Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
AO tension band technique application in proximal humerus fractures.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to report our functional results after an intramedullary Kirschner wires (K-wires) and tension band wiring combination for the treatment of a large group of humeral head fractures was performed. PATIENTS AND METHODS Seventy-four patients (54 females, 20 males; mean age 42 years; range 24 to 73 years) who had proximal humerus fractures were treated with an intramedullary K-wire and tension band technique and were retrospectively analyzed. Fracture patterns were according to Neer classification type II in 43 patients, type III in 23 patients and type IV in five patients. The Constant-Murley shoulder score test was used to evaluate the function of both shoulders. The outcome was graded according to Neer's criteria. The pain score was determined with a 10-point visual analog scale. RESULTS All fractures were healed (radiologically and clinically) within 3.6 months (range 2.5 to 4.7 months) after the surgery. In one patient, the cerclage wire was broken and in eight patients, K-wires produced impingement like symptoms that required a second procedure (wire removal) after healing. The results of the patients with regard to Constant-Murley score and Neer criteria were indifferent when the 6th and the 12th month data were compared (p<0.05). Visual analog scale scores of the patients between the two control visits were significant different (p>0.05). CONCLUSION The type of fixation depends on the bone quality and the degree of comminution. But the recent trend is towards osteosynthesis -the limited, less invasive technique- which is performed with minimal soft tissue dissection and minimal osteosynthesis. It allows less stripping of bone and therefore preservation of the blood supply to the humeral head. This procedure is simple to perform and provides good postoperative results.
Genome Sequence of the Fish Pathogen Renibacterium salmoninarum Suggests Reductive Evolution away from an Environmental Arthrobacter Ancestor

ABSTRACT Renibacterium salmoninarum is the causative agent of bacterial kidney disease and a significant threat to healthy and sustainable production of salmonid fish worldwide. This pathogen is difficult to culture in vitro, genetic manipulation is challenging, and current therapies and preventative strategies are only marginally effective in preventing disease. The complete genome of R. salmoninarum ATCC 33209 was sequenced and shown to be a 3,155,250-bp circular chromosome that is predicted to contain 3,507 open-reading frames (ORFs). A total of 80 copies of three different insertion sequence elements are interspersed throughout the genome. Approximately 21% of the predicted ORFs have been inactivated via frameshifts, point mutations, insertion sequences, and putative deletions. The R. salmoninarum genome has extended regions of synteny to the Arthrobacter sp. strain FB24 and Arthrobacter aurescens TC1 genomes, but it is approximately 1.9 Mb smaller than both Arthrobacter genomes and has a lower G+C content, suggesting that significant genome reduction has occurred since divergence from the last common ancestor. A limited set of putative virulence factors appear to have been acquired via horizontal transmission after divergence of the species; these factors include capsular polysaccharides, heme sequestration molecules, and the major secreted cell surface antigen p57 (also known as major soluble antigen). Examination of the genome revealed a number of ORFs homologous to antibiotic resistance genes, including genes encoding β-lactamases, efflux proteins, macrolide glycosyltransferases, and rRNA methyltransferases. The genome sequence provides new insights into R. salmoninarum evolution and may facilitate identification of chemotherapeutic targets and vaccine candidates that can be used for prevention and treatment of infections in cultured salmonids.
Twentieth century increase in snowfall in coastal West Antarctica

The Amundsen Sea sector of the West Antarctic ice sheet has been losing mass in recent decades; however, long records of snow accumulation are needed to place the recent changes in context. Here we present 300 year records of snow accumulation from two ice cores drilled in Ellsworth Land, West Antarctica. The records show a dramatic increase in snow accumulation during the twentieth century, linked to a deepening of the Amundsen Sea Low (ASL), tropical sea surface temperatures, and large‐scale atmospheric circulation. The observed increase in snow accumulation and interannual variability during the late twentieth century is unprecedented in the context of the past 300 years and evidence that the recent deepening of the ASL is part of a longer trend.
Photothermal Tuning and Size Locking of Salt-Water Microdroplets on a Superhydrophobic Surface

Liquid microdroplets are attractive as optical microcavities with tunable resonances for applications in quantum optics and biological sensing, owing to their flexible nature and spherical shape. Salt-water microdroplets can be used in such experiments while standing on a superhydrophobic surface that preserves their spherical geometry. Here, we report how the photothermal effect enables continuous tuning or locking of the whispering gallery mode (WGM) spectrum and size of salt-water microdroplets on a superhydrophobic surface. Local heating by an infrared laser focused at the center of a microdroplet causes it to depart from its equilibrium size, shifting the WGM spectrum. This photothermal tuning effect is fully reversible and can be used to tune the microdroplet radius with a precision reaching 1 Å. We combine this effect with fluorescence excitation spectroscopy using a fixed wavelength laser to measure Q-factors of up to ∼105. Conversely, focusing the heating laser to the microdroplet rim reveals absorption resonances, leading to a hysteretic behavior when cycling the laser power. We show that this behavior can be used to lock the size of a microdroplet and make it exhibit optical bistability. WGM resonances of locked microdroplets are probed using a tunable laser, showing a spectral locking precision reaching <0.01 nm over tens of minutes. These results indicate that the wavelength stability and positioning challenges inherent to liquid microdroplets in air can be overcome, providing an easily tunable and lockable alternative to solid optical microcavities and making them potential candidates for studies in cavity optomechanics.
Induction of Transplantable Tumors by Repeated Subcutaneous Injections of Natural and Synthetic Vitamin E in Mice and Rats

Natural vitamin E and synthetic vitamin E (dl/‐α‐tocopheryl acetate) were tested for their tnmorigenicity in rodents. Transplantable tumors, at the site of injection, were induced by repeated injections of these compounds in two strains of mice, NFS/N and C57BL/6N × C3H/He Fl, and in a strain of rats, Fischer 344. Natural vitamin E was tumorigenic in both strains of female mice only when injected with soya oil. In contrast, dl‐α‐tocopheryl acetate alone was capable of inducing tumors in Fischer 344 rats. Only one out of 5 male NFS/N mice given dl‐α‐tocopheryl acetate developed a tumor. Therefore, Fischer 344 rats were more susceptible to tumor formation by dl‐α‐tocopheryl acetate than NFS/N mice. dl‐α‐Tocopheryl acetate with soya oil or with palm oil also resulted in the formation of transplantable tumors in NFS/N mice and Fischer 344 rats. There was no difference in the tumor incidence between mice treated with dl‐α‐a‐tocopheryl acetate alone and dl‐α‐tocopheryl acetate plus soya oil or palm oil. However, in rats, the incidence was lower for a group treated with dl‐α‐tocopheryl acetate plus palm oil than for those with dl‐αa‐tocopheryl acetate alone and with dl‐α‐tocopheryl acetate plus soya oil.
Efficacy and Safety of an Orally Administered Selective Prostacyclin Receptor Agonist, Selexipag, in Japanese Patients With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

BACKGROUND Selexipag is an orally available prostacyclin receptor (IP receptor) agonist with a non-prostanoid structure. In this open-label Phase II trial, the efficacy and safety of selexipag in Japanese patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is examined.Methods and Results:Selexipag was administered at 200 μg twice daily and titrated up to 1,600 μg by increments of 200 μg in 37 subjects to reach the individual maximum tolerated dose. At 16 weeks, in 33 patients comprising the per-protocol set, the pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR; primary endpoint) decreased from 683.2±237.3 to 560.3±238.7 dyn·s/cm5(P<0.0001). For the secondary endpoint, the 6-min walk distance (6MWD) increased from 445.0±102.2 to 459.1±112.8 m (P=0.0324); World Health Organization functional class improved in 4 patients (12.1%), and was maintained in 29 patients (87.9%). A decrease in PVR was also shown in patients treated with selexipag, on top of a phosphodiesterase inhibitor and endothelin receptor antagonist. Most of the commonly reported adverse events were consistent with those reported for other PGI2formulations. Thirty-four patients attained the individual maximum tolerated dose (maintenance dose). CONCLUSIONS The efficacy and tolerability of selexipag in Japanese PAH patients was confirmed by improvement in pulmonary hemodynamics, exercise capacity, symptoms. Selexipag is an efficacious treatment option for Japanese PAH patients. (Trial registration: JAPIC Clinical Trials Information [JapicCTI-111532].).
Determination of Clinical Outcome in Mitral Regurgitation With Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Quantification

Background— Surgery for severe mitral regurgitation is indicated if symptoms or left ventricular dilation or dysfunction occur. However, prognosis is already reduced by this stage, and earlier surgery on asymptomatic patients has been advocated if valve repair is likely, but identifying suitable patients for early surgery is difficult. Quantifying the regurgitation may help, but evidence for its link with outcome is limited. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) can accurately quantify mitral regurgitation, and we examined whether this was associated with the future need for surgery. Methods and Results— One hundred nine asymptomatic patients with echocardiographic moderate or severe mitral regurgitation had baseline CMR scans and were followed up for up to 8 years (mean, 2.5±1.9 years). CMR quantification accurately identified patients who progressed to symptoms or other indications for surgery: 91% of subjects with regurgitant volume ⩽55 mL survived to 5 years without surgery compared with only 21% with regurgitant volume >55 mL (P<0.0001). A similar separation was observed for regurgitant fraction ⩽40% and >40%. CMR-derived end-diastolic volume index showed a weaker association with outcome (proportions surviving without surgery at 5 years, 90% for left ventricular end-diastolic volume index <100 mL/m2 versus 48% for ≥100 mL/m2) and added little to the discriminatory power of regurgitant fraction/volume alone. Conclusions— CMR quantification of mitral regurgitation was associated with the development of symptoms or other indications for surgery and showed better discriminatory ability than the reference-standard CMR-derived ventricular volumes. CMR may be able to identify appropriate patients for early surgery, with the potential to change clinical practice, although the clinical benefits of early surgery require confirmation in a clinical trial.
Nanoscale Characterization of Reed Stalk Fiber Cell Walls

Reed (Phragmites australis) is a natural biological material that has great potential as reinforcing material in bio-composites. In order to evaluate the potential of reed stalk for reinforcement, the microstructure, elemental composition, microfibril angle (MFA), and mechanical properties of fiber cell walls were investigated by means of scanning probe microscopy (SPM), energy dispersive analysis of X-rays (EDAX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and nanoindentation, respectively. The effects of elemental composition and microfibril angle of reed fibers on the mechanical properties were also considered. The results indicated that reed fiber cells have a multilayered structure. The observed increase in lignin content and decrease in MFA may contribute to the increase of mechanical properties. The elastic modulus and hardness of fibers in the upper part of the reed stalk were higher than those of the lower part. Based on nanoindentation results found in the literature, reed fibers have higher elastic modulus and hardness than poplar and spruce fibers.
Concomitant Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm and Malignancy: Simultaneous Minimally Invasive Repair

Gabriele Piffaretti1, Luigi Boni2, Matteo Tozzi1, Nicola Rivolta1, Giovanni Mariscalco3 and Patrizio Castelli1 1Vascular Surgery – Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Insubria School of Medicine, Varese 2General Surgery 1 – Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Insubria School of Medicine, Varese 3Cardiac Surgery – Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Insubria School of Medicine, Varese, Italy
Large extents of intensive land use limit community reorganization during climate warming

Climate change is increasingly altering the composition of ecological communities, in combination with other environmental pressures such as high‐intensity land use. Pressures are expected to interact in their effects, but the extent to which intensive human land use constrains community responses to climate change is currently unclear. A generic indicator of climate change impact, the community temperature index (CTI), has previously been used to suggest that both bird and butterflies are successfully ‘tracking’ climate change. Here, we assessed community changes at over 600 English bird or butterfly monitoring sites over three decades and tested how the surrounding land has influenced these changes. We partitioned community changes into warm‐ and cold‐associated assemblages and found that English bird communities have not reorganized successfully in response to climate change. CTI increases for birds are primarily attributable to the loss of cold‐associated species, whilst for butterflies, warm‐associated species have tended to increase. Importantly, the area of intensively managed land use around monitoring sites appears to influence these community changes, with large extents of intensively managed land limiting ‘adaptive’ community reorganization in response to climate change. Specifically, high‐intensity land use appears to exacerbate declines in cold‐adapted bird and butterfly species, and prevent increases in warm‐associated birds. This has broad implications for managing landscapes to promote climate change adaptation.
Double-K-vacancy states in electron-impact single ionization of metastable two-electron N5+(1s2s 3S1) ions

The role of hollow states intermediately produced in electron-impact ionization of metastable He-like $N{}^{5+}(1s2s{\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}}^{3}{S}_{1})$ ions has been investigated in detail. A crossed-beam setup and suitable experimental techniques were employed for the measurement of accurate absolute cross sections and precise energy-scan data. Fine structures arising from $K$-shell excitations and associated resonances have been observed for this two-electron ion with less than $\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}$0.5 eV uncertainty on the energy scale. Fine details, such as interference of the reaction pathways of direct ionization and excitation with capture of the incident electron followed by double-Auger decay, could be revealed. Ab initio calculations based on the convergent close coupling (CCC) approach are in good agreement with the experiment.
Pace Law Review Pace Law Review

There is a significant risk—in safety terms, a hazard—that the wide gap between the defendant ’ s anticipated punishment if convicted at trial and the relatively lighter punishment if he confesses in a plea-bargain will lead not only the guilty but also the innocent to confessing. In practice, only 3% of all federal cases go to trial, and only 6% of state cases. In the remainder, conviction is obtained through plea-bargaining. Indeed, plea-bargains are one of the central mechanisms facilitating false convictions.
Presence in Pieris rapae of Cytotoxic Activity against Human Carcinoma Cells

Cytotoxic activity in extracts of pupae and adults of various kinds of butterflies and moths was tested in vitro against the human gastric carcinoma cell line, TMK‐1, which was chosen as an example of human carcinoma cells. Among the species examined, cytotoxicity was limited to Pieris rapae, Pieris napi and Pieris brassicae. Activity was found down to a dilution of 1/104, while with the other butterflies and moths no activity was observed, even at 1/102. When the cytotoxicity of the three developmental stages, larvae, pupae and adults, of Pieris rapae was compared, the pupae showed the strongest activity, the IC50 against TMK‐1 cells being at the 1/106 dilution. For larvae and adults, the respective IC50 values were at the 1/105 and 5/105 dilutions. The active principle in the pupae of Pieris rapae was found to be heat‐labile and not extractable with organic solvents, but precipitated with ammonium sulfate and digested by proteases, suggesting that it is a protein. This cytotoxic factor was named pierisin.
Direct Democracy and Resource Allocation: Experimental Evidence from Afghanistan

Direct democracy is designed to better align public resource allocation decisions with citizen preferences. Using a randomized field experiment in 250 villages across Afghanistan, this paper compares outcomes of secret-ballot referenda with those of consultation meetings, which adhere to customary decision-making practices. Elites are found to exert influence over meeting outcomes, but not over referenda outcomes, which are driven primarily by citizen preferences. Referenda are also found to improve public satisfaction, whereas elite domination of allocation processes has a negative effect. The results indicate that the use of direct democracy in public resource allocation results in more legitimate outcomes than those produced by customary processes.
Establishment of Epstein‐Barr Virus‐positive Human Gastric Epithelial Cell Lines

We have established two Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV)‐positive cell lines, GT38 and GT39, derived from human gastric tissues of two patients bearing gastric carcinoma. Both cell lines were positive for cytokeratin, an epithelial marker, but not for lymphocyte‐related markers. Unlike GT39 cell line, GT38 cells lacked the property of contact inhibition. EBV genome was detected in both cell lines. The cell lines were positive for latent membrane protein 1, and EBV‐determined nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1). EBNA2 was also detected in GT38. These cell lines should be useful for studying the interaction of EBV with gastric epithelial cells and its role in gastric carcinogenesis.
Survivin as a Radioresistance Factor in Pancreatic Cancer

We examined whether survivin acts as a constitutive and inducible radioresistance factor in pancreatic cancer cells. Using a quantitative TaqMan reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction for survivin mRNA in five pancreatic cancer cell lines, we found an inverse relationship between survivin mRNA expression and radiosensitivity. PANC‐1 cells, which had the highest survivin mRNA levels, were most resistant to X‐irradiation; MIAPaCa‐2 cells, which showed the least survivin mRNA expression, were the most sensitive to X‐irradiation. Our results suggested that survivin could act as a constitutive radioresistance factor in pancreatic cancer cells. To determine whether radioresistance is enhanced by induction of survivin expression by irradiation, PANC‐1 and MIAPaCa‐2 cells were subjected to sublethal doses of X‐irradiation followed by a lethal dose. Survivin mRNA expression was increased significantly in both PANC‐1 and MIAPaCa‐2 cell lines by pretreatment with a sublethal dose of X‐irradiation, as was cell survival after exposure to the lethal dose. In this system, enzymatic caspase‐3 activity was significantly suppressed in cells with acquired resistance. These results suggest that survivin also acts as an inducible radioresistance factor in pancreatic cancer cells. Survivin, then, appears to enhance radioresistance in pancreatic cancer cells; inhibition of survivin mRNA expression may improve the effectiveness of radiotherapy.
Complementing tissue characterization by integrating transcriptome profiling from the Human Protein Atlas and from the FANTOM5 consortium

Understanding the normal state of human tissue transcriptome profiles is essential for recognizing tissue disease states and identifying disease markers. Recently, the Human Protein Atlas and the FANTOM5 consortium have each published extensive transcriptome data for human samples using Illumina-sequenced RNA-Seq and Heliscope-sequenced CAGE. Here, we report on the first large-scale complex tissue transcriptome comparison between full-length versus 5'-capped mRNA sequencing data. Overall gene expression correlation was high between the 22 corresponding tissues analyzed (R > 0.8). For genes ubiquitously expressed across all tissues, the two data sets showed high genome-wide correlation (91% agreement), with differences observed for a small number of individual genes indicating the need to update their gene models. Among the identified single-tissue enriched genes, up to 75% showed consensus of 7-fold enrichment in the same tissue in both methods, while another 17% exhibited multiple tissue enrichment and/or high expression variety in the other data set, likely dependent on the cell type proportions included in each tissue sample. Our results show that RNA-Seq and CAGE tissue transcriptome data sets are highly complementary for improving gene model annotations and highlight biological complexities within tissue transcriptomes. Furthermore, integration with image-based protein expression data is highly advantageous for understanding expression specificities for many genes.
Architecture Design and Implementation of an Autonomous Vehicle

Architecture design is one of the most important problems for an intelligent system. In this paper, a practical framework of hardware and software is proposed to reveal the external configuration and internal mechanism of an autonomous vehicle—a typical intelligent system. The main contributions of this paper are as follows. First, we compare the advantages and disadvantages of three typical sensor plans and introduce a general autopilot for a vehicle. Second, we introduce a software architecture for an autonomous vehicle. The perception and planning performances are improved with the help of two inner loops of simultaneous localization and mapping. An algorithm to enlarge the detection range of the sensors is proposed by adding an inner loop to the perception system. A practical feedback to restrain mutations of two adjacent planning periods is also realized by the other inner loop. Third, a cross-platform virtual server (named project cocktail) for data transmission and exchange is presented in detail. Through comparisons with the robot operating system, the performance of project cocktail is proven to be considerably better in terms of transmission delay and throughput. Finally, a report on an autonomous driving test implemented using the proposed architecture is presented, which shows the effectiveness, flexibility, stability, and low-cost of the overall autonomous driving system.
Enhancing the Pseudo-Haptic effect on the touch panel using the virtual string

This paper proposes a novel method of enhancing the pseudo-haptic effect on the touch panel. In prior studies to invoke pseudo-haptics on the touch panel, there has been a problem stemming from the difference in position between the finger and the object. We added the virtual string on display which shows a connection between the finger and the object. The user studies showed that the presence of the virtual string was effective to invoke pseudo-haptics, and the setting of string breaks was key to enhance the effect of it.