bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sex-related differences in opioid administration in the emergency department: a population-based study
Authors: Lau Torey , Hayward Jake , Vatanpour Shabnam , Innes Grant
Published: April 2021

Background

Sex differences in pain experience and expression may influence ED pain management. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of sex on ED opioid administration.

Methods

We conducted a multicentre population-based observational cohort study using administrative data from Calgary’s four EDs between 2017 and 2018. Eligible patients had a presenting complaint belonging to one of nine pain categories or an arrival pain score >3. We performed multivariable analyses to identify predictors of opioid administration and stratified analyses by age, pain severity and pain category.

Results

We studied 119 510 patients (mean age 47.4 years; 55.4% female). Opioid administration rates were similar for men and women. After adjusting for age, hospital site, pain category, ED length of stay and pain severity, male sex was not a predictor of opioid treatment (adjusted OR (aOR)=0.93; 95% CI 0.85 to 1.02). However, men were more likely to receive opioids in the categories of trauma (aOR=1.58, 95% CI 1.40 to 1.78), flank pain (aOR=1.24, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.38), headache (aOR=1.18, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.34) and abdominal pain (aOR=1.11, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.18). Pain category appears to be a strong determinant of opioid administration, especially back pain (aOR=6.56, 95% CI 5.99 to 7.19) and flank pain (aOR=6.04, 95% CI 5.48 to 6.65). There was significant variability in opioid provision by ED site (aOR 0.76 to 1.24).

Conclusions

This population-based study demonstrated high variability in opioid use across different settings. Overall, men and women had similar likelihood of receiving opioids; however men with trauma, flank pain, headache and abdominal pain were much more likely to receive opioids. ED physicians should self-examine their analgesic practices with respect to possible sex biases, and departments should introduce evidence-based, indication-specific analgesic protocols to reduce practice variability and optimise opioid analgesia.
Ultrasound-directed reduction of distal radius fractures in adults: a systematic review
Authors: Malik Hamza , Appelboam Andrew , Nunns Michael
Published: April 2021

Objective

To conduct a systematic review of the clinical literature to determine whether ultrasound can be used to improve the reduction of distal radius fractures in adults in the ED.

Methodology

A study protocol was registered on PROSPERO. EMBASE, PubMed/MEDLINE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and ClinicalTrials.gov of the US National Library of Medicine were searched for studies evaluating ultrasound-assisted distal radial fracture reductions in comparison with standard care. The primary outcome of interest was manipulation success rates, defined as the proportion of fracture manipulations resulting in acceptable anatomical alignment, with secondary outcome being subsequent surgical intervention rates in ultrasound and standard care group of patients.

Results

248 were screened at title and abstract, and 10 studies were included for a narrative synthesis. The quality of this evidence is limited but suggests ultrasound is accurate in determining distal radius fracture reduction and may improve the quality of reduction compared with standard care. However, there is insufficient evidence to determine whether this affects the rate of subsequent surgical intervention or functional outcome.

Conclusion

There is a lack of evidence that using ultrasound in the closed reduction of distal radius fractures benefits patients. Properly conducted randomised controlled trials with patient-orientated outcomes are crucial to investigate this technology.
Psychosis and Dandy-Walker syndrome: a case report and review of the literature
Authors: Porras Segovia Alejandro , Guerrero-Jiménez Margarita , Carrillo de Albornoz Calahorro Carmen Maura , Gutierrez-Rojas Luis
Published: April 2021

Dandy-Walker syndrome (DWS) is a group of brain malformations which sometimes present with psychotic symptoms. We present the case of a patient diagnosed with Dandy-Walker variant who presented with schizophrenia-like psychosis. A man in his 30s was admitted to an acute psychiatric unit presenting with persecutory delusions, auditory hallucinations and violent behaviour. The MRI performed showed the typical alterations of Dandy-Walker variant: vermian hypoplasia and cystic dilatation of the fourth ventricle. He also suffered from mild intellectual disability. After being treated with olanzapine 10 mg/d for a month, his psychotic symptoms greatly improved and he was discharged. In conclusion, DWS may cause psychosis through a dysfunction in the circuit connecting prefrontal, thalamic and cerebellar areas. The association between these two conditions may contribute to the understanding of the aetiopathogenesis of schizophrenia.
Environmental sustainability and the carbon emissions of pharmaceuticals
Authors: Richie Cristina
Published: April 2021

The US healthcare industry emits an estimated 479 million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year; nearly 8% of the country’s total emissions. When assessed by sector, hospital care, clinical services, medical structures, and pharmaceuticals are the top emitters. For 15 years, research has been dedicated to the medical structures and equipment that contribute to carbon emissions. More recently, hospital care and clinical services have been examined. However, the carbon of pharmaceuticals is understudied. This article will focus on the carbon emissions of pharmaceuticals since they are consistently calculated to be among the top contributors to healthcare carbon and assess the factors that contribute to pharmaceutical carbon emissions. Specifically, overprescription, pharmaceutical waste, antibiotic resistance, routine prescriptions, non-adherence, drug dependency, lifestyle prescriptions, and drugs given due to a lack of preventive healthcare will be identified. Prescribing practices have environmental ramifications. Carbon reduction, when focused on pharmaceuticals, can lead to cleaner, more sustainable healthcare.
Understanding soil fertility status in Newfoundland from standard farm soil tests
Authors: Kedir Amana J. , Zhang Mingchu , Unc Adrian
Published: April 2021

Farm soil tests are common decision support tools employed by regulatory agencies and farmers to manage nutrients in an economical and environmentally sustainable way. The complex interplay between the local environment and locally relevant crops makes soil testing, and critically soil-test-based recommendations, site-specific. Newfoundland and Labrador has a relatively small but rapidly growing commercial agriculture industry, mainly on lands converted from the boreal forest over the last 80 yr. A first step towards developing locally calibrated fertilizer recommendations is understanding current practices. For this, we examined regular farm soil test reports and associated recommendations for Newfoundland (Nfld). Following a request distributed to 167 farmers, 1503 soil tests were obtained from 32 farms. Although tests exemplify the gamut of crops in Nfld, more than half were from forage and mixed forage fields in western Nfld, representing dairy farms. Results show that even in the absence of more comprehensive site analyses, an investigative survey of farm tests may be employed to recognize possible environmental and economic inefficiencies of local cropping systems, including regional and crop type-driven differences for both nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilizations. Soil-test-based identification of possible N and (or) P inefficiencies and associated crop and regional particularities, including excess fertilization, can be employed to devise targeted research for improved, preventative decision tools to increase the sustainability of Nfld agricultural systems.
Genetic diversity of Asian and European common wheat lines assessed by fluorescence in situ hybridization
Authors: Yang Xiu , Tan Binwen , Yang Yulu , Zhang Xiaohui , Zhu Wei , Xu Lili , Wang Yi , Zeng Jian , Fan Xing , Sha Lina , Zhang Haiqin , Wu Dandan , Ma Jian , Chen Guoyue , Zhou Yonghong , Kang Houyang
Published: April 2021

Understanding the genetic diversity of wheat is important for wheat breeding and improvement. However, there have been limited attempts to evaluate wheat diversity using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). In this study, the chromosomal structures of 149 wheat accessions from 13 countries located between the latitudes of 30°N and 45°N, the principal growing region for wheat, were characterized using FISH with pTa535 and pSc119.2 probes. The ranges of the numbers of FISH types in the A-, B-, and D-genome chromosomes were 2–8, 3–7, and 2–4, respectively, and the average numbers in the A and B genomes were greater than in the D genome. Chromosomal translocations were detected by these probes, and previously undescribed translocations were also observed. Using the FISH, the genetic relationships among the 149 common wheat lines were divided into three groups (G1, G2, and G3). G1 mainly consisted of southern European lines, G2 consisted of most lines from Japan and some lines from western Asia, China, and Korea, and G3 consisted of the other lines from southern Europe and most of the lines from western Asia, China, and Korea. FISH karyotypes of wheat chromosomes distinguished chromosomal structural variations, revealing the genetic diversity among wheat varieties. Furthermore, these results provide valuable information for the further genetic improvement of wheat in China.
Comparison theorems on Riemannian–Finsler manifolds with curvature quadratic decay and their applications
Authors: Ye Wu Bing
Published: April 2021

We establish some comparison theorems on Finsler manifolds with curvature quadratic decay. As their applications, we obtain some optimal Cheeger–Gromov–Taylor type compact theorems, volume growth and Mckean type estimate for the first Dirichlet eigenvalue for such manifolds. Although we present the results for Finsler manifolds, they are all new results for Riemannian manifolds.
High-Performance Implementation of Wideband Coherent Signal-Subspace (CSS)-Based DOA Algorithm on FPGA
Authors: Jarrah Amin , Almomany Abedalmuhdi , Alsobeh Anas M. R. , Alqudah Eman
Published: April 2021

Coherent Signal-Subspace (CSS) is a technique to separate the wide frequency band into narrowband components which can be applied in many applications such as smart antennas for wireless communications and radar. However, CSS is computationally intensive and may not achieve the real-time requirement. Therefore, this work aims to propose an efficient implementation of the CSS method on Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) to achieve the desired performance. Different parallelization and optimization techniques such as loop unrolling, loop pipelining, dataflow, and loop flattening are adopted and applied to explore the opportunities of any computation and storage that could be eliminated in order to achieve high efficiency. The results of the proposed optimized implementation achieve the highest performance compared with other related implementations.
Integer Codes Correcting Single Errors within Two Bytes
Authors: Radonjic Aleksandar
Published: April 2021

This paper presents a class of integer codes suitable for use in optical networks with low error rates. The presented codes are constructed with the help of a computer and have two important features: first, they can correct single errors affecting one or two [Formula: see text]-bit bytes, and second, they use processor-friendly operations to encode/decode data bits. The effectiveness of the presented codes is demonstrated on theoretical models of four-core and six-core processors. The obtained results show that the decoder throughput reaches 14.70[Formula: see text]Gbps, which is above the operating speed of 10G networks. Finally, the paper compares the proposed codes with BCH codes of similar properties. The comparison is made in terms of redundancy and the number of decoding operations.
W1,p-metrics and conformal metrics with Ln/2-bounded scalar curvature
Authors: Dong Conghan , Li Yuxiang , Xu Ke
Published: April 2021

A [Formula: see text]-metric on an n-dimensional closed Riemannian manifold naturally induces a distance function, provided p is sufficiently close to n. If a sequence of metrics [Formula: see text] converges in [Formula: see text] to a limit metric [Formula: see text], then the corresponding distance functions [Formula: see text] subconverge to a limit distance function d, which satisfies [Formula: see text].

As an application, we show that the above convergence result applies to a sequence of conformal metrics with [Formula: see text]-bounded scalar curvatures, under certain geometric assumptions. In particular, in this special setting, the limit distance function d actually coincides with [Formula: see text].
Delta invariant of curves on rational surfaces I. An analytic approach
Authors: Cogolludo-Agustín José Ignacio , László Tamás , Martín-Morales Jorge , Némethi András
Published: April 2021

We prove that if [Formula: see text] is a reduced curve germ on a rational surface singularity [Formula: see text] then its delta invariant can be recovered by a concrete expression associated with the embedded topological type of the pair [Formula: see text]. Furthermore, we also identify it with another (a priori) embedded analytic invariant, which is motivated by the theory of adjoint ideals. Finally, we connect our formulae with the local correction term at singular points of the global Riemann–Roch formula, valid for projective normal surfaces, introduced by Blache.
Morse inequalities at infinity for a resonant mean field equation
Authors: Ahmedou Mohameden , Ben Ayed Mohamed
Published: April 2021

In this paper, we study the following mean field type equation: [Formula: see text] where [Formula: see text] is a closed oriented surface of unit volume [Formula: see text] = 1, [Formula: see text] positive smooth function and [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]. Building on the critical points at infinity approach initiated in [M. Ahmedou, M. Ben Ayed and M. Lucia, On a resonant mean field type equation: A “critical point at infinity” approach, Discrete Contin. Dyn. Syst. 37(4) (2017) 1789–1818] we develop, under generic condition on the function K and the metric g, a full Morse theory by proving Morse inequalities relating the Morse indices of the critical points, the indices of the critical points at infinity, and the Betti numbers of the space of formal barycenters [Formula: see text]. We derive from these Morse inequalities at infinity various new existence as well as multiplicity results of the mean field equation in the resonant case, i.e. [Formula: see text].
Distance matrices for nitrogenous bases and amino acids of SARS-CoV-2 via structural metric
Authors: Chen Ray-Ming
Published: April 2021

COVID-19 pandemic has caused a global health crisis. Developing vaccines would need a good knowledge of genetic properties of SARS-CoV-2. The most fundamental approach is to look into the structures of its RNA, in particular, the nucleotides and amino acids. This motivates our research on this topic. We study the occurrence structures of nitrogenous bases and amino acids. To this aim, we devise a structural metric which could measure the structure differences for bases or amino acids. By analyzing various SARS-CoV-2 samples, we calculate the distance matrices for nitrogenous bases and amino acids. Based on the distance matrices, we find the average distance matrices for them, respectively. Then we identify the relations of all the minimal distances between bases and amino acids. The results also show that different substructures would yield much more diversified distances between amino acids. In the end, we also conduct the comparison of our structural metric with other frequently used metrics, in particular, Hausdorff metrics.
Bounds on the scale of noncommutativity from mono photon production in ATLAS Runs -1 and -2 experiments at LHC energies
Authors: Bekli Mohamed Reda , Chadou Ilhem , Mebarki Noureddine
Published: April 2021

Leading order study of direct photon production from proton–proton collisions, in the framework of Minimal (Seiberg–Witten) Non-Commutative Standard Model (NCSM), taking into account the Earth-rotation effects. We found that relative non-commutative contributions increase significantly at very high photon transverse momentum. Therefore, using Run-1 ([Formula: see text] TeV) and Run-2 ([Formula: see text] TeV) ATLAS experimental data of inclusive isolated prompt photon cross-section, TeV-Scale bounds of the non-commutativity (NC) parameter are obtained. For space-space non-commutativity, we obtain: [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]TeV, and for space-time non-commutativity, we obtain : [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]TeV.
Non-Riemannian cosmology: The role of shear hypermomentum
Authors: Iosifidis Damianos
Published: April 2021

We consider the usual Einstein–Hilbert action in a Metric-Affine setup and in the presence of a Perfect Hyperfluid. In order to decode the role of shear hypermomentum, we impose vanishing spin and dilation parts on the sources and allow only for non-vanishing shear. We then consider an FLRW background and derive the generalized Friedmann equations in the presence of shear hypermomentum. By providing one equation of state among the shear variables we study the cases for which shear has an accelerating/decelerating effect on Universe’s expansion. In particular, we see that shear offers a possibility to prevent the initial singularity formation. We also provide some exact solutions in the shear-dominated era and discuss the physical significance of the shear current.
Numerical Simulation of Run-Up and Land Inundation on the Vegetated Sloping Beach
Authors: Ziaadini-Dashtekhaki Maryam , Ghaeini-Hessaroeyeh Mahnaz , Hamzehei-Javaran Saleh
Published: April 2021

Vegetated areas on the beach can reduce tsunami heights and reduce the loss of life and property damage in coasts. Thick trunks and tangled branches attenuate tsunami waves. In this study, a numerical model is developed based on the finite volume method for simulating tsunami flooding. This model is used to simulate the solitary wave run-up propagation on sloping beaches with and without vegetation. The shallow water equations are used, also the effect of drag force due to vegetation is applied in the momentum equation. The HLLC approximate Riemann solver is selected, and the model is developed to second-order accuracy using the Weighted Average Flux method. After verification of the present model, the model is applied for simulation of solitary wave on a sloping beach. The present model results are compared to the available experimental data and another numerical model. The present numerical results reveal that as forest belt’s width increases, the height, velocity, and force of the tsunami waves decrease. Therefore, to further reduce the tsunami energy, a wider belt is recommended. Also, the effect of different tsunami wave heights on the rate of wave reduction has been investigated. In some areas, the presence of high tsunami waves causes to submerge the vegetation. Consequently, the drag force and the damping rate of the wave decrease. Therefore, the height of the forest zone and the height of the tsunami waves are important parameters.
Numerical solution of fractional differential equations using fractional Chebyshev polynomials
Authors: Öztürk Yalçın , Ünal Mutlu
Published: April 2021

In this paper, fractional order Chebyshev polynomials are presented and some properties are given. Using definition of fractional order Chebyshev polynomials, we give a numerical scheme for solving fractional differential equation by the collocation method. The Collocation method converts the given fractional differential equation into a matrix equation, which yields a linear algebraic system. Bagley–Torvik equation and fractional relaxation-oscillation equation are solved to show the effectiveness of the given method. This method is compared with some known schemes.
Sampling distributions of optimal portfolio weights and characteristics in small and large dimensions
Authors: Bodnar Taras , Dette Holger , Parolya Nestor , Thorsén Erik
Published: April 2021

Optimal portfolio selection problems are determined by the (unknown) parameters of the data generating process. If an investor wants to realize the position suggested by the optimal portfolios, he/she needs to estimate the unknown parameters and to account for the parameter uncertainty in the decision process. Most often, the parameters of interest are the population mean vector and the population covariance matrix of the asset return distribution. In this paper, we characterize the exact sampling distribution of the estimated optimal portfolio weights and their characteristics. This is done by deriving their sampling distribution by its stochastic representation. This approach possesses several advantages, e.g. (i) it determines the sampling distribution of the estimated optimal portfolio weights by expressions, which could be used to draw samples from this distribution efficiently; (ii) the application of the derived stochastic representation provides an easy way to obtain the asymptotic approximation of the sampling distribution. The later property is used to show that the high-dimensional asymptotic distribution of optimal portfolio weights is a multivariate normal and to determine its parameters. Moreover, a consistent estimator of optimal portfolio weights and their characteristics is derived under the high-dimensional settings. Via an extensive simulation study, we investigate the finite-sample performance of the derived asymptotic approximation and study its robustness to the violation of the model assumptions used in the derivation of the theoretical results.
A Novel Approach to Reduce Optical Aberrations by using Deformable Bushes at Opto-Mechanical Interfaces
Authors: Nagabhushana S. , Nagesh Suresh , Prasad B. Raghavendra
Published: April 2021

There is a continuous need to enhance the aperture size of telescopes by astronomers to explore the space much deeper by getting better resolutions and high image quality. Supporting large optics and maintaining high dynamic stability involves more number of constraints. This renders optical surface more distorted and results in poor image quality, since the image quality deteriorates with increase in RMS surface error. A new approach is proposed to introduce deformable bushes at the interfaces. These are tuned to deform under specific clamping force and thus arrests all Degrees of Freedom (DOF). This limits the clamping force exerted by an axial DOF ([Formula: see text]) to an insignificant value. This approach helps to arrest [Formula: see text] without imposing clamping stress on the opto-mechanical mount and brings down optical aberrations and enhances dynamic stability of the mounting system. This due to the fact that all clamping forces are taken by deformable bushes and the stress is not transferred to mount and thus does not contribute to non-uniformity of the optical surface. The non-uniformity of the optical surfaces influenced by clamping forces is simulated by Finite Element (FE) techniques. The use of deformable bush approach in minimizing optical aberrations and stability enhanced by additional constraints to opto-mechanical mounts are demonstrated by simulations.
Super Resolution for Improved Positioning of an MRI-Guided Spinal Cellular Injection Robot
Authors: Martinez Daniel Enrique , Meinhold Waiman , Oshinski John , Hu Ai-Ping , Ueda Jun
Published: April 2021

This paper presents the development of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-conditional needle positioning robot designed for spinal cellular injection. High-accuracy targeting performance is achieved by the combination of a high precision, parallel-plane, needle-orientation mechanism utilizing linear piezoelectric actuators with an iterative super-resolution (SR) visual navigation algorithm using multi-planar MR imaging. In previous work, the authors have developed an MRI conditional robot with positioning performance exceeding the standard resolution of MRI, rendering the MRI resolution the limit for navigation. This paper further explores the application of SR to images for robot guidance, evaluating positioning performance through simulations and experimentally in benchtop and MRI experiments.
MC-DeF
Authors: Charitopoulos George , Pnevmatikatos Dionisios N. , Gaydadjiev Georgi
Published: April 2021

Executing complex scientific applications on Coarse-Grain Reconfigurable Arrays (
CGRAs
) promises improvements in execution time and/or energy consumption compared to optimized software implementations or even fully customized hardware solutions. Typical CGRA architectures contain of multiple instances of the same compute module that consist of simple and general hardware units such as ALUs, simple processors. However, generality in the cell contents, while convenient for serving a wide variety of applications, penalizes performance and energy efficiency. To that end, a few proposed CGRAs use custom logic tailored to a particular application’s specific characteristics in the compute module. This approach, while much more efficient, restricts the versatility of the array. To date, versatility at hardware speeds is only supported with Field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), that are reconfigurable at a very fine grain.

This work proposes MC-DeF, a novel Mixed-CGRA Definition Framework targeting a Mixed-CGRA architecture that leverages the advantages of CGRAs by utilizing a customized cell array, and those of FPGAs by incorporating a separate LUT array used for adaptability. The framework presented aims to develop a complete CGRA architecture. First, a cell structure and functionality definition phase creates highly customized application/domain specific CGRA cells. Then, mapping and routing phases define the CGRA connectivity and cell-LUT array transactions. Finally, an energy and area estimation phase presents the user with area occupancy and energy consumption estimations of the final design. MC-DeF uses novel algorithms and cost functions driven by user defined metrics, threshold values, and area/energy restrictions. The benefits of our framework, besides creating fast and efficient CGRA designs, include design space exploration capabilities offered to the user.

The validity of the presented framework is demonstrated by evaluating and creating CGRA designs of nine applications. Additionally, we provide comparisons of MC-DeF with state-of-the-art related works, and show that MC-DeF offers competitive performance (in terms of internal bandwidth and processing throughput) even compared against much larger designs, and requires fewer physical resources to achieve this level of performance. Finally, MC-DeF is able to better utilize the underlying FPGA fabric and achieves the best efficiency (measured in LUT/GOPs).
Searches for Dark Photons at Accelerators
Authors: Graham Matt , Hearty Christopher , Williams Mike
Published: April 2021

Dark matter particles may interact with other dark matter particles via a new force mediated by a dark photon, A′, which would be the dark-sector analog to the ordinary photon of electromagnetism. The dark photon can obtain a highly suppressed mixing-induced coupling to the electromagnetic current, providing a portal through which dark photons can interact with ordinary matter. This review focuses on A′ scenarios that are potentially accessible to accelerator-based experiments. We summarize the existing constraints placed by such experiments on dark photons, highlight what could be observed in the near future, and discuss the major experimental challenges that must be overcome to improve sensitivities.
From the Editor: Toward a Renewable Hydrogen Economy
Authors: Rajeshwar Krishnan
Published: April 2021

The U.S. Department of Energy projects that the world’s total energy consumption will rise by 59% between 1999 and 2020 and that CO2 emissions during this period will increase by a similar 60%. This growth will mostly occur in the rapidly developing parts of the world.
From the Editor: On Technology: Let’s Make It Simpler and a Little Less Open
Authors: Rajeshwar Krishnan
Published: April 2021

It all sounds eerily familiar and much like the scenes unfolding in a horror movie: Whole swaths of the country go dark without electricity… The airline, railroad, and motor traffic systems grind to a halt… Disturbingly enough, these scenes are real. Further, our computers are increasingly incapacitated by viruses, worms, and bugs of various sorts, and the Internet is clogged with spam.
From The President: A Point of Arrival and Departure
Authors: Scrosati Bruno
Published: April 2021

Although I have been back home for a few weeks, the last ECS meeting is still vivid in my mind. How can we forget the excellence of the scientific program, from which arose a multidisciplinary interest in the various symposia rooms that made a continuous flow across the originally intriguing, but soon familiar floors and corridors of the Palais des Congrès?
Techwatch - Fall 2003
Authors: Tenne Reshef
Published: April 2021

The landmark discovery of carbon fullerenes and carbon nanotubes has led to a surge of research into the chemistry and physics of inorganic nanostructures. This discovery established a new paradigm, i.e., that polyhedral structures are the thermodynamically stable form of carbon with the sole constraint that the size of the nanoparticle is not allowed to grow beyond a given size.
Centennial Campaign: Supporting ECS Meetings
Authors: Miller Troy
Published: April 2021

Three of the many important strengths of The Electrochemical Society are encapsulated in its semi-annual meetings: diversity, relevance, and technological exchange. Meetings are a place where the constant flow of communication and collaboration among 13 Divisions; academia, industry, and government; and members and constituents from over 75 countries can take place. The New Technology Subcommittee investigates technical topics not adequately covered by current symposia and invests in these rapidly evolving subjects where immediate support is critical. Finally, meetings held worldwide in the spring and fall of each year further ECS’s objective of dissemination of knowledge. Each meeting serves as a major forum for the discussion of interdisciplinary research from around the world.
The IE&EE Division
Authors: Foller Peter C.
Published: April 2021

Industrial Electrolysis and Electrochemical Engineering (IE&EE) is pleased to be the featured Division in this issue of Interface. The opportunity last came in 1994 and 1998. We would like to take this opportunity to describe the Division and illustrate some of the ways in which our activities contribute to the Society.
Book Review: True Genius: The Life and Science of John Bardeen
Authors: Huff Howard
Published: April 2021

John Bardeen was among the earliest group of American physicists, in the early to mid-1930s, who received their introduction to the new quantum mechanics and their PhD training in America, in contradistinction to the 1920s when Robert Oppenheimer, John Slater, and Isidor Rabi, for example, went to Europe for their training in quantum mechanics.
Electrochemical Power Sources and the Treatment of Human Illness
Authors: Holmes Curtis F.
Published: April 2021

Battery-powered implantable devices have been in use for over forty-three years. The first successful cardiac pacemaker was implanted in 1960. Since that time, a variety of implantable battery-powered devices have been developed and introduced for the treatment of everything from neurological disorders to hearing loss. The development of lithium batteries in the late 1960s led to better, smaller devices that showed multiyear longevity and high reliability.
The Luminescence and Display Materials Division
Authors: Lockwood David J.
Published: April 2021

Luminescence can be broadly defined as the generation of light in excess of that radiated by thermal means. Since ancient times, human interest in and a long fascination with phosphorescence or luminescence originated from the mysterious fact that an apparently invisible power source could somehow produce observable light. Today, the phenomenon is generally well understood and the commercial applications of luminescence are ubiquitous, with light emitting materials being widely deployed in common commodities such as lamps, television screens, and computer and cell phone displays.
Imaging Metal Ions with Stripping Voltammetry Scanning Electrochemical Miscropy
Authors: Alpuche-Avilés Mario A.
Published: April 2021

A Summary Report to The Electrochemical Society for the 2003 Colin Garfield Fink Summer Research Fellowship.
Some assembly required: building a hands-on model of a single receptive field in the retina
Authors: Skogsberg KatieAnn
Published: April 2021

Many students struggle to understand the sometimes counterintuitive and complicated organization of the retina. As soon as they begin to grasp these complex relationships, we add another confusing concept: the organization of receptive fields of individual ganglion cells. Publishers provide figures in textbooks and videos, but like many topics in physiology, students may learn more effectively using hands-on models. This article provides instructions for building a three-dimensional model of a single retinal receptive field using inexpensive craft supplies. In alignment with the principles of universal design, this model will make the material easier to comprehend and more accessible to learners of all abilities. This activity provides a framework for students to begin exploring the structures and functions of cells of the retina and the organization of receptive fields in the visual system and provides a foundation for explaining other types of sensory systems.
SERCA2a-phospholamban interaction monitored by an interposed circularly permutated green fluorescent protein
Authors: Arnold Maren E. , Dostmann Wolfgang R. , Martin Jody , Previs Michael J. , Palmer Bradley , LeWinter Martin , Meyer Markus
Published: April 2021

This study describes the design and characterization of a novel biosensor that can visualize the interaction of SERCA2a and phospholamban (PLB). The biosensor combines SERCA2a, a circularly permutated green fluorescent protein, and PLB into one recombinant protein (SGP). Proteinkinase A activation results in phosphorylation of the PLB domain and is associated with a marked increase in the fluorescence yield to allow for real-time monitoring of the SERCA2a and PLB interaction in cells.
Hyperinsulinemia blunts sympathetic vasoconstriction: a possible role of β-adrenergic activation
Authors: Limberg Jacqueline K. , Soares Rogerio N. , Power Gavin , Harper Jennifer L. , Smith James A. , Shariffi Brian , Jacob Dain W. , Manrique-Acevedo Camila , Padilla Jaume
Published: April 2021

Herein we report in a sample of healthy young men ( n = 14) and women ( n = 12) that hyperinsulinemia induces time-dependent decreases in total peripheral resistance and its contribution to the maintenance of blood pressure. In the same participants, we observe profound vasodilatory effects of insulin in the lower limb despite concomitant activation of the sympathetic nervous system. We hypothesized that this prominent peripheral vasodilation is possibly due to the ability of the leg vasculature to escape sympathetic vasoconstriction during systemic insulin stimulation. Consistent with this notion, we demonstrate in a subset of healthy men ( n = 9) and women ( n = 7) that systemic infusion of insulin blunts sympathetically mediated leg vasoconstriction evoked by a cold pressor test, a well-established sympathoexcitatory stimulus. Further substantiating this observation, we show in mouse aortic rings that insulin exposure suppresses epinephrine and norepinephrine-induced vasoconstriction. Notably, we found that such insulin-suppressing effects on catecholamine-induced constriction are diminished following β-adrenergic receptor blockade. In accordance, we also reveal that insulin augments β-adrenergic-mediated vasorelaxation in isolated arteries. Collectively, these findings support the idea that sympathetic vasoconstriction can be attenuated during systemic hyperinsulinemia in the leg vasculature of both men and women and that this phenomenon may be in part mediated by potentiation of β-adrenergic vasodilation neutralizing α-adrenergic vasoconstriction.
Autonomic and cholinergic mechanisms mediating cardiovascular and temperature effects of donepezil in conscious mice
Authors: Polichnowski Aaron J. , Williamson Geoffrey A. , Blair Tesha E. , Hoover Donald B.
Published: April 2021

Donepezil is a centrally acting acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor with therapeutic potential in inflammatory diseases; however, the underlying autonomic and cholinergic mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we assessed effects of donepezil on mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), HR variability, and body temperature in conscious adult male C57BL/6 mice to investigate the autonomic pathways involved. Central versus peripheral cholinergic effects of donepezil were assessed using pharmacological approaches including comparison with the peripherally acting AChE inhibitor, neostigmine. Drug treatments included donepezil (2.5 or 5 mg/kg sc), neostigmine methyl sulfate (80 or 240 μg/kg ip), atropine sulfate (5 mg/kg ip), atropine methyl bromide (5 mg/kg ip), or saline. Donepezil, at 2.5 and 5 mg/kg, decreased HR by 36 ± 4% and 44 ± 3% compared with saline ( n = 10, P < 0.001). Donepezil, at 2.5 and 5 mg/kg, decreased temperature by 13 ± 2% and 22 ± 2% compared with saline ( n = 6, P < 0.001). Modest ( P < 0.001) increases in MAP were observed with donepezil after peak bradycardia occurred. Atropine sulfate and atropine methyl bromide blocked bradycardic responses to donepezil, but only atropine sulfate attenuated hypothermia. The pressor response to donepezil was similar in mice coadministered atropine sulfate; however, coadministration of atropine methyl bromide potentiated the increase in MAP. Neostigmine did not alter HR or temperature, but did result in early increases in MAP. Despite the marked bradycardia, donepezil did not increase normalized high-frequency HR variability. We conclude that donepezil causes marked bradycardia and hypothermia in conscious mice via the activation of muscarinic receptors while concurrently increasing MAP via autonomic and cholinergic pathways that remain to be elucidated.
Early Postnatal Care Service Utilization and Its Determinants among Women Who Gave Birth in the Last 6 Months in Wonago District, South Ethiopia: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Tefera Yordanos , Hailu Samirawit , Tilahun Ruth
Published: April 2021

Background. Postnatal care is one of the key strategies to reduce maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality. Early postnatal visit is especially the most critical time for survival of mothers and newborns, particularly through early detection and management of postpartum complication. Despite the benefits, most mothers and newborns do not receive postnatal care services from health care providers during the critical first few days after delivery. Objective. The aim of this study was to assess utilization of early postnatal care service and associated factors among women who gave birth in the last six months in Wonago District, Gedeo Zone, Southern Ethiopia. Methods. A community-based cross-sectional study design was employed at Wonago District. A total of 612 mothers who gave birth in the last six months were selected by simple random sampling technique. Pretested structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Data were entered into EpiData version 3.1 and then exported into SPSS version 20 for analysis. Principal component analysis (PCA) and bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were used. Result. In this study, 13.7% of mothers utilized early postnatal care. Educational status of mothers (AOR = 3.7 : 95 CI; 1.3–10.7), place of delivery (AOR: 1.8 : 95 CI; 1.03–3.2), ANC attendance (AOR = 3.4 : 95 CI; 1.1–10.09), development of complication after delivery (AOR: 7.8 : 95 CI; 3.7–16.2), and previous history of postnatal care utilization (AOR: 2.1 : 95 CI; 1.13–3.9) were found to be associated with early postnatal care service utilization. Conclusion and Recommendations. Educational status of mothers, ANC attendance, place of delivery, delivery complication while giving recent birth, and past history of postnatal care utilization were significant predictors for early postnatal care utilization. Considering this, empowering women with education and overall strengthening of health facility to improve maternal health service utilization are necessary measures to be done at different levels to enhance early postnatal care utilization during this critical time.
Determination of Ischemia Onset Based on Automatically Generated Spectralis SD-OCT Values in Acute Central Retinal Artery Occlusion
Authors: Casagrande Maria , Kromer Robert , Wenzel Daniel A. , Poli Sven , Spitzer Martin S. , Druchkiv Vasyl , Schultheiss Maximilian , Dimopoulos Spyridon
Published: April 2021

Acute central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) induces a time-dependent increase in retinal thickness. By manually measuring the relative retinal thickness increase (RRTI) in comparison to the contralateral eye based on optical coherence tomography (OCT), ischemia onset within the past 4.5 hours could be determined with 100% sensitivity and 94.3% specificity. To enable examiner-independent and quicker diagnostics, we analyzed the RRTI using the automatic retinal thickness measurement. In this retrospective study, 28 eyes were evaluated with an acute CRAO (<46 hours). All patients received a Spectralis SD-OCT image of both eyes. The RRTI was calculated for the ETDRS sectors using the Segmentation Module for Single Retinal Layer Analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to determine patients ≤4.5 hours by RRTI. In all sectors, time to OCT (TTO) and RRTI correlated positively. The optimal cutoff point to detect CRAOs ≤4.5 hours was between 18.7% nasally and 22.9% RRTI temporally. Sensitivity and specificity varied between the sectors with 90–95% sensitivity and 89–100% specificity. In conclusion, the automatic measurement of RRTI also allows the differentiation of CRAOs within a possible therapeutic time window ≤4.5 hours and CRAOs ≥4.5 hours with a high sensitivity and specificity. Additionally, it offers quicker, easier, and a user-independent assessment of ischemia onset, helping to set a base for establishing automatic indices generated by the OCT machines.
High-Fidelity and High-Efficiency Digital Class-D Audio Power Amplifier
Authors: Wei Cong , Wu Jianhan , Wei Rongshan , He Minghua
Published: April 2021

This study presents a high-fidelity and high-efficiency digital class-D audio power amplifier (CDA), which consists of digital and analog modules. To realize a compatible digital input, a fully digital audio digital-to-analog converter (DAC) is implemented on MATLAB and Xilinx System Generator, which consists of a 16x interpolation filter, a fourth-order four-bit quantized delta-sigma (ΔΣ) modulator, and a uniform-sampling pulse width modulator. The CDA utilizes the closed-loop negative feedback and loop-filtering technologies to minimize distortion. The audio DAC, which is based on a field-programmable gate array, consumes 0.128 W and uses 7100 LUTs, which achieves 11.2% of the resource utilization rate. The analog module is fabricated in a 0.18 µm BCD technology. The postlayout simulation results show that the CDA delivers an output power of 1 W with 93.3% efficiency to a 4 Ω speaker and achieves 0.0138% of the total harmonic distortion (THD) with a transient noise for a 1 kHz input sinusoidal test tone and 3.6 V supply. The output power reaches up to 2.73 W for 1% THD (with transient noise). The proposed amplifier occupies an active area of 1 mm2.
Numerical Simulation of Droplet Impacting and Sliding on Hydrophobic Granular Surfaces
Authors: Bao Qing , Kang Hengyi
Published: April 2021

Droplet sliding naturally happens with practical significance in developing artificial self-cleaning surfaces or impermeable barriers. On water-repellent soil surfaces, such processes evolve at very small scales, typically at the particle level. To address this, this paper presents a two-dimensional Lattice Boltzmann (LB) study on the droplet sliding dynamics on a layer of regularly arranged particles with varying size and contact angle (CA) aimed at mimicking conditions comparable to those of real soils. The numerical droplet is initialized above the inclined granular surface with different lifting distances and deposited by gravity. The droplet hits the surface with different impacting velocities and subsequently slides down the slope. Four droplet-sliding behaviors were observed: a droplet sticks to the granular surface, a droplet moves by pinning and depinning of its interface (“stick-slip”), a droplet undergoes periodic elongation and shortening during sliding, and a droplet lifts off the granular surface and may be ruptured. For a droplet that displays the “stick-slip” behavior, the sliding velocity reaches a converged terminal velocity, which increases with a higher CA, a more inclined slope, and a smaller particle size. However, nonunique terminal velocities were identified to be affected by the impacting velocities, but their correlation is not continuous and may not be positive. Finally, we propose to quantify the rotational or translational movement by effective kinematic ratio (EKR), which is defined as the translational kinematic energy divided by the total kinematic energy. The unique relation between the EKR and the terminal velocity is suggested to be one practical indicator to intrinsically characterize the water repellency at the particle level.
Research on Safety Subregion Partition Method and Characterization for Coal Mine Ventilation System
Authors: Yan Zhenguo , Wang Yanping , Fan Jingdao
Published: April 2021

The research analyzes and improves upon the concept of ventilation safety subregions in coal mines and proposes a partition method based on the breadth-first search algorithm for assessing the quality of the ventilation. This involves the analysis of the function of ventilation subregions and of ventilation gas-monitoring data. Then, using the so-called ventilation sensitivity matrix as the analysis method, we confirm the consistency of considering safety subregions, which are associated with air consumption places as the core concept and the objective positioning of the safety subregions within the ventilation analysis. This allows us to establish the validity and practicability of employing regional characteristic information of mine ventilation and gas concentrations in the mine’s air. Finally, based on the characteristics of the ventilation subregions, ventilation air quantity network maps with safety subregions are proposed and their application is demonstrated. The advantages and characteristics of using these maps to replace ventilation network maps for ventilation analysis are demonstrated.