Temporary Fixation Using a Long Femoral-tibial Nail to Treat a Displaced Medial Tibial Plateau Fracture in a 90-year-old Patient: A Case Report.

Introduction: Tibial plateau fractures are complex injuries in the elderly population. When traditional methods of fixation are not suitable, an alternative method needs to be chosen for a favorable outcome. We demonstrate a previously undescribed treatment for displaced tibial plateau fractures in the very elderly with poor soft-tissue integrity. Case Report: A 90-year-old woman suffered an open, Gustilo Grade IIIA, displaced fracture of the tibial plateau. An intramedullary knee arthrodesis, the femoral-tibial nail was used to temporarily stabilize her fracture. She was able to weight bear immediately postfixation. Conclusion: A long femoral-tibial nail allows favorable fracture and soft tissue healing, ease of nursing and immediate full weight-bearing. It shows good promise and should be considered as a management option when traditional methods are not applicable in select patients

Examining Environmental Discourses on Energy Utilisation in Select Nigerian Newspapers

This study examines the extent to which select Nigerian newspapers reflect the different environmental discourses pertaining to the use of clean or unclean energy sources. It undertakes a content analysis of newspaper articles in 156 weekly issues of published energy sections of three major Newspapers in Nigeria: The Guardian, The Punch and The Nation for all of 2013 – the year Nigeria implemented the privatisation of its power (electricity) industry and gearing up for a similar initiative for the petroleum sector. The study hinged on sustainability discourses as well as framing and environmental communication theories. Four approaches underpin it: I. A survey of the occurrence of energy issues in the sample. 2. Examination of the frames in which the sample engages on energy/environmental discourses. 3. Ascertainment of the perceptible voices prevalent in the coverage/discourses of energy issues. 4. Determination of the existence of any divide in the discourse/coverage of energy issues. Based on the findings of the study, the authors conclude that the three analysed newspapers showed a lopsided coverage of energy issues by ignoring or neglecting renewable energy issues while concentrating on oil, gas and electricity industry; depicting energy issue mainly as a business/economic frame, among others and thus contributed little or nothing to the sustainability discourse in Nigeria. Keywords: Renewable Energy, Content Analysis, Sustainabilit

USING LINEAR MATRIX INEQUALITY METHOD TO DESIGN MINIMUM-LENGHT FINITE IMPULSE RESPONSE LOOP FILTERS IN FIXED WiMAX PLL

We designed Finite Impulse Response (FIR), digital filters by Semi-Definite Programming (SDP) using SeDuMi (self-dual minimization) toolbox software. The stability is assured using Linear Matrix Inequality (LMI) constraints. The minimum length FIR filter algorithm was used to proof that the order of the FIR filter, which was designed, is optimal for our design specifications. The proposed method gave better result with regard to all specifications of control signal, where we had the faster system and more stable than the other systems

Terenska istraživanja bakterijske etiologije pobačaja u nomadskih ovaca i koza u sjeverozapadnim brdovitim područjima Indije

A field study on the bacterial etiology of abortions among sheep and goats having migratory practices in the northwest hilly states of India was carried out. A total of 203 flocks were investigated. Abortion outbreaks occurred in 51 flocks and sporadic abortions occurred in 114 flocks. Vaginal swabs from aborted sheep and goats were collected and processed for isolation of bacterial agents from 37 flocks with abortion outbreaks and 56 flocks with sporadic abortions. Bacteria known to cause abortions were identified in 30 flocks with abortion outbreaks including Chlamydophila spp. (17 flocks), Brucella melitensis (4 flocks), Listeria monocytogenes (8 flocks), and one Salmonella Dublin. L. ivanovii was also isolated from sheep in one of the flocks with L. monocytogenes. No specific causes of abortion were identified in flocks having sporadic abortions. The results also show that Chlamydophila spp. abortions are more likely to occur in goats than in sheep and that Brucella abortions occur more often in sheep.U radu su provedena terenska istraživanja bakterijske etiologije pobačaja u ovaca i koza kod nomadskog načina stočarenja u sjevero-zapadnim brdovitim državama Indije. Pretražena su 203 stada. Pobačaji su se masovno javljali u 51, a sporadično u 114 stada. Vaginalni obrisci uzeti su od ovaca i koza iz 37 stada s masovnom pojavom pobačaja te iz 56 stada sa sporadičnim pobačajima. Bakterije poznate kao uzročnici pobačaja dokazane su u 30 stada s masovnom pojavom pobačaja. Tako je dokazana Chlamydophila spp. (u 17 stada), Brucella melitensis (u 4 stada), Listeria monocytogenes (u 8 stada), a u jednom stadu Salmonella Dublin. L. Ivanovii izdvojena je iz ovaca u jednom stadu zajedno s vrstom L. monocytogenes. Specifični uzročnici pobačaja nisu bili dokazani u stadima sa sporadičnom pojavom pobačaja. Rezultati su pokazali da su se klamidijski pobačaji češće javljali u koza nego u ovaca, a oni uzrokovani brucelama češće u ovaca

Let\u27s Talk: Judicial Decisions at Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings

An investigation of Supreme Court Confirmation hearings reveals many queries posed to nominees reference specific court cases, especially recent decisions, and with questioning often divided along partisan lines. These findings indicate that the hearings are more substantive than is commonly assumed

Integrated Central Blood Pressure-aortic Stiffness Risk Categories and Cardiovascular Mortality in End-stage Renal Disease

BACKGROUND: Our aim was to study the predictive power of integrated central blood pressure-aortic stiffness (ICPS) risk categories on cardiovascular (CV) mortality in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of a prospective study of 91 ESRD patients on hemodialysis therapy. At baseline, pulse wave velocity (PWV), central systolic blood pressure (cSBP) and central pulse pressure (cPP) were measured and patients were followed up for CV mortality for a median 29.5 months. Based on the shape of the association of each individual ICPS parameter with the CV outcome, patients were assigned ICPS scores: one point was given, if either the cSBP value was in the 3rd, or if the PWV or cPP was in the 2nd or 3rd tertiles (ICPS range: 0–3). We then evaluated the role of ICPS risk categories (average: 0–1, high: 2, very high: 3 points) in the prediction of CV outcomes using Cox proportional hazard regression analysis and compared its discrimination (Harrell’s C) to that of each of its components. RESULTS: We found a strong dose–response association between ICPS risk categories and CV outcome (high risk HR = 2.62, 95% CI: 0.82–8.43, p for trend = 0.106; very high risk HR = 10.03, 95% CI: 1.67–60.42, p = 0.02) even after adjustment for multiple potential confounders. ICPS risk categories had a modest discrimination (C: 0.622, 95% CI: 0.525–0.719) that was significantly better than that of cSBP (dC: 0.061, 95% CI: 0.006–0.117). CONCLUSIONS: The ICPS risk categories may improve the identification of ESRD patients with high CV mortality risk

Two small, cysteine-rich and cationic antifungal proteins from Penicillium chrysogenum: A comparative study of PAF and PAFB

The filamentous fungus Penicillium chrysogenum Q176 secretes the antimicrobial proteins (AMPs) PAF and PAFB, which share a compact disulfide-bond mediated, β-fold structure rendering them highly stable. These two AMPs effectively inhibit the growth of human pathogenic fungi in micromolar concentrations and exhibit antiviral potential without causing cytotoxic effects on mammalian cells in vitro and in vivo. The antifungal mechanism of action of both AMPs is closely linked to - but not solely dependent on - the lipid composition of the fungal cell membrane and requires a strictly regulated protein uptake into the cell, indicating that PAF and PAFB are not canonical membrane active proteins. Variations in their antifungal spectrum and their killing dynamics point towards a divergent mode of action related to their physicochemical properties and surface charge distribution. In this review, we relate characteristic features of PAF and PAFB to the current knowledge about other AMPs of different sources. In addition, we present original data that have never been published before to substantiate our assumptions and provide evidences that help to explain and understand better the mechanistic function of PAF and PAFB. Finally, we underline the promising potential of PAF and PAFB as future antifungal therapeutics

Self-assembly of binary nanoparticle dispersions: from square arrays and stripe phases to colloidal corrals

The generation of nanoscale square and stripe patterns is of major technological importance since they are compatible with industry-standard electronic circuitry. Recently, a blend of diblock copolymer interacting via hydrogen-bonding was shown to self-assemble in square arrays. Motivated by those experiments we study, using Monte Carlo simulations, the pattern formation in a two-dimensional binary mixture of colloidal particles interacting via isotropic core-corona potentials. We find a rich variety of patterns that can be grouped mainly in aggregates that self-assemble in regular square lattices or in alternate strips. Other morphologies observed include colloidal corrals that are potentially useful as surface templating agents. This work shows the unexpected versatility of this simple model to produce a variety of patterns with high technological potential.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, submitte

Rethinking Thorne-\.Zytkow Object Formation: The Fate of X-ray Binary LMC X-4 and Implications for Ultra-long Gamma-ray Bursts

We present a start-to-end simulation aimed at studying the long-term fate of high mass X-ray binaries and whether a Thorne-\.Zytkow object (T\.ZO) might ultimately be produced. We analyze results from a 3D hydrodynamical simulation that models the eventual fate of LMC X-4, a compact high mass X-ray binary system, after the primary fills its Roche lobe and engulfs the neutron star companion. We discuss the outcome of this engulfment within the standard paradigm of T\.ZO formation. The post-merger angular momentum content of the stellar core is a key ingredient, as even a small amount of rotation can break spherical symmetry and produce a centrifugally supported accretion disk. Our findings suggest the inspiraling neutron star, upon merging with the core, can accrete efficiently via a disk at high rates ($\approx 10^{-2}M_\odot/{\rm s}$), subsequently collapsing into a black hole and triggering a bright transient with a luminosity and duration typical of an ultra-long gamma-ray burst. We propose that the canonical framework for T\.ZO formation via common envelope needs to be revised, as the significant post-merger accretion feedback will unavoidably unbind the vast majority of the surrounding envelope

Letter to the Editor: 1H and 15N sequential assignment and solution secondary structure of 15N labelled human pancreatic ribonuclease

Several members of the RNase A (bovine pancreatic ribonuclease) superfamily exhibit anticancer activity. Among the mammalian members of the superfamily, most of the antitumour activity studies have been carried out with a dimeric RNase from bovine seminal vesicles (BS-RNase) (Youle and D’Alessio, 1997). These studies show that dimer formation is crucial for cytotoxicity. Investigations are underway to transfer by protein engineering the structural determinants responsible for the antitumour activity of BS-RNase to a human immunocompatible backbone (Piccoli et al., 1999). Knowledge of the 3D structures of the involved proteins is central to rationally fulfil this objective. As a first step, human pancreatic ribonuclease (HPRNase), a 127-residue monomeric protein (Beintema et al., 1984) was constructed (Russo et al., 1993). The expressed recombinant protein was undistinguishable from the natural product isolated from human pancreas (Weickmann et al., 1981). Here, we present the assignment of practically all of its 1H and 15N spectral resonances, as well as its secondary structure in aqueous solution. The cytotoxic activity of ribonucleases has been related to their ability to evade the cytosolic ribonuclease inhibitor (RI) (Murthy and Sirdeshmukh, 1992). The structure of HP-RNase will be useful to introduce changes in it in order to increase its resistance to RI.This work was supported by the European Commission under the INCO-Copernicus Project No. IC15 CT 96-0903. The assistance of the Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores (Spain) and OMFB (Hungary) (project E26/97) is gratefully acknowledged