Coronal jet contribution to the slow Solar wind flux: preliminary results

The solar wind is a continuous flux of charged particles that are ejected from the Sun's atmosphere. The sources of this flux have not been clearly identiffed yet. Coronal jets are proposed as a possible candidate. They are small collimated ejections of plasma seen in white-light coronagraph images. Using an existing catalogue, a sample of events during the period 2007-2008 was analysed, and ejected particle flux has been estimated. First results are now presented. As future work, all the jets contained in the catalogue will be analysed in order to obtain the average particle flux. The results will be compared to in-situ measurements in order to assess the coronal jet contribution to the solar wind

Periprosthetic Joint Infection After Total Knee Arthroplasty With or Without Antibiotic Bone Cement.

IMPORTANCE Despite increased use of antibiotic-loaded bone cement (ALBC) in joint arthroplasty over recent decades, current evidence for prophylactic use of ALBC to reduce risk of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is insufficient. OBJECTIVE To compare the rate of revision attributed to PJI following primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) using ALBC vs plain bone cement. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This international cohort study used data from 14 national or regional joint arthroplasty registries in Australia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the UK, and the US. The study included primary TKAs for osteoarthritis registered from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2020, and followed-up until December 31, 2021. Data analysis was performed from April to September 2023. EXPOSURE Primary TKA with ALBC vs plain bone cement. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was risk of 1-year revision for PJI. Using a distributed data network analysis method, data were harmonized, and a cumulative revision rate was calculated (1 - Kaplan-Meier), and Cox regression analyses were performed within the 10 registries using both cement types. A meta-analysis was then performed to combine all aggregated data and evaluate the risk of 1-year revision for PJI and all causes. RESULTS Among 2 168 924 TKAs included, 93% were performed with ALBC. Most TKAs were performed in female patients (59.5%) and patients aged 65 to 74 years (39.9%), fully cemented (92.2%), and in the 2015 to 2020 period (62.5%). All participating registries reported a cumulative 1-year revision rate for PJI of less than 1% following primary TKA with ALBC (range, 0.21%-0.80%) and with plain bone cement (range, 0.23%-0.70%). The meta-analyses based on adjusted Cox regression for 1 917 190 TKAs showed no statistically significant difference at 1 year in risk of revision for PJI (hazard rate ratio, 1.16; 95% CI, 0.89-1.52) or for all causes (hazard rate ratio, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.89-1.40) among TKAs performed with ALBC vs plain bone cement. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this study, the risk of revision for PJI was similar between ALBC and plain bone cement following primary TKA. Any additional costs of ALBC and its relative value in reducing revision risk should be considered in the context of the overall health care delivery system

The use of antibiotic-loaded bone cement and systemic antibiotic prophylactic use in 2,971,357 primary total knee arthroplasties from 2010 to 2020: an international register-based observational study among countries in Africa, Europe, North America, and Oceania.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Antibiotic-loaded bone cement (ALBC) and systemic antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP) have been used to reduce periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) rates. We investigated the use of ALBC and SAP in primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). PATIENTS AND METHODS This observational study is based on 2,971,357 primary TKAs reported in 2010-2020 to national/regional joint arthroplasty registries in Australia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, and the USA. Aggregate-level data on trends and types of bone cement, antibiotic agents, and doses and duration of SAP used was extracted from participating registries. RESULTS ALBC was used in 77% of the TKAs with variation ranging from 100% in Norway to 31% in the USA. Palacos R+G was the most common (62%) ALBC type used. The primary antibiotic used in ALBC was gentamicin (94%). Use of ALBC in combination with SAP was common practice (77%). Cefazolin was the most common (32%) SAP agent. The doses and duration of SAP used varied from one single preoperative dosage as standard practice in Bolzano, Italy (98%) to 1-day 4 doses in Norway (83% of the 40,709 TKAs reported to the Norwegian arthroplasty register). CONCLUSION The proportion of ALBC usage in primary TKA varies internationally, with gentamicin being the most common antibiotic. ALBC in combination with SAP was common practice, with cefazolin the most common SAP agent. The type of ALBC and type, dose, and duration of SAP varied among participating countries

Rozwój zrównoważony z perspektywy systemowej: podejście kontekstowe

Sustainable development represents a shared aspiration, the priority of which is widely recognised worldwide by scientists, decision-makers and public opinion alike. It became a topic for reflection and an endeavour for initiatives taken by local communities, businesses, regions, states and international organisations. The subject of sustainability is interdisciplinary and involves a complex thinking that recently led to the emergence of a new discipline, namely sustainability science. The systems approach (systemics) is deemed to offer a set of concepts and methods that enable the elaboration of visions, as well as the steering of the process of sustainable development in real contexts. Within this framework, the main strength of this approach consists in its capacity to overcome the reductionism peculiar to conventional perspectives on sustainability as being limited to greening and environmentalism. The alternative perspective proposed by systemics is based on taking stock of the knowledge pertaining to the complex interdependencies between nature, society (including the economy), technology and the built environment. In short, systemics offers a background that is both pertinent and pragmatic and which enables the understanding of complex problems and the design of their solutions. One peculiarity of this approach resides in its capacity to foster the coining of new, meaningrich concepts, usable in further theoretical and practical undertakings. Examples of such concepts include systemography, complexification, syntegrity, and coopetition. This paper proposes a new such concept, that is sitesynthesis, rooted in the spirit of a given place and time.Rozwój zrównoważony jest wyrazem wspólnych aspiracji wyrażanych na całym świecie przez naukowców, polityków i opinię publiczną. To nie tylko temat do dyskusji, ale także do podejmowania konretnych inicjatyw i to na różnych poziomach: lokalnych społeczności, przedsiębiorstw, regionów, krajów i organizacji międzynarodowych. Zagadnienie zrównoważoności jest interdyscyplinarne i zakłada holistyczne podejście, które niedawno doprowadziło do powstania nowej dyscypliny naukowej, którą jest nauka dla zrównoważonego rozwoju. Uznaje się, że podejście systemowe (teoria systemów) oferuje zbiór pojęć i metod właściwych dla wypracowania koncepcji, a także wdrażania rozwoju zrównoważonego w rzeczywistości. Główną zaletą tego podejścia jest przezwyciężenie redukcjonizmu, który jest cechą charakterystyczną tradycyjnego traktowania zrównoważoności, zawężonego do ekologii i środowiska. Alternatywa, którą niesie ze sobą podejście systemowe, oparta jest na zasobach wiedzy odnoszącej się do złożonych współzależności występujących w świecie przyrody, społeczeństwie (w tym ekonomii), technologii i środowisku architektonicznym. Ujmując inaczej, podejście systemowe to podstawa, która jest trafna teoretycznie, a zarazem praktyczna, a która umożliwia zrozumienie złożonych problemów i przedstawia możliwe sposoby ich rozwiązania. Cechą szczególną tego podejścia jest zdolność do kreowania nowych szeroko zakrojonych koncepcji, które będą możliwe do wykorzystania w przyszłych tak teoretycznych, jak i praktycznych przedsięwzięciach. Wśród przykładowych koncepcji wskażmy na systemografię, syntensegrację i konkuperację. W niniejszym artykule zaproponowano kolejną taką koncepcję – to synteza zakorzeniona w duchu danego miejsca i czasu

Technology shocks and sectoral labour market spill-overs

In a multi-sector model estimated on U.S. data, we apply standard long-run restrictions to investigate the labour market consequences of investment-specific and neutral technology shocks. We set up a global VAR model where aggregate technology shocks feed onto sector-specific dynamics and then propagate back through the network structure of the economy. At the aggregate level, our results are consistent with the wealth of existing empirical studies where investment-specific technology shocks trigger favourable employment responses, in contrast to neutral technology shocks. At a disaggregate level, however, we uncover the significant contribution of sectoral spill-overs in response to technology shocks, particularly in driving the adjustment towards long-term equilibrium

SEM for the general structural features assesing of the synthetic polymer scaffolds

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the possibility of Optical Coherence Tomography to diagnose the interfaces between the bone and collagen matrix in the dedicated areas. For this investigations a Time Domain OCT device was used working at 1300 nm combined with a confocal microscope that worked at 970 nm. The conclusions pointed out the possibilities of using OCT in dental direct diagnosis

Effects of Self-Assessment on Math Homework

In this action research study of my eighth grade differentiated Algebra students, I investigated the effects of students using self-assessment on their homework. Students in my class were unmotivated and failed test objectives consistently. I wanted students to see that they controlled their learning and could be motivated to succeed. Formative assessment tells students how they need to improve. Learning needs to happen before they can be assessed. Self-assessment is one tool that helps students know if they are learning. A rubric scoring guide, daily documentation sheet and feedback on homework and test correlations were used to help students monitor their learning. Students needed time to develop the skill to self-assess. Students began to understand the relationship between homework and performing well on tests by the end of the action research period. Early in the period, most students encountered difficulty understanding that they controlled their learning and did not think homework was important. By the end of the year, all students said homework was important and that it helped them on quizzes and tests. Motivating students to complete homework is difficult. Teaching them to self-assess and to keep track of their learning helps them stay motivated