Surgical Treatment of Unstable Distal Radius Fractures With a Volar Variable-Angle Locking Plate: Clinical and Radiological Outcomes

Background: Unstable distal end radius fractures are difficult to manage and so various treatment modalities have been described. The use of variable-angle locking plates is promoted for the management of these fractures. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the functional and radiological outcomes in unstable distal end radius fractures treated with variable-angle locking plates. Patients and Methods: We reviewed 23 unstable distal end radius fractures that were treated at our institution with volar variable-angle locking plates. The mean age of the patients was 32.82 ± 11.81 years (range 19 to 62) and the mean duration of follow-up was 11.04 ± 2.47 months (range 6 to 15). All of the patients underwent open reduction and internal fixation with a variable-angle locking plate. Radiological parameters such as radial inclination, length, tilt, and ulnar variance were measured at six weeks and at the final follow-up. The functional evaluation was conducted by measuring the range of motion at the wrist joint as well as the grip strength. Gartland and Werley’s demerit scoring system was used to assess the final outcome. Results: There were two cases of superficial infection that responded to oral antibiotics. One patient had developed a hypertrophic scar, while another had carpal tunnel syndrome that was conservatively managed. There was a significant improvement in the functional indices from six weeks to the final follow-up, while the radiological parameters were maintained. According to Gartland and Werley, excellent results were reported in 65.2% cases, while good results were present in 35% cases. Conclusions: The use of variable-angle locking plates in treating unstable distal end radius fractures is associated with excellent to good functional outcomes with minimal complications

Spinal Cord Injury Without Radiological Abnormality in Adult Thoracic Spinal Trauma

Introduction: Spinal cord injury without radiological abnormality (SCIWORA) is a rare entity and usually involves the cervical spine. Thoracic spine involvement is very rare due to the stability provided by the rib cage. The mechanisms of injury and pathophysiology are still debatable. Case Presentation: We present a case of an adult male who had road traffic accident and presented with paraplegia. The initial radiological investigations carried out in the emergency department were reported to be normal, however, subsequent magnetic resonance imaging revealed spinal cord contusion without vertebral column disruption. The patient recovered partially with conservative treatment measures including bed rest and methylprednisolone. Conclusions: Spinal trauma patients presenting with neurological deficit but no radiological abnormality should be treated as a case of SCIWORA

SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION AND BIOCIDAL ACTIVITY OF NOVEL HALOGENATED -4-[(SUBSTITUTED-BENZOTHIAZOL-2-YL) HYDRAZONO]-2- (SUBSTITUTED-PHENYL)-5-METHYL /ETHOXY -2,4-DIHYDRO-PYRAZOL-3-ONE DERIVATIVES

ABSTRACT Some new 4-[(substituted-benzothiazol-2-yl)hydrazono]-2-(substituted-phenyl)-5-methyl/ethoxy-2,4-dihydro-pyrazol-3-one(4) have been synthesized by reacting substituted 2-amino benzothiazol (1) with acetoacetic ester and malonic ester (2). 2-[(substituted-benzothiazol-2-yl)hydrazono]-3-oxo-butyric acid ethyl ester and 2-[(substituted-benzothiazol-2-yl)hydrazono]-malonic acid diethyl ester (3) react with different hydrazines to give the title compounds(4). These compounds are evaluated for their antifungal and insecticidal activity

Interaction of highly nonlinear solitary waves with linear elastic media

We study the interaction of highly nonlinear solitary waves in granular crystals, with an adjacent linear elastic medium. We investigate the effects of interface dynamics on the reflection of incident waves and on the formation of primary and secondary reflected waves. Experimental tests are performed to correlate the linear medium geometry, materials, and mass with the formation and propagation of the reflected waves. We compare the experimental results with theoretical analysis based on the long-wavelength approximation and with numerical predictions obtained from discrete particle models. Studying variations of the reflected wave's velocity and amplitude, we describe how the propagation of primary and secondary reflected waves responds sensitively to the states of the adjacent linear media. Experimental results are found to be in agreement with the theoretical analysis and numerical simulation. This preliminary study establishes the foundation for utilizing reflected solitary waves as novel information carriers in nondestructive evaluation of elastic material systems

Potential and Impact of Incorporating Roof Photovoltaic to Enhance Environmental Sustainability of Historic English Churches in the United Kingdom

The Church of England (CofE) is responding to climate change by taking measures to reduce their CO2 footprint under its flagship programme -'Shrinking the Footprint', to facilitate the CO2 emission reduction target of 80 % by 2050. Meeting this target will require both energy efficiency measures and zero carbon energy generation of which solar PV technology is a frontrunner as it has a substantially lower CO2 footprint than grid's electricity, with no moving parts, low maintenance and a long service life. Conventional church roofs built along the East-West axis offer the ideal pitches and orientation for collecting solar energy. However, within the CofE's vast estate of over 15,000 church buildings, 78 % of these buildings are listed and hence care must be taken to protect the building fabric. With this context in mind, this study identifies the benefits and concerns associated with the application of rooftop solar PV on historic English Churches and evaluates viable technologies currently available. The specific design and procedural requirements have been investigated and the process map of the implementation methodology established and illustrated through a case study of an existing church. Results showed that rooftop solar PV system has the potential to reduce the GHG emissions substantially, ranging between 75 %–84 % for electricity and between 20 %–27 % for gas based on the current demand and the choice of technology option. Findings on the issues, design options and life cycle environmental impacts are analysed with discussion and recommendation of future adaptation at a national level

Can power spectrum observations rule out slow-roll inflation?

The spectral index of scalar perturbations is an important observable that allows us to learn about inflationary physics. In particular, a detection of a significant deviation from a constant spectral index could enable us to rule out the simplest class of inflation models. We investigate whether future observations could rule out canonical single-field slow- roll inflation given the parameters allowed by current observational constraints. We find that future measurements of a constant running (or running of the running) of the spectral index over currently available scales are unlikely to achieve this. However, there remains a large region of parameter space (especially when considering the running of the running) for falsifying the assumed class of slow-roll models if future observations accurately constrain a much wider range of scales

Search for eta-mesic 4He in the dd->3He n pi0 and dd->3He p pi- reactions with the WASA-at-COSY facility

The search for 4He-eta bound states was performed with the WASA-at-COSY facility via the measurement of the excitation function for the dd->3He n pi0 and dd->3He p pi- processes. The beam momentum was varied continuously between 2.127 GeV/c and 2.422 GeV/c, corresponding to the excess energy for the dd->4He eta reaction ranging from Q=-70 MeV to Q=30 MeV. The luminosity was determined based on the dd->3He n reaction and quasi-free proton-proton scattering via dd->pp n_spectator n_spectator reactions. The excitation functions determined independently for the measured reactions do not reveal a structure which could be interpreted as a narrow mesic nucleus. Therefore, the upper limits of the total cross sections for the bound state production and decay in dd->(4He-eta)_bound->3He n pi0 and dd->(4He-eta)_bound->3He p pi- processes were determined taking into account the isospin relation between both the channels considered. The results of the analysis depend on the assumptions of the N* momentum distribution in the anticipated mesic-4He. Assuming as in the previous works, that this is identical with the distribution of nucleons bound with 20 MeV in 4He, we determined that (for the mesic bound state width in the range from 5 MeV to 50 MeV) the upper limits at 90% confidence level are about 3 nb and about 6 nb for npi0 and ppi- channels, respectively. However, based on the recent theoretical findings of the N*(1535) momentum distribution in the N*-3He nucleus bound by 3.6 MeV, we find that the WASA-at-COSY detector acceptance decreases and hence the corresponding upper limits are 5 nb and 10 nb for npi0 and ppi- channels respectively.Comment: This article will be submitted to JHE

Tension Dynamics and Linear Viscoelastic Behavior of a Single Semiflexible Polymer Chain

We study the dynamical response of a single semiflexible polymer chain based on the theory developed by Hallatschek et al. for the wormlike-chain model. The linear viscoelastic response under oscillatory forces acting at the two chain ends is derived analytically as a function of the oscillation frequency . We shall show that the real part of the complex compliance in the low frequency limit is consistent with the static result of Marko and Siggia whereas the imaginary part exhibits the power-law dependence +1/2. On the other hand, these compliances decrease as the power law -7/8 for the high frequency limit. These are different from those of the Rouse dynamics. A scaling argument is developed to understand these novel results.Comment: 23 pages, 6 figure

Spectral Distortions of the CMB as a Probe of Inflation, Recombination, Structure Formation and Particle Physics

Following the pioneering observations with COBE in the early 1990s, studies of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) have focused on temperature and polarization anisotropies. CMB spectral distortions - tiny departures of the CMB energy spectrum from that of a perfect blackbody - provide a second, independent probe of fundamental physics, with a reach deep into the primordial Universe. The theoretical foundation of spectral distortions has seen major advances in recent years, which highlight the immense potential of this emerging field. Spectral distortions probe a fundamental property of the Universe - its thermal history - thereby providing additional insight into processes within the cosmological standard model (CSM) as well as new physics beyond. Spectral distortions are an important tool for understanding inflation and the nature of dark matter. They shed new light on the physics of recombination and reionization, both prominent stages in the evolution of our Universe, and furnish critical information on baryonic feedback processes, in addition to probing primordial correlation functions at scales inaccessible to other tracers. In principle the range of signals is vast: many orders of magnitude of discovery space could be explored by detailed observations of the CMB energy spectrum. Several CSM signals are predicted and provide clear experimental targets, some of which are already observable with present-day technology. Confirmation of these signals would extend the reach of the CSM by orders of magnitude in physical scale as the Universe evolves from the initial stages to its present form. The absence of these signals would pose a huge theoretical challenge, immediately pointing to new physics.Comment: Astro2020 Science White Paper, 5 pages text, 13 pages in total, 3 Figures, minor update to reference