Benko v. Quality Loan Serv. Corp. 135 Nev. Adv. Op. 64 (Dec. 26, 2019)

The Court affirmed the district court’s order granting the motion to dismiss and determined that deed of trust trustees engaged in nonjudicial foreclosure would not be required to be licensed. The Court settled the conflicting provisions of NRS 107 governing the nonjudicial foreclosure process and NRS 649 governing agencies engaged in debt collection in Nevada by determining the comprehensive and specific scheme of NRS 107 for deed of trust trustees exercised authority over the generalized nature of NRS 649 governing debt collecting agency licensing requirements for nonjudicial foreclosures.Therefore, under NRS 107 deed of trust trustees are not required to be licensed for nonjudicial foreclosures

Vegas United Inv. Series 105 v. Celtic Bank, 135 Nev. Adv. Op. 61 (December 19, 2019)

Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) Chapter 116 codifies the Uniform Common-Interest Ownership Act and outlines statutory regulations governing common-interest communities in Nevada. NRS Chapter 116 applies generally to all residential property owners’ associations (POAs) but does not automatically apply to nonresidential POAs. Nonresidential POAs may voluntarily elect to incorporate NRS Chapter 116 either in whole or in part. NRS Chapter 116 applies only to nonresidential POAs only to the extent expressly provided for by the incorporated statutory provisions. Vegas United Investment Series 105, Inc. purchased a nonresidential property at a foreclosure sale pursuant to NRS § 116.3116. The conditions, covenants, and restrictions (CC&Rs) of the nonresidential property upon which this appeal was based expressly incorporated only NRS 116.3116-31168 and not the entirety of NRS Chapter 116. The CC&Rs did not incorporate the provisions of Chapter 116 which might invalidate a mortgage savings clause or which might provide for assessments supporting a lien that would have superpriority status. Because Vegas United’s lien did not have a superpriority portion and the mortgage savings clause was still valid, Celtic Bank’s existing mortgage on the property was not extinguished and the district court properly determined that Vegas United took the property subject to Celtic Bank’s prior interest

Nurse Researchers in Children\u27s Hospitals

Little is known about the role of nurse researchers (NRs) and the structure of nursing research programs in children\u27s hospitals in the United States. This descriptive study obtained survey data from 33 NRs. Data suggest that the NR role is emerging and has both commonalities and unique components when compared with the previous studies of NRs in adult hospitals. Most participants have been in their position for less than 4 years. Conducting research, having staff development related to research, and facilitating evidence-based practice or research were common responsibilities. The structure of nursing research programs impacts both the NRs and the program outcomes

Electro-Optic Effects in Colloidal Dispersion of Metal Nano-Rods in Dielectric Fluid

In modern transformation optics, one explores metamaterials with properties that vary from point to point in space and time, suitable for applications in devices such as an "optical invisibility cloak" and an "optical black hole". We propose an approach to construct spatially varying and switchable metamaterials that are based on colloidal dispersions of metal nano-rods (NRs) in dielectric fluids, in which dielectrophoretic forces, originating in the electric field gradients, create spatially varying configurations of aligned NRs. The electric field controls orientation and concentration of NRs and thus modulates the optical properties of the medium. Using gold (Au) NRs dispersed in toluene, we demonstrate electrically induced change in refractive index on the order of 0.1.Comment: 27 pages, 23 figure

Exploring content and psychometric validity of newly developed assessment tools for itch and skin pain in atopic dermatitis.

BackgroundAtopic dermatitis (AD) is a common skin disorder characterized by chronic inflammation, altered skin barrier function, and inflammatory cell skin infiltration that decreases health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The study objective was to understand the patient perspective of AD burden and determine suitable patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures.MethodsThis mixed methods study involved the collection of qualitative and quantitative information from adults (≥ 18 years old) and adolescents (12 - 17 years old) with clinician-confirmed AD regarding their experiences of AD symptoms and its impact on HRQoL. The first part of the study included three stages: in-person concept elicitation (CE) interviews, a 2-week daily electronic diary (eDiary) study, and in-person cognitive debriefing (CD) interviews. An Itch numeric rating scale (NRS) (v1.0) and a Skin Pain NRS (v1.0) evaluation during CD interviews required participants to think about their 'worst' itch and 'worst' skin pain in the past 24 h. Other PRO measures allowed for psychometric testing. The second part of the study involved telephone-depth interviews (TDIs) and qualitative feedback from participants who had not participated in the CD interviews. Qualitative data were thematically analyzed. Psychometric evaluation of NRS measures was performed using eDiary data.ResultsIn the CE interviews, itch and/or itching and skin pain were the most prevalent symptoms consistently discussed by participants. Both NRS measures demonstrated strong psychometric reliability and were applicable across ages with suitable concurrent validity. During the CD interviews, some participants focused their answers on their 'average' itch/itching in the past 24 h, rather than their 'worst' itch. Some participants answered the Skin Pain NRS thinking about general pain or other types of pain, rather than skin pain specifically. Consequently, modifications to both measures addressed these issues and re-tested as paper-and-pen versions in subsequent TDIs. Itch NRS (v2.0) modifications helped participants focus on their worst itching. Most participants preferred Skin Pain NRS v2.0b, which included skin pain descriptors.ConclusionsItching and skin pain are the most important and relevant AD symptoms. The Itch NRS (v2.0) and Skin Pain NRS (v2.0b) appear to be appropriate endpoints for the assessment of itching and skin pain severity for clinical trials with adults and adolescents with AD

From Type-II Triply Degenerate Nodal Points and Three-Band Nodal Rings to Type-II Dirac Points in Centrosymmetric Zirconium Oxide

Using first-principles calculations, we report that ZrO is a topological material with the coexistence of three pairs of type-II triply degenerate nodal points (TNPs) and three nodal rings (NRs), when spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is ignored. Noticeably, the TNPs reside around Fermi energy with large linear energy range along tilt direction (> 1 eV) and the NRs are formed by three strongly entangled bands. Under symmetry-preserving strain, each NR would evolve into four droplet-shaped NRs before fading away, producing distinct evolution compared with that in usual two-band NR. When SOC is included, TNPs would transform into type-II Dirac points while all the NRs have gaped. Remarkably, the type-II Dirac points inherit the advantages of TNPs: residing around Fermi energy and exhibiting large linear energy range. Both features facilitate the observation of interesting phenomena induced by type-II dispersion. The symmetry protections and low-energy Hamiltonian for the nontrivial band crossings are discussed.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 201