Ultrasonic assessment of cortical bone thickness in vitro and in vivo

In osteoporosis, total bone mass decreases and the thickness of the cortical layer diminishes in the shafts of the long bones. In this study, a simple ultrasonic in vivo method for determining the thickness of the cortical bone layer was applied, and the suitability of two different signal analysis techniques, i.e., envelope and cepstral methods, for measuring cortical thickness was compared. The values of cortical thickness, as determined with both techniques, showed high linear correlations (r ges 0.95) with the thickness values obtained from in vitro measurements with a caliper or in vivo measurements by peripheral quantitative CT (pQCT). No systematic errors that could be related to the cortical thickness were found. The in vivo accuracy of the measurements was 6.6% and 7.0% for the envelope and cepstral methods, respectively. Further, the in vivo precision for the envelope and cepstral methods was 0.26 mm and 0.28 mm, respectively. Although the results are similar for both of the techniques, the simplicity of the envelope method makes it more attractive for clinical applications. In conclusion, a simple ultrasound measurement provides an accurate estimate of the cortical bone thickness. The techniques investigated may have clinical potential for osteoporosis screening and therefore warrant more extensive clinical investigations with healthy and osteoporotic individuals.     

Variation among and within mountain birch trees in foliage phenols,carbohydrates, and amino acids,and in growth ofEpirrita autumnata larvae

Leaf quality of the mountain birch (Betula pubescens ssp.tortuosa) for herbivores was studied at several hierarchical levels: among trees, among ramets within trees, among branches within ramets, and among short shoots within branches. The experimental units at each level were chosen randomly. The indices of leaf quality were the growth rate of the larvae of a geometrid,Epirrita autumnata, and certain biochemical traits of the leaves (total phenolics and individual phenolic compounds, total carbohydrates and individual sugars, free and protein-bound amino acids). We also discuss relationships between larval growth rate and biochemical foliage traits. Larval growth rates during two successive years correlated positively at the level of tree, the ramet, and the branch, indicating that the relationships in leaf quality remained constant between seasons both among and within trees. The distribution of variation at different hierarchical levels depended on the trait in question. In the case of larval growth rate, ramets and short shoots accounted for most of the explained variation. In the case of biochemical compounds, trees accounted for most of the variance in the content of total phenolics and individual low-molecular-weight phenolics. In the content of carbohydrates (total carbohydrates, starch, fructose, glucose, and sucrose) and amino acids, variation among branches was generally larger than variation among trees. Variation among ramets was low for most compounds. No single leaf trait played a paramount role in larval growth. Secondary compounds, represented by phenolic compounds, or primary metabolites, particularly sugars, may both be important in determining the suitability of birch leaves for larvae. If phenols are causally more important, genet-specific analyses of foliage chemistry are needed. If sugars are of primary importance, within-genet sampling and analysis of foliage chemistry are necessary.     

Tectonics and architectonic quality in recently published Finnish log architecture: Corresponding architects’ perceptions

Due to the global increase in wood construction, it is crucial for architects to understand wood. In Finland, log building, a special subset of industrially manufactured massive timber construction materials is experiencing a renaissance. Cultural aspects combined with newer technical developments make log a complex material from the viewpoint of architectonic expression. To inform practicing architects, the aim of this study is to explore how the tectonics of logs contribute to the architectonic quality of log architecture. Semi-structured interviews among architects of twelve recently published log buildings are conducted. The results describe how architectonic quality is perceived among participants, and features of logs related to tectonics that they consider to be of importance in terms of architectonic quality. These features include the statics of log construction and log's nature as a simultaneously insulating, load-bearing and visual material. Differences between industrial and hand-hewn logs, as well as other architectural aspects of using logs in contemporary architecture are discussed. Especially the “non-settling” log was perceived to have manifold implications for the architectonic possibilities of log architecture. The results are of practical importance to designing architects and the log industry. Theoretical implications include tangible information on architectonic quality and tectonics of log building.     

Teachers' work-related non-literature-known building-related symptoms are also connected to indoor toxicity: A cross-sectional study

A previous study showed that classical building-related symptoms (BRS) were related to indoor dust and microbial toxicity via boar sperm motility assay, a sensitive method for measuring mitochondrial toxicity. In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed whether teachers’ most common work-related non-literature-known BRS (nBRS) were also associated with dust or microbial toxicity. Teachers from 15 schools in Finland completed a questionnaire evaluating 20 nBRS including general, eye, respiratory, hearing, sleep, and mental symptoms. Boar sperm motility assay was used to measure the toxicity of extracts from wiped dust and microbial fallout samples collected from teachers’ classrooms. 231 teachers answered a questionnaire and their classroom toxicity data were recorded. A negative binomial mixed model showed that teachers’ work-related nBRS were 2.9-fold (95% CI: 1.2-7.3) higher in classrooms with highly toxic dust samples compared to classrooms with non-toxic dust samples (p = 0.024). The RR of work-related nBRS was 1.8 (95% CI: 1.1-2.9) for toxic microbial samples (p = 0.022). Teachers’ BRS appeared to be broader than reported in the literature, and the work-related nBRS were associated with toxic dusts and microbes in classrooms.     

Impact and visibility of Norwegian,Finnish and Spanish journals in the fields of humanities

Scientometrics - This article analyses the impact and visibility of scholarly journals in the humanities that are publishing in the national languages in Finland, Norway and Spain. Three types of...     

Strength retention of drawn self-reinforced polyglycolide rods and fixation properties of the distal femoral osteotomies with these rods. An experimental study on rats

Drawn self-reinforced polyglycolide (SR-PGA) rods, Ø 2 mm and 26 mm long, were implanted in the dorsal subcutaneus tissue of 16 rats. Osteotomies of the distal femur were fixed with SR-PGA rods (2 mm by 15 mm) in another 38 rats. The follow-up times varied from one week to one year. After sacrifice, three-point bending and shear tests were performed for subcutaneously placed rods. Radiological, histological, histomorphometrical, microradiographic, and oxytetracycline-fluorescence studies of osteotomized and intact control femora were also performed. At three weeks the flexural strength of the rods was 50% of the initial value, and the flexural modulus was 46% of the initial value. Five osteotomy specimens had to be excluded due to dislocation or non-union. One of the 33 evaluated osteotomy specimens showed signs of postoperative infection. Thirty-two osteotomies healed uneventfully. No gross signs of inflammatory or foreign-body reaction were observed. The amount of osteoid surface and active osteoid formation surface reached their highest value in the histomorphometrical analysis at 24 weeks. The present investigation demonstrated that the mechanical strength and fixation properties of the drawn SR-PGA rods are suitable for fixation of cancellous bone osteotomies in rats. The present article is the first report on the successful application of drawn SR-PGA rods for fixation of cancellous bone osteotomies.     

Second-harmonic generation imaging of metal nano-objects with cylindrical vector beams

We introduce an imaging technique based on second-harmonic generation with cylindrical vector beams that is extremely sensitive to three-dimensional orientation and nanoscale morphology of metal nano-objects. Our experiments and second-harmonic field calculations based on frequency-domain boundary element method are in very good agreement. The technique provides contrast for structural features that cannot be resolved by linear techniques or conventional states of polarization and shows great potential for simple and cost-effective far-field optical imaging in plasmonics.     

用背反射提高染料敏化太阳能电池光电转换效率的研究

当光射入染料敏化太阳能电池(DSCs)时,有部分光不能被染料、电解液、导电玻璃等吸收,这部分光将透过电池而未被利用,本研究利用普通镀铝玻璃镜做为背底,将这部分透射光通过背反射重新射入电池来提高DSCs的光电转换效率.研究结果表明,背反射能大幅度提高DSCs的短路电流,短路电流的增加率随着测试遮光罩开孔尺寸的增加而增加,并且随纳米TiO2薄膜厚度的增加而降低.