838 research outputs found
Chronic dermatomycoses of the foot as risk factors for acute bacterial cellulitis of the leg: A case-control study
Objective: To assess the role of foot dermatomycosis ( tinea pedis and onychomycosis) and other candidate risk factors in the development of acute bacterial cellulitis of the leg. Methods: A case-control study, including 243 patients ( cases) with acute bacterial cellulitis of the leg and 467 controls, 2 per case, individually matched for gender, age (+/-5 years), hospital and admission date (+/-2 months). Results: Overall, mycology-proven foot dermatomycosis was a significant risk factor for acute bacterial cellulitis (odds ratio, OR: 2.4; p < 0.001), as were tinea pedis interdigitalis (OR: 3.2; p < 0.001), tinea pedis plantaris (OR: 1.7; p = 0.005) and onychomycosis (OR: 2.2; p < 0.001) individually. Other risk factors included: disruption of the cutaneous barrier, history of bacterial cellulitis, chronic venous insufficiency and leg oedema. Conclusions: Tinea pedis and onychomycosis were found to be significant risk factors for acute bacterial cellulitis of the leg that are readily amenable to treatment with effective pharmacological therapy. Copyright (C) 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel
Prophylactic radiotherapy against heterotopic ossification following internal fixation of acetabular fractures: a comparative estimate of risk.
OBJECTIVE: Radiotherapy (RT) is effective in preventing heterotopic ossification (HO) around acetabular fractures requiring surgical reconstruction. We audited outcomes and estimated risks from RT prophylaxis, and alternatives of indometacin or no prophylaxis. METHODS: 34 patients underwent reconstruction of acetabular fractures through a posterior approach, followed by a 8-Gy single fraction. The mean age was 44 years. The mean time from surgery to RT was 1.1 days. The major RT risk is radiation-induced fatal cancer. The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) method was used to estimate risk, and compared with a method (Trott and Kemprad) specifically for estimating RT risk for benign disease. These were compared with risks associated with indometacin and no prophylaxis. RESULTS: 28 patients (82%) developed no HO; 6 developed Brooker Class I; and none developed Class II-IV HO. The ICRP method suggests a risk of fatal cancer in the range of 1 in 1000 to 1 in 10,000; the Trott and Kemprad method suggests 1 in 3000. For younger patients, this may rise to 1 in 2000; and for elderly patients, it may fall to 1 in 6000. The risk of death from gastric bleeding or perforation from indometacin is 1 in 180 to 1 in 900 in older patients. Without prophylaxis risk of death from reoperation to remove HO is 1 in 4000 to 1 in 30,000. CONCLUSION: These results are encouraging, consistent with much larger series and endorse our multidisciplinary management. Risk estimates can be used in discussion with patients. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: The risk from RT prophylaxis is small, it is safer than indometacin and substantially overlaps with the range for no prophylaxis.NGB is supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre. JES is supported by Cancer Research UK through the Cambridge Cancer Centre.This is the accepted manuscript version. The final version is available from the BIR at http://www.birpublications.org/doi/abs/10.1259/bjr.20140398?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%3dpubmed&
Sigma models with off-shell N=(4,4) supersymmetry and noncommuting complex structures
We describe the conditions for extra supersymmetry in N=(2,2) supersymmetric
nonlinear sigma models written in terms of semichiral superfields. We find that
some of these models have additional off-shell supersymmetry. The (4,4)
supersymmetry introduces geometrical structures on the target-space which are
conveniently described in terms of Yano f-structures and Magri-Morosi
concomitants. On-shell, we relate the new structures to the known
bi-hypercomplex structures.Comment: 20 pages; v2: significant corrections, clarifications, and
reorganization; v3: discussion of supersymmetry vs twisted supersymmetry
added, relevant signs corrected
Imaging Subtle Microstructural Variations in Ceramics with Precision Ultrasonic Velocity and Attenuation Measurements
There is an international research effort to incorporate ceramic components into hot sections of heat engines. A major portion of this effort is directed towards the understanding and control of ceramic processing so that the strength of ceramics may be optimized. To date, the strength of sintered ceramics (e.g., SiC) is well below, by about two orders of magnitude, the theoretical strength [1,4]. This discrepancy is understood to be due to the presence of voids, inclusions, agglomerates, and anomalously large grains [4]. These defects, causing premature failure, are introduced or formed during the ceramic manufacturing process. Considerable work has already been done to remove these strength reducing material variations. This has resulted in a steady increase in the fracture strength of ceramics; however, the rate of this increase has slowed. Adding to the problem is the fact that the fracture strength of identically produced experimental samples varies as much as 35 percent [2]. As a result of the loss of momentum toward higher strengths, researchers are turning to ceramic- ceramic fiber composites. These composites show promise of increasing the fracture strength of ceramic materials even further. It is likely that the same material strength variations will be present, at least locally in the matrix, in ceramic composites
Gauge and Supersymmetric Invariance of a Boundary Bagger-Lambert-Gustavsson Theory
In this paper we will discuss the effect of a having a boundary on the
supersymmetric invariance and gauge invariance of the Bagger-Lambert-Gustavsson
(BLG) Theory. We will show that even though the supersymmetry and gauge
invariance of the original BLG theory is broken due to the presence of a
boundary, it restored by the addition of suitable boundary terms. In fact, to
achieve the gauge invariance of this theory, we will have to introduce new
boundary degrees of freedom. The boundary theory obeyed by these new boundary
degrees of freedom will be shown to be a generalization of the gauged
Wess-Zumino-Witten model, with the generators of the Lie algebra replaced by
the generators of the Lie 3-algebra. The gauge and supersymmetry variations of
the boundary theory will exactly cancel the boundary terms generated by the
gauge and supersymmetric variations of the bulk theory.Comment: 15 pages, 0 figures, accepted for publication in JHE
N = 2 supersymmetric sigma-models and duality
For two families of four-dimensional off-shell N = 2 supersymmetric nonlinear
sigma-models constructed originally in projective superspace, we develop their
formulation in terms of N = 1 chiral superfields. Specifically, these theories
are: (i) sigma-models on cotangent bundles T*M of arbitrary real analytic
Kaehler manifolds M; (ii) general superconformal sigma-models described by
weight-one polar supermultiplets. Using superspace techniques, we obtain a
universal expression for the holomorphic symplectic two-form \omega^{(2,0)}
which determines the second supersymmetry transformation and is associated with
the two complex structures of the hyperkaehler space T*M that are complimentary
to the one induced from M. This two-form is shown to coincide with the
canonical holomorphic symplectic structure. In the case (ii), we demonstrate
that \omega^{(2,0)} and the homothetic conformal Killing vector determine the
explicit form of the superconformal transformations. At the heart of our
construction is the duality (generalized Legendre transform) between off-shell
N = 2 supersymmetric nonlinear sigma-models and their on-shell N = 1 chiral
realizations. We finally present the most general N = 2 superconformal
nonlinear sigma-model formulated in terms of N = 1 chiral superfields. The
approach developed can naturally be generalized in order to describe 5D and 6D
superconformal nonlinear sigma-models in 4D N = 1 superspace.Comment: 31 pages, no figures; V2: reference and comments added, typos
corrected; V3: more typos corrected, published versio
Extended supersymmetric sigma models in AdS_4 from projective superspace
There exist two superspace approaches to describe N=2 supersymmetric
nonlinear sigma models in four-dimensional anti-de Sitter (AdS_4) space: (i) in
terms of N=1 AdS chiral superfields, as developed in arXiv:1105.3111 and
arXiv:1108.5290; and (ii) in terms of N=2 polar supermultiplets using the AdS
projective-superspace techniques developed in arXiv:0807.3368. The virtue of
the approach (i) is that it makes manifest the geometric properties of the N=2
supersymmetric sigma-models in AdS_4. The target space must be a non-compact
hyperkahler manifold endowed with a Killing vector field which generates an
SO(2) group of rotations on the two-sphere of complex structures. The power of
the approach (ii) is that it allows us, in principle, to generate hyperkahler
metrics as well as to address the problem of deformations of such metrics.
Here we show how to relate the formulation (ii) to (i) by integrating out an
infinite number of N=1 AdS auxiliary superfields and performing a superfield
duality transformation. We also develop a novel description of the most general
N=2 supersymmetric nonlinear sigma-model in AdS_4 in terms of chiral
superfields on three-dimensional N=2 flat superspace without central charge.
This superspace naturally originates from a conformally flat realization for
the four-dimensional N=2 AdS superspace that makes use of Poincare coordinates
for AdS_4. This novel formulation allows us to uncover several interesting
geometric results.Comment: 88 pages; v3: typos corrected, version published in JHE
Double In Situ Approach for the Preparation of Polymer Nanocomposite with Multi-functionality
A novel one-step synthetic route, the double in situ approach, is used to produce both TiO2nanoparticles and polymer (PET), and simultaneously forming a nanocomposite with multi-functionality. The method uses the release of water during esterification to hydrolyze titanium (IV) butoxide (Ti(OBu)4) forming nano-TiO2in the polymerization vessel. This new approach is of general significance in the preparation of polymer nanocomposites, and will lead to a new route in the synthesis of multi-functional polymer nanocomposites
Exploring patterns of recurrent melanoma in Northeast Scotland to inform the introduction a digital self-examination intervention
Peer reviewedPublisher PD
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