of the students provided a post response, with pre/post survey results of 111 pairs subsequently matched and analyzed. Results Results showed elevated pre-course scores, an improvement in students’ attitudes towards the interprofessional biases domain of the IPAS, and a slight decline in their scores in the remaining 4 domains (team roles and responsibilities, patient centeredness, community centeredness, and diversity and ethics). These changes were not statistically significant, except for the patient centeredness domain (p = 0.003**). Conclusions The study provided important results about attitudes towards interprofessional collaboration. These findings are essential because our institution is one of few in Lebanon that provides this mandatory course to a large group of health professionals. Future studies should investigate these changes in attitude scores in a larger sample size, and how these attitudes would influence collaboration post-graduation.

Abstract Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency (OTCD) is an X‐linked urea cycle disorder characterised by reduced or absent OTC enzyme activity, resulting in the accumulation of neurotoxic ammonia. Approximately 80%–90% of the causative variants are identified by Sanger sequencing or multiplex ligation‐dependent probe amplification (MLPA) of the OTC gene. A 23‐year‐old male with biochemical evidence of OTCD was referred for molecular analysis. Initial Sanger sequencing yielded no pathogenic variants. MLPA testing raised suspicion of a mosaic deletion of exon 1; however, high‐resolution microarray did not identify a copy number variant on the X chromosome. Sequencing over the suspected breakpoint detected a hemizygous likely pathogenic promoter variant, c.‐106C > A, which was located within the MLPA probe binding site. Subsequently, historical patients referred to our centre, without a molecular aetiology for their OTCD, were re‐sequenced with these primers and this variant was also identified in two additional unrelated males. All three patients described in this case series have the late‐onset disease. Two presented at 5 years of age with vomiting, whilst the other was managed from birth based on a family history of late‐onset OTCD. One patient required liver transplantation due to recurrent decompensations; the other two are managed with a protein‐restricted diet. All three patients have not sustained any significant neurological insults and are functioning well as adults. These cases support screening of the promoter region within the OTC gene, particularly if a molecular basis has not been elucidated by MLPA or sequencing of the coding regions.

To determine which interventions work best for which students, precision education researchers can examine aptitude-treatment interactions (ATI) or skill-by-treatment interactions (STI) using longitudinal multilevel modeling. Probing techniques like the slopes difference test fit an ATI or STI framework, but power for using slopes difference tests in longitudinal multilevel modeling is unknown. The current study used simulation to determine which design factors influence the power of slopes difference tests. Design factors included effect size, number of waves, number of clusters, participants per cluster, proportion of assignment to the treatment group, and intraclass correlation. Of these factors, effect size, number of waves, number of clusters, and participants per cluster were the strongest determinants of power, model convergence, and rates of singularity. Slopes difference tests had greater power in longitudinal multilevel modeling than where it is originally utilized: multiple regression.

IntroductionWe examined postmortem brain tissue from men, over the age of 50, for chronic traumatic encephalopathy neuropathologic change (CTE-NC). We hypothesized that (i) a small percentage would have CTE-NC, (ii) those who played American football during their youth would be more likely to have CTE-NC than those who did not play contact or collision sports, and (iii) there would be no association between CTE-NC and suicide as a manner of death.MethodsBrain tissue from 186 men and accompanying clinical information were obtained from the Lieber Institute for Brain Development. Manner of death was determined by a board-certified forensic pathologist. Information was obtained from next of kin telephone interviews, including medical, social, demographic, family, and psychiatric history. The 2016 and 2021 consensus definitions were used for CTE-NC. Two authors screened all cases, using liberal criteria for identifying “possible” CTE-NC, and five authors examined the 15 selected cases.ResultsThe median age at the time of death was 65 years (interquartile range = 57–75; range = 50–96). There were 25.8% with a history of playing American football and 36.0% who had suicide as their manner of death. No case was rated as definitively having “features” of CTE-NC by all five authors. Ten cases were rated as having features of CTE-NC by three or more authors (5.4% of the sample), including 8.3% of those with a personal history of playing American football and 3.9% of those who did not play contact or collision sports. Of those with mood disorders during life, 5.5% had features of CTE-NC compared to 6.0% of those who did not have a reported mood disorder. Of those with suicide as a manner of death, 6.0% had features of CTE-NC compared to 5.0% of those who did not have suicide as a manner of death.DiscussionWe did not identify a single definitive case of CTE-NC, from the perspective of all raters, and only 5.4% of cases were identified as having possible features of CTE-NC by some raters. CTE-NC was very uncommon in men who played amateur American football, those with mood disorders during life, and those with suicide as a manner of death.

Abstract Mycophenolate mofetil has an important role as immunosuppressive agent in solid organ transplant recipients. Exposure to the active mycophenolic acid (MPA) can be monitored using therapeutic drug monitoring. We present three cases in which MPA exposure severely decreased after oral antibiotic coadministration. By diminishing gut bacteria β‐glucuronidase activity, oral antibiotics can prevent deglucuronidation of the inactive MPA‐7‐O‐glucuronide metabolite to MPA and thereby possibly prevent its enterohepatic recirculation. This pharmacokinetic interaction could result in rejection, which makes it clinically relevant in solid organ transplant recipients, especially when therapeutic drug monitoring frequency is low. Routine screening for this interaction, preferably supported by clinical decision support systems, and pragmatic close monitoring of the MPA exposure in cases is advised.

Abstract Miniaturization in integrated circuits requires that the Cu diffusion barriers located in interconnects between the Cu metal line and the dielectric material should scale down. Replacing the conventional TaN with a 2D transition metal dichalcogenide barrier potentially offers the opportunity to scale to 1–2 nm thick barriers. In this article, it is demonstrated that MoS2 synthesized by atomic layer deposition (ALD) can be employed as a Cu diffusion barrier. ALD offers a controlled growth process at back‐end‐of‐line (BEOL) compatible temperatures. MoS2 films of different thicknesses (i.e., 2.2, 4.3, and 6.5 nm) are tested by time‐dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) measurements, demonstrating that ALD‐grown MoS2 can enhance dielectric lifetime by a factor up to 17 at an electric field of 7 MV cm−1. Extrapolation to lower E‐fields shows that the MoS2 barriers prepared by ALD have at least an order of magnitude higher median‐time‐to‐failure during device operation at 0.5 MV cm−1 compared with MoS2 barriers prepared by other methods. By scaling the thickness further down in future work, the ALD MoS2 films can be applied as ultrathin Cu diffusion barriers.

We report the results of a quasi-experimental evaluation of a mystery shopper intervention in Zacatecas and Guadalupe, Mexico. Underage youth attempted to purchase beer at 50 Modelorama stores and 32 Oxxo stores (intervention groups), and at 19 comparison convenience stores in March, July, and August 2018. After each attempt, intervention store operators were informed if a sale was made. Modelorama operators also received training and were warned that repeated sales to minors could jeopardize their franchise. Average sales rates to minors were 63.8% at Modeloramas, 86.5% at Oxxo stores, and 98.2% at comparison stores. The findings suggest that mystery shopper interventions with training, feedback to store operators, and sanctions after repeated sales to underage youth may reduce sales to minors in low- and middle-income countries.

We designed the Integrated Sciences First-Year Program (ISFP) to introduce students to the nature and process of science early in their academic career, help them develop skills and competencies, and create an intellectual community of learners to foster belonging within science. Using their inherent curiosity, we designed active learning environments where students were provided with enough scaffolding to guide their efforts, but enough freedom to engage in authentic research and experience both success and failure while taking academic risks. We found that student-driven inquiry projects, formal and informal mentoring experiences, and engagement with a larger scientific community constituted the key program elements that enabled us to meet our goals, while better preparing students to design and complete their college majors and capstone projects and engage with the broader scientific community. While we implemented the ISFP as a three-part series during students' first year of college, the lessons we learned are widely applicable and can be applied to individual courses as well as within courses across a science curriculum.

Background: Women with intellectual disability experience disparities in sexual and reproductive health care services. Methods: To explore perceptions of caring for persons with disability, including individuals with intellectual disability, we conducted open-ended individual interviews with 20 practising physicians and three video-based focus group interviews with an additional 22 practising physicians, which reached data saturation. Interviews were transcribed verbatim. We used conventional content analysis methods to analyse transcripts. Result: Physicians indicated that intellectual disability can pose challenges to providing sexual and reproductive health care. Observations coalesced around four themes: (1) communication; (2) routine preventive care; (3) contraception and sterilisation; and (4) conception and parenthood. Observations raised concerns about equity of access to reproductive care for women with intellectual disability. Conclusions: In our sample of physicians, we found attitudes that might compromise reproductive care for women with intellectual disability, suggesting that gaps remain in ensuring reproductive rights of women with intellectual disability.

Objectives: We sought to assess the incidence of hungry bone syndrome (HBS) following parathyroidectomy (PTX) for primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) in a cohort of multi-ethnic patients from a developed country in the Asia Pacific. Methods: One hundred and sixty-four patients who underwent PTX for PHPT between 2012 and 2019 at the 2 largest public hospitals in Singapore were identified. HBS was defined as serum albumin-adjusted calcium ≤ 2.1 mmol/L with normal or raised serum intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) levels, manifesting on or after the 3rd day, or persisting for more than 3 days post-operatively. Results: Chinese constituted 73.8%, Malays 12.2%, Indians 9.8%, and other races 4.3%. HBS developed in 4 patients (2.4%) (95% CI, 0.8%–6.5%). HBS patients had significantly longer in-hospital stays; 20 days [IQR:15–22] vs 2 days [IQR:1–3]; P

Abstract Background In this study, the relationship between AF‐related quality of life (AFEQT) at baseline in AF‐patients and the improvement on perceived symptoms and general state of health (EHRA, European Heart Rhythm Association score) at 12 months was assessed across predefined age categories. Methods Between November 2014 and October 2019 patients diagnosed with AF de novo in four hospitals embedded within the Netherlands Heart Network were prospectively followed for 12 months. These AF‐patients were categorized into quartiles based on their AFEQT score at diagnosis and EHRA score was measured at diagnosis and 12 months of follow‐up. Stratified analyses were performed using age categories (65 and ≥75 years, respectively. Future research should focus on further defining characteristics of these age groups to enable the implementation of age‐tailored treatment.

Background & Aims: Intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury is a serious and life-threatening condition. A better understanding of molecular mechanisms related to intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury in human beings is imperative to find therapeutic targets and improve patient outcome. Methods: First, the in vivo dynamic modulation of mucosal gene expression of the ischemia-reperfusion–injured human small intestine was studied. Based on functional enrichment analysis of the changing transcriptome, one of the predominantly regulated pathways was selected for further investigation in an in vitro human intestinal organoid model. Results: Ischemia-reperfusion massively changed the transcriptional landscape of the human small intestine. Functional enrichment analysis based on gene ontology and pathways pointed to the response to unfolded protein as a predominantly regulated process. In addition, regulatory network analysis identified hypoxia-inducing factor 1A as one of the key mediators of ischemia-reperfusion–induced changes, including the unfolded protein response (UPR). Differential expression of genes involved in the UPR was confirmed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis. Electron microscopy showed signs of endoplasmic reticulum stress. Collectively, these findings point to a critical role for unfolded protein stress in intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury in human beings. In a human intestinal organoid model exposed to hypoxia-reoxygenation, attenuation of UPR activation with integrated stress response inhibitor strongly reduced pro-apoptotic activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4)-CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein homologous protein (CHOP) signaling. Conclusions: Transcriptome analysis showed a crucial role for unfolded protein stress in the response to ischemia-reperfusion in human small intestine. UPR inhibition during hypoxia-reoxygenation in an intestinal organoid model suggests that downstream protein kinase R-like ER kinase (PERK) signaling may be a promising target to reduce intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury. Microarray data are available in GEO (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gds, accession number GSE37013).

Abstract This Scientific Opinion considers the welfare of domestic fowl (Gallus gallus) related to the production of meat (broilers) and includes the keeping of day‐old chicks, broiler breeders, and broiler chickens. Currently used husbandry systems in the EU are described. Overall, 19 highly relevant welfare consequences (WCs) were identified based on severity, duration and frequency of occurrence: ‘bone lesions’, ‘cold stress’, ‘gastro‐enteric disorders’, ‘group stress’, ‘handling stress’, ‘heat stress’, ‘isolation stress’, ‘inability to perform comfort behaviour’, ‘inability to perform exploratory or foraging behaviour’, ‘inability to avoid unwanted sexual behaviour’, ‘locomotory disorders’, ‘prolonged hunger’, ‘prolonged thirst’, ‘predation stress’, ‘restriction of movement’, ‘resting problems’, ‘sensory under‐ and overstimulation’, ‘soft tissue and integument damage’ and ‘umbilical disorders’. These WCs and their animal‐based measures (ABMs) that can identify them are described in detail. A variety of hazards related to the different husbandry systems were identified as well as ABMs for assessing the different WCs. Measures to prevent or correct the hazards and/or mitigate each of the WCs are listed. Recommendations are provided on quantitative or qualitative criteria to answer specific questions on the welfare of broilers and related to genetic selection, temperature, feed and water restriction, use of cages, light, air quality and mutilations in breeders such as beak trimming, de‐toeing and comb dubbing. In addition, minimal requirements (e.g. stocking density, group size, nests, provision of litter, perches and platforms, drinkers and feeders, of covered veranda and outdoor range) for an enclosure for keeping broiler chickens (fast‐growing, slower‐growing and broiler breeders) are recommended. Finally, ‘total mortality’, ‘wounds’, ‘carcass condemnation’ and ‘footpad dermatitis’ are proposed as indicators for monitoring at slaughter the welfare of broilers on‐farm.

Objectives This study aims to assess whether the characteristics, management and outcomes of women varied between Syrian and Palestinian refugees, migrant women of other nationalities and Lebanese women giving birth at a public tertiary centre in Beirut, Lebanon.Methods This was a secondary data analysis of routinely collected data from the public Rafik Hariri University Hospital (RHUH) between January 2011 and July 2018. Data were extracted from medical notes using text mining machine learning methods. Nationality was categorised into Lebanese, Syrian, Palestinian and migrant women of other nationalities. The main outcomes were diabetes, pre-eclampsia, placenta accreta spectrum, hysterectomy, uterine rupture, blood transfusion, preterm birth and intrauterine fetal death. Logistic regression models estimated the association between nationality and maternal and infant outcomes, and these were presented using ORs and 95% CIs.Results 17 624 women gave birth at RHUH of whom 54.3% were Syrian, 39% Lebanese, 2.5% Palestinian and 4.2% migrant women of other nationalities. The majority of women had a caesarean section (73%) and 11% had a serious obstetric complication. Between 2011 and 2018, there was a decline in the use of primary caesarean section (caesarean section performed for the first time) from 7% to 4% of births (p

Adolescent Syrian refugee girls living in Lebanon are vulnerable to poor sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Sociocultural norms, stigmatization, and limited educational opportunities in the context of forced displacement may impact adolescent girls' SRH. Little is known about how and where girls in this population access SRH information and services. This study aimed to: (1) assess knowledge of SRH topics among a population of adolescent Syrian refugee girls displaced in Lebanon, and (2) determine the association of schooling versus maternal SRH communication with SRH knowledge. A total of 418 11-17-year-old Syrian refugee girls displaced in the Beqaa region of Lebanon were recruited to participate in a cross-sectional survey. Bivariate logistic regression and ordinary least squares regression models were used to examine the associations between schooling, maternal SRH communication, and other covariates with SRH knowledge outcomes. Significant predictors (p

Drywells are increasingly used for stormwater management and enhanced aquifer recharge, but only limited research has quantitatively determined the performance of drywells. Numerical and field scale experiments were, therefore, conducted to improve our understanding and ability to characterize the drywell behavior. In particular, HYDRUS (2D/3D) was modified to simulate transient head boundary conditions for the complex geometry of the Maxwell Type IV drywell; i.e., a sediment chamber, an overflow pipe, and the variable geometry and storage of the drywell system with depth. Falling-head infiltration experiments were conducted on drywells located at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, California (CA) and a commercial complex in Torrance, CA to determine in situ soil hydraulic properties (the saturated hydraulic conductivity, Ks , and the retention curve shape parameter, α) for an equivalent uniform soil profile by inverse parameter optimization. A good agreement between the observed and simulated water heights in wells was obtained for both sites as indicated by the coefficient of determination 0.95-0.99-%, unique parameter fits, and small standard errors. Fort Irwin and Torrance drywells had very distinctive soil hydraulic characteristics. The fitted value of Ks =1.01 × 10-3 m min-1 at the Torrance drywell was consistent with the sandy soil texture at this site and the default value for sand in the HYDRUS soil catalog. The drywell with this Ks = 1.01 × 10-3 m min-1 could easily infiltrate predicted surface runoff from a design rain event (∼51.3 m3) within 5760 min (4 d). In contrast, the fitted value of Ks=2.25 × 10-6 m min-1 at Fort Irwin was very low compared to the Torrance drywell and more than an order of magnitude smaller than the default value reported in the HYDRUS soil catalog for sandy clay loam at this site, likely due to clogging. These experiments and simulations provide useful information to characterize effective soil hydraulic properties in situ, and to improve the design of drywells for enhanced recharge.

Abstract A composable design scheme is presented for the development of hybrid quantum/classical algorithms and workflows for applications of quantum simulation. The proposed object‐oriented approach is based on constructing an expressive set of common data structures and methods that enables programming of a broad variety of complex hybrid quantum simulation applications. The abstract core of the scheme is distilled from the analysis of the current quantum simulation algorithms. Subsequently, it allows synthesis of new hybrid algorithms and workflows via the extension, specialisation, and dynamic customisation of the abstract core classes defined by the proposed design. The design scheme is implemented using the hardware‐agnostic programming language QCOR into the QuaSiMo library. To validate the implementation, the authors test and show its utility on commercial quantum processors from IBM and Rigetti, running some prototypical quantum simulations.

Abstract Background Children with medical complexity (CMC) have inter-related health and social needs; however, interventions to identify and respond to social needs have not been adapted for CMC. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of implementing social needs screening and assessment within pediatric complex care programs. Methods We implemented systematic social needs assessment for CMC (SSNAC) at two tertiary care centers in three phases: (1) pre-implementation, (2) implementation, and (3) implementation monitoring. We utilized a multifaceted implementation package consisting of discrete implementation strategies within each phase. In phase 1, we adapted questions from evidence-informed screening tools into a 21-item SSNAC questionnaire, and we used published frameworks to inform implementation readiness and process. In phases 2–3, clinical staff deployed the SSNAC questionnaire to parents of CMC in-person or by phone as part of usual care and adapted to local clinical workflows. Staff used shared decision-making with parents and addressed identified needs by providing information about available resources, offering direct assistance, and making referrals to community agencies. Implementation outcomes included fidelity, feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness. Results Observations from clinical staff characterized fidelity to use of the SSNAC questionnaire, assessment template, and shared decision-making for follow-up on unmet social needs. Levels of agreement (5-point Likert scale; 1 = completely disagree; 5 = completely agree) rated by staff for key implementation outcomes were moderate to high for acceptability (mean = 4.7; range = 3–5), feasibility (mean = 4.2; range = 3–5), and appropriateness (mean = 4.6; range = 4-5). 49 SSNAC questionnaires were completed with a 91% response rate. Among participating parents, 37 (76%) reported ≥ 1 social need, including food/nutrition benefits (41%), housing (18%), and caregiver needs (29%). Staff responses included information provision (41%), direct assistance (30%), and agency referral (30%). Conclusions It was feasible for tertiary care center-based pediatric complex care programs to implement a standardized social needs assessment for CMC to identify and address parent-reported unmet social needs.