\u27Pooped in my yard and ate my grass last night\u27: Wild burros and tales of belonging in Riverside County, California

Riverside County, California is home to several hundred free-roaming burros (donkeys) who frequent the open spaces surrounding and between the cities of Riverside, Moreno Valley, Loma Linda, and Redlands, as well as the public parks, private properties, residential developments and roadsides in these towns. Tales of more-than-human belonging (and not-belonging) in Riverside County render visible how multispecies places are mediated by infrastructures of consumption and infrastructures of reciprocity. Where infrastructures of consumption generate callousness, infrastructures of reciprocity sustain responsibility. We investigate these dynamics by tracing how two geographically close but infrastructurally distinctive spaces frequented by the area’s wild burros are storied. The semi-rural Reche Canyon Road connects California Highway 60 and the City of Moreno Valley to Riverside and San Bernardino County communities to the north. Burros who inhabit the canyon as their home range must contend with automobiles traveling at highway speeds and are frequently injured or killed there. The road’s design makes neither space nor time for the burros. In this setting, interspecies relationalities are embedded in, and curtailed by, the mundane violence of “roadkill” and its associated narratives of victimhood and tragedy. Infrastructural violence subsides notably in residential neighborhoods of the City of Moreno Valley frequented by the burros. How people and donkeys co-inhabit these neigborhoods is consistent with non-dualist practices of mutual accommodation theorized in multispecies urbanism literature. Here, more reciprocal infrastructures decelerate human and nonhuman animal mobilities, making both space and time for the emergence of more convivial patterns of multispecies cohabitation

Micro-mechanical testing of transition metal (oxy)nitride coatings

Transition metal (oxy)nitride coatings are used in polymer forming operations for a combination of outstanding wear resistance and chemical compatibility with the polymer materials. Varying the chemical composition and deposition parameters for the coatings will optimise mechanical properties by a combination of chemistry and microstructural optimisation. By developing a representative model for these materials, these materials can be rapidly and efficiently prototyped and improved. However, as both chemistry and microstructure play a role in the material properties, both of these variables must be taken account of in this model. This work demonstrates the first steps in linking quantum-mechanics, micro-mechanics, and meso-scale finite element models together in order to fully understand the behaviour of these coatings. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Optical properties of silicon-implanted polycrystalline diamond membranes

We investigate the optical properties of polycrystalline diamond membranes containing silicon-vacancy (SiV) color centers in combination with other nano-analytical techniques. We analyze the correlation between the Raman signal, the SiV emission, and the background luminescence in the crystalline grains and in the grain boundaries, identifying conditions for the addressability of single SiV centers. Moreover, we perform a scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) analysis, which associates the microscopic structure of the membranes and the evolution of the diamond crystal along the growth direction with the photoluminescence properties, as well as a time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) to address the distribution of silicon in implanted and un-implanted membranes. The results of the STEM and ToF-SIMS studies are consistent with the outcome of the optical measurements and provide useful insight into the preparation of polycrystalline samples for quantum nano-optics.Comment: 21 pages, 8 figure

Primary Care Availability and Emergency Department Use by Older Adults: A Population-Based Analysis

To assess the relationship between the number of primary care providers (PCPs) in an area and emergency department (ED) visits by older adults

Incidental Non-Cardiac Findings of a Coronary Angiography with a 128-Slice Multi-Detector CT Scanner: Should We Only Concentrate on the Heart?

Objective: To evaluate the spectrum, prevalence, and significance of incidental non-cardiac findings (INCF) in patients referred for a non-invasive coronary angiography using a 128-slice multi-detector CT (MDCT). Materials and Methods: The study subjects included 1,044 patients; 774 males (mean age, 59.9 years) and 270 females (mean age, 63 years), referred for a coronary CT angiography on a 128-slice MDCT scanner. The scans were acquired from the level of the carina to just below the diaphragm. To evaluate INCFs, images were reconstructed with a large field of view (> 300 mm) covering the entire thorax. Images were reviewed in the axial, coronal, and sagittal planes, using the mediastinal, lung, and bone windows. The INCFs were classified as severe, indeterminate, and mild, based on their clinical importance, and as thoracic or abdominal based on their locations. Results: Incidental non-cardiac findings were detected in 56% of patients (588 of 1,044), including 435 males (mean age, 65.6 years) and 153 females (mean age, 67.9 years). A total of 729 INCFs were observed: 459 (63%) mild (58% thoracic, 43% abdominal), 96 (13%) indeterminate (95% thoracic, 5% abdominal), and 174 (24%) severe (87% thoracic, 13% abdominal). The prevalence of severe INCFs was 15%. Two severe INCFs were histologically verified as lung cancers. Conclusion: The 128-slice MDCT coronary angiography, in addition to cardiac imaging, can provide important information on the pathology of the chest and upper abdomen. The presence of severe INCFs is not rare, especially in the thorax. Therefore, all organs in the scan should be thoroughly evaluated in daily clinical practice

Rapid T1 quantification based on 3D phase sensitive inversion recovery

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In Contrast Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging fibrotic myocardium can be distinguished from healthy tissue using the difference in the longitudinal <it>T</it>₁relaxation after administration of Gadolinium, the so-called Late Gd Enhancement. The purpose of this work was to measure the myocardial absolute <it>T</it>₁post-Gd from a single breath-hold 3D Phase Sensitivity Inversion Recovery sequence (PSIR). Equations were derived to take the acquisition and saturation effects on the magnetization into account.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The accuracy of the method was investigated on phantoms and using simulations. The method was applied to a group of patients with suspected myocardial infarction where the absolute difference in relaxation of healthy and fibrotic myocardium was measured at about 15 minutes post-contrast. The evolution of the absolute <it>R</it>₁relaxation rate (1/<it>T</it>₁) over time after contrast injection was followed for one patient and compared to <it>T</it>₁mapping using Look-Locker. Based on the <it>T</it>₁maps synthetic LGE images were reconstructed and compared to the conventional LGE images.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The fitting algorithm is robust against variation in acquisition flip angle, the inversion delay time and cardiac arrhythmia. The observed relaxation rate of the myocardium is 1.2 s^-1, increasing to 6 - 7 s^-1after contrast injection and decreasing to 2 - 2.5 s^-1for healthy myocardium and to 3.5 - 4 s^-1for fibrotic myocardium. Synthesized images based on the <it>T</it>₁maps correspond very well to actual LGE images.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The method provides a robust quantification of post-Gd <it>T</it>₁relaxation for a complete cardiac volume within a single breath-hold.</p

Is there a role for CT coronary angiography in patients with symptomatic angina? Effect of coronary calcium score on identification of stenosis

Present guidelines discourage the use of CT coronary angiography (CTCA) in symptomatic angina patients. We examined the relation between coronary calcium score (CS) and the performance of CTCA in patients with stable and unstable angina in order to understand under which conditions CTCA might be a gate-keeper to conventional coronary angiography (CCA) in such patients. We included 360 patients between 50 and 70 years old with stable and unstable angina who were clinically referred for CCA irrespective of CS. Patients received CS and CCTA on 64-slice scanners in a multicenter cross-sectional trial. The institutional review board approved the study. Diagnostic performance of CTCA to detect or rule out significant coronary artery disease was calculated on a per patient level in pre-defined CS categories. The prevalence of significant coronary artery disease strongly increased with CS. Negative CTCA were associated with a negative likelihood ratio of <0.1 independent of CS. Positive CTCA was associated with a high positive likelihood ratio of 9.4 if CS was <10. However, for higher CS the positive likelihood ratio never exceeded 3.0 and for CS >400 it decreased to 1.3. In the 62 (17%) patients with CS <10, CTCA reliably identified the 42 (68%) of these patients without significant CAD, at no false negative CTCA scans. In symptomatic angina patients, a negative CTCA reliably excludes significant CAD but the additional value of CTCA decreases sharply with CS >10 and especially with CS >400. In patients with CS <10, CTCA provides excellent diagnostic performance

More educated emergency department patients are less likely to receive opioids for acute pain

Inadequate treatment of pain in United States emergency departments (EDs) is common, in part due to the limited and idiosyncratic use of opioids by emergency providers. We sought to determine the relationship between patient socioeconomic characteristics and the likelihood they would receive opioids during a pain-related ED visit. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of ED data obtained as part of a multi-center study of outcomes after minor motor vehicle collision (MVC). Study patients were non-hispanic whites between the ages of 18–65 who were evaluated and discharged home from one of nine EDs in four states. Socioeconomic characteristics included educational attainment and income. Of 690 enrolled patients, the majority had moderate or severe pain (80%). Patients with higher education attainment had lower levels of pain, pain catastrophizing, perceived life-threat, and distress. More educated patients were also less likely to receive opioids during their ED visit. Opioids were given to 54% of patients who did not complete high school vs. 10% of patients with post-college education (chi-square test p<.001). Differences in the frequency of opioid administration between patients with the lowest educational attainment (39%, 95% CI 22%–60%)and highest educational attainment (13%, 95% CI 7%–23%) remained after adjustment for age, sex, income, and pain severity (p=.01). In this sample of post-MVCED patients, more educated patients were less likely to receive opioids. Further study is needed to assess the generalizability of these findings and determine the reason for the difference

Myocardial Fat Imaging

The presence of intramyocardial fat may form a substrate for arrhythmias, and fibrofatty infiltration of the myocardium has been shown to be associated with sudden death. Therefore, noninvasive detection could have high prognostic value. Fat-water–separated imaging in the heart by MRI is a sensitive means of detecting intramyocardial fat and characterizing fibrofatty infiltration. It is also useful in characterizing fatty tumors and delineating epicardial and/or pericardial fat. Multi-echo methods for fat and water separation provide a sensitive means of detecting small concentrations of fat with positive contrast and have a number of advantages over conventional chemical-shift fat suppression. Furthermore, fat and water–separated imaging is useful in resolving artifacts that may arise due to the presence of fat. Examples of fat-water–separated imaging of the heart are presented for patients with ischemic and nonischemic cardiomyopathies, as well as general tissue classification