Background: Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis is a neuroinflammatory disease mediated by antibodies targeting the GluN1 subunit of the NMDAR. It presents with well-defined neuropsychiatric symptoms, including psychosis, agitation, seizures, and memory disturbances. Movement disorders including orofacial dyskinesias are common, but often difficult to manage, with no specific published guidelines. Methods: A 23-year-old female was diagnosed with NMDAR encephalitis. She was treated with ovarian teratoma removal, corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin therapy, rituximab, and tocilizumab. She continued to experience severe, self-mutilating orofacial dyskinesias. Tetrabenazine, haloperidol, and diazepam did not yield any sustained improvement. Tramadol was started based on a prior case report suggesting its efficacy. Results: Tramadol 50 mg po q6h led to immediate improvement in symptoms. Over the next 5 days, tramadol was increased to 150mg NG q6h and further reduced movements. When tramadol was held for one day, the movements significantly worsened and improved when it was restarted. Clonazepam 1mg NG QID also led to further improvement. Conclusions: Tramadol and clonazepam effectively treated severe orofacial dyskinesias in a patient with NMDAR encephalitis and refractory symptoms despite aggressive management. We propose early use of tramadol and clonazepam be considered for severe orofacial dyskinesias secondary to NMDAR encephalitis.

Gravitational waves from coalescing neutron stars encode information about nuclear matter at extreme densities, inaccessible by laboratory experiments. The late inspiral is influenced by the presence of tides, which depend on the neutron star equation of state. Neutron star mergers are expected to often produce rapidly rotating remnant neutron stars that emit gravitational waves. These will provide clues to the extremely hot post-merger environment. This signature of nuclear matter in gravitational waves contains most information in the 2–4 kHz frequency band, which is outside of the most sensitive band of current detectors. We present the design concept and science case for a Neutron Star Extreme Matter Observatory (NEMO): a gravitational-wave interferometer optimised to study nuclear physics with merging neutron stars. The concept uses high-circulating laser power, quantum squeezing, and a detector topology specifically designed to achieve the high-frequency sensitivity necessary to probe nuclear matter using gravitational waves. Above 1 kHz, the proposed strain sensitivity is comparable to full third-generation detectors at a fraction of the cost. Such sensitivity changes expected event rates for detection of post-merger remnants from approximately one per few decades with two A+ detectors to a few per year and potentially allow for the first gravitational-wave observations of supernovae, isolated neutron stars, and other exotica.

Quantifying reasonable crop yield gaps and determining potential regions for yield improvement can facilitate regional plant structure adjustment and promote crop production. The current study attempted to evaluate the yield gap in a region at multi-scales through model simulation and farmer investigation. Taking the winter wheat yield gap in the Huang-Huai-Hai farming region (HFR) for the case study, 241 farmers’ fields in four typical high-yield demonstration areas were surveyed to determine the yield limitation index and attainable yield. In addition, the theoretical and realizable yield gap of winter wheat in 386 counties of the HFR was assessed. Results showed that the average field yield of the demonstration plots was 8282 kg/ha, accounting for 0.72 of the potential yield, which represented the highest production in the region. The HFR consists of seven sub-regions designated 2.1–2.7: the largest attainable yield gap existed in the 2.6 sub-region, in the southwest of the HFR, while the smallest was in the 2.2 sub-region, in the northwest of the HFR. With a high irrigated area rate, the yield gap in the 2.2 sub-region could hardly be reduced by increasing irrigation, while a lack of irrigation remained an important limiting factor for narrowing the yield gap in 2.3 sub-region, in the middle of the HFR. Therefore, a multi-scale yield gap evaluation framework integrated with typical field survey and crop model analysis could provide valuable information for narrowing the yield gap.

Here we present the synthesis of porous platinum–palladium macrobeams templated from high aspect ratio Magnus’ salt needle derivatives. The combination of [PtCl4]2− and/or [PdCl4]2− with [Pt(NH3)4]2+ ions results in salt needles ranging from 15 to 300 µm in length. Electrochemical reduction of the salt templates results in porous macrobeams with a square cross-section. Porous side wall texture and elemental composition was controlled with initial platinum to palladium salt ratio. Macrobeam free-standing films exhibited a specific capacitance up to 11.73 F/g and a solvent accessible surface area of 26.6 m2/g. These salt-templated porous platinum–palladium macrobeams offer a promising material for fuel cell catalysis.

Kuratite, ideally Ca4(Fe2+ 10Ti2)O4[Si8Al4O36], the Fe2+-analogue of rhönite and a new member of the sapphirine supergroup, was identified from the D'Orbigny angrite meteorite by electron microscopy and micro-Raman spectroscopy. Based on the least-squares refinement of 25 d-spacings measured from selected-area electron diffraction patterns of 11 zone axes, the symmetry of kuratite was shown to be triclinic (space group by analogy to rhönite) with a = 10.513(7), b = 10.887(7), c = 9.004(18) Å, α = 105.97(13), β = 96.00(12), γ = 124.82(04)°, V = 767 ± 2 Å3 and Z = 1 for the 40 oxygen formula. The empirical formula based on eight electron microprobe analyses is (Ca3.88Na0.02REE3+ 0.03Mn0.03Mg0.01Ni0.02Zn0.01Sr0.01)∑4.01 (Fe2+ 9.989.9Ti2.00)∑11.98(Si7.80Al3.52Fe3+ 0.64P0.05S0.02)∑12.03O39.98F0.01Cl0.01. The simplified formula is Ca4(Fe2+ 10Ti2)O4[Si8Al4O36]. Micro-Raman spectroscopy showed four main bands resembling those of lunar rhönite but with higher frequencies due to different chemical composition. Analogous to the occurrence of kuratite in terrestrial basaltic rocks, kuratite coexisting with Al, Ti-bearing hedenbergite, ulvöspinel, iron-sulfide, tsangpoite, Ca-rich fayalite and kirschsteinite in D'Orbigny angrite most probably was formed at >1000°C by rapid cooling of an interstitial melt, which is subsilicic, almost Mg-free but enriched in Al-P-Ca-Ti-Fe.

TAOS II is a next-generation occultation survey with the goal of measuring the size distribution of the small end of the Kuiper Belt (objects with diameters 0.5–30 km). Such objects have magnitudes r > 30, and are thus undetectable by direct imaging. The project will operate three telescopes at San Pedro Mártir Observatory in Baja California, México. Each telescope will be equipped with a custom-built camera comprised of a focal-plane array of CMOS imagers. The cameras will be capable of reading out image data from 10,000 stars at a cadence of 20 Hz. The telescopes will monitor the same set of stars simultaneously to search for coincident occultation detections, thus minimising the false-positive rate. This talk described the project, and reported on the progress of the development of the survey infrastructure.

Introduction: Emergency medicine physicians in our urban/suburban area have a range of training in medical education; some have no formal training in medical education, whereas others have completed Master’s level training in adult education. Not all staff have a university appointment; of those who are affiliated with our university, 87 have appointments through the Department of Medicine, 21 through the Department of Pediatrics, and 117 through the Department of Family Medicine. Emergency physicians in our area are a diverse group of physicians in terms of both formal training in adult education and in the variety of settings in which we work. The purpose of this study was to gauge interest in formal training in adult education among emergency medicine physicians. Methods: With research ethics board approval, we created and sent a 10-item electronic questionnaire to emergency medicine staff in our area. The questionnaire included items on demographics, experience in emergency medicine, additional post-graduate training, current teaching activities and interest in short (30-60 minute) adult education sessions. Results: Of a potential 360 active emergency physicians in our area, 120 responded to the questionnaire (33.3%), representing 12 area hospitals. Nearly half of respondents had been in practice over 10 years (48.44%). Respondents were mainly FRCP (50%) or CCFP-EM (47.50%) trained. 33.3% of respondents had masters degrees, of which 15% were MEd. Most physicians were involved in teaching medical students (98.33%), FRCP residents (80%) and family medicine residents (88.3%), though many were also teaching off-service residents, and allied health professionals. More than half of respondents (60%) were interested in attending short sessions to improve their skills as adult educators. The topics of most interest were feedback and evaluation, time-efficient teaching, the learner in difficulty, case-based teaching and bedside teaching. Conclusion: Emergency physicians in our area have a wide variety of experience and training in medical education. They are involved in teaching learners from a range of training levels and backgrounds. Physicians who responded to our survey expressed an interest in additional formal teaching on adult education topics geared toward emergency medicine.

Phenol, also known as carbolic acid or phenic acid, is a priority pollutant in aquatic ecosystems. The present study has investigated metabolic activities and transcription profiles of cytochrome P450 enzymes in Chironomus kiinensis under phenol stress. Exposure of C. kiinensis larvae to three sublethal doses of phenol (1, 10 and 100 µM) inhibited cytochrome P450 enzyme activity during the 96 h exposure period. The P450 activity measured after the 24 h exposure to phenol stress could be used to assess the level (low or high) of phenol contamination in the environment. To investigate the potential of cytochrome P450 genes as molecular biomarkers to monitor phenol contamination, the cDNA of ten CYP6 genes from the transcriptome of C. kiinensis were identified and sequenced. The open reading frames of the CYP6 genes ranged from 1266 to 1587 bp, encoding deduced polypeptides composed of between 421 and 528 amino acids, with predicted molecular masses from 49.01 to 61.94 kDa and isoelectric points (PI) from 6.01 to 8.89. Among the CYP6 genes, the mRNA expression levels of the CYP6EW3, CYP6EV9, CYP6FV1 and CYP6FV2 genes significantly altered in response to phenol exposure; therefore, these genes could potentially serve as biomarkers in the environment. This study shows that P450 activity combined with one or multiple CYP6 genes could be used to monitor phenol pollution.

Ultrastructural changes in the zone of clamping of the middle cerebral artery of the squirrel monkey are described after application of a surgical clip. The experimental model utilized has been widely applied to the study of cerebral ischemia and possibly has relevance to clamps applied to the cerebral vessels during neurosurgical treatment of patients with cerebrovascular disorders.

The earliest changes within the arterial wall were found in the smooth muscle (media) and accompanying fasciculi of nerves. Changes within the nerve bundles were sufficiently advanced following 4 hours of vascular clipping to suggest temporary or permanent impairment of neurogenic innervation of the cerebral vessels distal to the trunk of the vessel clipped.

Tissue response to platinum electrodes was assessed after an eight-day implantation period. The regions of study included the cortical areas at the opercular gyri and at the sulcus parielo-occipitalis externus, as well as the sub-cortical white matter in these areas.

Perivascular and intraparenchymal hemorrhagic lesions as well as edematous changes characterized both by extensive intra and extracellular swelling were noted. Numerous phagocytic elements and degenerative structures were present at the electrode I parenchymal interface.

Tissue alterations were asymmetrical as observed both around and at the lip of the implanted electrode. The parenchymal alterations extended from 0.2mm to 3.5mm distance from the electrode path/ parenchymal interface.

Greater tissue involvement was found in the subcortical white matter as compared to the adjacent cortical gray matter.