Radiographic Measurements Correlate to Isolated Posterolateral Corner (PLC) Injury in a Novel Cadaveric Model

Introduction: Injury to the posterolateral corner (PLC) of the knee often requires surgical reconstruction. There remains no consensus on treatment for PLC injury, and, therefore, it is imperative to have a reproducible injury model to improve the general knowledge of PLC injuries. A novel cadaveric model of isolated PLC injury is proposed and evaluated using radiographic parameters as well as gross dissection. Material and methods: All protocols were reviewed by the Human Investigation and Research Committee of the home institution and were approved. Translational force in a defined posterior and lateral direction was applied to cadaveric native knees to induce PLC injury. Varus and recurvatum stress fluoroscopic imaging was obtained of each specimen before and after the injury model. Lateral joint distance and recurvatum angle after stress was measured on each image via picture archiving and communication software (PACS) imaging software. After the injury model, injured structures were assessed via saline loading and gross dissection. Any specimens found to be fractured were excluded from the analysis of stress radiography. Results: A total of 12 knees underwent testing and 6/12 successfully induced PLC injury without fracture. The lateral capsule was torn in every specimen. The popliteofibular ligament (PFL) was torn in 83% of specimens and the fibular collateral ligament (FCL) in 66.7% of specimens. The median lateral gapping after injury under varus stress radiography was 5.39 mm and the median recurvatum angle after injury was 14.25°. Radiographic parameters had a direct relationship with a number of structures injured. Conclusions: This is the first successful cadaver model of PLC injury. The lateral capsule was injured in every specimen emphasizing the importance of this structure to the PLC

NBS monograph

From Scope of Investigation: "The work reported here is part of a continuing program concerning the long-term volume changes in concretes made from lightweight and normal-weight aggregates. The creep, drying-shrinkage, and strength data presented are for concretes made with 24 expanded shale lightweight aggregates and 5 natural, normal-weight aggregates. These aggregates were from widely separated geographical locations and were to be representative samples of aggregates being used in the production of structural concretes.

Reshaping America: society and institutions, 1945-1960

(print) xii, 403 p. ; 24 cmIntroduction ix -- PART ONE. SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CHANGE -- Families, Children, and the State, by Robert H. Bremner 3 -- The Survival of American Feminism: The Women's Movement in the Postwar Period, by Leila J. Rupp 33 -- The Civil Rights Revolution, 1945-1960: The Gods Bring Threads to Webs Begun, by William H. Chafe 67 -- American Business in the Postwar Era, by Arthur M. Johnson 101 -- American Workers, the Labor Movement, and the Cold War, 1945-1960, by John Barnard 115 -- Rural America in an Urban Age, 1945-1960, by Thomas E. Williams 147 -- Visions of Classlessness, Quests for Dominion: American Popular Culture, 1945-1960, by Roland Marchand 163 -- PART TWO. PUBLIC PROBLEMS AND PUBLIC POLICY -- Poverty and Welfare in America, 1945-1960, by James T. Patterson 193 -- Education: Schools as Crucible in Cold War America, by Ronald Lora 22

The Evolution of Quasar CIV and SiIV Broad Absorption Lines Over Multi-Year Time Scales

We investigate the variability of CIV 1549A broad absorption line (BAL) troughs over rest-frame time scales of up to ~7 yr in 14 quasars at redshifts z>2.1. For 9 sources at sufficiently high redshift, we also compare CIV and SiIV 1400A absorption variation. We compare shorter- and longer-term variability using spectra from up to four different epochs per source and find complex patterns of variation in the sample overall. The scatter in the change of absorption equivalent width (EW), Delta EW, increases with the time between observations. BALs do not, in general, strengthen or weaken monotonically, and variation observed over shorter (<months) time scales is not predictive of multi-year variation. We find no evidence for asymmetry in the distribution of Delta EW that would indicate that BALs form and decay on different time scales, and we constrain the typical BAL lifetime to be >~30 yr. The BAL absorption for one source, LBQS 0022+0150, has weakened and may now be classified as a mini-BAL. Another source, 1235+1453, shows evidence of variable, blue continuum emission that is relatively unabsorbed by the BAL outflow. CIV and SiIV BAL shape changes are related in at least some sources. Given their high velocities, BAL outflows apparently traverse large spatial regions and may interact with parsec-scale structures such as an obscuring torus. Assuming BAL outflows are launched from a rotating accretion disk, notable azimuthal symmetry is required in the outflow to explain the relatively small changes observed in velocity structure over times up to 7 yr

The X-Ray Properties of the Optically Brightest Mini-BAL Quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

We have compiled a sample of 14 of the optically brightest radio-quiet quasars ($m_{i}$~$\le$~17.5 and $z$~$\ge$~1.9) in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 5 quasar catalog that have C IV mini-BALs present in their spectra. X-ray data for 12 of the objects were obtained via a Chandra snapshot survey using ACIS-S, while data for the other two quasars were obtained from archival XMM-Newton observations. Joint X-ray spectral analysis shows the mini-BAL quasars have a similar average power-law photon index ($\Gamma\approx1.9$) and level of intrinsic absorption ($N_H \lesssim 8\times 10^{21} \ {\rm cm}^{-2}$) as non-BMB (neither BAL nor mini-BAL) quasars. Mini-BAL quasars are more similar to non-BMB quasars than to BAL quasars in their distribution of relative X-ray brightness (assessed with $\Delta\alpha_{\rm ox}$). Relative colors indicate mild dust reddening in the optical spectra of mini-BAL quasars. Significant correlations between $\Delta\alpha_{\rm ox}$ and UV absorption properties are confirmed for a sample of 56 sources combining mini-BAL and BAL quasars with high signal-to-noise ratio rest-frame UV spectra, which generally supports models in which X-ray absorption is important in enabling driving of the UV absorption-line wind. We also propose alternative parametrizations of the UV absorption properties of mini-BAL and BAL quasars, which may better describe the broad absorption troughs in some respects.Comment: ApJ accepted; 21 pages, 11 figures, and 9 table

PhyloPat: an updated version of the phylogenetic pattern database contains gene neighborhood

Phylogenetic patterns show the presence or absence of certain genes in a set of full genomes derived from different species. They can also be used to determine sets of genes that occur only in certain evolutionary branches. Previously, we presented a database named PhyloPat which allows the complete Ensembl gene database to be queried using phylogenetic patterns. Here, we describe an updated version of PhyloPat which can be queried by an improved web server. We used a single linkage clustering algorithm to create 241 697 phylogenetic lineages, using all the orthologies provided by Ensembl v49. PhyloPat offers the possibility of querying with binary phylogenetic patterns or regular expressions, or through a phylogenetic tree of the 39 included species. Users can also input a list of Ensembl, EMBL, EntrezGene or HGNC IDs to check which phylogenetic lineage any gene belongs to. A link to the FatiGO web interface has been incorporated in the HTML output. For each gene, the surrounding genes on the chromosome, color coded according to their phylogenetic lineage can be viewed, as well as FASTA files of the peptide sequences of each lineage. Furthermore, lists of omnipresent, polypresent, oligopresent and anticorrelating genes have been included. PhyloPat is freely available at http://www.cmbi.ru.nl/phylopat

Prophylactic methylprednisolone to reduce inflammation and improve outcomes from one lung ventilation in children: a randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: One lung ventilation (OLV) results in inflammatory and mechanical injury, leading to intraoperative and postoperative complications in children. No interventions have been studied in children to minimize such injury. OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that a single 2-mg·kg(-1) dose of methylprednisolone given 45-60 min prior to lung collapse would minimize injury from OLV and improve physiological stability. METHODS: Twenty-eight children scheduled to undergo OLV were randomly assigned to receive 2 mg·kg(-1) methylprednisolone (MP) or normal saline (placebo group) prior to OLV. Anesthetic management was standardized, and data were collected for physiological stability (bronchospasm, respiratory resistance, and compliance). Plasma was assayed for inflammatory markers related to lung injury at timed intervals related to administration of methylprednisolone. RESULTS: Three children in the placebo group experienced clinically significant intraoperative and postoperative respiratory complications. Respiratory resistance was lower (P = 0.04) in the methylprednisolone group. Pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 was lower (P = 0.01), and anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 was higher (P = 0.001) in the methylprednisolone group. Tryptase, measured before and after OLV, was lower (P = 0.03) in the methylprednisolone group while increased levels of tryptase were seen in placebo group after OLV (did not achieve significance). There were no side effects observed that could be attributed to methylprednisolone in this study. CONCLUSIONS: Methylprednisolone at 2 mg·kg(-1) given as a single dose prior to OLV provides physiological stability to children undergoing OLV. In addition, methylprednisolone results in lower pro-inflammatory markers and higher anti-inflammatory markers in the children\u27s plasma

The JANUS X-Ray Flash Monitor

JANUS is a NASA small explorer class mission which just completed phase A and was intended for a 2013 launch date. The primary science goals of JANUS are to use high redshift (6<z<12) gamma ray bursts and quasars to explore the formation history of the first stars in the early universe and to study contributions to reionization. The X-Ray Flash Monitor (XRFM) and the Near-IR Telescope (NIRT) are the two primary instruments on JANUS. XRFM has been designed to detect bright X-ray flashes (XRFs) and gamma ray bursts (GRBs) in the 1-20 keV energy band over a wide field of view (4 steradians), thus facilitating the detection of z>6 XRFs/GRBs, which can be further studied by other instruments. XRFM would use a coded mask aperture design with hybrid CMOS Si detectors. It would be sensitive to XRFs/GRBs with flux in excess of approximately 240 mCrab. The spacecraft is designed to rapidly slew to source positions following a GRB trigger from XRFM. XRFM instrument design parameters and science goals are presented in this paper.Comment: submitted to Proc. SPIE, Vol. 7435 (2009), 7 pages, 8 figure

Efficacy of a topical formulation of selamectin plus sarolaner against induced infestations of Amblyomma americanum on cats and prevention of Cytauxzoon felis transmission

Cytauxzoonosis, caused by infection with Cytauxzoon felis, is the most severe tick-borne disease of cats. The purpose of our study was to determine the efficacy of selamectin (6.0 mg/kg) plus sarolaner (1.0 mg/kg) formulated in combination (Revolution® Plus / Stronghold® Plus, Zoetis) applied topically once a month on cats for three months against induced infestations of Amblyomma americanum adults and to evaluate the effectiveness of the product in preventing the transmission of C. felis. This study was conducted in two phases. Sixteen cats were dosed with selamectin/sarolaner or a placebo (vehicle control) on Days 0, 28, and 56. In phase 1, each cat was infested with 50 (±5) unfed adult A. americanum on Day 4 and tick counts were conducted on Day 6 (48 h post infestation) and Day 7 (72 h post infestation) to evaluate acaricidal efficacy. In phase 2, to confirm acaricidal efficacy and evaluate prevention of C. felis transmission, each cat was infested on Day 60 with 50 (±5) adult A. americanum acquisition fed as nymphs on two C. felis-infected donor cats. Tick counts were conducted on Day 62 (48 h post infestation) and Day 63 (72 h post infestation). Blood samples were collected on Days -9, 60, 70, 76, and 90 and tested for infection with C. felis. Placebo cats were adequately infested on all count days, with least squares (geometric) mean live tick counts ranging from 34.0 (28.8) to 46.1 (46.0). Treatment reduced the least squares (geometric) mean counts compared to placebo by 27.1 (32.1)% and 90.4 (96.8)% on Days 6 and 7, respectively. The corresponding percent reductions were 56.4 (60.6)% and 94.7 (97.3)% on Days 62 and 63, respectively. Least squares mean counts were significantly lower in the treated group compared with the placebo group on all count days (P ≤ 0.0286). All cats were negative for C. felis by PCR prior to study start. In phase 2, seven cats in the control group and no cats in the selamectin/sarolaner group became infected with C. felis (P = 0.0017). Topical treatment with selamectin/sarolaner was \u3e90% effective in reducing A. americanum tick counts 72 h after infestation and prevented the transmission of C. felis from infected ticks following the third of three monthly treatments. Revolution® Plus / Stronghold® Plus offers an option for the control of A. americanum infestations on cats and for preventing the transmission of C. felis to cats

Anisotropic optical properties of single-crystal GdBa2Cu3O7-delta

The optical spectrum of reduced-T(c) GdBa2Cu3O7-delta has been measured for polarizations parallel and perpendicular to the ab plane. The sample was an oxygen-deficient single crystal with a large face containing the c axis. The polarized reflectance from this face was measured from 20-300 K in the spectral region from 30-3000 cm-1, with 300 K data to 30 000 cm-1. Kramers-Kronig analysis was used to determine the spectral dependence of the ab and the c components of the dielectric tensor. The optical properties are strongly anisotropic. The ab-plane response resembles that of other reduced-T(c) materials whereas the c axis, in contrast, shows only the presence of several phonons. There is a complete absence of charge carrier response along c above and below T(c). This observation allows us to set an upper limit to the free-carrier spectral weight for transport perpendicular to the CuO2 planes