Die operative Behandlung der Azetabulum-T-Fraktur über eine chirurgische Hüftluxation oder einen Stoppa-Zugang. [Operative treatment of T-type fractures of the acetabulum via surgical hip dislocation or Stoppa approach]

OBJECTIVE: Anatomic reduction and stable fixation by means of tissue- preserving surgical approaches. INDICATIONS Displaced acetabular fractures. Surgical hip dislocation approach with larger displacement of the posterior column in comparison to the anterior column, transtectal fractures, additional intraarticular fragments, marginal impaction. Stoppa approach with larger displacement of the anterior column in comparison to the posterior column. A combined approach might be necessary with difficult reduction. CONTRAINDICATIONS Fractures > 15 days (then ilioinguinal or extended iliofemoral approaches). Suprapubic catheters and abdominal problems (e.g., previous laparotomy due to visceral injuries) with Stoppa approach (then switch to classic ilioinguinal approach). SURGICAL TECHNIQUE: Surgical hip dislocation: lateral decubitus position. Straight lateral incision centered over the greater trochanter. Entering of the Gibson interval. Digastric trochanteric osteotomy with protection of the medial circumflex femoral artery. Opening of the interval between the piriformis and the gluteus minimus muscle. Z-shaped capsulotomy. Dislocation of the femoral head. Reduction and fixation of the posterior column with plate and screws. Fixation of the anterior column with a lag screw in direction of the superior pubic ramus. Stoppa approach: supine position. Incision according to Pfannenstiel. Longitudinal splitting of the anterior portion of the rectus sheet and the rectus abdominis muscle. Blunt dissection of the space of Retzius. Ligation of the corona mortis, if present. Blunt dissection of the quadrilateral plate and the anterior column. Reduction of the anterior column and fixation with a reconstruction plate. Fixation of the posterior column with lag screws. If necessary, the first window of the ilioinguinal approach can be used for reduction and fixation of the posterior column. POSTOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT: During hospital stay, intensive mobilization of the hip joint using a continuous passive motion machine with a maximum flexion of 90 degrees . No active abduction and passive adduction over the body's midline, if a surgical dislocation was performed. Maximum weight bearing 10-15 kg for 8 weeks. Then, first clinical and radiographic follow-up. Deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis for 8 weeks postoperatively. RESULTS: 17 patients with a mean follow-up of 3.2 years. Ten patients were operated via surgical hip dislocation, two patients with a Stoppa approach, and five using a combined or alternative approach. Anatomic reduction was achieved in ten of the twelve patients (83%) without primary total hip arthroplasty. Mean operation time 3.3 h for surgical hip dislocation and 4.2 h for the Stoppa approach. Complications comprised one delayed trochanteric union, one heterotopic ossification, and one loss of reduction. There were no cases of avascular necrosis. In two patients, a total hip arthroplasty was performed due to the development of secondary hip osteoarthritis.

Bulky extramedullary hematopoiesis is not a rare complication of congenital dyserythropoietic anemia

Bulky extramedullary hematopoiesis, usually detected in the thorax by imaging techniques, is a well-known complication in many types of congenital anemias. Here, we describe 12 cases of congenital dyserythropoietic anemia with extramedullary hematopoiesis which was always located in the paravertebral space of the thoracic spine and in other paraspinal regions in a few cases. All bulks were originally detected in chest radiographs and confirmed by imaging techniques such as computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging. In some cases, thoracotomy was performed for suspected malignancy. Although the true prevalence is not known, paravertebral masses in patients with CDA of any type are not uncommon and should be the first differential diagnosis considered when masses adjacent to the spine are detected in this disorder.

Foundations of stochastic geometry and theory of random sets

The first section of this chapter starts with the Buffon problem, which is one of the oldest in stochastic geometry, and then continues with the definition of measures on the space of lines. The second section defines random closed sets and related measurability issues, explains how to characterize distributions of random closed sets by means of capacity functionals and introduces the concept of a selection. Based on this concept, the third section starts with the definition of the expectation and proves its convexifying effect that is related to the Lyapunov theorem for ranges of vector-valued measures. Finally, the strong law of large numbers for Minkowski sums of random sets is proved and the corresponding limit theorem is formulated. The chapter is concluded by a discussion of the union-scheme for random closed sets and a characterization of the corresponding stable laws.

A Nonstationary Space-Time Gaussian Process Model for Partially Converged Simulations

In the context of expensive numerical experiments, a promising solution for alleviating the computational costs consists of using partially converged simulations instead of exact solutions. The gain in computational time is at the price of precision in the response. This work addresses the issue of fitting a Gaussian process model to partially converged simulation data for further use in prediction. The main challenge consists of the adequate approximation of the error due to partial convergence, which is correlated in both design variables and time directions. Here, we propose fitting a Gaussian process in the joint space of design parameters and computational time. The model is constructed by building a nonstationary covariance kernel that reflects accurately the actual structure of the error. Practical solutions are proposed for solving parameter estimation issues associated with the proposed model. The method is applied to a computational fluid dynamics test case and shows significant improvement in prediction compared to a classical kriging model.

In situ fiber-optical monitoring of cytosolic calcium in tissue explant cultures

We present a fluorescence-lifetime based method for monitoring cell and tissue activity in situ, during cell culturing and in the presence of a strong autofluorescence background. The miniature fiber-optic probes are easily incorporated in the tight space of a cell culture chamber or in an endoscope. As a first application we monitored the cytosolic calcium levels in porcine tracheal explant cultures using the Calcium Green-5N (CG5N) indicator. Despite the simplicity of the optical setup we are able to detect changes of calcium concentration as small as 2.5 nM, with a monitoring time resolution of less than 1 s.

Matrix pore water in low-permeable crystalline bedrock: An archive for the palaeohydrogeological evolution of the Olkiluoto Investigation Site

Matrix pore water in the connected inter- and intragranular pore space of low-permeable crystalline bedrock interacts with flowing fracture groundwater predominately by diffusion. Based on the slow exchange between the two water reservoirs, matrix pore water acts as an archive of past changes in fracture groundwater compositions and thus of the palaeohydrological history of a site. Matrix pore water of crystalline bedrock from the Olkiluoto investigation site (SW Finland) was characterised using the stable water isotopes (δ18O, δ2H), combined with the concentrations of dissolved chloride and bromide as natural tracers. The comparison of tracer concentrations in pore water and present-day fracture groundwater suggest for the pore water the presence of old, dilute meteoric water components that infiltrated into the fractures during various warm climate stages. These different meteoric components can be discerned based on the diffusion distance between the two reservoirs and be brought into context with the palaeohydrological evolution of the site.

Search for squarks and gluinos with the ATLAS detector in final states with jets and missing transverse momentum using 4.7 fb⁻¹ of sqrts=7 TeV proton-pro collision data

A search for squarks and gluinos in final states containing jets, missing transverse momentum and no high-p(T) electrons or muons is presented. The data represent the complete sample recorded in 2011 by the ATLAS experiment in 7 TeV proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider, with a total integrated luminosity of 4.7 fb(-1). No excess above the Standard Model background expectation is observed. Gluino masses below 860 GeV and squark masses below 1320 GeV are excluded at the 95% confidence level in simplified models containing only squarks of the first two generations, a gluino octet and a massless neutralino, for squark or gluino masses below 2 TeV, respectively. Squarks and gluinos with equal masses below 1410 GeV are excluded. In minimal supergravity/constrained minimal supersymmetric Standard Model models with tan beta = 10, A(0) = 0 and mu > 0, squarks and gluinos of equal mass are excluded for masses below 1360 GeV. Constraints are also placed on the parameter space of supersymmetric models with compressed spectra. These limits considerably extend the region of supersymmetric parameter space excluded by previous measurements with the ATLAS detector.

ON THE STABILITY OF SUPER-EARTH ATMOSPHERES

We investigate the stability of super-Earth atmospheres around M stars using a seven-parameter, analytical framework. We construct stability diagrams in the parameter space of exoplanetary radius versus semimajor axis and elucidate the regions in which the atmospheres are stable against the condensation of their major constituents, out of the gas phase, on their permanent nightside hemispheres. We find that super-Earth atmospheres that are nitrogen-dominated (Earth-like) occupy a smaller region of allowed parameter space, compared to hydrogen-dominated atmospheres, because of the dual effects of diminished advection and enhanced radiative cooling. Furthermore, some super-Earths which reside within the habitable zones of M stars may not possess stable atmospheres, depending on the mean molecular weight and infrared photospheric pressure of their atmospheres. We apply our stability diagrams to GJ 436b and GJ 1214b, and demonstrate that atmospheric compositions with high mean molecular weights are disfavored if these exoplanets possess solid surfaces and shallow atmospheres. Finally, we construct stability diagrams tailored to the Kepler data set, for G and K stars, and predict that about half of the exoplanet candidates are expected to harbor stable atmospheres if Earth-like conditions are assumed. We include 55 Cancri e and CoRoT-7b in our stability diagram for G stars

From doubled Chern–Simons–Maxwell lattice gauge theory to extensions of the toric code

We regularize compact and non-compact Abelian Chern–Simons–Maxwell theories on a spatial lattice using the Hamiltonian formulation. We consider a doubled theory with gauge fields living on a lattice and its dual lattice. The Hilbert space of the theory is a product of local Hilbert spaces, each associated with a link and the corresponding dual link. The two electric field operators associated with the link-pair do not commute. In the non-compact case with gauge group R, each local Hilbert space is analogous to the one of a charged “particle” moving in the link-pair group space R2 in a constant “magnetic” background field. In the compact case, the link-pair group space is a torus U(1)2 threaded by k units of quantized “magnetic” flux, with k being the level of the Chern–Simons theory. The holonomies of the torus U(1)2 give rise to two self-adjoint extension parameters, which form two non-dynamical background lattice gauge fields that explicitly break the manifest gauge symmetry from U(1) to Z(k). The local Hilbert space of a link-pair then decomposes into representations of a magnetic translation group. In the pure Chern–Simons limit of a large “photon” mass, this results in a Z(k)-symmetric variant of Kitaev’s toric code, self-adjointly extended by the two non-dynamical background lattice gauge fields. Electric charges on the original lattice and on the dual lattice obey mutually anyonic statistics with the statistics angle . Non-Abelian U(k) Berry gauge fields that arise from the self-adjoint extension parameters may be interesting in the context of quantum information processing.

Pneumomediastinum and soft tissue emphysema of the neck in postmortem CT and MRI; a new vital sign in hanging?

Spontaneous pneumomediastinum commonly occurs in healthy young men or parturient women in whom an increased intra-alveolar pressure (Valsalva maneuver, asthma, cough, emesis) leads to the rupture of the marginal pulmonary alveoli. The air ascends along the bronchi to the mediastinum and the subcutaneous space of the neck, causing cervico-fascial subcutaneous emphysema in 70-90% of cases. Ninety-five forensic cases, including five cases of hanging, were examined using postmortem multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) prior to autopsy until December 2003. This paper describes the findings of pneumomediastinum and cervical emphysema in three of five cases of hanging. The mechanism of its formation is discussed based on these results and a review of the literature. In conclusion, when putrefaction gas can be excluded the findings of pneumomediastinum and cervical soft tissue emphysema serve as evidence of vitality of a hanged person. Postmortem cross-sectional imaging is considered a useful visualization tool for emphysema, with a great potential for examination and documentation.

The Chemical Space Project

One of the simplest questions that can be asked about molecular diversity is how many organic molecules are possible in total? To answer this question, my research group has computationally enumerated all possible organic molecules up to a certain size to gain an unbiased insight into the entire chemical space. Our latest database, GDB-17, contains 166.4 billion molecules of up to 17 atoms of C, N, O, S, and halogens, by far the largest small molecule database reported to date. Molecules allowed by valency rules but unstable or nonsynthesizable due to strained topologies or reactive functional groups were not considered, which reduced the enumeration by at least 10 orders of magnitude and was essential to arrive at a manageable database size. Despite these restrictions, GDB-17 is highly relevant with respect to known molecules. Beyond enumeration, understanding and exploiting GDBs (generated databases) led us to develop methods for virtual screening and visualization of very large databases in the form of a “periodic system of molecules” comprising six different fingerprint spaces, with web-browsers for nearest neighbor searches, and the MQN- and SMIfp-Mapplet application for exploring color-coded principal component maps of GDB and other large databases. Proof-of-concept applications of GDB for drug discovery were realized by combining virtual screening with chemical synthesis and activity testing for neurotransmitter receptor and transporter ligands. One surprising lesson from using GDB for drug analog searches is the incredible depth of chemical space, that is, the fact that millions of very close analogs of any molecule can be readily identified by nearest-neighbor searches in the MQN-space of the various GDBs. The chemical space project has opened an unprecedented door on chemical diversity. Ongoing and yet unmet challenges concern enumerating molecules beyond 17 atoms and synthesizing GDB molecules with innovative scaffolds and pharmacophores.

Direct visualization of the outer membrane of mycobacteria and corynebacteria in their native state.

The cell envelope of mycobacteria, which include the causative agents of tuberculosis and leprosy, is crucial for their success as pathogens. Despite a continued strong emphasis on identifying the multiple chemical components of this envelope, it has proven difficult to combine its components into a comprehensive structural model, primarily because the available ultrastructural data rely on conventional electron microscopy embedding and sectioning, which are known to induce artifacts. The existence of an outer membrane bilayer has long been postulated but has never been directly observed by electron microscopy of ultrathin sections. Here we have used cryo-electron microscopy of vitreous sections (CEMOVIS) to perform a detailed ultrastructural analysis of three species belonging to the Corynebacterineae suborder, namely, Mycobacterium bovis BCG, Mycobacterium smegmatis, and Corynebacterium glutamicum, in their native state. We provide new information that accurately describes the different layers of the mycobacterial cell envelope and challenges current models of the organization of its components. We show a direct visualization of an outer membrane, analogous to that found in gram-negative bacteria, in the three bacterial species examined. Furthermore, we demonstrate that mycolic acids, the hallmark of mycobacteria and related genera, are essential for the formation of this outer membrane. In addition, a granular layer and a low-density zone typifying the periplasmic space of gram-positive bacteria are apparent in CEMOVIS images of mycobacteria and corynebacteria. Based on our observations, a model of the organization of the lipids in the outer membrane is proposed. The architecture we describe should serve as a reference for future studies to relate the structure of the mycobacterial cell envelope to its function.

Measuring the promise of open data: Development of the Impact Monitoring Framework

It is a challenge to measure the impact of releasing data to the public since the effects may not be directly linked to particular open data activities or substantial impact may only occur several years after publishing the data. This paper proposes a framework to assess the impact of releasing open data by applying the Social Return on Investment (SROI) approach. SROI was developed for organizations intended to generate social and environmental benefits thus fitting the purpose of most open data initiatives. We link the four steps of SROI (input, output, outcome, impact) with the 14 high-value data categories of the G8 Open Data Charter to create a matrix of open data examples, activities, and impacts in each of the data categories. This Impact Monitoring Framework helps data providers to navigate the impact space of open data laying out the conceptual basis for further research.

Volcanic terrain and the possible periglacial formation of "excess ice" at the mid-latitudes of Utopia Planitia, Mars

At the mid-latitudes of Utopia Planitia (UP), Mars, a suite of spatially-associated landforms exhibit geomorphological traits that, on Earth, would be consistent with periglacial processes and the possible freeze-thaw cycling of water. The suite comprises small-sized polygonally-patterned ground, polygon-junction and -margin pits, and scalloped, rimless depressions. Typically, the landforms incise a dark-toned terrain that is thought to be ice-rich. Here, we investigate the dark-toned terrain by using high resolution images from the HiRISE as well as near-infrared spectral-data from the OMEGA and CRISM. The terrain displays erosional characteristics consistent with a sedimentary nature and near-infrared spectra characterised by a blue slope similar to that of weathered basaltic-tephra. We also describe volcanic terrain that is dark-toned and periglacially-modified in the Kamchatka mountain-range of eastern Russia. The terrain is characterised by weathered tephra inter-bedded with snow, ice-wedge polygons and near-surface excess ice. The excess ice forms in the pore space of the tephra as the result of snow-melt infiltration and, subsequently, in-situ freezing. Based on this possible analogue, we construct a three-stage mechanism that explains the possible ice-enrichment of a broad expanse of dark-toned terrain at the mid-latitudes of UP: (1) the dark-toned terrain accumulates and forms via the regional deposition of sediments sourced from explosive volcanism; (2) the volcanic sediments are blanketed by atmospherically-precipitated (H2O) snow, ice or an admixture of the two, either concurrent with the volcanic-events or between discrete events; and, (3) under the influence of high obliquity or explosive volcanism, boundary conditions tolerant of thaw evolve and this, in turn, permits the migration, cycling and eventual formation of excess ice in the volcanic sediments. Over time, and through episodic iterations of this scenario, excess ice forms to decametres of depth. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Structural conservations and diversities of dsRNA viruses: Structural studies of the cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus by electron cryomicroscopy and 3D reconstruction

The Reoviridae virus family is a group of economically and pathologically important viruses that have either single-, double-, or triple-shelled protein layers enclosing a segmented double stranded RNA genome. Each virus particle in this family has its own viral RNA dependent RNA polymerase and the enzymatic activities necessary for the mature RNA synthesis. Based on the structure of the inner most cores of the viruses, the Reoviridae viruses can be divided into two major groups. One group of viruses has a smooth surfaced inner core, surrounded by complete outer shells of one or two protein layers. The other group has an inner core decorated with turrets on the five-fold vertices, and could either completely lack or have incomplete outer protein layers. The structural difference is one of the determinant factors for their biological differences during the infection. ^ Cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus (CPV) is a single-shelled, turreted virus and the structurally simplest member in Reoviridae. It causes specific chronic infections in the insect gut epithelial cells. Due to its wide range of insect hosts, CPV has been engineered as a potential insecticide for use in fruit and vegetable farming. Its unique structural simplicity, unparalleled capsid stability and ease of purification make CPV an ideal model system for studying the structural basis of dsRNA virus assembly at the highest possible resolution by electron cryomicroscopy (cryoEM) and three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction. ^ In this thesis work, I determined the first 3D structure of CPV capsids using 100 kV cryoEM. At an effective resolution of 17 Å, the full capsid reveals a 600-Å diameter, T = 1 icosahedral shell decorated with A and B spikes at the 5-fold vertices. The internal space of the empty CPV is unoccupied except for 12 mushroom-shaped densities that are attributed to the transcriptional enzyme complexes. The inside of the full capsid is packed with icosahedrally-ordered viral genomic RNA. The interactions of viral RNA with the transcriptional enzyme complexes and other capsid proteins suggest a mechanism for RNA transcription and subsequent release. ^ Second, the interactions between the turret proteins (TPs) and the major capsid shell protein (CSPs) have been identified through 3D structural comparisons of the intact CPV capsids with the spikeless CPV capsids, which were generated by chemical treatments. The differential effects of these chemical treatment experiments also indicated that CPV has a significantly stronger structural integrity than other dsRNA viruses, such as the orthoreovirus subcores, which are normally enclosed within outer protein shells. ^ Finally, we have reconstructed the intact CPV to an unprecendented 8 Å resolution from several thousand of 400kV cryoEM images. The 8 Å structure reveals interactions among the 120 molecules of each of the capsid shell protein (CSP), the large protrusion protein (LPP), and 60 molecules of the turret protein (TP). A total of 1980 α-helices and 720 β-sheets have been identified in these capsid proteins. The CSP structure is largely conserved, with the majority of the secondary structures homologous to those observed in the x-ray structures of corresponding proteins of other reoviruses, such as orthoreovirus and bluetongue virus. The three domains of TP are well positioned to play multifunctional roles during viral transcription. The completely non-equivalent interactions between LPP and CSP and those between the anchoring domain of TP and CSP account for the unparalleled stability of this structurally simplest member of the Reoviridae. ^