Search results for "JUNCTION"

The craniovertebral junction in rheumatoid arthritis: State of the art

2019

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disorder, characterized by polyarticular inflammation causing progressive joint damage and disability. The mechanisms underlying its pathogenesis involve activation of innate and adaptive immunity, microvascular endothelial cell activation, and inflammatory infiltration of lymphocytes and monocytes into the synovium. Spinal involvement in RA is not typical; when it occurs, the main radiological features are (1) atlantoaxial subluxation (AAS), which is the most typical form of cervical spine involvement; (2) cranial settling—also known as basilar impression, atlantoaxial impaction or superior migration of the odontoid—which is the most seve…

Influence of Aerobic Exercise After Static Stretching on Flexibility and Strength in Plantar Flexor Muscles

2020

Aerobic exercise could improve stretch-induced strength deficits. However, mechanisms of the improvement were unclear. The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of aerobic exercise after static stretching (SS) on flexibility and isometric strength in ankle plantar-flexor muscles. Fifteen healthy males received two interventions after SS of their ankle plantar-flexor muscles for 5 min. One was aerobic exercise for 10-min on a cycling ergometer, and the other was a 10-min rest as a control. Range of motion (ROM) of ankle dorsiflexion, passive torque at terminal ROM, muscle-tendon unit (MTU) stiffness, muscle tendon junction displacement, peak torque of ankle plantarflexion, and the …

Development of a Scoring System to Evaluate the Severity of Craniocervical Spinal Cord Compression in Patients with Mucopolysaccharidosis IVA (Morqui…

2012

BackgroundAs spinal cord compression at the craniocervical junction (CCJ) is a life-threatening manifestation in patients with mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) IVA, surgical decompression should be performed before damage becomes irreversible. We evaluated the diagnostic value of several examinations for determining the need for decompression surgery.MethodsWe retrospectively analysed results of clinical neurological examination, somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 28 MPS IVA patients. A scoring system - based on the severity of findings - was used to compare results of patients with and without indication for decompression surgery. Individual test scores…

Metalloproteinases and Tissue Inhibitors in Generalized Myasthenia Gravis. A Preliminary Study

2022

Introduction: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) have recently been proposed as promising biomarkers in different immune-mediated disorders. We evaluated the plasma levels of MMP-9 and MMP-2 and their tissue inhibitors TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 in a patients’ cohort with generalized myasthenia gravis (MG). Methods: Plasma concentrations of MMP-9, MMP-2, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 were evaluated in 14 patients with generalized MG and 13 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. The severity of disease was assessed by the modified Osserman classification. Results: Compared to the healthy subjects, MG patients had increased plasma concentrations of MMP-9, but redu…

3D-ORDERED NANOSCALE HETEROJUNCTIONS IN MOLECULAR THIN FILMS FOR ORGANIC PHOTOVOLTAICS

2011

Time-dependent Landauer—Büttiker formalism for superconducting junctions at arbitrary temperatures

2016

We discuss an extension of our earlier work on the time-dependent Landauer– Büttiker formalism for noninteracting electronic transport. The formalism can without complication be extended to superconducting central regions since the Green’s functions in the Nambu representation satisfy the same equations of motion which, in turn, leads to the same closed expression for the equal-time lesser Green’s function, i.e., for the time-dependent reduced one-particle density matrix. We further write the finite-temperature frequency integrals in terms of known special functions thereby considerably speeding up the computation. Simulations in simple normal metal – superconductor – normal metal junctions…

ORGANOTIN(IV)-PORPHINATE FOR PHOTOVOLTAIC BULK HETEROJUNCTIONS

2013

Due to the versatility and variability of their molecular structures, optical spectra, electrical properties, and supramolecular organization potential, porphyrins related compounds have been widely studied in organic solar cells [1,2]. Indeed, these applications are a natural function for these compounds, and they have been extensively investigated in a variety of formats including single molecules, macromolecular and supramolecular structures. In this work, poly(hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and organotin(IV)-[meso-tetra(4-carboxyphenyl) porphinate] have been employed for engineering planar and bulk heterojunctions by layer by layer deposition. Improving the overall efficiencies of photovoltaic …

CONTROLLING THE QUANTUM DYNAMICS OF MULTIPARTITE JOSEPHSON CIRCUITS

2011

CONTROLLING THE QUANTUM DYNAMICS OF MULTIPARTITE JOSEPHSON CIRCUITS

Superconducting tunnel junction fabrication on three-dimensional topography based on direct laser writing

2020

Superconducting junctions are widely used in a multitude of applications ranging from quantum information science and sensing to solidstate cooling. Traditionally, such devices must be fabricated on flat substrates using standard lithographic techniques. In this study, we demonstrate a highly versatile method that allows for superconducting junctions to be fabricated on a more complex topography. It is based on maskless direct laser writing and two-photon lithography, which allows writing in 3D space. We show that high-quality normal metal–insulator–superconductor tunnel junctions can be fabricated on top of a 20-lm-tall three-dimensional topography. Combined with conformal resist coating m…

Fabrication of 3-D phononic crystals for thermal transport management

2016

Thermal transport is an important physical phenomenon, and it has recently become even more relevant for the reduction of energy losses and the increase of efficiency in novel devices based on thermoelectricity [1]. Significant reduction of thermal conduction was recently achieved by coherent modification of phonon modes [2], with the help of periodic phononic crystal structures. However, currently the experimental studies have only been performed for two-dimensional (2-D) nanostructures. Theoretically, the magnitude of control of thermal transport should be even stronger in three-dimensional (3-D) phononic crystal structures. For that reason, the question arises how to fabricate the desire…