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A Review of the Toxicity of Ingredients in E-Cigarettes, Including Those Ingredients Having the Fda\u27s generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) Regulatory Status for Use in Food.
Get PDFSome firms and marketers of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes; a type of electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS)) and refill liquids (e-liquids) have made claims about the safety of ingredients used in their products based on the term GRAS or Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS). However, GRAS is a provision within the definition of a food additive under section 201(s) (21 U.S.C. 321(s)) of the U.S. Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). Food additives and GRAS substances are by the FD&C Act definition intended for use in food, thus safety is based on oral consumption; the term GRAS cannot serve as an indicator of the toxicity of e-cigarette ingredients when aerosolized and inhaled (i.e., vaped). There is no legal or scientific support for labeling e-cigarette product ingredients as GRAS . This review discusses our concerns with the GRAS provision being applied to e-cigarette products and provides examples of chemical compounds that have been used as food ingredients but have been shown to lead to adverse health effects when inhaled. The review provides scientific insight into the toxicological evaluation of e-liquid ingredients and their aerosols to help determine the potential respiratory risks associated with their use in e-cigarettes
Plasma Ion Source
Get PDFIt is well known that a plasma can be created with both high input power and ultra low pressure. The challenge is in creating these same plasma characteristics with both lower power while maintaining a higher pressure. We have developed an ion beam by careful manipulation of magnetic and electric fields. Magnetic fields are used to accelerate ambient electrons to ionize the low pressure gas into a plasma. Electric fields are used to extract the ions into a focused beam. To achieve these initial ionizations, an artificial vacuum is created to reach low enough pressures to ionize the gas. A specialized chamber has been machined to hold this vacuum and has several ports for necessary instrument measurements. Separate electrical modules have been created to aid in the transmission of data with data acquisition cards displaying a real-time user interface that supervises and controls the magnetic and electric fields, flow of gas, and vacuum pressure. Various applications using this ion beam stem from different gases including nitrogen, oxygen, argon, xenon, and deuterium for uses in imaging, milling, implantation, and nuclear fusion
COVID-19 Vaccination Uptake, Infection Rates, and Seropositivity Among Youth Experiencing Homelessness in the United States.
Get PDFPeople experiencing homelessness are at greater risk of exposure and poor health outcomes from COVID-19. Yet, little data exists on the prevalence and correlates of COVID-19 among homeless populations. To mitigate the spread and severity, uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine is needed. This can be challenging among youth experiencing homelessness who are more likely to be unvaccinated when compared to stably housed youth
Genomic Comparison of Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Genera Related to Aeropyrum, Thermodiscus and Caldisphaera, and Proposed Emended Description of the Family Acidilobaceae
No full textDeep-sea hydrothermal vents host archaeal and bacterial thermophilic communities, including taxonomically and functionally diverse Thermoproteota. Despite their prevalence in high-temperature submarine communities, Thermoproteota are chronically under-represented in genomic databases and issues have emerged regarding their nomenclature, particularly within the Aeropyrum-Thermodiscus-Caldisphaera. To resolve some of these problems, we identified 47 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) within this clade, from 20 previously published deep-sea hydrothermal vent and submarine volcano metagenomes, and 24 MAGs from public databases. Using phylogenomic analysis, Genome Taxonomy Database Toolkit (GTDB-Tk) taxonomic assessment, 16S rRNA gene phylogeny, average amino acid identity (AAI) and functional gene patterns, we re-evaluated of the taxonomy of the Aeropyrum-Thermodiscus-Caldisphaera. At least nine genus-level clades were identified with two or more MAGs. In accordance with SeqCode requirements and recommendations, we propose names for three novel genera, viz. Tiamatella incendiivivens, Hestiella acidicharens and Calypsonella navitae. A fourth genus was also identified related to Thermodiscus maritimus, for which no available sequenced genome exists. We propose the novel species Thermodiscus eudorianus to describe our high-quality Thermodiscus MAG, which represents the type genome for the genus. All three novel genera and T. eudorianus are likely anaerobic heterotrophs, capable of fermenting protein-rich carbon sources, while some Tiamatella, Calypsonella and T. eudorianus may also reduce polysulfides, thiosulfate, sulfur and/or selenite, and the likely acidophile, Hestiella, may reduce nitrate and/or perchlorate. Based on phylogenomic evidence, we also propose the family Acidilobaceae be amended to include Caldisphaera, Aeropyrum, Thermodiscus and Stetteria and the novel genera described here
Unsettling Common Sense Assumptions About Intimate Partner Violence in the NICU
No full textNICU clinicians strive to provide family-centered care and often encounter complex and ethical challenges. Emerging evidence suggests that NICU clinicians likely interact with families experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV). However, little research and training exists to guide NICU clinicians in their thinking and practice in the midst of IPV. In this review, we use a structural violence framework to engage in a critical analysis of commonly held assumptions about IPV. These assumptions include an overreliance on binaries including male-female and offender-victim, the belief that people need to be rescued, prioritization of physical safety, and the notion that mandatory reporting helps families who experience violence. By reexamining these assumptions, this review guides NICU clinicians to consider alternatives to carceral and punitive responses to IPV, such as transformative justice and reflexive engagement
Parameterized Approximation Algorithms and Lower Bounds for K-Center Clustering and Variants
No full textk-center is one of the most popular clustering models. While it admits a simple 2-approximation in polynomial time in general metrics, the Euclidean version is NP-hard to approximate within a factor of 1.82, even in the plane, if one insists the dependence on k in the running time be polynomial. Without this restriction, a classic algorithm by Agarwal and Procopiuc yields..
Using Herbarium Record to Estimate Flowering Time Shifts Across Bioclimatic Regions
No full textOver the last 100 years climate change has had an observed effect on plant phenology including flowering time. Many studies have been conducted to show this connection, yet none have examined flowering time changes across multiple bioclimatic regions and on a large geographic scale. We expect that a number of geographic features such as elevation and the proximity of large water bodies might affect the impact of flowering times, but we have little knowledge of the effects of geographic location on changes in plant flowering time due to climate change. We addressed these gaps in our knowledge by mapping herbarium collection records of Ranunculus Occidentalis across a broad geographic range along the West Coast of North America. We assumed that herbarium collection dates provided reasonable estimates of flowering time for each location and date. We estimated two interpolated surfaces based on points from pre 1970 and post 1970, and calculated the difference between the surface to examine location-specific changes in flowering time. We found a variation in flowering time changes from little to no change to several weeks. We are working to add more species to the database to fill in gaps and to provide more accurate estimates of habitat-specific flowering time shifts across Western North America
Impact of Two Shift Schedules on Post-Shift Blood Pressure in Firefighters
Get PDFBackground: Firefighters have an increased risk of cardiometabolic disease compared to the general population. Blunted blood pressure (BP) dipping during nocturnal sleep is associated with increased cardiometabolic disease morbidity/mortality. Shift work can alter diurnal BP oscillation, but the extent of alteration by different schedules remains debated. No study to date has examined firefighting shift schedules, necessitating a longitudinal evaluation to begin to understand their implications for cardiometabolic health. Thus, this preliminary analysis compares how two common schedules (24/48 hours on/off vs. 1/3/2/3 days on/off) impact post-shift BP and dipping in 20 firefighters.
Methods: 20 participants (10% female; 25-54 years of age; mean body mass index 28.74 ± 3.51 kg/m2) were randomly selected as a preliminary subset from 122 participants in the parent study. Participants completed 24-48 hours of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) when off-shift following two schedules: (1) an established 24/48; (2) 2-3 months post adopting a 1/3/2/3. Participants provided their time in and out of bed; the difference was calculated as “sleep” time. All other time was considered “wake”. 48-hour averages for sleep and wake BP were used to calculate systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) dipping. Linear mixed models were used for analyses of changes in SBP and DBP.
Results: In 20 participants, average sleep SBP increased by 3.46 ± 1.18 mmHg (p
Discussion: These preliminary findings suggest that the 1/3/2/3 schedule increases sleep SBP and blunts SBP dipping relative to 24/48. The remaining sample will be analyzed to reproduce these findings and to examine the mediating role of accumulated sleep on- and off-shift prior to recordings.
Keywords: shift work, firefighters, blood pressure, dipping, circadian scienc
Gender Affirming Surgery and Pain in Adolescents: Teen and Parent Experiences
Get PDFBackground: Adolescents seeking gender affirming medical care face unique biopsychosocial challenges, including experiences of discrimination and stigma. Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) adolescents often undergo gender affirming surgery (GAS). While there is an increase in GAS for TGD adolescents in the U.S., little is known about the pain experiences in the post-surgical period among these youth. There have been no studies to our knowledge that examine the psychological functioning of parents and their ability to handle their child\u27s distress, which may be affected by their child\u27s post-GAS pain experiences. Parental responses to their children’s pain and distress may, in turn, influence their child’s pain experience during the recovery period. This study aims to 1) describe TGD surgeries, pain experiences, and psychological functioning in the first month post-GAS, and 2) explore associations between parental functioning and responses to their child’s pain.
Methods: Adolescents (ages 14-19; Mage=16.9 years) undergoing GAS (n=29) and their parents (Mage=51.1 years) were selected from an ongoing longitudinal dyadic study of adolescents receiving opioid prescriptions for acute pain management. Dyads were recruited \u3c 72 hours after GAS to participate in an ongoing study about pain experiences and pain management after receiving an opioid for an acute pain condition. Dyads reported on general psychological functioning (National Institutes of Health PROMIS measures), pain-specific measures (Pain Catastrophizing Scale), and ability to tolerate distress (Distress Tolerance Scale).
Results: Adolescents reported gender identity as trans woman/feminine (3.4%), trans man/masculine (86.2%), and nonbinary/gender diverse (10.3%). Most were undergoing top surgery procedures (89.7%). Adolescents reported moderate past 7-day pain intensity (0-10 NRS; M=2.55, SD=1.74), and 72.4% endorsed experiencing pain at least once a week in the past 30 days. PROMIS pain interference T scores ranged from 36-74 (M=56.7). Clinically elevated (T \u3e60) PROMIS anxiety, depression, and fatigue were reported in 34.5%, 41.4%, and 51.7% of teens, respectively. 41.4% of parents reported elevated fatigue levels, 10.7% depression, and 13.8% anxiety.
Nonparametric correlations revealed parent pain catastrophizing was associated with catastrophizing about child pain (rs = 0.45; p=0.01), parent fatigue (rs=0.46; p=0.01), parent distress regulation (rs = -0.44; p=016), parent depression (rs = 0.57; p=0.001), and parent pain interference (rs = 0.53; p=0.003). Depression was also associated with distress tolerance (rs = -0.41; p=0.029). Catastrophizing about their child’s pain was associated with both distress tolerance and regulation subscales about their child’s distress (rs = -0.48; p=0.009; rs = -0.64; p
Conclusions: TGD adolescents report elevated levels of anxiety, depression, and fatigue during the post-surgical period. Parents of TGD adolescents report elevated fatigue symptoms that may affect responses to their own pain and their children\u27s pain experiences. A relatively small proportion of parents reported elevated depression, anxiety, and pain catastrophizing, which can influence child pain outcomes. More dyadic research should be done to specifically target post-surgical pain experiences of TGD adolescents to better understand their pain and functioning, as well as the impact parental functioning may have on outcomes within this population
Processes for Depositing Functionalized Nanoparticles upon a substrate
Get PDFProcesses for depositing functionalized nanoparticles upon a non-conductive substrate are disclosed herein. The processes may include the step of aerosolizing one or more particles into suspension within a gas, each of the one or more particles comprising functionalized nanoparticles having an electric charge. The processes may include the step the step of attracting the one or more particles onto a non-conductive substrate by a static electric charge opposite of the electric charge, wherein at least portions of the non-conductive substrate are having the static electric charge. The processes may include the step of depositing the functionalized nanoparticles onto the non-conductive substrate