An evaluation of the posterior cruciate ligament function in total knee arthroplasty with regard to its morphology and clinical properties

The aim of the study was to determine the degree of posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) degeneration and the reduction in the number of its mechanoreceptors, in patients with advanced degenerative joint disease. PCLs taken from study group of 50 patients in the mean age of 70.7 (53–84) years with a diagnosis of advanced idiopathic osteoarthritis undergoing condylar total knee arthroplasty were compared to those taken form the control group of 10 knee joints of cadavers. Groups were matched with regard to sex and age. Histological examination of PCLs of the study group showed changes of an inflammatory process and no significant signs of osteoarthritis in the control group. A close correlation was found between the severity of degenerative changes on the X-ray images according to the Ahlbäck scale, and the increased mucoid degeneration (p < 0.0001), the severity of the degeneration of the collagen structure (p < 0.0001) and the presence of proprioceptors of PCLs (p < 0.0001). Conserving the PCL by the use of type cruciate retaining knee arthroplasty does not guarantee the preservation of correct proprioceptive sensation

Present and past selves : a steady-state visual evoked potentials approach to self-face processing

The self-face has a prioritized status in the processing of incoming visual inputs. As the self-face changes over the lifespan, this stimulus seems to be well-suited for investigation of the self across time. Here, steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEP, oscillatory responses to periodic stimulation with a frequency that mirrors the frequency of stimulation) were used to investigate this topic. Different types of faces (present self, past self, close-other's, unknown, scrambled) flickered four times per second in two types of stimulation (‘identical', with the same image of a given type of face; ‘different', with different images of the same type of face). Each of the 10 stimulation sessions lasted 90 seconds and was repeated three times. EEG data were recorded and analyzed in 20 participants. In general, faces evoked higher SSVEP than scrambled faces. The impact of identical and different stimulation was similar for faces and scrambled faces: SSVEP to different stimuli (faces, scrambled faces) was enhanced in comparison to identical ones. Present self-faces evoked higher SSVEP responses than past self-faces in the different stimulation condition only. Thus, our results showed that the physical aspects of the present and past selves are differentiated on the neural level in the absence of an overt behavior

Understanding the Long-Term Benefits of a Latino Financial Literacy Education Program

The long-term impact of a Latino financial literacy program was evaluated with a sample of relatively recent immigrant populations in southern Minnesota. Telephone and face-to-face interviews were conducted with participants 6 months post program completion. Results indicate that improvements in knowledge and skills were retained and that these learning were applied to make improvements in participants\u27 financial situations. Participants acknowledged that more important than gaining knowledge was learning how to apply what they have learned. Implications for Extension are offered in terms of those factors that promoted the effectiveness of the financial literacy education

Prospective Evaluation of the Ultrasound Signs Proposed for the Description of Uterine Niche in Nonpregnant Women

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the new ultrasound-based signs for the diagnosis of post-cesarean section uterine niche in nonpregnant women. METHODS: We investigated prospectively a cohort of 160 consecutive women with one previous term cesarean delivery (CD) between December 2019 and 2020. All women were separated into two subgroups according to different stages of labor at the time of their CD: subgroup A (n = 109; 68.1%) for elective CD and CD performed in latent labor at a cervical dilatation (≤4 cm) and subgroup B (n = 51; 31.9%); for CD performed during the active stage of labor (>4 cm). RESULTS: Overall, the incidence of a uterine niche was significantly (P  3 mm in subgroup A than in subgroup B and a significant negative relationship was found between the RMT and the cervical dilatation at CD (r = -0.22; P = .008). CONCLUSIONS: Sonographic cesarean section scar assessment indicates that the type of CD and the stage of labor at which the hysterotomy is performed have an impact on the location of the scar and the scarification process including the niche formation and RMT

A study on the geographical distribution of Brazil’s prestigious software developers

Brazil is an emerging economy with many IT initiatives from public and private sectors. To evaluate the progress of such initiatives, we study the geographical distribution of software developers in Brazil, in particular which of the Brazilian states succeed the most in attracting and nurturing them. We compare the prestige of developers with socio-economic data and find that (i) prestigious developers tend to be located in the most economically developed regions of Brazil, (ii) they are likely to follow others in the same state they are located in, (iii) they are likely to follow other prestigious developers, and (iv) they tend to follow more people. We discuss the implications of those findings for the development of the Brazilian software industry.Fernando Figueira Filho, Marcelo Gattermann Perin, Christoph Treude, Sabrina Marczak, Leandro Melo, Igor Marques da Silva and Lucas Bibiano dos Santo

Speed of Sound, Density, and Related Thermodynamic Excess Properties of Binary Mixtures of 2-Pyrrolidone and N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone with Acetonitrile and Chloroform

© 2016 American Chemical Society.Densities and speeds of sound were measured for binary mixtures of 2-pyrrolidone or N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone with acetonitrile or chloroform at temperatures of (293.15 to 323.15) K and at atmospheric pressure, with uncertainties of 0.5 kg·m-3 and 0.5 m·s-1, respectively. From the measured speeds and densities, isentropic compressibilities and molar excesses of volume, isentropic compression, and thermal expansion were calculated. All of the excesses are negative, which is due to the geometries of the molecules and changes in the hydrogen bonding upon mixing. In the simplest case of the N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone + acetonitrile system, the negative excesses result only from the different sizes of the molecules because the components are incapable of forming either self- or cross-associates. For the other systems, the net effects of the formation and/or dissociation of the hydrogen bonds lead to bigger negative excesses of molar volume and thermal expansion. The negative excesses of compression are probably caused mainly by filling of the gaps between the big lactam molecules with the smaller acetonitrile or chloroform molecules, while the formation of the hydrogen-bonded cross-associates plays a minor role