Transverse Height Research Articles

An information-entropy-inspired optimal layout method for structural stress sensors of supersized open caissons

The layout of sensors directly influences the effectiveness of structural stress monitoring of open caissons during the sinking process. In this study, an optimal layout method for structural stress sensors is proposed inspired by information entropy. The information gains of different sinking states from different layout locations of structural stress sensors are calculated, and the important layout locations are identified through the calculation of information gains. According to these important layout locations, the optimal sensor layout scheme is obtained. The proposed method was validated via an engineering case study of the Changtai Yangtze River Bridge Project. The results show that the proposed method successfully determined the optimal sensor layout scheme and that the number of required structural stress sensors decreases by 51.5% compared with the number of structural stress sensors deployed in the engineering case. With all R2 values greater than 0.96, the optimal scheme has high prediction accuracy for three sinking states: sinking speed, transverse height difference and longitudinal height difference. In addition, the spatial distribution of the important layout locations was identified. This study is meaningful for obtaining high-quality monitoring data of structural stress to both ensure the steady sinking of open caissons and reduce monitoring costs.

Comparative Analysis of Complete Chloroplast Genome and Phenotypic Characteristics of Japanese Apricot Accessions

Japanese apricot (Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc.) is among the most valued fruits and flowering plants in eastern Asia. However, few comparative studies have been conducted with respect to its agro-morphological and pomological traits, chloroplast (cp) genome sequences and plastid diversity. Therefore, a comparative study was, conducted to investigate the divergence and geographic distribution of ten Japanese apricot accessions from three Chinese provinces (Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Sichuan). Phenotypic characteristics of the evaluated accessions, such as leaf length, tip leaf length, flower diameter, anther number, fruit weight, longitudinal height, transversal height, lateral height, fruit stone weight, stone longitudinal height, stone transversal height, stone lateral heigh, titratable acid content and total soluble solids, varied significantly (p < 0.05) among the ten investigated accessions. On the other hand, most of the investigated accessions were statistically similar within the same province. Comparing the Cp genomes of P. mume accessions with those of the genus Prunus revealed a similarity in structure and composition with slight differences. “Bayes empirical Bayes” (BEB) analysis in Prunus species, including P. mume, revealed BEB in rps16, rps3, rpoC1(4*), rpl32, rpl16, rbcL, psbF, petB, ndhF, clpP and ccsA genes. The BEB value of the rpoC1 gene is higher than 0.95, indicating that it is potentially under positive selection. Interestingly, the accessions from the same province of origin had the same number of forward repeat sequences. Furthermore, all accessions from Zhejiang province had the same number of simple sequence repeats. Similarly, nucleotide deletion/insertion of the ycf1 sequence and the results of phylogenetic trees revealed that accessions were mainly clustered according to their province of origin. Our comparative study of agronomical traits, chloroplast composition, structure, nucleotide variability of cp genome and phylogeography in Japanese apricot accessions provides valuable information on their diversity and geographic distribution.

Development of New Correlations and Parametric Optimization in Nanofluid Flow through Protruded Roughened Square Channel

This study discusses the optimization of heat-transfer parameters in nanofluid flow through a rough square surface channel including a protruded rib compound transverse pattern using response surface methodology (RSM). Flow and geometrical characteristics are optimized, resulting in optimal flow friction and heat transfer performances. The comparison of RSM’s estimated values to experimentally observed values was abandoned. The results demonstrate that the RSM-calculated values agree with the observed values and are within the 5.5 percent uncertainty limitations. Statistical correlations for Nusselt number and friction factor have been developed as functions of protrusion transverse rib height, protrusion transverse rib diameter, X-axis pitch, Y-axis pitch, and Reynolds number. These correlations have been found to predict the values within the error limits of ±8.9% and ±8.7%, respectively. On the basis of correlations developed for Nusselt number and friction factor, an attempt has been made to compare the thermohydraulic performance of protruded roughened square channel.

Effects of deep heating modalities on the morphological and elastic properties of the non-insertional region of achilles tendon: a pilot study

Background Over the last 20 years, both diathermy and ultrasound have been popular choices for many clinicians in treating musculoskeletal disorders. However, there is a lack of clinical evidence of deep heating modalities to treat tendon pathology, There is no study to investigate the effects of such as physical modalities on morphological and elastic properties on the human tendons. Objective the objective of the present study was to compare the effects of diathermy and ultrasound therapies on cross sectional area, transversal height and hardness percentage of the non-insertional region of the Achilles tendon in able-bodied subjects. Methods healthy volunteers were divided in diathermy and ultrasound group received six 15-min treatment sessions. Before and after treatment a sonographic assessment was conducted by mean of ultrasonography and the following parameters were recorded: cross sectional area, transversal height and hardness percentage. Results thirty-two subjects were enrolled. Between-group comparisons showed a significant change on hardness percentage (p = 0.004) after treatment in diathermy therapy group. Within-group comparison showed a significant improvement in the hardness percentage for the diathermy (p = 0.001) and ultrasound (p = 0.046) after two weeks of treatment. Conclusion this pilot study demonstrated larger effects on morphological and elastic properties of the non-insertional region of the Achilles tendon after diathermy than ultrasound therapy in normal tendons. Diathermy may be a useful deep heat modality for treating non-insertional Achilles tendinopathy.

Morphometric characteristics of skull and face parameters in fetuses and newborns

Modern science has a significant number of diagnostic methods: craniological, anatomical, ultrasound, radiological. The development of new research methods, such as ultrasound and X-ray methods (magnetic resonance imaging), forms the concept of ultrasound and X-ray norms at different stages of human development. Now it is important to study the anatomical variability of people, morphometric characteristics, relationships of organs, anatomical structures, their parts at all stages of human development. The purpose of the work is to establish normative morphometric parameters of the skull and face in fetuses and newborns, followed by construction of mathematical models. The study was performed on 57 preparations of human fetuses 4-10 months and 7 newborns using adequate anatomical methods: macropreparation, topographic anatomical sections, computed tomography, craniometry. The main parameters of the facial and cerebral skull were measured with the help of a centimeter tape, a thick, sliding compass and a caliper. Statistical analysis of the obtained data was performed using a licensed program RStudio. It is established that according to the graphs of the average values of the parameters of the skull and face, there are two periods of accelerated and two periods of slow development. For transverse skull length, face width and skull height, two periods of accelerated development from the 6th to the 8th month of fetal development and from the 9th month of fetal development to the neonatal period and two periods of delayed development from the 5th to the 6th months and from the 8th to the 9th month of fetal development were revealed. For the total height of the face – periods of accelerated development – from the 4th to the 6th month of fetal development and from the 7th to the 9th month of fetal development, periods of delayed development – from the 6th to the 7th month of fetal development and from the 9th month of fetal development to the neonatal period. On the basis of arithmetic mean data of transverse skull length, face width, skull height, total face height, models for predicting normative morphometric parameters in fetuses and newborns are constructed. The constructed models will serve as a norm for the subsequent determination of certain morphometric deviations to establish variants of the structure and malformations of the skull and face. Thus, our systematized data on the features of spatio-temporal transformations of morphometric parameters of transverse skull length, face width, skull height, total face height with subsequent construction of mathematical models will contribute to the individualization of the norm, improvement of early diagnosis methods and development of new methods for surgical correction of congenital defects of the skull and face.

Association between severity of disease and thoracic wall dimensions among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients – A cross sectional study

Introduction and Aim: Pulmonary function worsens with the intensification of disease severity. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may cause changes in the shape of the thoracic cage due to increasing lung volumes and dynamic hyperinflation. To assess the association between the severity of COPD and thoracic wall dimensions among COPD patients.
 Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary care teaching hospital on 80 COPD subjects aged above 18 years. Based on the severity of obstruction of COPD, subjects were divided into two groups-moderate obstruction and severe obstruction. Severity of obstruction constituted the primary outcome variable. The primary explanatory variables were the dimensions of the thoracic wall. Their association was assessed by calculating the Spearman correlation and Pearson correlation coefficient and represented in a scatter diagram.
 Results: Majority (60%) had an MMRC dyspnea grading of 3. Moderate Obstruction was seen in 62.5% of subjects while 37.50% had severe obstruction. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups with respect to antero posterior (AP) diameter, transverse diameter, AP to transverse diameter ratio and Height of Diaphragm (HDI). There was a moderate negative correlation FVC (L) and HDI, FEV1/FVC (%) and HDI which was statistically significant. There was also a weak negative statistically significant correlation between FVC (L) and AP diameter, FVC (L) and transverse Diameter, FVC (L) and AP to transverse diameter ratio, FEV1/FVC (%) and AP diameter, FEV1/FVC (%) and transverse diameter.
 Conclusion: There was a significant moderate negative correlation between the height of the diaphragm and severity of COPD (FVC, FEV1/FVC %). In COPD, the mechanical deformation leads to difficulty in breathing because of reduction in the lung capacity of patients. Early and aggressive treatment in patients with COPD can be beneficial.
 Keywords: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; global initiative for chronic obstructive lung disease; medical research council dyspnoea scale; barrel-shaped chest; spirometry, diaphragm.

Numerical study on flow and heat transfer characteristics of square cylinder with lateral sides extension effect

The present study analyses the effect of triangular and circular extensions on lateral sides of square cylinder in a confined domain. Two-dimensional simulation has been carried out for laminar flow across a square cylinder with triangular and circular extensions for Reynolds number (Re) range 75–200. The momentum and energy equations are solved numerically by applying suitable boundary conditions using Ansys Fluent 18. The fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics of the square cylinder with extensions (at constant characteristics length) has been analysed by estimating and comparing the pressure drag, viscous drag, total drag, total pressure drop, Strouhal number, local and average Nusselt numbers. Different models with circular and triangular modifications are considered by modifying the lateral sides of a square cylinder by increasing the transversal height h without changing the characteristic length. Maximum decrease of 45% is observed in total drag coefficient when an ideal square cylinder is geometrically modified to form a cylinder with triangular extensions at h = 0.2 on the lateral side without affecting the characteristic length D at Re 200. Maximum decrease in pressure drop of around 42.8% is observed for square cylinder with triangular modifications with h = 0.2D. It is found that modified square cylinders have higher Strouhal number than an ideal square cylinder. An increase of 23.66% in Nu is observed for circular modification; h = 0.3D with respect to square cylinder at Re 200. Circular modification shows better heat transfer capabilities than triangular modification. Thus, the studies show enhancement in flow and heat transfer properties with lateral modifications.

Low Field MRI Measurements of the Normal Canine Trigeminal Nerve.

There is no available measuring protocol and reference range for the normal canine trigeminal nerve. This can be problematic in cases of suspected bilateral trigeminal neuropathy since contralateral nerves cannot be a usefully compared. Trigeminal nerves and brain measurements were retrospectively assessed via multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) of 3DT1 post-contrast MR sequences from 137 dogs with no signs or diagnosis of trigeminal disease. Direct measurements of vertical brain height (BH), trigeminal nerves transverse height (TTH) and trigeminal nerves width in dorsal reconstruction (TDW) were made in a plane immediately caudal to the foramen ovale and used to derive trigeminal nerve-to-brain (NB) ratios, including height-to-brain ratio (HBR) and width-to-brain ratio (WBR). HBR (0.09, IQR = 0.08-0.09) and WBR (0.10, IQR = 0.09-0.11) maintained more consistent values across the study population compared to direct measurements of TTH (3.72, IQR = 3.42-4.07) and TDW (4.35 +/− 0.63). Calculated normal reference intervals for HBR and WBR were 0.07-0.11 and 0.08-0.13, respectively and the largest NB ratios recorded in normal dogs were 0.13 and 0.14 for HBR and WBR, respectively. All measurements varied proportionally with weight, including HBR (r = 0.41, p < 0.0001) and small dogs had a significantly smaller HBRs compared to medium (p = 0.0294), large (p < 0.0049) and giant dogs (p < 0.0044). Median HBR was the same across skull types (0.09), however post-hoc analysis detected significantly smaller HBRs in brachycephalic compared to mesaticephalic dogs (p = 0.0494). In conclusion, trigeminal NB ratios may allow for accurate, objective assessment of the canine trigeminal nerves on MRI but further quantification of the effects of weight and skull type on suggested reference intervals is needed.

ИССЛЕДОВАНИЕ ОСТОЙЧИВОСТИ СУДНА В УСЛОВИЯХ ЗАХВАТА ВОЛНОЙ НОСОВОЙ ОКОНЕЧНОСТИ

Among all types of wrecking in the world shipping, stability loss stands out for the severity of its consequences, because it is often accompanied by the death of the crew. One of the reasons for the stability loss is wave run-up of the ship bow during the storm in a head sea. The article analyzes the level of danger of hydrodynamic loads acting on the deck at the bow in conditions of its wave run-up. Theoretical study has been undertaken on the transformation of the statiсal stability diagram during the wave run-up of the ship bow. It was found out that that the nature of change in the curves of the anti-tipping moment with the increase in the hydrodynamic load acting on the bow is dependent on the ship displacement. There has been investigated the effect of the initial transverse metacentric height on the value of critical load acting on the ship deck at the bow which causes its capsizing. It can be seen that displacement of the application point of the resultant hydrodynamic forces from the midship line leads to a significant decrease of the critical load. The results of the undertaken studies testify to the need to take into account ship behavior in the developed head sea at the stage of design and regulation of ship stability, as well as during ship operation.

Feasibility of atlantal lateral mass and axoid pedicle screw insertion in children younger than 6 years

Objective To analyze the feasibility of C1 lateral mass (C1LM) and C2 pedicle (C2P) screw insertion in atlantoaxial fixation surgeries for children younger than 6 years. Methods The computed tomography images of 250 patients (age 2-6 years) were randomly collected and studied. The inner diameter and length for each C1LM and C2P were measured in axial view. Height was measured in sagittal view. Screw choice was considered feasible when a sample maintained an additional 0.5 mm bone cortex at the transverse diameter, length, and height at the same time. Analyses with the Student t test were performed for age, sex, and laterality. The screw choice was evaluated with a feasibility percentage. Results The length and transverse diameter of the whole C1LM in children aged 2-6 years were (21.12±2.94) mm and (7.35±1.41) mm, respectively. The overall C2P length, transverse diameter and height were (19.77±2.92), (5.30±1.02), and (5.39±0.85) mm, respectively. The feasibilities of 3.5 mm diameter screw insertion for atlantoaxial vertebrae at different ages, genders, and side children were above 88.00%, and up to 92.12% or more in children older than 3. Conclusion The use of a 3.5-mm lateral mass and pedicle screw in 2- to 6-year-old children was feasible in the majority of cases. Age, sex, and laterality should all be considered when choosing screw sizes in pediatric upper cervical surgeries. Key words: Atlantoaxial; C1 Lateral Mass; C2 Pedicle; Tomographic Study

Commentary on 'Using Four-Layers Sculpted Rib Cartilage Framework to Increase Transverse Height of the Reconstructive Ear in One Operative Stage for Microtia Patients'.

Commentary on 'Using Four-Layers Sculpted Rib Cartilage Framework to Increase Transverse Height of the Reconstructive Ear in One Operative Stage for Microtia Patients'.

The radiologic anatomy of thyroid cartilage and cricoid cartilage: implications for anterior cervical spine surgery

Objective To measure anatomic data related to the thyroid cartilage and cricoid cartilage and to analyze their implications for anterior spine surgery. Methods From January 2015 to February 2017, Cervical spine CT image data of 309 normal adults (195 males, 114 females) in our department were retrospectively analyzed. The transverse diameters of the thyroid cartilage and the cricoid cartilage was measured at three different levels as follows: the superior border of the thyroid cartilage(SBTC), the inferior border of the thyroid cartilage(IBTC), and the inferior border of the cricoid cartilage(IBCC). At those levels, the corresponding level and transverse diameter of the cervical vertebra or intervertebral disc were also determined. Differences of anatomic parameters for each gender and level, and the relationship between the transverse diameter and height and weight were analyzed. Results The transverse diameters of the thyroid cartilage or cricoid cartilage and the corresponding cervical vertebra or intervertebral disc were associated significantly with height and weight. The transverse diameters of the thyroid cartilage or cricoid cartilage gradually decreased from the level of SBTC (44.30±4.97 mm) to the level of IBTC (41.39±4.62 mm), and the latter to the level of IBCC (26.36±3.79 mm), but increased from the level of SBTC (27.47±2.66 mm) to the level of IBTC(29.00±3.15 mm), and the latter to the level of IBCC (31.48±3.49 mm) for the cervical vertebra or intervertebral disc. Differences of the transverse diameters of the thyroid cartilage or cricoid cartilage and the cervical vertebra or intervertebral disc on three levels had statistical significance. The transverse diameters of each level had individual differences, while men were greater than those for women. The thyroid cartilage was routinely located above the C5 (56.9% for male, 86.0% for female). Differences of the frequency between men and women on three levels had statistical significance. Conclusion The Individual and sex differences in the location of the thyroid cartilage and the size of the thyroid cartilage and the cricoid cartilage provided anatomical basis for predicting the difficulty of intraoperative exposure, incidence of esophageal injuries and early postoperative dysphagia. Key words: Thyroid cartilage; Cricoid cartilage; Anatomy, regional; Spinal fusion; Deglutition disorders

Using Four-Layer Sculpted Rib Cartilage Framework to Increase Transverse Height of the Reconstructive Ear in One Operative Stage for Microtia Patients.

This case study improves an operative method of ear reconstruction for microtia patients by using a four-layer rib cartilage framework to increase transverse height of the reconstructive ear to a natural level in one operative stage. The procedures of ear reconstruction were conducted from February 2014 to May 2016. The ear framework used in the procedures was fabricated from autologous rib cartilage into a four-layer spliced sculpture. Totally 23 patients with unilateral microtia were willing to be enrolled in this study. After the operation, 23 patients achieved 2.3-2.8cm transverse height of reconstructed ears, which was basically the same as the normal side. Both patients and their families felt satisfied with the results. Follow-up was performed at 6-16months after the procedures. Only one case showed significantly lowered transverse height of the reconstructed ear, compared to the normal one. It was due to the sleeping position of the patient (10-year-old boy), which put the reconstructed ear under pressure and reduced the transverse height of the ear. The method of four-layer sculpted autologous rib cartilage ear reconstruction has good clinical effect. It can provide a reconstructed ear that reaches normal transverse height and avoids a third operation to increase the transverse height by rib cartilage transplantation. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Measurement of the normal feline pituitary gland in brachycephalic and mesocephalic cats.

Objectives The purpose of this study was to determine differences in normal feline pituitary dimensions in brachycephalic and mesocephalic cats as a basis for establishing cryohypophysectomy in cats. Methods Measurements were performed on sagittal T2-weighted and transverse post-gadolinium T1-weighted or T1 3D fast field echo-weighted MRI images. A total of 32 brachycephalic and 27 mesocephalic cats were examined. Inter-observer reproducibility was assessed by t-test and Bland-Altman analysis. Results The cats were 0.6-15.9 years of age with a body weight range of 1.84-6.60 kg. For brachycephalic cats, the mean pituitary gland sagittal height was 2.15 ± 0.15 mm, pituitary gland transverse height was 2.42 ± 0.21 mm, pituitary gland transverse width was 4.44 ± 0.27 mm and pituitary gland sagittal length was 3.14 ± 0.30 mm. In mesocephalic cats, the pituitary gland dimensions were 2.94 ± 0.16 mm, 3.09 ± 0.26 mm, 4.73 ± 0.31 mm and 4.88 ± 0.30 mm for pituitary gland sagittal height, transverse height, transverse width and sagittal length, respectively. There was a highly significant correlation between brachycephalic and mesocephalic cats and pituitary gland height and length ( P <0.0001), respectively. Sex also had an effect on pituitary gland measurements. Neutering status had no significant effect on hypophyseal measurements. Age had a significant influence on pituitary gland height, width and length in the brachycephalic population. Inter-observer reproducibility was good to excellent. Conclusions and relevance The different pituitary measurements in brachycephalic and mesocephalic cats has to be considered if surgery comes into question. There are ranges in pituitary gland sizes, even among the mesocephalic cat population. Thus, exact measuring of the pituitary gland is crucial before any surgical intervention.

Numerical study of a planar shock interacting with a cylindrical water column embedded with an air cavity

This paper performs a numerical study on the interaction of a planar shock wave with a water column embedded with/without a cavity of different sizes at high Weber numbers. The conservative-type Euler and non-conservative scalar two-equations representing the transportation of two-phase properties consist of the diffusion interface capture models. The numerical fluxes are computed by the Godunov-type Harten-Lax–van Leer contact Riemann solver coupled with an incremental fifth-order weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) scheme. A third-order total variation diminishing (TVD) Runge–Kutta scheme is used to advance the solution in time. The morphology and dynamical characteristics are analysed qualitatively and quantitatively to demonstrate the breakup mechanism of the water column and formation of transverse jets under different incident shock intensities and embedded-cavity sizes. The jet tip velocities are extracted by analysing the interface evolution. The liquid column is prone to aerodynamic breakup with the formation of micro-mist at later stages instead of liquid evaporation because of the weakly heating effects of the surrounding air. It is numerically confirmed that the liquid-phase pressure will drop below the saturated vapour pressure, and the low pressure can be sustained for a certain time because of the focusing of the expansion wave, which accounts for the cavitation inside the liquid water column. The geometrical parameters of the deformed water column are identified, showing that the centreline width decreases but the transverse height increases nonlinearly with time. The deformation rates are nonlinearly correlated under different Mach numbers. The first transverse jet is found for a water column with an embedded cavity, whereas the water hammer shock and second jet do not occur under the impact of low intensity incident shock waves. The $x$-velocity component recorded at the rear stagnation point can remain unchanged for a comparable time after a declined evolution, which indicates that the downstream wall of the shocked water ring somehow moves uniformly. It can be explained that the acceleration of the downstream wall is balanced by the trailing shedding vortex, and this effect is more evident under higher Mach numbers. The increased enstrophy, mainly generated at the interface, demonstrates the competition of the baroclinic effects of the shock wave impact over dilatation.

Repeatability and agreement of ultrasonography with computed tomography for evaluating forefoot structure in the coronal plane

BackgroundForefoot structure is important to understand some foot problems such as hallux valgus and metatarsalgia. Ultrasonography (US) is a highly portable, noninvasive, low cost, and fast imaging method, especially when compared to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and radiography. As the use of US for evaluating forefoot bony structure has not been validated, except for the presence of synovitis, erosions and bursitis within the forefoot in people with inflammatory arthritis, the purpose of this study was to determine whether US is a reliable method for evaluating forefoot structure.MethodsSixty feet (30 women, age = 40.1 ± 11.8 years) were examined by US and CT to assess agreement with CT and repeatability of US evaluation of the 2nd metatarsal head height, length between the medial sesamoid bone and 5th metatarsal head, transverse arch height, transverse arch index, sesamoid rotation angle, and area under the transverse arch. The measurement data were evaluated for agreement with CT using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC)3, 1, Pearson correlation coefficient, and Bland-Altman plot, and with ICC1, 1 for repeatability.ResultsThe ICC3, 1 values of 0.78–0.89, Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.78–0.90, and Bland-Altman plots showed almost perfect agreements between the US and CT method for all parameters, except the area under the transverse arch (AUTA). The ICC1, 1 also showed perfect agreements (0.84–0.92) between two sets of US measurements in all parameters.ConclusionsThe US evaluation of forefoot structure in the coronal plane showed good agreement with CT and repeatability of two ultrasonograms in adult women. This reliable evaluation method of forefoot structure can contribute to a quick clinical assessment screening for risk factors of foot problems such as hallux valgus and metatarsalgia. However, because of some limitations such as a lack of inter-observer reliability, more research is needed to validate US evaluation of forefoot structure.Trial registrationThe current study (trial registration number: R0297) was approved by the Ethical Committee for Human Experiments of Kyoto University (http://www.ec.med.kyoto-u.ac.jp) on December 3, 2015. The first participant in this study was enrolled on November 17, 2015 and retrospectively registered.

Best approach to measuring the inferior vena cava in spontaneously ventilating patients

The objective of this study was to establish the reliability of different measurements of inferior vena cava (IVC) size and respiratory variation in response to changes in circulating volume. Transabdominal ultrasound measurements of the IVC were obtained in longitudinal (B and M modes) and transverse planes (B-mode height and ellipse circumference) during inspiration and expiration, and inferior vena cava collapsibility indices (IVCci) were calculated. Measurements were repeated following venesection of ∼450 ml. Thirty patients underwent venesection. Their IVCci increased significantly for transverse and longitudinal height measurements following venesection, but not for transverse circumference measurements. Transverse views were inadequate in 27% of patients, compared with 7% for longitudinal views (P=0.04). Changes in IVCci are sensitive to small changes in circulating volume. Measurements are most frequently achieved in the longitudinal plane. There is an urgent need for standardization of sonographic IVC measurement techniques.

Averaging along foliated Lévy diffusions

This article studies the dynamics of the strong solution of a SDE driven by a discontinuous Lévy process taking values in a smooth foliated manifold with compact leaves. It is assumed that it is foliated in the sense that its trajectories stay on the leaf of their initial value for all times almost surely. Under a generic ergodicity assumption for each leaf, we determine the effective behaviour of the system subject to a small smooth perturbation of order ε>0, which acts transversal to the leaves. The main result states that, on average, the transversal component of the perturbed SDE converges uniformly to the solution of a deterministic ODE as ε tends to zero. This transversal ODE is generated by the average of the perturbing vector field with respect to the invariant measures of the unperturbed system and varies with the transversal height of the leaves. We give upper bounds for the rates of convergence and illustrate these results for the random rotations on the circle. This article complements the results by Gonzales and Ruffino for SDEs of Stratonovich type to general Lévy driven SDEs of Marcus type.

Chiari-like malformation and syringomyelia in American Brussels Griffon dogs.

BackgroundAlthough Chiari‐like malformation (CM) and syringomyelia (SM) have been described in many small breed dogs, the prevalence and clinical manifestations of this complex have not been documented in a large cohort of American Brussels Griffon (ABG) dogs.ObjectivesTo characterize the clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of CM and SM in the ABG breed.AnimalsEighty‐four American Kennel Club registered ABG dogs were recruited.MethodsProspective study. Complete histories and neurologic examinations were obtained before MRI. Images were blindly reviewed and calculations were made by using OsiriX. All analyses were performed by Student's t‐test, Spearman's correlation, ANOVA, and chi‐square test where appropriate.ResultsChiari‐like malformation and SM were present in 65% and 52% of dogs, respectively. Twenty‐eight percent of dogs had neurologic deficits and 20% had neck pain. Mean central canal (CC) transverse height was 2.5 mm with a mean length of 3.6 cervical vertebrae. Neurologic deficits were significantly associated with a larger syrinx (P = .04, P = .08) and syrinx size increased with age (P = .027). SM was associated with a smaller craniocervical junction (CCJ) height (P = .04) and larger ventricles (P = .0001; P < .001).Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceSyringomyelia and CM are prevalent in American Brussels Griffon dogs. Syrinx size is associated with neurologic deficits, CM, larger ventricles, a smaller craniocervical junction height, neurologic deficits, and cerebellar herniation. Fifty‐two percent of dogs with a SM were clinically normal.

К вопросу об особенностях строения поперечной фасции живота у лиц разного пола, возраста и с разной формой пахового промежутка

The study was aimed at finding new structural features of the rear wall of the inguinal canal, the use of which allow to improving the prevention of inguinal hernias. The study involved 123 corpses of different sex and age. Anatomical and physiological nature of the valve mechanism inguinal canal, the peculiarities of the structure of the back wall in individuals of different sex and age were revealed; the various forms of inguinal gap were studied. Using cluster analysis of transverse fascia thickness abdominal length and height of the deep inguinal ring was one of three variants of the structure back wall of the inguinal canal: a strong, transient and weak. The technique of determining the location of the deep inguinal ring relative to the edge of the internal oblique abdominal muscles is offered. The use of this technique objectively reflects the anatomical and physiological characteristics of the inguinal canal as a whole. In interpreting the results of a valve mechanism of deep inguinal ring should be considered ineffective in the medial or medial edge of the boundary location of the deep inguinal ring relative to the internal oblique abdominal muscles. Functional and anatomical factors that contribute to the formation of inguinal hernias were identified. It is proved that the triangular shape of the inguinal gap causes a high risk of inguinal hernias. In both sexes the transverse abdominal fascia becomes thinner with age, and the deep inguinal ring increases in size. The obtained data will improve the effectiveness of preventive measures.