Subjective Postural Vertical and Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS)

ObjectiveThe origin of the AIS is unknown. Several studies in AIS have shown disturbances of orthostatic postural control and somatosensory modality. The orthostatic postural control is the ability to organize the upright position on the earth-vertical, by multisensory central integration, especially somatosensory information. Our hypothesis is that the somatosensory disturbances in the AIS involve change in the organization of orthostatic postural control, around an erroneous central representation of verticality. Our objective is to test, in the AIS, the existence of a disturbance of the somatosensory modality in orthostatic postural control by measuring the Subjective Postural Vertical (SPV).MethodsUncontrolled preliminary study on 8 adolescents with SIA (7 girls, 13.8±0.83 years, 38.8±10.4°angle). Test=SPV measurement, vision obscured, head-trunk-members strapped, sitting on a seat, fixed to a German vertical wheel athletic gymnastics (external diameter: 1.90 m), with electronic inclinometer that measures the rotational tilt of the seat, with reference to the gravitational vertical. From 45° inclination, the subject is tilted (1°/sec) and evaluates the alignment with the vertical gravitational.ResultsAIS SPV=7.48±4.86° with a tilt predominance to the right. It is impossible to realize statistical evaluation in this preliminary study. Our results are comparable with those reported in pusher patient.DiscussionThis preliminary study shows a disturbance in the assessment of SPV in the AIS. Disorders of the central integration of somatosensory modality could explain this result.The authors are grateful to the Harps Association's members, for their helpful comments

Phase diagram of neutron-rich nuclear matter and its impact on astrophysics

Dense matter as it can be found in core-collapse supernovae and neutron stars is expected to exhibit different phase transitions which impact the matter composition and equation of state, with important consequences on the dynamics of core-collapse supernova explosion and on the structure of neutron stars. In this paper we will address the specific phenomenology of two of such transitions, namely the crust-core solid-liquid transition at sub-saturation density, and the possible strange transition at super-saturation density in the presence of hyperonic degrees of freedom. Concerning the neutron star crust-core phase transition at zero and finite temperature, it will be shown that, as a consequence of the presence of long-range Coulomb interactions, the equivalence of statistical ensembles is violated and a clusterized phase is expected which is not accessible in the grand-canonical ensemble. A specific quasi-particle model will be introduced to illustrate this anomalous thermodynamics and some quantitative results relevant for the supernova dynamics will be shown. The opening of hyperonic degrees of freedom at higher densities corresponding to the neutron stars core modifies the equation of state. The general characteristics and order of phase transitions in this regime will be analyzed in the framework of a self-consistent mean-field approach.Comment: Invited Talk given at the 11th International Conference on Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions (NN2012), San Antonio, Texas, USA, May 27-June 1, 2012. To appear in the NN2012 Proceedings in Journal of Physics: Conference Series (JPCS

Deposition of tin oxide, iridium and iridium oxide films by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition for electrochemical wastewater treatment

In this research, the specific electrodes were prepared by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) in a hot-wall CVD reactor with the presence of O2 under reduced pressure. The Ir protective layer was deposited by using (Methylcyclopentadienyl) (1,5-cyclooctadiene) iridium (I), (MeCp)Ir(COD), as precursor. Tetraethyltin (TET) was used as precursor for the deposition of SnO2 active layer. The optimum condition for Ir film deposition was at 300 °C, 125 of O2/(MeCp)Ir(COD) molar ratio and 12 Torr of total pressure. While that of SnO2 active layer was at 380 °C, 1200 of O2/TET molar ratio and 15 Torr of total pressure. The prepared SnO2/Ir/Ti electrodes were tested for anodic oxidation of organic pollutant in a simple three-electrode electrochemical reactor using oxalic acid as model solution. The electrochemical experiments indicate that more than 80% of organic pollutant was removed after 2.1 Ah/L of charge has been applied. The kinetic investigation gives a two-step process for organic pollutant degradation, the kinetic was zero-order and first-order with respect to TOC of model solution for high and low TOC concentrations, respectively

Comparative measurements of total ozone amount and aerosol optical depth during a campaign at El Arenosillo, Huelva, Spain

A one week field campaign took place in September 2002 at El Arenosillo, Spain. The objective was to compare total ozone column (<I>TOC</I>) and aerosol optical depth (<I>AOD</I>) from near ultraviolet to near infrared, measured by several Spanish and French instruments. Three spectroradiometers, Brewer, SPUV02, and LICOR, and a CIMEL photometer, have been used simultaneously and the results are presented for four clear days. <I>TOC</I> values are given by the Brewer instrument, and by SPUV02, using two different methods. The ground instruments compare satisfactorily (within 5 DU) and the values are consistent with TOMS data (within 10 DU). <P style="line-height: 20px;"> <I>AOD</I> from the various instruments are compared at seven different wavelengths between 320 nm and 1020 nm: the agreement is very good at 350, 380, and 870 nm; at the four other wavelengths the difference is smaller than 0.03, which can be explained by a relative difference of 4% only between the calibrations of the various instruments. Larger <I>AOD</I> diurnal variations were observed at short wavelengths than in the visible and near infrared; this is most likely due to changes in aerosol size along the day, during the campaign

20 anys de Catalunya a la Unió Europea

Aquest llibre aprofita la efemèride del vintè aniversari de la integració de Catalunya a la UE per analitzar l'impacte de les principals polítiques europees i la seva influència en l'evolució de les polítiques a nivell catalàEste libro aprovecha la efeméride del vigésimo aniversario de la integración de Cataluña en la UE para analizar el impacto de las principales políticas europeas y su influencia en la evolución de las políticas a nivel catalá

Cloacal Bacterial Diversity Increases with Multiple Mates: Evidence of Sexual Transmission in Female Common Lizards

Sexually transmitted diseases have often been suggested as a potential cost of multiple mating and as playing a major role in the evolution of mating systems. Yet there is little empirical data relating mating strategies to sexually transmitted microorganisms in wild populations. We investigated whether mating behaviour influences the diversity and composition of cloacal assemblages by comparing bacterial communities in the cloaca of monandrous and polyandrous female common lizards Zootoca vivipara sampled after the mating period. We found that polyandrous females harboured more diverse communities and differed more in community composition than did monandrous females. Furthermore, cloacal diversity and variability were found to decrease with age in polyandrous females. Our results suggest that the higher bacterial diversity found in polyandrous females is due to the sexual transmission of bacteria by multiple mates. The impact of mating behaviour on the cloacal microbiota may have fitness consequences for females and may comprise a selective pressure shaping the evolution of mating systems