cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Calciferol deficiency mimicking abusive fractures in infants: is there any evidence?

T he history of calciferol metabolism and biochemistry is tightly intertwined with that of American pediatrics. Rickets was a widespread affliction of children in urban areas in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Mellanby recognized the anti-rachitic properties of a fat-soluble substance that was incorrectly named ‘‘vitamin’’ D. Shortly thereafter, Eliot undertook a seminal clinical trial in New Haven that demonstrated the ability of cod-liver oil to prevent rickets in infants. Within decades, supplementation of nursing infants became nearly universal, and clinical rickets largely disappeared. In the latter part of the 20th century, lax prescribing of calciferol supplements to nursing children, combined with an increasing number of mothers of darkly pigmented infants choosing to breast feed, led to a resurgence of clinical rickets. Because we are well into the 21st century, clinical rickets in infants again is largely disappearing. As this has happened, there has been an increasing interest in the possibility that degrees of calciferol deficiency insufficient to cause frank rickets could still have deleterious skeletal effects. This interest has been informed by recent information in adults suggesting that levels of calciferol (as assessed by 25hydroxycholecalciferol [25(OH)D]) we have previously considered normal may actually be low. This, in turn, has led to the suggestion that mild degrees of calciferol deficiency, in the absence of actual rickets, could predispose the infant to fractures. It is sometimes argued that such subclinical calciferol deficiency could explain some fractures that have been ascribed to abuse. Multiple longbone fractures have long been recognized as an indicator for child abuse. The implications for the child when fractures caused by abuse aremistakenly attributed to fractures caused by rickets are potentially life-threatening. Similarly, misdiagnosis of abuse in the setting of clinical rickets has significant legal, social, emotional, and clinical implications. In this commentary, we will provide a review of our current understanding of the metabolism of calciferol in infants. We will then discuss recent data defining normal levels of calciferol at various ages, including in infants. We will examine the fracture risk associated with actual clinical rickets and the evidence that this risk is present with milder degrees of calciferol deficiency. Lastly, we will consider the proposition that mild degrees of calciferol deficiency can predispose infants to fractures mimicking those caused by non-accidental trauma of infants.
Nitisinone in the Treatment of Hereditary Tyrosinaemia Type 1

Hereditary tyrosinaemia type 1 (HT-1) is a rare genetic disease caused by mutations in the gene for the enzyme fumarylacetoacetase. It usually presents with liver failure but can be manifest as chronic liver disease. Rarely, it may present with nonhepatic manifestations such as renal dysfunction, porphyria-like illness or cardiomyopathy. There is a high lifetime risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Prior to the development of liver transplantation, most patients died in childhood. The clinical manifestations stem from the cytotoxicity of tyrosine metabolites accumulating proximal to the metabolic defect. Nitisinone acts on tyrosine metabolism upstream of the defect to prevent the production of these metabolites. Nitisinone is used in combination with a tyrosine- and phenylalanine-restricted diet. Nitisinone has transformed the natural history of tyrosinaemia. Liver failure is controlled in 90% of patients, those with chronic liver disease improve and nonhepatic manifestations are abolished. Nitisinone is well tolerated and has few adverse effects other than a predictable rise in plasma tyrosine levels. Nitisinone provides protection against HCC if it is started in infancy, but if commenced after the age of 2 years, a significant risk of HCC remains. Furthermore, where nitisinone is used pre-emptively, liver disease appears to be prevented, suggesting the importance of neonatal screening for tyrosinaemia where possible. Nitisinone is indicated for all children with HT-1, and liver transplantation is only indicated where nitisinone fails, or where the development of HCC is likely or suspected.
In Vitro Activities of Doripenem and Comparator Agents against 364 Anaerobic Clinical Isolates

The in vitro activities of doripenem against 364 anaerobic isolates were measured and compared to those of ertapenem, imipenem, meropenem, ceftriaxone, and levofloxacin. All of the carbapenems were active against nearly all Bacteroides fragilis group isolates. Doripenem was either comparable to or slightly less active than imipenem and meropenem against most isolates but more active than the other penems against Clostridium difficile. Doripenem appears to have excellent activity against a broad range of anaerobes.
Current perspectives for treatment of breast cancer.

The last 2–3 years have brought significant changes to both the adjuvant and palliative treatment of breast cancer. The addition of paclitaxel to the adjuvant setting has brought the largest increase in benefit from adjuvant therapy since the initial CMF trials in the 1970s. Changes in the schedule of administration of the taxanes in the palliative setting have substantially diminished the toxicity without an apparent compromise in the efficacy of these important agents. The combination of chemotherapy and Herceptin in the first line treatment of metastatic breast cancer has resulted in enhancement of survival of women with advanced disease. In only a few short years, the future for women diagnosed with breast cancer has come to look substantially brighter.
Suspected foreign body aspiration in a child with endobronchial tuberculosis

Endobronchial tuberculosis is a form of pulmonary tuberculosis, thought to result from rupture of an infected node through the bronchial wall or from lymphatic spread to the mucosal surface of the bronchial tree. With the presence of multidrug resistant isolates of TB, and its incidence in an increasing number of foreign-born persons immigrating to the US, otolaryngologists must be aware of its often subtle presentation. The following case is an unusual presentation of endobronchial tuberculosis initially diagnosed as an airway foreign body.
A novel high-resolution optical imaging modality: photo-magnetic imaging

We introduce an entirely new technique, termed Photo-Magnetic Imaging (PMI), which overcomes the limitation of pure optical imaging and provides optical absorption at MRI spatial resolution. PMI uses laser light to heat the medium under investigation and employs MR thermometry for the determination of spatially resolved optical absorption in the probed medium. A FEM-based PMI forward solver has been developed by modeling photon migration and heat diffusion in tissue to compare simulation results with measured MRI maps. We have successfully performed PMI using 2.5 cm diameter agar phantom with two low optical absorption contrast (x 4) inclusions under the ANSI limit. Currently, we are developing the PMI inverse solver and undertaking further phantom and in vivo experiments.
Avian sarcoma virus PRCII: conditional mutants temperature sensitive in the maintenance of fibroblast transformation.

Abstract Avian sarcoma virus PRCII was mutagenized with 5-azacytidine, and from single foci of transformed cells induced by this virus preparation three conditional mutants were isolated that are temperature sensitive for oncogenic transformation of fibroblasts. Two of these, LA 42 and LA 47, are not affected in their replication potential at the nonpermissive temperature (41.5°) nor are the virions heat labile. The third mutant, LA 46, is coordinately temperature sensitive in replication and transformation. A shift of the incubation temperature from 36° to 41.5° at any time after infection causes transformed cells by any one of the three mutants to revert to normal morphology.
Intramural hematoma of the thoracic aorta in a woman with neurofibromatosis

The natural history and preferred approach to patients with intramural hematoma of the aorta remains controversial. We describe herein the management of the case of a 45-year-old woman with acute onset of chest pain, intramural hematoma of the arch and proximal descending aorta, and left pleural effusion. In this particular case, a nonsurgical approach led to complete recovery of the patient and documented resolution of the hematoma.
Resonance raman spectra of trinuclear complexes containing tris-(2-mercaptoethylamine)cobalt(III) as ligands

Abstract Raman spectra of CoL3 (HL: 2-mercaptoethylamine) and trinuclear complexes of the type [M(CoL32]n+, where M = Co(III), Fe(III), Ru(III), Cd(II) and Ni(II) and n = 2 or 3, have been obtained under resonance and off-resonance conditions. Two strong Raman bands near 343 and 261 cm−1 were observed for each of the trinuclear compounds. These have been respectively assigned to the totally symmetric CoS3 stretching and CoS3 bending vibrations of the CoL3 moiety which has been perturbed by interaction with the central metal. A companion band to each of these is revealed by the off-resonance spectra; we assign them to similar modes involving the central metal (M). Excitation profile studies of the bending vibrations indicate that the visible transitions which result in absorption at ca. 450 nm (500 nm for the Fe complex) are due to CoS CT transitions localized on the CoL3 moiety.
Conditionally replicating herpes vectors for cancer therapy

The use of genetically engineered viral vectors for tumor therapy initially involved replication-defective vectors, generally derived from retro- or adenoviruses, for the transfer of genes to cause tumor growth inhibition or tumor destruction. However, because of limitations involving vector delivery and relatively low levels of gene transfer, such vectors systems have proven relatively inefficient for the treatment of large solid tumors. In an attempt to overcome this problem, vectors have been developed that can replicate within the tumor and thus increase the efficiency of tumor cell destruction, but appropriate tumor targeting has been a major challenge for such systems. Vectors are needed that replicate within tumor cells and cause tumor cell destruction but that cause no local or systemic toxicity, because they fail to grow within normal tissues. Studies that I and my colleagues performed initially focused on the treatment of malignant brain tumors using local vector delivery to avoid damaging normal brain and associated tissues. We and others have since expanded the scope of this project to target cancers in the nervous system and elsewhere, using targeted or systemically delivered vectors derived from herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) .
Expressing quantification in relational calculus by participation constraints

Abstract In this paper, we show that in relational calculus some expressions with quantification are equivalent to expressions with participation constraints. This result leads to a simple way to express many common queries that are considered difficult.
Combining ligand design and photo-ligation to provide optimal quantum dot-bioconjugates for sensing and imaging

We describe the design and synthesis of two metal-coordinating zwitterion ligands to promote the transfer of hydrophobic QDs to buffer media over broad range of conditions. The ligands are prepared by appending either one or two lipoic acid anchoring groups onto a zwitterion, LA-TEG200-ZW and bis(LA)- ZW. Combining these ligands with a photochemical reduction of the lipoic acid group in the presence of UV irradiation, provides an easy to implement method to transfer luminescent QDs to buffer media, while preserving their optical and spectroscopic properties intact. The resulting zwitterion-QDs have very thin capping shell, which allows their self-assembly with full size proteins via metal-to-histidine coordination. These conjugates have great potential for use in various bio-motivated applications.
Locally averaged equations of motion for a mixture of identical spherical particles and a Newtonian fluid

Abstract The equations of motion of the particles and the interstitial fluid are averaged using a ‘soft’ spatial averaging procedure, thus generating equations relating local average values of the fluid pressure, the fluid velocity, and the velocity and angular velocity of the particles. Terms whose form is not related to the above average variables are shown to be expressible as average values of tensor-weighted integrals of the forces exerted on the surface of a particle by the fluid, or by contact with other particles. Other undetermined terms relate to momentum transport by velocity fluctuations about the average values. It is shown that the equations can be reduced to closed forms, entirely in terms of the averaged variables, in the limiting case of Stokesian particles at very low concentration.
Roentgenographic findings following anterior cervical fusion.

We reviewed the pre- and postoperative lateral cervical roentgenograms in 90 patients who had anterior fusions and compared their findings with age and sex-matched people without neck problems. The average interval from surgery to review was 5 years. Preoperatively, all patients had a higher incidence of degenerative spondylosis at the levels to be fused than their asymptomatic counterparts. Postoperatively, there was not difference in the incidence of degenerative change between the operated and the control group at the levels above and below the fusion with the exception of anterior osteophyte formation which was more frequent in those with fusions.
Analytic basis set for high-Z atomic QED calculations: Heavy He-like ions

A relativistic Sturmian analytic basis set representation for the Coulomb-Dirac Green function, previously studied by Zapryagaev, Manakov, and Pal{close_quote}chikov [Opt. Spectrosc. {bold 52}, 248 (1982)], is investigated for application to high-Z atomic QED calculations. This pseudoeigenfunction representation follows from exact identities starting from the Whittaker function representation. It eliminates the radial ordering problem of that representation, and so is particularly useful for numerical calculation of the perturbation theory Feynman diagrams with more than one electron Green function. While the Green function represents discrete bound states, and both positive and negative energy continuum states, the Sturmian (bound-state-like) form for the pseudoeigenfunctions makes it possible to more analytically calculate matrix elements for full photon exchange, reducing numerical problems for high photon frequency. For He-like Fm (Z=100) we calculate the perturbation theory equivalent of the Dirac-Fock-Breit ground-state energy, agreeing well with the Grant code and with the numerical B-spline basis set approach results of Blundell, Mohr, Johnson, and Sapirstein [Phys. Rev. A {bold 48}, 2615 (1993)]. Preliminary results on the relativistic and QED correlation are also reported. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}
The Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment: A comment on Elardo and Bradley's review

Abstract The published and unpublished research pertaining to Caldwell's Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) inventory was recently reviewed by R. Elardo and R. H. Bradley (Developmental Review, 1981, 1, 113–145) . Their review was unfortunately deficient in a number of respects. For example, certain methodological issues bearing on the interpretation of the available data were either unrecognized or dismissed without adequate consideration. In addition, some of the data in the studies cited which contradicted or clouded their conclusions were omitted. An extension and reanalysis of the conclusions reached by Elardo and Bradley in light of recently published studies which were not included in their review, and data not discussed in the studies which were reviewed, is provided. Methodological problems are highlighted, and directions for future research are suggested.
The choice of a surviving sibling as "scapegoat" in some cases of maternal bereavement--a case report.

THE EFFECT of the death of a child on parents and siblings has received considerable attention in the psychological literature. Cain and Cain (1964) have studied hereaved families and have described a common tendency to designate one of the other children as a replacement for the lost child. The substitute child is often and inviduously compared to his dead sibling and feels strongly that the definition of his own personality and the pattern of his life is precast by that of the deceased child. We have seen another mode of managing bereavement which also utilized one of the surviving children not as a replacement but as a scapegoat, an object for the displacement of parental;, particularly maternal guilt. In these cases, the loss of a child mobilizes a strong need to fix blame on a surviving older sibling who is unconsciously felt to have caused the loss of his envied sibling. Many years after the initial trauma, the relationship between the mother and the scapegoat child is bitter and estranged, filled with mutual provocation, unconscious feelings of recrimination and an extreme of hostility and punishment. A digression is in order, at this point, to review the meaning of the term "scapegoat"—a term use frequently from the early psychotherapeutic literature to the present, because of its descriptive power and emotional resonance. Overlapping with the use of the term as a word with wide colloquial meaning, is a recent usage to delineate a syndrome (Ackerman, 1971; Watzlawick, 1970). In this report, "scapegoat" refers to a syndrome as it began to be defined by Vogel and Bell (1968), and as described more recently in detail by Bermann (1973). In Semitic history, the scapegoat was the "guilt-bearer" laden with the sins of the tribe and driven out as a gesture of propitiation to an angry and vengeful deity. In Celtic history, the scapegoat or outcast assumed the,.debt of his kindred. Accountability for crimes against persons or property was equally shared by clan members but the penalty demanded could be displaced to one member and he could be driven out of communal life, isolated, excoriated but not killed. The Celtic oral tradition tells us of female rulers, druids and divinities but contains no reference to outcasts (Chadwick, 1964). Scapegoats in Semitic history came from the priest caste which was composed exclusively of males. "Guilt-bearers" in the psychological literature, as .well as our sample, were of both sexes. Later, in complex urban societies a subgroup was chosen as scapegoat, always
Clonal integration in Fragaria chiloensis differs between populations: ramets from grassland are selfish.

In plants, only species with clonal growth are able to directly transfer resources between otherwise independent units of the same genetic individual. A simple conceptual model of plant performance as a function of internal resource supply and environmental resource availability suggests that resource sharing between ramets within clones is likely to be disadvantageous in uniform habitats and advantageous in patchy ones. It was therefore hypothesized that clones in populations from relatively uniform habitats will have been selected for low rates of resource sharing between ramets compared to clones in populations from patchier habitats. In coastal northern California, the clonal herb Fragaria chiloensis is common both in grasslands, where resources are relatively uniform, and on sand dunes, where resources are more patchy. It was predicted that clones from a grassland population of Fragaria would have “selfish” ramets with low rates of resource sharing compared to clones from an adjacent dune population. Ramets were subjected to contrasting light levels with and without connection between ramets. Patterns of biomass accumulation were consistent with the prediction. This appears to be the first report of genetically based variation in patterns of resource sharing in clonal plants. It supports the idea that these patterns are locally selected to increase plant performance in habitats with different patterns of resource availability.
A full-field residual stress estimation scheme for fitness-for-service assessment of pipe girth welds: Part II – A shell theory based implementation

Abstract With the two key controlling parameters identified and their effectiveness demonstrated in Part I of this study series for constructing a continuous residual stress profile at weld region, a classical shell theory based model is proposed in this paper (Part II) for describing through-thickness residual stress distributions of both axial and hoop components at any axial location beyond weld region. The shell theory based model is analytically constructed through an assembly of two parts: One represents weld region and the other represents the remaining component section away from weld. The final assembly of the two parts leads to a closed form solution to both axial and hoop residual stress components as a function of axial distance from weld toe position. The effectiveness of the full-field residual stress estimation scheme is demonstrated by comparing with a series of finite element modeling results over a broad range of pipe weld geometries and welding conditions. The present development should provide a consistent and effective means for estimating through-thickness residual stress profile as a continuous function of pipe geometry, welding heat input, as well as material characteristics.
Research and imitation in long-run growth

Abstract Governments have long subsidized both the development of knowledge (research) and the acquisition of knowledge (imitation). This raises some interesting questions. Why subsidize both activities? And if both activities are to be supported, how should subsidy rates for each be set? We develop a theory of long-run growth in which both the initial development of a body of knowledge (research) and its subsequent acquisition by others (imitation) are endogenously determined. Consequently, we are able to provide answers to these and other questions in the context of the model economy.
Bucket trajectory classification of mining excavators

Abstract Large mining excavators impose numerous challenges to the operator during a dig. A semi-automated or fully automated machine that could assist the operator during excavation would positively affect efficiency, ore selectivity, and reduce machine wear at the same time. Besides, the dependence on operator skills and attentiveness will be reduced. In order to realize any control on an excavator, it is prudent to know the dig patterns followed by the operator during a real time dig. This paper aims to classify the dig by analyzing the actual task performed by the operator. The trajectories are classified based on the location and angle of the bucket. Both 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional analyses of the bucket trajectory were performed on a EX 3500 mining excavator at the Newmont open pit mine using Arial Performance Analysis System (APAS).
Treatment of Alcohol Withdrawal in Hospitalized Patients

Alcoholism can be encountered in many aspects of medicine. Frequently, primary-care physicians are asked to treat patients who are experiencing various stages of alcohol withdrawal while hospitalized for intercurrent illness. A thorough assessment of the patient is important because the symptoms and signs of alcohol withdrawal are nonspecific. Recognizing the patient who is at risk for alcohol withdrawal and initiating appropriate treatment can prevent progression to more serious symptoms and complications. Benzodiazepines are the drugs of choice for pharmacologic treatment of alcohol withdrawal. Their application by means of a symptom-triggered approach based on frequent, objective assessment of the patient is recommended. Adjunctive therapy for specific complications of alcohol withdrawal is discussed. After the acute withdrawal symptoms have been controlled, psychiatric or chemical dependence assessment (or both) is strongly encouraged.
Small, Dynamic Domains in Lipid Membranes near a Miscibility Critical Point

We study giant lipid vesicles as a model of plasma membranes in cells. We find that liquid domains appear on the surface of vesicles containing at minimum a high melting temperature lipid, a low melting temperature lipid, and cholesterol. These three components separate into two phases. Near a miscibility critical point, the edges of the domains fluctuate, which indicates a low line tension at the boundary between the domain and the surrounding membrane. At higher temperatures, above the critical point, domains are replaced by submicron fluctuations. We find that the size of the largest fluctuations (the correlation length) and their compositions (the order parameter) scale in a way that is consistent with the universality class of the two-dimensional Ising model. This knowledge has a direct application: we can predict at what temperature our membranes should contain domains of any particular size, even at length scales below our optical resolution.References:1. S.L. Veatch, O. Soubias, S.L. Keller, and K. Gawrisch, Critical Fluctuations in Domain-Forming Lipid Mixtures, PNAS, 104, 17650-17655, 2007.2. A.R. Honerkamp-Smith, P. Cicuta, M.D. Collins, S.L. Veatch, M. den Nijs, M. Schick, and S.L. Keller, Line Tensions, Correlation Lengths, and Critical Exponents in Lipid Membranes near Critical Points, Biophys. J., 95, 236-246, 2008.3. A.R. Honerkamp-Smith, S.L. Veatch, and S.L. Keller, An Introduction to Critical Points for Biophysicists: Observations in Lipid Membranes, Biochim. Biophys. Acta, in press, 2008.
Low-Power Spectral-Line Clock Recovery Algorithm for SDR Applications

In this brief, we present a low-complexity digital spectral-line (SL) clock recovery algorithm that is suitable for low-power software-defined radio (SDR) communications. In order to reduce the resource and power consumption, we used a customized integrator to remove the most disruptive SL harmonics. Performance is established in terms of mean-square timing error (MSTE), computational complexity, and power consumption. To assess the viability of the proposed algorithm, the MSTE of the proposed method is compared to that of a typical SL clock recovery algorithm. Furthermore, using a field-programmable gate array platform, we address the computational complexity of the proposed algorithm for implementation in SDR applications. We show that the MSTE for the proposed method is almost the same as that for typical SL clock recovery algorithms while requiring significantly less resources and power.
TM surface-wave power combining by a planar active-lens amplifier

Power combining of TM surface waves by a planar active-lens amplifier is the subject of this paper. An amplifier gain of 11 dB at 8.25 GHz with a 3-dB bandwidth of 0.65 GHz has been demonstrated. Gain is measured from input to output connector to facilitate comparisons with more conventional amplifiers. Measurements of output power versus input power are also presented. The amplifier behaved in a linear manner and no problems with spurious oscillations were encountered. Construction of the amplifier is compatible with planar fabrication technologies. A key component of the combiner is a microstrip-fed Yagi-Uda slot-array antenna for TM surface-wave excitation of a thick dielectric slab. Design and optimization guidelines for the antenna are presented as well as detailed spectral-domain and finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) analysis results. Measured and simulation results show an input return loss and front-to-back ratio better than 10 dB over a 5% bandwidth. Calculated and measured results for the fields radiated by the antenna confirm forward radiation of the dominant TM mode in the thick dielectric slab. Integration of the computed radiated fields shows the antenna has a surface-wave launching efficiency of 85%.
POST‐PASTEURIAN CULTURES: The Microbiopolitics of Raw‐Milk Cheese in the United States

Out of concern for public health, the U.S. government bans the sale of cheese made from unpasteurized milk if it is aged fewer than 60 days. But while the FDA views raw-milk cheese as a potential biohazard, riddled with pathogenic microbes, aficionados see it as the reverse: as a traditional food processed for safety by the action of good microbes. This article offers a theoretical frame for understanding the recent rise in American artisan raw-milk cheese production, as well as wider debates over food localism, nutrition, and safety. Drawing on ethnographic interviews with cheese makers and purveyors and on participant-labor conducted on a Vermont sheep dairy farm, I develop the concept of microbiopolitics to analyze how farmer–cheese makers, industry consultants, retailers, and consumers negotiate Pasteurian (hygienic) and post-Pasteurian (probiotic) attitudes about the microbial agents at the heart of raw-milk cheese and controversies about this nature–culture hybrid.
Comparison of biomechanical behavior between a cast material torso jacket and a polyethylene based jacket

Numerous designs are used to the treatment of Early Onset Scoliosis. For example, a Thoraco-Lumbo-Sacral Orthosis (TLSO) is constructed using Polyethylene (PE). In addition, a series of castings has been implemented using cast material (3M, BSN Medical). The cast material has some significant advantages over the PE design including: growth preserving, improved compliance, decreased invasiveness, delaying or avoiding surgery, and the ability to allow the skin to breathe. However, the mechanical effectiveness of the cast material brace as compared to the TLSO is unknown, thus providing the objective of this study. A total of 23 standardized tensile tests were performed on the Delta-Cast Soft® and 3MTM ScotchcastTM Plus Casting Tape in order to obtain mechanical properties (Young’s and shear moduli and Poisson ratios). Using a radiograph of a thoracic spine, the size of twelve vertebrae and eleven intervertebral discs were measured and used to create a finite element spine model. Simulations using this model were used to establish mechanical loads which were then applied to finite element models of the TLSO and cast jacket. The thicknesses and number of material layers was varied in these models. Multiple simulations were performed. It was found that a 6.6.mm thick cast jacket made of Delta-Cast Soft® had a maximum deformation of 4.7 mm, a maximum stress of 2.9 MPa and a structural factor of safety of 5.71. On the other hand, a 4 mm thick jacket made of PE had a maximum deformation of 2 mm, a maximum stress of 8.9 MPa and a structural factor of safety of 2.70. The cast jacket was 3.5 times lighter and had a material of cost 1/5 of the PE brace. Based on the results, either design will generate the proper constraint forces to maintain spinal correction. But, based on the design parameters (thickness, mechanical properties, structural factor of safety and cost) the brace made of cast material, though slightly thicker has superior structural and cost benefits. Thus, from the biomechanical point of view, the cast brace is more efficient than the PE brace.
Operative Risk Stratification in the Older Adult

As the population ages, the health care system must to adapt to the needs of the older population. Hospitalization risks are particularly significant in the frail geriatric patients, with costly and morbid consequences. Appropriate preoperative assessment can identify sources of increased risk and enable the surgical team to manage this risk, through "prehabilitation," intraoperative modification, and postoperative care. Geriatric preoperative assessment expands usual risk stratification and careful medication review to include screening for functional disability, cognitive impairment, nutritional deficiency, and frailty. The information gathered can also equip the surgeon to develop a patient-centered and realistic treatment plan.
High resolution spectra of Venus—A review

The existing high-resolution spectra of Venus show considerable variations in the abundance of CO2. As this is the major constituent of the atmosphere, these day-to-day variations indicate that the effective reflecting cloud layer is undergoing substantial vertical displacements over a relatively short time scale. The published observations indicate that CO is uniformly mixed with the CO2, but that the lines of HF may be formed deeper in the atmosphere and HCl lines considerably deeper. These conclusions are based on extrapolations of laboratory measurements and could be considerably altered by new laboratory measurements made under conditions similar to those near the tropopause in Venus.
Dynamic Imitation in a Humanoid Robot through Nonparametric Probabilistic Inference

We tackle the problem of learning imitative whole- body motions in a humanoid robot using probabilistic inference in Bayesian networks. Our inference-based approach affords a straightforward method to exploit rich yet uncertain prior information obtained from human motion capture data. Dynamic imitation implies that the robot must interact with its environ- ment and account for forces such as gravity and inertia during imitation. Rather than explicitly modeling these forces and the body of the humanoid as in traditional approaches, we show that stable imitative motion can be achieved by learning a sensor- based representation of dynamic balance. Bayesian networks provide a sound theoretical framework for combining prior kinematic information (from observing a human demonstrator) with prior dynamic information (based on previous experience) to model and subsequently infer motions which, with high probability, will be dynamically stable. By posing the problem as one of inference in a Bayesian network, we show that methods developed for approximate inference can be leveraged to efficiently perform inference of actions. Additionally, by using nonparametric inference and a nonparametric (Gaussian process) forward model, our approach does not make any strong assump- tions about the physical environment or the mass and inertial properties of the humanoid robot. We propose an iterative, probabilistically constrained algorithm for exploring the space of motor commands and show that the algorithm can quickly discover dynamically stable actions for whole-body imitation of human motion. Experimental results based on simulation and subsequent execution by a HOAP-2 humanoid robot demonstrate that our algorithm is able to imitate a human performing actions such as squatting and a one-legged balance. I. INTRODUCTION Imitation learning presents a promising approach to the problem of enabling complex behavior learning in humanoid robots. Learning through imitation provides the robot with strong prior information by observing a skilled instructor (of- ten assumed to be a human demonstrator). This paper presents a model for exploiting this prior information about whole-body motions gathered from observing a human performance of the motion. Although the observation of the teacher is informative, there is a high degree of uncertainty in how the robot can and should imitate. Our model accounts for some of these sources of uncertainty including: noisy and missing kinematic estimates of the teacher, mapping ambiguities between the human and robot kinematic spaces, and lastly, the large m0 a1
Making Wikipedia editing easier for the blind

A key feature of Web 2.0 is the possibility of sharing, creating and editing on-line content. This approach is increasingly used in learning environments to favor interaction and cooperation among students. These functions should be accessible as well as easy to use for all participants. Unfortunately accessibility and usability issues still exist for Web 2.0-based applications. For instance, Wikipedia presents many difficulties for the blind. In this paper we discuss a possible solution for simplifying the Wikipedia editing page when interacting via screen reader. Building an editing interface that conforms to W3C ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) recommendations would overcome accessibility and usability problems that prevent blind users from actively contributing to Wikipedia.
EEG power and coherence during preschoolers' performance of an executive function battery.

The current study investigated a set of abilities collectively referred to as executive function (EF). Substantial improvement in EF ability occurs between 3 and 6 years of age (e.g., Carlson [2005] Developmental Neuropsychology, 28(2):595–616). This improvement is thought to reflect changes in brain development, especially in areas of prefrontal cortex and frontal cortex, which occur during this time period (e.g., Luu & Posner [2003] Brain 126:2119–2120). Little work has examined preschoolers' cortical activity during EF tasks, despite the frequent use of performance on such tasks as indirect measures of (pre)frontal functioning. The current study measured continuous EEG activity in 104 preschool aged children as they completed a battery of EF tasks. Changes from baseline to task performance in EEG activity (power, coherence) were used as predictors of EF ability. Results indicated that changes from baseline to task engagement in EEG coherence, but not EEG power, were significantly related to performance on the EF battery in our sample. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 53:771–784, 2011.
Selection of Reversions and Suppressors of a Mutation in the CBF Binding Site of a Lymphomagenic Retrovirus

The retrovirus SL3 induces T-cell lymphomas in mice. The transcriptional enhancer in the long terminal repeat (LTR) of SL3 contains two 72-bp repeats. Each repeat contains a binding site for the transcription factor CBF (also called AML1). The CBF binding sites are called core elements. SAA is a mutant that is identical to SL3 except for the presence of a single-base-pair substitution in each of the two core elements. This mutation significantly attenuates viral lymphomagenicity. Most lymphomas that occur in SAA-infected mice contain proviruses with reversions or second-site suppressor mutations within the core element. We examined the selective pressures that might account for the predominance of the reversions and suppressor mutations in tumor proviruses by analyzing when proviruses with altered core sequences became abundant during the course of lymphomagenesis. Altered core sequences were easily detected in thymus DNAs by 4 to 6 weeks after SAA infection of mice, well before lymphomas were grossly evident. This result is consistent with the hypothesis that viruses with the core sequence alterations emerged because they replicated more effectively in mice than SAA. The number of 72-bp tandem, repeats in the viral LTR was found to vary, presumably as a consequence of reverse transcriptase slippage during polymerization. Proviruses with two repeats predominated in the thymuses of SAA- and SL3-infected mice before lymphomas developed, although LTRs with one or three repeats were also present. This suggested that two was the optimal number of 72-bp repeats for viral replication. However, in lymphomas, proviruses with three or four repeats usually predominated. This suggested that a late step in the process of lymphomagenesis led to the abundance of proviruses with additional repeats. We hypothesize that proviruses with additional 72-bp repeats endowed the cells containing them with a selective growth advantage.
Leigh disease with deficiency of lipoamide dehydrogenase: Treatment failure with dichloroacetate

A 6-month-old female infant with hypotonia and keto and lactic acidosis was diagnosed with lipoamide dehydrogenase (E3) deficiency. This enzyme is a component of the pyruvate, alpha-ketoglutarate, and branched chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complexes. At the time of diagnosis her plasma contained elevated branched chain amino acids, alanine, alloisoleucine, ketones, pyruvate, and lactate, and her urine contained elevated branched chain ketoacids and lactate. By neuroimaging she was found to have Leigh subacute necrotizing encephalomyelopathy. Modest branched-chain amino acid restriction led to the disappearance of alloisoleucine and normalization of her branched chain amino acid values, while institution of a high fat diet precipitated hypoglycemia and acidosis. A trial of lipoic acid led to a transient modest improvement in her lactic acidemia. Use of dichloroacetate to activate the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex led to a significant decline in lactate levels, but this was also transient. The patient had significant growth failure despite a high carbohydrate, high calorie diet, yet remained clinically well until 28 months of age when she developed acute acidosis and brainstem dysfunction and died.
Antinomies and the Automobile: A New Approach to Criminal Justice Histories

In the twentieth century, the antinomy of freedom and coercion served as the dominant paradigm for understanding issues of crime and punishment. Roscoe Pound in Criminal Justice in America (1930) and Herbert Packer in The Limits of the Criminal Sanction (1968) described a tension between the values of individual liberty and general security to explain the problems with the justice system and the public's disagreements over their solution. Historians of twentieth-century criminal law have also adopted this framework to explain causation and change. This essay argues that an antinomic perspective of criminal justice history, while useful, has obscured important historical questions. A focus on social changes, such as the transformations that the automobile brought about in the commission of crimes and police practices, instead of on contrasting values, offers a different account of how proceduralism became inextricably tied to notions of American freedom in the twentieth century. This approach also historicizes the “paradigm of antinomies” and shows how people in the past, like Pound and Packer, mobilized dualistic thinking, which shaped a criminal legal culture based on an antagonism—both real and perceived—between citizens and law enforcement.
Thyroid Function Abnormalities and Cognitive Impairment in Elderly People: Results of the Invecchiare in Chianti Study

Objectives To investigate thyroid function testing abnormalities in older persons and to explore the relationship between thyroid dysfunction and cognition.
Calcium binding to recoverin: implications for secondary structure and membrane association

Recoverin is an EF-hand calcium-binding protein reportedly involved in the transduction of light by vertebrate photoreceptor cells. It also is an autoantigen in a cancer-associated degenerative disease of the retina. Measurements by circular dichroism presented here demonstrate that the binding of calcium to recoverin causes large structural changes. increasing the alpha-helical content of the protein and decreasing its beta-turn, beta-sheet and 'other' structures. The maximum helical content (67%) was observed at 100 microM free calcium and, unlike calmodulin, decreased as the calcium concentration was modulated in either direction from this value. Fluorescence measurements indicated that recoverin may aggregate or undergo structural changes independent of calcium binding as the calcium concentration is increased above 100 microM. EGTA also appeared to affect the structure of recoverin independent of its chelation of calcium. While calcium-induced conformational changes have been proposed to alter the membrane binding of recoverin through association of its myristoylated amino terminus, in the experiments presented here the partitioning of recoverin between the cytoplasmic and membrane compartments of the rod photoreceptor outer segment was unaffected by the concentration of calcium, therefore it appears unlikely that a calcium-myristoyl switch acts alone to anchor recoverin directly to the membrane. These experiments were conducted with native recoverin which is heterogeneously acylated, but mass spectrometry confirmed that simple chromatographic methods could be devised to isolate the different forms of recoverin for further studies.
The establishment of reproducible, complex communities of oral bacteria in the chemostat using defined inocula

Nine commonly isolated oral bacterial populations were inoculated into a glucose-limited and a glucose-excess (amino acid-limited) chemostat maintained at a constant pH 7.0 and a mean community generation time of 13.9 h. The bacterial populations were Streptococcus mutans ATCC 2-27351, Strep. sanguis NCTC 7865, Strep. mitior EF 186, Actinomyces viscosus WVU 627, Lactobacillus casei AC 413, Neisseria sp. A1078, Veillonella alkalescens ATCC 17745, Bacteroides intermedius T 588 and Fusobacterium nucleatum NCTC 10593. All nine populations became established in the glucose-limited chemostat although Strep. sanguis and Neisseria sp. were present only after a second and third inoculation, respectively. In contrast, even following repeated inoculations, Strep. mutans, B. intermedius and Neisseria sp. could not be maintained under glucose-excess conditions. A more extensive pattern of fermentation products and amino acid catabolism occurred under glucose-limited growth; this simultaneous utilization of mixed substrates also contributed to the higher yields (Y molar glucose) and greater species diversity of these communities. Microscopic and biochemical evidence suggested that cell-to-cell interactions and food chains were occurring among community members. To compare the reproductibility of this system, communities were established on three occasions under glucose-limitation and twice under glucose-excess conditions. The bacterial composition of the steady-state communities and their metabolic behaviour were similar when grown under identical conditions but varied in a consistent manner according to the nutrient responsible for limiting growth. Although a direct simulation of the oral cavity was not attempted, the results show that the chemostat could be used as an environmentally-related model to grow complex but reproducible communities of oral bacteria for long periods from a defined inoculum.
Primary and Revision Arthroplasty Surgery Caseloads in the United States from 1990 to 2004

We analyzed the temporal changes in the caseload of primary and revision hip and knee arthroplasty surgeons in the United States between 1990 and 2004. The Nationwide Inpatient Sample was used to identify arthroplasty procedures and the surgeons who performed them. Annual caseloads were analyzed for each procedure; 47% +/- 2% and 39% +/- 2% of hip and knee surgeons performed revisions nationwide. Average revision caseloads increased slightly over time at a rate of 1.2 and 1.4 cases per surgeon per decade for total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA), respectively. The caseload of primary THA and TKA increased by 1.4 and 1.7 cases per surgeon per decade. The caseload for the top 5% of primary THA and TKA surgeons increased from 25 to 45 and 33 to 86, respectively, during this period compared with the median caseload, which increased from 4 to 5 (hip) and 5 to 10 (knee). The revision caseload of surgeons has increased over time, particularly for surgeons with the highest caseloads.
The effects of surgery on gastrointestinal motor activity

Gastrointestinal surgical procedures have the potential to disrupt motor activity in various organs of the gastrointestinal tract or, indeed, throughout the entire alimentary canal. Several of these motor effects have important clinical consequences and have also served to advance our understanding of the regulation of gastrointestinal motor activity. This review will focus, in particular, on the effects of surgery on the small intestine, and will attempt to emphasize the implications of these studies for our understanding of small intestinal motility, in general.