The Demographics of Non-motor Vehicle Associated Railway Injuries Seen at Trauma Centers in the United States 2007 - 2014

Introduction The majority of railway injury studies are limited by small sample size, restricted to a small geographical distribution, or located outside the United States (US). The aim of our study was to assess the demographic patterns associated with non-motor vehicle railway injuries in the US using a national trauma center database. Materials and Methods Data from the National Trauma Data Bank data from 2007 - 2014 were used; 3,506 patients were identified. For all statistical analyses, a p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results The patients were 81% male with an average age of 38.6 + 17.1 years and an Injury Severity Score (ISS) of 16.8 + 13.8. Males compared to females were younger (37.7 vs 42.5 years, p = 0.000002), had greater length of stays (12.7 vs 9.8 days, p = 0.000006), and higher ISS scores (17.1 vs 15.4, p = 0.0007). The geographic distribution within the US was most common in the South (32.0%) and least in the Northeast (18.9%). The racial composition was 67.5% White, 19.1% Black, 11.5% Hispanic/Latino, and 1.9% others. The most common mechanisms of injury were hitting/colliding with rolling stock (38.6%), followed by a fall in or from a train (19.5%), and collision with an object (13.5%). The majority of patients were pedestrians or passengers (68.5%); employees accounted for 12.5%. Although the majority were pedestrian/passengers for all regions, the Midwest had a greater proportion of employees (22.0%) compared to the other regions (7.8% to 12.2%) (p < 10-6), and thus injuries were more commonly work-related (24.6% vs 6.7% - 13.7%, p < 10-6). Work-related injuries were less severe (ISS 11.2 vs 17.3 - p < 10-6) and more commonly occurred due to a fall (32.8% vs 17.9%, p < 10-6). Alcohol and/or drug involvement was present in 40.7% and was less in those with work-related injuries (2.2%). Overall mortality was 6.4% and was less in those having a work-related injury (2.0 vs 6.6% p = 0.000004). Conclusion For non-motor vehicle USA railway injuries, the average age was 38.5 years; 80.6% were male. The injuries were least common in the Northeast and most common in the South. Racial distribution mirrored that of the US population. Alcohol involvement was present in 29%, lower than in previous studies. Mortality was 6.4%, also lower than previously reported

Optimization of an Electromagnetic Energy Harvesting Device

This paper presents the modeling and optimization of an electromagnetic-based generator for generating power from ambient vibrations. Basic equations describing such generators are presented and the conditions for maximum power generation are described. Two-centimeter scale prototype generators, which consist of magnets suspended on a beam vibrating relative to a coil, have been built and tested. The measured power and modeled results are compared. It is shown that the experimental results confirm the optimization theory

Injuries associated with bunk beds that occur in jail

Background There are many studies of bunk bed injuries, but none specifically addressing those occurring in jails. It was the purpose of this study to investigate the magnitude and patterns of bunk bed injuries occurring in correctional institutions. Methods The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) data for the 10 year period 2006 through 2015 due to bunk beds was accessed. Injuries involving bunk beds were identified and the mechanism of injury determined. Statistical analyses were performed with SUDAAN 10™ software. A p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results There were an estimated 639,505 ED visits for bunk bed associated injuries; 51,204 occurred in jail. All jail cases occurred in the age groups ≥10 years (177,165); 29% of these 177,165 sustained the injury in jail. Those who sustained a bunk bed injury in jail compared to those who did not were older, more commonly male, seen in smaller hospitals, more likely admitted, and more frequently associated with a seizure. For those injuries occurring in jail, the most common injury in the trunk and lower extremity was a strain/sprain; the upper extremity a contusion/abrasion; and the head/neck a laceration or traumatic brain injury. A fall off the bunk bed accounted for 71.8% of the injuries, had the highest hospital admission rate (7.4%), accounted for all of the spine injuries, 96% of the head injuries, and had the highest proportion of fractures (14.4%). Inmates having a seizure before the injury sustained fewer fractures, more lacerations, and more head/neck injuries. Conclusions Injuries in jail account for 29% of all bunk bed injuries resulting in an ED visit in the USA in those age groups ≥10 years. A fall from the bed occurred in 72% and a seizure disorder was 4.5 times more common in jail inmates compared to non inmates. Possible prevention strategies include railings/ladders to reduce the incidence of falls, changes in flooring surfaces, and seizure education and placing inmates with seizure and/or alcohol related disorders on the bottom bunk. This will require a multidisciplinary approach involving the disciplines of medicine, material engineering, and criminal justice

Supercurrent through grain boundaries in the presence of strong correlations

Strong correlations are known to severely reduce the mobility of charge carriers near half-filling and thus have an important influence on the current carrying properties of grain boundaries in the high-$T_c$ cuprates. In this work we present an extension of the Gutzwiller projection approach to treat electronic correlations below as well as above half-filling consistently. We apply this method to investigate the critical current through grain boundaries with a wide range of misalignment angles for electron- and hole-doped systems. For the latter excellent agreement with experimental data is found. We further provide a detailed comparison to an analogous weak-coupling evaluation.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Crossover from hc/e to hc/2e current oscillations in rings of s-wave superconductors

We analyze the crossover from an hc/e-periodicity of the persistent current in flux threaded clean metallic rings towards an hc/2e-flux periodicity of the supercurrent upon entering the superconducting state. On the basis of a model calculation for a one-dimensional ring we identify the underlying mechanism, which balances the hc/e versus the hc/2e periodic components of the current density. When the ring circumference exceeds the coherence length of the superconductor, the flux dependence is strictly hc/2e periodic. Further, we develop a multi-channel model which reduces the Bogoliubov - de Gennes equations to a one-dimensional differential equation for the radial component of the wave function. The discretization of this differential equation introduces transverse channels, whose number scales with the thickness of the ring. The periodicity crossover is analyzed close the critical temperature

A Bibliometric Study of Authorship and Collaboration Trends Over the Past 30 Years in Four Major Musculoskeletal Science Journals

This study explored changes in bibliometric variables over the last 30 years for four major musculoskeletal science journals (BONE®), Calcified Tissue International® (CTI®), Journal of Bone and Mineral Research® (JBMR®), and Journal of Orthopaedic Research® (JOR®), with a specific focus on author gender. Bibliometric data were collected for all manuscripts in 1985 (BONE®, CTI®, JOR®), 1986 (JBMR®), 1995, 2005, and 2015; 2776 manuscripts met inclusion criteria. Manuscripts from Europe were more often published in BONE® or CTI®, while those from North America in JBMR® or JOR®. All journals demonstrated an increase over time in the number of authors (3.67–7.3), number of countries (1.1–1.4), number of institutions (1.4–3.1), and number of references (25.1–45.4). The number of manuscript pages increased (6.6–8.9) except for JOR® which showed a decline. CTI® had the lowest number of authors (4.9 vs. 5.6–6.8). There was a change in the corresponding author position from first to last for all journals; this change was highest for CTI® (35%) and lowest for BONE® (14.0%). All journals demonstrated an increase over time in female authors; however, CTI® was the highest amongst these four journals. The percentage of female first authors rose from 24.6 to 44.3% (CTI® 29.1–52.3%). The percentage of corresponding female authors rose from 17.5 to 33.6% (CTI® 22.9–40.0%). The proportion of female authors is increasing, likely reflecting the increasing number of women obtaining doctorates in science, medicine, and engineering

Gartland type III supracondylar humerus fractures: outcome and complications as related to operative timing and pin configuration

Purpose Supracondylar fractures of the humerus are the most common fracture of theelbow in children. The pur- pose of this study was to evaluate, in terms of outcomes andcomplications, Gartland type III pediatric supracondy- lar humerus fractures treated at apediatric level-one trauma center over a 7-year period, specifically addressing the- impact of time to surgery on the incidence of complications and conversion to openreduction. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 297 pediatric patients that sustained a closedGartland type III supra- condylar humerus fracture treated between December 2004 andDecember 2011. The time to the operating room was calculated from the medical recordsfor each patient. The outcome measures evaluated were operative time, conver- sion toopen procedure, and perioperative and postoperative complications. Results In our study, there were 30 complications in 25 children (8.4%). Conversion to open reduction occurred in 28 children (9.4%). The time from the emergency depart- ment to the operating room was not significantly correlated with increased complications, increased operative time, or conversion to open reduction ( p > 0.05). Crossed pinning resulted in an increased risk of overall complications [odds ratio (OR) = 2.6] and iatrogenic nerve injuries (OR = 9.3). Complications also occurred more commonly in boys (OR = 3.3) and in older patients ( p = 0.0069) Conclusions We found no significant correlation between the time to surgery andcomplications, operative time, or need for open reduction. These findings support thetrend of treating Gartland type III supracondylar humerus fractures in a less urgentmanner. In addition, our study supports the concept that cross pinning leads to morecomplications than lateral pinning, including an 8-fold increase in iatrogenic nerveinjur

Seasonal variation in adult hip disease secondary to osteoarthritis and developmental dysplasia of the hip

AIM: To determine if there was a seasonal variation in adults undergoing total hip arthroplasty for end stage hip disease due to osteoarthritis (OA) or sequelae of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). METHODS: The total hip registry from the author's institution for the years 1969 to 2013 was reviewed. The month of birth, age, gender, and ethnicity was recorded. Differences between number of births observed and expected in the winter months (October through February) and non-winter mo (March through September) were analyzed with the χ2 test. Detailed temporal variation was mathematically assessed using cosinor analysis. RESULTS: There were 7792 OA patients and 60 DDH patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty. There were more births than expected in the winter months for both the DDH (P < 0.0001) and OA (P = 0.0052) groups. Cosinor analyses demonstrated a peak date of birth on 1st October. CONCLUSION: These data demonstrate an increased prevalence of DDH and OA in those patients born in winter

The demographics of dog bites in the United States

Dog bites are a significant public health issue. There is no comprehensive study of dog bite demographics. It was the purpose of this study to perform such an analysis across the US. The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System All Injury Program data for the years 2005 through 2013 was accessed; dog bite injuries were extracted and analyzed. Statistical analyses were performed with SUDAAN 11.0.01™ software to account for the weighted, stratified nature of the data. Incidence values were calculated using population data from the US Census Bureau. A P 85 years of age, 4.88 [2.89, 8.24] 75-84 years, and 2.79 [1.77, 4.39] those ≤4 years of age, with the 10-14 year age group the reference group. The average annual incidence was 1.1 per 1,000, and was slightly higher in males (1.18 vs 1.02 per 1,000). The estimated cost was at least 400 million US$ per year. Potential prevention strategies are educational programs directed at both children and parents/caretakers outlining the responsibilities of owning a dog. This information can be disseminated in health care facilities, radio/TV/Internet venues, and dog kennels/shelters