Tool for reading psychrometric charts

Three-legged, clear plastic tool is designed so that the angles of each leg correspond with the angles of psychometric chart construction for each of the three required scales. The appropriate edges are tapered to the chart surface

Does Etravirine Decrease Central Nervous System (CNS)/Neuropsychiatric (NPS) Adverse Events Compared to Efavirenz, in HIV Positive Patients?

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not Etravirine (ETR) decreases adverse reactions on the central nervous system (CNS) compared to Efavirenz (EFV) in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) positive patients. STUDY DESIGN: Review of three, English language, primary randomized controlled trial studies published in 2011. DATA SOURCES: Three randomized controlled trials studying the possible decrease of ADR’s in HIV positive patients who are taking Efavirenz compared to study medication Etravirine. OUTCOME(S) MEASURED: Outcomes measured were by surveys from patients that assess the development or cessation of CNS ADR’s. The self reported questionnaire was grade on a scale of 0-4 rating where 4 was reported as life threatening. Another survey included the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS). The CNS ADR’s included, but was not limited to dizziness, depression, anxiety, headache, and somnolence. RESULTS: In the article by Nelson et. al., there was a statistically significant benefit for etravirine over efavirenz for NPS adverse events, most of the adverse events were grade 1 (mild) or grade 2 (moderates) in intensity. There was no significant difference between the arms in the number. The other two article reviews showed that ETV was not superior to EFV regarding CNS ADR’s. CONCLUSIONS: Efavirenz is not superior to Etravirene, in regards to decreasing CNS ADR’s in HIV positive patients

Two-photon interference using background-free quantum frequency conversion of single photons from a semiconductor quantum dot

We show that quantum frequency conversion (QFC) can overcome the spectral distinguishability common to inhomogeneously broadened solid-state quantum emitters. QFC is implemented by combining single photons from an InAs quantum dot (QD) at 980 nm with a 1550 nm pump laser in a periodically-poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide to generate photons at 600 nm with a signal-to-background ratio exceeding 100:1. Photon correlation and two-photon interference measurements confirm that both the single photon character and wavepacket interference of individual QD states are preserved during frequency conversion. Finally, we convert two spectrally separate QD transitions to the same wavelength in a single PPLN waveguide and show that the resulting field exhibits non-classical two-photon interference.Comment: Supercedes arXiv:1205.221

Incorporating Emergy Synthesis into Environmental Law: An Integration of Ecology, Economics, and Law

Emergy synthesis, flrst developed by Dr. Howard T. Odum in the 1970s, and further expanded and refined by other scholars over the past thirty years, has the potential to transform environmental decisionmaking by providing a methodology that can integrate ecology, economics, and law. Virtually all areas of environmental law are concerned in some way with both the ecological and the economic impacts of environmental decision making. Unfortunately, existing environmental law statutes tend to incorporate ecological and economic considerations in a simplistic, piecemeal, and awkward fashion. Emergy synthesis incorporates both ecological and economic considerations through a sophisticated scientiic methodology. Emergy synthesis relies on the intrinsic value of a resource or service rather than relying on consumer preferences. Accordingly, emergy synthesis is referred to as a donor value system as it is based on the principle that the energy embodied in a resource or service determines its value. In recent years, emergy synthesis has reached a high level of sophistication with increasing acceptance by the scientific community and scholars worldwide. However, to date, this approach has not been embraced, or even seriously considered, by the legal community. This interdisciplinary Article explores the viability of incorporating the methods of emergy synthesis into environmental law and policy decision making. Specifically, this Article examines the viability of emergy synthesis in decision making by analyzing the advantages it offers and the mechanics of how to employ it in a variety of different contexts, using a number of existing statutory frameworks as illustrations, including the cost-benefit standard of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the pure science standard of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This Article demonstrates that emergy synthesis has the potential, not only to inform the law, but also to revolutionize environmental decision making by providing a well-developed scientific methodology that addresses both ecological and economic considerations in a comprehensive manner