Patterns of Uveitis in the Middle East and Europe

Purpose: To compare the patterns of uveitis, emphasizing similarities and discrepancies, in the Middle East and Europe. Methods: Six articles reporting uveitis patterns from the Middle East including a total of 2,693 cases, and seven articles with a sum of 4,379 cases from Europe were analyzed and patterns in each region were defined and compared. Results: In both regions, uveitis was most commonly seen in the fourth decade of life with anterior uveitis being the most common anatomical form. Idiopathic cases accounted for the majority of anterior and intermediate uveitis; toxoplasmosis was the most frequent entity in posterior uveitis while Behcet′s disease and idiopathic forms were the next most common causes in the Middle East and in Europe, respectively. Conclusion: Since patterns of uveitis differ in various geographic regions, discovering these patterns would be helpful for the diagnosis and treatment of this broad category of conditions. This necessitates applying a universal diagnostic classification system to enable accurate comparisons

Bergman kernel and complex singularity exponent

We give a precise estimate of the Bergman kernel for the model domain defined by $\Omega_F=\{(z,w)\in \mathbb{C}^{n+1}:{\rm Im}w-|F(z)|^2>0\},$ where $F=(f_1,...,f_m)$ is a holomorphic map from $\mathbb{C}^n$ to $\mathbb{C}^m$, in terms of the complex singularity exponent of $F$.Comment: to appear in Science in China, a special issue dedicated to Professor Zhong Tongde's 80th birthda

Modeling the Temporal Dynamics of Visual Working Memory

Abstract Visual working memory (VWM) is one of the most crucial parts of the human cognitive system. Research focuses on the apparent limits in the capacity of this system and the reasons for them. So far only a few formal models exist that can account for the temporal dynamics of the amount of information stored in VWM. We propose a combination of the well established theory of visual attention (TVA) with a dynamic memory model, resulting in an iterative, probabilistic framework for VWM. The model includes a consolidation as well as a decay mechanism and employs the strength concept to quantify the availability of a certain memory trace. We evaluate the model on available change detection data

Brillouin light scattering study of Co2_{2}Cr0.6_{0.6}Fe0.4_{0.4}Al and Co2_{2}FeAl Heusler compounds

The thermal magnonic spectra of Co$_{2}$Cr$_{0.6}$Fe$_{0.4}$Al (CCFA) and Co$_2$FeAl were investigated using Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy (BLS). For CCFA, the exchange constant A (exchange stiffness D) is found to be 0.48 $\mu$erg/cm (203 meV A$^2$), while for Co$_2$FeAl the corresponding values of 1.55 $\mu$erg/cm (370 meV A$^2$) were found. The observed asymmetry in the BLS spectra between the Stokes and anti-Stokes frequencies was assigned to an interplay between the asymmetrical profiles of hybridized Damon-Esbach and perpendicular standing spin-wave modes, combined with the optical sensitivity of the BLS signal to the upper side of the CCFA or Co$_2$FeAl film

Minimally invasive reconstruction of lateral tibial plateau fractures using the jail technique: a biomechanical study

Background: This study described a novel, minimally invasive reconstruction technique of lateral tibial plateau fractures using a three-screw jail technique and compared it to a conventional two-screw osteosynthesis technique. The benefit of an additional screw implanted in the proximal tibia from the anterior at an angle of 90° below the conventional two-screw reconstruction after lateral tibial plateau fracture was evaluated. This new method was called the jail technique. Methods: The two reconstruction techniques were tested using a porcine model (n = 40). Fracture was simulated using a defined osteotomy of the lateral tibial plateau. Load-to-failure and multiple cyclic loading tests were conducted using a material testing machine. Twenty tibias were used for each reconstruction technique, ten of which were loaded in a load-to-failure protocol and ten cyclically loaded (5000 times) between 200 and 1000 N using a ramp protocol. Displacement, stiffness and yield load were determined from the resulting load displacement curve. Failure was macroscopically documented. Results: In the load-to-failure testing, the jail technique showed a significantly higher mean maximum load (2275.9 N) in comparison to the conventional reconstruction (1796.5 N, p  0.05). In cyclic testing, the jail technique also showed better trends in displacement that were not statistically significant. Failure modes showed a tendency of screws cutting through the bone (cut-out) in the conventional reconstruction. No cut-out but a bending of the lag screws at the site of the additional third screw was observed in the jail technique. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that the jail and the conventional technique have seemingly similar biomechanical properties. This suggests that the jail technique may be a feasible alternative to conventional screw osteosynthesis in the minimally invasive reconstruction of lateral tibial plateau fractures. A potential advantage of the jail technique is the prevention of screw cut-outs through the cancellous bone.<br

On the Bergman representative coordinates

We study the set where the so-called Bergman representative coordinates (or Bergman functions) form an immersion. We provide an estimate of the size of a maximal geodesic ball with respect to the Bergman metric, contained in this set. By concrete examples we show that these estimates are the best possible.Comment: 20 page