Comparison of Visual Analog Pain Score Reported to Physician vs Nurse in Nonoperatively Treated Foot and Ankle Patients

Background: Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) are taking a more prominent role in Orthopedics as health care seeks to define treatment outcomes. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) is considered a reliable measure of acute pain. A previous study found that operative candidates’ VAS pain score was significantly higher when reported to the surgeon compared to the nurse. This study’s aim is to examine whether this phenomenon occurs in nonoperative patients. We hypothesize that patients’ VAS scores reported to the surgeon and a nurse will be the same Methods: This study is a retrospective cohort of 201 consecutive nonoperative patients treated by a single surgeon. Patients were asked to rate pain intensity by a nurse followed by the surgeon using a horizontal VAS, 0 “no pain” to 10 worst pain”. Differences in reported pain levels were compared with data from the previous cohort of 201 consecutive operative patients. Results: The mean VAS score reported to the nurse was 3.2 whereas the mean VAS score reported to the surgeon was 4.2 (p\u3c.001). The mean difference in VAS scores reported for operative patients was 2.9, whereas the mean difference for nonoperative patients was 1.0 (p \u3c .001). Conclusion: This study found statistically significant differences between VAS scores reported to the surgeon versus the nurse in nonoperative patients which support the trend found in our previous study, where operative patients reported significantly higher scores to the surgeon. The mean difference between reported pain scores is significantly higher for operative patients compared to nonoperative patients

Traces of Thermalization from Transverse Momentum Fluctuations in Nuclear Collisions

Scattering of particles produced in Au+Au collisions at RHIC can wrestle the system into a state near local thermal equilibrium. I illustrate how measurements of the centrality dependence of the mean transverse momentum and its fluctuations can exhibit this thermalization.Comment: 4 pages, 2 eps figures, final version to appear in PR

A Candidate Protoplanet in the Taurus Star Forming Region

HST/NICMOS images of the class I protostar TMR-1 (IRAS04361+2547) reveal a faint companion with 10.0" = 1400 AU projected separation. The central protostar is itself resolved as a close binary with 0.31" = 42 AU separation, surrounded by circumstellar reflection nebulosity. A long narrow filament seems to connect the protobinary to the faint companion TMR-1C, suggesting a physical association. If the sources are physically related then we hypothesize that TMR-1C has been ejected by the protobinary. If TMR-1C has the same age and distance as the protobinary then current models indicate its flux is consistent with a young giant planet of several Jovian masses.Comment: 16 pages, 1 figure, Accepted by Astrophysical Journal Letters, Related information is available at http://www.extrasolar.co

E-BOSS: an Extensive stellar BOw Shock Survey. I: Methods and First Catalogue

Context: Bow shocks are produced by many astrophysical objects where shock waves are present. Stellar bow shocks, generated by runaway stars, have been previously detected in small numbers and well-studied. Along with progress in model development and improvements in observing instruments, our knowledge of the emission produced by these objects and its origin can now be more clearly understood. Aims: We produce a stellar bow-shock catalogue by applying uniform search criteria and a systematic search process. This catalogue is a starting point for statistical studies, to help us address fundamental questions such as, for instance, the conditions under wich a stellar bow shock is detectable. Methods: By using the newest infrared data releases, we carried out a search for bow shocks produced by early-type runaway stars. We first explored whether a set of known IRAS bow shock candidates are visible in the most recently available IR data, which has much higher resolution and sensitivity. We then carried out a selection of runaway stars from the latest, large runaway catalogue available. In this first release, we focused on OB stars and searched for bow-shaped features in the vicinity of these stars. Results: We provide a bow-shock candidate survey that gathers a total of 28 members which we call the Extensive stellar BOw Shock Survey (E-BOSS). We derive the main bow-shock parameters, and present some preliminary statistical results on the detected objects. Conclusions: Our analysis of the initial sample and the newly detected objects yields a bow-shock detectability around OB stars of $\sim$ 10 per cent. The detections do not seem to depend particularly on either stellar mass, age or position. The extension of the E-BOSS sample, with upcoming IR data, and by considering, for example, other spectral types as well, will allow us to perform a more detailed study of the findings.Comment: A&A accepted (25-NOV-2011), 15 pages, 4 tables, 11 figure

Strongly coupled matter near phase transition

In the Hartree approximation of Cornwall-Jackiw-Tomboulis (CJT) formalism of the real scalar field theory, we show that for the strongly coupled scalar system near phase transition, the shear viscosity over entropy density is small, however, the bulk viscosity over entropy density is large. The large bulk viscosity is related to the highly nonconformal equation of state. It is found that the square of the sound velocity near phase transition is much smaller than the conformal value 1/3, and the trace anomaly at phase transition deviates far away from 0. These results agree well with the lattice results of the complex QCD system near phase transition.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, 1 table, contributed to the International Conference on Strangeness in Quark Matter 2008, Beijing, China, 6-10 October 200

Evidence for chemical equilibration at RHIC

This contribution focuses on the results of statistical model calculations at RHIC energies, including recently available experimental data. Previous calculations of particle yield ratios showed good agreement with measurements at SPS and lower energies, suggesting that the composite system possesses a high degree of chemical equilibrium at freeze-out. The effect of feeddown contamination on the model parameters is discussed, and the sensitivity of individual ratios to the model parameters ($T$, $\mu_B$) is illustrated.Comment: Talk presented at Strange Quarks in Matter 2001, Frankfurt, September 24-29, 2001. Proceedings to be published by J. Phys. G. 8 pages with 4 figure

Development and test of an IR camera for astronomical observation at the Palomar 200-inch observatory using the NICMOS II array

A NICMOS II array, a NIR (0.80 - 2.6 micron) imaging system, was integrated into the California Institute of Technology Palomar Observatory camera. The Palomar camera system which consists of six discrete subsystems including a focal plane, an electrical interface, data acquisition electronics, a dewar, dewar optics, and the software is described. The performance and calibration data for each subsystem are presented. Emphasis is placed on test data on the focal plane performance

An IR Search for Extinguished Supernovae in Starburst Galaxies

IR and Radio band observations of heavily extinguished regions in starburst galaxies suggest a very high SN rate associated with such regions. Optically measured supernova (SN) rates may therefore underestimate the total SN rate by factors of up to 10, due to the high extinction to SNe in starburst regions. The IR/radio SN rates come from a variety of indirect means, however, which suffer from model dependence and other problems. We describe a direct measurement of the SN rate from a regular patrol of starburst galaxies done with K' band imaging to minimize the effects of extinction. A collection of K' measurements of core-collapse SNe near maximum light is presented. Results of a preliminary SN search using the MIRC camera at the Wyoming IR Observatory (WIRO), and an improved search using the ORCA optics are described. A monthly patrol of starburst galaxies within 25 Mpc should yield 1.6 - 9.6 SNe/year. Our MIRC search with low-resolution (2.2" pixels) failed to find extinguished SNe, limiting the SN rate outside the nucleus (at > 15" radius) to less than 3.8 Supernova Rate Units (SRU or SNe/century/10^10 L(solar); 90% confidence). The MIRC camera had insufficient resolution to search nuclear starburst regions, where SN activity is concentrated, explaining why we found no heavily obscured SNe. We conclude that high-resolution, small field SN searches in starburst nuclei are more productive than low resolution, large-field searches, even for our large galaxies. With our ORCA high-resolution optics, we could limit the total SN rate to < 1.3 SRU at 90% confidence in 3 years of observations, lower than the most pessimistic estimate.Comment: AJ Submitted 1998 Dec. 13. View figures and download all as one file at http://panisse.lbl.gov/public/bruce/irs