ABSTRACT
During the â¼22 s lasting free fall phase in an aircraft flying a parabola, the aboard installed electromagnetic levitation facility "TEMPUS" is used to investigate contactless and undisturbed of gravity induced convection thermophysical properties and microstructure formations of hot and highly reactive metal or semiconductor melts. The completely contactless handling and measurement of a liquid by the levitation technique keeps the melt free of contamination and enables the extension of the accessible sample temperature range far into the undercooled liquid state below the melting point. Additionally, the state of reduced weight during parabolic flights allows us to considerably decrease the strongly disturbing electromagnetic levitation forces acting in ground-based facilities on the suspended liquids. The present paper explains in detail the basic principle and the technical realization of the TEMPUS levitation facility and its attached measurement devices. Furthermore, it presents some typical experiments performed in TEMPUS, which also show the advantages resulting from the combination of reduced weight, electromagnetic levitation, and contactless measurement techniques. The control and data recording, as well as the planning, preparation, and operation of the TEMPUS experiments within the parabolic flight campaign, are another aspect outlined in the following.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Excessive in-spica abduction is a risk factor for oste-onecrosis after surgical reduction for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). The traditional method for radiographically measuring hip abduction using axial imaging does not reflect the true angle, which usually lies in an oblique plane. The purpose of this study was to describe a novel method for measuring true hip position using advanced imaging. METHODS: A trigonometric model was derived to define hip position based upon the femoral axis angular deviation from midline as measured on axial and coronal sequences of MRI studies. In-spica MRIs of 28 hips having undergone surgery for DDH were reviewed. On two separate occasions, the same three raters measured the femoral axis deviation from mid-line on axial and coronal imaging. Abduction was estimated using the traditional method of measurement and our novel method. Intra- and inter-rater reliability were assessed. RESULTS: The methods yielded different estimates (p < 0.001). Inter- and intra-rater reliability were excellent for both methods (inter-rater ICC > 0.922, intra-rater ICC > 0.919). The traditional method is accurate at 90° of flexion, but it increasingly overestimates abduction as hip flexion decreases. All cases where hip flexion was ≤ 40° exhibited ≥ 10° of error. CONCLUSIONS: Decreasing hip flexion in spica modifies the perceived angle of abduction as measured using axial imaging. This inaccuracy can be overcome through assessment of orthogonal views using our new approach, which is accurate and reliable. It should be considered for future research investigating the effects of in-spica hip position on outcomes of DDH treatment.
ABSTRACT
Warfarin is, among drugs, considered to have a narrow therapeutic index for which individual bioequivalence has been suggested. To establish the propriety of "switching," an individual bioequivalence study involving a replicate-design study and three "switchings" in healthy subjects was undertaken using the U.S.-brand warfarin sodium tablet and a generic product. A randomized, single-center, open-label, single-dose, four-way crossover replicate bioequivalence study was performed in 24 healthy male volunteers in which each subject received the same 5 mg warfarin test and reference tablets twice on different occasions under fasting conditions. Concentrations of warfarin in plasma were measured by a validated specific HPLC method. The individual pharmacokinetic parameters obtained with test and reference products were compared using pooled data and Liu's method. Bioequivalence was shown with both average and individual bioequivalence methods. The individual bioequivalence assessment did not show a subject-by-formulation interaction, nor did it add value to the bioequivalence assessment of warfarin.
