Design and Actuation of a Fabric-Based Worm-Like Robot.

Soft-bodied animals, such as earthworms, are capable of contorting their body to squeeze through narrow spaces, create or enlarge burrows, and move on uneven ground. In many applications such as search and rescue, inspection of pipes and medical procedures, it may be useful to have a hollow-bodied robot with skin separating inside and outside. Textiles can be key to such skins.

Enteral autonomy in pediatric short bowel syndrome: predictive factors one year after diagnosis.

Purpose: This study examined predictors of achieving enteral autonomy among pediatric short bowel syndrome (SBS) patients remaining on parenteral nutrition (PN) beyond one year.

Methods: A retrospective single-institution study of 171 pediatric SBS patients (defined as ≥50% small bowel (SB) loss or ≥60 days of PN with onset before 6 weeks of age) was performed. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis was conducted, with subgroup analysis of patients on PN for ≥1 year (n=59).

Improving breast cancer care through a regional quality collaborative.

Background: Regional collaborative organizations provide an effective structure for improving the quality of surgical care. With low complication rates and a long latency between surgical care and outcomes such as survival and local recurrence, quality measurement in breast cancer surgery is ideally suited to process measures. Diagnostic biopsy technique for breast cancer diagnosis is measurable and amenable to change at the provider level.

Substance use, trait measures, and subjective response to nicotine in never-smokers stratified on parental smoking history and sex.

Introduction: Male and female never-smokers stratified on parental history of smoking were tested for possible differences in susceptibility to the hedonic effects of nicotine.

Methods: We recruited nicotine-exposed never-smokers with two never-smoking biological parents (PH-) or two ever-smoking biological parents (PH+). After completing a baseline assessment battery focusing on conditions or behaviors associated with smoking, participants were tested for subjective and hedonic effects in response to administration of three different nicotine doses (0.

Favorite cigarette of the day in a random sample of women smokers.

From a random digit dialing survey of American women, we assessed current smokers (n=371). Respondents were 33.6+/-7.