Left Columns Research Articles

Experimental study on seismic performance of internal cruciform joints of grouting sleeve connection for modular integrated construction

Modular integrated construction (MiC) adopts room units that integrate maintenance structure, decoration and equipment pipelines in the factory-made modules, resulting in a lack of operating space for connecting modules at the construction site. In the previous research, the joints between modules are usually hinged or semi-rigid connections and partial strength joints. In this paper, a new type of joint with the grouting sleeve connection is proposed to connect modules horizontally and vertically, which is more convenient for construction and does not conflict with interior decoration. Six full-scale cruciform joints were tested to study the effect of axial compression ratio and different structural details. The test results presented the failure mode, stiffness, ductility, and energy dissipation of the specimens. The ultimate inter-story drift ratio is between 4.78 % rad and 5.96 % rad, which is larger than the requirement of 4 % rad in the special moment frame (SMF) system. The horizontal connection plate between modules can cooperate the deformation of left and right beams and columns, and significantly improve the lateral resistance of the joint. The vertical connection between modules did not slip or open and the grouting material is not broken. The inner and outer reinforced plates in the beam-to-column connection can transfer the tensile force of the beam flange well so the outer sleeve does not tear, and the wedge-shaped stiffener can inhibit the cracking of the beam-to-column connection. EC3 Part 1–8 was adopted to evaluate the stiffness characteristic of the proposed connection, indicating that the proposed joint can be classified as rigid joint for the non-sway frame. Finally, the theoretical ultimate resistance of the joint under the ideal failure mode is obtained, which is lower than the test results, indicating that the plastic development of the joint is sufficient and can be classified as full-strength joint.

Design and Implementation of a Chip Removal Device for Metal Fittings with Adjustable Cleaning Range

The design and implementation of a chip removal device for metal fittings with adjustable cleaning range. The device includes a base, a first motor, a handle, a collecting box, a second motor and a fan. The left and right sides of the upper part of the base are separately welded and connected with the left and right columns, and the left and right sides of the placing plate are provided with a limited position plate The limit plate and the left column and the right column are respectively sliding connection, and the spacing between the two splints on the placement plate can be adjusted, so that the placement plate can be moved back and forth without affecting the fixation of metal accessories, and then the opening operation can be carried out for different positions of accessories, which improves the flexibility of the device in use.

Reversible QRS fragmentation in Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

An 80-year-old lady with a history of diabetes mellitus presented to the emergency room with palpitations. Electrocardiogram revealed ST-segment elevation over the inferior and lateral leads. Notably, the QRS complexes across precordial leads V4-6 and aVR were fragmented. A positive deflection was seen in lead V1, embedded within the QRS complex, which is resemblant to the Epsilon wave morphology (Figure 1, left columns). Despite such findings and raised serum troponin, she was free from chest pain. Transthoracic echocardiography showed left ventricular (LV) apical ballooning with severe hypokinesis, corroborated by invasive left ventriculography. Coronary angiography revealed no occlusive lesion. The diagnosis was Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC). (Figure 2). The finding of fragmented QRS in TTC is of electrophysiological interest. Arrhythmic manifestations complicating TTC affects up to one-quarter of patients, and half is life-threatening (13.5%).1 Symptomatic atrioventricular block and less commonly sinus nodal dysfunction may mandate cardiac pacing and are due to a secondary increase in vagal tone in sympathetic overdrive. The origin of ventricular tachycardia (VT)/ fibrillation remained controversial in TTC. While QT prolongation is well-recognized in TTC that provided a substrate for polymorphic VT, the origin of monomorphic VT was believed to be catecholaminergic or automatic, and unlikely reentrant based on classical lack of myocardial fibrosis detectable as late gadolinium MRI enhancement in TCC.2, 3 However, latest research provided revoking evidence by identifying diffuse fibrosis/ micronecrosis through T1-mapping in TTC.4 QRS fragmentation, a marker of myocardial fibrosis, is predictive of sudden cardiac death in patients with ischemic and non-ischemic cardiomyopathy. Its presence in the inferior leads, in particular, was identified as an ominous sign in patients with known cardiomyopathy for subsequent sudden death,5 while lateral lead predominance conferred excess risks in subjects without structural heart disease. Whether fragmented QRS has a prognostic role in Takotsubo cardiomyopathy remained unclear. Furthermore, myocardial edema during a hyperacute phase in TTC may predispose to transient electrical inhomogeneity.2 On the contrary, the Epilson wave, an electrocardiographic finding characteristic of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, together with QRS fragmentation are both indicators of delayed ventricular depolarization. While the Epilson wave has been reported in myocarditis, how it is related to myocardial edema in the hyperacute phase of TTC and whether it may have a prognostic role remained obscure. In our patient, no significant nodal dysfunction or ventricular tachyarrhythmia occurred. She was treated with aspirin (80 mg daily), lisinopril (2.5 mg daily), bisoprolol fumarate (1.25 mg daily), and atorvastatin (20 mg daily). Three months later, reassessment echocardiography showed recovered LV systolic function with an ejection fraction of 65%, and resolution of apical ballooning. These were accompanied by a complete reversal of QRS fragmentation and the disappearance of the Epsilon wave-like morphology (Figure 1, rights columns). Ambulatory Holter assessment showed nil evidence of electrical instability. This succinct Spotlight thus re-capitulates the fundamental electro-pathophysiological basis implicated in the natural course of TTC, in which further research is needed. Li Shu Fan Medical Fellowship for Internal Medicine 2021/22 (Y.H.C.) None declared.

Modeling of Relative Humidity-Dependent Impedance of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells

1. IntroductionPolymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are highly efficient devices that utilize hydrogen energy. The large overpotential of PEMFCs, particularly under low relative humidity (R.H.) conditions [1], is a challenge. Equivalent circuit modeling is an effective technique for impedance analysis, in which circuit elements are used to simulate electrode reactions [2]. The transmission line model (TLM) is often used for porous electrodes including PEMFCs [3]. In this study, a TLM was constructed considering the resistance distribution in the cathode catalyst layer (CCL), and the dependence of the impedance on R.H. was investigated.2. ModelingFigure 1 shows a TLM. The proton potential Xl was set as a parameter for each triple phase boundary (TPB), where an oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) occurs. At a certain TPB, Equation 1 holds based on Kirchhoff's current law [4]. Rion is the proton conduction resistance; Rct is the resistance of charge transfer in the ORR; Tct and P are parameters of the constant phase element. In this study, Rct was made a function of proton potential using Equation 2, where i0 is the exchange current density of the cathode and n is the number of exchanged electrons. The potential X0 of the TPB on a Nafion membrane was specified as the boundary condition. Subsequently, the model impedance was calculated by varying the frequency f from 106 to 0.1 Hz.Using the proposed model, a simulation was performed by varying Rion to be similar to the measured impedance spectra in the next section. For comparison, a simulation was performed under the same conditions using a conventional TLM in which Rct is a constant value.3. ExperimentalA membrane electrode assembly (MEA) was prepared by spraying a catalyst ink with an ionomer/carbon weight ratio of 0.92 onto a Nafion membrane. For both the cathode and anode, the electrode area was 1 cm2 and the Pt loading was 0.4 mgpt cm-2. Power generation tests were conducted at a cell temperature of 80 °C. Gases flowing at 200 sccm were supplied to the cathode at an oxygen partial pressure of 0.2 atm and to the anode at a hydrogen partial pressure of 0.4 atm. The impedance spectra of the MEA were measured under various R.H. conditions by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy [5] in the potentiostatic mode at 0.7 V. The distribution of relaxation times (DRT) analysis [6] was conducted on the impedance spectra.4. Results and discussionFigure 2 shows the experimental and simulation results. The left and right columns show the impedance spectra and the DRT analysis results, respectively.Based on the analysis of DRT peaks by Heinzmann et al. [7], the peak in the mid-frequency range, PM, is associated with the resistance of charge transfer in the ORR, whereas the peak group in the high-frequency range, PH, is associated with the resistance of proton conduction. The PH of the DRT of the measured impedance increases as R.H. decreases. This indicates that a decrease in R.H. promotes a decrease in proton conductivity. The increase in Rion in the simulation represents a decrease in proton conductivity, which increases the PH as shown in both simulation results. As the proton conductivity decreases, the PM of the DRTs of the measured impedance and the calculated impedance using the proposed model increases. However, the PM of the DRT of the calculated impedance using the conventional model does not change. This indicates that the proposed model can accurately simulate the actual phenomena in the CCL. The reason for the increase in PM caused by the decrease in proton conductivity could be that the local charge transfer resistance increases by a decrease in the proton potential at each TPB.5. ConclusionsA TLM was constructed to predict the dependence of impedance on R.H. Experimental results showed that an unsatisfactory proton conductivity resulted in an increase in the charge transfer resistance. The results of the simulation with varying proton conduction resistances using the proposed model are consistent with the experimental trend. In future studies, circuit parameters should be appropriately determined by fitting the model to the measured impedance spectra.

The Impact of Aspiration and Corticosteroid Injection after ACL Injury on Post-Reconstruction Infection Rate (161)

Objectives:Knee injections of bioactive substances, including corticosteroids, hyaluronic acid, and platelet-rich-plasma, are very common in orthopaedic practice. Recently, injecting a corticosteroid into the knee after an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury has been shown in a pilot randomized controlled trial to mitigate articular cartilage damage from the pro-inflammatory effects of the hemearthrosis.1 It is imperative to know if injecting a corticosteroid after ACL tear increases the risk of infection after ACL reconstruction (ACLR). The objective of this study is to report the infection rate in a retrospective cohort of primary bone-tendon-bone (BTB) ACLR patients of one fellowship-trained sports medicine orthopaedic surgeon’s practice where post-injury aspiration and corticosteroid injection occurred prior to ACLR. 1. Lattermann, C. et al. A Multicenter Study of Early Anti-inflammatory Treatment in Patients With Acute Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tear. The American Journal of Sports Medicine 45, 325–333 (2017).Methods:All patients from the ages of 10-65 who underwent primary BTB autograft ACLR by one fellowship-trained sports medicine orthopaedic surgeon between 1/1/2011 and 3/1/2019 at two institutions were reviewed. The variables reviewed were if there was a postoperative infection (as defined by undergoing an intra-articular irrigation and debridement reoperation), if there were any positive cultures, and the medications of the post-injury intra-articular injection (corticosteroid).The time between the following events was also recorded: initial injury and initial presentation, initial injury and corticosteroid injection, injection and ACLR, and ACLR and last date of follow-up. Statistical analysis determined the upper 95% confidence bound for infection probability for the three main groups of the study: the entire cohort, the cohort who underwent post-injury preoperative aspiration and injection, and the cohort who did not undergo aspiration and injection. This statistical approach was taken to determine with 95% confidence the upper limit of what the infection risk would likely be in each group.Results:There were 518 primary BTB ACLR performed with follow-up on 79% (410/518). 174 were found to have undergone a post-injury aspiration and injection, leaving 236 who did not. There were no infections (washout reoperations or positive cultures) in the entire 410 case group. The upper 95% confidence bound for the probability of a postoperative infection is shown in three left columns in table 1 was 0.7% for the whole cohort (n= 410), 1.7% for the cohort who underwent aspiration and injection (n=174), and 1.3% for the cohort that did not (n= 236). Table 1 compares our study to the ACLR infection rate from MOON ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION{"citationID":"XkJTnLOw","properties":{"formattedCitation":"\\\\super2\\\ osupersub{}","plainCitation":"2","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":2186,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/2554704/items/N87NRZ9H"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/2554704/items/N87NRZ9H"],"itemData":{"id":2186,"type":"article-journal","container-title":"TheJournal of Bone and Joint Surgery","DOI":"10.2106/JBJS.N.00694","ISSN":"0021-9355","issue":"6","language":"en","page":"450-454","source":"Crossref","title":"FactorsAssociated with Infection Following Anterior Cruciate LigamentReconstruction:","title-short":"Factors Associated withInfection Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction","volume":"97","author":[{"family":"Brophy","given":"RobertH."},{"family":"Wright","given":"RickW."},{"family":"Huston","given":"LauraJ."},{"family":"Nwosu","given":"SamuelK."},{"family":"Spindler","given":"KurtP."},{"family":"Kaeding","given":"ChristopherC."},{"family":"Parker","given":"RichardD."},{"family":"Andrish","given":"JackT."},{"family":"Marx","given":"RobertG."},{"family":"Amendola","given":"Annunziato"},{"family":"Wolf","given":"BrianR."},{"family":"McCarty","given":"EricC."},{"family":"Dunn","given":"WarrenR."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2015",3]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"}2 . The infection rate for the entire MOON cohort is 0.8% (allograft and autograft), the BTB autograft is 0.3%, and the hamstring autograft is1.3%. In our injection group, the mean time between injury and aspiration and injection was 7.6 days. The mean time elapsed between the date of aspiration and injection and the surgical date was 48.9 days. 2. Brophy, R. H. et al. Factors Associated with Infection Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery 97, 450–454 (2015).Conclusions:Our data show that aspiration and injection with corticosteroids following ACL injury does not greatly increase post-operative infection risk. This can be observed when comparing the MOON BTB published rate of 0.3% to the upper limit of infection in our entire cohort, which is 0.7% (see Table 1). The difference in upper 95% confidence limits among our three groups is the result of sample size for each cohort. Even in the worst-case scenario for the preoperative injection group, which has the smallest sample size of 174, the upper 95% CI is 1.7%. This is only 1% higher than the confidence bound calculated for the entire MOON cohort (0.7%). When comparing this finding with the MOON autograft hamstring graft infection rate (1.3%) compared to the BTB infection rate (0.3%), the known 1% difference does not alter practice. The results of this study support a very minimal risk of postoperative infection after ACLR with or without a post-injury aspiration and corticosteroid injection, at most potentially 1%.

The pattern of performance on sensitive tests of four cognitive domains differentiates groups with progressive cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease

AbstractBackgroundA screening challenge for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a paucity of tests sensitive to the different stages of the disease continuum. Progression of clinical disease suggests that multiple tests, sensitive to individual stages of disease development, may better define the range of cognitive abilities and predict the next cognitive domain to decline.Method78 healthy controls and 29 clinically diagnosed cognitively impaired participants (23 Mild Cognitive Impairment, MCI, 6 mild Alzheimer’s dementia, mildAD) ages 60‐76, self‐administered at home 9 CANTAB tasks on a provided iPad (Maljkovic et al, AAIC 2019). Four tasks were selected for further analysis: spatial working memory (SWM), paired‐associates learning (PAL), pattern recognition matching‐delayed (PRM‐del) and executive function task ‘One‐touch‐stockings‐of‐Cambridge’ (OTS). We performed two independent cross‐sectional analyses: (1) Top‐down. We manually created good/poor performance regimes for each test, resulting in 16 test‐by‐performance combinations, and sorted subjects according to their performance. (2) Bottom‐up. We performed a K‐means cluster analysis.Result(1) Top‐down. The 5 combinations with the highest number of participants (total of 85%) show progression of cognitive decline from the loss of SWM, through the losses of PAL, PRM‐del, and finally OTS (Table 1, left columns of numbers). (2) Bottom‐up. K‐means cluster analysis produced 5 categories with same cognitive profiles (Table 1, right columns). Both results show the number of healthy controls decreasing and the number of symptomatic participants increasing across groups. The two methods are also highly concordant in determining individual participants’ cognitive profiles: 80% of the participants from the 5 most numerous manually‐generated categories were assigned to the analogous group by the cluster analysis; 19% were assigned to an adjacent category (Table 2).ConclusionThe performance pattern on tests of different cognitive domains, relevant to clinical stages of AD, shows separation between groups with progressive levels of cognitive decline. This type of at‐home, self‐administered, testing on a personal device can evaluate current cognitive ability and may predict the next domain of cognitive loss. Results imply that an individual with AD would pass through these stages of cognitive decline over time, a hypothesis that needs to be tested in a longitudinal study.

Principal Component Analysis of Simultaneous PET‐MRI Reveals Patterns of Bone–Cartilage Interactions in Osteoarthritis

Modes of variation in the femur, tibia and patella bones (modeled separately). Top to bottom (modes) with percentage of variation of that mode listed under its label. Left and right columns: mode of variation (T1ρ-SUV) visualized at −5 and +5 standard deviations. by Tibrewala et al. 1462–1474

Analysis of Printing Pressure Using Density Measurements of Printed Ink.

In process-color lithographic sheet-fed offset printing the uniformity of printing pressure is critical in achieving consistent print quality. The variations in printing pressure at blanket and impression cylinder nip affect the resultant print density of process colors. The variations in printing pressure are observed not only within the print run but also in the print area of the sheet. The printing pressure is the function of machine engineering, blanket cylinder covering material, substrate, and thickness of image carrier, packing materials used in packing of blanket and plate cylinder. Many printers, even today, use a feeler gauge to judge the level of printing pressure at two or three places along with the blanket and impression cylinder nip. The conventional feeler gauge method yields qualitative information and considers a very smaller portion of the print area. In this experimental work, the densitometry is used to devise an alternative subjective method to give information about the levels of printing pressure across the print area. The image equalling print area is divided into uniformly spaced small patches and one thousand sheets uncoated paper are printed with cyan color on large format offset printing machine. Three sheets, 101th, 501th, and 901th, representing the start, middle and the end of the print run are selected. Out of each identified sheets, three patches are selected from left middle and right columns giving a total nine locations from across the print area. The reflection densities, of nine cyan patches uniformly covering the print area, are measured using electronic densitometer for each of the sheets and tabulated. This approach, involving statistics, is aimed at providing a quantitative tool to analyze printing pressure variation across the print area and within the print run.

Correction to: Cellular FLICE-Inhibitory Protein Protects Against Cardiac Remodeling Induced by Angiotensin II in Mice.

HomeHypertensionVol. 71, No. 5Correction to: Cellular FLICE-Inhibitory Protein Protects Against Cardiac Remodeling Induced by Angiotensin II in Mice Free AccessCorrectionPDF/EPUBAboutView PDFView EPUBSections ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload citationsTrack citationsPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InMendeleyReddit Jump toFree AccessCorrectionPDF/EPUBCorrection to: Cellular FLICE-Inhibitory Protein Protects Against Cardiac Remodeling Induced by Angiotensin II in Mice Originally published18 Jun 2018https://doi.org/10.1161/HYP.0000000000000074Hypertension. 2018;71:e12This article corrects the followingCellular FLICE-Inhibitory Protein Protects Against Cardiac Remodeling Induced by Angiotensin II in MiceIn the article by Li et al, “Cellular FLICE-Inhibitory Protein Protects Against Cardiac Remodeling Induced by Angiotensin II in Mice,” which published online on November 17, 2010, and appeared in the December 2010 issue of the journal (Hypertension. 2010;56:1109–1117. DOI: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.110.157412), a correction is needed.In the online-only Data Supplement, there is an error in Figure S2B, in the protein expression of T-MEK1/2. One representative blot of T-MEK 1/2 was pasted in both the left and right columns during preparation of the 2nd panel. We identified that the representative blot in the right column was mistakenly used. This does not affect any of the reported results or conclusions, and the correct panel is now replaced in the figure.The authors apologize for this error. The correction has been made to the current online version of the article, which is available at http://hyper.ahajournals.org/content/56/6/1109. Previous Back to top Next FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsRelated articlesCellular FLICE-Inhibitory Protein Protects Against Cardiac Remodeling Induced by Angiotensin II in MiceHongliang Li, et al. Hypertension. 2010;56:1109-1117 May 2018Vol 71, Issue 5 Advertisement Article InformationMetrics © 2018 American Heart Association, Inc.https://doi.org/10.1161/HYP.0000000000000074PMID: 29643179 Originally publishedJune 18, 2018 PDF download Advertisement

State of Health Battery Estimator Enabling Degradation Diagnosis

The state-of-health (SOH) estimation is of extreme importance for the reliability and safety of battery operation in large scale energy storage systems. How to estimate SOH for an assembly of cells in a battery pack remains a subject of great interest. In this work, a new approach for state of health (SOH) estimation via an automated diagnosis method that could be implemented directly into a battery management system (BMS) is introduced. The approach proposed in this work is a multi-step method that improves the accuracy of the estimation and only requires a multidimensional look-up table to be embedded into the BMS. The embedded look-up table enables a robust diagnosis of the battery degradation with a low computing cost. The first step of the methodology is the emulation [1] of a cell from its half-cell data. The second step is the selection of features of interest (FOI) [2] from its voltage response. Next, the variations of these FOIs due to different degradation paths are compiled into a multidimensional look-up table. Lastly, SOH diagnosis is performed by comparing the experimental FOI values to the look-up table. The novelty of this approach resides in the consideration of the variations of all FOIs concurrently by using detection in an n-D space for n FOIs. This simultaneous analysis of multiple parameters provides accurate predictions even when each FOI taken separately cannot provide a conclusive diagnosis. Our study presents a method which was very light on calculation at the BMS level and was accurate for 90% of all the possible degradation paths for commercial GIC//LFP and LTO//NMC cells. Moreover, the area where the method was not accurate can be identified and correlated with the data resolution and thus reduced the probability of an erroneous diagnosis in the field. This poster will present the methodology and its limitations. Figure 1: Diagnosis error as a function of the LLI/LAMPE/LAMNE split at 10% capacity loss for the GIC//LFP cell (top) and the LTO//NMC cell (bottom). Diagnosis error on LLI, LAMPE and LAMNEestimations are respectively in the left, middle and right columns.

ПРИВЕДЕННЯ ЛІНІЙ, ВИМІРЯНИХ РУЛЕТКОЮ ТА ЕЛЕКТРОННИМ ТАХЕОМЕТРОМ, ДО ОДНОГО МАСШТАБУ

Urgency of the research.Lines measurement is an important part of geodetic works. Linear measurements performed during the construction of geodetic networks, topographic survey, еngineering and geodetic works. Therefore, еnsuring reliable results linear measurement is an urgent task.Target setting. Measurements can be performed by different devices and different methods. To ensure the principle of unity of measurements each device must undergo metrological certification. In this case a comparison procedure is used. That is a comparison of the distance measured by the geodetic device with the reference one.Actual scientific researches and issues analysis. Analysis of literary sources showed that standardizing devices for lin-ear measurements is performed on the calibration base-line. Such bases-lines have several line segments that are measured accurately and securely mounted on the locality.Uninvestigatigated parts of general matters defining.However, if no calibration base-line of comparison is possible, it is expedient to bring the measure to scale at least one of the devices.Further, it is possible to standardize only this device and updated using a scale factor to correct the line, measured by another device.This saved money on an expensive proce-dure of comparison which is performed in the centres of standardization and metrology.The research objective.The main purpose of this work is to bring linear measurements madebyTrimble 3305 DR electronic total station and Inter Tool tape measure to one scale. Due to the considerable volume of materials this article highlights the laboratory measurements and processing of results concerning the Inter Tool tape measure. Further studies using Trimble 3305 DR electronic total station will be given in the following issues of the journal.The statement of basic materials.Measurements were performed in the laboratory.The ends of the line that was measured were recordedbyspecial readout devices. Readout devices were installed in the levelling head which werefixed on the stationary metal poles.On the upper plane readout devices applied two mutually perpendicular readout strokes.The distance measured between the readout touches of left and right columns. Then readout devices werereturned through 180° and measured distance again.This provided the inclusion of the eccentricity of readout strokes.These measurements made one receiving measurement. Between the receivingsthe canvas of the tape measure was changed to a small size..The aver-age value of the distances of several receivingwas determined. The average value of amendments was introduced by bring-ing the length of tape measure from the measurement temperature +15°C to +20°C; sagging cloth tape measure; bringing to the horizon.In the first cycle 10 receiving measuring the distance between divisions tape measures 0.10 m and 4.49 m with determina-tion the final value, that is equal 4.37683 m were made. In the second cycle 12 receiving measuring the distance between divi-sions tape measures 4,40 m and 8,78 m with determination the final value, which amounted to 4.37680 m were made.The results of measurements were checked for compliance with normal law by the Kolmogorovcriterion, оn equal accuracy by F-criterion, absence of systematic errors by Abbe criterion.Evaluation of accuracy the measurement line using tape measureswas made.Conclusions.Two cycles of distance measurement with Inter Tool tape measurewere performed. Statistical verification of ranks of measurements showed the absence systematic errors, matching the normal distribution of results and equal measurements accuracy implementations in both cycles. In the mean values measured distances each cycle was introduced amendment by the difference in temperature measurement and the nominal temperature C20, exceeding measured ends of lines, cloth tape sag in the air. The final horizontal laying measured distance wasdetermined with an average quadratic error of 0.054 mm and equal 4.37682 m.

Tract-Specific Diffusion Tensor Imaging Reveals Laterality of Neurological Symptoms in Patients with Cervical Compression Myelopathy

Patients with cervical compression myelopathy (CCM) generally present bilateral neurological symptoms in their extremities. However, a substantial portion of patients with CCM exhibit laterality of neurological symptoms. The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between intrinsic structural damage and laterality of symptoms using spinal cord diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of the corticospinal tract. We enrolled 10 healthy volunteers and 40 patients with CCM in this study. We evaluated motor function using the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) motor score for left and right extremities. For DTI acquisitions, a 3.0-T magnetic resonance imaging system with diffusion-weighted spin-echo sequence was used. Regions-of-interest in the lateral column tracts were determined. We determined the correlations between fractional anisotropy (FA) and ASIA motor scores. An FA asymmetry index was calculated using left and right regions-of-interest. Four patients exhibited laterality of symptoms in their extremities, for which left and right ASIA scores correlated moderately with FA in the left and right lateral columns, respectively (left: ρ= 0.64, P < 0.001; right: ρ=0.67, P < 0.001). The area under the receiver-operator characteristic curve showed that the FA asymmetry index indicated laterality of symptoms. Using tract-specific DTI, we demonstrated that microstructural damages in the left and right corticospinal tracts correlated with corresponding neurological symptoms in the ipsilateral side and the FA asymmetry index could indicate laterality in neurological symptoms of patients with CCM.

Use of Bells Test in the Evaluation of the Hemineglect Post Unilateral Stroke

The Bells Test is a cancellation task with distractors that requires visual exploration. It can evaluate visual hemineglect. The aim of this study was to compare performance between groups (right brain damage, left brain damage and healthy controls) in the Bells Test, as well as to evaluate and characterize the evaluation of hemineglect through this instrument. Forty-six stroke patients and 46 healthy controls were evaluated with Bells Test. In general patients with right brain damage had more omissions than those with left brain damage and healthy controls in left (p = 0.06) and right columns (p = 0.06), and total of omissions (p = 0.02). They also took longer to complete (showed a long time to perform) the task (p ≤ 0.001). In addition, we identified 22% of the right brain damage sample with signs of hemineglect, greater prevalence of disorganized strategies and a cancellation starting pattern more to the right field. The Bells Test showed significant applicability to differentiate the groups.

더블 I형 감쇠장치로 보강한 비내진 RC 골조의 내진성능 평가

Abstract: In this study, to examine seismic reinforcement effect of a school building constructed prior to application of seismic design, a Double I-type damper supported by wall was installed to perform comparative analysis on existing non-seismic designed RC frame. As a result o f experiment, while non-seismic designed specimen showed rapid reduction in strength and brittle shear destruction as damages were focused on top a nd bottom of left and right columns, reinforced specimen showed hysteretic characteristics of a large ellipse with great energy absorption abilit y, exhibiting perfectly behavior with increased strength and stiffness from damper reinforcement. In addition, as a result of comparing stiffness reduc tion between the two specimens, specimen reinforced by shear wall type damper was effective in preventing stiffness reduction. Energy dissipation ability of specimen reinforced by Double I-type damper was about 3.5 times as high as energy dissipation ability of non-reinforced specimen. Such e nhancement in energy dissipation ability is considered to be the result of improved strength and deformation.Keywords: Double I-type Hysteretic damper, Strength degradation, Stiffness degradation, Energy dissipation, retrofitted

Foreword: Conference Bias

Foreword: Conference Bias

Cervical spinal cord injection of epidural corticosteroids: Comprehensive longitudinal study including multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging

Despite widespread use, the efficacy of epidural corticosteroid injections (ESI) for osteoarthritis-associated neck or radicular pain remains uncertain, so even rare serious complications enter into discussions about use. However, various factors impede investigation and publication of serious adverse events. To that end, we developed new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques for spinal cord white matter quantification and used the best available physiological tests to characterize a cervical spinal cord lesion caused by inadvertent intramedullary injection of Depo-Medrol. A 29-year-old woman with mild cervical osteoarthritis had 2years of headache and neck pain (concussion and whiplash) after 2 minor motor vehicle accidents. During C5–6 ESI, she developed new left-sided motor and sensory symptoms, and MRI demonstrated a new left dorsal spinal cord cavity. Mild left-sided motor and sensory symptoms have persisted for more than 2.5years, during which time we performed serial neurological examinations, standard electrodiagnostics, somatosensory evoked potentials, and transcranial measurement of corticospinal central motor conduction time (CMCT). We used 3-Tesla MRI with a 32-channel coil developed for high-resolution cervical spinal cord structural imaging, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and magnetization transfer (MT). T2∗-weighted signal and DTI and MT metrics showed delayed spread of the lesion across 4 vertebral levels rostrally, consistent with Wallerian degeneration within the ascending left dorsal columns. However, only CMCT metrics detected objective correlates of her left hemiparesis and bilateral hyperreflexia. DTI and MT metrics may better distinguish between post-traumatic demyelination and axonal degeneration than conventional MRI. These tests should be considered to better characterize similar spinal cord injuries.

A Molecular Correlate of Ocular Dominance Columns in the Developing Mammalian Visual Cortex

Ocular dominance (OD) columns, alternating regions of left and right eye input in the visual cortex of higher mammals, have long been thought to develop from an initially intermingled state by an activity-dependent process. While indirect evidence points to potential alternative mechanisms based on molecular cues, direct proof for a molecular difference between left- and right eye columns is missing. Here, we show that heat shock protein 90 alpha (Hsp90α) is expressed in a clustered fashion in the developing cat visual cortex. Clusters of Hsp90α-positive cells are in register with OD columns of the ipsilateral eye as early as postnatal day 16, when OD columns have just appeared. Importantly, a periodic, clustered expression of Hsp90α is already present weeks before OD columns have started to form, suggesting that molecular differences between future left and right eye OD columns may contribute to the segregated termination of eye specific afferents in the developing visual cortex.

Graphene: The Removal of Single Layers from Multi‐layer Graphene by Low‐Energy Electron Stimulation (Small 7/2012)

The cover image illustrates the mechanism of removing single atomic layers from exfoliated multi-layer graphenes using electrons attracted from a cold remote He plasma. The electron-induced stimulation of basal plane carbon atoms followed by their dissociation results in the evenly distributed removal of carbon atoms, resulting in thinning. Blue, pink, and red spheres indicate carbon atoms from the bottom three atomic layers while yellow spheres indicate incident electrons originating from the plasma. Left and right columns correspond to false-color AFM images and their virtual atomic representations, respectively. This scalable process of reducing the number of layers for multi-layer graphenes may have significant applications for device fabrication processes where the thickness is critical–such as transparent conducting windows. For more information please read the Full Paper entitled “The Removal of Single Layers from Multi-layer Graphene by Low-Energy Electron Stimulation” by J. D. Jones, R. K. Shah, G. F. Verbeck, and J. M. Perez,* beginning on page 1066. The authors are grateful to Philip Ecton for his contribution to this cover image.

TRIM29 Functions as a Tumor Suppressor in Nontumorigenic Breast Cells and Invasive ER+ Breast Cancer

Tripartite motif-containing 29 (TRIM29) is a member of the TRIM protein family that has been implicated in hematologic and solid tumor cancers. We found that TRIM29 functions as a tumor suppressor in both the nontumorigenic MCF10A [estrogen receptor (ER)-/TRIM29+] breast cell line and the invasive MCF7 (ER+/TRIM29-) breast cell line. Silencing TRIM29 in MCF10A cells resulted in preneoplastic changes that included loss of polarity in three-dimensional culture, increased proliferation, anchorage-independent growth, and increased migration and invasion. Conversely, the introduction of TRIM29 into MCF7 cells caused reversion to a less aggressive phenotype by antagonizing the growth effect of 17β-estradiol. The interaction between TRIM29 and ER signaling in MCF7 cells was supported by a reduction in ERE binding in the presence of TRIM29 and suppression of ER-dependent gene expression of TFF1, FOS, and GREB1. By microarray analyses, we showed that younger women (<55 years of age) with early-stage, ER+ breast cancer who were given no adjuvant systemic therapy had a significantly lower risk of relapse when their tumor had high TRIM29 expression (P = 0.02). This effect was not observed in older women (>55 years of age) and thus may be due to menopause and loss of circulating estrogens. Our results suggest that loss of TRIM29 expression in normal breast luminal cells can contribute to malignant transformation and lead to progression of ER+ breast cancer in premenopausal women.

Linear relations of refined enumerations of alternating sign matrices

In recent papers we have studied refined enumerations of alternating sign matrices with respect to a fixed set of top and bottom rows. The present paper is a first step towards extending these considerations to alternating sign matrices where in addition some left and right columns are fixed. The main result is a simple linear relation between the number of n × n alternating sign matrices where the top row as well as the left and the right column is fixed and the number of n × n alternating sign matrices where the two top rows and the bottom row are fixed. This may be seen as a first indication for the fact that the refined enumerations of alternating sign matrices with respect to a fixed set of top and bottom rows as well as left and right columns can possibly be reduced to the refined enumerations where only some top and bottom rows are fixed. For the latter numbers we provide a system of linear equations that conjecturally determines them uniquely.