Twisted-mode VECSEL with intracavity second harmonic generation.

A vertical external cavity surface emitting laser (VECSEL) that uses intracavity second harmonic generation (SHG) and the twisted mode technique for power scaling was explored. The effects of the twisted mode technique are shown and discussed by examining the mode structure and spectrum of the fundamental mode. The maximum SHG output was 1 W at 458 nm while the fundamental was lasing in the TEM mode.

Outdoor Adventure and Experiential Education and COVID-19: What Have We Learned?

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) now known as COVID-19 changed the world and the outdoor adventure and experiential education (OAEE) fields were not immune. These changes significantly impacted various OAEE programs in multiple ways and at different levels of intensity. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the OAEE fields and identify how OAEE organizations have responded to those impacts.

High output power, single mode, and TEM operation of a multiple gain chip VECSEL using a twisted-mode configuration.

A vertical external cavity surface emitting laser (VECSEL) has been developed for a sodium guide star application. Stable single frequency operation with 21 W of output power near 1178 nm with multiple gain elements while lasing in the TEM mode has been achieved. Higher output power results in multimode lasing.

GEORGE®: A Pilot Study of a Smartphone Application for Huntington's Disease.

Background: Current Huntington's disease (HD) measures are limited to subjective, episodic assessments conducted in clinic. Smartphones can enable the collection of objective, real-world data but their use has not been extensively evaluated in HD.

Objective: Develop and evaluate a smartphone application to assess feasibility of use and key features of HD in clinic and at home.

An Electronic Medical Record-Based Discharge Disposition Tool Gets Bundle Busted: Decaying Relevance of Clinical Data Accuracy in Machine Learning.

Background: Determining discharge disposition after total joint arthroplasty (TJA) has been a challenge. Advances in machine learning (ML) have produced computer models that learn by example to generate predictions on future events. We hypothesized a trained ML algorithm's diagnostic accuracy will be better than that of current predictive tools to predict discharge disposition after primary TJA.

Convolutional Neural Network for Second Metacarpal Radiographic Osteoporosis Screening.

Purpose: Osteoporosis and osteopenia are extremely common and can lead to fragility fractures. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a computer learning system could classify whether a hand radiograph demonstrated osteoporosis based on the second metacarpal cortical percentage.

Methods: We used the second metacarpal cortical percentage as the osteoporosis predictor.

Patient-reported outcomes use during orthopaedic surgery clinic visits improves the patient experience.

Objectives: The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) is growing in popularity as healthcare shifts towards a value-based system. However, it remains unclear if PROMIS use improves the patient experience. The aim of the present study was to determine if PROMIS use as part of routine orthopaedic clinical care is associated with improved patient experience, as measured by the Clinician and Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CGCAHPS) survey.

Preoperative PROMIS Scores Predict Postoperative PROMIS Score Improvement for Patients Undergoing Hand Surgery.

Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) can be used alongside preoperative patient characteristics to set postsurgery expectations. This study aimed to analyze whether preoperative scores can predict significant postoperative PROMIS score improvement. Patients undergoing hand and wrist surgery with initial and greater than 6-month follow-up PROMIS scores were assigned to derivation or validation cohorts, separating trauma and nontrauma conditions.

Large-scale clinical implementation of PROMIS computer adaptive testing with direct incorporation into the electronic medical record.

The objective of this research was to assess the implementation of collecting patient-reported outcomes data in the outpatient clinics of a large academic hospital and identify potential barriers and solutions to such an implementation. Three PROMIS computer adaptive test instruments, (1) physical function, (2) pain interference, and (3) depression, were administered at 23,813 patient encounters using a novel software platform on tablet computers. The average time to complete was 3.

Efficacy of PROMIS Pain Interference and Likert Pain Scores to Assess Physical Function.

Purpose: The Patient Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS), developed by the National Institutes of Health, utilizes a health domain related to Pain Interference (PI). We evaluated this domain and its association with physical function (as determined by PROMIS Physical Function [PF]), administered as a computer adaptive test (CAT), and secondarily its association to a numerical 0 to 10 pain score. Our null hypothesis was that PI, as measured by CAT, has no correlation to PF and thus, there is no difference between comparisons of numerical pain scores and PROMIS PF.

Hiking: A Low-Cost, Accessible Intervention to Promote Health Benefits.

Research has connected sedentary lifestyles with numerous negative health outcomes, including a significant increased risk for mortality. Many health care professionals seek ways to help clients meet physical activity guidelines recommended by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, the World Health Organization, and the American College of Sports Medicine in order to promote active lifestyles and improve overall wellness. Hiking is a cost-effective intervention that encourages people to be physically active while spending time in nature.

Google Glass as an Alternative to Standard Fluoroscopic Visualization for Percutaneous Fixation of Hand Fractures: A Pilot Study.

This pilot study investigated the feasibility of Google Glass to assist visualization of fluoroscopic images during percutaneous pinning of hand fractures. Cadavers were used to compare total time to pin each fracture and total number of radiographs per fracture from a mini C-arm. A FluoroScan monitor was used for radiographic visualization compared to projecting the images in the Google Glass display.

The effect of informed consent on results of a standard upper extremity intake questionnaire.

Purpose: The trend toward requiring explicit consent from patients participating in observational research introduces the potential for consent bias, either through selection bias or through the Hawthorne effect. In the Hawthorne effect, patients may alter responses based on awareness of participation in a study, thus potentially limiting its applicability to a generalized orthopedic practice. We hypothesized that study subjects' awareness of participation in an observational study by informed consent would alter responses to a standard upper extremity questionnaire in a statistically and clinically meaningful way compared with patients who filled out the questionnaire as a quality control measure.

Remodeling of murine intrasynovial tendon adhesions following injury: MMP and neotendon gene expression.

Tendon injury frequently results in the formation of adhesions that reduce joint range of motion. To study the cellular, molecular, and biomechanical events involved in intrasynovial tendon healing and adhesion formation, we developed a murine flexor tendon healing model in which the flexor digitorum longus (FDL) tendon of C57BL/6 mice was transected and repaired using suture. This model was used to test the hypothesis that murine flexor tendons heal with differential expression of matrix metalloproteases (MMPs), resulting in the formation of scar tissue as well as the subsequent remodeling of scar and adhesions.

Adhesions in a murine flexor tendon graft model: autograft versus allograft reconstruction.

Reconstruction of flexor tendons often results in adhesions that compromise joint flexion. Little is known about the factors involved in the formation of flexor tendon graft adhesions. In this study, we developed and characterized a novel mouse model of flexor digitorum longus (FDL) tendon reconstruction with live autografts or reconstituted freeze-dried allografts.

Freeze-dried tendon allografts as tissue-engineering scaffolds for Gdf5 gene delivery.

Tendon reconstruction using grafts often results in adhesions that limit joint flexion. These adhesions are precipitated by inflammation, fibrosis, and the paucity of tendon differentiation signals during healing. In order to study this problem, we developed a mouse model in which the flexor digitorum longus (FDL) tendon is reconstructed using a live autograft or a freeze-dried allograft, and identified growth and differentiation factor 5 (Gdf5) as a therapeutic target.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) containing the bar gene is compositionally equivalent to the nontransgenic counterpart.

This publication presents an approach to assessing compositional equivalence between grain derived from glufosinate-tolerant rice grain, genetic event LLRICE62, and its nontransgenic counterpart. Rice was grown in the same manner as is common for commercial production, using either conventional weed control practices or glufosinate-ammonium herbicide. A two-season multisite trial design provided a robust data set to evaluate environmental effects between the sites.

Attitudes toward CAM among medical, nursing, and pharmacy faculty and students: a comparative analysis.

Context: As interest in CAM continues to increase, schools of medicine, nursing, and other health professional training programs are being encouraged to integrate content on CAM into curricula.

Objective: To assess the attitudes of faculty and staff toward CAM in medicine, nursing, and pharmacy within an academic health center.

Design: A survey was used to obtain data on general attitudes toward CAM, personal use, training needs, and perceived barriers to use.