An Algorithmic Approach to Operative Management of Complex Pediatric Dog Bites: 3-year Review of a Level I Regional Referral Pediatric Trauma Hospital

Background: Incidence of dog bites continues to rise among the pediatric population and serves as a public health threat for the well-being of children. Plastic surgeons are at the forefront of initial management and eventual outcome of these devastating injuries. This study set out to determine the nature of dog bite injuries treated over a 3-year period at a large level 1 pediatric trauma center. Methods: A retrospective review of emergency room records of all pediatric patients (age, 0-18 years old) who sustained dog bites between January 2012 and December 2014 were gathered. All details about age of patient, location and severity of dog bites, type of dog breed, antibiotics given, and emergency versus operative treatment were recorded and analyzed. Results: One hundred eight patients aged 5 months to 18 years old were treated in the emergency department after suffering dog bite injuries during the study period. The highest incidence of dog bites occurred in preschool children. The mean age for patients who required operative repair was lower than the mean age for patients who underwent primary closure in the emergency department. The location of injury was most commonly isolated to the head/neck region. Of the 56 cases that had an identified dog breed, pit bulls accounted for 48.2% of the dog bites, and 47.8% of pit bull bites required intervention in the operating room. Conclusion: Children with large dog bite injuries require more immediate care in a level 1 pediatric trauma hospitals in order to optimize their hospitalization course and eventual outcome

Curriculum innovations through advancement of MEMS/NEMS and wearable devices technologies

State of the art technologies using both micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS and NEMS) and wearable and Internet of Things (IoT) devices have impacted our daily lives in applications including wearable devices and sensor technology as applied to renewable energies and health sciences, among others. Several examples are device implants, optical devices, micro and nanomachining, embedded systems and integrated nano sensor systems. The recent Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and Mechanical Engineering (ME) curricula lacked inclusion of these elements within their programs. Close scrutiny to the need of local industry from engineering graduates has emphasized the motivation to develop these materials into the engineering curricula. Within the ECE curriculum, a new senior course was developed to cover MEMS/NEMS devices as well as wearable and IoT devices with Bluetooth and wireless features. The MEMS/NEMS module of the new course integrates software CAD tools and hardware implementations. It is a project-based course where students learn software for the device process, then fabricate the device in the school laboratories. The wearable and IoT devices module introduces the students to Wearable and Internet of Things systems. It covers sensors and sensor fusion, embedded processors, tools for wearable and IoT applications, and design using Bluetooth and wireless IoT systems. The new course development objectives are hands-on practice, and preparation of senior students for industrial and research careers. In addition, an introductory MEMS topic section is added in the sophomore level electrical engineering course offered to mechanical engineering students. It introduces MEMS devices employed as energy conversion devices. Based on our recent feedback, the students have favorably accepted this MEMS addition to the course. This paper details the software and hardware development elements of the new course. It also presents the assessment data for students' satisfaction for both the electrical and computer engineering (ECE), and mechanical engineering (ME) students. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2017

Some biological characteristics of the Batrachedra amydraula Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Batrachedridae) on main varieties of dry and semi-dry date palm of Iran

Although Iran is the leading producer of dates in the world, only 10% of its product is exported. One of the factors which limits exportation is postharvest pests. Lesser date moth (Batrachedra amydraula) is one of these postharvest pests. This pest is found in all date palm plantations of Iran. The biology of this pest has not been studied under laboratory conditions on main varieties of stored date in Iran. In this research some biological characteristics including survivorship, developmental time, fecundity, oviposition and postoviposition period, and longevity of adults on date palm varieties Zahedi, Ghasb, Rabbi, Deyri and a semi-artificial diet were studied. All experiments carried out at constant temperature room (30 ± 0.5 °C and 55 ± 5% r.h.). Highest survivorship of egg and combined larval and pupal stages were 86 and 85% respectively on semi-artificial diet. Shortest total development time from egg to adult was 43 days for males and 43 days for females on semi-artificial diet. Longest total development time was 69 days for male and 65 days for female on Ghasb variety. The highest (45 eggs per female) and lowest (25 eggs per female) fecundity occurred on the Deyri variety and semi-artificial diet, respectively. Results of this study would be useful for making pest management decisions in date palm storage.Keywords: Lesser date moth, Batrachedra amydraula, Biology, Date pal

Osteopetrosis: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Osteopetrosis or marble bone disease is a rare heritable skeletal disorder that the bones becoming denser, caused by aberrant osteoclast-mediated bone resorption. This condition reveals a spectrum of heterogeneity of genetic defects. This metabolic disorder has an unequal balance between new bone formation and old bone resorption. Thus the result is increased bone density on radiographs. Presented here is a 25 years-old Persian female presented to our clinic with the chief complaint of low back pain and limping. She explained that her problem had been present for a long time. There were no other significant findings in past medical history and her parents and three siblings did not have any disorder of note, however, the parents were first cousin. No specific laboratory abnormalities found in the initial evaluation. On physical examination, an antalgic gait is noted. A Bone biopsy from proximal medial tibia revealed increased density of the cortex and part of medullary canal with hematopoietic marrow and irregular and thickened bone trabeculae. These factors suggested osteopetrosis disease. Osteopetrosis should be kept in mind as a rare cause of low back pain and limping and should be mentioned as a differential diagnosis of fluorosis, Paget’s disease, malignancies (lymphoma, osteoblastic cancer metastases) and myelosclerosis.Keywords: Osteopetrosis, marble bone disease, bone trabeculae, Iran

Differential Spatial Modulation Using New Index Bits

Spatial modulation (SM) has the potential to meet the requirements of 5G and beyond communication systems with features such as reduced hardware complexity and good trade-off between spectral efficiency and energy efficiency. In this study, an efficient non-square differential spatial modulation (DSM) scheme is presented in which the number of time slots is one more than the number of transmit antennas. The introduced scheme includes one empty time slot. At the other time slots, the time slots of the conventional DSM (CDSM) are used (the Gray code order (GCO) can also be used). There is one active antenna at each time slot of the proposed scheme. The index of empty time slot conveys information. Thus, in comparison with CDSM (or GCO), for the same number of transmit antennas, the introduced scheme has more energy-free bits (index bits). It is free of pilot overhead, channel estimation complexity, and potential channel state information (CSI) estimation errors. Further, a detector with no error propagation is presented. Analytical expressions for the bit error rate (BER) are derived at high signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) and high SNRs per bit (SNRbs). Simulation results verify the theoretical evaluation and demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed scheme

The role of melatonin on doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity: A systematic review

Purpose: Doxorubicin, as an effective chemotherapeutic drug, is commonly used for combating various solid and hematological tumors. However, doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity is considered as a serious adverse effect, and it limits the clinical use of this chemotherapeutic drug. The use of melatonin can lead to a decrease in the cardiotoxic effect induced by doxorubicin. The aim of this review was to evaluate the potential role of melatonin in the prevention of doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. Methods: This review was conducted by a full systematic search strategy based on PRISMA guidelines for the identification of relevant literature in the electronic databases of PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Scopus up to January 2019 using search terms in the titles and abstracts. 286 articles were screened in accordance with our inclusion and exclusion criteria. Finally, 28 articles were selected in this systematic review. Results: The findings demonstrated that doxorubicin-treated groups had increased mortality, decreased body weight and heart weight, and increased ascites compared to the control groups; the co-administration of melatonin revealed an opposite pattern compared to the doxorubicin-treated groups. Also, this chemotherapeutic agent can lead to biochemical and histopathological changes; as for most of the cases, these alterations were reversed near to normal levels (control groups) by melatonin co-administration. Melatonin exerts these protection effects through mechanisms of anti-oxidant, anti-apoptosis, anti-inflammatory, and mitochondrial function. Conclusion: The results of this systematic review indicated that co-administration of melatonin ameliorates the doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. © 2019 Elsevier Inc

Magnetic properties of the spin S=1/2S=1/2 Heisenberg chain with hexamer modulation of exchange

We consider the spin-1/2 Heisenberg chain with alternating spin exchange %on even and odd sites in the presence of additional modulation of exchange on odd bonds with period three. We study the ground state magnetic phase diagram of this hexamer spin chain in the limit of very strong antiferromagnetic (AF) exchange on odd bonds using the numerical Lanczos method and bosonization approach. In the limit of strong magnetic field commensurate with the dominating AF exchange, the model is mapped onto an effective $XXZ$ Heisenberg chain in the presence of uniform and spatially modulated fields, which is studied using the standard continuum-limit bosonization approach. In absence of additional hexamer modulation, the model undergoes a quantum phase transition from a gapped string order into the only one gapless L\"uttinger liquid (LL) phase by increasing the magnetic field. In the presence of hexamer modulation, two new gapped phases are identified in the ground state at magnetization equal to 1/3 and 2/3 of the saturation value. These phases reveal themselves also in magnetization curve as plateaus at corresponding values of magnetization. As the result, the magnetic phase diagram of the hexamer chain shows seven different quantum phases, four gapped and three gapless and the system is characterized by six critical fields which mark quantum phase transitions between the ordered gapped and the LL gapless phases.Comment: 21 pages, 5 figures, Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 24, 116002, (2012

Energy use and height in office buildings

The relationship between energy use and height is examined for a sample of 611 office buildings in England and Wales using actual annual metered consumption of electricity and fossil fuels. The buildings are of different ages; they have different construction characteristics and methods of heating and ventilation; and they include both public and commercial offices. When rising from five storeys and below to 21 storeys and above, the mean intensity of electricity and fossil fuel use increases by 137% and 42% respectively, and mean carbon emissions are more than doubled. A multivariate regression model is used to interpret the contributions of building characteristics and other factors to this result. Air-conditioning is important, but a trend of increased energy use with height is also found in naturally ventilated buildings. Newer buildings are not in general more efficient: the intensity of electricity use is greater in offices built in recent decades, without a compensating decrease in fossil fuel use. The evidence suggests it is likely – although not proven – that much of the increase in energy use with height is due to the greater exposure of taller buildings to lower temperatures, stronger winds and more solar gains

All the way to the top! The energy implications of building tall cities

Density of urban form may be achieved under a variety of morphological designs that do not rely on tallness alone. Tall buildings have implications on the broader urban environment and infrastructure that lower buildings would not have, e.g. wind effects, sight-lines, or over-shading. They may also have an impact on energy use for reasons of buildings-physics, construction, and occupant practices. This study uses a statistical approach of neighbourhood level data to analyse the impact of building morphology (e.g. height, volume and density) on energy demand in 12 local authorities in London. The research shows that areas marked by tall buildings use more gas after adjusting for exposures surface area, volume, number of residents and other features. The implication for energy policy and planning is building taller without increasing density may have an energy penalty

Biological characteristics of Cadra cautella (Lep.: Pyralidae) on different varieties of stored date palm fruit of Iran

The postharvest pests, including the dried fruit moth Cadra cautella Walker, are important limiting factors in the exportation of dates. The biology of C. cautella, its survivorship, developmental time, fecundity, oviposition, post oviposition period, as well as longevity of the adults were studied on four date palm varieties of Zahedi, Piarom, Rabbi, and Deyri under laboratory conditions in Iran. The experiments were carried out at constant temperature room (29 ± 1 °C, 60 ± 5% RH and photoperiod 16L: 8D hrs.). The highest survivorship of egg and larval stages was recorded 92.66%, 85.89% on Zahedi and 100% for pupal stage on Rabbi. The shortest larval period was 32.93 ± 1.41 days and 33.37 ± 1.87 days on Deyri and Zahedi respectively. The shortest total development time for males from egg to adult was 40.91 ± 1.15 days and 40.97 ± 1.59 days on Zahedi and Deyri respectively and for females was 43.76 ± 2.47 days on Deyri. The longest total development time for males was 47.61 ± 1.50 days on Piarom and for female was 55.88 ± 2.31 and 55.37 ± 3.87 days on Piarom and Rabbi respectively. The highest (247.00 ± 8.53 eggs per female) and lowest (147.40 ± 12.06 eggs per female) fecundity occurred on Zahedi and Piarom, respectively. The date palm varieties Zahedi, Deyri, Rabbi and Piarom are found to be on preferrence order for C. cautella. The results of this study would be useful for planning pest management strategies in date palm fruit storages