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Koopman operator theory has gained interest in the past decade as a framework for rigorously transforming nonlinear dynamics on the state space into linear dynamics on Koopman-invariant function spaces. These Koopman-invariant spaces can be approximated purely through data-driven methodologies, which then enables future state prediction and the application of classical linear control to strongly nonlinear systems. Recently in literature, the linear quadratic regulator (LQR) was developed for systems represented through eigenfunctions of the Koopman operator. However, the controller was limited to using real-valued eigenfunctions for conservative systems. In this paper, we extend the Koopman LQR framework to use multiple complex eigenfunctions. We illustrate in several examples that our proposed extension enables Koopman LQR to control dissipative systems and to drive different nonlinear oscillators to stabilize at nonequilibrium points and follow arbitrarily prescribed targets, which was not possible using a single real-valued Koopman eigenfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adsorption and charge transfer dynamics of the organic molecule bi-isonicotinic acid (4,4-dicarboxy-2,2-bipyridine) on single crystal Ag(111) has been studied using synchrotron radiationbased photoemission, x-ray absorption, and resonant core spectroscopies. Measurements for multilayer and monolayer coverage are used to determine the nature of the molecule-surface interactions and the molecular orientation. An experimental density of states for the monolayer with respect to the underlying metal surface is obtained by combining x-ray absorption spectroscopy at the N 1s edge and valence photoemission to measure the unoccupied and occupied valence states, respectively. This shows that the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital in the core-excited state lies energetically below the Fermi level of the surface allowing charge transfer from the metal into this orbital. Resonant photoelectron spectroscopy was used to probe this charge transfer in the context of super-spectator and super-Auger electron transitions. The results presented provide a novel interpretation of resonant core-level spectroscopy to explore ultra-fast charge transfer between an adsorbed organic molecule and a metal surface through the observation of electrons from the metal surface playing a direct role in the core-hole decay of the core-excited molecule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a massively parallel, cloud-computing framework for the ad hoc evaluation of discrete-event simulation (DES) models to enable broad exploration of the design space for model parameters. Parallel evaluation is enabled through use of a serverless computing environment allowing thousands of simultaneous experiments, on demand, without the need to explicitly provision or manages hardware. A standard Simulation Evaluation application programming interface (API) was designed for evaluating simulation functions that enables language independence between client application and simulation model, encouraging reuse of simulation models for multiple purposes (what-if analysis, ranking and selection, sensitivity analysis, or optimization). Extensions to the Java Simulation Library (JSL)27 enable rapid deployment of models built with the JSL as parameterized serverless functions implementing the Simulation Evaluation API. New Java packages facilitate the calling of any serverless functions that implement the Simulation Evaluation API. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization has caused large-scale changes in wildlife distributions. Populations and communities of small mammals can be good indicators of ecosystem health as they indicate change in vegetation diversity and structure. We surveyed small mammals in Kirksville, Missouri - a small isolated city within a landscape matrix of savanna and oakhickory woodlands (Quercus spp. and Carya spp.). We trapped thirteen Peromyscus spp. and three Blarina brevicauda. Overall small mammal occupancy (95% CI) was 0.318 (0.131-0.589). Our results indicated that occupancy was constant across all variables and locations; however, future research is needed to better understand if there are indeed habitat covariates that have an effect on Peromyscus spp. occupancy, such as distance to green space or number of dumpsters in the area. Urban planners should be aware of the long-term effects of drought and of the isolation of small mammal populations. Future research should consider what urban variables may keep these small mammals in these isolated areas (i.e., nutrition, habitat requirements, and barriers of migration). This information will help improve management programs aimed at regulating small mammal populations and distributions in cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Royal College of Physicians' COVID-19 study was conducted in 2020 as a collaboration of 19 English NHS trusts, the Association of Professional Healthcare Analysts and a data team in the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London. The participating trusts had a combined catchment population of 10.46 million and looked after over 26,000 patients with SARS-CoV-2. The study involved 510 patient cases the majority of which were mortality reviews. The data were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively and employed novel natural language processing methods. The quantitative data established that 96.5% of the care delivered was adequate, good or excellent. Poor care was uncommon. Qualitative data generated 24 common themes that were articulated by the creation of nine vignettes (four explored here). Six recommendations were created, and further analysis of specific recommendations is advised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, it has become increasingly clear how damaging and virulent the obsessively 'presentist' orientation is that drives neoliberal and managerial 'culture'. Its proponents abjure discourses of or on historicity, lest they encounter critical perspectives on our present situation. For that very reason we should be sustaining and promoting our historicisms as tenaciously as possible. This article argues that Foucault and Joyce, in their extremely different ways, did just that, attuned as they were to the subtleties of specificity and the vagaries of contingency. But there is a certain historicity of the body and affect that philosophy and literature, by their nature, cannot fully capture or communicate. We might rather turn, then, to European Art Cinema, approximately from 1955 onwards, and a range of cinéastes, from Godard and Melville to Varda and Huillet-Straub. The discussion brings out the highly nuanced ways in which they use cities and landscapes, and temporal and spatial anomalies, to construct both a historicity of affect and an aesthetic reflection or meditation on that historicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starting in 1969, the Irish Defence Forces began to send its officers to attend civilian university in University College Galway as part of their professional formation, through the University Service Administrative Complement (USAC) scheme. Using a conceptual framework that combines role theory with James C. Scott's concept of 'infrapolitics', this paper interrogates how or whether full time, commissioned officers negotiate role tensions while attending civilian higher education as part of their professional military formation. Role theory would suggest that those who are expected to maintain two roles simultaneously, i.e. as student and military officer, would be expected to experience 'role strain'. This paper illustrates instead that student officers deploy a variety of infrapolitical tactics and strategies, thus creating an alternative route to negotiating role tensions and anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When unpaid female carers consider whether to pursue higher education (HE), they frequently experience decision-making uncertainties which stem from the structural and cultural challenges associated with their roles as carers. Reflexivity is a critical part of decision-making, as it empowers individuals to mediate between the present and future within the structural and cultural conditions which impact and guide their actions. To investigate the reflexive deliberation processes unpaid female carers engage in as part of their HE decision-making processes, this study analysed data from an in-depth, qualitative Australian study with 15 unpaid female carers who were considering higher education. Dialogic processes including narrative interviews and a card sort activity made visible the array of mental activities involved in reflexive decision-making by carers. Considering the more and less productive types of reflexive inner conversations which had been identified enabled participants to reflexively adjust the efficacy of some of their decision-making processes. This study contributes to the reflective and career counselling literature by theorising the cognitively and emotionally complex personal and structural demands of HE decision-making. By conceptualising reflexive decision-making anew, unpaid female carers and HE institutions can better identify and address the structural and cultural conditions which may be influencing their HE decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Experimental evidence and studies of children and adolescents suggest that ambient fine particulate matter [particulate matter ≤2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5)] air pollution may be obesogenic, but the relationship between PM2.5 and the risk of body weight gain and obesity in adults is uncertain. OBJECTIVES: Our goal was to characterize the association between PM2.5 and the risks of weight gain and obesity. METHODS: We followed 3,902,440 U.S. Veterans from 2010 to 2018 (median 8.1 y, interquartile range: 7.3–8.4) and assigned time-updated PM2.5 exposures by linking geocoded residential street addresses with satellite-based estimates of surface-level PM2.5 mass (at ~1-km² resolution). Associations with PM2.5 were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models for incident obesity [body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m²] and a 10-lb increase in weight relative to baseline and linear mixed models for associations with intra-individual changes in BMI and weight. RESULTS: A 10-μg/m³ higher average annual PM2.5 concentration was associated with risk of incident obesity [푛=2,325,769; hazard ratio (HR)=1.08 (95% CI: 1.06, 1.11)] and the risk of a 10-lb (4.54 kg) increase in weight [HR=1.07 (95% CI: 1.06, 1.08)] and with higher intra-individual changes in BMI [0.140 kg/m² per year (95% CI: 0.139, 0.142)] and weight [0.968 lb/y (95% CI: 0.955, 0.981)]. Nonlinear exposure– response models indicated associations at PM2.5 concentrations below the national standard of 12 μg/m³. As expected, a negative exposure control (ambient air sodium) was not associated with obesity or weight gain. Associations were consistent in direction and magnitude across sensitivity analyses that included alternative outcomes and exposures assigned at different spatial resolutions. DISCUSSION: PM2.5 air pollution was associated with the risk of obesity and weight gain in a large predominantly male cohort of U.S. Veterans. Discussions about health effects of PM2.5 should include its association with obesity, and deliberations about the epidemiology of obesity should consider its association with PM2.5. Investigation in other cohorts will deepen our understanding of the relationship between PM2.5 and weight gain and obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure to tolvaptan is associated with a significant risk of liver injury in a small fraction of patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. The observed delayed onset of liver injury of between 3 and 18 months after commencing tolvaptan treatment, along with rapid recurrence of symptoms following re-challenge is indicative of an adaptive immune attack. This study set out to assess the intrinsic immunogenicity of tolvaptan and pathways of drug-specific T-cell activation using in vitro cell culture platforms. Tolvaptan (n  = 7), as well as oxybutyric (DM-4103, n  = 1) and hydroxybutyric acid (DM-4107, n  = 18) metabolite-specific T-cell clones were generated from tolvaptan naive healthy donor peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Tolvaptan and DM-4103 T-cell clones could also be activated with DM-4107, whereas T-cell clones originally primed with DM-4107 were highly specific to this compound. A signature cytokine profile (IFN-γ, IL-13, granzyme B, and perforin) for almost all T-cell clones was identified. Mechanistically, compound-specific T-cell clone activation was dependent on the presence of soluble drug and could occur within 4 h of drug exposure, ruling out a classical hapten mechanism. However, antigen processing dependence drug presentation was indicated in many T-cell clones. Collectively these data show that tolvaptan-associated liver injury may be attributable to an adaptive immune attack upon the liver, with tolvaptan- and metabolite-specific T cells identified as candidate effector cells in such etiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discrete control of ion energy and flux is of increasing importance to industrially relevant plasma sources. The ion energy distribution functions (IEDFs) and net ion flux incident upon material surfaces in intermediate pressure (≈133 Pa, 1 Torr) radio-frequency capacitively coupled plasmas (rf CCPs) are coupled to the spatio-temporal sheath dynamics and resulting phase-averaged sheath potential. For single frequency driven discharges this co-dependence of ion energy and flux on the sheath potential limits the range of accessible operating regimes. In this work, experimentally benchmarked 2D fluid/Monte-Carlo simulations are employed to demonstrate quasi-independent control of the ion flux and IEDF incident upon plasma facing surfaces in a collisional (≈200 Pa, 1.5 Torr argon) rf hollow cathode discharge driven by multi-harmonic (n ⩾ 2) tailored voltage waveforms. The application of variable phase offset n = 5 tailored voltage waveforms affords a significant degree of control over the ion flux and mean ion energy , modulating each by factors of 2.9 and 1.6, respectively as compared to 1.8 and 1.6, achieved via n = 2 dual-frequency voltage waveforms. The disparate modulations achieved employing n = 5 tailored voltage waveforms demonstrate a significant degree of independent control over the mean ion energy and ion flux for collisional conditions, enabling access to a wider range of operational regimes. Maximising the extent to which ion energy and flux may be independently controlled enables improvements to plasma sources for technological applications such as plasma assisted material manufacture and spacecraft propulsion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction of the dye molecule N3 (cis-bis(isothiocyanato)bis(2,2-bipyridyl-4,4'-dicarboxylato)- ruthenium(II)) with the ultra-thin oxide layer on a AlNi(110) substrate, has been studied using synchrotron radiation based photoelectron spectroscopy, resonant photoemission spectroscopy, and near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. Calibrated X-ray absorption and valence band spectra of the monolayer and multilayer coverages reveal that charge transfer is possible from the molecule to the AlNi(110) substrate via tunnelling through the ultra-thin oxide layer and into the conduction band edge of the substrate. This charge transfer mechanism is possible from the LUMO+2 and 3 in the excited state but not from the LUMO, therefore enabling core-hole clock analysis, which gives an upper limit of 6.0 ± 2.5 fs for the transfer time. This indicates that ultra-thin oxide layers are a viable material for use in dye-sensitized solar cells, which may lead to reduced recombination effects and improved efficiencies of future devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rabies is a devastating zoonotic disease causing nearly 60,000 deaths globally each year. The disease causes Malawi an economic loss of 13 million USD and kills almost 500 people annually. Domestic dogs are the main reservoir for rabies and vaccinating over 70% of the dog population is the most efficient method to reduce its incidence in both humans and canines. However, achieving such coverages is often difficult and depend on many geospatial factors. Rural and pastoral regions are considered difficult to vaccinate efficiently due to low dog densities, and reports of campaigns spanning large areas containing vastly different communities are lacking. This study describes a mass canine vaccination campaign covering rural and urban regions in southern Malawi. The campaign achieved an average vaccination coverage of 83.4% across 3 districts, and vaccinated over 89,000 dogs through a combined static point and door-to-door effort. A dog population of 107,574 dogs was estimated (dog:human ratio of 1:23). The canine population was found to be almost completely owned (99.2%) and mostly kept for security purposes (82.7%). The dogs were mainly adults, males, and not neutered. Regression analysis identified education level and proportion of young dogs as the only factors influencing (positively and negatively, respectively) whether vaccination coverage over 70% was achieved in a region, independently of variables such as population density or poverty. A second regression analysis was performed predicting absolute vaccination coverage. While education level and the proportion of confined dogs were associated with positive vaccination coverage, higher proportions of young animals and female dogs were associated with a decrease in coverage. This study confirms the feasibility of homogeneously vaccinating over 70% of the dogs in a large area including rural and urban communities. These findings can inform the logistics of future campaigns and might be used as a template to facilitate high-number, high-coverage vaccination campaigns to other regions in sub-Saharan Africa. Author summary: Since 99% of human rabies cases are caused by dog bites, mass dog vaccination campaigns are to be the most efficient method to eradicate the disease. The annual vaccination of over 70% of the population is needed to stop transmission of rabies and reduce the incidence of the disease in human and dog populations. Despite international efforts, rabies continues to be prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, where dog vaccination coverages remain suboptimal. Different communities require different approaches depending on socio-economic and spatial factors. This study describes a mass dog vaccination campaign which achieved homogeneous vaccination coverages of over 70% in 3 districts in southern Malawi, including rural and urban regions, and vaccinated over 89,000 dogs. The dog demographics were studied and compared with reports from other regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Logistic regression models were developed to identify the effect of different factors on coverage. While the influence of several variables on absolute vaccination coverage was determined, only education level and the proportion of young animals were shown to have a significant influence on a region achieving adequate coverage. This study demonstrates the feasibility of vaccinating large number of dogs at high coverage across a wide range of geographical areas in southern Malawi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the use of real‐world data sets is encouraged when teaching statistics, it can be difficult for instructors to find meaningful data for introducing students to univariate descriptive statistics such as the mean, median, and percentiles. The recent lead contamination of the water supply in Flint, Michigan, provides a real‐life data set with important implications hinging on basic statistics such as these. The data set can also be used as a starting point for discussions on sampling design, data collection, and ethical data practices. We present data and lesson suggestions for teaching descriptive statistics. The data come from studies of the Flint, Michigan lead water crisis. Topics covered include univariate descriptive statistics, sampling and data collection, and ethical data practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher education (HE) is usually seen as serving the public good, especially when funded directly by the state, and because of potential social effects such as a reduction in inequality and an increase in social mobility. Public support for higher education is conditional; however, on its capacity, capability and willingness to educate citizens, and to create and disseminate knowledge. But what is the public good and what defines it? Recent years have seen many governments adopt the format of a national strategy or development plan for higher education—setting out national objectives. Similarly, many governments (e.g. Ireland, Netherlands, Hong Kong, Finland and New Zealand) are adopting the policy tool of performance agreements or compacts to better align higher education institutions (HEI) with the national objectives, involving identification of appropriate performance management and indicators. The process by which national objectives are determined varies but may involve a group comprising national and international 'experts', sometimes using consultation mechanisms (open or limited). The concept of public good has played a significant role in (re)positioning higher education over recent years. This is especially so in response to growing demands for greater accountability for all public organisations, but also, specific concerns regarding growing higher education access/participation, costs/debt, graduate employability/unemployment, and social/economic impact. This paper takes a practical approach—by asking 'what is the public good' and 'who defines it' and looking at how different countries are approaching the issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-equilibrium inductively coupled plasmas (ICPs) operating in hydrogen are of significant interest for applications including large-area materials processing. Increasing control of spatial gas heating, which drives the formation of neutral species density gradients and the rate of gas-temperature-dependent reactions, is critical. In this study, we use 2D fluid-kinetic simulations with the Hybrid Plasma Equipment Model to investigate the spatially resolved production of atomic hydrogen in a low-pressure planar ICP operating in pure hydrogen (10–20 Pa or 0.075–0.15 Torr, 300 W). The reaction set incorporates self-consistent calculation of the spatially resolved gas temperature and 14 vibrationally excited states. We find that the formation of neutral-gas density gradients, which result from spatially non-uniform electrical power deposition at constant pressure, can drive significant variations in the vibrational distribution function and density of atomic hydrogen when gas heating is spatially resolved. This highlights the significance of spatial gas heating on the production of reactive species in relatively high-power-density plasma processing sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ion energy distribution functions (IEDFs) incident upon material surfaces in radio frequency (rf) capacitively coupled plasmas are coupled to spatial and temporal sheath dynamics. Tailoring the ion energy distribution function within intermediate-pressure plasmas (≈133 Pa, 1 Torr), which find application in surface modification and aerospace industries, is challenging due to the collisional conditions. In this work, experimentally benchmarked 2D fluid/Monte-Carlo simulations are employed to demonstrate the production of structured IEDFs in a collisional (200 Pa 1.5 Torr argon) rf hollow cathode discharge. The formation of structures within the IEDFs is explained by an increase in the Ar+ ion-neutral mean-free-path and a simultaneous decrease in the phase-averaged sheath extension as the rf voltage frequency increases over 13.56–108.48 MHz for a constant rf voltage amplitude (increasing plasma power) and gas flow rate. Two distinct transitions in the shape of the IEDF are observed at 450 V, corresponding to the formation of "mid-energy" (60–180 eV) structures between 40.68 and 54.24 MHz and additional "high energy" (≳ 180 eV) structures between 81.36 and 94.92 MHz, with the structures within each region displaying a distinct sensitivity to the applied voltage amplitude. Transitions between these energy ranges occurred at lower applied voltages for increased applied voltage frequencies, providing increased control of the mean and modal ion energy over a wider voltage range. The capabitlity to extend the range of access to an operational regime, where the structured IEDFs are observed, is desirable for applications that require control of the ion-bombardment energy under collisional plasma conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• New BC to initialize a P-VSA simulation with PE steps. • Method to dampen oscillatory behavior in a P-VSA simulation with PE steps. • Significantly improves CSS stability when the P-VSA cycle has multiple PE steps. • Four different VSA/PSA configurations examined for O 2 and H 2 purification. Two new techniques for single-vessel Pressure or Vacuum Swing Adsorption (P-VSA) mathematical models are presented that improve convergence stability to Cyclic Steady State (CSS) when Pressure Equalization (PE) steps are involved. The first method, the Reflected Equalization Pressure (REP) method uses simplifying assumptions to derive a simple and efficient analytical solution for the unknown pressure profile boundary condition (BC) to use during PE steps on the first simulated cycle of a P-VSA simulation without the need for user-defined functions or additional ODEs. The second method, the Weighted Store-and-Retrieve (WSR) method is a variation on the Traditional Store-and-Retrieve (TSR) method for simulating PE steps where gases flow from one vessel to another in a single-vessel mathematical model. The WSR method retains history across several cycles, passing this back into the mathematical model via weighting factors to average the data and dampen the oscillatory response of a mathematical model to PE steps. Several examples of this technique are applied to the O 2 VSA and H 2 PSA systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of low power micro-propulsion sources is of recent interest for application on miniature satellite platforms. Radio-frequency (rf) plasma electrothermal microthrusters can operate without a space-charge neutralizer and provide increased control of spatiotemporal power deposition. Further understanding of how the phase-resolved rf plasma heating mechanisms affect the phase-averaged bulk plasma properties, e.g. neutral gas temperature, could allow for in-flight tailoring of plasma thrusters. In this work, experimentally validated two-dimensional fluid-kinetic simulations were employed to study the spatially resolved electron and ion power deposition and neutral gas heating in a dual-frequency rf electrothermal microthruster operating at 1.5 Torr plenum pressure in argon. Experimental validation was performed through a comparison of the measured and simulated phase resolved Ar(2p1) excitation rates, showing close agreement. Two types of dual-frequency voltage waveforms were investigated, and comprise the combination of a 13.56 MHz voltage waveform with 27.12 MHz and 40.68 MHz waveforms, respectively. Varying the phase offset of the higher harmonic relative to the fundamental 13.56 MHz voltage waveform was found to modulate the dc self-bias voltage by 11% and 3% of the maximum applied peak-to-peak voltage, respectively. The 13.56 MHz, 27.12 MHz dual-frequency voltage waveform provided the highest degree of control, where the fraction of total rf power deposited into Ar+ ions was found to vary from 57% to 77%, modulating the on-axis neutral gas temperature by 35%. This control is attributed to the variation in the fraction of the rf phase cycle for which the sheath is collapsed, altering the phase-averaged electric field strength adjacent to the radial wall. The application of dual-frequency waveforms provides the ability to optimize the particle heating mechanisms with application to electrothermal propulsion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research indicates that trainees often withhold important information related to their clients' progress and their reactions to supervision. Moreover, factors associated with the occurrence of supervisee nondisclosure (SND) are not well established. As one of the few studies to compare clinically related with supervision-related nondisclosure, we tested the relation of these two dimensions of the construct, as measured by Siembor and Ellis's (2012) Supervisee Nondisclosure Scales, to three important process variables: perceptions of (a) the supervisory alliance, as measured by Bahrick's (1989) Working Alliance Inventory-Trainee; (b) collaborative supervision, as measured by Rousmaniere and Ellis's (2013) Collaborative Supervision Behavior Scale; and (c) explicitly relational supervisor behaviors, as measured by Shaffer and Friedlander's (2017) Relational Behavior Scale. Participants were 257 North American trainees, predominately White female doctoral students receiving supervision in a practicum or internship setting. As hypothesized, the three process variables inversely contributed to the multivariate composite of SND, jointly accounting for roughly one quarter of the variability; alliance and relational behavior were uniquely significant contributors (24.5% and 7%, respectively). Follow-up analyses indicated that only alliance perceptions contributed unique variance (23%) to supervisionrelated nondisclosures, which were endorsed much more frequently than clinically related nondisclosures in this sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With reviews of his two most recent books as its basis, this Turning Point pays tribute to Thomas Docherty’s major endeavour to chart and indict the progressive decline if not the effective destruction of UK universities over the past 40 and especially the past 20 years. It summarises his project and considers his analysis, not only of the situation of higher education, but its relation to our larger cultural predicament, in detail, the problem being above all the long ascendancy of neoliberalism. It underlines the specific thrust his position and history as a talented and versatile literary theorist and critic gives to his critique, as for example in his accounts of contemporary cliché and doublespeak, and the store he sets by literature as counter-discourse, resistance to the contemporary valuation of identity and transparency, and safeguard of an equivalent of Kant’s speculative reason, a space quite separate from the existing state of affairs and present pieties, one that is future-oriented but also richly able to learn from the past. It ends by suggesting the need for a few creative supplements to Docherty’s work, not least a more ample recognition of the actual, ungainsayable failure and disintegration of 'the left’, particularly as engineered by New Labour, and of the extent to which critiques of neoliberal culture might be obscurely but significantly implicated in the objects of their attack. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a case of vitiligo repigmenting after the patient was prescribed oral baricitinib, a new Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor, for his concurrent rheumatoid arthritis. In August 2018, three weeks after developing vitiligo, oral tofacitinib 5 mg BD was commenced as monotherapy for the treatment of his rheumatoid arthritis. Tofacitinib citrate for the treatment of Vitiligo a pathogenesis-directed therapy. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Canine transmitted rabies kills an estimated 59,000 people annually, despite proven methods for elimination through mass dog vaccination. Challenges in directing and monitoring numerous remote vaccination teams across large geographic areas remain a significant barrier to the up-scaling of focal vaccination programmes to sub-national and national level. Smartphone technology (mHealth) is increasingly being used to enhance the coordination and efficiency of public health initiatives in developing countries, however examples of successful scaling beyond pilot implementation are rare. This study describes a smartphone app and website platform, “Mission Rabies App”, used to co-ordinate rabies control activities at project sites in four continents to vaccinate over one million dogs. Methods: Mission Rabies App made it possible to not only gather relevant campaign data from the field, but also to direct vaccination teams systematically in near real-time. The display of user-allocated boundaries on Google maps within data collection forms enabled a project manager to define each team’s region of work, assess their output and assign subsequent areas to progressively vaccinate across a geographic area. This ability to monitor work and react to a rapidly changing situation has the potential to improve efficiency and coverage achieved, compared to regular project management structures, as well as enhancing capacity for data review and analysis from remote areas. The ability to plot the location of every vaccine administered facilitated engagement with stakeholders through transparent reporting, and has the potential to motivate politicians to support such activities. Results: Since the system launched in September 2014, over 1.5 million data entries have been made to record dog vaccinations, rabies education classes and field surveys in 16 countries. Use of the system has increased year-on-year with adoption for mass dog vaccination campaigns at the India state level in Goa and national level in Haiti. Conclusions: Innovative approaches to rapidly scale mass dog vaccination programmes in a sustained and systematic fashion are urgently needed to achieve the WHO, OIE and FAO goal to eliminate canine-transmitted human deaths by 2030. The Mission Rabies App is an mHealth innovation which greatly reduces the logistical and managerial barriers to implementing large scale rabies control activities. Free access to the platform aims to support pilot campaigns to better structure and report on proof-of-concept initiatives, clearly presenting outcomes and opportunities for expansion. The functionalities of the Mission Rabies App may also be beneficial to other infectious disease interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rabies is a devastating yet preventable disease that causes around 59,000 human deaths annually. Almost all human rabies cases are caused by bites from rabies-infected dogs. A large proportion of these cases occur in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA). Annual vaccination of at least 70% of the dog population is recommended by the World Health Organisation in order to eliminate rabies. However, achieving such high vaccination coverage has proven challenging, especially in low resource settings. Despite being logistically and economically more feasible than door-to-door approaches, static point (SP) vaccination campaigns often suffer from low attendance and therefore result in low vaccination coverage. Here, we investigated the barriers to attendance at SP offering free rabies vaccinations for dogs in Blantyre, Malawi. We analysed data for 22,924 dogs from a city-wide vaccination campaign in combination with GIS and household questionnaire data using multivariable logistic regression and distance estimation techniques. We found that distance plays a crucial role in SP attendance (i.e. for every km closer the odds of attending a SP point are 3.3 times higher) and that very few people are willing to travel more than 1.5 km to bring their dog for vaccination. Additionally, we found that dogs from areas with higher proportions of people living in poverty are more likely to be presented for vaccination (ORs 1.58-2.22). Furthermore, puppies (OR 0.26), pregnant or lactating female dogs (OR 0.60) are less likely to be presented for vaccination. Owners also reported that they did not attend an SP because they were not aware of the campaign (27%) or they could not handle their dog (19%). Our findings will inform the design of future rabies vaccination programmes in SSA which may lead to improved vaccination coverage achieved by SP alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the factors leading to the overall capacitance of manganese dioxide electrochemical capacitor materials, i.e. the double layer and pseudocapacitive behaviour, have been separated using Step Potential Electrochemical Spectroscopy (SPECS). In addition, variations in these parameters have been linked to regions of structural change in the material. In regions where ion diffusion into the bulk of a material is a facile process, the pseudocapacitive charge storage shows an increase. In addition, the double layer capacitance has been shown to increase with reduced protonation of the material surface. This has been attributed to variations in electronic resistance and also an increase in the number of sites that can accommodate electrostatic charge. Further, the origin of the residual current seen in previous experiments has been determined. In structures where ion diffusion into the bulk is a facile process, the residual currents are related to this process. Where there is no bulk ion diffusion, the residual currents have been assigned to the production of soluble Mn 2+ . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein the utility of step potential electrochemical spectroscopy for determining the mechanisms by which capacitance changes as a function of film parameters such as fractional material content and film thickness in thin film capacitors is demonstrated. The change in the capacitive behaviour of anodically electrodeposited thin films of MnO 2 is investigated as a function of deposition time. With increasing film deposition time, the gravimetric double layer capacitance associated with small pores in the material increases. Thus, it is inferred that the number of small pores in the material, with respect to mass, increases in thicker films. This is due to a transition between MnOOH to MnO 2 as deposition proceeds, with a subsequent contraction of the structure. It is also shown that the pseudocapacitive behaviour of the thin film electrode decreases with increasing film thickness, which has been attributed to a change in the cation diffusion characteristics of the material as it transitions from the Mn(III) to Mn(IV) states. Further, it is shown that a large portion of the pseudo-capacitive behaviour of MnO 2 arises from a very thin surface coating of MnOOH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article looks at the effects of a national policy of research prioritization in the years following Ireland's economic crisis. A national research prioritization exercise initiated by policymakers redefined the purpose of higher education research, and designed policies in line with this approach. Placing research for enterprise to the fore, it emphasized the economic value that subjects could return on state investments. This article examines the post-crisis policy of prioritization, its relationship with and effects on arts and humanities research, and how the notion of the benefit of research can be broadened while still addressing economic needs. It draws on 22 comprehensive semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders in Ireland's academic, policy, and civil society communities, and is part of a wider study on the contribution of higher education institution-based arts and humanities research to society and the economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein the various steps in the electrodeposition mechanism of manganese dioxide from permanganate are elucidated. Two primary mechanisms are described, dependent on applied potential and hydrodynamics. The first is a combined reduction and disproportionation reaction involving the reduction of MnO 4 − to MnO 4 2− , which subsequently hydrolyses and disproportionates to form the Mn(V) species H 2 MnO 4 − . This is then further reduced to form manganese dioxide. This reaction continues over the whole potential range, however whether the system is dynamic or static has an effect on this, with the former leading to continued reaction from an influx of MnO 4 − , and the latter not having available MnO 4 − to proceed. The second mechanism involves a dissolution of already existing manganese dioxide, through a MnOOH intermediate to form aqueous Mn 2+ . This Mn 2+ then reacts with MnO 4 − in solution to form manganese dioxide. These mechanisms have been substantiated with scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The performance of these materials as capacitor electrodes has also been investigated, achieving 363 F/g when cycled at 25 mV/s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Charge transfer interactions between C 60 and the metal surfaces of Ag(111), Cu(111), Au(111) and Pt(111) have been studied using synchrotron-based photoemission, resonant photoemission and X-ray absorption spectroscopies. By placing the X-ray absorption and valence band spectra on a common binding energy scale, the energetic overlap of the unoccupied molecular orbitals with the density of states of the underlying metal surface have been assessed in the context of possible charge transfer pathways. Resonant photoemission and resonant Auger data, measuring the valence region as a function of photon energy for C 60 adsorbed on Au(111) reveals three constant high kinetic energy features associated with Auger-like core-hole decay involving an electron transferred from the surface to the LUMO of the molecule and electrons from the three highest occupied molecular orbitals, respectively and in the presence of ultra-fast charge transfer of the originally photoexcited molecule to the surface. Data for the C 60 /Ag(111) surface reveals an additional Auger-like feature arising from a core-hole decay process involving more than one electron transferred from the surface into the LUMO. An analysis of the relative abundance of these core-hole decay channels estimates that on average 2.4 ± 0.3 electrons are transferred from the Ag(111) surface into the LUMO. A core-hole clock analysis has also been applied to assess the charge transfer coupling in the other direction, from the molecule to the Au(111) and Ag(111) surfaces. Resonant photoemission and resonant Auger data for C 60 molecules adsorbed on the Pt(111) and Cu(111) surfaces are shown to exhibit no super-Auger features, which is attributed to the strong modification of the unoccupied molecular orbitals arising from stronger chemical coupling of the molecule to the surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For researchers wishing to generate an understanding of complex plasma systems, global models often present an attractive first step, mainly due to their ease of development and use. These volume averaged models are able to give descriptions of plasmas with complex chemical kinetics, and without the computationally intensive numerical methods required for spatially resolved models. This paper gives a tutorial on global modeling, including development and techniques, and provides a discussion on the issues and pitfalls that researchers should be aware of. Further discussion is provided in the form of two reviews on methods of extending global modeling techniques to encompass variations in either time or space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of serious adverse drug reactions are caused by T cells. An association with HLA alleles has been identified with certain reactions, which makes it difficult to develop standardized preclinical tests to predict chemical liability. We have recently developed a T cell priming assay using the drug metabolite nitroso sulfamethoxazole (SMX-NO). We now report on reproducibility of the assay, establishment of a biobank of PBMC from 1000 HLA-typed volunteers, and generation of antigen-specific responses to a panel of compounds. Forty T cell priming assays were performed with SMX-NO; 5 gave weak responses (1.5-1.9) and 34 showed good (SI 2.0-3.9) or strong responses (SI > 4.0) using readouts for proliferation and cytokine release. Thus, SMX-NO can be used as a model reagent for in vitro T cell activation. Good to strong responses were also generated to haptenic compounds (amoxicillin, piperacillin and Bandrowski's base) that are not associated with an HLA risk allele. Furthermore, responses were detected to carbamazepine (in HLA-B*15:02 donors), flucloxacillin (in 1 HLAB* 57:01 donor) and oxypurinol (in HLA-B*58:01 donors), which are associated with HLA-class I-restricted forms of hypersensitivity. In contrast, naıve T cell priming to ximelagatran, lumiracoxib, and lapatinib (HLA-class II-restricted forms of hypersensitivity) yielded negative results. Abacavir, which activates memory T cells in patients, did not activate naıve T cells from HLA-B*57:01 donors. This work shows that the priming assay can be used to assess primary T cell responses to drugs and to study mechanisms T cell priming for drugs that display HLA class I restriction. Additional studies are required to investigate HLA-class II-restricted reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of an electric field over a ceramic powder compact at elevated temperatures gives rise to "flash sintering". The phenomenon occurs at a critical combination of field and temperature, which leads to a rapid increase in the electric power dissipated within the sample. This results in sample densification in far shorter timescales than those required with conventional sintering. This paper reports the first successful pressureless flash sintering of SiC with B and C sintering aids. Mean relative densities of up to 94.4% have been achieved in several minutes using an alumina tube furnace at 1500 °C. The sample temperature during flash sintering was similar to those used for conventional sintering of SiC (2100–2200 °C). The electrical response of SiC during the flash event was consistent with thermal runaway. However, the negative temperature coefficient of resistivity responsible for the runaway originated primarily from the effects of sintering, in contrast to the case with oxide ceramics. The rapid sintering was attributed to the rapid heating and the formation of a liquid phase. The densest specimen had a grain size of 5.9 µm ± 0.5 µm and a Vickers hardness (HV5) of 24.7 GPa ± 0.5 GPa. These values were similar to those of conventionally sintered specimens of the same powder but the production time of the flash sintered samples was reduced by more than 6 h and with a furnace temperature lower by 700 °C. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An estimated 60,000 people die of rabies annually. The vast majority of cases of human rabies develop following a bite from an infected dog. Rabies can be controlled in both human and canine populations through widespread vaccination of dogs. Rabies is particularly problematic in Malawi, costing the country an estimated 13 million USD and 484 human deaths annually, with an increasing paediatric incidence in Blantyre City. Consequently, the aim of this study was to vaccinate a minimum of 75% of all the dogs within Blantyre city during a one month period. Blantyre’s 25 administrative wards were divided into 204 working zones. For initial planning, a mean human:dog ratio from the literature enabled estimation of dog population size and dog surveys were then performed in 29 working zones in order to assess dog distribution by land type. Vaccination was conducted at static point stations at weekends, at a total of 44 sites, with each operating for an average of 1.3 days. On Monday to Wednesday, door-to-door vaccination sessions were undertaken in the areas surrounding the preceding static point stations. 23,442 dogs were vaccinated at static point stations and 11,774 dogs were vaccinated during door-to-door vaccinations. At the end of the 20 day vaccination programme, an assessment of vaccination coverage through door-to-door surveys found that of 10,919 dogs observed, 8,661 were vaccinated resulting in a vaccination coverage of 79.3% (95%CI 78.6–80.1%). The estimated human:dog ratio for Blantyre city was 18.1:1. Mobile technology facilitated the collection of data as well as efficient direction and coordination of vaccination teams in near real time. This study demonstrates the feasibility of vaccinating large numbers of dogs at a high vaccination coverage, over a short time period in a large African city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of copper rich catalysts with different Cu:Pd atomic ratios were screened for the selective hydrogenation of propyne. Sample with 50:1 Cu:Pd ratio exhibited high propene selectivity, yet could be operated at temperatures far lower than typically observed for Cu only catalyst. It is believed that Pd facilitates reaction at Cu sites by promoting hydrogen dissociation at low temperature, followed by spillover onto Cu where the reaction occurs selectively. Catalyst testing with propyne alone showed that full conversion could be achieved at only 383 K with greater than 70% selectivity to propene. Industrially relevant tests were also conducted with a mixed C3 feed containing propyne, propadiene, propene and propane which is unique given that most literature studies fail to consider that propadiene is also an impurity which must be removed during selective hydrogenation of C3 cuts from naphtha crackers. Under such conditions and at only 383 K, propene selectivity of around 90% was achievable at >99% conversion. The option to operate at such low temperature, in the absence of CO, makes 50-CuPd sample an interesting alterative to current industrial catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Over 20,000 people die from rabies each year in India. At least 95 % of people contract rabies from an infected dog. Annual vaccination of over 70 % of the dog population has eliminated both canine and human rabies in many countries. Despite having the highest burden of rabies in the world, there have been very few studies which have reported the successful, large scale vaccination of dogs in India. Furthermore, many Indian canine rabies vaccination programmes have not achieved high vaccine coverage.Methods: In this study, we utilised a catch-vaccinate-release approach in a canine rabies vaccination programme in 18 wards in Ranchi, India. Following vaccination, surveys of the number of marked, vaccinated and unmarked, unvaccinated dogs were undertaken. A bespoke smartphone 'Mission Rabies' application was developed to facilitate data entry and team management. This enabled GPS capture of the location of all vaccinated dogs and dogs sighted on post vaccination surveys. In areas where coverage was below 70 %, catching teams were re-deployed to vaccinate more dogs followed by repeat survey.Results: During the initial vaccination cycle, 6593 dogs were vaccinated. Vaccination coverage was over 70 % in 14 of the 18 wards. A second cycle of vaccination was performed in the 4 wards where initial vaccination coverage was below 70 %. Following this second round of vaccination, coverage was reassessed and found to be over 70 % in two wards and only just below 70 % in the final two wards (66.7 % and 68.2 %, respectively).Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that mobile technology enabled efficient team management and rapid data entry and analysis. The vaccination approach outlined in this study has the potential to facilitate the rapid vaccination of large numbers of dogs at a high coverage in free roaming dog populations in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multilayered films of hybrid manganese dioxide have been synthesised in an anodic pulse deposition study with the addition of phosphotungstic acid, H 3 PW 12 O 40 (PW) to an acidified MnSO 4 solution. These hybrid materials exhibit tuneable layered morphologies, which is not present in material synthesised in the absence of PW. Cyclic voltammetry analyses have been performed in situ on single pulse thin film depositions synthesised in the presence of varying concentrations of PW, where minor amounts of PW improves the cycle stability of the material, however larger concentrations lead to a degradation in material performance. In situ electrochemical analysis shows that the incorporated PW clusters do not affect material activity, however they do play a role in defining both meso- and micro-structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selected Ion Flow Tube Mass Spectrometry (SIFT-MS) was used to quantify methanol and other volatile compounds in the headspace of one bacterial and 12 fungal lignin-degrading microbial cultures. Cultures were grown in 250 mL Erlenmeyer flasks capped with aluminum foil containing 40 mL of nutrient media using Kraft lignin (0.3% w/v) as the sole carbon source. Analysis was done using SIFT-MS with H 3 O + and NO + precursors. Product ions were identified with multiple ion mode (MIM). Full scan (FS) mode was used to identify other compounds of interest. Absidia cylindrospora , Ischnoderma resinosum and Pholiota aurivella increased headspace methanol concentration by 136 ppb, 1196 ppb and 278 ppb, respectively, while Flammulina velutipes and Laetiporus sulphureus decreased concentration below ambient levels. F. velutipes and L. sulphureus were found to produce products of methanol oxidation (formaldehyde and formic acid) and were likely metabolizing methanol. Some additional unidentified compounds generated by the fungal cultures are intriguing and will require further study. SIFT-MS can be used to quantify methanol and other volatile compounds in the headspace of microbial cultures and has the potential to be a rapid, sensitive, non-invasive tool useful in elucidating the mechanisms of lignin degradative pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of a radio-frequency driven, microscale non thermal atmospheric pressure plasma jet operated in helium with vol. 0.3% molecular oxygen gas admixture, on PC-3 prostate cancer cells has been investigated. The viability of cells exposed to the plasma was found to decrease with increasing plasma exposure time, with apoptosis through caspase and PARP cleavage being observed. High concentrations of nitrite and nitrate were detected in growth media exposed to the plasma and were found to increase in a time dependent manner post exposure. This indicates a slow release of reactive nitrogen species into the growth media, which is likely to influence cellular response to plasma exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the complexities of managing Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) and Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) in elderly patients. Topics include the challenges of steroid tapering and relapse prediction, differences in relapse rates between PMR and GCA, and the findings from a retrospective analysis of patients diagnosed with these conditions.

The article focuses on author Steven Connor and mentions topics such as University of London, English Studies and French Revolution. Other topics such as literary theory, cultural theory and materialism are also mentioned. University of Cambridge, University of Tavern and cultural phenomenology are also discussed.

Activation of PD-1 on T cells is thought to inhibit Ag-specific T cell priming and regulate T cell differentiation. Thus, we sought to measure the drug-specific activation of naive T cells after perturbation of PD-L1/2/PD-1 binding and investigate whether PD-1 signaling influences the differentiation of T cells. Priming of naive CD4+ and CD8+ T cells against drug Ags was found to be more effective when PD-L1 signaling was blocked. Upon restimulation, T cells proliferated more vigorously and secreted increased levels of IFN-γ, IL-13, and IL-22 but not IL-17. Naive T cells expressed low levels of PD-1; however, a transient increase in PD-1 expression was observed during drug-specific T cell priming. Next, drug-specific responses from in vitro primed T cell clones and clones from hypersensitive patients were measured and correlated with PD-1 expression. All clones were found to secrete IFN-γ, IL-5, and IL-13. More detailed analysis revealed two different cytokine signatures. Clones secreted either FasL/IL-22 or granzyme B. The FasL/IL-22-secreting clones expressed the skin-homing receptors CCR4, CCR10, and CLA and migrated in response to CCL17/CCL27. PD-1 was stably expressed at different levels on clones; however, PD-1 expression did not correlate with the strength of the Ag-specific proliferative response or the secretion of cytokines/cytolytic molecules. This study shows that PD-L1/PD-1 binding negatively regulates the priming of drug-specific T cells. ELISPOT analysis uncovered an Ag-specific FasL/ IL-22-secreting T cell subset with skin-homing properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims We draw on the work of Nancy Fraser, and in particular her concepts of weak and strong publics, to analyze the process of parental involvement in managed neonatal network boards. Background Public involvement has moved beyond the individual level to include greater involvement of both patients and the public in governance. However, there is relatively little literature that explores the nature and outcomes of long-term patient involvement initiatives or has attempted to theorize, particularly at the level of corporate decision making, the process of patient and public involvement. Methods A repeated survey of all neonatal network managers in England was carried out in 2006-07 to capture developments and changes in parental representation over this time period. This elicited information about the current status of parent representation on neonatal network boards. Four networks were also selected as case studies. This involved interviews with key members of each network board, interviews with parent representatives, observation of meetings and access to board minutes. Results Data collected show that a wide range of approaches to involving parents has been adopted. These range from decisions not to involve parents at this level to relatively well-developed systems designed to link parent representatives on network boards to parents in neonatal units. Conclusion Despite these variations, we suggest that parental participation within neonatal services remains an example of a weak public because the parent representatives had limited participation with little influence on decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The period of Joyce's early life is one of huge turbulence around the question of land and property law but also of unresolved tensions which do not start to relax until 1904. Between 1878 and 1904, a period running more or less from Joyce's birth to his departure from Ireland, the question of land and property law assumed a new dimension and took on an altogether new intensity. In thinking about Joyce and property law in a British-Irish historical context, at least four crucial factors are worth keeping in mind. First, there was the historical priority of Brehon Law. Second, however, the cause of the nightmare was not the imposition of the colonizer's alien legal system. Had English property law been comprehensively and scrupulously applied in Ireland, the political benefits would have been substantial, if not decisive. Hence, third, throughout the nineteenth and into the early-twentieth century, land law and politics were inextricable from one another. Fourth, as far as land and property law is concerned, imaginary oppositions of agrarian issues to urban ones are delusive. The Joyce of Ulysses responds to this situation in complex ways: by presenting his registrations or perceptions of a state of affairs as less strictly nationalist than nationalist-oriented; by providing a critique of nationalist responses, a skepticism as to their integrity, and a desire to get them in (comic and ironic) proportion; and by offering us, somewhere quite deep beneath the surface of Ulysses, an obscure, melancholic, socialist dream of the end of property law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with provoked thrombo-inflammatory responses. Early in the COVID-19 pandemic this was thought to contribute to hypercoagulability and multi-organ system complications in infected patients. Limited studies have evaluated the impact of therapeutic anti-coagulation therapy (AC) in alleviating these risks in COVID-19 positive patients. Our study aimed to investigate whether long-term therapeutic AC can decrease the risk of multi-organ system complications (MOSC) including stroke, limb ischemia, gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, in-hospital and intensive care unit death in COVID-19 positive patients hospitalized during the early phase of the pandemic in the United States. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of all COVID-19 positive United States Veterans between March 2020 and October 2020. Patients receiving continuous outpatient therapeutic AC for a least 90 days prior to their initial COVID-19 positive test were assigned to the AC group. Patients who did not receive AC were included in a control group. We analyzed the primary study outcome of MOSC between the AC and control groups using binary logistic regression analysis (Odd-Ratio; OR). Results: We identified 48,066 COVID-19 patients, of them 879 (1.8%) were receiving continuous therapeutic AC. The AC cohort had significantly worse comorbidities than the control group. On the adjusted binary logistic regression model, therapeutic AC significantly decreased in-hospital mortality rate (OR; 0.67, p = 0.04), despite a higher incidence of GI bleeding (OR; 4.00, p = 0.02). However, therapeutic AC did not significantly reduce other adverse events. Conclusion: AC therapy reduced in-hospital death early in the COVID-19 pandemic among patients who were hospitalized with the infection. However, it did not decrease the risk of MOSC. Additional trials are needed to determine the effectiveness of AC in preventing complications associated with ongoing emerging strains of the COVID-19 virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Homotopy on nanophrases is an equivalence relation defined using some data called a homotopy data triple. We define a product on homotopy data triples. We show that any homotopy data triple can be factorized into a product of prime homotopy data triples and this factorization is unique up to isomorphism and order. For any homotopy given by a composite homotopy data triple we define a complete invariant of nanophrases. This invariant is used to show that equivalence of nanophrases under such a homotopy can be calculated just by using the homotopies given by its prime factors. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A virtual string can be defined as an equivalence class of planar diagrams under certain kinds of diagrammatic moves. Virtual strings are related to virtual knots in that a simple operation on a virtual knot diagram produces a diagram for a virtual string. In this paper we consider three operations on a virtual string or virtual strings which produce another virtual string, namely covering, composition and cabling. In particular we study virtual strings unchanged by the covering operation. We also show how the based matrix of a composite virtual string is related to the based matrices of its components, correcting a result by Turaev. Finally we investigate what happens under cabling to some invariants defined by Turaev. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Homotopy classes of nanowords and nanophrases are combinatorial generalizations of virtual knots and links. Goussarov, Polyak and Viro defined finite type invariants for virtual knots and links via semi-virtual crossings. We extend their definition to nanowords and nanophrases. We study finite type invariants of low degrees. In particular, we show that the linking matrix and T invariant defined by Fukunaga are finite type of degree 1 and degree 2 respectively. We also give a finite type invariant of degree 4 for open homotopy of Gauss words. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The essay makes a contribution to the theory of patriotism by advancing a set of insights addressing the problem of pan-national belonging and solidarity in the Canadian context. It draws on the work of philosopher Charles Taylor, who has written extensively on the topic but whose ideas have been inconsistently received. The first part of the essay reviews some of his better-known concepts on Canadian diversity as linked to the national unity debate. The second and third parts draw on less-well-known aspects of Taylor's thought linking patriot-ism to the organic social unity that arises from participation in civil society. The author thus moves beyond approaches that view problems of national belonging solely from the perspective of cultural diversity to offer a broader picture of the means through which an engaged citizenry can be understood to take root. This expanded view includes a focus on the integrative effects of small-scale co-operation and an emphasis on the specifically democratic form of patriotism that is manifest in partisan social conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the amount of scholarly communication increases, it is increasingly difficult for specific core scientific statements to be found, connected and curated. Additionally, the redundancy of these statements in multiple fora makes it difficult to determine attribution, quality and provenance. To tackle these challenges, the Concept Web Alliance has promoted the notion of nanopublications (core scientific statements with associated context). In this document, we present a model of nanopublications along with a Named Graph/RDF serialization of the model. Importantly, the serialization is defined completely using already existing community-developed technologies. Finally, we discuss the importance of aggregating nanopublications and the role that the Concept Wiki plays in facilitating it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]