High Temperature Investigation of the Dynamics and the Thermodynamics of ZrHU System by Neutron Scattering

Inelastic neutron scattering (INS) measurements of the vabrational frequencies in deltaZr hydride containing uranium, ZrH_{1.6}U_{0.32}, have been performed in the range of high temperatures, between 293 and 973 K, at DIN2PI timeofflight spectrometer, IBR2 pulsed reactor of JINRDubna. From the temperature dependence of the generalized vibrational density of states (GVDS), information about the H potential have been obtained and also high frequency limit of the lattice vibrations and frequency of optical vabrations have been studied as functions of temperature. Starting from the basic properties, the main thermodynamic functions, the characteristic Debye and Einstein temperatures and the total specific heat have been derived

The clinical expertise of the emergency hospital "Bagdasar - Arseni" in the complex rehabilitation of post-traumatic brain injury patients

Objective. To systematically evaluate the outcomes we obtained in the complex rehabilitation of post-traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients compared to similar approaches. Material and methods. This study is a retrospective statistical analysis on a series of 333 post-TBI patients - 245 males and 88 females - with the mean age around 40 years, most of them married, transferred to our PRM clinic division, during 2001-2005. To assess the motor-functional/ independence status and its evolution / outcomes, at admission and at discharge, we used a simplified by us, mixture (from seven to four levels, respectively, from six to four grades), of the FIM instrument (by the State University of New York at Buffalo / UBFA, 2007) and of the modified Rankin, scales. For assessing speech disorders, at admission and at discharge, the aphasia classification we used, comprised (also) four levels: from very severe (global), to mild (moderate anomic and respectively, disarthria). The psychological aspects were recorded in two moments: the initial evaluation (45 patients-at their discharge) and the final one (30 patients-after one year), using: MMSE, Hamburg-Wechsler Intelligence Scale, Cattell Anxiety Questionnaire, SF-8TM and respectively, the "Behavior and Mood Evaluative" Scale. All the collected data were processed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS10.0): descriptive, correlative, differential/inferential. Results and discussions. The main causes of TBI were: car accidents = 194 cases (58.2%), falls from height = 63 cases (18.9%), aggressions = 44 cases (13.2%), other causes = 32 patients (9.6%). Regarding the motor-functional/ independence outcome status, the statistical analysis showed that this correlated with the at admission levels: the better the initial state, the better the final one. As for speech disorders, 121 (36.3%) patients presented aphasia; at discharge, 117 (96.7% of them were ameliorated (in very large variable amounts, ranging from 25% to 8000%) and 4 (3.3%) were stationary. Concerning family re-integration, 270 (81%) of our patients were completely re-integrated in their families environment, 15% only partially and almost 4% were no longer accepted by their families. As for the professional re-insertion, farmers/peasants (65.8%) and respectively, college students & pupils (8-18 years old: 65.2%), achieved the highest levels of occupational re-integration, in contrast with graduated employees, followed by undergraduates, who showed the smallest amount of professional re-insertion: 79% and respectively, 52% of them, retired / quit high schools because of their post-TBI sequels. Towards the global perception on their quality of life (QOL), our patients displayed an improving trend during the first year after TBI, from - initially - a negative perception, to a positive one: finally, 97% appreciated they were satisfied with their (late) post-TBI lives. Conclusions. Our results - including especially the rehabilitation outcomes - are quite similar to those obtained and published by other rehabilitation centers, worldwide. As confirmed at the 4 International Conference of Academia Multidisciplinaria Neurotraumatologica (AMN - Copenhagen, 2006), the 333 patients we studied represent, to date, the largest post-TBI case series, internationally