Direct Ultraviolet Imaging and Spectroscopy of Betelgeuse

Direct images of Betelgeuse were obtained over a span of 4 years with the Faint Object Camera on the Hubble Space Telescope. These images reveal the extended ultraviolet continuum emission (about 2 times the optical diameter), the varying overall ultraviolet flux levels and a pattern of bright surface continuum features that change in position and appearance over several months or less. Concurrent photometry and radial velocity measures support the model of a pulsating star, first discovered in the ultraviolet from IUE. Spatially resolved HST spectroscopy reveals a larger extention in chromospheric emissions of Mg II as well as the rotation of the supergiant. Changing localized subsonic flows occur in the low chromosphere that can cover a substantial fraction of the stellar disk and may initiate the mass outflow.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, Betelgeuse Workshop, November 2012, Paris. To be published in the European Astronomical Society Publications Series, 2013, Editors: Pierre Kervella, Thibaut Le Bertre & Guy Perri

Application of ovariovit to improve diary cows conception rate

This article presents the results of a study on the efficiency of fertilization by treatment with ovariovit and liarsin. The study was conducted on the facility of “Kamyshinskoe” farm in Shemonaikhinskiy region of Vostochno-Khazakhstanskaya oblast in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Animals of different ages and with the same productivity were selected for the experiment. Treatment of animals was carried out after gynecological clinical examination. The examination of animals was performed by rectal and biophysical methods. The efficiency of homeopathic and hormonal treatments of the dairy cows to increase fertility were studied. The performed study enabled evaluation of various schemes for increasing the fertility of dairy cows. The results of the study showed a higher efficiency with the treatment of homeopathic drugs

Theoretical and experimental analysis of the backward extrusion process with a rotational die of AZ31 alloy

In this work theoretical and experimental analysis of the backward extrusion with a rotary die of the AZ31 alloy has been performed. The modification of the classical extrusion was based on the use of a rotary die. The results of theoretical research have confirmed that the use of the modified backward extrusion causes the appearance of shear stress in deformed material, which could affects the activation of additional mechanisms of deformation. The numerical modelling of the rotating extrusion of AZ31 alloy has been conducted by using the computer program Forge®. The experimental tests were carried out in the conditions of the STD 810 torsion plastometer using newly designed tools

Comparative Osteogenesis of Maxilla and Iliac Crest Human Bone Marrow Stromal Cells Attached to Oxidized Titanium - a Pilot Study

Objectives Severe alveolar bone loss affects dental implant placement. Bone augmentation by grafting iliac crest bone rich in osteoprogenitor cells like bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) requires a second surgical procedure in non-orofacial bone. Skeletal site-specific osteogenesis indicates maxilla and mandible BMSCs are highly proliferative and exhibit osteogenic properties superior to iliac crest BMSCs. Alveolar bone can be easily obtained during routine dental surgery, but it is unclear if titanium-attached alveolar BMSCs will retain their superior osteogenic properties. This study evaluated and compared in vitro osteogenic properties of titanium-attached maxilla and iliac crest BMSCs in same individuals. Materials and Methods Primary culture of maxilla and iliac crest BMSCs from four normal healthy volunteers were expanded in culture. In 24-well plates, first passage BMSCs were seeded directly (1 × 104 cells/well) on oxidized titanium discs (1.27cm diameter and 2mm thickness) or tissue culture plate. Each cell type was assessed for affinity for titanium, post-attachment survival and osteogenic differentiation based on alkaline phosphatase and osteopontin expressions. Results There was no difference in the affinity of maxilla and iliac crest BMSCs to titanium. However, titanium-attached maxilla BMSCs were apparently more osteogenically responsive than iliac crest cells based on calcium accumulation and gene expression of alkaline phosphatase and osteopontin. But these differences were not statistically significant in this small patient sample. Conclusion Maxilla and iliac crest BMSCs have similar attachment affinity for titanium. This pilot study indicate that titanium-attached maxilla BMSCs were more osteogenically responsive and may be a viable and more readily available donor graft material in implant dentistry

Sex and Diffusion Tensor Imaging of White Matter in Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review Plus Meta-analysis of the Corpus Callosum

Sex is considered an understudied variable in health research. Schizophrenia is a brain disorder with known sex differences in epidemiology and clinical presentation. We systematically reviewed the literature for sex-based differences of diffusion properties of white matter tracts in schizophrenia. We then conducted a meta-analysis examining sex-based differences in the genu and splenium of the corpus callosum in schizophrenia. Medline and Embase were searched to identify relevant papers. Studies fulfilling the following criteria were included: (1) included individuals with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, (2) included a control group of healthy individuals, (3) included both sexes in the patient and the control groups, (4) used diffusion tensor imaging, and (5) involved analyzing metrics of white matter microstructural integrity. Fractional anisotropy (FA) was used as the measure of interest in the meta-analysis. Of 730 studies reviewed, 75 met the inclusion criteria. Most showed no effect of sex, however, those that did found either that females have lower FA than males, or that the effect of disease in females is larger than that in males. The findings of the meta-analysis in the corpus callosum supported this result. There is a recognized need for studies on schizophrenia with a sufficient sample of female patients. Lack of power undermines the ability to detect sex-based differences. Understanding the sex-specific impact of illness on neural circuits may help inform development of new treatments, and improvement of existing interventions

Clinical significance of medial vs lateral compartment patellofemoral osteoarthritis: cross-sectional analyses in an adult population with knee pain

Objective To determine the comparative prevalence, associations with selected patient characteristics, and clinical outcomes of medial and lateral compartment patellofemoral (PF) joint osteoarthritis (OA). Methods Information was collected by questionnaires, clinical assessment, and radiographs from 745 eligible community‐dwelling symptomatic adults age ≥50 years. PF joint space narrowing (JSN) and osteophytes were scored from skyline radiographs using the Osteoarthritis Research Society International atlas. Multilevel models were used to assess associations of compartmental PF joint OA with age, sex, body mass index (BMI) and varus–valgus malalignment, while median regression was used to examine associations with clinical outcomes (current pain intensity on a numeric rating scale [0–10] and the function subscale of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index [0–68]). Results Isolated lateral PF joint OA was more common than isolated medial PF joint OA, particularly at higher severity thresholds. Irrespective of severity threshold, age (≥2 odds ratio [OR] 1.19 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.12, 1.26]), BMI (≥2 OR 1.15 [95% CI 1.07, 1.24]), and valgus malalignment (≥2 OR 2.58 [95% CI 1.09, 6.07]) were associated with increased odds of isolated lateral JSN, but isolated medial JSN was only associated with age (≥2 OR 1.20 [95% CI 1.14, 1.27]). The pattern of association was less clear for PF joint osteophytes. Isolated lateral PF joint OA, defined by JSN or osteophytes, was associated with higher pain scores than isolated medial PF joint OA, but these differences were modest and were not significant. A similar pattern of association was seen for functional limitation but only when PF joint OA was defined by JSN. Conclusion Isolated lateral PF joint OA is more common than isolated medial PF joint OA, and it is more consistently associated with established OA risk factors. It is also associated with higher, but clinically nonsignificant, pain and function scores than isolated medial PF joint OA, particularly when PF joint OA is defined using JSN

A Keck/HIRES Doppler Search for Planets Orbiting Metal-Poor Dwarfs. I. Testing Giant Planet Formation and Migration Scenarios

We describe a high-precision Doppler search for giant planets orbiting a well-defined sample of metal-poor dwarfs in the field. This experiment constitutes a fundamental test of theoretical predictions which will help discriminate between proposed giant planet formation and migration models. We present here details on the survey as well as an overall assessment of the quality of our measurements, making use of the results for the stars that show no significant velocity variation.Comment: 25 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Relation of Temporal Asymmetry During Walking to Two-Year Knee Pain Outcomes in Those With Mild-to-Moderate Unilateral Knee Pain: An Exploratory Analysis From the Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to explore the cross-sectional relation of unilateral knee pain severity and temporal asymmetry during walking and to determine relations of temporal asymmetry during walking to 2-year changes in ipsilateral and contralateral knee pain in those with mild-to-moderate unilateral knee pain. METHODS: The Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study is a prospective cohort study of adults with or at risk for knee osteoarthritis. The current study included participants with unilateral knee pain. Gait was assessed during self-selected and fast walking at baseline. Knee pain was assessed at baseline and 2 years. We calculated limb symmetry indices (LSIs; nonpainful limb/painful limb × 100) for stance, single-limb support time, and double-limb support time, then examined their relations to unilateral knee pain severity, incident contralateral knee pain, and persistent ipsilateral knee pain. RESULTS: Unilateral knee pain severity was not associated with temporal asymmetry during self-selected or fast walking. At 2 years, 17.1% of participants had incident contralateral knee pain and 51.4% had persistent ipsilateral knee pain. For self-selected walking, greater LSIs (i.e., longer time on the nonpainful limb) for stance and single-limb support time were associated with decreased odds of incident contralateral knee pain. Measures of temporal asymmetry were not associated with persistent ipsilateral knee pain, except for single-limb support time during fast walking. CONCLUSION: For those with unilateral knee pain, temporal asymmetry during walking is not associated with pain severity. However, select measures of stance and single-limb support time during self-selected and fast walking relate to longitudinal knee pain outcomes