Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Economic benefit to society at large of total knee arthroplasty in younger patients: a Markov analysis.

BACKGROUND To our knowledge, the economic implications of total knee arthroplasty to society at large have not been assessed with specific consideration of the young working population with osteoarthritis of the knee. The goal of the present study was to use a Markov analysis to estimate the overall average cost to society--in terms of medical expenses and lost wages--of delaying early total knee arthroplasty in favor of nonoperative treatment for end-stage knee osteoarthritis in a hypothetical fifty-year-old patient. METHODS A Markov state-transition decision model was constructed to compare the overall average cost over thirty years of total knee arthroplasty with the average thirty-year cost of nonoperative treatment for a fifty-year-old patient with end-stage osteoarthritis. Earned income, lost wages, and direct medical costs related to nonoperative treatment and to total knee arthroplasty, including revisions and complications, were considered. A sensitivity analysis was performed to assess the effect that variation of key model parameters had on the overall outcome of the model. RESULTS This Markov model favored early total knee arthroplasty over nonoperative treatment across all plausible values for most input parameters assessed during one-way sensitivity analysis. Total knee arthroplasty was more expensive during the first 3.5 years because of higher initial costs, but over thirty years the cost benefit of total knee arthroplasty was $69,800 (2012 U.S. dollars). Only when lost wages were <17.7 equivalent work days per year for patients treated nonoperatively or when the rate of returning to work after total knee arthroplasty was <81% did the model favor nonoperative treatment. CONCLUSIONS The results of the current study demonstrated that the total economic cost to society for treatment of severe knee osteoarthritis in a relatively young working person is markedly lower with total knee arthroplasty than it is with nonoperative treatment. The increasing financial restrictions on health-care providers in the U.S. necessitate careful consideration of the economic impact of different treatment options from the societal perspective. CLINICAL RELEVANCE The results of this model illustrate the need to account for the implications of treatment choices, not only at the individual patient level, but also for society at large. When deciding among available treatment options, patients, physicians, payers, and policymakers must consider individual treatment cost and effectiveness but also should account for future potential earnings generated when a treatment may restore a patient's ability to contribute to society.
A study of the association between exercise‐induced wheeze and exercise versus methacholine‐induced bronchoconstriction in adolescents

Among asthmatics, exercise‐induced wheeze (EIW) is a frequent symptom, and 40–77% of asthmatics demonstrate exercise‐induced bronchoconstriction (EIB). In the North‐Trøndelag population‐based survey of 8,571 adolescents (YOUNG‐HUNT), 26% reported wheeze during the previous 12 months (current wheeze). Of those subjects, 50% reported EIW. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between EIW and EIB in randomly selected adolescents with EIW as the only or predominant asthma‐like symptom, and to relate our findings to results from methacholine bronchoprovocation tests (MT) and measurements of exhaled nitric oxide (ENO). Sixty‐three subjects with current wheeze induced by exercise, but not by allergen exposure, were investigated using a treadmill exercise test (ET) and measurements of ENO. Fifty‐eight subjects completed a MT on a separate study day. EIB was defined as a fall of ≥ 10% in the forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) after exercise (ΔFEV1%ex). Twenty‐one subjects (33%) had EIB and 33 (57%) had a positive MT. The degree of reported dyspnea during the ET was not correlated to the ΔFEV1%ex. The correlation between EIB and methacholine‐induced bronchoconstriction (MIB) was poor, and the ΔFEV1%ex was more pronounced in smokers than in non‐smokers. Moreover, ENO was not increased in subjects with positive vs. negative ET. Hence, EIW, when reported as the only or predominant asthma‐like symptom, was linked to EIB in only one‐third of the patients. We conclude that EIW is a poor predictor of EIB in epidemiological studies. The poor correlation between EIB and MIB indicates that these two tests measure different mechanisms of bronchial hyper‐responsiveness.
Spatiotemporal dissociation of brain activity underlying threat and reward in social anxiety disorder

Abstract Social anxiety disorder (SAD) involves abnormalities in social motivation, which may be independent of well-documented differences in fear and arousal systems. Yet, the neurobiology underlying motivational difficulties in SAD is not well understood. The aim of the current study was to spatiotemporally dissociate reward circuitry dysfunction from alterations in fear and arousal-related neural activity during anticipation and notification of social and non-social reward and punishment. During fMRI acquisition, non-depressed adults with social anxiety disorder (SAD; N = 21) and age-, sex- and IQ-matched control subjects (N = 22) completed eight runs of an incentive delay task, alternating between social and monetary outcomes and interleaved in alternating order between gain and loss outcomes. Adults with SAD demonstrated significantly reduced neural activity in ventral striatum during the anticipation of positive but not negative social outcomes. No differences between the SAD and control groups were observed during anticipation of monetary gain or loss outcomes or during anticipation of negative social images. However, consistent with previous work, the SAD group demonstrated amygdala hyper-activity upon notification of negative social outcomes. Degraded anticipatory processing in bilateral ventral striatum in SAD was constrained exclusively to anticipation of positive social information and dissociable from the effects of negative social outcomes previously observed in the amygdala. Alterations in anticipation-related neural signals may represent a promising target for treatment that is not addressed by available evidence-based interventions, which focus primarily on fear extinction and habituation processes.
Phase 1 trial of lipoplatin and gemcitabine as a second‐line chemotherapy in patients with nonsmall cell lung carcinoma

Lipoplatin is a new liposomal cisplatin that already has been tested in solid tumors, with encouraging results. The purpose of the current study was to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and the dose‐limiting toxicity (DLT) of a 21‒day regimen of lipoplatin plus a fixed dose of gemcitabine in patients with refractory or resistant nonsmall cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of ≤2.
Public policy-making and risk profiles: Scandinavian centre-right governments after the turn of the millennium

Recent theoretical advances in the welfare state literature have outlined the differences between labour market- and life course-related schemes as centre-right parties have difficulties in enacting retrenchment on life course-related schemes because these concern every voter. In contrast, the textbook risk profile of centre-right parties’ electorates allows them to cutback on labour market-related schemes as these parties get negligible support from workers and low-income voters. Conducting a comparative case study of recent Danish and Swedish centre-right governments, this article analyses the stylized assumptions on the party level by comparing two similar centre-right governments, which differed in their voter coalitions’ risk profile. I first argue that centre-right governments are generally constrained by the popular entrenchment of the universal welfare state when it comes to life course-related welfare schemes. Second, I argue that the leeway on labour market-related schemes is contingent on the actual risk profile of the centre-right’s electorate, and thereby move beyond the stylized assumptions from recent literature. In this respect, the Danish centre-right did, in contrast to its Swedish counterpart, gain power with an unusual high support among working-class voters which constrained its latitude on labour market-related schemes. I find that the Danish centre-right governments after 2001 acted with bound hands thanks to its high working-class backing, and refrained from outright cutbacks on both labour market- and life course-related schemes until 2010 except for labour market outsiders. In contrast, the Swedish centre-right had a much lower working-class backing and therefore engaged in some outright cutbacks of labour market-related schemes such as unemployment benefits directly after taking office 2006. The centre-right’s actual voter coalition’s risk profile is thus an important determinant for its public policies and its leeway for policy-seeking.
Phosphorylation is an on/off switch for 5-hydroxyconiferaldehyde O-methyltransferase activity in poplar monolignol biosynthesis

Significance To meet environmental and developmental needs, the monolignol biosynthetic pathway for lignification in plant cell walls is regulated by complex mechanisms involving transcriptional, posttranscriptional, and metabolic controls. However, posttranslational modification by protein phosphorylation had not been demonstrated in the regulation of monolignol biosynthesis. Here, we show that reversible monophosphorylation at Ser123 or Ser125 acts as an on/off switch for the activity of 5-hydroxyconiferaldehyde O-methyltransferase 2 (PtrAldOMT2). Phosphorylation induces a loss of function of PtrAldOMT2, which directly affects metabolic flux for syringyl monolignol biosynthesis. The Ser123/Ser125 phosphorylation sites are conserved across 98% of AldOMTs from 46 diverse plant species. Protein phosphorylation provides a rapid and energetically efficient mode of regulating PtrAldOMT2 activity for syringyl monolignol biosynthesis and represents an additional level of control for this important pathway. Although phosphorylation has long been known to be an important regulatory modification of proteins, no unequivocal evidence has been presented to show functional control by phosphorylation for the plant monolignol biosynthetic pathway. Here, we present the discovery of phosphorylation-mediated on/off regulation of enzyme activity for 5-hydroxyconiferaldehyde O-methyltransferase 2 (PtrAldOMT2), an enzyme central to monolignol biosynthesis for lignification in stem-differentiating xylem (SDX) of Populus trichocarpa. Phosphorylation turned off the PtrAldOMT2 activity, as demonstrated in vitro by using purified phosphorylated and unphosphorylated recombinant PtrAldOMT2. Protein extracts of P. trichocarpa SDX, which contains endogenous kinases, also phosphorylated recombinant PtrAldOMT2 and turned off the recombinant protein activity. Similarly, ATP/Mn2+-activated phosphorylation of SDX protein extracts reduced the endogenous SDX PtrAldOMT2 activity by ∼60%, and dephosphorylation fully restored the activity. Global shotgun proteomic analysis of phosphopeptide-enriched P. trichocarpa SDX protein fractions identified PtrAldOMT2 monophosphorylation at Ser123 or Ser125 in vivo. Phosphorylation-site mutagenesis verified the PtrAldOMT2 phosphorylation at Ser123 or Ser125 and confirmed the functional importance of these phosphorylation sites for O-methyltransferase activity. The PtrAldOMT2 Ser123 phosphorylation site is conserved across 93% of AldOMTs from 46 diverse plant species, and 98% of the AldOMTs have either Ser123 or Ser125. PtrAldOMT2 is a homodimeric cytosolic enzyme expressed more abundantly in syringyl lignin-rich fiber cells than in guaiacyl lignin-rich vessel cells. The reversible phosphorylation of PtrAldOMT2 is likely to have an important role in regulating syringyl monolignol biosynthesis of P. trichocarpa.
Bilateral Teleoperation with Different Configurations using Interaction Mode Control

The paper realizes a bilateral teleoperation system considering different configurations. The haptic devices used in this paper are based on three master systems and one slave system. Each master system has one degree of freedom (DOF); and the slave system has three DOF. The conventional coordinate transformation with respect to the Cartesian coordinate system is not always suitable for dexterous tasks including grasping motion. The paper introduces a bilateral teleoperation with spatial mode transformation, which is corresponding to human's task motions. The spatial modes are abstracted by using an interaction mode control. The interaction mode control decomposes the bilateral teleoperation system into three decoupled modes; "translational", "rotating", and "grasping" motions. Thus the problems for motion integration of bilateral teleoperation system with different configurations are solved to design each bilateral controller with respect to the spatial mode coordinate system. Furthermore, the proposed system is designed based on acceleration control to realize both the force servoing and the position regulator for the "law of action and reaction" in remote environment simultaneously. As a result, a complicated task for the slave system is easily realized by three master systems with vivid force feedback. The experimental results show viability of the proposed method.
Constrained Robust Estimation of Power System State Variables and Transformer Tap Positions Under Erroneous Zero-Injections

This paper presents an equally constrained robust estimator of both the state and the transformer tap positions of a power system able to withstand all types of outliers, including bad leverage points and erroneous zero-injections. The statistical robustness of the estimator stems from the application of the Schweppe-type Huber GM estimator (SHGM) while its numerical robustness originates from the use of an orthogonal iteratively re-weighted least-squares algorithm together with the Van Loan's method for processing the equality constraints. The good performance of the new estimator, termed EC-SHGM estimator for short, is demonstrated on a small test system and on the Brazilian Southern power system with increasing size ranging from 139 buses to 1916 buses. It is shown that it exhibits superior convergence properties in all tested cases while the WLS method may suffer from numerical instabilities or even divergence problems when large weights are assigned to zero power injections modeling false information.
Transient neutropenia increases macrophage accumulation and cell proliferation but does not improve repair following intratendinous rupture of Achilles tendon

Neutrophils are the first leukocytes to invade tendons after an acute injury. They could modulate both the inflammatory response and early repair processes through the release of reactive species, cytokines, growth factors, and proteinases. However, the exact role of these cells in damaged tendons remains unclear. We investigated their role by inducing a transient neutropenia in C57BL/6 male mice using an anti‐Ly6C/Ly6G antibody. Placebo mice received only serum. The right Achilles tendon was sectioned and sutured using the 8‐strand technique, which allowed immediate weight bearing. A significant increase in macrophage accumulation and cell proliferation was observed in tendons from neutropenic animals compared to the placebo group at days 3 and/or 7 postinjury. However, there was a reduction in cell proliferation in a group of mice depleted in macrophages, indicating that macrophages play a role in cell replication in injured tendons. Lastly, the tendons of neutropenic and placebo mice had similar collagen content and mechanical properties at days 7, 14, and/or 28 postinjury. Our findings demonstrate that neutropenia modulates macrophage accumulation and cell proliferation, but overall, a reduction in neutrophil number has no significant effect on tendon repair. © 2010 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 28:1084–1091, 2010
Matrix elements between nuclear compound states and dynamical enhancement of the weak interaction.

A method to calculate the mean squared matrix element of the weak interaction between compound states is developed. The result is expressed in terms of matrix elements of the nucleon-nucleon strong and weak interactions times the Fermi distribution functions at finite temperature. Numerical calculations for $^{233}\mathrm{Th}$ are in agreement with recent measurements of parity nonconservation effects in neutron capture. In fact, our calculations prove that the factor of dynamical enhancement (ratio of compound-nucleus effect to single-particle one) really exceeds 100, thus making it unnecessary to assume a value of the weak constant bigger than standard one (g\ensuremath{\simeq}${10}^{8}$\ensuremath{\epsilon}\ensuremath{\sim}1\char21{}4).
A Double Excited Synchronous Machine for Direct Drive Application—Design and Prototype Tests

This paper presents the analytical, numerical, and experimental results obtained with a double excited synchronous machine (DESM) prototype designed and constructed for an electric vehicle traction system. To obtain a wide speed range, the flux-weakening technique is implemented. Analytical design, 2-D finite element method (FEM) analysis, thermal analysis, and prototype construction of the DESM are discussed, and the performances are assessed with experimental data.
Labor Economists Get Their Microscope: Big Data and Labor Market Analysis

This article describes how the fine-grained data being collected by Internet labor market intermediaries, such as employment websites, online labor markets, and knowledge discussion boards, are providing new research opportunities and directions for the empirical analysis of labor market activity. After discussing these data sources, we examine some of the research opportunities they have created, highlight some examples of existing work that already use these new data sources, and enumerate the challenges associated with the use of these corporate data sources.
Cruise traveler satisfaction at a port of call

ABSTRACT No studies have been conducted on cruise traveler expectations for a port of call in Asia. Current literature on general tourism shows that the research to measure traveler satisfaction is divided into two dominant approaches, the disconfirmation model, based on the Expectancy Disconfirmation Paradigm, and the perceptions-only model. However, previous disconfirmation models used different sample populations to measure traveler expectations and perceptions, resulting in biased results. The main objectives of this research was two-fold: (1) to develop a measurement scale for evaluating the expectations of cruise travelers during their visit to a port of call; and, (2) to examine the satisfaction of cruise travelers using the same sample population of the pre-visit expectations and post-visit experiences. The measurement scale for cruise travelers was developed using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Three factors, “Overall convenience/People,” “Culture/Exploration,” and “Commodities/Attractions,” were extracted from the analysis. Among these factors, the “Culture/Exploration” factor explained the largest part of overall satisfaction. The results also showed that the perception-only model outperformed the disconfirmation model in explaining overall satisfaction. Additionally, overall satisfaction was found to have a greater impact on the intention to recommend the visit to others than on the intention to revisit.
N-terminal Extension of Canine Glutamine Synthetase Created by Splicing Alters Its Enzymatic Property*

It was found that an extra exon exists in the first intron of glutamine synthetase gene, generated by means of alternative splicing (Shin, D., Park, S., and Park, C. (2003) Biochem. J. 374, 175–184). Inclusion of this exon decreased the translation of glutamine synthetase (GS) in human, dog, and mouse. When translated in vitro with the canine GS transcript containing the exon, we obtained two different species of GS enzymes. Besides the known 45-kDa protein, the extended form of GS was identified with additional 40 amino acids on its N-terminal end. An upstream ATG in the extra exon served as a translation initiator for the long form of GS. When the long transcript was translated in vivo in animal cells, only the long GS was expressed. On the other hand, the long GS is less predominant relative to the short one in canine tissues including brain and liver. Subcellular fractionation of canine brain revealed that the long GS is present in all cellular compartments as is the short one, which is consistent with fluorescence microscopy data obtained with green fluorescent protein fused to GS. The short (SGS) and long (LGS) forms of canine GS were purified in Escherichia coli and shown to have similar Km values for l-glutamate and hydroxylamine. However, the Km values for ATP were slightly altered, 1.3 and 1.9 mm for the short and long GSs, respectively. The Kis for l-methionine-S-sulfoximine (MSOX), a highly potent ATP-dependent inactivator of GS, were considerably different such that the values are 0.067 and 0.124 mm for the short and long forms, respectively. When the intrinsic fluorescences of tryptophans were monitored upon bindings of chloride and metal ions without any effect on the oligomeric state, the pattern of quenching in LGS was significantly different from that of SGS. Taken together, the N-terminal extension in the long isoform of GS induces a conformational change of core enzyme, leading to a change in affinity to its substrates as well as in the effector-induced conformational alterations.
Assembly of the Light-Harvesting Chlorophyll Antenna in the Green Alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Requires Expression of the TLA2-CpFTSY Gene1[C][W][OA]

The truncated light-harvesting antenna2 (tla2) mutant of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii showed a lighter-green phenotype, had a lower chlorophyll (Chl) per-cell content, and higher Chl a/b ratio than corresponding wild-type strains. Physiological analyses revealed a higher intensity for the saturation of photosynthesis and greater Pmax values in the tla2 mutant than in the wild type. Biochemical analyses showed that the tla2 strain was deficient in the Chl a-b light-harvesting complex, and had a Chl antenna size of the photosystems that was only about 65% of that in the wild type. Molecular and genetic analyses showed a single plasmid insertion in the tla2 strain, causing a chromosomal DNA rearrangement and deletion/disruption of five nuclear genes. The TLA2 gene, causing the tla2 phenotype, was cloned by mapping the insertion site and upon complementation with each of the genes that were deleted. Successful complementation was achieved with the C. reinhardtii TLA2-CpFTSY gene, whose occurrence and function in green microalgae has not hitherto been investigated. Functional analysis showed that the nuclear-encoded and chloroplast-localized CrCpFTSY protein specifically operates in the assembly of the peripheral components of the Chl a-b light-harvesting antenna. In higher plants, a cpftsy null mutation inhibits assembly of both the light-harvesting complex and photosystem complexes, thus resulting in a seedling-lethal phenotype. The work shows that cpftsy deletion in green algae, but not in higher plants, can be employed to generate tla mutants. The latter exhibit improved solar energy conversion efficiency and photosynthetic productivity under mass culture and bright sunlight conditions.