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Single-leg landings with or without subsequent jumping are frequently used to evaluate landing biomechanics. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of subsequent jumping on the external knee abduction moment and trunk and hip biomechanics during single-leg landing. Thirty young adult female participants performed a single-leg drop vertical jumping (SDVJ; landing with subsequent jumping) and single-leg drop landing (SDL; landing without subsequent jumping). Trunk, hip, and knee biomechanics were evaluated using a 3-dimensional motion analysis system. The peak knee abduction moment was significantly larger during SDVJ than during SDL (SDVJ 0.08 [0.10] N·m·kg−1·m−1, SDL 0.05 [0.10] N·m·kg−1·m−1, P = .002). The trunk lateral tilt and rotation angles toward the support-leg side and external hip abduction moment were significantly larger during SDVJ than during SDL (P P = .003, R2 = .252). Landing tasks with subsequent jumping would have advantages for evaluating trunk and hip control as well as knee abduction moment. In particular, evaluating hip abduction moment may be important because of its association with the knee abduction moment.

No consensus exists on rehabilitation programmes after medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction (MPFLR) with or without tibial tuberosity osteotomy (TTO). This systematic review examined the content and timeline of rehabilitation (weightbearing, range of motion [ROM] and exercise therapy) and return to sport (RTS), as well as patient-reported outcomes after MPFLR with or without TTO.The PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Sciences, CINAHL and SPORTDiscus databases were searched from inception to December 2021. Studies that reported postoperative rehabilitation programmes and patient-reported outcomes for patients aged ≥ 18 years who underwent MPFLR with or without concomitant TTO were included.Eighty-five studies were included, 57 of which were case series and only one randomised controlled trial on rehabilitation programmes. Non-weightbearing was set within one week post-operatively in approximately 80% of weightbearing programmes for MPFLR without and with TTO. Joint immobilisation was set within one week post-operatively in 65.3% and 93.8% of programmes for MPFLR without and with TTO, respectively. Weightbearing and ROM (≤ 90°) restriction were within three weeks post-operatively for 50% of the programmes. Quadriceps strengthening was the most cited exercise therapy (33 programmes), most often initiated within two weeks post-operatively. However, few other exercise programmes were cited (only nine programmes). RTS was mostly noted at six months post-operatively (35 programmes). The weighted mean Kujala score was 87.4 points.Regardless of TTO addition to MPFLR, most studies restricted weightbearing and ROM only in the early post-operative period, with seemingly favourable clinical results. Limited information was available on post-operative exercise therapy.

This letter provides a report of our online workshop on the professional socialization of family physicians attended by family medicine residents and staff doctors in Japan. Participants engaged in small group discussions after reading hypothetical cases that threatened the identity of family physicians. Participants considered the importance of reaffirming and improving their strengths during discussions.

Objectives: To investigate the effects of pelvic and trunk lateral tilt-focused landing instructions on the knee abduction moment during the single-leg drop vertical jump task. Design: Descriptive laboratory study. Setting: Motion analysis laboratory. Participants: Fifteen young, healthy female participants. Main outcome measures: The participants performed 15 single-leg drop vertical jumps. Landing in-structions with self-video recordings were provided so that the participants' pelvis and trunk remained horizontal in the frontal plane. Pelvic, trunk and knee kinematics and kinetics were evaluated using a three-dimensional motion analysis system before and after the landing instructions. Results: The peak knee abduction moment significantly decreased postinstruction (preinstruction 22.6 +/- 15.3 Nm, postinstruction 17.9 +/- 15.4 Nm, P = 0.004), as did pelvic and trunk lateral tilt (P < 0.01). The knee abduction and internal rotation angles at initial contact significantly decreased postinstruction (P = 0.037, P = 0.007), with no significant change in the peak knee abduction and internal rotation angles from pre-to postinstruction. Conclusions: Landing instructions focused on pelvic and trunk lateral tilt are effective in decreasing the knee abduction moment during the single-leg drop vertical jump. Pelvic and trunk lateral tilt should be controlled to decrease the knee abduction moment during single-leg landing.

BackgroundConsidering work styles especially of solo attending physicians, medical facilities have been required to effectively utilize sufficient human resources in many countries. Therefore, we compared cross-sectionally clinical performance of the single- and the multiple-attending physicians groups in inpatient care. Furthermore, we also qualitatively analyzed physicians’ working burden and quantitively assessed advantages / disadvantages of those attending physicians systems.MethodIn this cross-sectional study, we extract electronic health record of patients from a hospital in Japan from April 2017 to October 2018 to compare anonymous statistical data including average lengths of hospital stay and patient outcome between the single-attending and multiple-attending-physicians system. Then, we conducted a questionnaire survey for all physicians of single and multiple-attending physician systems, asking their physical and psychiatric working burden, and their reasons and comments on their working styles.ResultThe average length of hospital stay was significantly shorter in the multiple-attending physicians system than in the single-attending physicians system, while patients’ age, gender and diagnoses were similar. From the questionnaire survey, although physical burden in multiple-attending physicians system tended to be lower than that in single-attending physician system, no significant difference was found in all categories. Advantages of multiple-attending physicians system extracted from qualitative analysis are 1) Improvement of physicians ’ quality of life (QOL), 2) Lifelong-learning effect, and 3) Improving the quality of medical care, while disadvantages were 1) Risk of miscommunication, 2) Conflicting treatment policies among physicians, and 3) unfamiliar culture with multiple-attending physicians system.ConclusionMultiple-attending-physicians system in inpatient care may reduce physical burden on physicians, and not only improve QOL of physicians but lead to lifelong learning and improving the quality of medical care.

Associations among hip motions, knee abduction and internal rotation motion during a drop vertical jump (DVJ), which increases the risk of anterior cruciate ligament injury, remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine associations among knee abduction, internal rotation and hip joint motions during a DVJ. Fifty-seven young female participants performed a DVJ from a 30-cm height. Hip and knee kinematics and kinetics were analysed using a three-dimensional motion analysis system and force plates. Multiple regression analysis showed that peak knee abduction angle was negatively associated with knee internal rotation and hip internal rotation excursions from initial contact (IC) to peak knee flexion, and positively associated with peak knee abduction moment (R-2 = 0.465, P< 0.001). Peak knee internal rotation angle was negatively associated with the hip flexion excursion from IC to peak knee flexion and peak hip adduction moment (R-2 = 0.194, P= 0.001). In addition, hip internal rotation excursion was negatively associated with knee abduction and internal rotation excursion from IC to 50 ms after IC. To avoid a large knee abduction and internal rotation motion during jump-landing training, it might be beneficial to provide landing instructions to avoid a large hip external rotation motion.

Background: Lateral trunk obliquity during landing is one of the characteristics of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in female athletes. Knee biomechanics during landing with lateral trunk obliquity may be different between female and male subjects. The purpose of the present study was to compare kinetics and kinematics in female subjects during landing with lateral trunk obliquity with those in male subjects.Methods: Fifteen female (age 22.0 ± 1.6 years) and 15 male subjects (age 21.7 ± 1.1 years) participated in this study. The subjects performed a single-leg landing from a 30-cm-high box. Subjects were instructed to keep inclining their trunk to landing leg side at 15° from vertical line. Kinetics and kinematics of their hip and knee joints were analyzed using a three-dimensional motion analysis system with a force plate and compared between female and male subjects.Results: There were no significant differences in the angle of the laterally inclined trunk at initial contact (IC) and at the time of peak vertical ground reaction force (VGRF) (P = 0.341, 0.363). The peak VGRF was smaller in female subjects than male subjects (P = 0.047). Hip adduction moment at the time of peak VGRF was significantly larger in female subjects than male subjects (P = 0.042). Hip external rotation of female subjects at IC was significantly larger than that of male subjects (P = 0.012). There were no differences in knee moments or kinematics between female and male subjects.Conclusions: The findings of the present study indicated that female athletes are considered to avoid excessive knee abduction moment during landing with lateral trunk obliquity by kinematic and kinetic changes in their hip joint. Therefore, sports-medicine specialists should take more notice of kinematics and kinetic behaviors around hip joint in order to prevent noncontact ACL injuries for female athletes.

Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) usually has a good prognosis; however, patients may develop sequelae without prompt treatment. We herein describe an 81-year-old woman who developed acute-onset excruciating thigh pain and weakness in her lower extremities after spinal surgery. We diagnosed acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy by a nerve conduction study, which showed findings of demyelination without cerebrospinal fluid analysis because of a spinal prosthesis. Although anti-GM1 and anti-GalNAc-GD1a antibodies were positive, the patient was clinically diagnosed with acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (a subtype of GBS), not acute motor axonal neuropathy. She recovered well with immunoglobulin therapy. A literature review of 18 cases revealed that unexplained weakness, areflexia, and numbness of the extremities after spinal surgery, a shorter time from spinal surgery to symptom onset to general GBS, abnormal nerve conduction study results, normal spinal imaging findings, and the development of atypical symptoms such as cranial and autonomic nerve syndrome and respiratory failure are useful for diagnosing GBS when cerebrospinal fluid examination cannot be performed after spinal surgery.

In industrial assembly tasks, the position of an object grasped by the robot has to be known with high precision in order to insert or place it. In real applications, this problem is commonly solved by jigs that are specially produced for each part. However, they significantly limit flexibility and are prohibitive when the target parts change often, so a flexible method to localize parts with high accuracy after grasping is desired. To solve this problem, we propose a method that can estimate the position of an object in the robot’s hand to sub-millimeter precision, and can improve its estimate incrementally, using only minimal calibration and a force sensor. Our method is applicable to any robotic gripper and any rigid object that the gripper can hold, and requires only a force sensor. We demonstrate that the method can determine the position of an object to a precision of under 1 mm without using any part-specific jigs or equipment.

Abiotic ligands that bind to specific biomolecules have attracted attention as substitutes for biomolecular ligands, such as antibodies and aptamers. Radical polymerization enables the production of robust polymeric ligands from inexpensive functional monomers. However, little has been reported about the production of monodispersed polymeric ligands. Herein, we present homogeneous ligands prepared via radical polymerization that recognize epitope sequences on a target peptide and neutralize the toxicity of the peptide. Taking advantage of controlled radical polymerization and separation, a library of multifunctional oligomers with discrete numbers of functional groups was prepared. Affinity screening revealed that the sequence specificity of the oligomer ligands strongly depended on the number of functional groups. The process reported here will become a general step for the development of abiotic ligands that recognize specific peptide sequences.

Background A double-leg landing with or without a subsequent jump is commonly used to evaluate the neuromuscular control of knee abduction. However, the differences in frontal plane knee biomechanics between landings with and without a subsequent jump are not well known. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of a subsequent jump on knee abduction, including during the early landing phase, in female and male subjects. Methods Twenty-one female subjects and 21 male subjects participated. All subjects performed drop landing task (a landing without a subsequent jump) and drop vertical jump task (a landing with a subsequent jump). The subjects landed from a 30-cm height. In drop vertical jump, the subjects also performed a maximum vertical jump immediately after landing. The knee abduction angle and moment were analyzed using a 3D motion analysis system. A two-way analysis of variance (task × time) was performed to examine the effects of a subsequent jump on the knee abduction angle during the early landing phase in female and male subjects. Another two-way analysis of variance (task × sex) was performed to compare peak knee abduction angles and moments. Results In female subjects, the knee abduction angle was significantly greater during drop vertical jump than during drop landing, as measured 45 to 80 ms after initial contact (P

Whilst single-source precursors have emerged as an effective method of preparing semiconductor quantum dots, few single-source precursors have been employed for cadmium telluride quantum dots despite the materials exhibiting a wide range of size quantisation effects. In this paper, we explore the use Cd(TePh)2 with amine solvents and capping agents to yield CdTe particles, and also report on the use of a common zinc dithiocarbamate to prepare a ZnS shell, making the synthetic procedure based entirely on single molecular precursors.

The phase transfer of quantum dots to water is an important aspect of preparing nanomaterials that are suitable for biological applications, and although numerous reports describe ligand exchange, very few describe efficient ligand encapsulation techniques. In this report, we not only report a new method of phase transferring quantum dots (QDs) using an amphiphilic protein (hydrophobin) but also describe the advantages of using a biological molecule with available functional groups and their use in imaging cancer cells in vivo and other imaging applications.

The room-temperature chemical transformation of spherical CdTe nanoparticles into anisotropic alloyed CdHgTe particles using mercury bromide in a toluene/methanol system at room temperature has been investigated. The resulting materials readily dissolved in toluene and exhibited a significant red-shift in the optical properties toward the infrared region. Structural transformations were observed, with electron microscopy showing that the CdTe nanoparticles were chemically attached ('welded') to other CdTe nanoparticles, creating highly complex anisotropic heterostructures which also incorporated mercury.

Photoluminescence of semiconductor nanocrystals is quenched by redox molecules. The quench reactions have been studied in terms of potential, electric charge and the resulting electron transfer reaction. Regarding CdTe nanocrystals, it was studied in detail how charges of CdTe and redox species, and ion strength influence the quench of PL. Recently, with ever-increasing demand for low-toxic semiconductor nanocrystals, we succeeded in synthesizing ZnS-AgInS2 solid solution nanocrystals (ZAIS) having a high quantum yield (~ 50 %). Quenching was also observed for ZAIS nanocrystals, and some quenchers showed different quench ability between their redox states. Furthermore, the combination of redox-responsive quenching with an enzymatic reaction allows fabrication of optical biosensor which increases their PL intensity with the addition of glucose.

In order to improve the friction coefficient and the wear resistance on ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), substrates were irradiated with Si ion. The beam energies were 1.5 and 3.0MeV at a fluence range of 0.5×1014−1×1015 ions/cm2. The friction coefficient and wear resistance of UHMWPE substrates were measured using the ball-on-disk wear testing method. The ion-irradiated substrates were analyzed using secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) and Raman spectroscopy. It was found that the friction coefficient of ion-irradiated substrates at a fluence of 5×1014 or 1×1015 ions/cm2 was lower than that of non-irradiated substrate. Furthermore, the wear resistance was improved at a fluence of 1×1015 ions/cm2. The hardness of the irradiated substrates increased with an increase of ion fluence. The analysis by SIMS and Raman spectroscopy suggested that amorphous carbon was formed in the surface layer by ion-irradiation.

We propose a new method to estimate joint torque of human arms in underwater environment. In the proposed method, a parallel wire driven system drives an end point of a subject's arm to measure the end-point force, and joint torque is estimated with the measured end-point force and the subject's limb length. Since the force sensors with wire used in this system is small enough, the measured torque can be gained under less influence of hydrodynamics on the sensors. We verify the accuracy of the estimation method experimentally and confirm that the proposed method can estimate joint torque of a human arm. We compare the joint torque data of the same trajectory in the different environment and extract the effect of hydrodynamics on human motions in underwater environment.

Morphology and crystal lattice of precipitates formed in the 6000 series Al–Mg–Si alloys containing Cu and transition metals of Cr and Fe (TM) after aging at 523 K were investigated by high-resolution transmission microscopy (HRTEM). The precipitates in the Cu-bearing alloys are more finely and densely distributed than those in the Cu-free alloys, whereas those in the TM-bearing alloys were coarser and formed inhomogeneously at the interfaces between the dispersoids and the matrix. Three kinds of metastable phases were detected by HRTEM as follows: β � -phase in the balanced alloy, the TYPE-B precipitate in the excess-Si alloy, and Q � -phase in the Cu-bearing alloys. No significant difference in between the precipitates in the TM-free alloys and in the TM-bearing alloys was observed. However, the Type-B precipitate in the excess-Si alloy was replaced with the β � -phase by the addition of TM. This suggests that the chemical composition of the excess-Si alloy changes to the balanced composition, because the excess Si in the matrix has been consumed by the formation of the AlSi(Fe, Cr) and AlSiFe dispersoids.

The synthesis of designer solid-state materials by living organisms is an emerging field in bio-nanotechnology. Key examples include the use of engineered viruses as templates for cobalt oxide (Co(3)O(4)) particles, superparamagnetic cobalt-platinum alloy nanowires and gold-cobalt oxide nanowires for photovoltaic and battery-related applications. Here, we show that the earthworm's metal detoxification pathway can be exploited to produce luminescent, water-soluble semiconductor cadmium telluride (CdTe) quantum dots that emit in the green region of the visible spectrum when excited in the ultraviolet region. Standard wild-type Lumbricus rubellus earthworms were exposed to soil spiked with CdCl(2) and Na(2)TeO(3) salts for 11 days. Luminescent quantum dots were isolated from chloragogenous tissues surrounding the gut of the worm, and were successfully used in live-cell imaging. The addition of polyethylene glycol on the surface of the quantum dots allowed for non-targeted, fluid-phase uptake by macrophage cells.

of the medial femorotibial joint cartilage were assessed using a 3T MR system (Verio; Siemens). The whole and superficial (half of the whole cartilage) cartilage in the medial knee joint were assessed. The study was approved the Ethics Committee, and the nature of the study was explained to all participants, and written informed consent was obtained. Results: The peak knee adduction moment (external) and angle between the 20s (4.8 10z 1.9 10 z) and 40s (5.8 10z 1.7 10 z) during free gait was not significantly different (Fig. 2). Although the first peaks of knee flexionmoment in the 40s (5.7 10z 1.7 10 z) were significantly larger than the values in the 20s (3.2 10z 2.6 10 z) (Fig. 3, P < 0.05), the knee flexion angle between the 20s and 40s was not significantly different. T2 values of the femoral superficial cartilage in the 40s (34.0 1.8 msec) were significantly higher than the values in the 20s (32.2 1.4 msec) (P < 0.01). The first peak of the knee flexion moment and the T2 in the 40s were not significantly correlated (r 1⁄4 0.21). Conclusions: Knee flexion moments in the 20s were higher than the moment in the 40s during free gait. Kinematic and kinetic change of the knee joint during gait due to the ages might start on the sagittal plane. Although T2 mapping values at the medial superficial femoral cartilage in the 40s were higher than the values in the 20s, the knee flexion moment is not related to T2 mapping values of knee joint cartilage. We could not conclude that the increased knee flexion moment is the preceding knee kinetic change of the early knee OA from this crosssectional study.

Background Quantum dots are fluorescent nanoparticles with unique photophysical properties that allow them to be used as diagnostic, therapeutic, and theranostic agents, particularly in medical and surgical oncology. Near-infrared-emitting quantum dots can be visualized in deep tissues because the biological window is transparent to these wavelengths. Their small sizes and free surface reactive groups that can be conjugated to biomolecules make them ideal probes for in vivo cancer localization, targeted chemotherapy, and image-guided cancer surgery. The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 gene (HER2/neu) is overexpressed in 25%–30% of breast cancers. The current methods of detection for HER2 status, including immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization, are used ex vivo and cannot be used in vivo. In this paper, we demonstrate the application of near-infrared-emitting quantum dots for HER2 localization in fixed and live cancer cells as a first step prior to their in vivo application. Methods Near-infrared-emitting quantum dots were characterized and their in vitro toxicity was established using three cancer cell lines, ie, HepG2, SK-BR-3 (HER2-overexpressing), and MCF7 (HER2-underexpressing). Mouse antihuman anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody was conjugated to the near-infrared-emitting quantum dots. Results In vitro toxicity studies showed biocompatibility of SK-BR-3 and MCF7 cell lines with near-infrared-emitting quantum dots at a concentration of 60 μg/mL after one hour and 24 hours of exposure. Near-infrared-emitting quantum dot antiHER2-antibody bioconjugates successfully localized HER2 receptors on SK-BR-3 cells. Conclusion Near-infrared-emitting quantum dot bioconjugates can be used for rapid localization of HER2 receptors and can potentially be used for targeted therapy as well as image-guided surgery., Video abstract

Colloidal cadmium chalcogenide quantum dots can exhibit a drastic change in structure and conformation by addition of a metal cation with a positive redox potential. CdTe and CdSe nanoparticles mixed with a mercury cation were transformed into alloyed anisotropic structures with red-shifted optical properties. Additionally the same cation addition to CdSe nanorods caused oriented attachment and resulted in a series of end-to-end superstructures. In the case of gold cation addition, CdTe nanoparticles yielded gold based anisotropic structures which had poor solubility in the original solvent. CdTe nanoparticles mixed with lead, zinc and cadmium cations, however, kept their original optical properties after the same reaction procedure. Combining these observations with the previously reported chemical transformation from cadmium chalcogenides to silver/copper chalcogenides, we highlight the role of the redox potentials when describing the change in structural/optical property in colloidal cadmium chalcogenide nanocrystals.

Water soluble, near infrared emitting type II/type I CdTe/CdSe/ZnSe quantum dots were synthesized in a simple one-pot procedure. The emission wavelength could be tuned from 530 nm (original CdTe core) to 670 nm and the particle size was determined by TEM measurement. The resulting quantum dots were used in subcutaneous deep tissue monitoring.

Redox-dependent emission quenching of low toxic ZnS-AgInS(2) semiconductor nanocrystals was studied and the obtained behavior was found to be applicable to fabrication of fluorescent biosensors in combination with redox enzymes.

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Herein disclosed is a wireless microphone system comprising a plurality of wireless microphones each having a microphone storage area having a unique global identification element stored therein, each of the wireless microphones operative to collect a voice, convert the voice thus collected into an audio signal, and transmit the audio signal and the global identification element; and a voice receiving apparatus for receiving the audio signal and the global identification element from a wireless microphone. The voice receiving apparatus includes a storage section for storing an identification table including a plurality of local identification elements in association with a plurality of global identification elements. The voice receiving apparatus is operative to assign a local identification element to the wireless microphone in accordance with the global identification element with reference to the identification table stored in the storage section, and transmit the local identification element to the wireless microphone, and the wireless microphone is operative to receive the local identification element, store the local identification element in the microphone storage area, and communicate with the voice receiving apparatus with the local identification element thus stored.