Packing items from a triangular distribution

We consider the problem of packing n items which are drawn according to a probability distribution whose density function is triangular in shape. For triangles which represent density functions whose expectation is 1/p for p = 3, 4, 5, ..., we give a packing strategy for which the ratio of the number of bins used in the packing to the expected total size of the items asymptotically approaches 1

Role of Alanine Racemase Mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis d-Cycloserine Resistance.

A screening of more than 1,500 drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis revealed evolutionary patterns characteristic of positive selection for three alanine racemase (Alr) mutations. We investigated these mutations using molecular modeling, in vitro MIC testing, as well as direct measurements of enzymatic activity, which demonstrated that these mutations likely confer resistance to d-cycloserine

Packing items from a triangular distribution

We consider the problem of packing n items which are drawn according to a probability distribution whose density function is triangular in shape. For triangles which represent density functions whose expectation is 1/p for p = 3, 4, 5, ..., we give a packing strategy for which the ratio of the number of bins used in the packing to the expected total size of the items asymptotically approaches 1

Abnormal tibial alignment is a risk factor for lateral meniscus posterior root tears in patients with anterior cruciate ligament ruptures.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify if abnormal tibial alignment was a risk factor for lateral meniscus posterior root tears (LMPRT) in patients with acute anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures. METHODS: The medical charts of 200 patients treated for ACL ruptures between 2013 and 2016 were retrospectively reviewed and evaluated. MRI images and reports were assessed for concurrent meniscal tears. Radiographs were reviewed for tibia vara and tibial slope angles and MRI reports identifying lateral root tears were compared to intraoperative reports to determine accuracy. Multiple logistic regression models were constructed to identify potential risk factors for LMPRTs. RESULTS: Of the 200 patients reviewed, a total of 97 individuals with concurrent meniscal injuries were identified. In patients sustaining a concurrent meniscal injury, there was a 4% incidence of medial meniscus posterior root tears and a 10.3% incidence of LMPRTs. Patients sustaining an ACL injury with an LMPRT were found to have greater tibia vara angles (4.2 ± 1.0 vs. 2.9 ± 1.7; p = 0.024), increased tibial slopes (12.6 ± 1.5 vs. 10.7 ± 2.9; p = 0.034), and higher BMIs (27.3 ± 2.9 vs. 25.3 ± 5.9; p = 0.034) when compared to patients without meniscus tears. There was low agreement between MRI and arthroscopic findings (kappa rate = 0.54). Multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that a tibia vara angle \u3e 3 was associated with a 5.2-fold increase (95% CI 0.99-27.01; p = 0.050), and a tibial slope \u3e 12 with a 5.4-fold increase (95% CI 1.03-28.19; p = 0.046) in LMPRTs. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with greater tibia varus angles, increased tibial slopes, and higher BMIs were found to have an increased risk of LMPRTs when sustaining an ACL rupture. There was a low rate of agreement between MRI and arthroscopy in identifying LMPRTs. In patients with ACL ruptures who have abnormal tibial alignment or increased BMI, physicians should be watchful for lateral meniscus posterior root tears. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3

Postcolonial internationality of Algerian Social Academics

International audienceAlgerian research in literature and sociology continues to remain very marginalized in the international scientific arena. Globalisation has not made it possible to move from colonial dependency to global equal opportunity. To the contrary, dependency on France and the French language has re-emerged as a way of gaining access to Europe and the English-speaking world, and while the “international” has become a buzz-world and a model in Algerian research, in fact internationalisation has lost in quality what it has gained in quantity. Nevertheless, the inegalitarian structure of the international scientific space is not immutable. Activists’ desires to reduce international scientific inequalities have borne fruit, particularly in the Arabophone international space, but also in the Francophone one. Moreover, not all researchers view internationalisation as a desideratum: while the discourse of de-Westernizing science seems to have got lost, some researchers, volens nolens, believe that the national political role of their research is more important than their international visibility