370 research outputs found
The Moon, The Skies And You, Dear
https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/4411/thumbnail.jp
Optimizing Hybrid Plate Fixation with a Locked, Oblique End Screw in Osteoporotic Fractures
Background The end screw in a fracture plate creates the greatest resistance to bending. For osteoporotic fractures treated with plates, there is some question as to the optimal screw insertion technique for the screw farthest from the fracture. A locked, oblique end screw was previously shown to increase resistance to periprosthetic fracture. It is unknown, however, how this end screw configuration would resist pullout when subjected to bending. Methods Narrow, low contact 3.5 mm locking compression plates with 6 and 12 holes were anchored to simulated bone material with material properties representing osteoporotic bone. Four configurations were evaluated for the end screw: perpendicular and angulated 30 degrees away from the fracture for both non-locked and locked screws (n=6 per group). The constructs were subjected to 3 point bending until the peak load and finally total construct failure was achieved. Results Peak force, stiffness, energy to peak load, and the failure mode of each construct were determined. All four 12-hole construct groups failed by gross plastic bending deformation of the plate at the fulcrum past a previously established clinically relevant limit for failure (15°). All 12-hole plate constructs failed at statistically higher loads and energy than any of the 6-hole plate constructs, with the exception of the 6-hole locked, oblique construct. Conclusion The locked, oblique end screw provides equivalent pull out strength for 3.5 mm low contact plates regardless of plate length. Combined with its resistance to periprosthetic fracture, this end screw configuration appears to be the best option for the construct integrity of hybrid plating for osteoporotic fractures. Clinical Relevance Osteoporotic fractures are challenging to treat. The current study and the existing literature show that resistance to both bending loads and refracture at the end of a plate are minimized with a locked screw angled away from the fracture
Prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of physical activity levels among South African adults in Cape Town and Mount Frere communities in 2008-2009
BACKGROUND: Physical activity has been linked to reduced risk of various cardiometabolic disease, cancer, and
premature mortality. We investigated the prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of physical activity
among adults in urban and rural communities in South Africa. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional survey
comprising 1733 adults aged ?35 years from the Cape Town (urban) and Mount Frere (rural) sites of the
Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology study. Physical activity was assessed using the validated International
Physical Activity Questionnaire. Multinomial logistic regressions were used to relate physical activity with
socio-demographic characteristics.
RESULTS: Overall, 74% of participants engaged in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. In the adjusted regression
models, women were 34% less likely to engage in vigorous physical activity (OR =0.66, 95%-CI = 0.47-0.93). Physical
activity decreased with age, varied with marital status, education and occupation, always in differential ways
between urban and rural participants (all interactions p ? 0.047). For instance, in urban settings, those with
secondary education were more likely to engage in moderate physical activity (OR = 2.06, 95%-CI = 1.08-3.92)
than those with tertiary education. Single people were more likely to engage in high physical activity (OR = 2.10,
95%-CI = 1.03-4.28) than divorced. Overall, skilled participants were more likely to engage in vigorous physical
activity (OR = 2.07, 95%-CI = 1.41-3.05) driven by significant effect in rural area (OR = 2.70, 95%-CI = 1.51-4.83).
Urban participants were more likely to engage in moderate physical activity (OR = 1.67, 95%-CI = 1.31-2.13)
than rural participants.
CONCLUSIONS: To prevent chronic diseases among South Africans, attention should be paid to specific policies
and interventions aimed at promoting PA among young adults in rural and urban setting, and across the
social-economic diversity
Taking the Sector Seriously: Data, Developments, and Drivers of Intrasectoral Earnings Inequality
The politics and administration of institutional chang
Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial
Background
Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy
Toward a General Theory of Standards of Proof
Which standard of proof is best for a particular type of case This deceptively simple question has been much discussed but the current state of understanding is unsatisfactory Statisticians posed a general answer philosophers and others launched an assault on that answer practically oriented scholars draw on both strains unsystematically and courts generally offer little or no reasoning for their decisions The goal of this article is to outline a systematic and complete justification for selecting one probabilistic standard of proof over another By training a microscope on one small corner of the law incapacity will contests this article demonstrates the relevance of old factors identifies several new factors and integrates the factors into an approach that will hopefully guide future inquiry One important implication is that the choice of proof standard will almost necessarily be tentative too much is unknown or unknowabl
Economic language and economy change: with implications for cyber-physical systems
The implementation of cyber-physical and similar systems depends on prevailing social and economic conditions. It is here argued that, if the effect of these technologies is to be benign, the current neo-liberal economy must change to a radically more cooperative model. In this paper, economy change means a thorough change to a qualitatively different kind of economy. It is contrasted with economic change, which is the kind of minor change usually considered in mainstream discourse. The importance of language is emphasised, including that of techno-optimism and that of economic conservatism. Problems of injustice, strife, and ecological overload cannot be solved by conventional growth together with technical efficiency gains. Rather, a change is advocated from economics-as-usual to a broader concept, oikonomia (root-household management), which takes into account all that contributes to a good life, including what cannot be represented quantitatively. Some elements of such a broader economy (work; basic income; asset and income limits) are discussed. It is argued that the benefits of technology can be enhanced and the ills reduced in such an economy. This is discussed in the case of cyber-physical systems under the headings employment, security, standards and oligopoly, and energy efficiency. The paper concludes that such systems, and similar technological developments, cannot resolve the problems of sustainability within an economy-as-usual model. If, however, there is the will to create a cooperative and sustainable economy, technology can contribute significantly to the resolution of present problems
Origin of the Biologically Important Elements
The chemical elements most widely distributed in terrestrial living creatures are the ones (apart from inert helium and neon) that are commonest in the Universe--hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen. A chemically different Universe would clearly have different biology, if any. We explore here the nuclear processes in stars, the early Universe, and elsewhere that have produced these common elements, and, while we are at it, also encounter the production of lithium, gold, uranium, and other elements of sociological, if not biological, importance. The relevant processes are, for the most part, well understood. Much less well understood is the overall history of chemical evolution of the Galaxy, from pure hydrogen and helium to the mix of elements we see today. One implication is that we cannot do a very good job of estimating how many stars and which ones might be orbited by habitable planets
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