Selective upper endoscopy for foreign body ingestion in children: an evaluation of management protocol after 282 cases

Purpose: Foreign body ingestion is a common problem in both children and adults. This study aims to evaluate a management protocol where endoscopic examination was only selectively used after routine direct laryngoscopy to minimize patient discomfort and the need for general anesthesia in children. Method: A management protocol for foreign body ingestion based on symptoms was introduced in 1998 and records of children admitted to a university-affiliated hospital between January 1999 and October 2005 with suspected foreign body ingestion were evaluated. Symptoms, radiologic and endoscopic findings, and outcome were reviewed. Results: A total of 282 patients were admitted. The mean age of patients was 5.75 years (range, 9 months to 17 years). There were 167 boys and 115 girls. Based on our protocol, 84 (29.8%) patients required an upper endoscopy. Fish bones were most commonly involved (68.8%). Foreign bodies, which were either removed or dislodged, were found during upper endoscopy in only 25 (8.8%) patients overall. All patients had an uneventful outcome. No complications or mortalities were encountered. There were no readmissions for those who did not undergo endoscopic examination. Conclusion: It is safe to selectively perform upper endoscopy depending on symptoms when managing children with foreign body ingestion. © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.postprin

A semi-discrete model and its approach to a solution for a wide moving jam in traffic flow

This paper investigates the analytical and numerical solutions to wide moving jams in traffic flow. Under the framework of the Lagrange coordinates, a semi-discrete model and a continuum model correlate with each other, in which the former model approaches the latter as the increment ΔM in the former model vanishes. This implies that the solution to a wide moving jam in the latter model, which can be analytically derived using the known theory, can be conceivably taken as an approximation to that of the former model. These results were verified through numerical simulations. Because a detailed understanding of the traffic phase "wide moving jam" is very important for the further development of Kerner's three-phase traffic theory, this study helps to explain the empirical features of traffic breakdown and resulting congested traffic patterns that are observed in real traffic. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.postprin

An agent-based negotiation model to support partner selection in a virtual enterprise

Session - MP-Fd Supply Chain Management & Logistics 4: cie182hk-1Conference Theme: Soft Computing Techniques for Advanced Manufacturing and Service SystemsIn response to the global business competitive environment, it is common for several companies to participate in a virtual enterprise (VE) to cooperate and collaborate dynamically to complete a common business opportunity. This paper proposes an agent-based negotiation model to support the partner selection process in a VE. To begin with, the VE partner selection problem is abstracted as a buyer-seller relationship such that the VE initiator is the buyer and the VE partners are sellers or vice verse. In the multi-agent system (MAS) that supports the proposed negotiation model, autonomous agents are established to represent various parties and functions of the VE. For instance, a buyer agent represents the VE initiator and the potential partners are represented by seller agents. Thus, the VE partner evaluation and selection problem is the process of finding the partners that are able to provide the buyer with the right quality products and services at the right price and at the right time. Evaluation and selection of partners is a typical multiattribute decision making (MADM) problem involving various issues that can both be qualitative and quantitative.published_or_final_versionThe 40th International Conference on Computers & Industrial Engineering (CIE40), Awaji City, Japan, 25-28 July 2010. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Computers and Industrial Engineering, 2010, p. 1-

Phase-plane analysis of conserved higher-order traffic flow model

The phase-plane analysis is used to study the traveling wave solution of a recently proposed higher-order traffic flow model under the Lagrange coordinate system. The analysis identifies the types and stabilities of the equilibrium solutions, and the overall distribution structure of the nearby solutions is drawn in the phase plane for the further analysis and comparison. The analytical and numerical results are in agreement, and may help to explain the simulated phenomena, such as the stop-and-go wave and oscillation near a bottleneck. The findings demonstrate the model ability to describe the complexity of congested traffic.postprin

Infection after fracture osteosynthesis – Part II: Treatment

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Infection after fracture osteosynthesis – Part I: Pathogenesis, diagnosis and classification

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Solitary wave solution to Aw-Rascle viscous model of traffic flow

A traveling wave solution to the Aw-Rascle traffic flow model that includes the relaxation and diffusion terms is investigated. The model can be approximated by the well-known Kortweg-de Vries (KdV) equation. A numerical simulation is conducted by the first-order accurate Lax-Friedrichs scheme, which is known for its ability to capture the entropy solution to hyperbolic conservation laws. Periodic boundary conditions are applied to simulate a lengthy propagation, where the profile of the derived KdV solution is taken as the initial condition to observe the change of the profile. The simulation shows good agreement between the approximated KdV solution and the numerical solution.postprin

Arthroscopic Removal of Suprapatellar Fibroma of Tendon Sheath

Fibroma of tendon sheath (FTS) is a rare dense fibrous benign tumor that majorities are found over the tendons or tendon sheaths of limbs, with predilection in order starting with fingers, hands, wrists, and other parts.1 Almost 80% of tendon sheath fibromas are found over hands and wrists.2 The typical morphological feature is a solid nodule that is painless and slow growing in nature. Fibromas of tendon sheath rarely arise from knee joints. To our best knowledge, less than 20 such cases have been reported, and none of them was a Chinese patient. We present a case of intra-articular fibroma of tendon sheath of the knee that was excised arthroscopically.published_or_final_versio

Restoration of Humeral Bone Stock Two Years After Internal Fixation of a Periprosthetic Fracture with a Loose Stem

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Seasonal Variation in Hip Fracture Mortality

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