Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High rate of failure of allograft reconstruction of the extensor mechanism after total knee arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND Disruption of the extensor mechanism is an uncommon but devastating complication of total knee arthroplasty. Several techniques for reconstruction of the extensor mechanism after total knee arthroplasty have been reported, but we do not know of any study in which the results of one group's method were corroborated by a second group using the same technique. In the present series, we evaluated the results of reconstruction of the extensor mechanism with use of allograft according to the method described by Emerson et al. METHODS Seven reconstructions of the extensor mechanism with use of a bone-tendon-bone allograft were performed with the technique of Emerson et al. in six patients. The patients were evaluated before and after the operation. The knee score according to the system of The Hospital for Special Surgery, evidence of an extensor lag, use of walking aids, and the ambulatory status of each patient were recorded. The patients were also asked about, and the medical records were reviewed for, episodes of falling related to weakness of the quadriceps after the reconstruction. The mean duration of follow-up was thirty-nine months (range, six to 115 months). As these reconstructions often fail early, the minimum duration of follow-up was six months. RESULTS All seven reconstructions were rated as clinical failures on the basis of a persistent or recurrent extensor lag of more than 30 degrees. All but one patient needed an assistive device full time for walking, and four patients (five knees) had at least one documented episode of falling that was due to giving-way of the affected knee. Four of the reconstructions were revised; one revision was performed with use of another extensor mechanism allograft and three were performed with use of a medial gastrocnemius rotation flap. The other three clinical failures had not been revised at the time of writing. At the time of the most recent follow-up (or at the time of revision of the extensor reconstruction), the mean extensor lag was 59 degrees and the mean knee score was 52 points (a poor result). CONCLUSIONS Undertensioning of the allograft reconstruction at the time of the operation and attenuation of the allograft both may have played a role in the inability of the patients to regain active extension of the knee postoperatively. Alternative techniques for reconstruction of the extensor mechanism or modifications of this technique should be considered in the treatment of this difficult problem.
CYP2C9 polymorphisms and phenytoin metabolism: implications for adverse effects

Introduction: Phenytoin, a widely prescribed old-generation antiepileptic drug, requires careful individualization of dosage to compensate for its prominent pharmacokinetic variability. This article reviews the contribution of genetic polymorphisms affecting the activity of CYP2C9, the main enzyme responsible for phenytoin metabolism, to the variation in phenytoin clearance and susceptibility to adverse effects. Areas covered: Comprehensive and critical review of available evidence concerning the influence of CYP2C9 genetic polymorphism on phenytoin pharmacokinetic and safety profile. Expert opinion: There is extensive evidence that CYP2C9 polymorphisms are an important determinant of the rate of phenytoin metabolism, although other factors including expression of other enzymes such as CYP2C19 and the influence of drug interactions, physiological and disease-related factors may also play a role. Patients carrying CYP2C9 genotypes associated with reduced phenytoin clearance are at greater risk of developing CNS adverse effects as well as serious cutaneous adverse reactions when given usual dosages of phenytoin. The clinical value and cost-effectiveness of CYP2C9 genotyping in improving the safety of phenytoin therapy, however, have not been clearly established and require formal testing in well-designed prospective studies.
Study of new annular multi-slits antenna for radio LAN's by an iterative method

In this paper, a simple and novel circular patch with annular slits loaded monopole antenna fed by a annular source is proposed for operating at PCS band. A TM02-mode circular patch loaded with annular slits antenna for the application of radio LAN's is reported. An theoretical prototype operating at 5.2GHz is designed and simulated. The antenna pattern is omni-directional in azimuth and has a notch in the normal direction. A 7.4% bandwidth of VSWR &#60; 2 and 5.1dB antenna gain was simulated.
Spectral Learning of Restricted Boltzmann Machines

The restricted Boltzmann machine, an important tool used in machine learning in particular for unsupervized learning tasks, is investigated from the perspective of its spectral properties. Based on empirical observations, we propose a generic statistical ensemble for the weight matrix of the RBM and characterize its mean evolution, with respect to common learning procedures as a function of some statistical properties of the data. In particular we identify the main unstable deformation modes of the weight matrix which emerge at the beginning of the learning and unveil in some way how these further interact in later stages of the learning procedure.
Cross-Linking of GM1 Ganglioside by Galectin-1 Mediates Regulatory T Cell Activity Involving TRPC5 Channel Activation: Possible Role in Suppressing Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis1

Several animal autoimmune disorders are suppressed by treatment with the GM1 cross-linking units of certain toxins such as B subunit of cholera toxin (CtxB). Due to the recent observation of GM1 being a binding partner for the endogenous lectin galectin-1 (Gal-1), which is known to ameliorate symptoms in certain animal models of autoimmune disorders, we tested the hypothesis that an operative Gal-1/GM1 interplay induces immunosuppression in a manner evidenced by both in vivo and in vitro systems. Our study of murine experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) indicated suppressive effects by both CtxB and Gal-1 and further highlighted the role of GM1 in demonstrating enhanced susceptibility to EAE in mice lacking this ganglioside. At the in vitro level, polyclonal activation of murine regulatory T (Treg) cells caused up-regulation of Gal-1 that was both cell bound and released to the medium. Similar activation of murine CD4+ and CD8+ effector T (Teff) cells resulted in significant elevation of GM1 and GD1a, the neuraminidase-reactive precursor to GM1. Activation of Teff cells also up-regulated TRPC5 channels which mediated Ca2+ influx upon GM1 cross-linking by Gal-1 or CtxB. This involved co-cross-linking of heterodimeric integrin due to close association of these α4β1 and α5β1 glycoproteins with GM1. Short hairpin RNA (shRNA) knockdown of TRPC5 in Teff cells blocked contact-dependent proliferation inhibition by Treg cells as well as Gal-1/CtxB-triggered Ca2+ influx. Our results thus indicate GM1 in Teff cells to be the primary target of Gal-1 expressed by Treg cells, the resulting co-cross-linking and TRPC5 channel activation contributing importantly to the mechanism of autoimmune suppression.
A multi-hop reservation method for end-to-end latency performance improvement in asynchronous MAC-based wireless sensor networks

Duty cycling is a common mechanism for achieving energy efficiency in WSNs. Over the past several years a number of researchers have proposed low-power duty-cycle MAC protocols, but the tradeoff between energy efficiency and latency has been remained a challenging issue. We propose the Express-MAC protocol (EX-MAC) which can guarantee the requirement of the end-to-end transmission latency while conserving energy in a wireless sensor network using asynchronous duty cycling. To achieve low latency operation, EX-MAC employs a wakeup time reservation that utilizes a short preamble scheme to reduce end-to-end latency and to minimize energy consumption. Also, EX-MAC supports multi-hop applications through a cross-layering API, and it provides convergecast packets with unidirectional interfaces to optimize performance and to support reconfiguration routing. In this paper, we first introduce WSNs and the problems in existing MAC protocols. Then we propose the EXMAC protocol for low end-to-end latency and power efficiency in WSNs. From simulation results, it is proven that EX-MAC is able to adjust its wakeup time reservation for convergecast traffic and to guarantee the requirement of endto- end latency.
Multiscale fast summation of long‐range charge and dipolar interactions

Here we present a linear order multiscale method for the fast summation of long range forces in a system consisting of a large number of charge and dipolar particles. For a N‐body system, our algorithm requires an order of work that is proportional to O(N), in comparison to order O(N2) of the direct pairwise computation. Our method is demonstrated on two‐dimensional homogeneous point‐charge and dipolar systems, and a combined heterogeneous particle system, for the calculation of the induced electrostatic potential and energy. The electrostatic interaction is decomposed into a local part and a smooth part. The method thus, has several potential advantages over other O(N log N) or O(N) techniques, especially for calculation with moving particles or implicit charges locations. This approach is beneficial to large‐scale problems such as molecular statics, molecular dynamics, equilibrium statistics (Monte‐Carlo simulations), molecular docking, and in areas such as magnetism and astrophysics. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 22: 717–731, 2001
Open loop hybrid circulatory model: the effect of the arterial lumped parameter loading structure on selected ventricular and circulatory variables

Different combinations of the artero-ventricular coupling design (numerical, physical and hybrid) and the arterial system structure (four-element standard, simplified, modified and three-element three-lump “ladder” Windkessel) have been applied in an open loop circulatory model to test their influence on selected ventricular and circulatory variables. Numerical investigations have shown that a four-element Windkessel with an introduced in series lumped inertance can evoke some numerical problems e.g. when combined with the simplified ventricular model containing “ideal” zero switching time heart valves or constant valve resistance during opening. The four-element Windkessel structure modification i.e. replacing the in series inertance by the parallel one, considerably improves the network match. Also the three-element three-lump “ladder” Windkessel has been found very useful in the blood circulation modelling thanks to relatively small input inertance and high input capacitance of its first lump.
DECOMPOSIÇÃO DA INTERAÇÃO GENÓTIPOS X AMBIENTES EM PARTES SIMPLES E COMPLEXA

A valioue se agronemicos, O sicao tradicion expressa por nos dois locals vamente) dem por nat traduz adaptabilidade. dada pela life tribuicao da p mando-a nos c Baseando quadrado medi Mem de ponde ga de variabffi naafis adequada a natureza da interacdo genatipos x ambientes pars 14 caracteres tidos em 19 culfivares de feijdo, avaliados em dois locals. A decompos I do quadrado . medio associado interacao em que a.partc complpxa r)OarCi2 Cr = coeficiente de correlagito das was dos gen6tipos e Q2 = quadrados medios de genatipos nos locals 1 e 2, respectistrou ser inadequada Para os propesitos do melhoramento genetico, r as reais dificuldades do process° de selecdo de genatipos de ampla Ressaltou-se o fato da decomposicao tradicional ser bastante influenno de variacao entre genatipos nos ambientes, superestimando a cone complexa, principalmente nos casos de alts cortelacao, au subesti de baixa correlagao. em estudo de simulagio, foi sugerida uma nova decomposicao do da interagio em que a pane complexa expressa por Vti5 ar de maneira mais eficiente a contibuicio da correlacio e da diferende genotipica nos dois locals, a nova decomposigio demonstrou ser a andlise e na interpretagio dos dados experintntais disponfveis.
On the Lower Bounds for Leftist Insertion-Deletion Languages

This article investigates languages generated by insertiondeletion systems that insert or delete one symbol using only a left context. We show that if the context of insertion or deletion is greater than one, then the corresponding families are all equal to each other and properly include the family of regular languages. We also show that the obtained family contains non-context-free languages.
Calcium-sensitive Transcriptional Activation of the Proximal CCAAT Regulatory Element of the grp78/BiP Promoter by the Human Nuclear Factor CBF/NF-Y*

Transcription of the gene encoding GRP78/BiP, a calcium-binding molecular chaperone localized in the endoplasmic reticulum, is induced in mammalian cells through gradual depletion of the intracellular calcium stores. The multimeric CCAAT binding factor, CBF/NF-Y, binds to the most proximal CCAAT regulatory element (C1) of the grp78 promoter required for both basal level expression and stress response. Using an in vitro transcription system, we show through factor competition and immunodepletion that the grp78 C1-mediated enhancement of transcription requires primarily CBF. Correlating with the previous observation that CBF binding to the 78C1 site is enhanced by EGTA and EDTA, these divalent cation chelators specifically stimulate 78C1-directed transcription. In contrast, increasing amounts of calcium ions are inhibitory. These results provide evidence that CBF is functionally important in transactivating the grp78 C1 transcriptional activity, and suggest a possible mechanism by which grp78 transcription is stimulated by calcium depletion. We further discovered that in addition to binding CBF, both the 78C1 element and the CBF binding site of the α2(I) collagen promoter interact weakly with the multifunctional transcription factor YY1. Our studies show that the binding sites for CBF and YY1 are distinct for the two promoter sites, suggesting that YY1 and other interacting factors could exert differential effects on individual promoters bearing the same CBF site.
Reproductive biology of the coypu, Myocastor coypus (Rodentia: Myocastoridae) in western Japan

We describe the reproductive biology of the coypu, Myocastor coypus (Molina, 1782), in western Japan, as an attempt to contribute to an efficient population control program of the coypu population. A total of 212 specimens (113 males and 99 females) were collected in the Tottori prefecture from February 2010 to January 2012. From the age estimation based on body weight and molar eruption pattern, we determined that both males and females reach sexual maturity at 4-6 months of age. Of the 72 mature females examined, 60 (83.3%) were pregnant, with a mean litter size of 6.5 ± 2.4 (mean ± SE). The onset of sexual maturity in the western Japanese population was relatively earlier when compared with indigenous and other introduced populations. Furthermore, the population in Japan had relatively higher pregnancy rates and larger litter sizes, without obvious seasonal fluctuation. These observations may imply that the hunting pressure in Japan in the past 50 years has been strong enough to select individuals that mature earlier; however, nothing in the present habitat of the coypu population seems to be limiting reproduction. The relatively high reproductive potential of the present population in the mild climate of western Japan must be considered when determining appropriate management measures for this species.
Survival of extremely premature babies in a geographically defined population: prospective cohort study of 1994-9 compared with 2000-5

Objective To assess changes in survival for infants born before 26 completed weeks of gestation. Design Prospective cohort study in a geographically defined population. Setting Former Trent health region of the United Kingdom. Subjects All infants born at 22+0 to 25+6 weeks’ gestation to mothers living in the region. Terminations were excluded but all other births of babies alive at the onset of labour or the delivery process were included. Main outcome measures Outcome for all infants was categorised as stillbirth, death without admission to neonatal intensivecare, death before discharge from neonatal intensivecare, and survival to discharge home in two time periods: 1994-9 and 2000-5 inclusive. Results The proportion of infants dying in delivery rooms was similar in the two periods, but a significant improvement was seen in the number of infants surviving to discharge (P<0.001). Of 497 infants admitted to neonatal intensive care in 2000-5, 236 (47%) survived to discharge compared with 174/490 (36%) in 1994. These changes were attributable to substantial improvements in the survival of infants born at 24 and 25 weeks. During the 12 years of the study none of the 150 infants born at 22 weeks’ gestation survived. Of the infants born at 23 weeks who were admitted to intensive care, there was no significant improvement in survival to discharge in 2000-5 (12/65 (18%) in 2000-5 v 15/81 (19%) in 1994-9). Conclusions Survival of infants born at 24 and 25 weeks of gestation has significantly increased. Although over half the cohort of infants born at 23 weeks wasadmitted to neonatalintensive care, there was no improvement in survival at this gestation. Care for infants born at 22 weeks remained unsuccessful.
Stroke width-based directional total variation regularisation for document image super resolution

In the Bayesian image super resolution (SR), a regularisation term is minimised along with a data-fidelity term to generate a high-resolution (HR) image from input low-resolution (LR) image. The regularisation term is incorporated into the SR to fulfil a prior knowledge over the HR image. For instance, smoothness in the background and foreground regions is a prior knowledge about document images. The bilateral total variation (BTV), as a known regularisation term, uniformly smooths the image in all directions while preserving the edges. In this study, the authors present a document image SR method by introducing a new regularisation term called the stroke width-based directional total variation (SWDTV). It is a modified version of the BTV, and adaptively performs smoothing based on the local width and local direction of the character strokes. By analysing the input LR image and its interpolation, the local stroke width and local stroke direction in the output image are approximated. This information is encapsulated into the SWDTV regularisation term. By minimising the linear combination of the regularisation and data-fidelity terms, the HR image is reconstructed. The authors’ method achieves significant improvements in visual image quality and optical character recognition accuracy compared to related non-example-based document image SR methods.
Broadband W-Band Gyrotron Amplifier Development

The development of a high-duty, broadband W-band gyro-traveling-wave-tube (gyro-TWT) amplifier has recently been completed. The gyro-TWT will be used as a driver for other previously developed and planned high-power W-band gyro-amplifiers. Details of the gyro-TWT design and recent experimental demonstrations, which have resulted in measured peak output powers up to 2 kW at 40% duty cycle and -3 dB bandwidths up to 6.5 GHz, are described below.
Glutathione peroxidase deficiency in multiple sclerosis

Erythrocyte and plasma glutathione peroxidase levels were measured in 12 patients with multiple sclerosis, in 11 age‐ and sex‐matched normal subjects, and in 12 similarly matched patients with other neurological diseases. No difference was found in the enzyme levels in the three groups, indicating that glutathione peroxidase deficiency is not a contributing factor in the aetiology of multiple sclerosis.
Automatic generation of technical-style notes from live lecture

With student persistence and retention being a cascading issue within higher education (particularly in Computer Science and Engineering), developing processes and tools to help students overcome the challenges of systemized learning becomes an academic necessity. The authors contend that if an information translation apparatus was in existence that could generate individual learning data formats, students will have another tool to understand and apply information that was delivered in a fashion un-natural to their personal learning processes. Survey data has revealed that in many situations students spend mental effort trying to record, via note-taking, exactly the words being used by the instructor instead of the synergy and application of the content. Voice recognition software (voice-to-text) is the vehicle by which data is digitally recorded for format manipulation between a marriage of human learning and technology. The research-tested Interactive Learning Modelcopy is the foundation of the learning systems component of this project and an innovative algorithmic development was utilized to manifest specific data formats consistent with technical learning processes.
Machine design optimization based on finite element analysis in a high-throughput computing environment

Although finite element (FE) analysis is a powerful analytical tool for electric machines, it is rarely used in iterative machine design optimization programs since it is computationally intensive, requiring excessive calculation times. This paper describes an approach for overcoming this obstacle using a high-throughput computing (HTC) environment that harnesses the parallel processing capabilities of large numbers of computers to evaluate many candidate designs simultaneously. Differential evolution has been selected as the optimization algorithm that applies FE analysis to maximize the electromagnetic performance according to an objective function in a computationally-efficient manner. This software has been applied using available HTC resources to optimize the design of a 30 kW (continuous) fractional-slot concentrated winding (FSCW) surface permanent magnet (SPM) machine for high torque density. Tests comparing the computational speeds achieved using the same optimization software with the HTC resources and a single computer have demonstrated a major reduction (approx. 30:1) of the computation time using the HTC approach.
Two regions of mature periplasmic maltose-binding protein of Escherichia coli involved in secretion

Six mutations in malE, the structural gene for the periplasmic maltose-binding protein (MBP) from Escherichia coli, prevent growth on maltose as a carbon source, as well as release of the mutant proteins by the cold osmotic-shock procedure. These mutations correspond to insertion of an oligonucleotide linker, concomitant with a deletion. One of the mutations (malE127) affects the N-terminal extension (the signal peptide), whereas the five others lie within the mature protein. As expected, the export of protein MalE127 is blocked at an early stage. This protein is neither processed to maturity nor sensitive to proteinase K in spheroplasts. In contrast, in the five other mutants, the signal peptide is cleaved and the protein is accessible to proteinase K added to spheroplasts. This indicates that the five mutant proteins are, at least in part, exported through the inner membrane. We propose that the corresponding mutations define two regions of the mature protein (between residues 18 and 42 and between residues 280 and 306), which are important for release of the protein from the inner membrane into the periplasm. We discuss the results in terms of possible conformational changes at this late step of export to the periplasm.