Tension band wiring fi xation is associated with good functional outcome after olecranon fractures at a Togo Hospital

Background: Tension band wiring (TBW) is a widely accepted technique for olecranon fractures. Various investigators have reported a significant rate of complications especially hardware prominence. The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical and radiological outcome after tension band wiring of olecranon fractures.Methods: Sixty three patients (42 men and 21 women) were treated for fractures of the olecranon by TBW technique. Their mean age at the time of operation was 28 years (19 to 48). The mean follow-up period was 74.5 months (35 to 121). The overall outcome was evaluated using functional rating index described by Broberg and Morrey, the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) subjective pain score (10 = unbearable pain) and patient satisfaction score (10 = complete satisfaction).Results: Wound infection developed in six patients (09.5%). No nonunions, malunion or ulnar nerve palsies complicated the postoperativeperiod. Hardware removal was recorded in 45 patients (71.4%) due to pin prominence, localized pain or direct complaint. Removal was not  significantly affected by pin position (p = 0.201). Elbow pain persisted in 12 patients. Four patients (06.3%) had significantly reduced flexion arcs affecting the functional outcome. None of the patients had objective evidence of instability of the elbow. The mean range of elbow flexion, pronation and supination was 135°, 70° and 79° respectively. 29 patients (46%) had an excellent functional result while four (6.4%) had poor result. The poor results were signifi cantly associated with fracture type (p = 0.001) and the duration of immobilization (p = 0.003). The average  satisfaction rating was 9.1 out of 10 (range, 5–10).Conclusion: Tension band wiring fixation for isolated olecranon fractures leads to good elbow function and minimal loss of physical capacity

Anapole nanolasers for mode-locking and ultrafast pulse generation

Nanophotonics is a rapidly developing field of research with many suggestions for a design of nanoantennas, sensors and miniature metadevices. Despite many proposals for passive nanophotonic devices, the efficient coupling of light to nanoscale optical structures remains a major challenge. In this article, we propose a nanoscale laser based on a tightly confined anapole mode. By harnessing the non-radiating nature of the anapole state, we show how to engineer nanolasers based on InGaAs nanodisks as on-chip sources with unique optical properties. Leveraging on the near-field character of anapole modes, we demonstrate a spontaneously polarized nanolaser able to couple light into waveguide channels with four orders of magnitude intensity than classical nanolasers, as well as the generation of ultrafast (of 100 fs) pulses via spontaneous mode locking of several anapoles. Anapole nanolasers offer an attractive platform for monolithically integrated, silicon photonics sources for advanced and efficient nanoscale circuitry

Parental Factors Associated With the Decision to Participate in a Neonatal Clinical Trial

Importance: It remains poorly understood how parents decide whether to enroll a child in a neonatal clinical trial. This is particularly true for parents from racial or ethnic minority populations. Understanding factors associated with enrollment decisions may improve recruitment processes for families, increase enrollment rates, and decrease disparities in research participation. Objective: To assess differences in parental factors between parents who enrolled their infant and those who declined enrollment for a neonatal randomized clinical trial. Design, setting, and participants: This survey study conducted from July 2017 to October 2019 in 12 US level 3 and 4 neonatal intensive care units included parents of infants who enrolled in the High-dose Erythropoietin for Asphyxia and Encephalopathy (HEAL) trial or who were eligible but declined enrollment. Data were analyzed October 2019 through July 2020. Exposure: Parental choice of enrollment in neonatal clinical trial. Main outcomes and measures: Percentages and odds ratios (ORs) of parent participation as categorized by demographic characteristics, self-assessment of child's medical condition, study comprehension, and trust in medical researchers. Survey questions were based on the hypothesis that parents who enrolled their infant in HEAL differ from those who declined enrollment across 4 categories: (1) infant characteristics and parental demographic characteristics, (2) perception of infant's illness, (3) study comprehension, and (4) trust in clinicians and researchers. Results: Of a total 387 eligible parents, 269 (69.5%) completed the survey and were included in analysis. This included 183 of 242 (75.6%) of HEAL-enrolled and 86 of 145 (59.3%) of HEAL-declined parents. Parents who enrolled their infant had lower rates of Medicaid participation (74 [41.1%] vs 47 [55.3%]; P = .04) and higher rates of annual income greater than $55 000 (94 [52.8%] vs 30 [37.5%]; P = .03) compared with those who declined. Black parents had lower enrollment rates compared with White parents (OR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.17-0.73). Parents who reported their infant's medical condition as more serious had higher enrollment rates (OR, 5.7; 95% CI, 2.0-16.3). Parents who enrolled their infant reported higher trust in medical researchers compared with parents who declined (mean [SD] difference, 5.3 [0.3-10.3]). There was no association between study comprehension and enrollment. Conclusions and relevance: In this study, the following factors were associated with neonatal clinical trial enrollment: demographic characteristics (ie, race/ethnicity, Medicaid status, and reported income), perception of illness, and trust in medical researchers. Future work to confirm these findings and explore the reasons behind them may lead to strategies for better engaging underrepresented groups in neonatal clinical research to reduce enrollment disparities

An integrated approach to panel width, fleet size, and change-out time optimization in room-and-pillar mines

Optimization of panels, haulage fleet, and waiting area involves deterministic and low-fidelity methods and experiential knowledge. The process is challenging because coal recovery and operational capabilities must be considered in the solution. The approach in this manuscript comprises the development of an integrated stochastic simulation model of a coal room-and-pillar system that addresses these challenges. The decision variables evaluated are panel width, number of shuttle cars, and change-out time (COT). The results show that the mine should implement the shortest possible COT, decreasing the cycle time and thereby increasing productivity and continuous miner (CM) utilization. The highest productivity and CM utilization for a fleet size of three shuttle cars is found in the 15-entry panel width. For the evaluated fleet sizes, the 19-entry panel width is optimal for the four and five shuttle cars. Among the three variables studied, panel width and fleet size had the most significant effects (5% increase) on the CM productivity, cycle time, and utilization. © 2022 South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. All rights reserved.Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Attaques des arbres par les termites sur le campus de l’Université de Lomé (Togo)

L’étude menée sur les attaques des arbres par les termites sur le campus de l’Université de Lomé (Togo) a montré que 304 plants (92,40% de peuplement d’arbres répartis en 20 espèces) ont été attaqués par les termites. Les attaques des termites sur ces arbres se manifestent par la couverture des troncs et des branches par des galeries-tunnels et des placages de récolte des termites, par des racines, des écorces, du bois consommé entraînant la chute des feuilles, le dépérissement et/ou la mort de la plante. Les espèces de termites responsables des dommages causés aux arbres appartiennent au groupe trophique des xylophages. Il s’agit principalement de 5 espèces appartenant à 3 genres : Amitermes evuncifer Silvestri, Ancistrotermes cavithorax Sjöstedt, Ancistrotermes guineensis Silvestri, Macrotermes bellicosus Smeathman et Macrotermes subhyalinus Rambur. Les résultats de notre étude constituent un préliminaire indispensable pour la protection des arbres sur le campus contre les attaques des termites.© 2010 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved.Mots clés : Campus, université, Lomé, Togo, termites, dommages