697 research outputs found
ASKyphoplan: a program for deformity planning in ankylosing spondylitis
A closing wedge osteotomy of the lumbar spine may be considered to correct posture and spinal balance in progressive thoracolumbar kyphotic deformity caused by ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Adequate deformity planning is essential for reliable prediction of the effect of surgical correction of the spine on the sagittal balance and horizontal gaze of the patient. The effect of a spinal osteotomy on the horizontal gaze is equal to the osteotomy angle. However, the effect of a spinal osteotomy on the sagittal balance depends on both the correction angle and the level of osteotomy simultaneously. The relation between the correction angle, the level of osteotomy and the sagittal balance of the spine can be expressed by a mathematical equation. However, this mathematical equation is not easily used in daily practice. We present the computer program ASKyphoplan that analyses and visualizes the planning procedure for sagittal plane corrective osteotomies of the spine in AS. The relationship between the planned correction angle, level of osteotomy and sagittal balance are coupled into the program. The steps taken during an ASKyphoplan run are outlined, and the clinical application is discussed. The application of the program is illustrated by the analysis of the data from a patient recently treated by a lumbar osteotomy in AS. The software can be used free of charge on the internet at http://www.stega.nl under the heading âresearchâ in the menu
On the and as Bound States and Approximate Nambu-Goldstone Bosons
We reconsider the two different facets of and mesons as
bound states and approximate Nambu-Goldstone bosons. We address several topics,
including masses, mass splittings between and and between and
, meson wavefunctions, charge radii, and the wavefunction overlap.Comment: 15 pages, late
The FERRUM project: Transition probabilities for forbidden lines in [FeII] and experimental metastable lifetimes
Accurate transition probabilities for forbidden lines are important
diagnostic parameters for low-density astrophysical plasmas. In this paper we
present experimental atomic data for forbidden [FeII] transitions that are
observed as strong features in astrophysical spectra.
Aims: To measure lifetimes for the 3d^6(^3G)4s a ^4G_{11/2} and 3d^6(^3D)4s b
^4D_{1/2} metastable levels in FeII and experimental transition probabilities
for the forbidden transitions 3d^7 a ^4F_{7/2,9/2}- 3d^6(^3G)4s a ^4G_{11/2}.
Methods: The lifetimes were measured at the ion storage ring facility CRYRING
using a laser probing technique. Astrophysical branching fractions were
obtained from spectra of Eta Carinae, obtained with the Space Telescope Imaging
Spectrograph onboard the Hubble Space Telescope. The lifetimes and branching
fractions were combined to yield absolute transition probabilities.
Results: The lifetimes of the a ^4G_{11/2} and the b ^4D_{1/2} levels have
been measured and have the following values, 0.75(10) s and 0.54(3) s
respectively. Furthermore, we have determined the transition probabilities for
two forbidden transitions of a ^4F_{7/2,9/2}- a ^4G_{11/2} at 4243.97 and
4346.85 A. Both the lifetimes and the transition probabilities are compared to
calculated values in the literature.Comment: 5 pages, accepted for publication in A&
Meson Decay Constants from Isospin Mass Splittings in the Quark Model
Decay constants of and mesons are estimated within the framework of a
heavy-quark approach using measured isospin mass splittings in the , ,
and states to isolate the electromagnetic hyperfine interaction between
quarks. The values MeV and MeV are
obtained. Only experimental errors are given; possible theoretical ambiguities,
and suggestions for reducing them, are noted.Comment: 7 pages, LaTeX, EFI-92-3
Decay Constants and Semileptonic Decays of Heavy Mesons in Relativistic Quark Model
We investigate the and mesons in the relativistic quark model by
applying the variational method with the Gaussian wave function. We calculate
the Fermi momentum parameter , and obtain
GeV, which is almost independent of the input parameters, , ,
and . We then calculate the ratio /, and obtain the
result which is larger, by the factor of about 1.3, than
given by the naive nonrelativistic analogy. This result is in a good agreement
with the recent Lattice calculations. We also calculate the ratio
/. In these calculations the wave function at
origin is essential. We also determine by comparing the
theoretical prediction of the ACCMM model with the lepton energy spectrum of from the recent ARGUS analysis, and find that
GeV, when we use GeV. However, this
experimentally determined value of is strongly dependent on the value
of input parameter .Comment: 15 pages (Latex) (uses epsfig.sty, 1 figure appended as a uuencoded
compressed ps-file
Large corrections to asymptotic and in the light-cone perturbative QCD
The large- behavior of - and -
transition form factors, and
are analyzed in the framework of light-cone perturbative QCD with the heavy
quark ( and ) mass effect, the parton's transverse momentum dependence
and the higher helicity components in the light-cone wave function are
respected. It is pointed out that the quark mass effect brings significant
modifications to the asymptotic predictions of the transition form factors in a
rather broad energy region, and this modification is much severer for
than that for due to the
-quark being heavier than the -quark. The parton's transverse momentum
and the higher helicity components are another two factors which decrease the
perturbative predictions. For the transition form factor
, they bring sizable corrections in the present
experimentally accessible energy region (). For the
transition form factor , the corrections coming from
these two factors are negligible since the -quark mass is much larger than
the parton's average transverse momentum. The coming collider (LEP2)
will provide the opportunity to examine these theoretical predictions.Comment: 8 pages, RevTex, 5 PostScript figure
Leptonic widths of high excitations in heavy quarkonia
Agreement with the measured electronic widths of the ,
, and resonances is shown to be reached if two
effects are taken into account: a flattening of the confining potential at
large distances and a total screening of the gluon-exchange interaction at
r\ga 1.2 fm. The leptonic widths of the unobserved and
resonances: keV and
keV are predicted.Comment: 11 pages revtex
The decay constants of pseudoscalar mesons in a relativistic quark model
The decay constants of pseudoscalar mesons are calculated in a relativistic
quark model which assumes that mesons are made of a valence quark antiquark
pair and of an effective vacuum like component. The results are given in terms
of quark masses and of some free parameters entering the expression of the
internal wave functions of the mesons. By using the pion and kaon decay
constants to fix the parameters of the
model one gets for the light quark masses
and the heavy quark masses in the
range: . In the case of
light neutral mesons one obtains with the same set of parameters
. The
values are in agreement with the experimental data and other theoretical
results.Comment: 11 pages, LaTe
Long-term creep behavior of the intervertebral disk: comparison between bioreactor data and numerical results
The loaded disk culture system is an intervertebral disk (IVD)-oriented bioreactor developed by the VU Medical Center (VUmc, Amsterdam, The Netherlands), which has the capacity of maintaining up to 12 IVDs in culture, for approximately 3 weeks after extraction. Using this system, eight goat IVDs were provided with the essential nutrients and submitted to compression tests without losing their biomechanical and physiological properties, for 22 days. Based on previous reports (Paul et al., 2012, 2013; Detiger et al., 2013), four of these IVDs were kept in physiological condition (control) and the other four were previously injected with chondroitinase ABC (CABC), in order to promote degenerative disk disease (DDD). The loading profile intercalated 16 h of activity loading with 8 h of loading recovery to express the standard circadian variations. The displacement behavior of these eight IVDs along the first 2 days of the experiment was numerically reproduced,using an IVD osmo-poro-hyper-viscoelastic and fiber-reinforced finite element (FE) model. The simulations were run on a custom FE solver (Castro et al., 2014). The analysis of the experimental results allowed concluding that the effect of the CABC injection was only significant in two of the four IVDs. The four control IVDs showed no signs of degeneration, as expected. In what concerns to the numerical simulations, the IVD FE model was able to reproduce the generic behavior of the two groups of goat IVDs (control and injected). However, some discrepancies were still noticed on the comparison between the injected IVDs and the numerical simulations, namely on the recovery periods. This may be justified by the complexity of the pathways for DDD, associated with the multiplicity of physiological responses to each direct or indirect stimulus. Nevertheless, one could conclude that ligaments, muscles, and IVD covering membranes could be added to the FE model,in order to improve its accuracy and properly describe the recovery periods.FCT - Ph.D. grant SFRH/BD/63882/200
Does total hip replacement affect sexual quality of life?
Background:
Total Hip Replacement (THR) is an effective treatment for end-stage hip osteoarthritis. Since the introduction of total joint replacement, the effect on the Sexual Quality of Life (SQoL) following THR has been addressed in scant studies. The aim of our study was to systematically review the literature, to summarise effects of THR on patientsâ SQoL.
Methods:
We searched PubMed, EMBASE and PsycINFO between January 1970 and February 9th, 2015 with search terms including Total Hip, Osteoarthritis, SQoL, and THR. Eligible studies were identified and two independent authors extracted data including details of SQoL, study quality and risk of bias.
Results:
There were 12 eligible studies, which included a total of 2099 patients with an age range of 20â85 years. The methodological quality of ten studies was rated as low, and of two as moderate. Amongst the majority of patients, SQoL improved after surgery, both in terms of physical-functional and psychosocial well-being. However, changes between pre-operative and postoperative SQoL ranged extensively: for example, Sexual Dysfunction Î 8â51 % and Sexual Activity (SA) Î 0â77 %. Three studies reported that some patients never resumed SA again after surgery.
Conclusion:
In over 40 years of THR treatment, scant studies have examined the effect of THR on patientsâ SQoL. This review suggests that SQol improves after THR, although the magnitude of effects varies highly. However, the quality of the supporting evidence was rated as low to moderate. This suggests a need for more high quality evidence about the effects of THR on SQoL
- âŠ