Objective
To introduce the surgical strategy of extensive laminectomy (with inner 1/4 facet joint resection to expose the origin of the nerve root) and to discuss its benefit for the treatment of ...cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) with myelopathy.
Methods
From January 1998 to December 2005, 82 patients with cervical OPLL underwent extensive laminectomy. We assessed neurological function using the Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) scoring system, neck/shoulder pain using a visual analogue scale (VAS), and cervical curvature index (CCI) by the Ishihara method; the expansion degree and the drift-back distance of the spinal cord was calculated using the MRI image.
Results
The mean duration of follow-up was 41.6 months. The postoperative JOA score suggested that neurological function improved significantly with a recovery rate of 64%. The incidence rate of transient palsy of the C5 nerve root, which occurred in only 2 patients who recovered to useful function over 2 weeks, was 2.4%. The postoperative VAS score suggested that the pain in the neck/shoulder was mild. Although the postoperative CCI was small, there was no correlation with the length of follow-up period. The increased cross-sectional area of the dural sac at the level of maximum compression together with the significant drift-back distance of the spinal cord suggested that decompression was complete.
Conclusion
Extensive laminectomy is effective in treating cervical OPLL, with mild cervical/shoulder pain, low rate of C5 nerve root palsy, and no recurrence of spinal cord compression symptoms.
Full text
Available for:
EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
This paper investigates the impact of export liberalization on the geographic concentration of water pollution. Data shows that water pollution emissions are unevenly distributed across regions in ...China. Using China's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) as the exogenous shock, we identify a negative causal effect of export liberalization on the agglomeration of water pollution across regions in China. It suggests that relatively more water pollution is discharged in those previously low-pollution regions after export liberalization. We confirm this with data on regional relative pollution emissions. Further decomposition shows that it is the intensive margin (average pollution emission) rather than the extensive margin (number of polluting firms) that drives the deglomeration of water pollution emissions within the liberalized industry.
•Investigate the impact of export liberalization on the geographic concentration of water pollution.•Exploit the heterogeneous trade policy uncertainty reductions across industries upon China's WTO accession•Relatively more water pollution is discharged in those previously low-pollution regions after export liberalization.•Further decomposition shows that the intensive margin rather than the extensive margin is the main driving force.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The Naiver-Stokes equations are utilized to investigate the bubble dynamics subjected to the flow speed in the vicinity of a rigid wall. The predictions are compared with the Gilmore method and ...available experimental results, and a reasonable agreement is obtained. The important flow properties, e.g., bubble morphology, collapse time, jet development, pressure wave propagation, and vorticity evolution are studied in detail. The results demonstrate that the combined effect of the flow speed and rigid wall results in the generation of oblique jet, which may contribute to the development of the fish-scale pits on the surface of the hydraulic machinery. Moreover, our results show that the impulse loads caused by the bubble collapse in moving water are lower than those in stationary water. Finally, it is indicated that the stretching term plays a major role in the vorticity both inside and outside the bubble, while the dilatation term mainly influences the vorticity inside the bubble.
•The bubble dynamics subject to the flow speed are numerically investigated.•The oblique jet induced by flow speed contributes to the formation of fish-scale pits.•The vorticity dynamics during bubble collapses are analyzed in detail.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Introduction: Brucellosis is a zoonosis caused by Brucella, a highly infectious Gram-negative coccobacillus that has been isolated from a variety of mammals. Brucella melitensis is considered the ...most common cause of human brucellosis. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of serum parameters that relate to Brucella melitensis infection.
Methodology: This investigation retrospectively analyzed the clinical laboratory tests and symptoms of brucellosis, which was confirmed by microbiological and serological methods. A total of 36 patients (31 males, 5 females; mean age 49.17 ± 13.56 years) admitted with brucellosis were included in the study over a three-year period between 2012 and 2015 in Peking University People’s Hospital (PKUPH).
Results: A statistically significant increase was observed in C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate in patients with low titers of serum antibody when compared with those with high titers. No difference was observed between the two groups with respect to the other serum parameters such as procalcitonin or white blood cell count. Two blood culture systems also yielded different results.
Conclusions: In this study, we demonstrated that culture can be improved by using multiple blood culture systems to isolate Brucella melitensis. We also found the different role of inflammatory markers play during the process of brucellosis. The present study may be a helpful reference in the diagnosis of brucellosis.
Full text
Available for:
IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
This paper investigates the effect of export on firm inventory using Chinese firm data. We find that exporting increases firms’ inventory stocks. Also, exporting to more distant destinations is ...associated with less frequent and more concentrated export transactions.
Full text
Available for:
IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
The visceral adiposity index (VAI) is a new marker of adipose dysfunction and related with cardiometabolic risk. The aim of this study is to investigate the association of VAI with arterial stiffness ...in elderly Chinese population.
A total of 1,707 elderly individuals over 60 years of age were recruited for this cross-sectional study. We measured body composition, anthropometrics, blood pressure, and lipid parameters. The arterial stiffness was measured by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and defined as baPWV ≥ 1400 cm/s. VAI was calculated based on body mass index, waist circumference, triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Multivariable regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between VAI and baPWV.
There were significant differences in VAI tertiles between low-baPWV and high-baPWV group (p = 0.008). Univariate analysis demonstrated that age, history of hypertension, SBP, DBP, total cholesterol, fasting glucose, the higher VAI tertiles were correlated with the existence of high-baPWV (p < 0.05). Participants in the higher VAI tertiles had higher OR (1.0 ≤ VAI < 1.74: OR= 2.89, 95% CI 1.44, 5.80; VAI ≥ 1.75: OR = 4.23, 95% CI 1.45, 12.37, p for trend: 0.004) comparing with the lowest VAI tertile. Non-linear relationship was detected between VAI and baPWV. VAI was positively correlated with baPWV when VAI < 2.10.
This study demonstrates that VAI is independently associated with the risk of arterial stiffness in elderly population.
A quantum circuit rule for combining quantum interference effects in the conductive properties of oligo(phenyleneethynylene) (OPE)-type molecules possessing three aromatic rings was investigated both ...experimentally and theoretically. Molecules were of the type X-Y-X, where X represents pyridyl anchors with para (p), meta (m) or ortho (o) connectivities and Y represents a phenyl ring with p and m connectivities. The conductances GXmX (GXpX) of molecules of the form X-m-X (X-p-X), with meta (para) connections in the central ring, were predominantly lower (higher), irrespective of the meta, para or ortho nature of the anchor groups X, demonstrating that conductance is dominated by the nature of quantum interference in the central ring Y. The single-molecule conductances were found to satisfy the quantum circuit rule Gppp/Gpmp=Gmpm/Gmmm. This demonstrates that the contribution to the conductance from the central ring is independent of the para versus meta nature of the anchor groups.
Electrostatic interaction is a strong, dominant nonspecific interaction which was extensively studied in protein–nanoparticle (NP) interactions Lounis, F. M. ; J. Phys. Chem. B 2017, 121, 2684−2694 ...; Tavares, G. M. ; Langmuir 2015, 31, 12481–12488 ; Antonov, M. ; Biomacromolecules 2010, 11, 51–59 , whereas the role of hydrophobic interaction arising from the abundant hydrophobic residues of globule proteins upon protein–NP binding between the proteins and charged nanoparticles has rarely been studied. In this work, a series of positively charged magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were prepared via atom transfer radical polymerization and surface hydrophobicity differentiation was achieved through postpolymerization quaternization by different halohydrocarbons. The ionic strength- and hydrophobicity-responsive binding of these MNPs toward β-lactoglobulin (BLG) was studied by both qualitative and quantitative methods including turbidimetric titration, dynamic light scattering, and isothermal titration calorimetry. Judged from the critical binding pH and binding constant for MNP–BLG complexation, the dependence of binding affinity on surface hydrophobicity exhibited an interesting shift with increasing ionic strength, which means that the MNPs with higher surface hydrophobicity exhibits weaker binding affinity at lower ionic strength but stronger affinity at higher ionic strength. This interesting observation could be attributed to the difference in ionic strength responsiveness for hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions. In this way, the well-tuned binding pattern could be achieved with optimized binding affinity by controlling the surface hydrophobicity of MNPs and ionic strength, thus endowing this system with great potential to fabricate separation and delivery system with high selectivity and efficiency.
Full text
Available for:
IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
Protein purification is of vital importance in the food industry, drug discovery, and other related fields. Among many separation methods, polyelectrolyte (PE)-based phase separation was developed ...and recognized as a low-cost purification technique. In this work, spherical polyelectrolyte brushes (SPBs) with a high specific surface area were utilized to study the protein accessibility and selective protein binding on highly charged nanoparticles (NPs) as well as the selective phase separation of proteins. The correlation between charge anisotropy, protein binding, and phase separation was investigated on various protein systems including those proteins with similar isoelectric points (pI) such as bovine serum albumin (BSA) and β-lactoglobulin (BLG), proteins with similar molecular weights such as BSA and hemoglobin (HB), and even protein variants (BLG-A and -B) with a tiny difference of amino acids. The nonspecific electrostatic interaction studied by turbidimetric titrations and isothermal calorimetry titration (ITC) indicates a specific binding between proteins and SPBs arising from the charge anisotropy of proteins. An optimized output based on selective protein binding on SPBs could be correlated for efficient protein separation through tuning external conditions including pH and ionic strength. These findings, therefore, proved that phase separation based on selective protein adsorption by SPBs was an efficient alternative for protein separation compared with the traditional practice.
Full text
Available for:
IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
The structures of the Southwest Vortex (SWV) differ depending on the different environmental conditions, ultimately resulting in various types of disasters. Based on SWV Year Book during 20122017, ...this paper mainly makes statistical analysis on the characteristics of summer SWV and winter SWV. The radius and vertical depth between summer and winter SWVs are compared. Using composite method, PV tendency equation and angular momentum, the differences of both types of SWV scales are analyzed to reveal environmental conditions and the mechanism of different scales. The result shows that:(1) approximately 90% of winter SWVs are characterized by shallow pattern, but the percentage of summer SWVs sharing the similar pattern drops below 50%. Additionally, the average radius of SWVs in both seasons exhibits distinct variations with summer SWVs and winter SWVs reaching 100 km and 130 km, respectively. (2) Higher levels of environment angular momentum are exhibited in summer compared to winter, resulting in lager radius of winter SWV than summer SWV. (3) The PV tendency equation suggests that the diabatic heating effect is benefited to transport PV to higher level and strong convergence resulting in higher vertical extension height and radius contraction. (4) Winter SWV exhibits a wide range of inertial stability, which negatively affects the transport of angular momentum to the vortex core, consequently causing a maximum tangential wind and transport of angular momentum to appear outside the core.
•Compared to the winter Southwest Vortex (SWV), the summer SWV is deeper on vertical scale but narrower on horizontal scale.•Winter conditions, such as lack of water vapor and more angular momentum, are more conducive to generating larger but not deeper SWV.•A mechanism contributing to the differences in summer and winter SWV scales is proposed.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
PDF
