1,019 research outputs found
Amplified Spontaneous Emission enhanced Forward Stimulated Raman Scattering in dye solutions
We study forward stimulated Raman emission from weakly fluorescent dye
4'-diethylamino-N-methyl-4-stilbazolium tosylate (DEST) in 1,2,dichloroethane
solution excited by a 28 ps, 532 nm Nd: YAG laser. Neat 1, 2, dichloroethane
emits the first Stokes line at 631 nm with a spectral width of 1.6 nm
corresponding to a Raman shift of 2956 per cm. We observe reduction of spectral
width with the addition of DEST in 1, 2, dichloroethane solution. The single
pass conversion efficiency for forward Raman emission is as high as 20 percent
in a 1 cm path length sample. The pulse duration of forward stimulated Raman
emission measured by a third order autocorrelation technique is 10 ps in neat
1, 2, dichloroethane, whereas it is nearly 3 ps for 0.04 mM of DEST solution.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure
Serratus muscle stimulation effectively treats notalgia paresthetica caused by long thoracic nerve dysfunction: a case series
Currently, notalgia paresthetica (NP) is a poorly-understood condition diagnosed on the basis of pruritus, pain, or both, in the area medial to the scapula and lateral to the thoracic spine. It has been proposed that NP is caused by degenerative changes to the T2-T6 vertebrae, genetic disposition, or nerve entrapment of the posterior rami of spinal nerves arising at T2-T6. Despite considerable research, the etiology of NP remains unclear, and a multitude of different treatment modalities have correspondingly met with varying degrees of success. Here we demonstrate that NP can be caused by long thoracic nerve injury leading to serratus anterior dysfunction, and that electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) of the serratus anterior can successfully and conservatively treat NP. In four cases of NP with known injury to the long thoracic nerve we performed transcutaneous EMS to the serratus anterior in an area far lateral to the site of pain and pruritus, resulting in significant and rapid pain relief. These findings are the first to identify long thoracic nerve injury as a cause for notalgia paresthetica and electrical muscle stimulation of the serratus anterior as a possible treatment, and we discuss the implications of these findings on better diagnosing and treating notalgia paresthetica
Aerosol optical depths at Mohal-Kullu in the northwestern Indian Himalayan high altitude station during ICARB
First time observations of spectral aerosol optical depths (AODs) at Mohal (31.9°N, 77.11°E; altitude 1154 m amsl) in the Kullu valley, located in the northwestern Indian Himalayan region, have been carried out during Integrated Campaign for Aerosols, gases and Radiation Budget (ICARB), as a part of the Indian Space Research Organisation-Geosphere Biosphere Program (ISRO-GBP). AODs at six wavelengths are obtained using Microtops-II Sunphotometer and Ozonometer. The monthly mean values of AOD at 500 nm are found to be 0.27 ± 0.04 and 0.24 ± 0.02 during March and April, 2006 respectively. However, their monthly mean values are 0.33 ± 0.04 at 380 nm and 0.20 ± 0.03 nm at 870 nm during March 2006 and 0.31 ± 0.3 at 380 nm and 0.17 ± 0.2 at 870 nm during April 2006, showing a gradual decrease in AOD with wavelength. The Angstrom wavelength exponent 'α' had a mean value of 0.72 ± 0.05, implying reduced dominance of fine particles. Further, the afternoon AOD values are higher as compared to forenoon values by ~33.0% during March and by ~9.0% during April 2006 and are attributed to the pollutant lifted up from the valley by the evolving boundary layer. Besides the long-range transportation of aerosol particles by airmass from the Great Sahara and the Thar Desert regions to the observing site, the high values of AODs have also been influenced by biomass burning and frequent incidents of forest fire at local levels
Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Associated with Job Contentment in Dental Professionals: Indian Outlook
Background: High prevalence rates of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSD) among dentists have been reported. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies can be helpful in managing and preventing work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The purpose of this study was to determine if dental professionals are using CAM for work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Who have greater job satisfaction: dentist who uses Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) or conventional therapy (CT) as a treatment modality for WRMSDMethod: Dentists who registered in Uttar Pradesh state, India under Indian Dental Council, Uttar Pradesh branch (n=1134) were surveyed. Data were analyzed using univariate and bivariate analyses and logistic regression.Result: A response rate of 53% (n=601) was obtained, revealing that 82% (n=487) of the respondents suffered from work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The use of complementary and alternative medicine or conventional therapy was reported among 80% (n=390) of the dentists with work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Complementary and alternative medicine users reported greater overall health compared to conventional therapy users (P<0.001). Of those with work-related musculoskeletal disorders, 35.5% (n=172) considered a career change for once, and 4.0% (n=19) reported having left dentistry.Conclusion: Complementary and alternative medicine therapies may improve quality of life, reduce work disruptions and enhance job satisfaction for dentists who suffer from work-related musculoskeletal disorders. It is important that dentists incorporate complementary and alternative medicine strategies into practice to facilitate musculoskeletal health that will enable longer and healthier careers, increase productivity, provide safer workplace and prevent musculoskeletal disorders.Keywords: CAM, dentist, musculoskeletal disorder
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Aspiration therapy for the treatment of obesity: 4-year results of a multicenter randomized controlled trial.
BackgroundThe AspireAssist is the first Food and Drug Administration-approved endoluminal device indicated for treatment of class II and III obesity.ObjectivesWe earlier reported 1-year results of the PATHWAY study. Here, we report 4-year outcomes.SettingUnited States-based, 10-center, randomized controlled trial involving 171 participants with the treatment arm receiving Aspiration Therapy (AT) plus Lifestyle Therapy and the control arm receiving Lifestyle Therapy (2:1 randomization).MethodsAT participants were permitted to continue in the study for an additional year up to a maximum of 5 years providing they maintained at least 10% total weight loss (TWL) from baseline at each year end. For AT participants who continued the study, 5 medical monitoring visits were provided at weeks 60, 68, 76, 90, and 104 and thereafter once every 13 weeks up to week 260. Exclusion criteria were a history of eating disorder or evidence of eating disorder on a validated questionnaire. Follow-up weight, quality of life, and co-morbidities were compared with the baseline levels. In addition, rates of serious adverse event, persistent fistula, withdrawal, and A-tube replacement were reported. All analyses were performed using a per-protocol analysis.ResultsOf the 82 AT participants who completed 1 year, 58 continued to this phase of the trial. Mean baseline body mass index of these 58 patients was 41.6 ± 4.5 kg/m2. At the end of first year (at the beginning of the follow-up study), these 58 patients had a body mass index of 34.1 ± 5.4 kg/m2 and had achieved an 18.3 ± 8.0% TWL. On a per protocol basis, patients experienced 14.2%, 15.3%, 16.6%, and 18.7% TWL at 1, 2, 3, and 4 years, respectively (P < .01 for all). Forty of 58 patients (69%) achieved at least 10% TWL at 4 years or at time of study withdrawal. Improvements in quality of life scores and select cardiometabolic parameters were also maintained through 4 years. There were 2 serious adverse events reported in the second through fourth years, both of which resolved with removal or replacement of the A tube. Two persistent fistulas required surgical repair, representing approximately 2% of all tube removals. There were no clinically significant metabolic or electrolytes disorders observed, nor any evidence for development of any eating disorders.ConclusionsThe results of this midterm study have shown that AT is a safe, effective, and durable weight loss alternative for people with class II and III obesity and who are willing to commit to using the therapy and adhere to adjustments in eating behavior
Atomic-resolution crystal structures of the immune protein conglutinin from cow reveal specific interactions of its binding site with N-acetylglucosamine.
Bovine conglutinin is an immune protein that is involved in host resistance to microbes and parasites and interacts with complement component iC3b, agglutinates erythrocytes, and neutralizes influenza A virus. Here, we determined the high-resolution (0.97-1.46 Ă
) crystal structures with and without bound ligand of a recombinant fragment of conglutinin's C-terminal carbohydrate-recognition domain (CRD). The structures disclosed that the high-affinity ligand N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (GlcNAc) binds in the collectin CRD calcium site by interacting with the O3' and O4' hydroxyls alongside additional specific interactions of the N-acetyl group oxygen and nitrogen with Lys343 and Asp320, respectively. These residues, unique to conglutinin and differing both in sequence and location from those in other collectins, result in specific, high-affinity binding for GlcNAc. The binding pocket flanking residue Val339, unlike the equivalent Arg343 in the homologous human surfactant protein D, is sufficiently small to allow conglutinin Lys343 access to the bound ligand, whereas Asp320 lies in an extended loop proximal to the ligand-binding site and bounded at both ends by conserved residues that coordinate to both calcium and ligand. This loop becomes ordered on ligand binding. The electron density revealed both a and Ă anomers of GlcNAc, consistent with the added a/ĂGlcNAc mixture. Crystals soaked with a1-2 mannobiose, a putative component of iC3b, reported to bind to conglutinin, failed to reveal bound ligand, suggesting a requirement for presentation of mannobiose as part of an extended physiological ligand. These results reveal a highly specific GlcNAc-binding pocket in conglutinin and a novel collectin mode of carbohydrate recognition
Higher education studentsâ achievement emotions and their antecedents in e-learning amid COVID-19 pandemic: A multi-country survey
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has had a wide range of negative consequences for higher education students. We explored the generalizability of the control-value theory of achievement emotions for e-learning, focusing on their antecedents. We involved 17019 higher education students from 13 countries, who completed an online survey during the first wave of the pandemic. A structural equation model revealed that proximal antecedents (e-learning self-efficacy, computer self-efficacy) mediated the relation between environmental antecedents (cognitive and motivational quality of the task) and positive and negative achievement emotions, with some exceptions. The model was invariant across country, area of study, and gender. The rates of achievement emotions varied according to these same factors. Beyond their theoretical relevance, these findings could be the basis for policy recommendations to support stakeholders in coping with the challenges of e-learning and the current and future sequelae of the pandemic.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Performance of the CMS High Granularity Calorimeter prototype to charged pion beams of 20300 GeV/c
The upgrade of the CMS experiment for the high luminosity operation of the
LHC comprises the replacement of the current endcap calorimeter by a high
granularity sampling calorimeter (HGCAL). The electromagnetic section of the
HGCAL is based on silicon sensors interspersed between lead and copper (or
copper tungsten) absorbers. The hadronic section uses layers of stainless steel
as an absorbing medium and silicon sensors as an active medium in the regions
of high radiation exposure, and scintillator tiles directly readout by silicon
photomultipliers in the remaining regions. As part of the development of the
detector and its readout electronic components, a section of a silicon-based
HGCAL prototype detector along with a section of the CALICE AHCAL prototype was
exposed to muons, electrons and charged pions in beam test experiments at the
H2 beamline at the CERN SPS in October 2018. The AHCAL uses the same technology
as foreseen for the HGCAL but with much finer longitudinal segmentation. The
performance of the calorimeters in terms of energy response and resolution,
longitudinal and transverse shower profiles is studied using negatively charged
pions, and is compared to GEANT4 predictions. This is the first report
summarizing results of hadronic showers measured by the HGCAL prototype using
beam test data.Comment: To be submitted to JINS
Search for a vector-like quark TâČ â tH via the diphoton decay mode of the Higgs boson in proton-proton collisions at = 13 TeV
A search for the electroweak production of a vector-like quark TâČ, decaying to a top quark and a Higgs boson is presented. The search is based on a sample of proton-proton collision events recorded at the LHC at = 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fbâ1. This is the first TâČ search that exploits the Higgs boson decay to a pair of photons. For narrow isospin singlet TâČ states with masses up to 1.1 TeV, the excellent diphoton invariant mass resolution of 1â2% results in an increased sensitivity compared to previous searches based on the same production mechanism. The electroweak production of a TâČ quark with mass up to 960 GeV is excluded at 95% confidence level, assuming a coupling strength ÎșT = 0.25 and a relative decay width Î/MTâČ < 5%
Search for a right-handed W boson and a heavy neutrino in proton-proton collisions at = 13 TeV
A search is presented for a right-handed W boson (WR) and a heavy neutrino (N), in a final state consisting of two same-flavor leptons (ee or ΌΌ) and two quarks. The search is performed with the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC using a data sample of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fbâ1. The search covers two regions of phase space, one where the decay products of the heavy neutrino are merged into a single large-area jet, and one where the decay products are well separated. The expected signal is characterized by an excess in the invariant mass distribution of the final-state objects. No significant excess over the standard model background expectations is observed. The observations are interpreted as upper limits on the product of WR production cross sections and branching fractions assuming that couplings are identical to those of the standard model W boson. For N masses mN equal to half the WR mass mWR (mN = 0.2 TeV), mWR is excluded at 95% confidence level up to 4.7 (4.8) and 5.0 (5.4) TeV for the electron and muon channels, respectively. This analysis provides the most stringent limits on the WR mass to date
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