Advantages and pitfalls in computer assisted orthopedic surgery planning using rapid-prototyped guides

Durch die von Rapid Prototyping gebotenen Möglichkeiten können computergestützte 3D Operationsplanungen präzise in der Operation umgesetzt werden. An der Universitätsklinik Balgrist wurden in den letzten 3 Jahren nahezu 100 Patienten erfolgreich behandelt, deren Operation in 3D geplant und mit patienten-spezifischen Schablonen umgesetzt wurde. Wir beschreiben die Genauigkeit dieser Methode und berichten über die hierbei gesammelten Erfahrungen. Aufgrund der Flexibilität der Rapid Prototyping Technologie, gibt es nicht immer nur einen Weg wie eine 3D geplante Operation umgesetzt werden kann. Wir zeigen daher anhand von Fallbeispielen unterschiedliche Strategien auf und beschreiben deren Vor- und Nachteile. Ausserdem präsentieren wir die Weiterentwicklung der Methode zur Anwendung an kleinerer Anatomie wie Knochen des Handgelenkes oder der Finger.

The Advantages of Parametric Modeling for the Reconstruction of Historic Buildings

Consecrated in 1297 as the monastery church of the four years earlier founded St. Catherine’s monastery, the Gothic Church of St. Catherine was largely destroyed in a devastating bombing raid on January 2nd 1945. To counteract the process of disintegration, the departments of geo-information and lower monument protection authority of the City of Nuremburg decided to getting done a three dimensional building model of the Church of St. Catherine’s. A heterogeneous set of data was used for preparation of a parametric architectural model. In effect the modeling of historic buildings can profit from the so called BIM method (Building Information Modeling), as the necessary structuring of the basic data renders it into very sustainable information. The resulting model is perfectly suited to deliver a vivid impression of the interior and exterior of this former mendicant orders’ church to present observers.

Nanomaterials and the human lung: what is known and what must be deciphered to realise their potential advantages?

Due to the constant expansion within the nanotechnology industry in the last decade, nanomaterials are omnipresent in society today. Nanotechnology-based products have numerous different applications ranging from electronic (e.g., advanced memory chips) to industrial (e.g., coatings or composites) to biomedical (e.g., drug delivery systems, diagnostics). Although these new nanomaterials can be found in many "everyday" products, their effects on the human body have still to be investigated in order to identify not only their risk, but also their potential benefits towards human health. Since the lung is commonly thought to be the main portal of entry into the human body for nanomaterials released within the environment, this review will attempt to summarise the current knowledge and understanding of how nanomaterials interact with the respiratory tract. Furthermore, the advantages and disadvantages of different experimental model systems that are commonly used to study this exposure route to the human body will be discussed.

Analogues of polyamine alkaloids and their synthetic advantages

Several polyamine derivatives were synthesized in order to produce novel antagonists of muscular nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Their affinities were compared with those of philanthotoxin PhTX-343.

Advantages and controversies of depot antipsychotics in the treatment of patients with schizophrenia

BACKGROUND The objective of this article is to give an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of the use of depot antipsychotics in the treatment of schizophrenia. The focus is on efficacy, tolerability, relapse prevention, patient compliance and satisfaction compared to oral administration forms. MATERIAL AND METHODS A literature search was conducted in medical databases. The results of meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews from the years 1999-2014 were included. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Depot antipsychotics ensure maintenance of constant blood levels and a continuous medication delivery. The efficacy and tolerability of depot antipsychotics are comparable to oral administration forms. Due to an improved medication compliance a reduction of relapse and hospitalization rates can be achieved. This is a key focus for improving outcomes and reducing costs in the treatment of schizophrenia.

Physiological advantages of dwarfing in surviving extinctions in high-CO2 oceans

Excessive CO2 in the present-day ocean-atmosphere system is causing ocean acidification, and is likely to cause a severe biodiversity decline in the future, mirroring effects in many past mass extinctions. Fossil records demonstrate that organisms surviving such events were often smaller than those before, a phenomenon called the Lilliput effect. Here, we show that two gastropod species adapted to acidified seawater at shallow-water CO2 seeps were smaller than those found in normal pH conditions and had higher mass-specific energy consumption but significantly lower whole-animal metabolic energy demand. These physiological changes allowed the animals to maintain calcification and to partially repair shell dissolution. These observations of the long-term chronic effects of increased CO2 levels forewarn of changes we can expect in marine ecosystems as CO2 emissions continue to rise unchecked, and support the hypothesis that ocean acidification contributed to past extinction events. The ability to adapt through dwarfing can confer physiological advantages as the rate of CO2 emissions continues to increase.

The rise and fall in the price of food, fuel and manufactured goods : interdependency between prices and technology determining comparative advantages and development paths

Green innovation, which enables us to extract energy from food crops, caused a food shortage in 2008. Countries suffering severe damage started to reconsider their agricultural policy with the aim of becoming more autonomous. The food price hike of the time looks like a reversal of the celebrated Singer-Prebisch thesis proposed in the 1950s. This paper examines the consequences of this trend on the comparative advantages and development strategies of developing countries. For that purpose, first, trends and short-run fluctuations in the prices of fuel and bio-energy crops are investigated. It is shown that the price series of fuels and the crops are synchronized only after the fuel extracting technology came into effect. Second, the reversal of the Singer-Prebisch thesis is underpinned by the generic form of an endogenous growth model developed by Rebelo (1991). It is shown that as an economy grows, appreciation of the non-reproducible, such as mineral resources and raw labor, over the reproducible, such as capital goods, is the norm rather than an anomaly. Third, the consequences of the food price hike and underlying capital accumulation on the development strategies of labor-abundant and low-income countries are explored. It is concluded that the impact of the food price hikes on the alteration of a development strategy is only incremental, without reinforcement from raw-labor-saving innovation. A case study of inventions by JUKI Corporation, a world-leader in the sewing machine market exemplifies the fact that, of all the major inventions the company have made, raw-labor-saving inventions have not dominated, although JUKI's machines are sold to one of the most raw-labor-intensive industries.

Strategic Airline Alliances: Advantages for Major Airlines Being Aligned

SSome factors including the deregulation in the U.S and the liberalization in Europe of the airline industry are essential to understanding why the number of partnership agreements between airlines has increased during the last 25 years. These events, coupled with the continuous economic downturn and the 9/11 catastrophe seem to be the perfect framework for the tendency to develop airline strategic alliances. However, it has been observed that this trend was not followed during the period 2005-2008. The purpose of this paper is to analyze if a benefit was experienced by the major airlines who became a member of the current 3 big alliances compared to the major airlines that decided not to become a member or were not admitted into the alliances during 2005-2008. The methodology of this report includes an analysis of several airlines’ performance figures. These performance figures include the revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs), the passenger load factor (PLF) and also the market share (MS). The figures will be compared between the aligned airlines and others which have similar business models. The value of this paper is to reveal whether being aligned provides advantages to major airlines under a bearish airline market in a globalized environment.

University of Nebraska: history, resources, and advantages offered to its students.

Mode of access: Internet.