Photoconductive Detectors with Fast Temporal Response for Laser Produced Plasma Experiments

Processes during laser plasma experiments typically have time scales that are less than 100 ps. The measurement of these processes requires X-ray detectors with fast temporal resolution. We have measured the temporal responses and linearity of several different Xray sensitive Photoconductive Detectors (PCDs). The active elements of the detectors investigated include both diamond (natural and synthetic) and GaAs crystals. The typical time responses of the GaAs PCDs are approximately 60 ps, respectively. Some characterizations using X-ray light from a synchrotron light source are presented

Pain neuroscience education in persistent painful tendinopathies: A scoping review from the Tendon PNE Network

Objective To conduct and report a scoping review of the available evidence of the effects and content of pain neuroscience education for patients with persistent painful tendinopathies. Methods PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, and grey literature databases were searched from database inception to May 2022. Randomised and non-randomised controlled trials, non-controlled clinical trials, cohort studies, case series, case studies including people with persistent painful tendinopathy aged ≥18 years, a pain education intervention, and in English were included. Studies were excluded if they were cross-sectional studies, reviews, editorials, abstracts, or full-text not available or if included heterogeneous study cohorts, patients with tendon rupture, or patients with systemic diseases. Results five studies (n = 164) were included. Pain neuroscience education entailed face-to-face discussion sessions or educational materials including videos, brochures, paper drawings, and review questions. All studies used pain neuroscience education in conjunction with other interventions, obtaining significant benefits in outcomes related to pain, physical performance, or self-reported function, among others. Conclusions The application of pain neuroscience education in conjunction with other interventions seemed to improve several outcomes. However, considering the current knowledge about tendon pain and the scarcity of well-designed trials studying pain neuroscience education in tendinopathy, additional research is needed.Funding for open acces charge: Universidad de Málaga / CBU

Is heavy eccentric calf training superior to wait-and-see, sham rehabilitation, traditional physiotherapy and other exercise interventions for pain and function in mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy?

Background: Mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy (AT) is prevalent amongst athletic and non-athletic populations with pain, stiffness and impaired function typically reported. While different management options exist, loading protocols remain the best available intervention and have been shown to be effective in the management of AT. Trials investigating loading in AT have used a variety of different protocols, and recent narrative reviews suggest that no protocol is superior to another when comparing outcomes in pain and function. However, there has been no systematic review or meta-analysis completed to determine this. Furthermore, the narrative review did not consider wait-and-see or sham interventions, thus a systematic review and met-analysis which includes wait-and see or sham interventions is warranted. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analyses will be conducted as per the PRISMA guidelines. The databases PUBMED, CINAHL (Ovid) and CINAHL (EBSCO) will be searched for articles published from inception to 31 December 2017. Our search focuses on studies examining the improvement of pain and function when completing a loading program for mid-portion AT. Only randomised/ quasi-randomised trials will be included while case reports and case series will be excluded. The primary outcome assessing pain and function will be the Victorian Institute Sports Assessment - Achilles (VISA-A). Two reviewers will screen articles, extract data and assess the risk of bias independently with a third reviewer resolving any disagreements between the two reviewers. A meta-analysis will then be performed on the data (if appropriate) to determine if the traditional heavy load calf training protocol described by Alfredson is superior to wait-and-see, sham intervention, traditional physiotherapy, and other forms of exercise rehabilitation. Discussion: This systematic review and meta-analysis will allow us to investigate if there are difference in pain and function when comparing wait-and-see, sham interventions, traditional physiotherapy and different exercise interventions to the traditional heavy eccentric calf training protocol for mid-portion Achilles tendon pain. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO registration number CRD42018084493

Theory of vortex excitation imaging via an NMR relaxation measurement

The temperature dependence of the site-dependent nuclear spin relaxation time T_1 around vortices is studied in s-wave and d-wave superconductors.Reflecting low energy electronic excitations associated with the vortex core, temperature dependences deviate from those of the zero-field case, and T_1 becomes faster with approaching the vortex core. In the core region, T_1^{-1} has a new peak below T_c. The NMR study by the resonance field dependence may be a new method to prove the spatial resolved vortex core structure in various superconductors.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Cross-cultural adaptation of the VISA-A questionnaire, an index of clinical severity for patients with Achilles tendinopathy, with reliability, validity and structure evaluations

BACKGROUND: Achilles tendinopathy is considered to be one of the most common overuse injuries in elite and recreational athletes and the recommended treatment varies. One factor that has been stressed in the literature is the lack of standardized outcome measures that can be used in all countries. One such standardized outcome measure is the Victorian Institute of Sports Assessment – Achilles (VISA-A) questionnaire, which is designed to evaluate the clinical severity for patients with Achilles tendinopathy. The purpose of this study was to cross-culturally adapt the VISA-A questionnaire to Swedish, and to perform reliability, validity and structure evaluations. METHODS: Cross-cultural adaptation was performed in several steps including translations, synthesis of translations, back translations, expert committee review and pre-testing. The final Swedish version, the VISA-A Swedish version (VISA-A-S) was tested for reliability on healthy individuals (n = 15), and patients (n = 22). Tests for internal consistency, validity and structure were performed on 51 patients. RESULTS: The VISA-A-S had good reliability for patients (r = 0.89, ICC = 0.89) and healthy individuals (r = 0.89–0.99, ICC = 0.88–0.99). The internal consistency was 0.77 (Cronbach's alpha). The mean [95% confidence interval] VISA-A-S score in the 51 patients (50 [44–56]) was significantly lower than in the healthy individuals (96 [94–99]). The VISA-A-S score correlated significantly (Spearman's r = -0.68) with another tendon grading system. Criterion validity was considered good when comparing the scores of the Swedish version with the English version in both healthy individuals and patients. The factor analysis gave the factors pain/symptoms and physical activity CONCLUSION: The VISA-A-S questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument and comparable to the original version. It measures two factors: pain/symptoms and physical activity, and can be used in both research and the clinical setting

Photoconductive Detectors with Fast Temporal Response for Laser Produced Plasma Experiments.

Processes during laser plasma experiments typically have time scales that are less than 100 ps. The measurement of these processes requires X-ray detectors with fast temporal resolution. We have measured the temporal responses and linearity of several different X-ray sensitive Photoconductive Detectors (PCDs). The active elements of the detectors investigated include both diamond (natural and synthetic) and GaAs crystals. The typical time responses of the GaAs PCDs are approximately 60 ps, respectively. Some characterizations using X-ray light from a synchrotron light source are presented

Plant sterols and cardiovascular disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis†

The impact of increased serum concentrations of plant sterols on cardiovascular risk is unclear. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate whether there is an association between serum concentrations of two common plant sterols (sitosterol, campesterol) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). We systematically searched the databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, and COCHRANE for studies published between January 1950 and April 2010 that reported either risk ratios (RR) of CVD in relation to serum sterol concentrations (either absolute or expressed as ratios relative to total cholesterol) or serum sterol concentrations in CVD cases and controls separately. We conducted two meta-analyses, one based on RR of CVD contrasting the upper vs. the lower third of the sterol distribution, and another based on standardized mean differences between CVD cases and controls. Summary estimates were derived by fixed and random effects meta-analysis techniques. We identified 17 studies using different designs (four case–control, five nested case–control, three cohort, five cross-sectional) involving 11 182 participants. Eight studies reported RR of CVD and 15 studies reported serum concentrations in CVD cases and controls. Funnel plots showed evidence for publication bias indicating small unpublished studies with non-significant findings. Neither of our meta-analyses suggested any relationship between serum concentrations of sitosterol and campesterol (both absolute concentrations and ratios to cholesterol) and risk of CVD. Our systematic review and meta-analysis did not reveal any evidence of an association between serum concentrations of plant sterols and risk of CVD

Zeeman Perturbed 63^{63}Cu Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance Study of the Vortex State of YBa2_2Cu3_3O7−δ_{7-\delta}

We report a $^{63}$Cu nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) study of the vortex state for an aligned polycrystalline sample of a slightly overdoped high-$T_c$ superconductor YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-\delta}$ ($T_{c}\sim$92 K) at a low magnetic field of 96 mT along the c axis, near a lower critical field $H_{c1}$. We observed the frequency distribution of the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation time $^{63}T_1$ in the Zeeman-perturbed $^{63}$Cu NQR spectrum below $T_c$. The characteristic behavior of 1/$^{63}T_1$, taking the minimum values with respect to temperature and frequency, indicates the significant role of antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations in the Doppler-shifted quasiparticle energy spectrum inside and outside vortex cores.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Site-selective nuclear magnetic relaxation time in a superconducting vortex state

The temperature and field dependences of the site-selective nuclear spin relaxation time T_1 around vortices are studied comparatively both for s-wave and d-wave superconductors, based on the microscopic Bogoliubov-de Gennes theory. Reflecting low energy electronic excitations associated with the vortex core, the site selective temperature dependences deviate from those of the zero-field case, and T_1 becomes faster with approaching the vortex core. In the core region, T_1^{-1} has a new peak below the superconducting transition temperature T_c. The field dependence of the overall T_1(T) behaviors for s-wave and d-wave superconductors is investigated and analyzed in terms of the local density of states. The NMR study by the resonance field dependence may be a new method to probe the spatial resolved vortex core structure in various conventional and unconventional superconductors.Comment: 14Pages, 26 figures, revte