Bone mechanical stimulation with piezoelectric materials

This chapter summarized explores in vivo use of a piezoelectric polymer for bone mechanical stimulatio

The impact of the 287(g) program on processes of Hispanic integration and engagement : a case study of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, North Carolina

This research explores the impacts of a federal-local partnership called the 287(g) program on the processes of integration of Hispanics in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, North Carolina. Federal 287(g) allows Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to partner with state and local authorities to enact several immigration enforcement functions. In 2006, Mecklenburg County signed the 287(g) agreement to authorize a number of local sheriff deputies to determine the legal status of individuals arrested for a crime. As a new immigrant gateway, Charlotte-Mecklenburg has received a large number of immigrants in a few decades that are largely Hispanic. Previous research suggests that like any other government program, 287(g) has several intended and unintended consequences on the community. The impacts of this program are thought to be most acutely felt by the Hispanic community. Using a mixed method analysis, this research explores whether 287(g) impacts processes of Hispanic integration in terms of three main axes: social trust, social interaction, and spatial mobility. First, using secondary data, this study quantitatively investigates changes in trust, interaction, and mobility of Hispanics after 287(g) was implemented in Mecklenburg County. Second, this study qualitatively examines the program’s impact on processes of integration using 46 in-depth interviews with a variety of service providers. The qualitative method portion focuses on the service providers because they are at the frontlines of delivering basic services to the newcomers in a new immigrant gateway, and as such, provide the infrastructure of integration processes. Respondents come from a range of backgrounds: local law enforcement, community organizations, advocacy organizations, churches, health care providers, school systems, courts, media, and members of the Hispanic student community. Triangulating these two methods and bringing together various pieces of information, this research builds a deeper understanding of the impacts of 287(g) in a new immigrant gateway. There are many personal and institutional reasons that may hinder the processes of integration of Hispanics. Furthermore, economic events such as the recent downturn can also impact the daily lives of Hispanics and their integration pathways. However, the findings of this research suggest that 287(g) plays a major role in impacting trust, interaction and mobility of Hispanics in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. The findings imply that the impacts of 287(g) cannot be clearly divided into intended and unintended consequences as previous research suggests. There are intended impacts of 287(g) that are in line with the official objective. For example, the 287(g) program has several intended consequences, such as identification and removal of undocumented criminals. However, the qualitative interviews suggest that there are underlying intentions of 287(g) that seek to target undocumented individuals regardless of the nature and severity of their crime. Similarly, the unintended consequences of the program also range from major impacts to more minor ones. Both quantitative and qualitative methods indicate that in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Hispanics’ trust in police have eroded after the implementation of the 287(g) program. The investigations on trust and interaction suggest that perception of the impact of 287(g) depends on whether the service provider is from a governmental or non-governmental organization. This is an important finding since in a new immigrant gateway such as Charlotte-Mecklenburg, as non-governmental organizations have been shown to play a pivotal role in providing an integration infrastructure to Hispanics (and other immigrants) rather than governmental organizations. Furthermore, this research indicates that the daily mobility of Hispanics, specifically driving an automobile, has been impacted by a combination of 287(g) and a change in driver’s licenses laws in North Carolina which points to the compounding role 287(g) plays in conjunction with other policies. Finally when asked directly about 287(g)’s impact on Hispanic mobility, respondents indicated that an adverse economic climate has a greater impact on the movement of Hispanics away from Charlotte-Mecklenburg. Hispanics may have migrated out in search of better opportunities elsewhere. Collectively, these findings not only point to the expected existence of intended and unintended consequences, but to an unexpected and more complex impact playing out in terms of Hispanics’ trust, interaction, and mobility as viewed through the service provider’s lens. The findings indicate that the unintended consequences of 287(g) stem from three main reasons: (1) Many individuals who are convicted of minor offenses, like traffic infractions are processed by 287(g); (2) Misinformation among both the Hispanic community and local law enforcement, and (3) 287(g) may have compounded the mistrust, unwillingness to interact, and mobility issues that may have previously existed. These findings indicate that Charlotte-Mecklenburg should explore other options to address the problem of identification. Resolving this issue may assist in the implementation of 287(g) according to its intended goal: to focus on major criminals. Additionally, this research indicates that consistent education of Hispanics about 287(g) is crucial to addressing the problem of misinformation about 287(g). Along with educating Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s Hispanics, local law enforcement authorities who are not trained by ICE on 287(g) should also be educated about the program, as they are usually the ones who make the initial arrest. The findings suggest that dealing with the issue of identification and misinformation simultaneously may begin to decrease the negative impacts of the program and increase its effectiveness in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. This research uses disparate pieces of evidence to advance the discussions about the impact of local involvement in immigration enforcement policies in a new gateway city. The findings point to a need for better empirical data related to immigration enforcement policies and integration processes to be able to accurately gauge its impact on a local context. Future research can also investigate how these types of local immigration enforcement policies can potentially have a broader impact on children and immigrant families

Late afternoon at the zoo.

This thesis comprises a collection of poems completed as a student in the Masters of Fine Arts program at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. It is a menagerie of beasts, human or otherwise, who develop relationships with people or with nature, and the poems explore how these relationships affect their interactions in the community

Piezoelectric actuators for bone mechanical stimulation: exploring the concept.

Arthroplasty is liable to cause intense changes on strain levels and distribution in the boné surrounding the implant, namely stress shielding. Several solutions have been proposed for this, namely design variations and development of controlled-stiffness implants. A new approach to this problem, with potential application to other orthopaedic problems and other medical fields, would be the development of smart implants integrating systems for bone mechanical stimulation. Ideally, the implant should presente sensing capability and the ability to maintain physiological levels of strain at the implant interface. Piezoelectric materials’ huge potential as a mean to produce direct mechanical stimulation lies on the possibility of producing stimuli at a high range of frequencies and in multiple combinations. The present in vitro and preliminary in vivo studies were a first step towards the validation of the concept

A synthesis of modern and Brazilian elements: an investigation of Variantes e Toccata Opus 15a by Marlos Nobre

Marlos Nobre (b. 1939), one of the most important composers of contemporary music in Brazil, always fought against labels to define his aesthetic orientation. While resisting the idea of being considered a nationalist composer, Nobre admitted that a composer's style is the result of all his past experiences. Having been exposed to a significant amount of street music during his childhood, Nobre inevitably incorporated elements of Brazilian folklore into his early compositions. Nobre studied with Hans Joachim Koellreutter and Camargo Guarnieri, who defended opposite aesthetic views, and Nobre found himself in the middle of a dilemma regarding the use of national elements in a modern serialist language. In 1963, when he went to Buenos Aires to study with Alberto Ginastera, Olivier Messiaen, Riccardo Malipiero and other important composers, Nobre experienced a shift in his musical language which allowed him to successfully achieve a synthesis of contemporary compositional techniques and Brazilian rhythm. The new musical style was inaugurated with a composition for piano and a percussion ensemble of typical Brazilian instruments, called Variações Rítmicas opus 15. In 1997, Nobre arranged the composition for piano solo and titled it Variantes e Toccata opus 15a. This version, which consists mostly of the original piano part alone, represents an important addition to the pianistic repertory and allows a close investigation of Nobre's success in achieving a synthesis between Brazilian rhythms and serial language. After an introductory chapter, Chapter 2 provides an overview of Nobre's life and his five musical styles, focusing particularly on the dilemma that Nobre faced in his early life regarding the combination of modern and national elements. Chapter 3 places Variantes e Toccata opus 15a in a historic context by explaining the origins of opus 15 and the reasons surrounding its arrangement for piano solo. Chapter 4 discusses in more detail the relationship of Nobre with nationalism and describes the typical rhythmic patterns that represent Brazilian music. Chapter 5 consists of an analysis of the aspects of the composition that represent modern compositional techniques and identifies Nobre's manipulation of Brazilian rhythmic elements. Chapter 6 provides a brief conclusion, which summarizes the advances in Nobre's compositional technique that successfully led to the synthesis of Brazilian and modern elements

Septic Shock Following Hysteroscopy. A Case Report

Introduction: Minimally invasive gynecological surgery such as hysteroscopy has a small risk of complications. These include uterine perforation (with or without adjacent pelvic organ lesion), bleeding and infection, and are more common in the presence of risk factors such as smoking, history of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and endometriosis. Case presentation: A patient submitted to a diagnostic hysteroscopy with no immediate complications was admitted five days later to the emergency department in septic shock. The diagnosis of ruptured tubal abscess was made, requiring emergency laparotomy with sub-total hysterectomy and bilateral adnexectomy. Despite multiple organ failure requiring admission to the intensive care unit, the patient made a full recovery. Conclusion: Ascending infection can be a life-threatening complication of hysteroscopy, even in the absence of previously known risk factors.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

False Positive Responses to Head-Up Tilt Testing in Elderly Patients with Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) plays a role as a modulator in the pathogenesis of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF). The clinical pattern of vagally mediated PAF has been observed mainly in young patients. Neurocardiogenic responses during orthostatic stress are related to autonomic reflexes in which the vagal influence predominates. AIM: To evaluate the susceptibility of elderly patients with PAF to activation of vasovagal syncope mechanisms. METHODS: We performed passive head-up tilt testing (HUT) in 34 patients (62% women, aged 72 +/- 7 years), with > or = 1 year of clinical history of PAF--19 without structural heart disease, 11 with hypertensive heart disease and 4 with coronary artery disease (who had no previous myocardial infarction, had undergone myocardial revascularization, and had no documented ischemia) (PAF group), and compared the results with those obtained in a group of 34 age-matched patients (53% women, aged 74 +/- 6 years), who underwent HUT due to recurrent syncope (Sc group). In this group, 21 had no documented heart disease and none had a clinical history of AF. There was no diabetes, congestive heart failure or syncope in the PAF group. After a supine resting period, the subjects were tilted at 70 degrees for 20 minutes while in sinus rhythm. No provocative agents were used to complement the HUT. ECG and blood pressure were continuously monitored (Task Force Monitor, CNSystems). The test was considered positive when syncope or presyncope occurred with bradycardia and/or arterial hypotension. Abnormal responses were classified as cardioinhibitory, vasodepressor or mixed. RESULTS: HUT was positive in seven patients of the PAF group--vasodepressor response in five and mixed in two (20.5% of the total; 26.3% of those without heart disease)--and in eight patients (vasodepressor in six and mixed in two) of the Sc group (p=NS). During HUT, three patients of the PAF group had short periods of self-limited PAF (in one, after vasodepressor syncope). There were no differences in gender distribution, age or heart disease. No cardioinhibitory responses or orthostatic hypotension were observed. CONCLUSION: In elderly patients with PAF, a significant number of false positive results during passive HUT may be expected, suggesting increased vasovagal reactions despite aging. This suggests that ANS imbalances may be observed in this population

Head-Up Tilt Testing with Different Nitroglycerin Dosages: Experience in Elderly Patients with Unexplained Syncope

AIMS: Protocols using sublingual nitrates have been increasingly used to improve diagnostic accuracy of head-up tilt testing (HUT). Nevertheless, exaggerated responses to nitrates have been frequently described, particularly in elderly patients. The aim of this article is to evaluate, in an elderly population with unexplained syncope, whether the impact of sublingual nitroglycerin (NTG) used as a provocative agent is dose-dependent. METHODS AND RESULTS: One hundred and twenty consecutive elderly patients submitted to HUT using NTG after an asymptomatic drug-free phase were studied. Patients were divided into three groups according to the NTG dosage: 500, 375 and 250 microg. The test was considered positive when there was reproduction of symptoms with bradycardia and/or arterial hypotension. A gradual decrease in the blood pressure after NTG was considered an exaggerated response to nitrates. There were no differences in the clinical characteristics of the different subgroups. A positive test was obtained in 50% of the patients in each group. The rate of exaggerated responses was identical in all groups and ranged between 15 and 17%. CONCLUSION: In an elderly population with syncope of unknown origin submitted to HUT, the response to NTG is not dose-dependent, and no difference was found in the rate of exaggerated responses to nitrates with different NTG dosages

Solving the Uncapacitated Single Allocation p-Hub Median Problem on GPU

A parallel genetic algorithm (GA) implemented on GPU clusters is proposed to solve the Uncapacitated Single Allocation p-Hub Median problem. The GA uses binary and integer encoding and genetic operators adapted to this problem. Our GA is improved by generated initial solution with hubs located at middle nodes. The obtained experimental results are compared with the best known solutions on all benchmarks on instances up to 1000 nodes. Furthermore, we solve our own randomly generated instances up to 6000 nodes. Our approach outperforms most well-known heuristics in terms of solution quality and time execution and it allows hitherto unsolved problems to be solved