bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Associations between Range of Motion and Tissue Stiffness in Young and Older People
Authors: HIRATA KOSUKE , YAMADERA RYOSUKE , AKAGI RYOTA 
Published: April 2020

ABSTRACT

Purpose
The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in the associations between passive ankle dorsiflexion range of motion (ROM) and stiffness of the triceps surae, sciatic nerve, and deep fascia located in the posterior leg between young and older people.

Methods
Twenty young and twenty older males were recruited and were placed in a prone position with their hip and knee fully extended. Passive ankle dorsiflexion ROM was determined based on the onset of pain during passive dorsiflexion at 1°·s−1 using an isokinetic dynamometer. Shear wave speeds (as a stiffness index) of the triceps surae, the sciatic nerve, and the deep fascia in the posterior leg were evaluated by ultrasound shear wave elastography.

Results
The shear wave speeds of the medial and lateral gastrocnemius measured at 15° dorsiflexion correlated negatively with passive ROM in young but not in older participants. The shear wave speed of the sciatic nerve measured at 15° dorsiflexion correlated negatively with passive ROM only in older participants. No association was observed between passive ROM and shear wave speed of the deep fascia in the posterior leg. For data measured at maximal dorsiflexion angle (as an index of stretch tolerance), shear wave speeds of the triceps surae and passive joint torque correlated positively with passive ROM in both groups.

Conclusion
These results suggest that the tissues limiting passive ankle dorsiflexion ROM are muscle and nerve for young and older people, respectively, whereas stretch tolerance influences passive ROM for both groups. This implies that the relative contribution of nonmuscular tissues to joint flexibility become stronger than that of muscles with age.
Plantar Flexor Function in Adults with and without Prader–Willi Syndrome
Authors: PAMUKOFF DEREK N. , HOLMES SKYLAR C. , SHUMSKI ERIC J. , GARCIA STEVEN A. , RUBIN DANIELA A. 
Published: April 2020

ABSTRACT

Purpose
Prader–Willi Syndrome (PWS) is a form of congenital obesity characterized by excessive body fat, hypotonia, muscle weakness, and physical/cognitive disability. However, the sources of muscle dysfunction and their contribution to mobility are unclear. The purposes of this study were to 1) compare plantar flexor function between adults with and without PWS; and 2) to examine the relationship between plantar flexor function and gait speed in adults with PWS.

Methods
Participants included 10 adults with PWS, 10 adults without PWS and with obesity, and 10 adults without PWS and without obesity (matched on age and sex). Plantar flexor function was assessed using isokinetic dynamometry (peak torque [PT], early/late rate of torque development [RTD]), Hoffman reflex (H/M ratio), ultrasound imaging (cross-sectional area [CSA], echo intensity, pennation angle, and fascicle length), and peak propulsive force and plantar flexor moment during gait. Outcomes were compared between groups using one-way MANOVA. Associations between plantar flexor outcomes and gait speed were assessed using Pearson correlation in the PWS group.

Results
Adults with PWS had lower absolute and normalized early RTD, and lower H/M ratio than controls with and without obesity; lower absolute PT and late RTD than controls with obesity (all P < 0.05). Cross-sectional area, propulsive force, and plantarflexor moment were lower, and echo intensity was higher, in adults with PWS compared with controls without obesity (all P < 0.05). Greater absolute PT (r = 0.64), absolute early RTD (r = 0.62), absolute late RTD (r = 0.64), gastrocnemii CSA (r = 0.55), and propulsive force (r = 0.58) were associated with faster gait speed (all P < 0.05).

Conclusions
Adults with PWS have impaired plantar flexor function likely attributable to reduced neuromuscular function and altered muscle morphology, which are associated with slower gait speeds.
Fatigue-related Feedback from Calf Muscles Impairs Knee Extensor Voluntary Activation
Authors: FINN HARRISON T. , KENNEDY DAVID S. , GREEN SIMON , TAYLOR JANET L. 
Published: April 2020

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Fatigue-related group III/IV muscle afferent firing from agonist, antagonist or distal muscles impairs the ability to drive the elbow flexors maximally, that is, reduces voluntary activation. In the lower limb, the effect of feedback from distal muscles on the proximal knee extensors is unknown. Here, we test whether maintained group III/IV afferent feedback from the plantarflexor muscles reduces voluntary activation of the knee extensors.

Methods
On 2 d, voluntary activation of the knee extensors during maximal voluntary contractions (MVCs) was assessed in 12 participants before and after a 3-min fatiguing task of the plantarflexors. On 1 d, an inflatable cuff around the calf occluded blood flow for 2 min immediately postexercise (cuff day). The other day had no occlusion (no-cuff day). Supramaximal stimulation of the femoral nerve elicited superimposed twitches during MVC of the knee extensors and resting twitches 2 to 3 s after relaxation. Pain (0–10 point scale) was reported throughout.

Results
In the 2 min after the 3-min fatiguing plantarflexor task, voluntary activation was 5.3% (SD, 7%) lower on the cuff day than on the no-cuff day (P = 0.045), and MVC force was reduced by 13% (SD, 16%) (P = 0.021). The resting twitch was similar on both days (P = 0.98). Pain rated 4.9 points higher with the cuff inflated (P = 0.001).

Conclusions
Maintained group III/IV afferent feedback from the fatigued plantarflexor muscles reduced maximal force and voluntary activation of the unfatigued knee extensors, suggesting that afferents from the calf act centrally to inhibit the ability to drive the motoneurones of the knee extensors.
Sequential butylphthalide therapy combined with dual antiplatelet therapy in the treatment of acute cerebral infarction
Authors: Wo Xuewen , Han Jinyan , Wang Jiajia , Wang Xinmin , Liu Xiaoying , Wang Zhonggong 
Published: April 2020

Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of sequential butylphthalide therapy combined with dual antiplatelet therapy in the treatment of elderly patients with acute cerebral infarction (ACI).
Methods: One hundred and twenty-two elderly patients with ACI who were admitted to the department of neurology of our hospital at May 2016-August 2018 were selected grouped into a control group and an observation group by random number table method, 61 in each group. On the basis of conventional treatment, the patients in the control group were given dual antiplatelet therapy (aspirin enteric-coated tablets + clopidogrel bisulfate tablets), while the patients in the observation group were given sequential butylphthalide therapy on the basis of the control group. The clinical effects of the two groups were compared after four weeks of treatment, and the changes of National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), ADL score, plasma 3-mercaptopyruvate sulphurtransferase (3-MST) and Amyloid β42 (Aβ42) levels and the occurrence of adverse reactions during treatment were recorded.
Results: The clinical efficacy of the observation group was better than that of the control group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in NIHSS and ADL scores between the two groups before treatment (P>0.05). After treatment, the NIHSS and ADL scores of the observation group were better than those of the control group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in plasma levels of 3-MST and AB42 between the two groups before treatment (P>0.05). The level of plasma 3-MST in the observation group was higher than that in the control group, and the level of plasma Aβ42 was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). No serious adverse reactions occurred during the treatment period in both groups.
Conclusion: Butylphthalide sequential therapy combined with dual antiplatelet therapy is effective in the treatment of elderly ACI. It can effectively improve the plasma level of 3-MST and decrease the plasma level of Aβ42, which is conducive to improving the living ability and neurological function of patients and has high safety.
doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.4.1831
How to cite this:Wo X, Han J, Wang J, Wang X, Liu X, Wang Z. Sequential butylphthalide therapy combined with dual antiplatelet therapy in the treatment of acute cerebral infarction. Pak J Med Sci. 2020;36(4):615-620. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.4.1831
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Investigation of Photon Attenuation Properties of CR-39 Lens
Authors: Eke Canel , Yildirim A. 
Published: April 2020

The purpose of this study is to investigate photon attenuation parameters of Colombia Resin-39 (CR-39) lens, which are linear attenuation coefficient (LAC), mass attenuation coefficient (MAC), half value layer (HVL), tenth value layer (TVL), mean free path (MFP), effective atomic number (Zeff) and effective electron density (Neff). MACs were determined theoretically and with simulation in the energy range from 0.01 to 105 MeV. Also, obtained MACs of CR-39 lens were compared with MACs of pure aluminum and lead. Theoretically obtained Zeff values were compared with Zeff results obtained by the computer software.The results of this study are; a) the theoretically obtained MACs values are in agreement with MACs obtained results from simulation software, b) the theoretically obtained Zeff values are in agreement with Zeff obtained by the computer software c) the MACs of CR-39 lens are much lower than MACs of pure lead whereas there is not too much differences between MACs of CR-39 and pure aluminium d) the HVLs, TVLs and MFPs rise with increasing photon energy while the LACs and MACs reduce with increasing photon energy.
SYMMETRIES IN ODD-MASS NUCLEI
Authors: Van Isacker P. 
Published: April 2020

A general review is given of applications of algebraic techniques to odd-mass nuclei in the framework of the interacting boson-fermion model. The discussion focuses on the symmetry aspect of the model: the concepts of symmetry and dynamical symmetry are illustrated by way of elementary examples. The unified treatment of even-even and odd-mass nuclei (supersym- metry) is introduced by inspecting the action of 'super'generators creating a boson and annihilating a fermion (or vice versa). These ideas are illustrated with some examples. The talk is concludes with a brief summary.
QUANTUM ALGEBRAIC SYMMETRIES IN NUCLEAR AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
Authors: Bonatsos Dennis , Argyres E. N. , Drenska S. B. , Raychev P. P. , Roussev R. P. , Smirnov Yu. F. , Faessler Amand 
Published: April 2020

The first realizations of quanttun algebraic symmetries in nuclear and molecular spectra are presented. Rotational spectra of even-even nuclei are described by the quantum algebra SUq(2). The two parameter formula given by the algebra is equivalent to an expan- sion in terms of powers of j(j + 1), similar to the expansion given by the Variable Moment of Inertia (VMI) model. The moment of inertia parameter in the two models, as well as the small parameter of the expansion, are found to have very similar numerical values. The same formalism is found to give very good results for superdeformed nuclear bands, which are closer to the classical SU(2) limit, as well as for rotational bands of diatomic molecules, in which a partial summation of the Dunham expansion for rotation-vibration spectra is achieved. Vibrational spectra of diatomic molecules can be described by the q-deformed anhannonic oscillator, having the symmetry Uq(2)>Oq(2). An alternative de- scription is obtained in terms of the quantum algebra SUq(1,1). In both cases the energy formula obtained is equivalent to an expansion in terms of powers of (v+½) , where ν is the vibrational quantum number, while in the classical ST(1,1) case only the first two powers appear. In all cases the improved description of the empirical data is obtained with q being a phase (and not a real number). Further applications of quantum algebraic symmetries in nuclei and molecules are discussed.
A STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF 15N ION BEAM ON ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
Authors: Pilakouta M. , Aslanoglou X. , Savidou A. , Paradellis T. , Sideris E. 
Published: April 2020

Organic compounds EDTA. EDTA-Na and biological samples Bovine Liver and DNA, were irradiated with 15N ions at the energy of 8.5 MeV and the hydrogen lost during bombarding was monitored via the H(15N,aγ)12C resonance reaction. The hydrogen loss curves were fited using a multi­ple exponential function which indicates different mechanisms with which hydrogen is lost.
COMPETITION BETWEEN LIGHT CLUSTER AND CONSTITUENT MULTINUCLEON EMISSION IN HEAVY-ION REACTIONS
Authors: Xenoulis A. C. 
Published: April 2020

Isoproduct competition. i.e. competition between cluster and multlnucleon emission leading to the same residual nucleus, emerges as a general, interesting and useful characteristic of nuclear reactions. Common properties and factors underlying the competition between pn and d as well as between p2n. dn and t evaporation are recognized and discussed. The application of the isoproduct-competition method in the delineation of the mechanisms involved in 7Li-lnduced reactions suggests that an additional mechanism, breakup-fusion, is involved even at very low energies. Finally, the competition associated with alpha emission In the 12C+16O reaction demonstrates a strong contribution from composite 4He emission which cannot be accounted far by either the systematica or standard statistical calculations.
FERMION-BOSON CLASSIFICATION IN MICROCLUSTERS
Authors: Anagnostatos G. S. 
Published: April 2020

Mlcroclusters composed of atoms with non delocallzed odd number of valence electrons possess the usual magic numbers for fermions in a central potential and those with an even number of valence electrons possess the magic numbers for bosons coming from the packing of atoms in nested icosahedral or octahedral or tetrahedral shells. On the other hand, mlcroclusters composed of atoms with delocallzed valence electrons, either with an odd or with an even number of electrons, exhibit electronic magic numbers (according to the jelllum model) but also magic numbers coming from the (same, as above) packings of their bosonlc ion cores. Finally, through the present work, an alternative approach to study atomic nuclei as quantum clusters appears possible and promising.
The dependence of the nuclear charge form factor on short range correlations and surface fluctuation effects
Authors: Massen S. E. , Garistov V. P. , Grypeos M. E. 
Published: April 2020

An investigation is carried out in order to study effects, originating from fluctuations of the nuclear surface, to the elastic charge form factor of light nuclei in which the two-body part of the short range correlation factor is also included through a Jastrow-type correlation function. It is found that if these effects are taken into account in the uncorrected (harmonic oscillator) part of such a form-factor for the 4He, l6O and 40Ca nuclei, the quality of the fitting is improved. In addition, they lead to a drastic change in the asymptotic behaviour of the point-proton form factor which now drops off for large values of the momentum transfer q quite slowly that is as const.•q^-4.
Application of the hypervirial theorem scheme to the potential -D/cosh^2(r/R)
Authors: Liolios T. , Grypeos M. 
Published: April 2020

The well known potential -D/cosh^2(r/R)is studied with the aim of obtaining approximate analytic expressions mainly for the energies of the excited states with l≠0. Use is made of the Hypervirial Theorems (HVT) in conjunction with the Hellmann-Feynman Theorem (HFT) which provide a very powerful scheme especially for the treatment of 'Oscillator-like' potentials,as previous studies have shown. The energy eigenvalues are calculated in the form of an expansion, the first terms of which, in many cases, yield very satisfactory results.
The nucleon momentum distribution in light nuclei
Authors: Ypsilantis K. N. , Grypeos M. E. 
Published: April 2020

The nucléon momentum distribution in light nuclei is studied by means of a single particle potential model which consists of an attractive harmonic oscillator potential Va=½mω²r² and also of a repulsive one of the form Vr=B/r², Β > 0. The latter simulates to some extend effects which would result if short range correlations were included (e.g. by a Jastrow factor) in a nuclear wave function, having as uncorrelated part a Slater determinant of harmonic oscillator orbitals. The main advantage of this model is that it leads to fairly simple analytic expressions for the momentum distribution of light nuclei and also for the density distributions and the elastic form factors. These expressions are quite useful in obtaining, for example, the asymptotic form of η(k) for large k from which it is seen that the steep decrease of the nucléon momentum distribution observed with the harmonic oscillator model in this region is improved. Numerical results using various least squares fittings are obtained and discussed for a number of nuclei of the 1s, 1p shell.
High spin levels in 119Te
Authors: Papadopoulos C. T. , Et al. - 
Published: April 2020

High spin levels in 119Te have been populated following the 96Zr(30Si,α3n)119Te reaction at a beam energy of 135 MeV. The subsequent deexcitation was studied using γ-ray spectroscopic methods. New levels and several spin and parity assignments up to Jπ=55/2- were established. The decay scheme is characterized by single particle excitations. For the 39/2- level the fully aligned v(h11/2)^3 π(g7/2)^2 configuration is proposed, while the 55/2- level could be associated with the π(d5/2)^2 ν(h11/2)^5(g7/2)^-2 configuration.
High Spin Structure of 122Xe
Authors: Serris M. , Et al. - 
Published: April 2020

High spin states in the isotope 122Xe were populated using the reaction 96Zn(30Si,2n)122Xe at a beam energy of 135 MeV. The subsequent γ-ray deexcitation was studied using γ-ray spectroscopic methods. The analysis of γ-γ coincidences has revealed two new structures of competing dipole and quadrupole transitions. The highest states of a positive parity band provide characteristics consistent with an approach to band termination.
19F(p,αγ)16O: Test Reaction for the Detection System PTOLEMEOS
Authors: Chronidou C. , Spyrou K. , Harissopulos S. , Kossionides E. , Paradellis T. 
Published: April 2020

The reaction 19F(p,αγ)16O has been studied over the energy range Ep=850-916 keV. The excitation function has been measured and the total cross section for the resonance at Ep = 872.11 keV has been deduced. By comparison of the deduced value of σR with previous ones, a test and/or a calibration of the results of simulation programs for the efficiency of our detection system can be extracted.
Appied Nuclear Physics-Advanced Ion Beam Materials Analysis at small Accelerators
Authors: Grötzschel R. , Kreissig U. , Neelmeijer Ch. 
Published: April 2020

The ossendorf Ion Beam Laboratory has been developed to an international large scale user facility in the field of ion beam physics and ion beam materials research. The laboratory operates a large number of modern experimental equipment at three MeV accelerators, three implanters, an ECR source and a FIB which together pro- vide almost all ions species in a wide energy range from a few hundred eV to a few ten MeV. Also IBAD and PHI devices were installed for various purposes. The re- search stations at the accelerators are supplemented by complementary techniques like TEM, SEM, AUGER, AFM etc., all contributing useful information to thin film investigations. In this paper a short overview of the laboratory is given and a few recent experiments and their results are shown. Rutherford Backscattering Spec- trometry ( RBS) and Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis (ERDA) are well established techniques for quantitative thin film. The advantage of these methods consists in the simple physics they are basing on, namely the stopping of energetic ions in matter and the binary scattering of at the Coulomb potential of atomic nuclei. The increasing importance of ultra-thin layers for novel technologies demands quantita- tive analysis techniques with a depth resolution of atomic monolayers, which can be obtained for RBS and ERDA by magnetic spectrometers only. The magnetic spec- trometers we have installed at the 3 MV Tandetron and at the 5 MV tandem are described , recent applications are shown and a few problems to achieve high depth resolution will be discussed. Heavy ion detectors as Bragg IC, dE-Erest-telescopes and ToF spectrometers, developed for nuclear physics experiments, are now applied for ERDA, providing an efficient analysis of thin films containing light elements. The lateral position resolution of such detectors enables kinematic corrections and allows large solid angles. Thus by ERDA in situ studies during surface modification processes are possible like in the case of the nitridation of aluminum and stainless steel. At the external beam mainly objects of fine arts or of historical value are analysed. It will be shown, how the complementary application of PIXE, RBS and PIGE can help to detect the beginning corrosion of mediaeval glass objects.
Study of 6Li exclusive breakup on 28Si target at 13 MeV
Authors: Patronis N. , Et al. - 
Published: April 2020

We have undertaken the study of the 6Li breakup on a 28Si target near the Coulomb barrier through an angular distribution measurement, a's were recorded in coincidence with deuterons in order to determine exclusively the breakup of lithium. Preliminary results are analysed and are discussed, in a discretized coupled channel framework (CDCC).
Radioactive Contamination due to 241Am Lightning Rod Failure
Authors: Karfopoulos K. L. , Papadakos G. N. , Karangelos D. J. , Rouni P. K. , Petropoulos N. P. , Anagnostakis M. J. , Hinis E. P. , Simopoulos S. E. 
Published: April 2020

It is estimated that until 1978 about 200000 lightning conductor rods with -a emitting sources attached to their end were installed worldwide. The sources were supposed to increase the lighting collection efficiency of these rods through the ionization of the surrounding air. Nevertheless, this improvement has never been established conclusively. Such devices are, in most cases, not accessible by the pub- lic; therefore, the dose to the population is considered insignificant. However, the possibility of radioactive material leakage, due to the source attachment failure, and the subsequent contamination of the surroundings that could lead to possible health risk of the public cannot be excluded. In this work, the case of 241Am contamination due to a lightning rod conductor failure is investigated. This contamination was accidentally detected on the surface soil around a laboratory building in the National Technical University of Athens Campus, during a routine in-situ gamma-ray measurement campaign that took place in 2003. A detailed survey revealed that this 241Am contamination was due to the leakage from two lightning rods on the building roof. Consequently the rods were removed from the building and the contamination pattern on the roof and on the surface soil around the building was examined in detail. From the results obtained so far it may be concluded that there exists well localized contamination on the roof and also around the building. It was established that the pathway through which contamination reached the ground was the rainwater drainage system of the building. The gamma ray dose rate due to 241Am contamination found on the roof and on the surface soil is low compared to that due to its natural radioactivity and does not seem to pose any health risk to the people working in the building or to the public.