The effect of opioid overdose education and Naloxone distribution programs on opioid-related mortality

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of opioid overdose education and naloxone distribution (OEND) program implementation in reducing opioid-related overdose mortality. Methods: A PubMed search was conducted using the terms “opioid overdose prevention community naloxone,” yielding 80 records, 36 of which were screened. The remaining 44 articles were reviewed for eligibility, resulting in three articles chosen for the study. Results: An interrupted time-series analysis by Walley et al., and two retrospective cohort studies by Albert et al. and Rowe et al. were analyzed. Conclusion: Studies by Walley et al. and Albert et al. demonstrated a positive association between OEND program implementation and a decrease in opioid-related mortality rates. Due to data variability, OEND program effectiveness could not be extrapolated with Rowe et al.; however, the study provided insight into targeting demographic characteristics for OEND program implementation. To address the national opioid epidemic, strategic, community-level efforts that leverage available resources should be used to establish OEND programs. Key: OEND = Opioid overdose education and naloxone distributio

MAnanA: A Generalized Heuristic Scoring Approach for Concept Map Analysis as Applied to Cybersecurity Education

Concept Maps (CMs) are considered a well-known pedagogy technique in creating curriculum, educating, teaching, and learning. Determining comprehension of concepts result from comparisons of candidate CMs against a master CM, and evaluate goodness . Past techniques for comparing CMs have revolved around the creation of a subjective rubric. We propose a novel CM scoring scheme called MAnanA based on a Fuzzy Similarity Scaling (FSS) score to vastly remove the subjectivity of the rubrics in the process of grading a CM. We evaluate our framework against a predefined rubric and test it with CM data collected from the Introduction to Computer Security course at the University of New Orleans (UNO), and found that the scores obtained via MAnanA captured the trend that we observed from the rubric via peak matching. Based on our evaluation, we believe that our framework can be used to objectify CM analysis

Mixed messengers, unified message: spatial grouping from temporal structure

AbstractIn dynamic visual environments, objects can differ from their backgrounds in terms of their associated temporal structure—the time course of changes in some stimulus property defining object and background. In a series of experiments, we investigated whether different “messengers” of temporal structure group into coherent spatial forms. Observers viewed arrays of Gabor patches in which different temporal structures designated figure and ground regions; extracting the figure required grouping across synchronized orientation, spatial frequency, phase, and/or contrast changes. Observers were able to extract spatial form from temporal structure even when information had to be combined across different messengers. Further, mixing messengers of temporal structure proved cost-free: task performance when grouping across messengers approximated performance when all information resided within a single messenger. Thus, the visual system can abstract temporal structure regardless of the messenger of the dynamic event; a coherent spatial structure emerges from this abstracted temporal structure

Unnatural selection in Galapagos : the role of disease in Darwin’s Finches (Geospizinae)

Micro-evolutionary studies, such as those of Darwin’s finches (Geospizinae), have been used as indicators of rates of evolution under natural selection. Today however, such studies may be compromised by unnatural selection. Recently introduced infectious and parasitic agents in Galapagos may hamper our ability to monitor natural evolutionary change in endemic birds, by modifying such change. The opportunity to study natural selection in its iconic site may thus be lost, due to these and other forms of human environmental alteration, which may be replacing non-anthropogenic factors as the principal driver of evolution. To ensure that natural selection continues to shape the biota of Galapagos, anthropogenic impacts including introduced diseases must be managed effectively

Stable Isotope clues to the formation and evolution of refrozen melt ponds on Arctic Sea ice.

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2018. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans 123(12), (2018): 8887-8901, doi:10.1029/2018JC013797.Sea ice is one of the determining parameters of the climate system. The presence of melt ponds on the surface of Arctic sea ice plays a critical role in the mass balance of sea ice. A total of nine cores was collected from multiyear ice refrozen melt ponds and adjacent hummocks during the 2015 Arctic Sea State research cruise. The depth profiles of water isotopes, salinity, and ice texture for these sea ice cores were examined to provide information about the development of refrozen melt ponds and water balance generation processes, which are otherwise difficult to acquire. The presence of meteoric water with low oxygen isotope values as relatively thin layers indicates melt pond water stability and little mixing during formation and refreezing. The hydrochemical characteristics of refrozen melt pond and seawater depth profiles indicate little snowmelt enters the upper ocean during melt pond refreezing. Due to the seasonal characters of deuterium excess for Arctic precipitation, water balance calculations utilizing two isotopic tracers (oxygen isotope and deuterium excess) suggest that besides the melt of snow cover, the precipitation input in the melt season may also play a role in the evolution of melt ponds. The dual‐isotope mixing model developed here may become more valuable in a future scenario of increasing Arctic precipitation. The layers of meteoric origin were found at different depths in the refrozen melt pond ice cores. Surface topography information collected at several core sites was examined for possible explanations of different structures of refrozen melt ponds.The coauthors (S. F. A., S. S., T. M., and B. W.) wish to thank the other DRI participants and the Captain and crew of the Sikuliaq's October 2015 cruise for their assistance in the sample collections analyzed in the paper. Jim Thomson (Chief Scientist), Scott Harper (ONR Program Manager), and Martin Jeffries (ONR Program Manager) are particularly acknowledged for their unwavering assistance and leadership during the 5 years of the SeaState DRI. We thank Guy Williams for production of the aerial photo mosaic. Funding from the Office of Naval Research N00014‐13‐1‐0435 (S. F. A. and B. W.), N00014‐13‐1‐0434 (S. S.), and N00014‐13‐1‐0446 (T. M.) supported this research through grants to UTSA, UColorado, and WHOI, respectively. This project was also funded (in part) by the University of Texas at San Antonio, Office of the Vice President for Research (Y. G. and S. F. A.). Data for the stable isotope mixing models used in this study are shown in supporting information Tables S1–S3.2019-05-1

Electrical vestibular stimulation in humans. A narrative review

Background: In patients with bilateral vestibulopathy, the regular treatment options, such as medication, surgery, and/ or vestibular rehabilitation, do not always suffice. Therefore, the focus in this field of vestibular research shifted to electri- cal vestibular stimulation (EVS) and the development of a system capable of artificially restoring the vestibular func- tion. Key Message: Currently, three approaches are being investigated: vestibular co-stimulation with a cochlear im- plant (CI), EVS with a vestibular implant (VI), and galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS). All three applications show promising results but due to conceptual differences and the experimental state, a consensus on which application is the most ideal for which type of patient is still missing. Summa- ry: Vestibular co-stimulation with a CI is based on “spread of excitation,” which is a phenomenon that occurs when the currents from the CI spread to the surrounding structures and stimulate them. It has been shown that CI activation can indeed result in stimulation of the vestibular structures. Therefore, the question was raised whether vestibular co- stimulation can be functionally used in patients with bilat- eral vestibulopathy. A more direct vestibular stimulation method can be accomplished by implantation and activa- tion of a VI. The concept of the VI is based on the technology and principles of the CI. Different VI prototypes are currently being evaluated regarding feasibility and functionality. So far, all of them were capable of activating different types of vestibular reflexes. A third stimulation method is GVS, which requires the use of surface electrodes instead of an implant- ed electrode array. However, as the currents are sent through the skull from one mastoid to the other, GVS is rather unspe- cific. It should be mentioned though, that the reported spread of excitation in both CI and VI use also seems to in- duce a more unspecific stimulation. Although all three ap- plications of EVS were shown to be effective, it has yet to be defined which option is more desirable based on applicabil- ity and efficiency. It is possible and even likely that there is a place for all three approaches, given the diversity of the pa- tient population who serves to gain from such technologies

Rheological, In Situ Printability and Cell Viability Analysis of Hydrogels for Muscle Tissue Regeneration

Advancements in additive manufacturing have made it possible to fabricate biologically relevant architectures from a wide variety of materials. Hydrogels have garnered increased attention for the fabrication of muscle tissue engineering constructs due to their resemblance to living tissue and ability to function as cell carriers. However, there is a lack of systematic approaches to screen bioinks based on their inherent properties, such as rheology, printability and cell viability. Furthermore, this study takes the critical first-step for connecting in-process sensor data with construct quality by studying the influence of printing parameters. Alginate-chitosan hydrogels were synthesized and subjected to a systematic rheological analysis. In situ print layer photography was utilized to identify the optimum printing parameters and also characterize the fabricated three-dimensional structures. Additionally, the scaffolds were seeded with C2C12 mouse myoblasts to test the suitability of the scaffolds for muscle tissue engineering. The results from the rheological analysis and print layer photography led to the development of a set of optimum processing conditions that produced a quality deposit while the cell viability tests indicated the suitability of the hydrogel for muscle tissue engineering applications