9 research outputs found
Microgravity during spaceflight directly affects in vitro Osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption
No full textArticles 3 and 4 of the Uniform Commercial Code in an Electronic Fund Transfer Environment
No full textThis Article addresses the ways in which the electronic computer has revolutionized the payments and transfer of funds mechanism, making possible paperless entry payments (PEP) and electronic fund transfers (EFT). The author discusses the legal issues and problems stemming from this new relationship among the participants. He argues that Articles 3 and 4 of the Uniform Commercial Code have not impeded development of new systems and remain viable as a legal framework governing payment and transfer transactions during the transition from paper to paperless electronic operations. The author concludes that both articles can be amended and effectively used as basic rules for allocating rights and responsibilities among the parties to electronic processing of the data and information
Den som sover syndar inte? : Om straffansvar och somnambulism
No full textIn recent years, a new objection has been raised more often in criminal matters, namely the objection of the accused that the act has been committed in a somnambulate state, when he or she was sleepwalking. The so-called sleepdefence entails a number of interesting issues in criminal law, but also in the merging of law and neurology. Sleep and consciousness are neurological concepts that consist of grayscales; sleep has four stages of Non Rapid Eye Movementsleep (NREM), followed by Rapid Eye Movement-sleep (REM), and a person's consciousness is established in neurology using an eight-step method. Nevertheless, the law seems to have a black and white idea of sleep and consciousness as a being, or non-being, and a person’s consciousness is assumed without further examination when examining criminal liability. In order for a person to be held criminally responsible, both the objective and subjective crime prerequisites must be met. In accordance with the objective prerequisites, the person must have, 1) performed an act that meets the prerequisites of a criminal offense, and 2) that was not justifiable. In accordance with the subjective prerequisite, the accused must be attributed personal responsibility for the act. People considered to have acted in a somnambulate state are free of liability. But on what grounds are they free of liability? Previously, movements undertaken while sleeping were not considered acts at all, since they lacked underlying will, thus generating a deficiency in the objective prerequisites. However, in the studied case material and doctrine, it seems that movements while sleepwalking are treated as a lack of criminal intent, thus excluding responsibility within the context of subjective prerequisites. Probably this confusion arises as a result of the strong presumption that body movements are the same as actions, and partly that the mental states "conscious" and "aware" are considered the same. The author argues that sleepwalking is a state in which the person lacks consciousness, and movements undertaken in this state should not be considered acts. This type of indictment also involves some procedural considerations, in which the accused must make the episode of somnambulism likely, and the prosecutor has to disprove it. Evidence in these cases often includes expert reports from different sleep researchers. A few sleep researchers are prominent and have established a practice on how to investigate the probability of somnambulism. The risk of this practice, however, is that it consists of a checklist that does not always provide room for different experiences of somnambulism. It is likely that the trial, which by its nature must remain a grayscale, will be characterized by the black and white approach of the law
Oxytocin is an Anabolic Bone Hormone
No full textWe report that oxytocin (OT), a primitive neurohypophyseal hormone, hitherto thought solely to modulate lactation and social bonding, is a direct regulator of bone mass. Deletion of OT or the OT receptor (Oxtr) in male or female mice causes osteoporosis resulting from reduced bone formation. Consistent with low bone formation, OT stimulates the differentiation of osteoblasts to a mineralizing phenotype by causing the up-regulation of BMP-2, which in turn controls Schnurri-2 and 3, Osterix, and ATF-4 expression. In contrast, OT has dual effects on the osteoclast. It stimulates osteoclast formation both directly, by activating NF-κB and MAP kinase signaling, and indirectly through the up-regulation of RANK-L On the other hand, OT inhibits bone resorption by mature osteoclasts by triggering cytosolic Ca 2+ release and NO synthesis. Together, the complementary genetic and pharmacologic approaches reveal OT as a novel anabolic regulator of bone mass, with potential implications for osteoporosis therapy
Experimental validation of a patient-specific model of orthotic action in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis
No full textThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Springer via the DOI in this record.PURPOSE: Personalized modeling of brace action has potential in improving brace efficacy in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Model validation and simulation uncertainty are rarely addressed, limiting the clinical implementation of personalized models. We hypothesized that a thorough validation of a personalized finite element model (FEM) of brace action would highlight potential means of improving the model. METHODS: Forty-two AIS patients were included retrospectively and prospectively. Personalized FEMs of pelvis, spine and ribcage were built from stereoradiographies. Brace action was simulated through soft cylindrical pads acting on the ribcage and through displacements applied to key vertebrae. Simulation root mean squared errors (RMSEs) were calculated by comparison with the actual brace action (quantified through clinical indices, vertebral positions and orientations) observed in in-brace stereoradiographies. RESULTS: Simulation RMSEs of Cobb angle and vertebral apical axial rotation was lower than measurement uncertainty in 79 % of the patients. Pooling all patients and clinical indices, 87 % of the indices had lower RMSEs than the measurement uncertainty. CONCLUSIONS: In-depth analysis suggests that personalization of spinal functional units mechanical properties could improve the simulation's accuracy, but the model gave good results, thus justifying further research on its clinical application
The international movement of ideas and practices in education and social policy: Crossing boundaries between policy and practice
No full textThis thesis comprises eight publications produced between 2000 and 2009 in addition to a critical review of that work. The review considers the contribution made by the author to the perspectives on policy making offered by the framework of policy transfer and its subsequent applications within global social policy and related sub disciplines. It develops to explore the author's use of critical policy sociology and methodological work in social policy, education and political science in order to enhance existing perspectives on policy transfer. In contrast to rational linear models of decision making, alternative recursive deliberate approaches are suggested throughout this work. The review also considers aspects of the author's work on integrated working or trans-professionalism in the public services. Those aspects of his work on policy theory which illuminate professional learning are critically assessed
Micro-mechanical damages of needle puncture on bovine annulus fibrosus fibrils studies using polarisation-resolved second harmonic generation (P-SHG) microscopy
No full textThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordNeedle injection has been widely used in spinal therapeutic or diagnostic processes, such as discography. The use of
needles has been suspected in causing mild disc degeneration which can lead to long-term back pain. However, the
localised microscopic damage caused by needles has not been well studied. The local progressive damage on a
microscopic level caused by needle punctures on the surface of bovine annulus fibrosus was investigated. Four different
sizes of needle were used for the puncture and twenty-nine bovine intervertebral discs were studied. Polarization-resolved second harmonic generation and fluorescent microscopy were used to study the local microscopic structural
changes in collagen and cell nuclei due to needle damage. Repeated 70 cyclic loadings at ±5% of axial strain were
applied after the needle puncture in order to assess progressive damage caused by the needle. Puncture damage on
annulus fibrosus were observed either collagen fibre bundles being pushed aside, being cut through or combination of
both with part being lift or pushed in. The progressive damage was found less relevant to the needle size and more
progressive damage was only observed using the larger needle. Two distinct populations of collagen, in which one was
relatively more organised than the other population, were observed especially after the puncture from skewed
distribution of polarisation-SHG analysis. Cell shape was found rounder near the puncture site where collagen fibres
were damaged.Henry Smith Foundatio
Mutation in the NDUFS4 gene of complex I abolishes cAMP-dependent activation of the complex in a child with fatal neurological syndrome
No full textAbstractEvidence is presented showing that in a patient with fatal neurological syndrome, the homozygous 5 bp duplication in the cDNA of the NDUFS4 18 kDa subunit of complex I abolishes cAMP-dependent phosphorylation of this protein and activation of the complex. These findings show for the first time that human complex I is regulated via phosphorylation of the subunit encoded by the NDUFS4 gene
A new classification system for degenerative spondylolisthesis of the lumbar spine
No full textThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Springer Verlag via the DOI in this record.PURPOSE: There is no consensus for a comprehensive analysis of degenerative spondylolisthesis of the lumbar spine (DSLS). A new classification system for DSLS based on sagittal alignment was proposed. Its clinical relevance was explored. METHODS: Health-related quality-of-life scales (HRQOLs) and clinical parameters were collected: SF-12, ODI, and low back and leg pain visual analog scales (BP-VAS, LP-VAS). Radiographic analysis included Meyerding grading and sagittal parameters: segmental lordosis (SL), L1-S1 lumbar lordosis (LL), T1-T12 thoracic kyphosis (TK), pelvic incidence (PI), pelvic tilt (PT), and sagittal vertical axis (SVA). Patients were classified according to three main types-1A: preserved LL and SL; 1B: preserved LL and reduced SL (≤5°); 2A: PI-LL ≥10° without pelvic compensation (PT < 25°); 2B: PI-LL ≥10° with pelvic compensation (PT ≥ 25°); type 3: global sagittal malalignment (SVA ≥40 mm). RESULTS: 166 patients (119 F: 47 M) suffering from DSLS were included. Mean age was 67.1 ± 11 years. DSLS demographics were, respectively: type 1A: 73 patients, type 1B: 3, type 2A: 8, type 2B: 22, and type 3: 60. Meyerding grading was: grade 1 (n = 124); grade 2 (n = 24). Affected levels were: L4-L5 (n = 121), L3-L4 (n = 34), L2-L3 (n = 6), and L5-S1 (n = 5). Mean sagittal parameter values were: PI: 59.3° ± 11.9°; PT: 24.3° ± 7.6°; SVA: 29.1 ± 42.2 mm; SL: 18.2° ± 8.1°. DSLS types were correlated with age, ODI and SF-12 PCS (ρ = 0.34, p < 0.05; ρ = 0.33, p < 0.05; ρ = -0.20, and p = 0.01, respectively). CONCLUSION: This classification was consistent with age and HRQOLs and could be a preoperative assessment tool. Its therapeutic impact has yet to be validated. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.No funds were received in support of this work. No benefits in any forms have been or will be received from a commercial party related directly or indirectly to the subject of this manuscript
