Activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc/Arg3.1) was originally identified in patients with seizures. It is densely distributed in the hip-pocampus and amygdala in particular. Because the expression of ...Activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc/Arg3.1) was originally identified in patients with seizures. It is densely distributed in the hip-pocampus and amygdala in particular. Because the expression of Arc/Arg3.1 is regulated by nerve in-puts, it is thought to be an immediate early gene. As shown both in vitro and in vivo, Arc/Arg3.1 is in-volved in synaptic consolidation and regulates some forms of learning and memory in rats and mice [1,2]. Furthermore, a recent study suggests that Arc/Arg3.1 may play a significant role in signal transmission via AMPA-type glutamate receptors [3-5]. Therefore, we conducted a detailed analysis of fear memory in Arc/Arg3.1-deficient mice. As previously reported, the knockout animals exhib-ited impaired fear memory in both contextual and cued test situations. Although Arc/Arg3.1-deficient mice showed almost the same performance as wild-type littermates 4 hr after a conditioning trial, their performance was impaired in the retention test after 24 hr or longer, either with or without reconsolidation. Immunohistochemical analyses showed an abnormal density of GluR1 in the hip-pocampus of Arc/Arg3.1-deficient mice;however, an application of AMPA potentiator did not improve memory performance in the mutant mice. Memory impairment in Arc/Arg3.1-deficient mice is so ro-bust that the mice provide a useful tool for devel-oping treatments for memory impairment.展开更多
Introduction: Total hip prostheses are a reliable means of treating hip disorders. It is indicated when pain and reduced mobility of the hip become incompatible with the patient’s daily activities. In low-income coun...Introduction: Total hip prostheses are a reliable means of treating hip disorders. It is indicated when pain and reduced mobility of the hip become incompatible with the patient’s daily activities. In low-income countries, the risk factors for hip disease are numerous, but the means for its management, such as total hip prostheses, are not. The aim of this work was to determine the morbi-mortality of total hip prostheses in the short and medium term in our department and to review the literature. Patients and Method: This was a prospective and descriptive study over a period of 9 years. It involved 50 THPs performed on 45 patients. Patients who had received a THP and were followed up for at least two years were included. We excluded patients who were lost to follow-up. The Moore-type posterolateral minimally invasive approach was used. Complications were investigated from the immediate postoperative period and in the medium term. The final functional results were evaluated according to the Postel Merle d’Aubigné score. Results: We performed 50 THPs out of 750 procedures, i.e. , 6.6%. The indications were: primary coxarthrosis 60%, necrosis of the femoral head 26%, post-infectious balloon hip 4%, and pseudarthrosis of the femoral neck 10%. The average time to the consultation was 2.4 years with extremes of 1 and 5 years. According to the terrain, sickle cell disease represented 18%, tuberculosis 12%. Postoperative complications were lameness 12%, dislocation 6%, suppuration 6%, death 4%, peri-prosthetic fracture 8%, loosening 2%, peri-articular ossification 2%, and paralysis of the external popliteal nerve 2%. Conclusion: Whoever performs a THP is obliged to monitor the patient as long as he/she is alive. Complications are possible at any time and can negatively change the assigned goal and force the surgeon to be expensive and sometimes inconclusive secondary interventions.展开更多
This paper presents an artificial neural network, ANN, based approach for estimating short-term wholesale electricity prices using past price and demand data. The objective is to utilize the piecewise continuous na-tu...This paper presents an artificial neural network, ANN, based approach for estimating short-term wholesale electricity prices using past price and demand data. The objective is to utilize the piecewise continuous na-ture of electricity prices on the time domain by clustering the input data into time ranges where the variation trends are maintained. Due to the imprecise nature of cluster boundaries a fuzzy inference technique is em-ployed to handle data that lies at the intersections. As a necessary step in forecasting prices the anticipated electricity demand at the target time is estimated first using a separate ANN. The Australian New-South Wales electricity market data was used to test the system. The developed system shows considerable im-provement in performance compared with approaches that regard price data as a single continuous time se-ries, achieving MAPE of less than 2% for hours with steady prices and 8% for the clusters covering time pe-riods with price spikes.展开更多
文摘Activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc/Arg3.1) was originally identified in patients with seizures. It is densely distributed in the hip-pocampus and amygdala in particular. Because the expression of Arc/Arg3.1 is regulated by nerve in-puts, it is thought to be an immediate early gene. As shown both in vitro and in vivo, Arc/Arg3.1 is in-volved in synaptic consolidation and regulates some forms of learning and memory in rats and mice [1,2]. Furthermore, a recent study suggests that Arc/Arg3.1 may play a significant role in signal transmission via AMPA-type glutamate receptors [3-5]. Therefore, we conducted a detailed analysis of fear memory in Arc/Arg3.1-deficient mice. As previously reported, the knockout animals exhib-ited impaired fear memory in both contextual and cued test situations. Although Arc/Arg3.1-deficient mice showed almost the same performance as wild-type littermates 4 hr after a conditioning trial, their performance was impaired in the retention test after 24 hr or longer, either with or without reconsolidation. Immunohistochemical analyses showed an abnormal density of GluR1 in the hip-pocampus of Arc/Arg3.1-deficient mice;however, an application of AMPA potentiator did not improve memory performance in the mutant mice. Memory impairment in Arc/Arg3.1-deficient mice is so ro-bust that the mice provide a useful tool for devel-oping treatments for memory impairment.
文摘Introduction: Total hip prostheses are a reliable means of treating hip disorders. It is indicated when pain and reduced mobility of the hip become incompatible with the patient’s daily activities. In low-income countries, the risk factors for hip disease are numerous, but the means for its management, such as total hip prostheses, are not. The aim of this work was to determine the morbi-mortality of total hip prostheses in the short and medium term in our department and to review the literature. Patients and Method: This was a prospective and descriptive study over a period of 9 years. It involved 50 THPs performed on 45 patients. Patients who had received a THP and were followed up for at least two years were included. We excluded patients who were lost to follow-up. The Moore-type posterolateral minimally invasive approach was used. Complications were investigated from the immediate postoperative period and in the medium term. The final functional results were evaluated according to the Postel Merle d’Aubigné score. Results: We performed 50 THPs out of 750 procedures, i.e. , 6.6%. The indications were: primary coxarthrosis 60%, necrosis of the femoral head 26%, post-infectious balloon hip 4%, and pseudarthrosis of the femoral neck 10%. The average time to the consultation was 2.4 years with extremes of 1 and 5 years. According to the terrain, sickle cell disease represented 18%, tuberculosis 12%. Postoperative complications were lameness 12%, dislocation 6%, suppuration 6%, death 4%, peri-prosthetic fracture 8%, loosening 2%, peri-articular ossification 2%, and paralysis of the external popliteal nerve 2%. Conclusion: Whoever performs a THP is obliged to monitor the patient as long as he/she is alive. Complications are possible at any time and can negatively change the assigned goal and force the surgeon to be expensive and sometimes inconclusive secondary interventions.
文摘This paper presents an artificial neural network, ANN, based approach for estimating short-term wholesale electricity prices using past price and demand data. The objective is to utilize the piecewise continuous na-ture of electricity prices on the time domain by clustering the input data into time ranges where the variation trends are maintained. Due to the imprecise nature of cluster boundaries a fuzzy inference technique is em-ployed to handle data that lies at the intersections. As a necessary step in forecasting prices the anticipated electricity demand at the target time is estimated first using a separate ANN. The Australian New-South Wales electricity market data was used to test the system. The developed system shows considerable im-provement in performance compared with approaches that regard price data as a single continuous time se-ries, achieving MAPE of less than 2% for hours with steady prices and 8% for the clusters covering time pe-riods with price spikes.