BACKGROUND Patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) are usually investigated by serial imaging studies during the course of treatment, some imaging involves ionizing radiation, and the radiation doses are cumulative. Few studies have addressed the correlation of spinal deformity captured by these different imaging modalities, for which patient positioning are different. To the best o...

C. Navío,1,* M. J. Capitán,2 J. Álvarez,1 F. Yndurain,1 and R. Miranda1 1Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada e Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales Nicolás Cabrera, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain 2Instituto de Estructura de la Materia-CSIC, c/Serrano 119, 28006 Madrid, Spain Received 8 March 2007; revised manuscript received 31 May 2007; published 6 A...

Materials and methods From 2001 to 2007, eighty-six adolescents were conservatively treated for Scheuermann juvenile kyphosis of thoracic location. Charts of 55 patients, 39 boys and 16 girls, were accessible. The age was from 11 to 18 years, with a mean of 14.6 ± 1.6 years. The location of hyper-kyphosis was middle thoracic in most cases, apart from five patients with a thoraco-lumbar location...

Abstract Introduction This study assessed the frequency and duration of arousal responses associated with posture shifts during sleep time taken to resume following versus without a supine-avoidance alarm. Method Sleep shift outcomes baseline in-home (Embletta MPR plus an inactive alarm device) subsequent after 6-8 weeks treatment were examined in 66 patients supine-predominant OSA. A technicia...

Enhancing the mechanical reliability of metal interconnects is important for achieving highly reliable flexible/wearable electronic devices. In this study, Ag nanowire and Cu thin-film hybrid were explored as a novel concept to enhance under bending fatigue. Bending fatigue tests conducted on thin films Cu/Ag nanowire/polyimide (CAP) interconnects. The increase in resistance was larger than CAP...

An optical characterization technique is proposed for GaN based compounds deposited on sapphire. In AlGaN films grown by MOCVD, the film optical behavior and the substrate to layer interface are qualified from the measured optical data. The experimental and theoretical approach used for this purpose is described in detail. The results clearly show bending effects at the interface which may be r...

Ultra-flexible and transparent metal oxide transistors are developed by doping In2 O3 films with poly(vinylphenole) (PVP). By adjusting the In2 O3 :PVP weight ratio, crystallization is frustrated, and conducting pathways for efficient charge transport are maintained. In2 O3 :5%PVP-based transistors exhibit mobilities approaching 11 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) before, and retain up to ca. 90% performance ...

Electronic grade semiconductor films have been obtained via the sintering of solution processed PbS and PbSe nanocrystals at room temperature. Prior attempts to achieve similar films required the sintering of nanocrystals at higher temperatures (>350 °C), which inhibits the processing of such films on a flexible polymer substrate, and it is also expensive. We reduced the sintering temperature b...