Simulation Education for Ultrasound Guided Peripheral Intravenous Catheter Insertion

The purpose of this study was to evaluate student registered nurse anesthetist (SRNA) knowledge and confidence of ultrasound guided peripheral intravenous catheter insertion (UGPIV) before and after viewing an educational video. As a basis for developing a single group pre-test and post-test study, the dual coding theory was used. The authors hypothesize that SRNA knowledge and confidence would improve after an educational video intervention. A convenience sample of first, second, and third year SRNAs was used (N=31). The study participants completed a pre-survey to evaluate UGPIV knowledge and confidence, along with demographic questions. Participants were then instructed to view a ten-minute educational video designed by the authors. A post-survey was then administered which mirrored the pre-survey by having the participants answer the same knowledge and confidence questions. The authors found that the mean knowledge assessment score was statistically significant, an increase from 13.84 to 19.58 (p=0.005). While the mean confidence scores increased from 12.58 to 19.26, it was not statistically significant (p= 0.113). The authors incidentally found that students who had prior UGPIV training used UGPIV more in practice. This is significant because it shows that the educational intervention could be positively correlated with future UGPIV use. In conclusion, UGPIV video-based training improved baseline knowledge and confidence among SRNAs enrolled at NorthShore University HealthSystem

Multipole Moments of Isolated Horizons

To every axi-symmetric isolated horizon we associate two sets of numbers, $M_n$ and $J_n$ with $n = 0, 1, 2, ...$, representing its mass and angular momentum multipoles. They provide a diffeomorphism invariant characterization of the horizon geometry. Physically, they can be thought of as the `source multipoles' of black holes in equilibrium. These structures have a variety of potential applications ranging from equations of motion of black holes and numerical relativity to quantum gravity.Comment: 25 pages, 1 figure. Minor typos corrected, reference adde

The Association between Y-Balance and the Delos Postural Proprioceptive System in Professional Basketball Players

Background/Purpose: Lower extremity injury is common in professional basketball. The Y-Balance Test (YBT) and the Delos Postural Proprioceptive System (DPPS) have been purported to assess dynamic postural control and balance, which has been associated with injury in elite athletics. It has been reported that performance on balance assessments is influenced by many factors that include mobility, strength, and proprioception. The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the relationship between DPPS and YBT performance in professional basketball players. Methods: 13 professional basketball players (age=25.5 yrs +/- 3.9, height = 2.00 m +/- .079 weight = 99.89 kg +/- 12.38, BMI = 24.66 +/- 1.89) participated. YBT and Delos Measurements were completed as part of preseason mobility screening prior to the 2018-19 NBA season. A Friedman’s ANOVA was used to investigate the differences between the DPPS and YBT, using individuals scoring below 1SD on both the static and dynamic Delos cutoff score (90) for both left and right lower extremities. The ICC was used to investigate the relationship between (right or left) dynamic and static Delos scores to scores on the respective y-balance test. Results: The Delos Static and Dynamic tests for the right side were statistically different than the YBT composite scores. The ICC for the Delos static (right) score was -.910 and the Delos dynamic (right) score was -.999 with a 95% confidence interval from -7.127 to .962 (F(2,10)=.671,p Conclusion: This exploratory study suggests that the direct correlation between the YBT and the DPPS should be further investigated. The YBT may be an assessment that is more sensitive to factors related to strength and mobility while the DPPS may be more representative of proprioceptive function. Clinical Relevance: Balance and mobility is influenced by many factors. Understanding the association between the Delos and Y-Balance can give clinicians a better understanding of the utility and value these assessments when working with elite athletes.https://ecommons.udayton.edu/dpt_symposium/1001/thumbnail.jp

Regge calculus from a new angle

In Regge calculus space time is usually approximated by a triangulation with flat simplices. We present a formulation using simplices with constant sectional curvature adjusted to the presence of a cosmological constant. As we will show such a formulation allows to replace the length variables by 3d or 4d dihedral angles as basic variables. Moreover we will introduce a first order formulation, which in contrast to using flat simplices, does not require any constraints. These considerations could be useful for the construction of quantum gravity models with a cosmological constant.Comment: 8 page

A Miscanthus plantation can be carbon neutral without increasing soil carbon stocks

Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and Shell for providing a joint PhD studentship grant award to Andy Robertson (CEH project number NEC04306). We are also grateful to Emily Clark, Simon Oakley and Rebecca Rowe at CEH Lancaster and Sean Case at the University of Copenhagen for help with fieldwork, laboratory work and manuscript comments.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Influence of Total Western Diet on Docosahexaenoic Acid Suppression of Silica-Triggered Lupus Flaring in NZBWF1 Mice

Lupus is a debilitating multi-organ autoimmune disease clinically typified by periods of flare and remission. Exposing lupus-prone female NZBWF1 mice to crystalline silica (cSiO2), a known human autoimmune trigger, mimics flaring by inducing interferon-related gene (IRG) expression, inflammation, ectopic lymphoid structure (ELS) development, and autoantibody production in the lung that collectively accelerate glomerulonephritis. cSiO2-triggered flaring in this model can be prevented by supplementing mouse diet with the ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). A limitation of previous studies was the use of purified diet that, although optimized for rodent health, does not reflect the high American intake of saturated fatty acid (SFA), ω-6 PUFAs, and total fat. To address this, we employed here a modified Total Western Diet (mTWD) emulating the 50th percentile U.S. macronutrient distribution to discern how DHA supplementation and/or SFA and ω-6 reduction influences cSiO2-triggered lupus flaring in female NZBWF1 mice. Six-week-old mice were fed isocaloric experimental diets for 2 wks, intranasally instilled with cSiO2 or saline vehicle weekly for 4 wks, and tissues assessed for lupus endpoints 11 wks following cSiO2 instillation. In mice fed basal mTWD, cSiO2 induced robust IRG expression, proinflammatory cytokine and chemokine elevation, leukocyte infiltration, ELS neogenesis, and autoantibody production in the lung, as well as early kidney nephritis onset compared to vehicle-treated mice fed mTWD. Consumption of mTWD containing DHA at the caloric equivalent to a human dose of 5 g/day dramatically suppressed induction of all lupus-associated endpoints. While decreasing SFA and ω-6 in mTWD modestly inhibited some disease markers, DHA addition to this diet was required for maximal protection against lupus development. Taken together, DHA supplementation at a translationally relevant dose was highly effective in preventing cSiO2-triggered lupus flaring in NZBWF1 mice, even against the background of a typical Western diet

Feynman diagrammatic approach to spin foams

"The Spin Foams for People Without the 3d/4d Imagination" could be an alternative title of our work. We derive spin foams from operator spin network diagrams} we introduce. Our diagrams are the spin network analogy of the Feynman diagrams. Their framework is compatible with the framework of Loop Quantum Gravity. For every operator spin network diagram we construct a corresponding operator spin foam. Admitting all the spin networks of LQG and all possible diagrams leads to a clearly defined large class of operator spin foams. In this way our framework provides a proposal for a class of 2-cell complexes that should be used in the spin foam theories of LQG. Within this class, our diagrams are just equivalent to the spin foams. The advantage, however, in the diagram framework is, that it is self contained, all the amplitudes can be calculated directly from the diagrams without explicit visualization of the corresponding spin foams. The spin network diagram operators and amplitudes are consistently defined on their own. Each diagram encodes all the combinatorial information. We illustrate applications of our diagrams: we introduce a diagram definition of Rovelli's surface amplitudes as well as of the canonical transition amplitudes. Importantly, our operator spin network diagrams are defined in a sufficiently general way to accommodate all the versions of the EPRL or the FK model, as well as other possible models. The diagrams are also compatible with the structure of the LQG Hamiltonian operators, what is an additional advantage. Finally, a scheme for a complete definition of a spin foam theory by declaring a set of interaction vertices emerges from the examples presented at the end of the paper.Comment: 36 pages, 23 figure

Ambient particulate air pollution induces oxidative stress and alterations of mitochondria and gene expression in brown and white adipose tissues

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Prior studies have demonstrated a link between air pollution and metabolic diseases such as type II diabetes. Changes in adipose tissue and its mitochondrial content/function are closely associated with the development of insulin resistance and attendant metabolic complications. We investigated changes in adipose tissue structure and function in brown and white adipose depots in response to chronic ambient air pollutant exposure in a rodent model.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Male ApoE knockout (ApoE^-/-) mice inhaled concentrated fine ambient PM (PM < 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter; PM_2.5) or filtered air (FA) for 6 hours/day, 5 days/week, for 2 months. We examined superoxide production by dihydroethidium staining; inflammatory responses by immunohistochemistry; and changes in white and brown adipocyte-specific gene profiles by real-time PCR and mitochondria by transmission electron microscopy in response to PM_2.5exposure in different adipose depots of ApoE^-/-mice to understand responses to chronic inhalational stimuli.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Exposure to PM_2.5induced an increase in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in brown adipose depots. Additionally, exposure to PM_2.5decreased expression of uncoupling protein 1 in brown adipose tissue as measured by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. Mitochondrial number was significantly reduced in white (WAT) and brown adipose tissues (BAT), while mitochondrial size was also reduced in BAT. In BAT, PM_2.5exposure down-regulated brown adipocyte-specific genes, while white adipocyte-specific genes were differentially up-regulated.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>PM_2.5exposure triggers oxidative stress in BAT, and results in key alterations in mitochondrial gene expression and mitochondrial alterations that are pronounced in BAT. We postulate that exposure to PM_2.5may induce imbalance between white and brown adipose tissue functionality and thereby predispose to metabolic dysfunction.</p

From the discrete to the continuous - towards a cylindrically consistent dynamics

Discrete models usually represent approximations to continuum physics. Cylindrical consistency provides a framework in which discretizations mirror exactly the continuum limit. Being a standard tool for the kinematics of loop quantum gravity we propose a coarse graining procedure that aims at constructing a cylindrically consistent dynamics in the form of transition amplitudes and Hamilton's principal functions. The coarse graining procedure, which is motivated by tensor network renormalization methods, provides a systematic approximation scheme towards this end. A crucial role in this coarse graining scheme is played by embedding maps that allow the interpretation of discrete boundary data as continuum configurations. These embedding maps should be selected according to the dynamics of the system, as a choice of embedding maps will determine a truncation of the renormalization flow.Comment: 22 page