Multiple Pterygium Syndrome With Severe Knee Flexion Contracture: A Case Report

Multiple pterygium syndrome, a subgroup of arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, is characterized by the webbing of different parts of the body. We describe a child who developed 140° flexion contractures of the popliteal fossa, which complicated mobility, skin care, and general hygiene. After seeking multiple opinions, the parents elected to proceed with through-knee amputation of both knees. At 6 month follow-up, the child had been fitted with bilateral prostheses and was able to ambulate with assistance. The findings of the current case suggest that in extreme cases of multiple pterygium syndrome, through-knee amputations may represent a predictable and functional treatment option that should be considered

Empathy Levels Correlate with Practical Examination Scores in Doctor of Physical Therapy Students

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine if empathy levels correlate with practical examination scores in DPT students. It was hypothesized that students with higher empathy levels would receive better scores on practical examinations. Methods: Participants were a convenience sample of 49 first and second year DPT students from Franklin Pierce University in Goodyear, AZ. After obtaining informed consent, participants completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) to assess personal empathy. These scores were compared with participants’ practical examination scores using a Spearman Rho statistical test with data analysis completed using SPSS software. Results: 49 participants (26 females, 23 males) with mean practical examination score (92.5% ± 0.02) and mean empathy score (72.80 ± 18.66). Spearman Rho correlation (rs = 0.864, p \u3c 0.000). Conclusions: A significant positive correlation between empathy and practical examination scores in physical therapy students was found. Educators can use these findings to provide resources to students to assist with practical examination performance

On Bures fidelity of displaced squeezed thermal states

Fidelity plays a key role in quantum information and communication theory. Fidelity can be interpreted as the probability that a decoded message possesses the same information content as the message prior to coding and transmission. In this paper, we give a formula of Bures fidelity for displaced squeezed thermal states directly by the displacement and squeezing parameters and birefly discuss how the results can apply to quantum information theory.Comment: 10 pages with RevTex require

The experience of enchantment in human-computer interaction

Improving user experience is becoming something of a rallying call in human–computer interaction but experience is not a unitary thing. There are varieties of experiences, good and bad, and we need to characterise these varieties if we are to improve user experience. In this paper we argue that enchantment is a useful concept to facilitate closer relationships between people and technology. But enchantment is a complex concept in need of some clarification. So we explore how enchantment has been used in the discussions of technology and examine experiences of film and cell phones to see how enchantment with technology is possible. Based on these cases, we identify the sensibilities that help designers design for enchantment, including the specific sensuousness of a thing, senses of play, paradox and openness, and the potential for transformation. We use these to analyse digital jewellery in order to suggest how it can be made more enchanting. We conclude by relating enchantment to varieties of experience.</p

Why, what, and how? case study on law, risk, and decision making as necessary themes in built environment teaching

The paper considers (and defends) the necessity of including legal studies as a core part of built environment undergraduate and postgraduate curricula. The writer reflects upon his own experience as a lawyer working alongside and advising built environment professionals in complex land remediation and site safety management situations in the United Kingdom and explains how themes of liability, risk, and decision making can be integrated into a practical simulation in order to underpin more traditional lecture-based law teaching. Through reflection upon the writer's experiments with simulation-based teaching, the paper suggests some innovations that may better orientate law teaching to engage these themes and, thereby, enhance the relevance of law studies to the future needs of built environment professionals in practice.</p

The role of luminous substructure in the gravitational lens system MG 2016+112

MG 2016+112 is a quadruply imaged lens system with two complete images A and B and a pair of merging partial images in region C as seen in the radio. The merging images are found to violate the expected mirror symmetry. This indicates an astrometric anomaly which could only be of gravitational origin and could arise due to substructure in the environment or line-of-sight of the lens galaxy. We present new high resolution multi-frequency VLBI observations at 1.7, 5 and 8.4 GHz. Three new components are detected in the new VLBI imaging of both the lensed images A and B. The expected opposite parity of the lensed images A and B was confirmed due to the detection of non-collinear components. Furthermore, the observed properties of the newly detected components are inconsistent with the predictions of previous mass models. We present new scenarios for the background quasar which are consistent with the new observations. We also investigate the role of the satellite galaxy situated at the same redshift as the main lensing galaxy. Our new mass models demonstrate quantitatively that the satellite galaxy is the primary cause of the astrometric anomaly found in region C. The detected satellite is consistent with the abundance of subhaloes expected in the halo from cold dark matter (CDM) simulations. However, the fraction of the total halo mass in the satellite as computed from lens modeling is found to be higher than that predicted by CDM simulations.Comment: 17 pages, 11 figures, accepted with minor revisions in the text including corrected sign of the shear and improved figure

Partisan Asymmetries in Online Political Activity

We examine partisan differences in the behavior, communication patterns and social interactions of more than 18,000 politically-active Twitter users to produce evidence that points to changing levels of partisan engagement with the American online political landscape. Analysis of a network defined by the communication activity of these users in proximity to the 2010 midterm congressional elections reveals a highly segregated, well clustered partisan community structure. Using cluster membership as a high-fidelity (87% accuracy) proxy for political affiliation, we characterize a wide range of differences in the behavior, communication and social connectivity of left- and right-leaning Twitter users. We find that in contrast to the online political dynamics of the 2008 campaign, right-leaning Twitter users exhibit greater levels of political activity, a more tightly interconnected social structure, and a communication network topology that facilitates the rapid and broad dissemination of political information.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures, 6 table