States Population Research Articles

Computational Characterization of the DAD Photoisomerization: Functionalization, Protonation, and Solvation Effects.

Photoswitches are becoming increasingly popular in pharmacology due to the possibility of modifying their activity with light. Hence, it is crucial to understand the photophysics of these compounds to identify promising light-activated drugs. We focused our study on DAD, an azobenzene derivative that, according to a previous experimental investigation, can restore visual function in blind mice due to trans-cis photoisomerization upon light absorption. With the present computational study, we aim to characterize the absorption spectrum of DAD, and to understand its photoisomerization mechanism by means of conformational search analysis, quantum mechanical (QM) and hybrid QM/continuum calculations, and classical molecular dynamics simulations. Moreover, we explored the effect of the derivation (DAD vs azobenzene), the protonation (DAD vs DADH22+, the two possible protonation states) and the solvation (vacuum vs water) on the photoisomerization. Similarly to azobenzene, we showed that the photoisomerization of both protonation states of DAD begin with the population of the bright S2 state. Then, it crosses to the S1 surface and relaxes along the rotation of the azo dihedral to a S1/S0 crossing point. The latter is close to a transition state that connects the trans and cis geometries on the ground state. Finally, our results suggested that amino derivation, nonprotonation and water solvation could improve the quantum yield of the photoisomerization.

Epidemiology, trends, and survival of ocular and orbital rhabdomyosarcoma: a nationwide study in the USA (1996-2018) : Ocular and orbital rhabdomyosarcoma in the USA.

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a rare malignancy that affects both children and young adults. Therefore, the current incidence and mortality rates of ocular and orbital rhabdomyosarcoma (ORMS) need to be clarified. We aimed to explore the epidemiology, trends, and survival outcomes of ORMS in the United States population spanning over two decades, from 1996 to 2018. We retrospectively reviewed 92,633 patients with ocular and adnexal malignancies and identified 640 ORMS cases from the North American Association of National Cancer Registries. Demographics, tumor characteristics, treatment modalities, and survival outcomes were analyzed. Most ORMS cases (71.7%) were reported in children aged-0-9 years. The age-adjusted incidence of ORMS was 0.1 per million population (ppm), with males demonstrating a higher incidence (0.12 ppm) than females (0.09 ppm). Whites had the highest incidence rate (0.11 ppm). Embryonal ORMS is the most common histological subtype. The incidence trend over the 22-year study period revealed a decline in ORMS from 0.124 to 0.076, in contrast with the incidence of whole-body RMS, which showed an insignificant increase. The 5-year relative survival rates of patients with ORMS were 89.7%, whereas the 10-year relative survival rate was 87.2%. The 5-year relative survival trend for ORMS increased but was insignificant. ORMS primarily affects young children and males, with the embryonal subtype being the most common. Despite the declining incidence, survival rates have remained stable, underscoring the need for further research on the risk factors, diagnostics, and management strategies to improve patient outcomes. What is known Ocular and Orbital Rhabdomyosarcoma (ORMS) predominantly affects children, especially males, and is the most frequent primary tumor in the orbit during childhood. The embryonal subtype is the most common histological subtype of ORMS. What is new A significant decline in the incidence of ORMS was observed over the 22-yearstudy period, in contrast to the overall incidence of whole-body rhabdomyosarcoma. It has a characteristic bigeminal distribution with a peak at 3-4 and another at 6 years. Patients receiving combined treatment modalities showed improved survival rates, while those undergoing surgery alone had poorer outcomes. Despite advancements in treatment, there has been no significant increase in the 5-year relative survival trends for ORMS.

Learning health system linchpins: information exchange and a common data model.

To demonstrate the potential for a centrally managed health information exchange standardized to a common data model (HIE-CDM) to facilitate semantic data flow needed to support a learning health system (LHS). The Rhode Island Quality Institute operates the Rhode Island (RI) statewide HIE, which aggregates RI health data for more than half of the state's population from 47 data partners. We standardized HIE data to the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership (OMOP) CDM. Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk and primary prevention practices were selected to demonstrate LHS semantic data flow from 2013 to 2023. We calculated longitudinal 10-year ASCVD risk on 62,999 individuals. Nearly two-thirds had ASCVD risk factors from more than one data partner. This enabled granular tracking of individual ASCVD risk, primary prevention (ie, statin therapy), and incident disease. The population was on statins for fewer than half of the guideline-recommended days. We also found that individuals receiving care at Federally Qualified Health Centers were more likely to have unfavorable ASCVD risk profiles and more likely to be on statins. CDM transformation reduced data heterogeneity through a unified health record that adheres to defined terminologies per OMOP domain. We demonstrated the potential for an HIE-CDM to enable observational population health research. We also showed how to leverage existing health information technology infrastructure and health data best practices to break down LHS barriers. HIE-CDM facilitates knowledge curation and health system intervention development at the individual, health system, and population levels.

Abstract 4120332: RISING TRENDS IN ISCHEMIC HEART DISEASE RELATED MORTALITY AMONG OLDER ADULTS WITH SLEEP APNEA IN THE UNITED STATES FROM 1999 TO 2021

Introduction: Sleep apnea (SA) is often underrecognized and undertreated despite its high prevalence in the adult population and its association with adverse cardiovascular outcomes. There are limited estimates of national trends on cardiovascular mortality in older patients with sleep apnea. We aimed to assess the sex and race-related trends of ischemic heart disease (IHD) mortality in the older adults with SA using a large population-based database. Methods: We utilized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-Ranging, Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) database which provides information from death certificates of all US residents according to the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). The demographic and mortality data were obtained for the United States population >65 years from 1999 to 2021. Ischemic heart disease (ICD-10 codes I20-I25) was listed as the underlying cause of death, and SA (G47.3) as a contributing cause of death. Age adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) per 1,000,000 population were calculated by standardizing deaths to the year 2000 US population. We used Jointpoint Regression Program to analyze temporal trends in mortality from 2000 to 2021. Average annual percentage change (AAPC) with 95% CI were calculated to examine trends in AAMR over time. Results: Overall, AAMR of IHD mortality for patients with SA increased from 7.9 per 1,000,000 (95% CI, 6.9-8.8) in 1999 to 53.4 per 1,000,000 (95% CI, 51.4-55.4) in 2021 with an AAPC of 9.1% per year (95% CI, 8.8-9.5). Men had consistently higher AAMR than women throughout the study period (overall AAMR men: 45.51 (95% CI, 44.8-46.2); women: 12.5 (95% CI, 12.2-12.8). Both the groups had a similar increasing trend in AAMR, with men having a steeper increase. [AAPC men: 9.3% (95% CI, 8.5-10.8) versus AAPC women: 8.6%, 95% CI, 8.1-9.7]. Non Hispanic (NH) White population had the greatest AAMR throughout the study period, followed by NH Black and Hispanic or Latino. The NH White population had the largest increase in AAMR from 1999 to 2021 (AAPC 9.4%, 95% CI:8.9-10.1). Conclusion: In the United States, there has been a general increase in IHD mortality related to sleep apnea over the last two decades. This rising trend as noted in our analysis is concerning and underscores the need for more robust cardiovascular surveillance in these patients.

Stagnating Life Expectancy Among American Indians and Alaska Natives: Understanding the Drivers and Recommendations for Research, Policy, and Practice.

Life expectancy among American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) has declined from 72 years in 2019 to 68 years in 2021. This current life expectancy for AI/ANs is equivalent to the overall life expectancy in the United States population in the 1940s. The significant and persistent nature of AI/AN health inequities, and the lack of clarity around what is driving them, requires urgent action. The purpose of this article is threefold. First, we provide a comprehensive conceptual framework of health that presents Indigenous perspectives of health and recognizes settler colonialism as a key structural determinant of the health of AI/ANs. Second, we underscore the importance of Tribal self-determination and sovereignty in public health research and practice and identify successful initiatives centering these efforts. Finally, we conclude with recommendations for future research, practice, and policy.

Value Chain Analysis of Cattle Feed Market in Banaskantha District, India

India has vast resources of livestock and poultry, which play a vital role in improving the socio-economic conditions of rural masses. Livestock sector contributed 4.90 per cent of total GVA in 2020-21. Birthal and Jha [1] has found feed scarcity as the main limiting factor to improving livestock productivity. Therefore, to increase the productivity potential of milch animals the use of commercial compound feed is inevitable as supply of feed & fodder is shortening due to shrinking pasture land in the country. The Indian feed industry is about 57 years old. India is deficient in fodder and its availability is shrinking day by day due to decrease in cultivable area and increased share in food crop production so more thrust should be directed towards compound feeds by identifying the constraints and removing them.This study focused on the effectiveness of the feed industry and the performance of the value chain when mapping the cattle feed value chain in the Banaskantha district of Gujarat state. Total of ten feed manufacturing units and 120 farmers were selected for the study. The study was based on primary data and secondary data, the primary data were collected through personal interviews with the help of a structured survey schedule. Secondary data on livestock population were collected through the livestock census, Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India. A multi stage random sampling method was adopted as an appropriate sampling procedure for the study. Banaskantha district was purposely selected for the study as Banaskantha district has highest livestock population in overall Gujarat State. Four talukas from Banaskantha district were selected randomly and feed manufacturing units were selected by snowball sampling method. From each taluka, five villages were selected randomly. From each village, six farmers were selected randomly. The study focused on buying behavior of farmers regarding cattle feed purchase and to estimate demand for concentrated feed requirements for the future in Banaskantha district. The study found that among the eight explanatory (independent) variables, five variables viz., livestock population, farm size, feed price, income from livestock, total feed fed per day were found to be significantly associated with expenditure of cattle feed price per animal per month and other variables such as average age of the animal, technology adoption and distance from buying location were statistically non-significant. The required feed demand for future livestock populations in Banaskantha district are 3651480 metric tonnes, 4487461 metric tonnes, 5514543 metric tonnes, 6774097 metric tonnes and 8315523 metric tonnes for the year 2024, 2029,2034, 2039 and 2044 respectively.

Triplet Energy Gap‐Regulated Room Temperature Phosphorescence in Host–Guest Doped Systems

AbstractThe organic room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials via host–guest doped method receive considerable attention in the fields of optoelectronics, bioimaging, and information encryption. Despite many host–guest doped materials with excellent RTP properties have been developed, their luminous mechanism is still limited. Here, a series of host–guest doped materials, using benzophenone as the host and quinone compounds as the guests, were constructed to investigate the effect of the triplet energy gap (ΔET) between the host and guest on triplet states population. The guest's triplet state is proposed to be a “triplet energy reservoir”, gathering the triplet excitons to emit RTP when ΔET is large and returning triplet excitons to the host when ΔET is small. By combining the results of steady‐state and delayed emission spectra, time‐resolved transient absorption spectra, and theoretical calculations, a bidirectional energy transfer process is proved, which are triplet‐triplet energy transfer and reverse triplet‐triplet energy transfer processes. The thermal equilibrium of these two energy transfer processes can be regulated by the ΔET and temperature. The potential applications of these RTP properties are also realized in data encryption and anti‐counterfeiting. This work provides valuable insight into the design of host–guest doped materials based on energy transfer mechanisms.

Triplet Energy Gap-Regulated Room Temperature Phosphorescence in Host-Guest Doped Systems.

The organic room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials via host-guest doped method receive considerable attention in the fields of optoelectronics, bioimaging, and information encryption. Despite many host-guest doped materials with excellent RTP properties have been developed, their luminous mechanism is still limited. Here, a series of host-guest doped materials, using benzophenone as the host and quinone compounds as the guests, were constructed to investigate the effect of the triplet energy gap (ΔET) between the host and guest on triplet states population. The guest's triplet state is proposed to be a "triplet energy reservoir", gathering the triplet excitons to emit RTP when ΔET is large and returning triplet excitons to the host when ΔET is small. By combining the results of steady-state and delayed emission spectra, time-resolved transient absorption spectra, and theoretical calculations, a bidirectional energy transfer process is proved, which are triplet-triplet energy transfer and reverse triplet-triplet energy transfer processes. The thermal equilibrium of these two energy transfer processes can be regulated by the ΔET and temperature. The potential applications of these RTP properties are also realized in data encryption and anti-counterfeiting. This work provides valuable insight into the design of host-guest doped materials based on energy transfer mechanisms.

Taking Attendance: Estimating Homeschooling Populations in States without Official Homeschool Data – a Pilot Analysis in Missouri

ABSTRACT There are over one million school-age children in Missouri, and we estimate 61,000 (6% of all school-age children) are homeschooled. Missouri is one of 29 states that does not require homeschooling to be reported. Using methods that can be replicated elsewhere with publicly available data, we test three approaches to estimating homeschool participation: using American Community Survey (ACS) data; subtracting public and estimated private school counts from ACS school-age totals; and polling parents. We comment on the usefulness and limitations of each approach and provide a model for researchers seeking to estimate homeschooling trends in states that lack administrative data.

Motional-state analysis of a trapped ion by ultranarrowband composite pulses

In this work, we present a method for measuring the motional state of a two-level system coupled to a harmonic oscillator. Our technique uses ultranarrowband composite pulses on the blue sideband transition to scan through the populations of the different motional states. Our approach does not assume any previous knowledge of the motional state distribution and is easily implemented. It is applicable both inside and outside of the Lamb-Dicke regime. For higher phonon numbers especially, the composite pulse sequence can be used as a filter for measuring phonon number ranges. We demonstrate this measurement technique using a single trapped ion and show good detection results with the numerically evaluated pulse sequence. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

QSLE-v1.0: A New Software Package for the Calculation of Coupled Quantum-Classical Dynamics in Condensed Phases Based on a Stochastic Approach.

Recently, a stochastic version of the quantum-classical Liouville equation has been proposed [Campeggio, J.; Cortivo, R.; Zerbetto, M. J. Chem. Phys. 2023, 158, 244104], to compute the coupled quantum-classical dynamics of molecules in condensed phases. The approach, called quantum-stochastic Liouville equation (QSLE), is based on coupling the time evolution of electronic states to a stochastic description of the relevant (classical) nuclear coordinates. Natural internal coordinates are used, i.e., bond lengths, bond angles, and dihedral angles. The approach is tailored to directly propagate the populations of the electronic states over time, based on a classical Fokker-Planck equation for the nuclear degrees of freedom coupled to a master equation for the jumps among the electronic states. The QSLE is a multiscale approach requiring many ingredients to be assembled in order to carry out the numerical solution. To make the approach accessible, a software package that handles the main (and most cumbersome) details of the numerical workflow has been implemented into the software package QSLE-v1.0, which is introduced in the present paper. Here, it is considered the case of one torsional nuclear coordinate and two nonadiabatic electronic potential energy surfaces. This is a very basic model for interpreting photoisomerization or charge transfer phenomena, but despite its simplicity, it can be applied even in complex systems where the relevant quantum/classical parts affecting the phenomena under study are highly localized. A sand-box model system for describing photoisomerization processes is reported to demonstrate the usage of the software package. QSLE-v1.0 is open source and distributed under the GPLv2.0 license.

A cross sectional analysis of residents by race/ethnicity and specialty from 2020-2023

BackgroundMinorities are underrepresented in all areas of medical education relative to the United States general population, and minority physicians are more likely to practice in disadvantaged areas and in primary care settings. Many individual and structural factors contribute to this discrepancy. We aimed to demonstrate how resident race/ethnicity representation differs across the various resident specialties. MethodsWe used publically available data from the Association of American Medical College's Report on Residents data series and averaged the four academic years from 2019 to 2020 through 2022-2023. We then calculated the odds ratio (OR) of self-reported race/ethnicity (alone and in combination) in thirty-four specialties. ResultsAcross the four-year study period, there were, on average, 147026 unduplicated resident trainees. The average number of duplicated residents by self-identified ethnic category (alone and in combination) include: American Indian or Alaska Native (839, 0.6%), Asian (31627, 21.5%), Black or African American (7935, 5.4%), Hispanic, Latino, or of Spanish Origin (10900, 7.4%), Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (296, 0.2%), White (76289, 51.9%), Other (4879, 3.3%), Unknown (522, 0.4%), and Non-US Citizens (23914, 16.3%). Across race/ethnicity, there are differences in ORs of representation in different specialties. Key findings include high representation in Public Health and Preventative Medicine by Black and African American (OR=3.7) and Native Hawaiian (OR=2.6) residents, and Family Medicine in Native Americans (OR=1.9), Native Hawaiian (OR=1.7), Black (OR=1.5), and Hispanic (OR=1.3) residents. Psychiatry also had high ORs of representation in minority residents. ConclusionThis study illustrates relative resident ethnic representation across training specialties. Minorities ethnicities were more likely to be represented in primary care and public health domains. This has implications for creating a physician workforce suitable to serve the United States Population.

Toward Efficient Modeling of Nonradiative Decay in Extended INVEST: Overcoming Computational Challenges in Quantum Dynamics Simulations.

In recent years, an increasing number of fully organic molecules capable of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) have been reported, often with very small or even inverted singlet-triplet (INVEST) energy gaps. These molecules typically exhibit complex photophysics due to the close energy levels of multiple singlet and triplet states, which create various transition pathways toward emission. A predictive model for the rates of these transitions is thus essential for assessing the suitability of new materials for light-emitting devices. Quantum Dynamics (QD) calculations are ideal for this purpose, as they include quantum effects, without the limitations of first-order perturbative approaches, also allowing taking into account more than two electronic states at once. However, the huge computational demands of QD methodologies, especially for large molecules, currently limit their use as a standard tool. To address this problem, we here employ a strategy that allows us to include almost the whole set of the vibrational coordinates by selecting the key elements of the Hilbert space that significantly impact dynamics, thereby hugely reducing the computational burden. Application of this protocol to two relatively large INVEST molecules reveals that internal conversion in these systems is very fast, making indirect emissive pathways a possible channel for the population of the S1 state. More importantly, this study demonstrates that the dynamics can be accurately described even with a significantly reduced vibrational space, thus allowing quantum dynamics calculations that yield accurate transition rates in a few minutes of computational time.

Prognostic Significance and Treatment Response Associations of Genetic Mutations in Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background: This retrospective cohort study investigates the prognostic significance of genetic mutations in Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia (CMML) and their association with treatment responses among patients treated at a single institution, juxtaposed with a statewide dataset from Kentucky. Methods: The study includes 51 patients diagnosed with CMML under the World Health Organization criteria from January 2005 to December 2023. It examines their genomic profiles and subsequent survival outcomes. The analysis also categorizes patients into CMML-1 and CMML-2 subtypes and assesses survival differences between transformed and non-transformed cases. Results: Mutations in TET2, ASXL1, and SRSF2 were found to significantly influence survival, establishing their roles as critical prognostic markers. Additionally, the cohort from the University of Kentucky exhibited distinct survival patterns compared to the broader Kentucky state population, suggesting that demographic and treatment-related factors could underlie these variances. Conclusions: This research underscores the pivotal role of targeted genetic profiling in deciphering the progression of CMML and refining therapeutic strategies. The findings emphasize the necessity for advanced genetic screening in managing CMML to better understand individual prognoses and optimize treatment efficacy, thereby offering insights that could lead to personalized treatment approaches.

Language barrier as social determinant of health: unmasking the disparities in the emergency department evaluation for patients with chest pain at a community hospital

Abstract Background/Introduction Patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) constitute 8.6% of the United States population. They may have lower health literacy related to cardiovascular disease, reluctance to seek care, and communication difficulties in reporting symptoms, posing challenges to care provision. Throughout medical literature, these barriers reportedly lead to increased utilisation of diagnostic testing, hospital admission rate, and length of stay. Purpose Language barrier appears to negatively impact individuals' healthcare experience. The goal of this study is to examine whether disparities exist in the emergency department (ED) evaluation and management of chest pain in LEP patients by comparing their wait time and admission rate to that of English-proficient (EP) counterparts. Methods This retrospective cohort study included adults age 18 or older that presented to our hospital ED with a chief complaint of chest pain from 1/9/2022 to 30/9/2023. We identified all LEP patients during this period and matched a random sample of EP patients in a 1:2 ratio. We treated each encounter as an independent subject and eliminated those that left prior to disposition. Our primary outcomes were time from arrival to provider evaluation, and admission rate. Covariates were sex, age, race, acuity level, arrival mode, and insurance status to adjust for characteristic difference between cohorts. Descriptive comparisons between cohorts and bivariate outcomes were conducted using independent samples t-tests for continuous variables and chi-squared tests for categorical ones. Multivariable linear and logistic regression models were used to compute adjusted mean wait time for provider and adjusted odds of admission, respectively. All analyses were done on SAS 9.4. Results Our study sample included 690 encounters, with 239 LEP and 451 EP patients. The two cohorts were similar in sex, age, and acuity level, but there were significant disparities in insurance status, arrival mode, and race. A higher proportion of EP patients were admitted to the hospital or observational unit than LEP patients (45.0% vs. 28.0%, respectively, P<0.001). After multivariable adjustment, LEP patients were half as likely to be admitted compared to EP patients (adjusted odds ratio, 0.51 [95% CI, 0.35-0.74], P<0.001). LEP patients waited longer for provider evaluation from the point of ED arrival, though this was not statistically significant when adjusting for acuity and arrival mode (19.6 minutes, [95% CI, 5.9-45.1], P=0.132). Conclusions Whilst we did not observe a significant difference in wait time for provider between LEP and EP patients, LEP patients were less likely to be admitted when presenting with chest pain at the ED. One possibility is that language barrier may limit a patient’s ability to convey cardiac versus non-cardiac chest pain, adversely influencing downstream management and outcomes. To address this, further large-scale investigation is needed.

Association between life's essential 8 score and 5-year all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in people with prediabetes: based on a cohort study

Abstract Background The Life's Essential 8 (LE8) score, which evaluates cardiovascular health (CVH) status, is linked to premature mortality in individuals with diabetes. However, the relationship between LE8 score and the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in individuals with prediabetes remains unclearly. Purpose This study aims to investigate the association between LE8 score and both all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among prediabetic patients within the United States population. Methods Our retrospective cohort study was based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 2005 to 2016. We selected prediabetic patients with blood glucose levels between normal and type 2 diabetes range from this database. The CVH status of these patients was categorized into low group (0-49), medium group (50-79), and high group (80-100) based on the LE8 score, which was assessed on a scale of 0 to 100. We constructed a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model to explore the relationship between LE8 score and mortality, and used restricted cubic spline curves to assess their non-linear correlation. Additionally, we conducted stratified analyses by age, gender, BMI, comorbid hypertension, and ASCVD in different populations to investigate the association between LE8 score and mortality. Results This study enrolled a total of 4,912 individuals with prediabetes (577 with low LE8 scores, 3,549 with medium LE8 scores, and 786 with high LE8 scores). Compared to the other groups, prediabetic patients with high LE8 scores exhibited younger age, lower BMI levels, a smaller proportion of Non-Hispanic Black individuals, higher education levels, and fewer clinical comorbidities. After adjusting for covariates using Cox proportional regression risk models, we observed that a low LE8 score was significantly associated with an increased rate of cardiovascular mortality (HR 4.13; 95% CI = 1.16-14.72) and all-cause mortality (HR 3.42; 95% CI = 1.73-6.74) in prediabetic patients. Restricted cubic splines demonstrated a linear trend between high LE8 scores and decreased risks of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality (P>0.05). Stratified analysis indicated that compared to the group with high LE8 scores, the group with low LE8 scores had a significantly higher risk of death within subgroups defined by age (≥65), gender, BMI<30, presence of hypertension, and absence of ASCVD. Conclusions In the American population, as the LE8 score increases, the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality decreases for individuals with prediabetes over a 5-year period. Maintaining an ideal LE8 score will provide long-term benefits for individuals with prediabetes.Cox proportional regression modelRestricted cubic spline curves

Ethnic discrimination, cultural identification, and well-being among undocumented Hispanic immigrants in the United States: A test of the rejection-identification model.

This study aimed to examine the rejection-identification model (RIM) within a community sample of undocumented Hispanic immigrants in the United States, a unique and vulnerable population who face distinct legal and sociopolitical challenges. The RIM posits that ethnic discrimination is associated with increased identification with one's ethnic group, which, in turn, is positively associated with well-being. Data were collected from a community sample of 140 undocumented Hispanic immigrants living in the South-Central United States during the height of the 2015 Trump presidential campaign. Path analysis was employed to examine direct and indirect effects of perceived ethnic discrimination vis-à-vis ethnic identity, U.S. identity, and two forms of well-being (life satisfaction and flourishing). Age (M = 34.83), gender (50% men), and time spent in the United States were included as covariates. Higher ethnic discrimination was associated with lower U.S. and ethnic identity. Both ethnic and U.S. identity were positively associated with flourishing, whereas only U.S. identity was positively associated with life satisfaction. We also found a significant indirect effect of ethnic identity in the relationship between ethnic discrimination and flourishing. Findings are inconsistent with the RIM, as ethnic discrimination was negatively rather than positively associated with ethnic group identification. Undocumented Hispanic immigrants are a vulnerable population who may experience dual disidentification from both U.S. and ethnic cultural streams when perceiving ethnic discrimination during adverse sociopolitical periods. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Accelerating quantum information transfer in a three-level system via a specified intermediate Hamiltonian

Abstract We propose a general approach to speed up quantum adiabatic processes for fast quantum information transfer in a three-level system. In the approach, by using an intermediate Hamiltonian which is assumed to be formed by the original Hamiltonian H 0 ( t ) and its counterdiabatic driving Hamiltonian H cd ( t ) with a simple linear relationship, we design exact dynamics following the eigenstates of the intermediate Hamiltonian to speed up the desired population processes. We apply the present approach to a three-level system to show that by suitably choosing the parameters, not only the population processes could be sped up, but also the existence of the undesired off-diagonal terms, the populations of the intermediate states, and even the shapes of the pulses would be controllable in the speeding up scheme.

Outcomes Following Arteriovenous Fistula Creation in Medicare Beneficiaries With End-Stage Kidney Disease

The objective of this study was to measure the contemporary patency rates and frequency of interventions required for arteriovenous fistula (AVF) care among a representative United States (US) population of end stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients, including by age, race and sex. All Medicare beneficiaries >20 years of age who underwent AVF graft creation for ESKD between 2017 through 2019 were included for analysis. The primary endpoints included primary patency, primary assisted patency, post-intervention patency, and fistula functionality up to one year after AVF placement. Secondary endpoint included admission for an associated adverse event following AVF creation. Multivariate analysis of patency rates was also assessed. Of 43,457 patients included in the analysis, the cumulative primary patency at 90 days was 68.4% and at one year was 31.5%. At one year, the primary assisted patency rate, post-intervention patency, and fistula use were 70.4%, 30.2% and 59.1%, respectively. There was no difference in primary patency rates when comparing age groups (age 40 – 59: HR 1.01 [95% CI 0.95 – 1.06], p = 0.84) or age ≥60: HR 0.99 [95% CI 0.93 – 1.04], p = 0.61) to the reference of age group 20 – 39. Women vs men (HR 1.16 [95% CI 1.14 – 1.20], p < 0.001) and Black vs White patients (HR 1.34 [95% CI 1.31 – 1.38], p < 0.001) and were at higher risk of experiencing primary patency failure. The cumulative incidence of admissions for adverse events was 32.6% at 1-year. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the real-world AVF patency rates remain low, with disproportionately low rates among women and Black patients.

Electrical Control of Valley Polarized Charged Exciton Species in Monolayer WS2.

Excitons are key to the optoelectronic applications of van der Waals semiconductors, with the potential for versatile on-demand tuning of properties. Yet, their electrical manipulation remains challenging due to inherent charge neutrality and the additional loss channels induced by electrical doping. We demonstrate the dynamic electrical control of valley polarization in charged excitonic states of monolayer tungsten disulfide, achieving up to a 6-fold increase in the degree of circular polarization under off-resonant excitation. In contrast to the weak direct tuning of excitons typically observed using electrical gating, the charged exciton photoluminescence remains stable, even with increased scattering from electron doping. By exciting at the exciton resonances, we observed the reproducible nonmonotonic switching of the charged state population as the electron doping is varied under gate bias, indicating a resonant interplay between neutral and charged exciton states.