A high-input impedance differential millivolt meter for use with solid ceramic oxygen electrolyte cells

Design factors are given for a high-input impedance differential millivolt meter designed, built, and tested as an inexpensive solid-state electronic system for use in measuring the electromotive force from solid ceramic oxygen electrolyte cells. A schematic diagram is included

A Visit to Spain : detailing the transactions which occurred during a residence in that country, in the latter part of 1822, and the first four months of 1823

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Human dimension of elections: how poll workers shape public confidence in elections

Working PaperThe role of voting technologies has received considerable attention since the 2000 election. However, the voter experience at the polling place and especially the voter-poll worker interaction is also of critical importance. Rarely are poll workers considered an arm of the government, even though they clearly operate as extensions of governmental actors as street-level bureaucrats. Poll workers exercise discretion in ways that directly affect the voting experience. We examine the relationship between voters ¢ perceptions of the poll worker job performance and confidence that the election process produces fair outcomes and that ballots were counted accurately. In an ordered logit model, perceptions of poll workers is a significant predictor of both variables related to voter confidence in the presence of numerous controls suggesting that overlooking the recruitment and training of competent poll worker can have a detrimental effect on voter confidence

Bridging Gaps in Opioid Use Disorder Treatment: Prehospital and Emergency Department Interventions

Since 2011, drug overdose has been the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, with two-thirds of these deaths related to opioid drugs. In 2020, the CDC reported an increase of over 91,000 overdose-related deaths. Also, non-fatal overdoses face a 5.5% one-year mortality rate post discharge, with a significant portion subsequently overdosing within 48 hours. Access to Buprenorphine/Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) has been instrumental in reducing opioid-related mortality by over two-thirds, yet treatment initiation remains significantly low. Limited access stems from socioeconomic disparities and insufficient substance use treatment resources. Emergency departments (EDs) have pioneered Buprenorphine inductions, showcasing variable success depending on post-ED support availability. Prehospital Buprenorphine administration, initiated across the country, aims to bridge the gap between prehospital care and traditional substance abuse treatment, enhancing treatment retention and patient engagement. Studies highlight successful ED Buprenorphine inductions and subsequent linkage to long-term care, utilizing various strategies such as MAT prescriptions, Clinical Decision Units, and direct referrals to treatment centers. Despite retention to treatment, concerns arise regarding declining long-term retention and smaller sample sizes affecting outcomes. Unexpectedly, these interventions have led to increased physician interest in Buprenorphine waiver applications and heightened ED encounters for substance use disorders. Notably, resident physicians have shown more engagement compared to attending physicians in out-of-hospital Buprenorphine prescriptions. The review shows efforts in improving opioid use disorder treatment by leveraging prehospital and ED interventions, addressing access barriers, improving retention rates, and fostering physician engagement

Does Strength Training Decrease the Risk of Sports Related Knee Injury?

The knee is the most common joint affected by sports-related injuries, with approximately 2.5 million cases treated annually in the US alone, alongside 2 million worldwide ACL repairs. Among athletes engaged in contact sports like football, soccer, basketball, and volleyball, ACL tears are the primary injury concern. In non-contact sports, particularly running, meniscus tears are commonly experienced. A notable 23% of college athletes encounter knee injuries to varying degrees. Many risk factors have been identified including patient sex, activity type, and body composition, justifying the need for individualized preventive measures. Various strength training protocols have demonstrated efficacy in reducing the risk of ACL tears, meniscus tears, and patellar tendinopathy pain. Enhancements in muscle activation ratios and biomechanical parameters resulting from strength training contribute to ACL injury risk reduction. Both male and female athletes have benefited in injury risk reduction from strength training, yet the optimal protocol remains undetermined. Nonetheless, diverse training methodologies yield risk reduction benefits, regardless of the onset age of strength training. While knee injuries pose a significant burden in sports, targeted strength training interventions offer promising avenues for injury prevention. Further research is warranted to find optimal training variety, frequency, and intensity and their effects across different athlete demographics

Combination of herbivore removal and nitrogen deposition increases upland carbon storage

© 2015 The Authors. Global Change Biology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Acknowledgements We thank Ruth Mitchell, Alison Hester, Bob Mardon, Eoghain Maclean, David Welch, National Trust for Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Woodland Trust for helping find appropriate exclosures and granting access permission. We thank Nick Littlewood and Antonio Lopez Nogueira for their assistance in the field and processing samples in the lab and Ron Smith and Tony Dore for providing N deposition data. SWS was funded by a BBSRC studentship.Non peer reviewedPublisher PD

Scater: pre-processing, quality control, normalization and visualization of single-cell RNA-seq data in R.

MOTIVATION: Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) is increasingly used to study gene expression at the level of individual cells. However, preparing raw sequence data for further analysis is not a straightforward process. Biases, artifacts and other sources of unwanted variation are present in the data, requiring substantial time and effort to be spent on pre-processing, quality control (QC) and normalization. RESULTS: We have developed the R/Bioconductor package scater to facilitate rigorous pre-processing, quality control, normalization and visualization of scRNA-seq data. The package provides a convenient, flexible workflow to process raw sequencing reads into a high-quality expression dataset ready for downstream analysis. scater provides a rich suite of plotting tools for single-cell data and a flexible data structure that is compatible with existing tools and can be used as infrastructure for future software development. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: The open-source code, along with installation instructions, vignettes and case studies, is available through Bioconductor at http://bioconductor.org/packages/scater . CONTACT: [email protected]. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online

Renewable Energy in Illinois: The Agrivoltaics Contribution

Siting of renewable energy production facilities on agricultural land often engenders conflict at the community level. The desire to preserve productive farmland and protect aesthetic connections to the rural landscape can be a significant impediment to renewable energy development. With respect to solar energy production, agrivoltaics— the colocation of solar power structures and agriculture—is a potential alternative to traditional binary approaches of characterizing land use. As a novel technological and land use strategy, a better understanding of the agrivoltaic policy environment is necessary to actualize implications for rural communities and progress toward renewable energy goals. Illinois, with its abundance in untapped renewable energy resources, highly productive agricultural land, and significant energy demand to meet the needs of its large population and economy, stands at the forefront of agrivoltaic research and development. This article identifies and analyzes key regulatory concepts in the agrivoltaic space, as well as policy observations from various stakeholder groups. The article concludes by proposing policy considerations for Illinois that may apply in similarly positioned states within the Midwest