Cryptanalyzing a discrete-time chaos synchronization secure communication system

This paper describes the security weakness of a recently proposed secure communication method based on discrete-time chaos synchronization. We show that the security is compromised even without precise knowledge of the chaotic system used. We also make many suggestions to improve its security in future versions.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, latex forma

Multi-disciplinary Biopsychosocial Approach in Low Back Pain Benchmark Study

Low back pain (LBP) is the third most common reason people seek care in America and is the primary reason for missed work days. Working in a pain clinic for eight years and managing research studies directed toward improving low back pain in patients was the motivation for choosing the evidence based intervention in this population. The health care professionals (HCP) in the pain clinic usually have a conversation with the patients who have acute or subacute onset of LBP about their disease and give them a written handout with exercises and ask them to perform these exercises at home. As well, they may be prescribed physical therapy or chiropractic care. From personal clinical experience and descriptions in the literature, patients are fearful of performing exercise on their own and do not feel engaged in the process. Observing the disconnect in the patient’s behavior led to the question: In adult patients with low back pain (P) how does the use of a multi-disciplinary biopsychosocial educational approach (I) compared to written educational materials (C) affect pain intensity (O) with twelve weeks of intervention (T) in a pain clinic? Current guidelines recommend a multi-disciplinary approach with education including self-management instruction, physical therapy/activity, anti-inflammatory medications, and reassurance about the patient’s prognosis along with feedback. The gap in research is how to translate our knowledge in implementing a multidisciplinary approach to an individualized level. For these reasons, the author sought out evidence to support a change in the current practice at a pain clinic

Growing a Sustainable Portland Metropolitan Foodshed

Project Description and Objectives: Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) provided funding for this study to examine key agricultural trends, identify producer needs and define strategies to strengthen the local food production system. The goals of the study are to: Define the Portland Metropolitan Foodshed; identify related agricultural and economic trends and develop a needs assessment based on input from producers and other stakeholders; assemble a regional toolkit of strategies to support evolution of a sustainable Portland Metropolitan Foodshed; work with the City of Damascus, Oregon to test the toolkit on a local level; Develop a research and educational program that supports these goals and supports small and medium farmers in the region. This project differs from many other studies of the barriers and opportunities faced by farmers because it focuses specifically on farms that are trying to survive within a growing metropolitan region. While these farms face significant challenges related to urban growth, they also have significant opportunities as urban consumers begin to demand food that is grown locally and sustainability and food related experiences that can supplement farm income

A Qualitative Analysis of the Vaccine Intention-Behavior Relationship: Parents’ Descriptions of their Intentions, Decision-making Behavior, and Planning Processes toward HPV Vaccination

Objective: Identify factors influencing the vaccine intention-behavior relationship. Design: 445 parents who received a brief intervention to promote HPV vaccination were categorized based on their intentions post-intervention (yes/unsure/eventually/never) and subsequent adolescents’ vaccine status (yes/no). 51 of those parents participated in qualitative interviews. Main Outcome Measures: Parents described their intentions, decision-making, and planning processes toward vaccination. Framework analysis was used to analyze the data. Results: Parents in the “Yes/Yes” category were knowledgeable about HPV/vaccine, described strong, stable intentions, considered themselves the primary decision-makers about vaccination, and said they vaccinated immediately. “Yes/No” parents described strong intentions and thought their adolescent was vaccinated OR described hesitant intentions, seeking advice/agreement from others and noting barriers to vaccination without solutions. “Unsure/Yes” parents described their intentions as strengthening with information from credible sources and identified strategies for overcoming barriers. “Unsure/No” and “Eventually/No” parents had misinformation/negative beliefs regarding vaccination, described being ambivalent or non-supportive of vaccination, and cited barriers to vaccination. “Never/No” parents held negative beliefs about vaccination, described strong, stable intentions to NOT vaccinate, deferring the decision to others, and reported no planning toward vaccination. Conclusions: Intention characteristics and planning processes could moderate the vaccine intention-behavior relationship, potentially serving as targets for future vaccine strategies

Experiences with Menses in Transgender and Gender Nonbinary Adolescents.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To describe menstrual history, associated dysphoria, and desire for menstrual management in transgender male and gender diverse adolescents who were assigned female at birth DESIGN: Retrospective chart review SETTING: Tertiary care children\u27s hospital PARTICIPANTS: All patients seen in a multidisciplinary pediatric gender program from March 2015 through December 2020 who were assigned female at birth, identified as transgender male or gender nonbinary, and had achieved menarche INTERVENTION: None MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patient demographics, menstrual history, interest in and prior experiences with menstrual management, parental support, and concerns about menstrual management RESULTS: Of the 129 included patients, 116 (90%) identified as transgender male and 13 (10%) as gender nonbinary, with an average age of 15 (SD 1.6) years. Almost all (93%) patients reported menstrual-related dysphoria. Most (88%) were interested in menstrual suppression. The most common reasons for desiring suppression were achievement of amenorrhea (97%) and improvement of menstrual-related dysphoria (63%). CONCLUSIONS: Most gender diverse patients assigned female at birth reported dysphoria associated with menses and desired menstrual suppression. This information can encourage physicians to raise this topic and offer menstrual management for gender diverse patients who experience distress related to menses, especially for those who are not ready for or do not desire gender-affirming hormonal treatment. Future research is needed to better understand patients\u27 experiences with menses and to determine the optimal menstrual management methods. This could be an important intervention to improve outcomes for this vulnerable population

Menstrual management in adolescent transgender males

Introduction: Gender dysphoria is associated with increased rates of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation in adolescents. There is anecdotal evidence that menstruation increases the occurrence of gender dysphoria in adolescent transgender males. We hypothesize that menses are distressing to transgender males and this population would benefit from menstrual management. Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of all transgender male patients seen in the Nemours Gender Wellness Program (GWP) and limited our population to those who have reached menarche. Data was extracted from the encounters at the GWP clinic and recorded in REDCap. We compared self-reported symptoms of gender dysphoria at 3 months, 6 months, and one year following an individual’s baseline visit to the GWP. The incidence of gender dysphoria at subsequent visits will highlight the efficacy of treatment. Results: Preliminary results show that a majority of our population reported significant gender dysphoria related to menses. Of patients reporting gender dysphoria at the initial visit, 84% chose to use menstrual suppression. Patients who chose an IUD at the initial visit had a higher incidence of breakthrough bleeding and gender dysphoria at the first follow up visit compared to patients who chose other menstrual suppression methods. Conclusion: Menstruation is associated with increased gender dysphoria in transgender male adolescents. Menstrual suppression has the potential to be a transformative treatment for this population. Further research is necessary to determine whether the potential harm that could result from prolonging the distress associated with menses justifies the benefits of using an IUD

Retrospective evaluation of whole exome and genome mutation calls in 746 cancer samples

Funder: NCI U24CA211006Abstract: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) curated consensus somatic mutation calls using whole exome sequencing (WES) and whole genome sequencing (WGS), respectively. Here, as part of the ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium, which aggregated whole genome sequencing data from 2,658 cancers across 38 tumour types, we compare WES and WGS side-by-side from 746 TCGA samples, finding that ~80% of mutations overlap in covered exonic regions. We estimate that low variant allele fraction (VAF < 15%) and clonal heterogeneity contribute up to 68% of private WGS mutations and 71% of private WES mutations. We observe that ~30% of private WGS mutations trace to mutations identified by a single variant caller in WES consensus efforts. WGS captures both ~50% more variation in exonic regions and un-observed mutations in loci with variable GC-content. Together, our analysis highlights technological divergences between two reproducible somatic variant detection efforts