Intravenous Cyclophosphamide Therapy in Adults with Henoch-Schönlein Purpura

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The Light and Period Variations of the Eclipsing Binary AA Ursae Majoris

We present new multiband CCD photometry for AA UMa made on 8 nights between January and March 2009; the $R$ light curves are the first ever compiled. Historical light curves, as well as ours, display partial eclipses and inverse O'Connell effects with Max I fainter than Max II. Among possible spot models, a cool spot on either of the component stars and its variability with time permit good light-curve representations for the system. A total of 194 eclipse timings over 81 yrs, including our five timings, were used for ephemeris computations. We found that the orbital period of the system has varied due to a periodic oscillation overlaid on an upward parabolic variation. The continuous period increase at a fractional rate of $+$1.3$\times$10$^{-10}$ is consistent with that calculated from the W-D code and can be interpreted as a thermal mass transfer from the less to the more massive secondary star at a rate of 6.6$\times$10$^{-8}$ M$_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$. The periodic component is in satisfactory accord with a light-time effect due to an unseen companion with a period of 28.2 yrs, a semi-amplitude of 0.007 d, and a minimum mass of $M_3 \sin i_3$=0.25 $M_\odot$ but this period variation could also arise from magnetic activity.Comment: 23 pages, including 5 figures and 8 tables, accepted for publication in PAS

Tensile Behavior and Cracking Pattern of an Ultra-High Performance Mortar Reinforced by Polyethylene Fiber

This paper presents an experimental study of the compressive strength, tensile behavior (including the tensile strength, tensile strain capacity, and toughness), and cracking patterns of an ultra-high performance mortar (UHPM) reinforced by polyethylene (PE) fiber as well as a discussion of the different tensile behaviors of the UHPM according to the types and contents of fibers used. The UHPM reinforced by microsteel fiber of 1.5 vol% and the UHPM reinforced by PE fibers with three different fiber contents were designed and prepared. A series of experiments was undertaken to assess the effect of PE fiber on the properties of the UHPM. The results found a lower strength level, higher tensile strain capacity and toughness, and a larger crack width in the PE fiber-reinforced UHPM compared to microsteel fiber-reinforced UHPM. It was also demonstrated that tensile strain capacity and toughness of 4.05% and 0.454 MPa m/m, respectively, can be attained when using the proposed polyethylene-fiber-reinforced UHPM

A Survey on the Impact of Operation Volume on Rectal Cancer Management

The rectal cancer management can be influenced by the surgeon's practice and the hospital. This study was to evaluate the differences according to the surgeon's operative volume and the level of the hospital. Questionnaires were sent out to the members of the 'Korean Society of Coloproctology', and the responses were evaluated according to the surgeon's operation volume, the surgeon's age, and the level of the hospital. Sixty responses were received during the three months' period (from August to October 2004). Thirty three respondents (55%) operated more than 50 cases of rectal cancer per year (high-volume surgeons), and 37 respondents (61%) worked at university hospitals or tertiary care facilities (high-level hospitals). The preoperative evaluation with endorectal ultrasonography (ERUS) was significantly different according to the surgeon's operation volume and the level of the hospital, whereas magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography (PET) was significantly different only for the surgeon's operation volume. The preoperative radiation therapy was significantly different according to the surgeon's operation volume, the surgeon's age, and the level of the hospital. However, there was no significant difference found on the operative procedures or postoperative surveillance. The preoperative loco-regional evaluation and the preoperative radiation therapy could be considered as the factors that influence the volume-outcome relationship in rectal cancer treatment

Quantization of virtual Grothendieck rings and their structure including quantum cluster algebras

The quantum Grothendieck ring of a certain category of finite-dimensional modules over a quantum loop algebra associated with a complex finite-dimensional simple Lie algebra $\mathfrak{g}$ has a quantum cluster algebra structure of skew-symmetric type. Partly motivated by a search of a ring corresponding to a quantum cluster algebra of {\em skew-symmetrizable} type, the quantum {\em virtual} Grothendieck ring, denoted by $\mathfrak{K}_q(\mathfrak{g})$, is recently introduced by Kashiwara--Oh \cite{KO23} as a subring of the quantum torus based on the $(q,t)$-Cartan matrix specialized at $q=1$. In this paper, we prove that $\mathfrak{K}_q(\mathfrak{g})$ indeed has a quantum cluster algebra structure of skew-symmetrizable type. This task essentially involves constructing distinguished bases of $\mathfrak{K}_q(\mathfrak{g})$ that will be used to make cluster variables and generalizing the quantum $T$-system associated with Kirillov--Reshetikhin modules to establish a quantum exchange relation of cluster variables. Furthermore, these distinguished bases naturally fit into the paradigm of Kazhdan--Lusztig theory and our study of these bases leads to some conjectures on quantum positivity and $q$-commutativity