Scheduling practices for pregnant emergency medicine residents.

Background: Night shift work is associated with adverse pathophysiologic effects on maternal and fetal well-being. Although emergency medicine (EM) residents work frequent night shifts, there is no existing guidance for residency program directors (PDs) regarding scheduling pregnant residents. Our study assessed scheduling practices for pregnant EM residents, differences based on program and PD characteristics, barriers and attitudes toward implementing a formal scheduling policy, and PDs' awareness of literature describing adverse effects of night shifts on maternal-fetal outcomes.

Development of an MMPI reference group for outpatients with persisting symptoms following mild TBI.

Objective: To develop an MMPI-2-RF reference group for persistently symptomatic patients with mTBI in order to aid interpretation and better evaluate atypical scale elevations.

Method: Using the Q Local MMPI-2-RF Comparison Group Generator (CGG), 200 valid MMPI-2-RF profiles were aggregated for mTBI outpatients with persisting symptoms 2-24 months post injury.

Results: Compared to established MMPI general population norms, individuals with persisting symptoms demonstrated elevations on several scales, primarily in cognitive and somatic domains.

Arterial Monitoring System Leveling Method, Transducer Location, and Accuracy of Blood Pressure Measurements.

Background: Many critically ill patients have invasive arterial catheters inserted for blood pressure monitoring. Whether catheter leveling method and alternative transducer location affect the accuracy of blood pressure measurements is unknown.

Objective: To determine whether the use of alternative transducer locations and visual alignment versus laser device leveling significantly affect the accuracy of blood pressure measurements.

King-Devick Test Performance and Cognitive Dysfunction after Concussion: A Pilot Eye Movement Study.

(1) Background: The King-Devick (KD) rapid number naming test is sensitive for concussion diagnosis, with increased test time from baseline as the outcome measure. Eye tracking during KD performance in concussed individuals shows an association between inter-saccadic interval (ISI) (the time between saccades) prolongation and prolonged testing time. This pilot study retrospectively assesses the relation between ISI prolongation during KD testing and cognitive performance in persistently-symptomatic individuals post-concussion.

Transient heating in fixed length optical cavities for use as temperature and pressure standards.

Optical refractometry techniques enable realization of both pressure and temperature directly from properties of the gas. The NIST refractometer, a fixed length optical cavity (FLOC) has previously been evaluated for operation as pressure standard, and now in this paper, is evaluated for the feasibility of operation as a primary temperature standard as well. The challenge is that during operation, one cavity is filled with gas.