A linear knife grid device was developed for first-stage size reduction of high- and low-moisture switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), a tough, fibrous perennial grass being considered as a feedstock for bioenergy. The size reduction is by a shearing action accomplished by forcing a thick packed bed of biomass against a grid of sharp knives. The system is used commercially for slicing forages for...

This paper proposes a cake-cutting protocol using cryptography when the cake is a heterogeneous good that is represented by an interval on a real line. Although the Dubins-Spanier moving-knife protocol with one knife achieves simple fairness, all players must execute the protocol synchronously. Thus, the protocol cannot be executed on asynchronous networks such as the Internet. We show that the...

OBJECTIVE Evaluate the efficiency and safety of bipolar plasma vaporization using plasma-cutting and plasma-loop electrodes for the treatment of posterior urethral stricture. Compare the outcomes following bipolar plasma vaporization with conventional cold-knife urethrotomy. METHODS A randomized trial was performed to compare patient outcomes from the bipolar and cold-knife groups. All patien...

The technique of free autogenous gingival grafting (FGG) has undergone little modification since its introduction by Bjorn in Scandinavia in 1963 [1] and by King and Pennel in the United States in 1964 [2]. The technique is widely used to treat a variety of mucogingival problems such as insufficient or lack of attached gingiva, the presence of high frenum attachments, shallow fornix and denuded...

OBJECTIVE Although metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma to the brain is uncommon, it is associated with a very high mortality rate and most patients usually expire within 1 year after brain metastasis. The aim of this study is to identify the effectiveness of the active interventions such as gamma knife radiosurgery or surgical intervention for these patients. METHODS We retrospectively rev...

PURPOSE To evaluate the advantages, disadvantages, safety, and surgical applicability of the pulsed electron avalanche knife (PEAK-fc), a new electrosurgical knife for "cold" and tractionless cutting, in vitreoretinal surgery. PEAK-fc is equipped with an integrated fiberoptic that makes bimanual procedures in intraocular surgery possible. METHODS A prospective consecutive trial of 18 eyes in ...

The surgical technique of endoscopic goniotomy (EG) using the anterior chamber maintainer (ACM) for congenital glaucoma is evaluated, and one-year follow-up data are presented. Endoscopic goniotomy was performed in 12 eyes of 7 patients. A double-port-special goniotomy knife mounted on the endoscope's probe inserted through the first incision and ACM through the second incision-EG technique was...

We report a patient with medically refractory mesial temporal lobe epilepsy treated by gamma knife radiosurgery. In lieu of a microsurgical procedure, an entorhinoamygdalohippocampectomy was performed with a gamma knife and low marginal doses (25 Gy). The clinical and imaging studies, including CT, MR imaging, 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET), and long-term follow-u...

The understanding of pattern formation in Drosophila requires the handling of the many genetic and molecular interactions which occur between developmental genes. For that purpose, a knowledge base (KNIFE) has been developed in order to structure and manipulate the interaction data. KNIFE contains data about interactions published in the literature and gathered from various databases. These dat...

Urethral stricture is one of the most difficult urological problems to heal adequately and many surgical and no surgical techniques have been described to its management. Reports has been documented in ancient literature of the Hindus, Egyptians and Greeks (1). In 1957, Ravasini described the internal urethrotomy under direct vision and used electrocautery to incise the stricture. In 1971, Sach...