One-Year Outcomes of Open Lumbar Discectomy in Shahid Bahonar Hospital, Kerman, Iran, 2012

Background: Despite the frequency of lumbar disc surgery in Iran, just few studies have been undertaken in this respect. So, the present study aimed to investigate one-year outcomes of lumbar discectomy in Shahid Bahonar Hospital, Kerman, Iran. Methods: All the patients referred to this hospital in 2012 to have lumbar disc operation were entered the study. Then, patients with lumbar canal stenosis were excluded. Pain intensity, and disability were studied before and 1, 4, and 12 months after the surgery based on visual analog scale (VAS), and Oswestry disability index (ODI), respectively. Results: 169 patients with the mean age of 41.6 ± 9.8 years participated in this study. Before the surgery, pain intensity and disability index were 88.2 ± 9.3 and 73.4 ± 8.5, respectively. Twelve months after the surgery, pain intensity decreased to 27.3 ± 4.3, disability index decreased to 23.6 ± 6.2, and the level of patient satisfaction was 92%. Conclusion: In this study, level of patient satisfaction, and decrease in pain intensity and disability index were somewhat similar to those of other studies; however, further multicenter studies including larger numbers of participants are recommended. Keywords Discectomy; Spine; outcome; Lumba

Study of the pd→3HeK+K−pd\to ^3\textrm{He} K^+K^- and pd→3Heϕpd\to ^3\textrm{He} \phi reactions close to threshold

Two--kaon production in proton--deuteron collisions has been studied at three energies close to threshold using a calibrated magnetic spectrograph to measure the final $^3$He and a vertex detector to measure the $K^+K^-$ pair. Differential and total cross sections are presented for the production of $\phi$--mesons, decaying through $\phi\to K^+K^-$, as well as for prompt $K^+K^-$ production. The prompt production seems to follow phase space in both its differential distributions and in its energy dependence. The amplitude for the $pd\to ^3${He}$\phi$ reaction varies little for excess energies below 22 MeV and the value is consistent with that obtained from a threshold measurement. The angular distribution of the $K^+K^-$ decay pair shows that near threshold the $\phi$--mesons are dominantly produced with polarization $m=0$ along the initial proton direction. No conclusive evidence for $f_0(980)$ production is found in the data.Comment: 13 figure

Multiperspektivische und interdisziplinäre Verfahren der Romanrezeption anhand von Alfred Döblins <em>Berlin Alexanderplatz</em>

In dieser Dissertation werden neue Verfahren einer interdisziplinären Romanrezeption anhand von Alfred Döblins Roman Berlin Alexanderplatz exploriert, um zu veranschaulichen, dass gerade eine multiperspektivische Lesart diesem Werk zu Gute kommt und eine Literaturwissenschaft präsentiert, die sich als Kulturwissenschaft versteht. Nach einer Bestandsaufnahme der Romanrezeption in der Germanistik und der Frage nach der Möglichkeit einer Öffnung der Döblin-Forschung für andere Ansätze, soll auch der Forschungsstand zu Alfred Döblin aufgearbeitet werden. Hierbei wird gezeigt, dass dieser Ansatz einer Bearbeitung von Berlin Alexanderplatz ein Forschungsdesiderat darstellt. Bei der Auseinandersetzung mit verschiedenen Lesarten von Berlin Alexanderplatz wird zunächst ein sprachphilosophischer/sprachkritischer Ansatz verfolgt, in dem Döblin auch in der Tradition der Sprachkritik verortet wird. Weiterhin werden Wegbereiter Döblins, Friedrich Nietzsche und Fritz Mauthner in die Analysen miteinbezogen, um abschließend Döblins Sprachkritik/krise und Romanpoetik genauer zu eruieren. Anschließend wird es um die Überwindungsversuche eben dieser Sprachkrise und um die Notwendigkeit neuer Romankonzepte gehen. Hierbei werden beispielsweise Döblins Verfahren der Montagetechnik und des Kinostils näher diskutiert. Ein weiteres Kapitel wird sich mit einer poststrukturalistischen und einer raumtheoretischen Rezeption von Berlin Alexanderplatz beschäftigen und veranschaulichen, dass gerade diese theoretischen Implikationen zu einer fruchtbaren Lesart des Romans beitragen. In diesem Zuge werden de Certeaus Kunst des Handelns und die Mechanismen der Raumproduktion in seiner Theorie und in Döblins Roman eruiert werden. Die "Sprachräume" in Berlin Alexanderplatz lassen nicht nur die Metropole im Roman entstehen, sondern brechen mit der klassischen Romanform und eröffnen der Sprache und dem Genre neue Spielräume. Weiterhin wird in diesem Kapitel auch Roland Barthes Intertextualitätstheorie im Zusammenhang mit Berlin Alexanderplatz diskutiert und es wird gezeigt, dass man Döblins Text auch als ein "Gewebe von Zitaten" rezipieren kann, in dem der Leser zum Zielpunkt der Lektüre wird. Abschließend zu den poststrukturalistischen/raumtheoretischen Betrachtungen wird Deleuzes und Guattaris Theorie des "Rhizoms" genauer betrachtet werden. Hierbei erfolgt ein Rückgriff auf Berlin Alexanderplatz und es wird veranschaulicht, dass Döblins Roman auch als Rhizom funktioniert, in dem vieles, scheinbar disparates, miteinander in Beziehung gesetzt werden kann und ein tieferes Verständnis des Romans ermöglicht. In einem Ausblick sollen abschließend weitere interdisziplinäre Lesarten von Berlin Alexanderplatz zur Diskussion gestellt werden. Hier erfolgt zunächst eine Gegenüberstellung von Marc Augés Theorie der Nicht-Orte mit den Sprachräumen in Berlin Alexanderplatz. Während im Roman Sprachräume entstehen, die zu einer Öffnung der Sprache und ihrer Möglichkeiten führen, wird in den Nicht-Orten die Sprache durch ihre Phrasalität dekonstruiert. In einem weiteren Schritt wird Berlin Alexanderplatz im Zusammenhang mit den Sprachkunstwerken des britischen Künstlers Simon Evans kontrastiert. Der Sprachkritiker Evans schafft es durch seine Kunstwerke die Grenzen der Sprache und des Raumes auszuloten und ist daher eine weitere produktive Lesart in Zusammenhang mit Döblins Roman

Experimental study of the pd(d p) → 3 He ππ reactions close to threshold

New experimental data on the pd → 3 He π+π− reaction obtained with the COSY-MOMO detector below the three-pion threshold are presented. The reaction was also studied in inverse kinematics with a deuteron beam and the higher counting rates achieved were especially important at low excess energies. The comparison of these data with inclusive pd → 3 He X0 rates allowed estimates also to be made of π0π0 production. The results confirm our earlier findings that, close to threshold, there is no enhancement at low excitation energies in the π+π− system, where the data seem largely suppressed compared with phase space. Possible explanations for this behavior, such as strong p waves in the π+π− system or the influence of two-step processes, are explored

Surface and electrochemical properties of plant cuticles

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Michigan State University. Department of Horticulture, 1972Includes bibliographical references (pages 77-80

On the mechanisms governing gas penetration into a tokamak plasma during a massive gas injection

A new 1D radial fluid code, IMAGINE, is used to simulate the penetration of gas into a tokamak plasma during a massive gas injection (MGI). The main result is that the gas is in general strongly braked as it reaches the plasma, due to mechanisms related to charge exchange and (to a smaller extent) recombination. As a result, only a fraction of the gas penetrates into the plasma. Also, a shock wave is created in the gas which propagates away from the plasma, braking and compressing the incoming gas. Simulation results are quantitatively consistent, at least in terms of orders of magnitude, with experimental data for a D 2 MGI into a JET Ohmic plasma. Simulations of MGI into the background plasma surrounding a runaway electron beam show that if the background electron density is too high, the gas may not penetrate, suggesting a possible explanation for the recent results of Reux et al in JET (2015 Nucl. Fusion 55 093013)

Intraocular colchicine inhibits competition between resident and foreign optic axons for functional connections in the doubly innervated goldfish optic tectum

After unilateral optic tectum ablation in the goldfish, regenerating optic axons grow into the optic layers of the remaining ipsilateral tectal lobe and regain visual function. The terminal arbors of the foreign fibers are initially diffusely distributed among the resident optic axons, but within two months the axon terminals from each retina are seen to segregate into irregular ocular dominance patches. Visual recovery is delayed until after segregation. This suggests that the foreign fibers compete with the residents for tectal targets and that the segregation of axon terminations is an anatomical characteristic of the process. Here we investigate whether inhibiting axonal transport in the resident fibers inhibits competition with foreign fibers. The eye contralateral to the intact tectal lobe received a single injection of 0.1 [mu]g colchicine, which does not block vision with the intact eye. We measured visual function using a classical conditioning technique. Segregation of axon terminations was examined shortly following visual recovery by autoradiography. The no-drug control fish showed reappearance of vision with the experimental eye at 9 weeks postoperatively and ocular dominance patches were well developed. Colchicine administered to the intact eye (resident fibers) several weeks postsurgery decreased the time to reappearance of vision with the experimental eye by several weeks. Autoradiography revealed some signs of axonal segregation but the labeled foreign axons were mainly continuously distributed. Administration of colchicine at the time of tectum ablation, or of lumicolchicine at two weeks postoperatively produced normal visual recovery times. Fast axonal transport of 3H-labeled protein was inhibited by 1.0 and 0.5 [mu]g but not by 0.1 [mu]g of colchicine or by 1.0 [mu]g of lumicolchicine. Previous studies showed that while 0.1 [mu]g of colchicine does not block vision it is sufficient to inhibit axonal regeneration following optic nerve crush. We conclude that two retinas can functionally innervate one tectum without forming conspicuous ocular dominance columns, and that the ability of residents to compete with the in-growing foreign axons is very sensitive to inhibition of axoplasmic transport or other processes that are inhibited by intraocular colchicine.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/26010/1/0000077.pd