Twin Lakes Site: A Look into Prehistoric Minnesota

Middle Archaic archaeological sites in Minnesota are rarely discovered and the cultural context of this period is poorly known. This thesis presents the research conducted on a recently identified Middle Archaic site in central Minnesota called Twin Lakes. The site was dated using modern dating techniques. This along with the in depth lithic and statistical analysis adds to the interpretation of the lifeways of early Minnesota people and an elusive time period in the state’s archaeological record

Lattice calculation of 1/p21/p^2 corrections to αs\alpha_s and of ΛQCD\Lambda_{\rm {QCD}} in the MOM~\widetilde{MOM} scheme

We report on very strong evidence of the occurrence of power terms in \as(p), the QCD running coupling constant in the $\widetilde{MOM}$ scheme, by analyzing non-perturbative measurements from the lattice three-gluon vertex between 2.0 and 10.0 GeV at zero flavor. While putting forward the caveat that this definition of the coupling is a gauge dependent one, the general relevance of such an occurrence is discussed. We fit $\Lambda_{\bar{\rm MS}}^{(n_f=0)}= 237 \pm 3 ^{+ 0}_{-10}$ MeV in perfect agreement with the result obtained by the ALPHA group with a totally different method. The power correction to \as(p) is fitted to $(0.63\pm 0.03 ^{+ 0.0}_{- 0.13}) {\rm GeV}^2/p^2$.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figure

Apical ballooning syndrome complicated by acute severe mitral regurgitation with left ventricular outflow obstruction – Case report

BACKGROUND: Apical ballooning syndrome (or Takotsubo cardiomyopathy) is a syndrome of transient left ventricular apical ballooning. Although first described in Japanese patients, it is now well reported in the Caucasian population. The syndrome mimicks an acute myocardial infarction but is characterised by the absence of obstructive coronary disease. We describe a serious and poorly understood complication of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of a 65 year-old lady referred to us from a rural hospital where she was treated with thrombolytic therapy for a presumed acute anterior myocardial infarction. Four hours after thrombolysis she developed acute pulmonary oedema and a new systolic murmur. It was presumed she had acute mitral regurgitation secondary to a ruptured papillary muscle, ischaemic dysfunction or an acute ventricular septal defect. Echocardiogram revealed severe mitral regurgitation, left ventricular apical ballooning, and systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve with significant left ventricular outflow tract gradient (60–70 mmHg). Coronary angiography revealed no obstructive coronary lesions. She had an intra-aortic balloon pump inserted with no improvement in her parlous haemodynamic state. We elected to replace her mitral valve to correct the outflow tract gradient and mitral regurgitation. Intra-operatively the mitral valve was mildly myxomatous but there were no structural abnormalities. She had a mechanical mitral valve replacement with a 29 mm St Jude valve. Post-operatively, her left ventricular outflow obstruction resolved and ventricular function returned to normal over the subsequent 10 days. She recovered well. CONCLUSION: This case represents a serious and poorly understood association of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy with acute pulmonary oedema, severe mitral regurgitaton and systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve with significant left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. The sequence of our patient's presentation suggests that the apical ballooning caused geometric alterations in her left ventricle that in turn led to acute and severe mitral regurgitation, systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve and left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. The left ventricular outflow tract obstruction and mitral regurgitation were corrected by mechanical mitral valve replacement. We describe a variant of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy with acute mitral regurgitation, systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve leaflet and left ventricular outflow tract obstruction of a dynamic nature

Social Roles and Baseline Proxemic Preferences for a Domestic Service Robot

© The Author(s) 2014. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits any use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and the source are credited. The work described in this paper was conducted within the EU Integrated Projects LIREC (LIving with Robots and intEractive Companions, funded by the European Commission under contract numbers FP7 215554, and partly funded by the ACCOMPANY project, a part of the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) under grant agreement n287624The goal of our research is to develop socially acceptable behavior for domestic robots in a setting where a user and the robot are sharing the same physical space and interact with each other in close proximity. Specifically, our research focuses on approach distances and directions in the context of a robot handing over an object to a userPeer reviewe

Recurrent takotsubo cardiomyopathy in the setting of transient neurological symptoms: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>First described in Japan, takotsubo cardiomyopathy is increasingly becoming recognized worldwide as a cause of sudden and reversible diminished left ventricular function characterized by left apical ballooning and hyperkinesis of the basal segments, often with symptoms mimicking a myocardial infarction. Associated with physical or emotional stress, its exact pathogenesis has not been established, though evidence supports a neurohumoral etiology. Additionally, recurrence of this condition is rare. In this report, we present a rare case of recurrent takotsubo cardiomyopathy in a post-menopausal woman who presented with transient neurological complaints on both occasions.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We present a rare case of a 76-year-old Caucasian woman with no history of congestive heart failure who presented to our emergency department twice with transient neurological complaints. On the first occasion, she was found to have transient aphasia which resolved within 24 hours, yet during that period she also developed symptoms of congestive heart failure and was noted to have a new, significantly depressed ejection fraction with apical akinesis and possible apical thrombus. One month after her presentation a repeat echocardiogram revealed complete resolution of all wall motion abnormalities and a return to baseline status. Seven months later she presented with ataxia, was diagnosed with vertebrobasilar insufficiency, and again developed symptoms and echocardiography findings similar to those of her first presentation. Once again, at her one-month follow-up examination, all wall motion abnormalities had completely resolved and her ejection fraction had returned to normal.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Though the exact etiology of takotsubo cardiomyopathy is unclear, a neurohumoral mechanism has been proposed. Recurrence of this disorder is rare, though it has been reported in patients with structural brain abnormalities. This report is the first to describe recurrent takotsubo cardiomyopathy in a patient with transient neurological symptoms. In our patient, as expected in patients with this condition, complete resolution of all left ventricular abnormalities occurred within a short period of time. It is important for clinicians to be aware of this increasingly recognized syndrome, including its association with recurrence, especially in the clinical setting of neurologic dysfunction.</p

Catastrophic Femoral Head-Stem Trunnion Dissociation Secondary to Corrosion.

BACKGROUND: Modular femoral heads provide procedural enhancement by allowing accurate restoration of hip offset and limb-length equalization. However, corrosion may lead to adverse local tissue reactions. Severe trunnion corrosion can also lead to femoral head dissociation and catastrophic implant failure following primary total hip arthroplasty. METHODS: We describe 5 cases, from our institution, in which the femoral head became dissociated from the femoral stem trunnion secondary to severe corrosion. Possible causes are evaluated. RESULTS: Demographic commonalities among the 5 patients included a body mass index (BMI) of ≥30 kg/m(2) and male sex. All femoral heads were made of cobalt-chromium alloy and were larger-diameter implants (≥36 mm). Four of the 5 patients had a femoral head that increased the neck length above the default on a so-called standard head and 3 of the 5 had a stem with a 127° neck-shaft angle. CONCLUSIONS: Although dissociation of the femoral head from the femoral trunnion following total hip arthroplasty is exceedingly rare, the prevalence may increase with longer follow-up. The dissociation is likely related to multiple factors, including a BMI of ≥30 kg/m(2), male sex, and corrosion resulting from the use of a larger metal head with a neck length of greater than the default and a stem with high offset. It is critical that surgeons be able to recognize this mode of implant failure and appropriately prepare to remove the femoral component during revision surgery. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence

Imaging technologies for monitoring the safety, efficacy and mechanisms of action of cell-based regenerative medicine therapies in models of kidney disease

AbstractThe incidence of end stage kidney disease is rising annually and it is now a global public health problem. Current treatment options are dialysis or renal transplantation, which apart from their significant drawbacks in terms of increased morbidity and mortality, are placing an increasing economic burden on society. Cell-based Regenerative Medicine Therapies (RMTs) have shown great promise in rodent models of kidney disease, but clinical translation is hampered due to the lack of adequate safety and efficacy data. Furthermore, the mechanisms whereby the cell-based RMTs ameliorate injury are ill-defined. For instance, it is not always clear if the cells directly replace damaged renal tissue, or whether paracrine effects are more important. Knowledge of the mechanisms responsible for the beneficial effects of cell therapies is crucial because it could lead to the development of safer and more effective RMTs in the future. To address these questions, novel in vivo imaging strategies are needed to monitor the biodistribution of cell-based RMTs and evaluate their beneficial effects on host tissues and organs, as well as any potential adverse effects. In this review we will discuss how state-of-the-art imaging modalities, including bioluminescence, magnetic resonance, nuclear imaging, ultrasound and an emerging imaging technology called multispectral optoacoustic tomography, can be used in combination with various imaging probes to track the fate and biodistribution of cell-based RMTs in rodent models of kidney disease, and evaluate their effect on renal function