180 research outputs found
Factors involved in the cell density-dependent regulation of nuclear/cytoplasmic distribution of the 11.5-kDa Zn<sup>2+</sup>-binding protein (parathymosin-α) in rat hepatocytes.
Harmonic oscillations and their switching in elliptical optical waveguide arrays
We have studied harmonic oscillations in an elliptical optical waveguide
array in which the coupling between neighboring waveguides is varied in accord
with a Kac matrix so that the propagation constant eigenvalues can take equally
spaced values. As a result, long-living Bloch oscillation (BO) and dipole
oscillation (DO) are obtained when a linear gradient in the propagation
constant is applied. Moreover, we achieve a switching from DO to BO or vice
versa by ramping up the gradient profile. The various optical oscillations as
well as their switching are investigated by field evolution analysis and
confirmed by Hamiltonian optics. The equally spaced eigenvalues in the
propagation constant allow viable applications in transmitting images,
switching and routing of optical signals.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figure
The treatment of segmental tibial fractures: does patient preference differ from surgeon choice?
INTRODUCTION: Segmental tibial fractures are complex injuries with a prolonged recovery time. Current definitive treatment options include intramedullary fixation or a circular external fixator. However, there is uncertainty as to which surgical option is preferable and there are no sufficiently rigorous multi-centre trials that have answered this question. The objective of this study was to determine whether patient and surgeon opinion was permissive for a randomised controlled trial (RCT) comparing intramedullary nailing to the application of a circular external fixator. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A convenience questionnaire survey of attending surgeons was conducted during the United Kingdom's Orthopaedic Trauma Society annual meeting 2017 to determine the treatment modalities used for a segmental tibial fracture (n=63). Patient opinion was obtained from clinical patients who had been treated for a segmental tibial fracture as part of a patient and public involvement focus group with questions covering the domains of surgical preference, treatment expectations, outcome, the consent process and follow-up regime (n=5). RESULTS: Based on the surgeon survey, 39% routinely use circular frame fixation following segmental tibial fracture compared to 61% who use nail fixation. Nail fixation was reported as the treatment of choice for a closed injury in a healthy patient in 81% of surgeons, and by 86% for a patient with a closed fracture who was obese. Twenty-one percent reported that they would use a nail for an open segmental tibia fracture in diabetics who smoked, whilst 57% would opt for a nail for a closed injury with compartment syndrome, and only 27% would use a nail for an open segmental injury in a young fit sports person. The patient and public preference exercise identified that sleep, early functional outcomes and psychosocial measures of outcomes are important. CONCLUSION: We concluded that a RCT comparing definitive fixation with an intramedullary nail and a circular external fixator is justified as there remains uncertainty on the optimal surgical management for segmental tibial fractures. Furthermore, psychosocial factors and early post-operative outcomes should be reported as core outcome measures as part of such a trial
Solitons in one-dimensional nonlinear Schr\"{o}dinger lattices with a local inhomogeneity
In this paper we analyze the existence, stability, dynamical formation and
mobility properties of localized solutions in a one-dimensional system
described by the discrete nonlinear Schr\"{o}dinger equation with a linear
point defect. We consider both attractive and repulsive defects in a focusing
lattice. Among our main findings are: a) the destabilization of the on--site
mode centered at the defect in the repulsive case; b) the disappearance of
localized modes in the vicinity of the defect due to saddle-node bifurcations
for sufficiently strong defects of either type; c) the decrease of the
amplitude formation threshold for attractive and its increase for repulsive
defects; and d) the detailed elucidation as a function of initial speed and
defect strength of the different regimes (trapping, trapping and reflection,
pure reflection and pure transmission) of interaction of a moving localized
mode with the defect.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figure
Impact of Excess Auditor Remuneration on the Cost of Equity Capital around the World
This study examines the relation between excess auditor remuneration and the implied required rate of return (IRR hereafter) on equity capital in global markets. We conjecture that when auditor remuneration is excessively large, investors may perceive the auditor to be economically bonded to the client, leading to a lack of independence. This perceived lack of independence increases the information risk associated with the credibility of financial statements, thereby increasing IRR. Consistent with this notion, we find that IRR is increasing in excess auditor remuneration, but only in countries with stronger investor protection. Finding evidence of a relation only in stronger investor protection countries is consistent with the more prominent role of audited financial statements for investors' decisions in these countries. In settings in which investors are less likely to rely on audited financial statements and instead rely on alternative sources of information (i.e., in countries with weaker investor protection), the impact of client-auditor bonding should have less of an effect on investors' decisions.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline
Reference values for serum creatinine in children younger than 1 year of age
Reliable reference values of enzymatically assayed serum creatinine categorized in small age intervals are lacking in young children. The aim of this study was to determine reference values for serum creatinine during the first year of life and study the influence of gender, weight and height on these values. Serum creatinine determinations between 2003 and 2008 were retrieved from the hospital database. Strict exclusion criteria ensured the selection of patients without kidney damage. Correlation analysis was performed to evaluate the relation between height, weight and serum creatinine; the Mann–Whitney test was used to evaluate the relation between gender and serum creatinine. A broken stick model was designed to predict normal serum creatinine values. Mean serum creatinine values were found to decrease rapidly from 55 μmol/L on day 1 to 22 μmol/L in the second month of life; they then stabilized at 20 μmol/L until the seventh month, followed by a slight increase. No significant relation was found between serum creatinine and gender, weight and height. We present here reference values of serum creatinine in infants not at risk of decreased renal function. The absence of a relationship with gender, weight and height confirms that height-based equations to estimate glomerular filtration rate are less useful in patients of this age group
Can auditors be independent? – Experimental evidence on the effects of client type
Recent regulatory initiatives stress that an independent oversight board, rather than the management board, should be the client of the auditor. In an experiment, we test whether the type of client affects auditors’ independence. Unique features of the German institutional setting enable us to realistically vary the type of auditors’ client as our treatment variable: we portray the client either as the management preferring aggressive accounting or the oversight board preferring conservative accounting. We measure auditors’ perceived client retention incentives and accountability pressure in a post-experiment questionnaire to capture potential threats to independence. We find that the type of auditors’ client affects auditors’ behaviour contingent on the degree of the perceived threats to independence. Our findings imply that both client retention incentives and accountability pressure represent distinctive threats to auditors’ independence and that the effectiveness of an oversight board in enhancing auditors’ independence depends on the underlying threat
MicroRNAs MiR-17, MiR-20a, and MiR-106b Act in Concert to Modulate E2F Activity on Cell Cycle Arrest during Neuronal Lineage Differentiation of USSC
MicroRNAs are short (∼22 nt) non-coding regulatory RNAs that control gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Here the functional impact of microRNAs on cell cycle arrest during neuronal lineage differentiation of unrestricted somatic stem cells from human cord blood (USSC) was analyzed./M transition. Most strikingly, miR-17, -20a, and -106b were found to promote cell proliferation by increasing the intracellular activity of E2F transcription factors, despite the fact that miR-17, -20a, and -106b directly target the transcripts that encode for this protein family./S transition
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