Are Publicly Sponsored Religious Symbols Unconstitutional: The Reindeer Rule Revisited - Allegheny County v. American Civil Liberties Union

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The Ted Trueblood Collection at Boise State University : A Guide to the Papers of One of America\u27s Foremost Outdoor Writers and Conservationists

Ted Trueblood (1913-1982) loved to write about the outdoors almost as much as he loved the outdoors itself. Raised on a family farm in the southwestern corner of Idaho, Trueblood made a living by writing and taking pictures of the things he liked to do best -hunting, fishing, camping, and cooking in the great outdoors. From his home in Idaho, he contributed hundreds of articles to Field & Stream and other outdoor journals, edited several book-length anthologies of his work, and, as the years went by, played an evermore influential role in the conservation and environmental movements in the American West. The Ted Trueblood collection at Boise State University preserves the extraordinary literary and photographic legacy of a legendary outdoorsman and writer.https://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/uni_books/1002/thumbnail.jp

Algal Lipid Extraction and Upgrading to Hydrocarbons Technology Pathway

In support of the Bioenergy Technologies Office, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) are undertaking studies of biomass conversion technologies to identify barriers and target research toward reducing conversion costs. Process designs and preliminary economic estimates for each of these pathway cases were developed using rigorous modeling tools (Aspen Plus and Chemcad). These analyses incorporated the best information available at the time of development, including data from recent pilot and bench-scale demonstrations, collaborative industrial and academic partners, and published literature and patents. This technology pathway case investigates the cultivation of algal biomass followed by further lipid extraction and upgrading to hydrocarbon biofuels. Technical barriers and key research needs have been assessed in order for the algal lipid extraction and upgrading pathway to be competitive with petroleum-derived gasoline, diesel and jet range hydrocarbon blendstocks

Computed tomography measures of nutrition in patients with end-stage liver disease provide a novel approach to characterize deficits

Aim Patients with cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease (ESLD) develop severe nutrition deficits that impact on morbidity and mortality. Laboratory measures of nutrition fail to fully assess clinical deficits in muscle mass and fat stores. This study employs computed tomography imaging to assess muscle mass and subcutaneous and visceral fat stores in patients with ESLD. Methods This 1:1 case-control study design compares ESLD patients with healthy controls. Study patients were selected from a database of ESLD patients using a stratified method to assure a representative sample based on age, body mass index (BMI), gender, and model for end-stage liver disease score (MELD). Control patients were trauma patients with a low injury severity score (<10) who had a CT scan during evaluation. Cases and controls were matched for age +/- 5 years, gender, and BMI +/- 2. Results There were 90 subjects and 90 controls. ESLD patients had lower albumin levels (p<0.001), but similar total protein levels (p=0.72). ESLD patients had a deficit in muscle mass (-19%, p<0.001) and visceral fat (-13%, p<0.001), but similar subcutaneous fat (-1%, p=0.35). ESLD patients at highest risk for sarcopenia included those over age 60, BMI< 25.0, and female gender. We found degree of sarcopenia to be independent of MELD score. Conclusions These results support previous research demonstrating substantial nutrition deficits in ESLD patients that are not adequately measured by laboratory testing. Patients with ESLD have significant deficits of muscle and visceral fat stores, but a similar amount of subcutaneous fat

Comparing the SF-12 and SF-36 Health Status Questionnaires in Patients With and Without Obesity

Objective: To assess how well the SF-36, a well-validated generic quality of life (QOL) instrument, compares with its shorter adaptation, the SF-12, in capturing differences in QOL among patients with and without obesity. Methods: We compared the correlation between the physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) component summary measures of the SF-12 and SF-36 among 356 primary care patients using Pearson coefficients (r) and conducted linear regression models to see how these summary measures captures the variation across BMI. We used model R$^{2}$ to assess qualitatively how well each measure explained the variation across BMI. Results: Correlations between SF-12 and SF-36 were higher for the PCS in obese (r = 0.89) compared to overweight (r = 0.73) and normal weight patients (r = 0.75), p < 0.001, but were similar for the MCS across BMI. Compared to normal weight patients, obese patients scored 8.8 points lower on the PCS-12 and 5.7 points lower on the PCS-36 after adjustment for age, sex, and race; the model R$^{2}$ was higher with PCS-12 (R$^{2}$ = 0.22) than with PCS-36 (R$^{2}$ = 0.16). BMI was not significantly associated with either the MCS-12 or MCS-36. Conclusion: The SF-12 correlated highly with SF-36 in obese and non-obese patients and appeared to be a better measure of differences in QOL associated with BMI

Virtual Reality for Pediatric Sedation: A Randomized Controlled Trial Using Simulation.

INTRODUCTION: Team training for procedural sedation for pediatric residents has traditionally consisted of didactic presentations and simulated scenarios using high-fidelity mannequins. We assessed the effectiveness of a virtual reality module in teaching preparation for and management of sedation for procedures. METHODS: After developing a virtual reality environment in Second Life® (Linden Lab, San Francisco, CA) where providers perform and recover patients from procedural sedation, we conducted a randomized controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of the virtual reality module versus a traditional web-based educational module. A 20 question pre- and post-test was administered to assess knowledge change. All subjects participated in a simulated pediatric procedural sedation scenario that was video recorded for review and assessed using a 32-point checklist. A brief survey elicited feedback on the virtual reality module and the simulation scenario. RESULTS: The median score on the assessment checklist was 75% for the intervention group and 70% for the control group (P = 0.32). For the knowledge tests, there was no statistically significant difference between the groups (P = 0.14). Users had excellent reviews of the virtual reality module and reported that the module added to their education. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric residents performed similarly in simulation and on a knowledge test after a virtual reality module compared with a traditional web-based module on procedural sedation. Although users enjoyed the virtual reality experience, these results question the value virtual reality adds in improving the performance of trainees. Further inquiry is needed into how virtual reality provides true value in simulation-based education

Comparing the SF-12 and SF-36 health status questionnaires in patients with and without obesity

OBJECTIVE: To assess how well the SF-36, a well-validated generic quality of life (QOL) instrument, compares with its shorter adaptation, the SF-12, in capturing differences in QOL among patients with and without obesity. METHODS: We compared the correlation between the physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) component summary measures of the SF-12 and SF-36 among 356 primary care patients using Pearson coefficients (r) and conducted linear regression models to see how these summary measures captures the variation across BMI. We used model R(2 )to assess qualitatively how well each measure explained the variation across BMI. RESULTS: Correlations between SF-12 and SF-36 were higher for the PCS in obese (r = 0.89) compared to overweight (r = 0.73) and normal weight patients (r = 0.75), p < 0.001, but were similar for the MCS across BMI. Compared to normal weight patients, obese patients scored 8.8 points lower on the PCS-12 and 5.7 points lower on the PCS-36 after adjustment for age, sex, and race; the model R(2 )was higher with PCS-12 (R(2 )= 0.22) than with PCS-36 (R(2 )= 0.16). BMI was not significantly associated with either the MCS-12 or MCS-36. CONCLUSION: The SF-12 correlated highly with SF-36 in obese and non-obese patients and appeared to be a better measure of differences in QOL associated with BMI

Molecular Basis for Certain Neuroprotective Effects of Thyroid Hormone

The pathophysiology of brain damage that is common to ischemia–reperfusion injury and brain trauma include disodered neuronal and glial cell energetics, intracellular acidosis, calcium toxicity, extracellular excitotoxic glutamate accumulation, and dysfunction of the cytoskeleton and endoplasmic reticulum. The principal thyroid hormones, 3,5,3′-triiodo-l-thyronine (T3) and l-thyroxine (T4), have non-genomic and genomic actions that are relevant to repair of certain features of the pathophysiology of brain damage. The hormone can non-genomically repair intracellular H+ accumulation by stimulation of the Na+/H+ exchanger and can support desirably low [Ca2+]i.c. by activation of plasma membrane Ca2+–ATPase. Thyroid hormone non-genomically stimulates astrocyte glutamate uptake, an action that protects both glial cells and neurons. The hormone supports the integrity of the microfilament cytoskeleton by its effect on actin. Several proteins linked to thyroid hormone action are also neuroprotective. For example, the hormone stimulates expression of the seladin-1 gene whose gene product is anti-apoptotic and is potentially protective in the setting of neurodegeneration. Transthyretin (TTR) is a serum transport protein for T4 that is important to blood–brain barrier transfer of the hormone and TTR also has been found to be neuroprotective in the setting of ischemia. Finally, the interesting thyronamine derivatives of T4 have been shown to protect against ischemic brain damage through their ability to induce hypothermia in the intact organism. Thus, thyroid hormone or hormone derivatives have experimental promise as neuroprotective agents

Zooming In Versus Flying Out: Virtual Residency Interviews in the Era of COVID‐19

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163370/2/aet210486.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163370/1/aet210486_am.pd