The Use of MRI for Sternocleidomastoid Muscle Volume Measurement and its Association with Internal Carotid Artery Velocity in a Healthy Cohort

Impairments or changes in the neck musculatures functional capacity has been shown to lead to cervicogenic symptoms (Rubin et al., 1995; Ryan & Cope., 1955; Wrisley et al., 2000). This study measured the sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCMM) volume to explore sex-related differences and its relationship with internal carotid artery (ICA) blood flow velocity (BFV). Imaging of the SCMM was conducted using Phase-Contrast Magnetic Resonance Imaging (PC-MRI) and the ICA BFV was examined by Doppler Ultrasound (DU) of 34 healthy participants (19 females, 15 males). Significant sex differences were established in SCMM volumes (p<0.05). There was excellent absolute agreement amongst raters measuring SCMM volume (ICC=0.916). Body Mass Index (BMI) was significantly correlated with females right SCMM volume and ICA BFV (p<0.005). Overall bilateral and particularly the right males SCMM volume was significantly correlated with ICA BFV (p< 0.05). These results will be an essential comparison group of healthy SCMM volume values for patients suffering from concurrent concussion and whiplash-related injuries

Collaborative Nursing Education Partnerships: Faculty Experience of Shared Curriculum

Abstract Collaborative partnerships between universities and colleges represent a new kind of synergism with potential to improve the quality of nursing education and ultimately patient care. These partnerships can also be challenging due to the difference in the respective organizational cultures, institutional mandates, and missions. There is a lack of research investigating the faculty member experiences within collaborative partnerships. In this paper we report on nursing faculty members’ experience of offering a shared integrated context-relevant undergraduate-nursing curriculum within one Western Canadian collaborative nursing education partnership. Using a qualitative descriptive research design, we conducted two focus groups, one at the college and one at the university, to discuss their experience of adopting a shared curriculum. College and university nursing faculty involved in teaching year two of the new integrated context relevant baccalaureate curriculum were eligible to participate. We audio-recorded the focus groups and analyzed the transcribed data using thematic analysis. We identified five key themes within the broad categories of positionality and perceptions that were critical elements in shaping the nursing faculty experience in both institutions: a) unique institutional culture and norms, b) shared curriculum communication, c) feelings of uncertainty, d) desire for reciprocity among nurse educators within the partnership, and e) vision for a dream team. Ultimately, the nursing faculty at both the college and university were positive in their belief that offering a shared curriculum can contribute to improving the overall quality of collaborative nursing education programs and undergraduate student education. Résumé Les partenariats de collaboration entre les universités et les collèges représentent un nouveau type de synergie susceptible d’améliorer la qualité de la formation infirmière et, ultimement, des soins prodigués aux patients. Ces partenariats posent également leur part de défi en raison de la différence dans les cultures, les mandats institutionnels et les missions des organisations. Les recherches sur les expériences des membres du corps enseignant au sein des partenariats de collaboration sont actuellement insuffisantes. Cet article examine l’expérience des membres du corps enseignant infirmier d’offrir un curriculum de premier cycle en sciences infirmières, partagé, intégré et fondé sur le contexte dans le cadre d’un partenariat de collaboration en formation infirmière de l’Ouest canadien. À l’aide d’un devis de recherche qualitatif descriptif, deux groupes de discussion ont été menés, l’un au collège et l’autre à l’université, afin d’en apprendre davantage sur les expériences des membres d’adopter un curriculum partagé. Les membres du corps enseignant des sciences infirmières des collèges et universités impliqués dans l’enseignement de la deuxième année du nouveau curriculum intégré de baccalauréat étaient sollicités comme participants. Nous avons procédé à un enregistrement audio des groupes de discussion et analysé les données transcrites à l’aide d’une analyse thématique. Ceci nous a permis d’identifier cinq thèmes clés dans les grandes catégories de positionnent et de perceptions qui ont été les éléments essentiels dans le façonnement de l’expérience du corps enseignant en sciences infirmières dans les deux institutions : a) la culture institutionnelle et les normes uniques; b) la communication du curriculum partagé; c) le sentiment d’incertitude; d) le désir d’une réciprocité entre les formatrices infirmières au sein du partenariat; et e) la vision d’une équipe de rêve. Ultimement, les membres des corps enseignants des sciences infirmières respectifs, c’est-à-dire, du collège et de l’université, croyaient qu’un curriculum partagé peut contribuer à améliorer la qualité globale des programmes collaboratifs en formation infirmière et de la préparation des étudiantes du premier cycle

Comparative Simulation Analysis of Process Parameter Variations in 20 nm Triangular FinFET

Technology scaling below 22 nm has brought several detrimental effects such as increased short channel effects (SCEs) and leakage currents. In deep submicron technology further scaling in gate length and oxide thickness can be achieved by changing the device structure of MOSFET. For 10–30 nm channel length multigate MOSFETs have been considered as most promising devices and FinFETs are the leading multigate MOSFET devices. Process parameters can be varied to obtain the desired performance of the FinFET device. In this paper, evaluation of on-off current ratio (Ion/Ioff), subthreshold swing (SS) and Drain Induced Barrier Lowering (DIBL) for different process parameters, that is, doping concentration (1015/cm3 to 1018/cm3), oxide thickness (0.5 nm and 1 nm), and fin height (10 nm to 40 nm), has been presented for 20 nm triangular FinFET device. Density gradient model used in design simulation incorporates the considerable quantum effects and provides more practical environment for device simulation. Simulation result shows that fin shape has great impact on FinFET performance and triangular fin shape leads to reduction in leakage current and SCEs. Comparative analysis of simulation results has been investigated to observe the impact of process parameters on the performance of designed FinFET

Dietary Patterns and Breast Cancer Risk: A Multi-Centre Case Control Study among North Indian Women.

Evidence from India, a country with unique and distinct food intake patterns often characterized by lifelong adherence, may offer important insight into the role of diet in breast cancer etiology. We evaluated the association between Indian dietary patterns and breast cancer risk in a multi-centre case-control study conducted in the North Indian states of Punjab and Haryana. Eligible cases were women 30⁻69 years of age, with newly diagnosed, biopsy-confirmed breast cancer recruited from hospitals or population-based cancer registries. Controls (hospital- or population-based) were frequency matched to the cases on age and region (Punjab or Haryana). Information about diet, lifestyle, reproductive and socio-demographic factors was collected using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. All participants were characterized as non-vegetarians, lacto-vegetarians (those who consumed no animal products except dairy) or lacto-ovo-vegetarians (persons whose diet also included eggs). The study population included 400 breast cancer cases and 354 controls. Most (62%) were lacto-ovo-vegetarians. Breast cancer risk was lower in lacto-ovo-vegetarians compared to both non-vegetarians and lacto-vegetarians with odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of 0.6 (0.3⁻0.9) and 0.4 (0.3⁻0.7), respectively. The unexpected difference between lacto-ovo-vegetarian and lacto-vegetarian dietary patterns could be due to egg-consumption patterns which requires confirmation and further investigation

Constraints on the χ_(c1) versus χ_(c2) polarizations in proton-proton collisions at √s = 8 TeV

The polarizations of promptly produced χ_(c1) and χ_(c2) mesons are studied using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC, in proton-proton collisions at √s=8  TeV. The χ_c states are reconstructed via their radiative decays χ_c → J/ψγ, with the photons being measured through conversions to e⁺e⁻, which allows the two states to be well resolved. The polarizations are measured in the helicity frame, through the analysis of the χ_(c2) to χ_(c1) yield ratio as a function of the polar or azimuthal angle of the positive muon emitted in the J/ψ → μ⁺μ⁻ decay, in three bins of J/ψ transverse momentum. While no differences are seen between the two states in terms of azimuthal decay angle distributions, they are observed to have significantly different polar anisotropies. The measurement favors a scenario where at least one of the two states is strongly polarized along the helicity quantization axis, in agreement with nonrelativistic quantum chromodynamics predictions. This is the first measurement of significantly polarized quarkonia produced at high transverse momentum