6501 research outputs found
Sort by
The Impacts of Pre-matriculation Programs on Incoming First Year Medical Students: A Scoping Review
Full text linkMedical school provides many obstacles and stressors that can derail students\u27 journeys. Students need support to traverse these obstacles. Many schools provide support including tutoring, remediation protocols and pre-matriculation programs. Pre-matriculation programs are support programs that students encounter before matriculating into medical school. This scoping review focuses on the possible impacts of summer pre-matriculation programs on incoming first year medical students with the goal of better understanding how these programs positively, negatively or do not impact medical students. A scoping review was performed and three databases were searched (Pubmed, Scopus, Ovid Medline) resulting in a total of 295 articles with only 12 studies included in the final review. Overall, it was found that pre-matriculation programs, through both academic and social interventions, provide positive outcomes to incoming medical students. These outcomes include increased academic performance, better understanding of the expectations of medical school, development of their own academic skills, and a sense of community. Limitations of this review include the papers were often over a decade old and may be out of date when it pertains to current medical school curriculums. Studies also only focused on first year performance rather than following these students through their medical school career. Future directions include better understanding how these programs can be used to best identify students who need help so they may receive early intervention
Comparison of Patient Retention of PCL-5 vs. CAPS-5 in a Study on Tracking PTSD Symptoms After A Mobile App Intervention
Full text linkBackground: Due to mental health provider shortages, primary care providers are seeing more patients with mental health concerns.1 Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health concerns increased requiring primary care to adapt new multidisciplinary interventions to assist patients.2 When assessing patients for PTSD, either the CAPS-5 or PCL-5 can be used, but they have different qualities that may affect retention.
Hypothesis: The PCL-5 will have a higher retention due to the ease of administration.
Methods: Providers identified eligible patients at the Rowan-Virtua family medicine office in Sewell. Upon consent, the CAPS-5 or PCL-5 was administered, and then the PTSD Coach app was used by participants for 30 days. A follow-up was requested from all participants, where the initial assessment was administered again.
Results: There was a decrease in average PCL-5 retention in relation to the CAPS-5 that is not statistically significant.
Conclusions: CAPS-5 might better serve to increase retention rates of participants, despite its longer administration time. Limitations included a small sample size and differing protocols
Case Report: Dissecting Retroperitoneal Abscess with Gas Formation
Full text linkPresenting as a case to the emergency department was a 53-year-old male with a complaint of diffuse abdominal pain and focal right flank pain at site of recent percutaneous abscess drain site performed exactly one month prior. This followed hospitalization in the preceding year for complicated multifocal intra-abdominal infections requiring surgical interventions including exploratory laparotomy and surgical debridement for intra-abdominal abscess and scrotal abscess formation. Despite prior aggressive management and extensive coverage with broad-spectrum antibiotics, this patient was found to have fulminant recurrance of infection in the right retroperitoneal space with an expanding abscess dissecting through the retroperitoneal structures into the abdominal wall musculature. The patient was hospitalized for sepsis secondary to this infection, with escalating antibiotic therapy and replacement of a percutaneous drain at the retroperitoneal focus of abscess formation. While the management was complex, this patient ultimately made a recovery and was discharged after the fourth day of hospitalization. However, this case does highlight the importance of early recognition and treatment of an aggressive and rapidly developing infection, and the unusual evolution of a gas-forming abscess with dissecting features
Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate Adjunct for Acetabular Labral Tear Repair: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Full text linkBACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to determine the effect of bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) on long-term patient outcomes when used as an adjuvant to acetabular repair of the labrum.
METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis were completed following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Included in the analysis were controlled studies which assessed functional outcomes via the International Hip Outcome Tool-33 (iHOT-33) 12 or 24 months after acetabular repair with BMAC adjunct. Four studies totaling 315 participants were analysed.
RESULTS: Pooled effect sizes for iHOT-33 scores were not significantly different between control and treatment groups at 12 (p = 0.14, Cohen\u27s D ≏ 0.79) or 24 months (p = 0.30, Cohen\u27s D ≏ 0.56).
CONCLUSIONS: Non-significant trends in favor of BMAC augmentation were found in this study. However, the trends reported are promising and warrant further investigation with further randomised controlled trials
Library workshop on how to build effective prompts in AI generators
Full text linkThe STEM librarian and IT communications director at an public university created a hands-on workshop on prompt engineering. Covering ethical concerns and limitations, data privacy issues and prompt frameworks and techniques, the session concludes in a collaborative exercise where participants refine a basic prompt and compare Microsoft Copilot’s responses. This interactive approach helps attendees learn from peers while observing how small refinements impact AI-generated outputs.
Presentation: Generative AI in Libraries (GAIL) conference (https://shsulibraryguides.org/genailibraries/schedule
ENHANCING GPR RELIABILITY FOR CONCRETE INFRASTRUCTURE: INTEGRATING SIGNAL PROCESSING AND DEEP LEARNING FOR DEFECT AND CORROSION ASSESSMENT
Full text linkThis research addresses the critical issue of deteriorating civil infrastructure by utilizing GPR integrated with advanced signal processing and machine learning. Employing the Conquest 100 system, four concrete slab configurations were tested: multi-layer rebar with defects, single- and double-layer rebar setups, varied rebar spacing, and pre-corroded rebars (0–30% mass loss). GPR B-scans collected over 3–60 days demonstrated that detection accuracy varied significantly with curing time, structural complexity, and moisture levels. A custom-developed Python script surpassed EKKO_Project software in rebar localization, achieving lower position errors (0.4–0.7 inches compared to 0.5–1.25 inches). Notably, the amplitude of GPR signals unexpectedly increased with corrosion progression (from 9.667 mV at 20% mass loss on Day 3 to 16.000 mV on Day 28), challenging conventional understanding by suggesting rust-induced scattering enhances reflections. A semi-supervised deep learning technique—Bootstrap Your Whole Latent (BYWL)—trained on 1,543 synthetic images and fine-tuned on 179 real GPR scans, demonstrated superior rebar localization accuracy (RMSE: 19.05 pixels; errors down to 2%), outperforming baseline models. This methodology minimizes manual interpretation and enhances inspection reliability under challenging conditions and holds significant promise for infrastructure assessment and non-destructive evaluation
THE EFFECTS OF LOW DOSE METHYLPHENIDATE ADMINISTRATION ON RISK/REWARD DECISION MAKING AND CATECHOLAMINE TRANSPORTER EXPRESSION FOLLOWING REPETITIVE MILD TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY IN RODENTS
No full textRepetitive mild traumatic brain injury (rmTBIs) impairs catecholamine (CA) regulation within the prefrontal cortex (PFC)-mediated leading to aberrant higher-order decision making processes. The psychostimulant, methylphenidate (MPH), elevates CA levels by blocking their reuptake transporters. However, to establish a treatment regimen, it is necessary to characterize how chronic therapeutic doses of MPH affect rmTBI-induced disruptions of decision making. Here, we assessed risk/reward decision making for 4 weeks in male and female rodents trained on the probabilistic discounting task (PDT) following rmTBI induced by the closed head-controlled cortical impact model. Rats received daily administration of saline or low-dose MPH beginning 48 hours from final injury through behavioral testing. The combination of rmTBI and MPH treatment significantly increased risky choice preference in males for 2 weeks post-surgery. In contrast, MPH alone disrupted choice behavior in uninjured females within the first week post-surgery. CA transporter protein levels were altered within subregions of the PFC only within the first week following injury, MPH treatment and the combination. These results indicate MPH treatment transiently exacerbates risky behavior and CA transporter protein in males, but not females, following rmTBI. These sex-specific responses advise caution for males exposed to making decisions that involve uncertain risk/reward outcomes when considering MPH to treat post-rmTBI cognitive symptoms
SILK FIBROIN NANOFIBER DESIGN VIA ELECTROSPINNING FOR TEMPERATURE-RESPONSIVE AND ETHANOL-SENSITIVE DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEMS
No full textThis study produced silk and ethyl cellulose (EC) nanofibers loaded with rhodamine B (RhB) by blend electrospinning. Further research will be done using coaxial electrospinning techniques to fabricate core-shell nanofibers with either RhB or doxorubicin (DOX) and phase change material (PCM). EC is a cellulose derivative widely used as an excipient in the pharmaceutical industry and an ideal polymer for controlled drug release. Silk fiber (SF), particularly SF (the structural protein of silk) and sericin (the gum-like coating), has gained significant attention in the pharmaceutical and biomedical fields, due to its unique biological, chemical, and physical properties. PCM is composed of a 4:1 mixture of lauric acid (LA) and stearic acid (SA) in the shell, which has a melting point close to physiological body temperature. The structural morphology and thermal stability of the microparticles have been confirmed by various analyses, including Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), and Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). By combining silk with EC, the electrospinning velocity has been increased by a factor of 10 compared to the original silk solution sample. These results demonstrate the capability of EC to form a strong connection to silk fiber to produce a large amount of nanofibers, and EC is strongly dissolution in pure ethanol. So, pure ethanol could be used as a good solvent for EC for EC-Silk nanofibers. The release of the drug was influenced by both temperature and PCM loading factors. The results give strong promise for temperature-responsive release of the drug over time and temperature. The drug release results demonstrate the capability of the coaxial electrospinning system to produce controllable over temperature and targeting according to the environment. This approach may prove useful in treating solid tumors while reducing side effects and improving patient compliance and outcomes
WIRELESS BUS INTERCONNECTS FOR ENHANCED SMALL SATELLITE SYSTEM INTEGRATION AND RELIABILITY
Full text linkIn small satellite engineering systems, managing numerous subsystem interconnections presents a significant design challenge directly impacting mission success. Traditional CubeSat subsystems rely on the PC/104 header system for integration, which consumes substantial board area and adds considerable vertical spacing between subsystems. This rigid wired architecture severely restricts subsystem density, complicates assembly and testing procedures, and prevents reconfiguration of interconnections after deployment. This dissertation presents a transformative approach to satellite subsystem integration by developing and validating a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) wireless interconnect system replacing traditional wired connections. This research addresses wireless implementation challenges. Through iterative prototype development, I demonstrate a wireless interface achieving sufficient throughput and acceptable latency while maintaining minimal power consumption within typical CubeSat power budgets. The primary contribution is a comprehensive wireless interface architecture, providing definitive solutions to critical implementation challenges including power optimization through connection interval management and reliability enhancement through error detection and correction techniques. The implementation significantly reduces vertical space requirements compared to conventional headers while enabling dynamic reconfiguration of communication relationships. This research advances satellite design methodology by demonstrating that wireless interconnections maintain adequate performance while improving integration flexibility and enabling post-deployment reconfiguration capabilities
A Challenging Case of Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency complicated by Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis
No full textPyruvate kinase deficiency (PKD) is an autosomal recessive disorder and the most common cause of chronic hemolytic anemia secondary to red blood cell (RBC) enzyme defects. Treatment is mainly supportive including splenectomy and transfusions. Mitapivat, an oral allosteric activator of defective pyruvate kinase, was approved by the FDA in February 2022 for treatment of adults with PKD. However, because Mitapivat undergoes liver metabolism, patients must have stable liver profiles prior to initiation of therapy. We present a case of PKD complicated by hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). We initiated steroid therapy for his HLH with the intent to subsequently start Mitapivat. We delayed initiation of Mitapivat therapy due to persistent hepatic dysfunction. After starting Mitapivat his liver function remained stable, and his blood transfusion dependence slightly decreased. This suggested that Mitapivat does not necessarily worsen liver dysfunction or iron overload, and that this should therefore not be a reason to delay treatment