Glossary

Modular necks were introduced in total hip arthroplasty (THA) to improve restoration of hip-geometry and reduce dislocation-rates. This presumed advantage was evaluated retrospectively for patients with arthritis in otherwise anatomically normal hips. Restoration of hip-geometry was assessed on preoperative and postoperative calibrated radiographs in 95 consecutive primary THAs with a modular neck design and compared with 95 match controlled THAs with a similar monoblock stem. No significant differences were seen in restoration of body moment arm, leg length and cupangle. Offset restoration revealed a borderline significant difference (P = 0.48) with higher values for the monoblock stem. In both groups 4 dislocations within one year were encountered. In this study modular necks did not reveal a clear benefit in restoring hip geometry and dislocation rate after straightforward THA

Sierpinski signal generates 1/fα1/f^\alpha spectra

We investigate the row sum of the binary pattern generated by the Sierpinski automaton: Interpreted as a time series we calculate the power spectrum of this Sierpinski signal analytically and obtain a unique rugged fine structure with underlying power law decay with an exponent of approximately 1.15. Despite the simplicity of the model, it can serve as a model for $1/f^\alpha$ spectra in a certain class of experimental and natural systems like catalytic reactions and mollusc patterns.Comment: 4 pages (4 figs included). Accepted for publication in Physical Review

Perioperative morbidity of different operative approaches in early cervical carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing minimally invasive versus open radical hysterectomy

Purpose: Radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy is the standard treatment for early cervical cancer. Studies have shown superior oncological outcome for open versus minimal invasive surgery, but peri- and postoperative complication rates were shown vice versa. This meta-analysis evaluates the peri- and postoperative morbidities and complications of robotic and laparoscopic radical hysterectomy compared to open surgery. Methods: Embase and Ovid-Medline databases were systematically searched in June 2020 for studies comparing robotic, laparoscopic and open radical hysterectomy. There was no limitation in publication year. Inclusion criteria were set analogue to the LACC trial. Subgroup analyses were performed regarding the operative technique, the study design and the date of publication for the endpoints intra- and postoperative morbidity, estimated blood loss, hospital stay and operation time. Results: 27 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Five prospective, randomized-control trials were included. Meta-analysis showed no significant difference between robotic radical hysterectomy (RH) and laparoscopic hysterectomy (LH) concerning intra- and perioperative complications. Operation time was longer in both RH (mean difference 44.79 min [95% CI 38.16; 51.42]), and LH (mean difference 20.96 min; [95% CI − 1.30; 43.22]) than in open hysterectomy (AH) but did not lead to a rise of intra- and postoperative complications. Intraoperative morbidity was lower in LH than in AH (RR 0.90 [0.80; 1.02]) as well as in RH compared to AH (0.54 [0.33; 0.88]). Intraoperative morbidity showed no difference between LH and RH (RR 1.29 [0.23; 7.29]). Postoperative morbidity was not different in any approach. Estimated blood loss was lower in both LH (mean difference − 114.34 [− 122.97; − 105.71]) and RH (mean difference − 287.14 [− 392.99; − 181.28]) compared to AH, respectively. Duration of hospital stay was shorter for LH (mean difference − 3.06 [− 3.28; − 2.83]) and RH (mean difference − 3.77 [− 5.10; − 2.44]) compared to AH. Conclusion: Minimally invasive radical hysterectomy appears to be associated with reduced intraoperative morbidity and blood loss and improved reconvalescence after surgery. Besides oncological and surgical factors these results should be considered when counseling patients for radical hysterectomy and underscore the need for new randomized trials. © 2021, The Author(s)

The prescribed mean curvature equation in weakly regular domains

We show that the characterization of existence and uniqueness up to vertical translations of solutions to the prescribed mean curvature equation, originally proved by Giusti in the smooth case, holds true for domains satisfying very mild regularity assumptions. Our results apply in particular to the non-parametric solutions of the capillary problem for perfectly wetting fluids in zero gravity. Among the essential tools used in the proofs, we mention a \textit{generalized Gauss-Green theorem} based on the construction of the weak normal trace of a vector field with bounded divergence, in the spirit of classical results due to Anzellotti, and a \textit{weak Young's law} for $(\Lambda,r_{0})$-minimizers of the perimeter.Comment: 23 pages, 1 figure --- The results on the weak normal trace of vector fields have been now extended and moved in a self-contained paper available at: arXiv:1708.0139

Endothelial PKA activity regulates angiogenesis by limiting autophagy through phosphorylation of ATG16L1

The cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) regulates various cellular functions in health and disease. In endothelial cells PKA activity promotes vessel maturation and limits tip cell formation. Here, we used a chemical genetic screen to identify endothelial-specific direct substrates of PKA in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) that may mediate these effects. Amongst several candidates, we identified ATG16L1, a regulator of autophagy, as novel target of PKA. Biochemical validation, mass spectrometry and peptide spot arrays revealed that PKA phosphorylates ATG16L1α at Ser268 and ATG16L1β at Ser269, driving phosphorylation-dependent degradation of ATG16L1 protein. Reducing PKA activity increased ATG16L1 protein levels and endothelial autophagy. Mouse in vivo genetics and pharmacological experiments demonstrated that autophagy inhibition partially rescues vascular hypersprouting caused by PKA deficiency. Together these results indicate that endothelial PKA activity mediates a critical switch from active sprouting to quiescence in part through phosphorylation of ATG16L1, which in turn reduces endothelial autophagy

`In pursuit of the Nazi mind?' the deployment of psychoanalysis in the allied struggle against Germany

This paper discusses how psychoanalytic ideas were brought to bear in the Allied struggle against the Third Reich and explores some of the claims that were made about this endeavour. It shows how a variety of studies of Fascist psychopathology, centred on the concept of superego, were mobilized in military intelligence, post-war planning and policy recommendations for ‘denazification’. Freud's ideas were sometimes championed by particular army doctors and government planners; at other times they were combined with, or displaced by, competing, psychiatric and psychological forms of treatment and diverse studies of the Fascist ‘personality’. This is illustrated through a discussion of the treatment and interpretation of the deputy leader of the Nazi Party, Rudolf Hess, after his arrival in Britain in 1941

Sequencing of Vellozia Spp. genomes to understand drought tolerance and phosphorus acquisition in angiosperms.

PE1164. PAG 2019

Metamagnetism in the XXZ model with next-to-nearest-neighbor coupling

We investigate groundstate energies and magnetization curves in the one dimensional XXZ-model with next to nearest neighbour coupling $\alpha>0$ and anisotropy $\Delta$ ($-1 \le \Delta \le 1$) at T=0. In between the familiar ferro- and antiferromagnetic phase we find a transition region -- called metamagnetic phase -- where the magnetization curve is discontinuous at a critical field $B_c(\alpha,\Delta)$.Comment: LaTeX file (text) + 5 PS files (5 figures