Perceived Importance of Ultrasound Vascular Access Education among Residents

Background: Peripheral intravenous catheter (PIVC) failure and difficult intravenous access (DIVA) are pervasive issues causing patient suffering and increased costs. Despite their prevalence, there is a gap in internal medicine and pediatric resident training to manage these challenges effectively. Objective: This study aimed to assess the value of ultrasound-guided-PIVC (USGPIVC) education for internal medicine and pediatric residents and the impact of a 1-hour multidisciplinary workshop on their knowledge and confidence. Methods: A cross-sectional survey study was conducted at an academic medical center in 2022 to assess residents’ perceptions of USG-PIVC education. This was followed by a USG-PIVC simulation-based workshop with limited enrollment (11-slots). Pre- and postworkshop assessments were used to evaluate changes in knowledge and confidence. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: Of the 136 residents surveyed, 68 (50%) responded. Most respondents (78%) reported encountering situations where no one could obtain DIVA. While 71% (n=48) of residents considered USG-PIVC placement a useful skill, only 13% (n=9) had prior experience. Following the workshop, the 11 participants had improvement in both confidence (mean pre-assessment score of 38.2 ±8.3 increased to 56.6 ±6.4, p Conclusions: Most internal medicine and pediatric residents at an academic medical center lack experience with USG-PIVC insertion and express interest in acquiring this skill. A one-hour multidisciplinary workshop may be an effective strategy to increase their knowledge and confidence, making it a promising avenue for enhancing residency curricula

Computer-based and paper-and-pencil tests: A study in calculus for STEM majors

Computer-based testing is an expanding use of technology offering advantages to teachers and students. We studied Calculus II classes for STEM majors using different testing modes. Three sections with 324 students employed: Paper-and-pencil testing, computer-based testing, and both. Computer tests gave immediate feedback, allowed multiple submissions, and pooling. Paper-and-pencil tests required work and explanation allowing inspection of high cognitive demand tasks. Each test mode used the strength of its method. Students were given the same lecture by the same instructor on the same day and the same homework assignments and due dates. The design is quasi-experimental, but students were not aware of the testing mode at registration. Two basic questions examined were: (1) Do paper-and-pencil and computer-based tests measure knowledge and skill in STEM Calculus II in a consistent manner? (2) How does the knowledge and skill gained by students in a fully computer-based Calculus II class compare to students in a class requiring pencil-and-paper tests and hence some paper-and-pencil work. These results indicate that computer-based tests are as consistent with paper-and-pencil tests as computer-based tests are with themselves. Results are also consistent with classes using paper-and-pencil tests having slightly better outcomes than fully computer-based classes using only computer assessments.Comment: 33 pages, 1 figure, 9 table

ROSAT X-ray sources in the field of the LMC I.Total LMC gas from the background AGN spectral fits

We analyzed a sample of 26 background X-ray sources in a ~60 square degree field of the Large Magellanic Cloud observed with the ROSAT PSPC. The sample has been selected from previously classified and optically identified X-ray sources. In addition pointlike and spectrally hard sources with at least 100 to 200 observed counts have been used for the analysis. We performed X-ray spectral fitting and derived total hydrogen absorbing column densities due to LMC gas in the range 10^20 - 2. 10^21 cm^-2. We compared these columns with the HI columns derived from a 21-cm Parkes survey of the LMC. For 7 optically identified sources we find, within the uncertainties derived from the X-ray spectral fit, agreement for both columns. For further 19 sources we constrain the LMC columns from the X-ray spectral fit assuming that the powerlaw photon index is that of AGN type spectra. We derive for 20 sources gas columns which are within the uncertainties in agreement with the HI columns. We derive for two background sources (RX J0536.9-6913 and RX J0547.0-7040) hydrogen absorbing column densities due to LMC gas, which are in excess to the HI columns. These sources - located in regions of large (~3. 10^21 cm^-2) LMC HI column densities - could be seen through additional gas which may be warm and diffuse, cold or molecular. For 10 sources we derive upper limits for the gas columns additional to HI and constrain the molecular mass fraction to <(30-140)%.Comment: Accepted by A&

Deafening silence? Marxism, international historical sociology and the spectre of Eurocentrism

Approaching the centenary of its establishment as a formal discipline, International Relations today challenges the ahistorical and aspatial frameworks advanced by the theories of earlier luminaries. Yet, despite a burgeoning body of literature built on the transdisciplinary efforts bridging International Relations and its long-separated nomothetic relatives, the new and emerging conceptual frameworks have not been able to effectively overcome the challenge posed by the ‘non-West’. The recent wave of international historical sociology has highlighted possible trajectories to problematise the myopic and unipolar conceptions of the international system; however, the question of Eurocentrism still lingers in the developing research programmes. This article interjects into the ongoing historical materialist debate in international historical sociology by: (1) conceptually and empirically challenging the rigid boundaries of the extant approaches; and (2) critically assessing the postulations of recent theorising on ‘the international’, capitalist states-system/geopolitics and uneven and combined development. While the significance of the present contributions in international historical sociology should not be understated, it is argued that the ‘Eurocentric cage’ still occupies a dominant ontological position which essentially silences ‘connected histories’ and conceals the role of inter-societal relations in the making of the modern states-system and capitalist geopolitics

Making Neural Networks FAIR

Research on neural networks has gained significant momentum over the past few years. Because training is a resource-intensive process and training data cannot always be made available to everyone, there has been a trend to reuse pre-trained neural networks. As such, neural networks themselves have become research data. In this paper, we first present the neural network ontology FAIRnets Ontology, an ontology to make existing neural network models findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable according to the FAIR principles. Our ontology allows us to model neural networks on a meta-level in a structured way, including the representation of all network layers and their characteristics. Secondly, we have modeled over 18,400 neural networks from GitHub based on this ontology, which we provide to the public as a knowledge graph called FAIRnets, ready to be used for recommending suitable neural networks to data scientists

Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor alpha (PPAR alpha) down-regulation in cystic fibrosis lymphocytes

Background: PPARs exhibit anti-inflammatory capacities and are potential modulators of the inflammatory response. We hypothesized that their expression and/or function may be altered in cystic fibrosis (CF), a disorder characterized by an excessive host inflammatory response. Methods: PPARα, β and γ mRNA levels were measured in peripheral blood cells of CF patients and healthy subjects via RT-PCR. PPARα protein expression and subcellular localization was determined via western blot and immunofluorescence, respectively. The activity of PPARα was analyzed by gel shift assay. Results: In lymphocytes, the expression of PPARα mRNA, but not of PPARβ, was reduced (-37%; p < 0.002) in CF patients compared with healthy persons and was therefore further analyzed. A similar reduction of PPARα was observed at protein level (-26%; p < 0.05). The transcription factor was mainly expressed in the cytosol of lymphocytes, with low expression in the nucleus. Moreover, DNA binding activity of the transcription factor was 36% less in lymphocytes of patients (p < 0.01). For PPARα and PPARβ mRNA expression in monocytes and neutrophils, no significant differences were observed between CF patients and healthy persons. In all cells, PPARγ mRNA levels were below the detection limit. Conclusion: Lymphocytes are important regulators of the inflammatory response by releasing cytokines and antibodies. The diminished lymphocytic expression and activity of PPARα may therefore contribute to the inflammatory processes that are observed in CF

Comparing Grounded Theory and Topic Modeling: Extreme Divergence or Unlikely Convergence?

Researchers in information science and related areas have developed various methods for analyzing textual data, such as survey responses. This article describes the application of analysis methods from two distinct fields, one method from interpretive social science and one method from statistical machine learning, to the same survey data. The results show that the two analyses produce some similar and some complementary insights about the phenomenon of interest, in this case, nonuse of social media. We compare both the processes of conducting these analyses and the results they produce to derive insights about each method\u27s unique advantages and drawbacks, as well as the broader roles that these methods play in the respective fields where they are often used. These insights allow us to make more informed decisions about the tradeoffs in choosing different methods for analyzing textual data. Furthermore, this comparison suggests ways that such methods might be combined in novel and compelling ways