Improvement of the process for electrochemical impregnation of nickel hydroxide electrodes

Nickel hydroxide electrodes containing 11g/dsqm hydroxide, with capacities of 3.6 to 3.8 Ah/dsqm were prepared at 353 K by electrochemical impregnation. The reproducibility of the results is obtained by readjusting the pH before each preparation. The control of each electrode is done during two cycles of charge and discharge following the manufacture by a potential relaxation method

Cervical spine alignment following surgery for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS): a pre-to-post analysis of 81 patients

Background: Several studies have emphasized the importance of restoring thoracic kyphosis (TK) in the setting of AIS, but very few have discussed changes in cervical spine alignment following surgery. Aim of this study was to evaluate reciprocal cervical alignment change after modification of global and regional thoracolumbar alignment with surgery in the setting of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Methods: Baseline and 2-yrs follow-up radiographs of AIS patients (n = 81) were analysed measuring cervical parameters (upper cervical: C2-C0, McGregor Slope; lower cervical: C2-C7, C2-C7 sagittal vertical axis (SVA), C2-T3, C2-T3SVA, C2-T1Harrison (C2-T1Ha), T1 Slope (T1S)), thoracic, lumbar, pelvic and global alignment parameters. Post-operatively, patients were grouped twice; based on changes in TK and SVA. Cervical alignment was compared between groups. Pearson correlation was conducted to examine the relationship between changes in TK, SVA, and cervical alignment. Results: Stratification by change in TK, revealed significant alteration of lower cervical alignment T1S [p < 0.001]), C2-T3 [p = 0.019], C2-T1Ha [p = 0.043]), but there was no reciprocal change in the upper cervical spine. Stratification by SVA revealed a significant coexisting change in the lower cervical spine (T1S [p < 0.001], C2-C7SVA [p = 0.034], C2-T3 [p = 0.023], C2-T3SVA [p = 0.001]). SVA change was not associated to a change in the upper cervical spine. The correlation analysis showed that with a post-operative increase in TK, the cervical spine became more lordotic. Changes in TK were significantly correlated with: ΔT1S, ΔC2-C7, ΔC2-T3, and ΔC2-T3SVA. Similarly, increased cervical kyphosis was found when SVA was decreased post-operatively. Furthermore, there was a significant correlation between change of SVA and both ΔC2-T3 and ΔC2-T3SVA. Conclusions: In surgically treated AIS patients, changes in global and regional alignment of the thoracolumbar and cervical spinal segments exhibit interdependence. Thus, surgical planning with regard to sagittal deformity in AIS patients should account for the post-operative impact on cervical alignment

Full-Body Radiographic Analysis of Postoperative Deviations From Age-Adjusted Alignment Goals in Adult Spinal Deformity Correction and Related Compensatory Recruitment.

Background: Full-body stereographs for adult spinal deformity (ASD) have enhanced global deformity and lower-limb compensation associations. The advent of age-adjusted goals for classic ASD parameters (sagittal vertical axis, pelvic tilt, spino-pelvic mismatch [PI-LL]) has enabled individualized evaluation of successful versus failed realignment, though these remain to be radiographically assessed postoperatively. This study analyzes pre- and postoperative sagittal alignment to quantify patient-specific correction against age-adjusted goals, and presents differences in compensation in patients whose postoperative profile deviates from targets. Methods: Single-center retrospective review of ASD patients ≥ 18 years with biplanar full-body stereographic x-rays. Inclusion: ≥ 4 levels fused, complete baseline and early (≤ 6-month) follow-up imaging. Correction groups generated at postoperative visit for actual alignment compared to age-adjusted ideal values for pelvic tilt, PI-LL, and sagittal vertical axis derived from clinically relevant formulas. Patients that matched exact ± 10-year threshold for age-adjusted targets were compared to unmatched cases (undercorrected or overcorrected). Comparison of spinal alignment and compensatory mechanisms (thoracic kyphosis, hip extension, knee flexion, ankle flexion, pelvic shift) across correction groups were performed with ANOVA and paired Results: The sagittal vertical axis, pelvic tilt, and PI-LL of 122 patients improved at early postoperative visits ( Conclusions: Global alignment cohort improvements were observed, and when comparing actual to age-adjusted alignment, undercorrections recruited pelvic and lower-limb flexion to compensate. Level of Evidence: 3

Two-pion Bose-Einstein correlations in central Pb-Pb collisions at sNN\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76 TeV

The first measurement of two-pion Bose-Einstein correlations in central Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76$ TeV at the Large Hadron Collider is presented. We observe a growing trend with energy now not only for the longitudinal and the outward but also for the sideward pion source radius. The pion homogeneity volume and the decoupling time are significantly larger than those measured at RHIC.Comment: 17 pages, 5 captioned figures, 1 table, authors from page 12, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/388

Suppression of charged particle production at large transverse momentum in central Pb-Pb collisions at sNN=2.76\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76 TeV

Inclusive transverse momentum spectra of primary charged particles in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{\rm NN}}}$ = 2.76 TeV have been measured by the ALICE Collaboration at the LHC. The data are presented for central and peripheral collisions, corresponding to 0-5% and 70-80% of the hadronic Pb-Pb cross section. The measured charged particle spectra in $|\eta|<0.8$ and $0.3 < p_T < 20$ GeV/$c$ are compared to the expectation in pp collisions at the same $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$, scaled by the number of underlying nucleon-nucleon collisions. The comparison is expressed in terms of the nuclear modification factor $R_{\rm AA}$. The result indicates only weak medium effects ($R_{\rm AA} \approx$ 0.7) in peripheral collisions. In central collisions, $R_{\rm AA}$ reaches a minimum of about 0.14 at $p_{\rm T}=6$-7GeV/$c$ and increases significantly at larger $p_{\rm T}$. The measured suppression of high-$p_{\rm T}$ particles is stronger than that observed at lower collision energies, indicating that a very dense medium is formed in central Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC.Comment: 15 pages, 5 captioned figures, 3 tables, authors from page 10, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/98

Elliptic flow of charged particles in Pb-Pb collisions at 2.76 TeV

We report the first measurement of charged particle elliptic flow in Pb-Pb collisions at 2.76 TeV with the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The measurement is performed in the central pseudorapidity region (|$\eta$|<0.8) and transverse momentum range 0.2< $p_{\rm T}$< 5.0 GeV/$c$. The elliptic flow signal v$_2$, measured using the 4-particle correlation method, averaged over transverse momentum and pseudorapidity is 0.087 $\pm$ 0.002 (stat) $\pm$ 0.004 (syst) in the 40-50% centrality class. The differential elliptic flow v$_2(p_{\rm T})$ reaches a maximum of 0.2 near $p_{\rm T}$ = 3 GeV/$c$. Compared to RHIC Au-Au collisions at 200 GeV, the elliptic flow increases by about 30%. Some hydrodynamic model predictions which include viscous corrections are in agreement with the observed increase.Comment: 10 pages, 4 captioned figures, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/389

Staphylococcus aureus cell wall structure and dynamics during host-pathogen interaction

Peptidoglycan is the major structural component of the Staphylococcus aureus cell wall, in which it maintains cellular integrity, is the interface with the host, and its synthesis is targeted by some of the most crucial antibiotics developed. Despite this importance, and the wealth of data from in vitro studies, we do not understand the structure and dynamics of peptidoglycan during infection. In this study we have developed methods to harvest bacteria from an active infection in order to purify cell walls for biochemical analysis ex vivo. Isolated ex vivo bacterial cells are smaller than those actively growing in vitro, with thickened cell walls and reduced peptidoglycan crosslinking, similar to that of stationary phase cells. These features suggested a role for specific peptidoglycan homeostatic mechanisms in disease. As S. aureus missing penicillin binding protein 4 (PBP4) has reduced peptidoglycan crosslinking in vitro its role during infection was established. Loss of PBP4 resulted in an increased recovery of S. aureus from the livers of infected mice, which coincided with enhanced fitness within murine and human macrophages. Thicker cell walls correlate with reduced activity of peptidoglycan hydrolases. S. aureus has a family of 4 putative glucosaminidases, that are collectively crucial for growth. Loss of the major enzyme SagB, led to attenuation during murine infection and reduced survival in human macrophages. However, loss of the other three enzymes Atl, SagA and ScaH resulted in clustering dependent attenuation, in a zebrafish embryo, but not a murine, model of infection. A combination of pbp4 and sagB deficiencies resulted in a restoration of parental virulence. Our results, demonstrate the importance of appropriate cell wall structure and dynamics during pathogenesis, providing new insight to the mechanisms of disease

Vertebral rotation measurement: a summary and comparison of common radiographic and CT methods

Current research has provided a more comprehensive understanding of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) as a three-dimensional spinal deformity, encompassing both lateral and rotational components. Apart from quantifying curve severity using the Cobb angle, vertebral rotation has become increasingly prominent in the study of scoliosis. It demonstrates significance in both preoperative and postoperative assessment, providing better appreciation of the impact of bracing or surgical interventions. In the past, the need for computer resources, digitizers and custom software limited studies of rotation to research performed after a patient left the scoliosis clinic. With advanced technology, however, rotation measurements are now more feasible. While numerous vertebral rotation measurement methods have been developed and tested, thorough comparisons of these are still relatively unexplored. This review discusses the advantages and disadvantages of six common measurement techniques based on technology most pertinent in clinical settings: radiography (Cobb, Nash-Moe, Perdriolle and Stokes' method) and computer tomography (CT) imaging (Aaro-Dahlborn and Ho's method). Better insight into the clinical suitability of rotation measurement methods currently available is presented, along with a discussion of critical concerns that should be addressed in future studies and development of new methods

Cancer Treatment Dosing Regimens of Zoledronic Acid Result in Near-Complete Suppression of Mandible Intracortical Bone Remodeling in Beagle Dogs

Bisphosphonate doses used in cancer treatment are substantially higher than those used for osteoporosis. Little is known about the effects of these high doses on tissue-level remodeling suppression. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of cancer dosing regimens of zoledronic acid on tissue-level bone remodeling at different skeletal sites. Skeletally mature female beagle dogs were treated with monthly intravenous infusions of vehicle (VEH, saline) or zoledronic acid (ZOL, 0.067 mg/kg); an additional group of animals was treated daily with oral alendronate (ALN, 0.2 mg/kg/day). Doses of ZOL and ALN were, on a milligram per kilogram basis, consistent with those used for cancer and osteoporosis, respectively. Following either 3 or 6 months of treatment, animals were euthanized, and mandible, rib, and tibia were processed for dynamic bone histology. There was no evidence of oral lesions or bone matrix necrosis in the mandibles of any animals. After 3 months, the rate of intracortical bone remodeling in the mandible was significantly suppressed with ZOL (−95%) compared with VEH; by 6 months, ZOL had produced nearly complete suppression (−99%) compared with VEH. ZOL also significantly suppressed remodeling in the rib cortex at both 3 (−83%) and 6 (−85%) months compared with VEH; tibia cortex bone formation rate was nonsignificantly lower with ZOL treatment (−68% to −75%). Remodeling suppression in ZOL-treated animals was significantly greater than in ALN-treated animals at both the mandible and the rib; ALN and VEH were not different for any of the assessed parameters at any of the sites. Compared across skeletal sites, the absolute level of remodeling suppression with ZOL treatment was significantly greater at sites with higher remodeling, whereas the percent reduction was similar among the sites. These results document nearly complete intracortical remodeling suppression resulting from monthly intravenous zoledronic acid dosing, with changes being most dramatic at the mandible. Copyright © 2010 American Society for Bone and Mineral Researc