Orbital Extramedullary Plasmacytoma: Case report and literature review

Extramedullary plasmacytoma is a rare disease, characterized histopathologically by infiltration of plasma cells of different maturities and producing monoclonal immunoglobulin outside the bone marrow. J.R.G., 52 years old, male, sought medical assistance due to amaurosis and blocked eye movements. We performed Magnetic Nuclear Resonance of the skull that showed discrete intermediate signal tissue, next to the optic nerve canal and homolateral superior orbital fissure, with slight extension to the lower orbital fissure, associated with thickening of the corresponding meninges, involving the proximal portion of the optic nerve, measuring 1.3 x 1.1 x 2.5 cm. Non-specific aspect, but suggestive of lymphoproliferative lesion. Right and extraorbital tumor excision was performed, in which it was not possible to completely resect the tumor. The anatomopathological examination of the piece showed a neoplasm of plasma cells (plasmacytoma). The diagnosis is made from the exclusion of Multiple Myeloma. The treatments of choice are radiotherapy, due to the high radiosensitivity in 80–100% of cases, and surgery for localized lesions.

Robust Haebara Linking for Many Groups: Performance in the Case of Uniform DIF

The comparison of group means in item response models constitutes an important issue in empirical research. The present article discusses a slight extension of the robust Haebara linking approach of He and Cui by proposing a flexible class of robust Haebara linking functions for comparisons of many groups. These robust linking functions are robust against violations of invariance. In this article, we investigate the performance of robust Haebara linking in the presence of uniform DIF effects. In an analytical derivation, it is shown that the robust Haebara linking approach provides unbiased estimates of group means in the limiting case p=0. In a simulation study, it is demonstrated that the proposed variant of the Haebara linking approach outperforms existing implementations of Haebara linking to some extent. In an empirical application using PISA data, it is illustrated that country means can be sensitive to the choice of linking functions.

Minimal Reaction Systems Revisited and Reaction System Rank

Some mathematical aspects of reaction systems introduced by Ehrenfeucht and Rozenberg are considered. Ehrenfeucht et al. have previously obtained a complete classification of functions specified by minimal reaction systems in terms of certain closure properties of the specified functions. In this work, a refined proof of this classification with slight extension is obtained. Furthemore, the recently introduced notion of reaction system rank is studied for functions belonging to this class, as well as for focus functions, the latter which play a significant role in the proof of the classification theorem.

DISCUSSION OF A KNOWN SPHERICAL BASIS FOR DIRAC WAVE FUNCTIONS

The paper considers the free spherical Dirac equation with a boundary condition at r = R which is a slight extension of the original boundary condition of the MIT bag model. We discuss the basis states and apply them for a diagonalization of Coulomb potentials. The obtained results agree quite well with the lowest bound states with κ = -1, +1 and -2 and their expectation values [Formula: see text]. There appear basis states with energies -mc2 < E < mc2 under certain circumstances of the boundary condition. These states are concentrated at the boundary.

Duality Mapping and Birkhoff Orthogonality

In this note we establish some properties of Birkhoff orthogonality in terms of duality mapping. Particularly, using a slight extension of a Rockafellar result we obtain a new proof of a result earlier established by Blanco and Turnšek concerning the linear operators preserving Birkhoff orthogonality.

Endoscopic endonasal repair of spontaneous CSF fistulae

The authors present a fully endoscopic endonasal repair of a spontaneous CSF leak caused by a defect in the anterior fossa floor. Patients were positioned supine in a Mayfield headholder in slight extension. A complete ethmoidectomy was performed to expose the defect. The middle turbinate was removed to increase visualization and allow for more working room. The defect was identified and exposed. A nasoseptal flap was raised and placed over the defect. A free-mucosal graft fashioned from the removed middle turbinate was placed on the nasoseptal donor site. The video can be found here: http://youtu.be/gAN2cvQVXCE.

CFRP REPAIRED WELDED THIN-WALLED CROSS-BEAM CONNECTIONS SUBJECT TO IN-PLANE FATIGUE LOADING

Cracked cross-beam connections made of thin-walled rectangular hollow sections (RHS) are repaired with carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets. Constant amplitude fatigue experiments are conducted on the repaired specimens. A pilot test is conducted on a T-connection of square hollow sections (SHS) to explore the effective method of applying CFRP. Due to the peeling effect at the corner region of the SHS-to-SHS connection, early debonding happens in the pilot test that only results in a slight extension in fatigue life. In the following experiments of repairing RHS-to-RHS cross-beam connections, circumferential or transverse restraining CFRP patches are applied in the corner region that prevents early debonding successfully and leads to significant increase in fatigue life. Finally, an improvement is made with the addition of steel strengthening plates that increase both the flexural stiffness and fatigue life of the cracked specimens significantly. The proposed retrofitting method may be useful for repairing other similar fatigue-cracked welded tubular connections.

Conservative Treatment of an Acute Traumatic Extensor Carpi Ulnaris Tendon Subluxation in a Collegiate Basketball Player: A Case Report

Objective: To present the case of an acute traumatic extensor carpi ulnaris (ECU) subluxation in a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II female basketball player. Background: The ECU tendon is stabilized in the ulnar groove by a subsheath located inferior to the extensor retinaculum. The subsheath can be injured with forced supination, ulnar deviation, and wrist flexion, resulting in the ECU tendon subluxing in the palmar and ulnar directions during wrist circumduction. Several methods of intervention exist, but controversy remains on how to best treat this condition. Differential Diagnosis: Distal ulnar fracture, ulnar collateral ligament sprain, triangular fibrocartilage complex lesion, lunotriquetral instability, distal radioulnar joint injury, pisotriquetral joint injury, ECU tendinopathy or subluxation. Treatment: The wrist was placed in a short-arm cast in slight extension and radial deviation for 4 weeks. At that time, the patient was still able to actively sublux the ECU tendon, so a long-arm cast was applied with the wrist in slight extension, radial deviation, and pronation for an additional 4 weeks. The ECU tendon was then found to be stable. She wore a rigid wrist brace for 3 more weeks while she pursued rehabilitation. At the final follow-up appointment, the ECU tendon remained stable, and the wrist was asymptomatic. Uniqueness: Subluxations of the ECU are rare. If the patient does not improve with conservative measures, surgical intervention is warranted to repair the sixth dorsal compartment. Conclusions: A long-arm cast with the elbow flexed to 90° and the wrist in approximately 30° of extension, radial deviation, and pronation was appropriate treatment for this type of injury.

Lq-almost solvability of inelastic models of monotone type

It is well known that the loss of the coerciveness for governing monotone nonlinearities in evolution equations/inclusions can lead to the problem having no solution for given data, and the rule for choosing appropriate data has to be prescribed. Allowing constitutive functions in the evolution relations for elasto-/visco-plastic models of monotone type to be non-coercive, we first give a new (relaxed) meaning to the solvability of the systems of equations under consideration and then we define criteria for choosing admissible data, which guarantees the solvability in the defined sense. Realizing this strategy, a slight extension of the well-developed monotone-operator method to our needs is performed. The theory is applied to some well-known models in elasto-/visco-plasticity. The relations between the standard notion of the solvability and defined one are investigated.

A Short Proof of a Theorem of Kano and Yu on Factors in Regular Graphs

In this note we present a short proof of the following result, which is a slight extension of a nice 2005 theorem by Kano and Yu. Let $e$ be an edge of an $r$-regular graph $G$. If $G$ has a 1-factor containing $e$ and a 1-factor avoiding $e$, then $G$ has a $k$-factor containing $e$ and a $k$-factor avoiding $e$ for every $k\in\{1,2,\ldots,r-1\}$.