1,988 research outputs found
The superficial brachial artery : a case report
A superficial brachial artery is an anomalous branch of the brachial artery that runs superficial to the median nerve; it is usually associated with a deep brachial branch that runs deep to this nerve. A case is described of a superficial brachial artery. It is of the type where the artery terminates in the cubital fossa by division into radial and ulnar arteries. It is associated with a superficial ulnar artery, and a deep brachial artery that is continued into the forearm as the common interosseous artery, a rare occurrence. The clinical importance and the dangers of this vascular anomaly are discussed. In reparative surgery, an accurate knowledge of the relationship, course and particularly the possible variations of the brachial artery is of considerable importance.peer-reviewe
Biofuel production with castor bean: A win-win strategy for marginal land
The urgency to reduce resource depletion and waste production is expected to lead to an economy based on renewable resources. Biofuels, for instance, are a great green alternative to fossil fuel, but they are currently derived from edible vegetable oils such as soybean, palm, and sunflower. Concerns have been raised about the social-economic implication and ecological impacts of biodiesel production. Cultivating new lands as biodiesel feedstock rather than food supply, with the consequent increase in food prices, leads to so-called indirect land-use change (ILUC). Establishing bioenergy crops with phytoremediation ability on contaminated soils offers multiple benefits such as improving soil properties and ecosystem services, decreasing soil erosion, and diminishing the dispersion of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) into the environment. Castor bean is an unpalatable, high-biomass plant, and it has been widely demonstrated to possess phytoremediation capability for several PTEs. Castor bean can grow on marginal lands not suitable for food crops, has multiple uses as a raw material, and is already used in biodiesel production. These characteristics make it perfect for sustainable biodiesel production. Linking biofuel production with environmental remediation can be considered a win-win strategy
Variable stars in Terzan 5: additional evidence of multi-age and multi-iron stellar populations
Terzan 5 is a complex stellar system in the Galactic bulge, harboring stellar
populations with very different iron content ({\Delta}[Fe/H] ~1 dex) and with
ages differing by several Gyrs. Here we present an investigation of its
variable stars. We report on the discovery and characterization of three RR
Lyrae stars. For these newly discovered RR Lyrae and for six Miras of known
periods we provide radial velocity and chemical abundances from spectra
acquired with X-SHOOTER at the VLT. We find that the three RR Lyrae and the
three short period Miras (P<300 d) have radial velocity consistent with being
Terzan 5 members. They have sub-solar iron abundances and enhanced
[{\alpha}/Fe], well matching the age and abundance patterns of the 12 Gyr
metal-poor stellar populations of Terzan 5. Only one, out of the three long
period (P>300 d) Miras analyzed in this study, has a radial velocity consistent
with being Terzan 5 member. Its super-solar iron abundance and solar-scaled
[{\alpha}/Fe] nicely match the chemical properties of the metal rich stellar
population of Terzan 5 and its derived mass nicely agrees with being several
Gyrs younger than the short period Miras. This young variable is an additional
proof of the surprising young sub-population discovered in Terzan 5.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures, in press on the Ap
Efficient polarization squeezing in optical fibers
We report on a novel and efficient source of polarization squeezing using a
single pass through an optical fiber. Simply passing this Kerr squeezed beam
through a carefully aligned lambda/2 waveplate and splitting it on a
polarization beam splitter, we find polarization squeezing of up to 5.1 +/- 0.3
dB. The experimental setup allows for the direct measurement of the squeezing
angle.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Prognostic Utility of the Gleason Grading System Revisions and Histopathological Factors Beyond Gleason Grade
Pulmonary metastasectomy in colorectal cancer: a prospective study of demography and clinical characteristics of 543 patients in the Spanish colorectal metastasectomy registry (GECMP-CCR)
ObjectivesTo capture an accurate contemporary description of the practice of pulmonary metastasectomy for colorectal carcinoma in one national healthcare system.DesignA national registry set up in Spain by Grupo Español de CirugĂa Metástasis Pulmonares de Carcinoma Colo-Rectal (GECMP-CCR).Setting32 Spanish thoracic units.ParticipantsAll patients with one or more histologically proven lung metastasis removed by surgery between March 2008 and February 2010.InterventionsPulmonary metastasectomy for one or more pulmonary nodules proven to be metastatic colorectal carcinoma.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe age and sex of the patients having this surgery were recorded with the number of metastases removed, the interval between the primary colorectal cancer operation and the pulmonary metastasectomy, and the carcinoembryonic antigen level. Also recorded were the practices with respect to mediastinal lymphadenopathy and coexisting liver metastases.ResultsData were available on 543 patients from 32 units (6–43/unit). They were aged 32–88 (mean 65) years, and 65% were men. In 55% of patients, there was a solitary metastasis. The median interval between the primary cancer resection and metastasectomy was 28 months and the serum carcinoembryonic antigen was low/normal in the majority. Liver metastatic disease was present in 29% of patients at some point prior to pulmonary metastasectomy. Mediastinal lymphadenectomy varied from 9% to 100% of patients.ConclusionsThe data represent a prospective comprehensive national data collection on pulmonary metastasectomy. The practice is more conservative than the impression gained when members of the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons were surveyed in 2006/2007 but is more inclusive than would be recommended on the basis of recent outcome analyses. Further analyses on the morbidity associated with this surgery and the correlation between imaging studies and pathological findings are being published separately by GECMP-CCR
MyDi application: Towards automatic activity annotation of young patients with Type 1 diabetes
Type I diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a widespread metabolic disorder characterized by pancreatic insufficiency. People with T1DM require: a lifelong insulin injection, to constantly monitor glycemia and to take note of their activities. This continuous follow-up, especially at a very young age, may be challenging. Adolescents with T1DM may develop anxiety symptoms and depression which can lead to the loss of glycemic control. An assistive technology that automatizes the activity monitoring process could support these young patient in managing T1DM. The aim of this work is to present the MyDi framework which integrates a smart glycemic diary (for Android users), to automatically record and store patient's activity via pictures and a deep-learning (DL)-based technology able to classify the activity performed by the patients (i.e., meal and sport) via picture analysis. The proposed approach was tested on two different datasets, the Insta-Dataset with 3498 pictures (also used for training and validating the DL model) and the MyDi-Dataset with 126 pictures, achieving very encouraging results in both cases (Preci= 1.0, Reci= 1.0, f1i= 1.0 with i E C:[meal, sport]) prompting the possibility of translating this application in the T1DM monitoring process
All-Optical Quantum Random Bit Generation from Intrinsically Binary Phase of Parametric Oscillators
True random number generators (RNGs) are desirable for applications ranging
from cryptogra- phy to computer simulations. Quantum phenomena prove to be
attractive for physical RNGs due to their fundamental randomness and immunity
to attack [1]- [5]. Optical parametric down conversion is an essential element
in most quantum optical experiments including optical squeezing [9], and
generation of entangled photons [10]. In an optical parametric oscillator
(OPO), photons generated through spontaneous down conversion of the pump
initiate the oscillation in the absence of other inputs [11, 12]. This quantum
process is the dominant effect during the oscillation build-up, leading to
selection of one of the two possible phase states above threshold in a
degenerate OPO [13]. Building on this, we demonstrate a novel all-optical
quantum RNG in which the photodetection is not a part of the random process,
and no post processing is required for the generated bit sequence. We implement
a synchronously pumped twin degenerate OPO, which comprises two identical
independent OPOs in a single cavity, and measure the relative phase states of
the OPO outputs above threshold as a bit value. We show that the outcome is
statistically random with 99% confidence. With the use of micro- and nanoscale
OPO resonators, this technique offers a promise for simple, robust, and
high-speed on-chip all-optical quantum random number generators
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