Age and Not the Preferred Limb Influences the Kinematic Structure of Pointing Movements

In goal-directed movements, effective open-loop control reduces the need for feedback-based corrective submovements. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of hand preference and aging on submovements during single-and two-joint pointing movements. A total of 12 young and 12 older right-handed participants performed pointing movements that involved either elbow extension or a combination of elbow extension and horizontal shoulder flexion with their right and left arms to a target. Kinematics were used to separate the movements into their primary and secondary submovements. The older adults exhibited slower movements, used secondary submovements more often, and produced relatively shorter primary submovements. However, there were no interlimb differences for either age group or for the single-and two-joint movements. These findings indicate that open-loop control is similar between arms but compromised in older compared to younger adults

Quantum Stephani Universe in vicinity of the symmetry center

We study a class of spherically symmetric Stephani cosmological models in the presence of a self-interacting scalar field in both classical and quantum domains. We discuss the construction of `canonical' wave packets resulting from the solutions of a class of Wheeler-DeWitt equations in the Stephani Universe. We suggest appropriate initial conditions which result in wave packets containing some desirable properties, most importantly good classical and quantum correspondence. We also study the situation from de-Broglie Bohm interpretation of quantum mechanics to recover the notion of time and compare the classical and Bohmian results. We exhibit that the usage of the canonical prescription and appropriate choices of expansion coefficients result in the suppression of the quantum potential and coincidence between classical and Bohmian results. We show that, in some cases, contrary to Friedmann-Robertson-Walker case, the bound state solutions also exist for all positive values of the cosmological constant.Comment: 22 pages, 19 figures, to appear in JCA

Quantum Stephani exact cosmological solutions and the selection of time variable

We study perfect fluid Stephani quantum cosmological model. In the present work the Schutz's variational formalism which recovers the notion of time is applied. This gives rise to Wheeler-DeWitt equation for the scale factor. We use the eigenfunctions in order to construct wave packets for each case. We study the time-dependent behavior of the expectation value of the scale factor, using many-worlds and deBroglie-Bohm interpretations of quantum mechanics.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figure

An Einstein-Hilbert Action for Axi-Dilaton Gravity in 4-Dimensions

We examine the axi-dilatonic sector of low energy string theory and demonstrate how the gravitational interactions involving the axion and dilaton fields may be derived from a geometrical action principle involving the curvature scalar associated with a non-Riemannian connection. In this geometry the antisymmetric tensor 3-form field determines the torsion of the connection on the frame bundle while the gradient of the metric is determined by the dilaton field. By expressing the theory in terms of the Levi-Civita connection associated with the metric in the ``Einstein frame'' we confirm that the field equations derived from the non-Riemannian Einstein-Hilbert action coincide with the axi-dilaton sector of the low energy effective action derived from string theory.Comment: 6 pages Plain Tex (No Figures), Letter to Editor Classical and Quantum Gravit

Total number of lymph nodes and numer of metastatic lymph nodes harvested during radical mastectomy did not influence early postoperative drainage volume

Objectives: We aimed at evaluation of the influence of the extent of axillary lymph node dissection, measured by the total number of lymph nodes harvested, on the drainage volume. We also looked at the lymph node positivity (N+) and the number of metastatic axillary lymph nodes as a potential prognostic factors in this regard. Material and methods: We have analysed the data of 63 patients (F/M: 62/1) with breast cancer, who underwent radical modified mastectomy in 2008-2009 in the single department of surgical oncology. Results: We observed no significant correlation between the 1) total number of axillary lymph nodes harvested during lymphadenectomy, 2) presence of metastatic lymph nodes (node positive disease), 3) number of metastatic axillary lymph nodes and: drainage volume on the day of surgery, drainage volume on three consecutive postoperative days and drainage volume from the day of surgery to drain removal. Conclusion: The extent of axillary lymph node dissection, measured by the total number of lymph nodes excised, did not influence drainage volume after radical modified mastectomy. Neither total number of metastatic lymph nodes excised nor the node positivity (N+) were associated with increased drainage volume after mastectomy with axillary dissection

Black Holes with Weyl Charge and Non-Riemannian Waves

A simple modification to Einstein's theory of gravity in terms of a non-Riemannian connection is examined. A new tensor-variational approach yields field equations that possess a covariance similar to the gauge covariance of electromagnetism. These equations are shown to possess solutions analogous to those found in the Einstein-Maxwell system. In particular one finds gravi-electric and gravi-magnetic charges contributing to a spherically symmetric static Reissner-Nordstr\"om metric. Such Weyl ``charges'' provide a source for the non-Riemannian torsion and metric gradient fields instead of the electromagnetic field. The theory suggests that matter may be endowed with gravitational charges that couple to gravity in a manner analogous to electromagnetic couplings in an electromagnetic field. The nature of gravitational coupling to spinor matter in this theory is also investigated and a solution exhibiting a plane-symmetric gravitational metric wave coupled via non-Riemannian waves to a propagating spinor field is presented.Comment: 18 pages Plain Tex (No Figures), Classical and Quantum Gravit

Typical medullary breast carcinoma: clinical outcomes and treatment results

Typical medullary breast carcinoma (T-MBC) accounts for less than 1% of all malignant breast neoplasms, and immu­nohistochemically is characteristic of “triple-negative” breast carcinoma. The purpose of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics and treatment results for patients with T-MBC treated at a single institution, and discuss the controversial aspects of this very rare form of breast cancer. Analyses was performed in 120 patients with T-MBC who were treated between 1970 and 2005. These cases represent 1.1% of all (11 270) patients treated for breast cancer during this period. According to TNM classification, 26 patients (21.6%) were in stage I, 80 patients (66.7%) in stage II and 14 (11.7%) in stage III of clinically advanced breast cancer. Involved axillary lymph nodes occurred in just 10 (8.3%) of the patients, and in all cases metastases were observed in 1–3 lymph nodes. All the patients un­derwent primary surgery. Radical mastectomies were performed on 98 (81.6%) patients, while the other 22 (18.4%) underwent breast-conserving surgery (BCS). Radiotherapy was performed in 36 patients (22 after BCS and 14 after mastectomy). Patients with nodal involvement (10 patients) received adjuvant chemotherapy, and 8 patients with hormone receptor expression received hormonotherapy with tamoxifen. The 10-year DFS rate was 90%. Out of 120 patients with T-MBC, only 4 (3.3%) died from this cancer. We showed that none of the population, neither clinical nor microscopic, had a statistically significant influence on the 10-year disease-free survival rate. Our results are similar to others presented in literature

Typical medullary breast carcinoma: clinical outcomes and treatment results

Typical medullary breast carcinoma (T-MBC) accounts for less than 1% of all malignant breast neoplasms, and immu­nohistochemically is characteristic of “triple-negative” breast carcinoma. The purpose of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics and treatment results for patients with T-MBC treated at a single institution, and discuss the controversial aspects of this very rare form of breast cancer. Analyses was performed in 120 patients with T-MBC who were treated between 1970 and 2005. These cases represent 1.1% of all (11 270) patients treated for breast cancer during this period. According to TNM classification, 26 patients (21.6%) were in stage I, 80 patients (66.7%) in stage II and 14 (11.7%) in stage III of clinically advanced breast cancer. Involved axillary lymph nodes occurred in just 10 (8.3%) of the patients, and in all cases metastases were observed in 1–3 lymph nodes. All the patients un­derwent primary surgery. Radical mastectomies were performed on 98 (81.6%) patients, while the other 22 (18.4%) underwent breast-conserving surgery (BCS). Radiotherapy was performed in 36 patients (22 after BCS and 14 after mastectomy). Patients with nodal involvement (10 patients) received adjuvant chemotherapy, and 8 patients with hormone receptor expression received hormonotherapy with tamoxifen. The 10-year DFS rate was 90%. Out of 120 patients with T-MBC, only 4 (3.3%) died from this cancer. We showed that none of the population, neither clinical nor microscopic, had a statistically significant influence on the 10-year disease-free survival rate. Our results are similar to others presented in literature

Bacteriological studies of blood, tissue fluid, lymph and lymph nodes in patients with acute dermatolymphangioadenitis (DLA) in course of ‘filarial’ lymphedema

Filarial lymphedema is complicated by frequent episodes of dermatolymphangioadenitis (DLA). Severe systemic symptoms during attacks of DLA resemble those of septicemia. The question we asked was whether bacterial isolates can be found in the peripheral blood of patients during the episodes of DLA. Out of 100 patients referred to us with ‘filarial’ lymphedema 14 displayed acute and five subacute symptoms of DLA. All were on admission blood microfilariae negative but had a positive test in the past. Blood bacterial isolates were found in nine cases, four acute (21%) and five subacute (26%). In 10 acute cases blood cultures were found negative. Six blood isolates belonged to Bacilli, four to Cocci and one was Sarcina. To identify the sites of origin of bacterial dissemination, swabs taken from the calf skin biopsy wounds and tissue fluid, lymph and lymph node specimens were cultured. Swabs from the calf skin biopsy wound contained isolates in nine (47%) cases. They were Bacilli in nine, Cocci in three, Acinetobacter and Erwinia in two cases. Tissue fluid was collected from 10 patients and contained Bacilli in four (40%) and Staphylococci in three (30%). Lymph was drained in four patients and contained isolates in all samples (100%). They were Staphylococcus epidermis, xylosus and aureus, Acinetobacter, Bacillus subtilis and Sarcina. Three lymph nodes were biopsied and contained Staphylococcus chromogenes, xylosus, Enterococcus and Bacillus cereus. In six cases the same phenotypically defined species of bacteria were found in blood and limb tissues or fluids. In the ‘control’ group of patients with lymphedema without acute or subacute changes all blood cultures were negative. Interestingly, swabs from biopsy wound of these patients contained isolates in 80%, tissue fluid in 68%, lymph in 70% and lymph nodes in 58% of cases. In healthy controls, tissue fluid did not contain bacteria, and lymph isolates were found only in 12% of cases. This study demonstrates that patients with acute episodes of DLA reveal bacteriemia in a high percentage of cases. Diversity of blood and tissue bacterial isolates in these patients points to a breakdown of the skin immune barrier in lymphedema and subsequently indiscriminate bacterial colonization of deep tissues and spread to an blood circulation. © 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved

CMB observations in LTB universes: Part I: Matching peak positions in the CMB spectrum

Acoustic peaks in the spectrum of the cosmic microwave background in spherically symmetric inhomogeneous cosmological models are studied. At the photon-baryon decoupling epoch, the universe may be assumed to be dominated by non-relativistic matter, and thus we may treat radiation as a test field in the universe filled with dust which is described by the Lema\^itre-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) solution. First, we give an LTB model whose distance-redshift relation agrees with that of the concordance $\Lambda$CDM model in the whole redshift domain and which is well approximated by the Einstein-de Sitter universe at and before decoupling. We determine the decoupling epoch in this LTB universe by Gamow's criterion and then calculate the positions of acoustic peaks. Thus obtained results are not consistent with the WMAP data. However, we find that one can fit the peak positions by appropriately modifying the LTB model, namely, by allowing the deviation of the distance-redshift relation from that of the concordance $\Lambda$CDM model at $z>2$ where no observational data are available at present. Thus there is still a possibility of explaining the apparent accelerated expansion of the universe by inhomogeneity without resorting to dark energy if we abandon the Copernican principle. Even if we do not take this extreme attitude, it also suggests that local, isotropic inhomogeneities around us may seriously affect the determination of the density contents of the universe unless the possible existence of such inhomogeneities is properly taken into account.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figure