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Background The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has presented a significant and urgent threat to global health and there has been a need to identify prognostic factors in COVID-19 patients. The aim of this study was to determine whether chest CT characteristics had any prognostic value in patients with COVID-19. Methods A retrospective analysis of COVID-19 patients who underwent a chest CT-scan was performed in four medical centers. The prognostic value of chest CT results was assessed using a multivariable survival analysis with the Cox model. The characteristics included in the model were the degree of lung involvement, ground glass opacities, nodular consolidations, linear consolidations, a peripheral topography, a predominantly inferior lung involvement, pleural effusion, and crazy paving. The model was also adjusted on age, sex, and the center in which the patient was hospitalized. The primary endpoint was 30-day in-hospital mortality. A second model used a composite endpoint of admission to an intensive care unit or 30-day in-hospital mortality. Results A total of 515 patients with available follow-up information were included. Advanced age, a degree of pulmonary involvement ≥ 50% (Hazard Ratio 2.25 [95% Cl: 1.378 to 3.671], p= 0.001), nodular consolidations and pleural effusions were associated with lower 30-day in-hospital survival rates. An exploratory subgroup analysis showed a 60.6% mortality rate in patients over 75 with ≥ 50% lung involvement on a CT-scan. Conclusions Chest CT findings such as the percentage of pulmonary involvement ≥ 50%, pleural effusion and nodular consolidation were strongly associated with 30-day mortality in COVID-19 patients. CT examinations are essential for the assessment of severe COVID-19 patients and their results must be considered when making care management decisions.

Background & Aims: A proportion of infants and young children with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) have subtypes associated with a single gene variant (monogenic IBD). We aimed to determine the prevalence of monogenic disease in a cohort of pediatric patients with IBD. Methods: We performed whole-exome sequencing analyses of blood samples from an unselected cohort of 1005 children with IBD, aged 0–18 years (median age at diagnosis, 11.96 years) at a single center in Canada and their family members (2305 samples total). Variants believed to cause IBD were validated using Sanger sequencing. Biopsies from patients were analyzed by immunofluorescence and histochemical analyses. Results: We identified 40 rare variants associated with 21 monogenic genes among 31 of the 1005 children with IBD (including 5 variants in XIAP, 3 in DOCK8, and 2 each in FOXP3, GUCY2C, and LRBA). These variants occurred in 7.8% of children younger than 6 years and 2.3% of children aged 6–18 years. Of the 17 patients with monogenic Crohn’s disease, 35% had abdominal pain, 24% had nonbloody loose stool, 18% had vomiting, 18% had weight loss, and 5% had intermittent bloody loose stool. The 14 patients with monogenic ulcerative colitis or IBD-unclassified received their diagnosis at a younger age, and their most predominant feature was bloody loose stool (78%). Features associated with monogenic IBD, compared to cases of IBD not associated with a single variant, were age of onset younger than 2 years (odds ratio [OR], 6.30; P = .020), family history of autoimmune disease (OR, 5.12; P = .002), extra-intestinal manifestations (OR, 15.36; P < .0001), and surgery (OR, 3.42; P = .042). Seventeen patients had variants in genes that could be corrected with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Conclusions: In whole-exome sequencing analyses of more than 1000 children with IBD at a single center, we found that 3% had rare variants in genes previously associated with pediatric IBD. These were associated with different IBD phenotypes, and 1% of the patients had variants that could be potentially corrected with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Monogenic IBD is rare, but should be considered in analysis of all patients with pediatric onset of IBD.

Congenital diarrheal disorders are heterogeneous conditions characterized by diarrhea with onset in the first years of life. They range from simple temporary conditions, such as cow's milk protein intolerance to irreversible complications, such as microvillous inclusion disease with significant morbidity and mortality. Advances in genomic medicine have improved our understanding of these disorders, leading to an ever-increasing list of identified causative genes. The diagnostic approach to these conditions consists of establishing the presence of diarrhea by detailed review of the history, followed by characterizing the composition of the diarrhea, the response to fasting, and with further specialized testing.

The rate of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been increasing over the last decade and this increase has occurred most rapidly in the youngest children diagnosed

A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted at the faculty of sciences of Gafsa to evaluate the effect of phosphorus treatment on two pistachio species. The seedlings of Pistacia vera and Pistacia atlantica were subjected to six levels of phosphoric acid (P2O5) (0, 5, 15, 30, 60 and 120 ppm). Stomatal conductance, net photosynthesis, chlorophyll fluorescence (OJIP) and total chlorophyll content were measured after 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 9 and 12 weeks of treatment. During the experiment, phosphorus application at 5 ppm increased photosynthesis and stomatal conductance, relative to the treatment 0 ppm only in P. atlantica. However, phosphorus supply at 60 and 120 ppm induced toxicity leading to an inhibition of CO2 photo-assimilation rate, an alteration of photosystem II (PSII) structure and function and reduction in leaf chlorophyll content in both species. The (OJIP) transient showed complex changes in O-J, J-I and I–P phases of fluorescence. Due to phosphorus toxicity, both donor and acceptor sides of PSII were damaged, electron transport perturbed and chlorophyll pigment reduced which resulted in the fall of CO2 photo-assimilation rate, followed by mortality in both species.

This study tests the diurnal variations of water status, leaf gas exchanges and chlorophyll fluorescence in Pistacia vera L. (P. vera L.) and Pistacia atlantica Desf. (P. atlantica Desf.) seedlings. At 40% of field capacity, diurnal variations in water uptake, relative water content (RWC) were estimated every hour between 5:00 am and 7:00 pm. The daily course of light, temperature, photosynthesis (A), stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration rate (E), intrinsic water use efficiency (A/gs), mesophyll efficiency (A/Ci), internal CO2 concentration (Ci) and chlorophyll fluorescence were measured every 3 h from 05:30 am to 7:30 pm in irrigated and stressed seedlings of the two studied species. The results showed a significant variation in all surveyed parameters over diurnal cycle. The stressed seedlings of P. atlantica exhibited considerably higher RWC, water uptake, A, gs, E, A/gs and A/Ci over diurnal cycles compared to P. vera stressed seedlings. In contrast, P. vera was more sensitive to water stress and excess light and temperature over the diurnal cycle. The midday stomatal conductance and photosynthesis decrease was more likely the result of low RWC caused by high transpiration rates, stomatal closture and photoinhibition. Photoinhibition is a protective mechanism of PSII, rather than a result of photo-damage of photosynthetic apparatus. P. atlantica revealed an important physiological feature that is maintaining photosynthesis at midday compared to P. vera. This might be due to internal regulation through several mechanisms mainly better osmotic adjustment, photoprotective mechanisms of PSII.

Guideline title Clinical Practice Guidelines for Clostridium difficile Infection in Adults and Children: 2017 Update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA). Release date February 15, 2018 PRIOR VERSIONS: Cohen SH, Gerding DN, Johnson S, et al; Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America; Infectious Diseases Society of America. Clinical practice guidelines for Clostridium difficile infection in adults: 2010 update by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2010; 31:431-55.Gerding DN, Johnson S, Peterson LR, et al. Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea and colitis. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 1995;16:459-477. Developer IDSA and SHEA. Funding source Support for this guideline was provided by the IDSA and SHEA. Target population Children and adults with Clostridium difficile infections.

The management of databases of finite element software is the focus of this article. Also, this article is a contribution to the design methods of finite element software in object-oriented programming. Object-oriented programming brings new concepts that make it possible to modify the conventional programming approach and generate software with a flexible and decentralized architecture that is easier to maintain. A definition and description of each object used for database management and finite element software design is presented.

A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted at the faculty of sciences of Gafsa to evaluate the effect of phosphorus treatment on two pistachio species. The seedlings of Pistacia vera and Pistacia atlantica were subjected to six levels of phosphoric acid (P

Background & Aims: Defects in intestinal innate defense systems predispose patients to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidases in the mucosal barrier maintain gut homeostasis and defend against pathogenic attack. We hypothesized that molecular genetic defects in intestinal NADPH oxidases might be present in children with IBD. Methods: After targeted exome sequencing of epithelial NADPH oxidases NOX1 and DUOX2 on 59 children with very early onset inflammatory bowel disease (VEOIBD), the identified mutations were validated using Sanger Sequencing. A structural analysis of NOX1 and DUOX2 variants was performed by homology in silico modeling. The functional characterization included ROS generation in model cell lines and in in vivo transduced murine crypts, protein expression, intracellular localization, and cell-based infection studies with the enteric pathogens Campylobacter jejuni and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli. Results: We identified missense mutations in NOX1 (c.988G>A, p.Pro330Ser; c.967G>A, p.Asp360Asn) and DUOX2 (c.4474G>A, p.Arg1211Cys; c.3631C>T, p.Arg1492Cys) in 5 of 209 VEOIBD patients. The NOX1 p.Asp360Asn variant was replicated in a male Ashkenazi Jewish ulcerative colitis cohort. Patients with both NOX1 and DUOX2 variants showed abnormal Paneth cell metaplasia. All NOX1 and DUOX2 variants showed reduced ROS production compared with wild-type enzymes. Despite appropriate cellular localization and comparable pathogen-stimulated translocation of altered oxidases, cells harboring NOX1 or DUOX2 variants had defective host resistance to infection with C. jejuni. Conclusions: This study identifies the first inactivating missense variants in NOX1 and DUOX2 associated with VEOIBD. Defective ROS production from intestinal epithelial cells constitutes a risk factor for developing VEOIBD. Keywords: Inflammatory Bowel Disease, NADPH Oxidase, NOX1, DUOX2, Reactive Oxygen Species, VEOIBD

The multitude of national strategies used against the COVID-19 pandemic makes it necessary to review and synthesize them in order to identify potential gaps and shortcomings, and to help prioritize future control efforts. This systematic mapping review is aimed at identifying the coronavirus pandemic management strategies adopted by France, Tunisia, and Germany during the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak. A set of government websites in addition to the PubMed and Google Scholar databases were searched to identify scientific articles and institutional documents related to the national strategies of the three countries up until July 2020. The references included were mapped and narratively synthesized based on the pillars of the Monitoring and Evaluation Framework of the Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan defined by the World Health Organization. Of the 2765 records screened, 65 documents were included in the study. The analysis of these documents showed that Germany was the first country to implement mass screening of cases and that France was the first country to implement measures to impose general containment at the national level. It also showed that Tunisia was the only country to have imposed the confinement of passengers on repatriation flights in dedicated containment centers and at the expense of the state.

Background/purpose Perianal Crohn's disease (PCD) can affect both quality of life and psychological wellbeing. A subset of pediatric patients with complex PCD require surgical intervention, although appropriate timing and treatment regimens remain unclear. This study aimed to describe a large pediatric cohort in a tertiary center to determine the range of surgical management in children with complex PCD. Methods A retrospective review of children requiring operative intervention for PCD over 13 years (2002–2014) was performed. PCD was divided into simple and complex based on the type of surgical procedure, and the two groups were compared. Results The 57 children were divided into two groups: the simple group ( N =43) underwent abscess drainage ± seton insertion alone, and the complex group ( N =14) underwent loop ileostomy ± more extensive surgery. In the complex group, females were more predominant (57% of complex vs 30% of simple), and the average age at diagnosis was lower. Anti-TNF therapy was utilized in 79.1% of simple and 100% of complex PCD. All 14 complex patients underwent a defunctioning ileostomy, with 7 requiring further operations (subtotal colectomy=4, proctocolectomy ± anal sparing=5, plastic surgery reconstruction with perineal flap/graft=4). Conclusion Complex PCD represents a small but challenging subset of patients in which major surgical intervention may be necessary to alleviate the symptoms of this debilitating condition. Level of evidence: retrospective case study with no control group – level IV

Water stress represents the major factor that affects the growth and development of plants in the arid and semi-arid areas. To improve crop management, the selection of better yielding species under such condition is a principal strategy. In this study, the responses of two pistachio species were studied after water stress followed by re-watering. Indeed, the leaf water potential, relative water content, total chlorophyll content and leaf gas exchanges were assessed during water stress and re-watering. The results showed that, under water stress, Pistacia atlantica Desf. maintained water status, leaf gas exchanges and total chlorophyll content stable compared to Pistacia vera L., which experienced a great decrease. After rehydration, P. atlantica showed fast recovery of stomatal parameters, compared to P. vera, suggesting a good tolerance to water stress. The variation of P. vera and P. atlantica responses to water stress and re-watering suggested the higher adaptation of P. atlantica to water stress compared to P. vera.

Introduction: Mutations in the signal transducer and activator of transcription1 (STAT1) have been associated with a variety of clinical patterns. Interestingly patients with heterozygous mutations in the DNA binding domain (DBD) of STAT1 suffer acute and chronic colitis. Methods: To further analyze the role of STAT1 deficiency in intestinal inflammation, we employed protein expression analysis of total and activated STAT1 in intestinal biopsy samples from 2 patients with heterozygous mutations in the DBD of the STAT1 gene. Results: Both patients showed clinical and histological features of colitis. Total and activated STAT1 were decreased in duodenal and colonic enterocytes, and total STAT1 was found to be mislocalized in aggregates subapically. In addition, intestinal biopsy samples showed decreased numbers of lymphocytes. Patient-derived lymphoblasts demonstrated lack of viability and high susceptibility for cell death. Conclusion: STAT1 expression and distribution in the gut of patients with mutations in the DBD are abnormal, suggesting a primary role of STAT1 dysfunction in enterocytes in addition to the secondary effect of aberrant inflammation. Statement of novelty: Colitis associated with STAT1 mutations appears to have unique features distinct from typical inflammatory bowel disease.

Background This systematic review critically analyzes the current research on micronutrient deficiency in children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and synthesizes these data to provide evidence-based guidelines for nutritional surveillance in this population. Methods We searched 5 databases (Ovid Medline, PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library) for studies evaluating micronutrients in patients with IBD using the following inclusion criteria: 1) original research, 2) published 1996 or later; 3) published in English; 4) human subjects; and 5) containing pediatric data. Studies were reviewed and included based on the strength of research methods. Data on the prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies in pediatric patients with IBD and risk factors for micronutrient deficiency in these patients were extracted from included studies and compared and discussed in preparation of the proposed guidelines and manuscript. Results A total of 39 studies were included in the final review. The data presented in these studies show that iron deficiency and vitamin D deficiency are common in pediatric patients with IBD. Vitamin B12 and folate deficiency are rare. Zinc deficiency, while not common, occurs at a higher rate in patients with Crohn's disease than in healthy controls. There was limited data on vitamins A, E, and C, and selenium, but deficiency of these micronutrients seems rare. Conclusions We recommend annual surveillance of iron and vitamin D in pediatric patients with IBD regardless of disease activity or phenotype. Zinc should be monitored annually in patients with Crohn's disease. There is insufficient evidence to support routine screening for other micronutrient deficiencies.

Purpose Children with perianal Crohn's disease (PCD) are a unique and diverse patient population. The purpose of this study was to describe the spectrum of disease and role of surgery. Methods A retrospective chart review of all children having at least one surgical intervention for PCD over 10years was performed. Results Fifty-seven patients (63% male) aged 0.5–17 (median 13) years were identified. Perianal disease consisted of skin tags (49%), superficial fistulae (49%), deep fistulae (37%), superficial abscesses (68%), deep abscesses (9%), skin breakdown (19%), and anal strictures (7%). 84% received anti-TNF therapy, with 27% treated with a second anti-TNF medication. Minor surgical procedures, commonly done during anti-TNF therapy, included abscess drainage (67%) and seton placement (33%). Major surgical procedures, done almost exclusively after anti-TNF failure, included defunctioning ileostomy (23%) and subtotal colectomy (9%). Follow-up ranged from 7 to 160 (median 54) months. Conclusions Pediatric PCD has a wide range of disease severity. Minor surgery provides adequate drainage before and during anti-TNF therapy, while major surgery plays a role in medically refractory disease. Appropriate surgical intervention remains an important part of the treatment paradigm.

This study is an extension of our last researches about the detection of transition zones based on multiresolution spectral analysis (MRS). In this paper we present the fourth step for the realization of an automatic system for Tunisian Dialect segmentation and analysis. The MRS is calculated over several Fast Fourier Transforms (FFT) of different length. It can provide a higher temporal accuracy in the upper spectral region and a better frequency resolution in the lower spectral range. We showcase the importance of this tool by attempting to an automatic transition zones detection by calculating the Interquartile Range (IQR) of all frames of the MRS FFT. We applied our Visual Assistance of Speech Processing (VASP) System to a corpus. This corpus was in Tunisian Dialect pronounced by tunisian speakers. The analysis of the obtained results shows that the automatic detection of transition zones based on MRS provides better results compared to classical spectral analysis of the corpora used.

Background The composition of the intestinal microbiome seems relevant to the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease (CD), with differences in both diversity and composition of the gut microbiota in patients with CD compared with healthy individuals. However, there are still conflicting reports on the importance of various bacterial taxa in the pathogenesis of CD. The aim of this study was to characterize the composition of mucosa-associated intestinal microbiota in newly diagnosed pediatric patients with CD. Methods Mucosa-associated bacteria were identified from ileal biopsy specimens obtained at colonoscopy of 10 patients with either ileal or ileocolonic new-onset CD and 15 controls without mucosal inflammation. Microbial composition was performed by profiling the 16S rDNA V6 region using Illumina sequencing. Samples were analyzed for differences in alpha/beta diversity and also for differentially abundant taxa. Results Alpha diversity did not differ between the controls and CD cases or between CD subjects with localized ileal disease compared with those with more extensive disease. Controls also did not clearly separate from patients with CD by principal coordinate analyses; however, 117 operational taxonomic units were found to be differentially abundant between the two groups. In particular, numerous operational taxonomic units associated with Faecalibacterium prausnitzii species were increased in children with CD. Conclusions These findings contribute to emerging evidence regarding dysbiosis in pediatric CD, and provide additional evidence challenging the protective role of F. prausnitzii in CD.

The Major Outer Membrane Protein (MOMP) belongs to the membrane complex of cysteine-rich proteins of Chlamydophila pneumoniae. Although MOMP can elicit strong immune responses it fails to confer long-term protection against infection in animal models. This effect has been attributed, at least in part, to an inadequate induction of protective Th1-mediated immune responses. In an effort to understand the cellular mechanisms associated to the immunomodulatory properties of MOMP we studied the effect of this protein on mouse macrophages and naïve T-lymphocytes. We found that incubation of mouse macrophages with recombinant MOMP (rMOMP) results in an increased secretion of MMP-9 and a down-regulation of MHC class II, CD86 and CD40. This was accompanied by an increase in IL-10 and IFNγ but not in IL-12 secretion. rMOMP induced a down-regulation of the expression of CD69 and CD154 markers by activated CD4(+) T cells, and enhanced the secretion of IL-2 and IL-10 by these cells. Conversely, rMOMP-treated macrophages up-regulated the expression of CD69 but not CD154, inhibited the synthesis of IL-10 and up-regulated the production of IFNγ by activated CD8(+) T cells. Immunization of mice with MOMP induced the synthesis only of MOMP-specific IgG1 but no differences in cytokine profile were observed compared to controls. Our results provide new evidence on the role of MOMP in modulating T cell-mediated immune responses.

We have performed R&D project on methanol synthesis from CO2 and hydrogen in order to contribute to CO2 mitigation. High-performance Cu/ZnO based multicomponent catalysts were developed. The roles of metal oxides contained in Cu/ZnO-based catalysts were classified into two categories: (1) Al2O3 or ZrO2 improves the dispersion of copper particles in the catalyst; (2) Ga2O3 or Cr2O3 increases the activity per unit copper surface area of the catalyst. The long-term stability of Cu/ZnO-based catalysts during methanol synthesis from CO2 and hydrogen was improved by adding a small amount of silica to the catalysts. Silica added to the catalysts suppressed the crystallization of ZnO contained in the catalysts. The catalysts were found to be highly active and extremely stable in methanol synthesis from CO2 and hydrogen. In the next step, a bench plant with a capacity of 50 kg day−1 of CH3OH, which was equipped with facilities for recycling unreacted gases and gaseous products, was successfully operated. The purity of crude methanol produced was 99.9 wt%, whereas the purity of crude methanol produced from syngas in a present-day commercial plant was reported as 99.6 wt%.

Background/Aims: The principal aim of conservation is to maintain the viability of grafts. This requires the addition of a cellular protector allowing better conservation of the graft. The aim of this work is to evaluate the effect of trimetazidine (TMZ) addition to Wistar rat livers conserved in Krebs-Henseleit solution, compared to the livers preserved only in Krebs-Henseleit solution (24 h at 4°C). Methods: 40 Wistar female rats divided into 5 groups were used: the first group consists of nonpreserved livers, the second consists of livers preserved only in the Krebs-Henseleit solution, and the other 3 groups consist of livers preserved in Krebs solution with different concentrations of TMZ added (16.5, 49.5 and 165 μg/ml). Results: The obtained results show an improvement in the state of the liver in the presence of a high concentration of TMZ, which approaches normal physiological conditions. We note a clear diminution of transaminase activities, as well as an amelioration in metabolic capacities of the liver if the mitochondrial esterase pathway is supported in Wistar rats by a reduction of histological injuries. Conclusion: A TMZ concentration of 165 μg/ml clearly restored the metabolic capacities of the liver. Indeed, TMZ limited the appearance of necrotic areas and almost suppressed apoptotic cells.

Drought is the main limiting factor of forage production in semi-arid areas. Annual variation of soil water availability (SWA), predawn leaf water potential (Ψ pd ), stomatal conductance (g), photosynthesis rate (A) and the intrinsic water use efficiency (A/g) were examined under irrigation (control) and rain fed conditions in Palma de Mallorca (Spain) for two Mediterranean shrubs: Medicago arborea (M. arborea), with a wide distribution and Medicago citrina (M. citrina), an endemic species to the Balearic islands. Experimental conditions were typically Mediterranean, with low annual precipitation. In well-irrigated plants, SWA and Ψ pd were similar for both species throughout the year but higher g was observed in autumn and in spring-summer. The photosynthesis rate was slightly higher in autumn and spring. Even though photosynthetic activity in M. arborea was higher than in M. citrina in spring, A/g was relatively higher for M. citrina for most of the year due to a lower transpiration rate. Under rain fed conditions, SWA dropped after February from 70% to 10-20%. Variations in plant water status, g and A were mainly dependent on SWA. Moreover, differences for water extraction and water use efficiency between species were found. Under moderate drought (SWA > 60%), g was more severely reduced than A and Ψ pd (October-March), as a consequence, A/g increased. Stomatal conductance variations for both species were more closely related to soil moisture rather than to leaf water status. Interestingly, M. citrina desiccated the soil more gradually and extracted water at deeper horizons (between 0.5 and 1 m). As a consequence, it maintained relatively higher Ψ pd , g and A than M. arborea throughout spring. For M. arborea, SWA declined more rapidly and leaf shedding in spring was much more substantial. When subjected to severe and prolonged summer drought (SWA < 50%), all parameters were severely reduced for both species and A had values near zero. Consequently, A/g was low and the senescence of the majority of leaves for M. arborea took place. On the basis of these results, M. citrina exhibits a higher water use efficiency under moderate drought.

Forage shrub production in the Mediterranean region is frequently limited by soil water availability. To study plant responses to water deficit under such conditions is important for improving crop management and for selecting better yielding forage shrub species. Pre-dawn leaf water potential (Ψ pd ), plant leaf area (PLA), leaf area per stem (LA s ), leaf appearance rate (LARD), leaf senescence rate (LSR), individual leaf area (LA) and maximal leaf elongation rate (LER) were studied throughout the year for Medicago arborea (MA) and Medicago citrina (MC) under irrigated (control) and low rainfall field conditions, at the experimental field site of the University of the Balearic Islands in Spain. With irrigation, the highest LA and LER were observed in autumn and spring and the lowest in winter and summer. LAR l was similar for both species in autumn and winter. Throughout the spring, LARD was higher for MC compared to MA. PLA was similar for both species during the autumn, winter and spring seasons; however, during the summer PLA of MA was significantly reduced by 53%. This decline was attributed to higher leaf senescence during seed maturity. As a consequence, MC maintained higher leaf area ( 5 m 2 plant -1 ) than MA (3 m 2 plant -1 ). Under natural field conditions, soil water deficit increased from February to late August. The main effect of water stress was a marked reduction in LARD, LA and LER reflected in lower LA s and PLA. Leaf area was severely reduced for both species during the summer, but much more intensively in MA, which developed full leaf senescence. Thus, MC maintained higher PLA than MA (0.5 m 2 compared to 0.0 m 2 ). Throughout the year, but especially in the driest months, MC was superior to MA in leaf growth parameters and PLA.

Gas exchange parameters, leaf nitrogen content and specific leaf area (SLA) were measured in situ on 73 C3 and five C4 plant species in Mallorca, west Mediterranean, to test whether species endemic to the Balearic Islands differed from widespread, non‐endemic Mediterranean species and crops in their leaf traits and trait inter‐relationships. Endemic species differed significantly from widespread species and crops in several parameters; in particular, photosynthetic capacity, on an area basis (A), was 20 % less in endemics than in non‐endemics. Similar differences between endemics and non‐endemics were found in parameters such as SLA and leaf nitrogen content per area (Na). Nevertheless, most of the observed differences were found only within the herbaceous deciduous species. These could be due to the fact that most of the non‐endemic species within this group have adapted to ruderal areas, while none of the endemics occupies this kind of habitat. All the species—including the crops—showed a positive, highly significant correlation between photosynthetic capacity on a mass basis (Am), leaf nitrogen content on a mass basis (Nm) and SLA. However, endemic species had a lower Am for any given SLA and Nm. Hypotheses are presented to explain these differences, and their possible role in reducing the distribution of many endemic Balearic species is discussed.

BACKGROUND: A 3-year old female with a history of chronic watery diarrhea was diagnosed with a suprarenal vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)-secreting neuroblastoma (‘VIPoma’). Neuroblastomas are one of the most common malignancies in children aged 0–5 years, while VIP is a gastrointestinal neuropeptide that can act upon epithelial cells, neurons, and immune cells. Secretory diarrhea and hypokalemia are classic symptoms of a VIPoma, however the precise mechanism remains unknown. AIMS: To define in the pathway of VIP-mediated ion secretion using intestinal organoids. METHODS: Prior to diagnosis, supplemental KCl was given (3 mmol/kg) to address the low potassium. Following this, serum and stool samples were collected daily for 8 days to measure electrolyte (Na(+), K(+), Cl(-)) levels and stool osmolal gap. Intestinal organoids were cultured from a sigmoid colon biopsy of a non-inflamed control patient. Organoids were labelled with calcein AM dye and assessed every 12 min for 1–2 hrs by microscopy, with luminal ion secretion assessed by the increase in organoid size over time. RESULTS: The patient’s serum potassium levels were consistently below the normal range and the stool osmolal gap was

This work develops a general finite-element (FE) model for synchronous machines. A two-dimensional, nonlinear, time-stepped finite-element simulation of a line-to-line short circuit is performed on...

Finite-element modeling is used to study the steady-state and transient performance of a large synchronous machine. In the present paper, we carry out a two-dimensional, non-linear, time-stepped finite-element simulation of a line-to-line short circuit on a large salient-pole synchronous generator with multiple rotor circuits under no-load conditions. The work is validated for performance prediction using a Hydro-Quebec network generator.

This paper presents a finite element method for the simulation of compressible flows. The Navier–Stokes and Euler equations are solved in the conservation form using various sets of independent variables. A variational formulation is developed based upon a variant of the Petrov–Galerkin method, and uses a shock-capturing operator. An adaptive algorithm based on a particular residual norm is proposed. Several numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the performances of each set of variables in solving compressible high-speed flows.

Background & Aims The colitis observed in patients with very early onset inflammatory bowel disease (VEOIBD; defined as onset of disease at younger than 6 years of age) often resembles that of chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) in extent and features of colonic inflammation observed by endoscopy and histology. CGD is a severe immunodeficiency caused by defects in the genes that encode components of the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase complex. We investigated whether variants in genes that encode NADPH oxidase components affect susceptibility to VEOIBD using independent approaches. Methods We performed targeted exome sequencing of genes that encode components of NADPH oxidases (cytochrome b light chain and encodes p22 phox protein; cytochrome b-245 or NADPH oxidase 2, and encodes Nox2 or gp91 phox ; neutrophil cytosol factor 1 and encodes p47 phox protein; neutrophil cytosol factor 2 and encodes p67 phox protein; neutrophil cytosol factor 4 and encodes p40 phox protein; and Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 and 2) in 122 patients with VEOIBD diagnosed at The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, from 1994 through 2012. Gene variants were validated in an independent International Early Onset Pediatric IBD Cohort Study cohort of patients with VEOIBD. In a second approach, we examined Tag single nucleotide polymorphisms in a subset of patients with VEOIBD in which the NOX2 NADPH oxidase genes sequence had been previously analyzed. We then looked for single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with the disease in an independent International Early Onset Pediatric IBD Cohort Study cohort of patients. We analyzed the functional effects of variants associated with VEOIBD. Results Targeted exome sequencing and Tag single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping identified 11 variants associated with VEOIBD; the majority of patients were heterozygous for these variants. Expression of these variants in cells either reduced oxidative burst or altered interactions among proteins in the NADPH oxidase complex. Variants in the noncoding regulatory and splicing elements resulted in reduced levels of proteins, or expression of altered forms of the proteins, in blood cells from VEOIBD patients. Conclusions We found that VEOIBD patients carry heterozygous functional hypomorphic variants in components of the NOX2 NADPH oxidase complex. These do not cause overt immunodeficiency, but instead determine susceptibility to VEOIBD. Specific approaches might be developed to treat individual patients based on their genetic variant.

Patients with a diverse spectrum of rare genetic disorders can present with inflammatory bowel disease (monogenic IBD). Patients with these disorders often develop symptoms during infancy or early childhood, along with endoscopic or histological features of Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, or IBD unclassified. Defects in interleukin-10 signaling have a Mendelian inheritance pattern with complete penetrance of intestinal inflammation. Several genetic defects that disturb intestinal epithelial barrier function or affect innate and adaptive immune function have incomplete penetrance of the IBD-like phenotype. Several of these monogenic conditions do not respond to conventional therapy and are associated with high morbidity and mortality. Due to the broad spectrum of these extremely rare diseases, a correct diagnosis is frequently a challenge and often delayed. In many cases, these diseases cannot be categorized based on standard histological and immunologic features of IBD. Genetic analysis is required to identify the cause of the disorder and offer the patient appropriate treatment options, which include medical therapy, surgery, or allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. In addition, diagnosis based on genetic analysis can lead to genetic counseling for family members of patients. We describe key intestinal, extraintestinal, and laboratory features of 50 genetic variants associated with IBD-like intestinal inflammation. In addition, we provide approaches for identifying patients likely to have these disorders. We also discuss classic approaches to identify these variants in patients, starting with phenotypic and functional assessments that lead to analysis of candidate genes. As a complementary approach, we discuss parallel genetic screening using next-generation sequencing followed by functional confirmation of genetic defects.

This is a simulation study focusing on the effect of the temperature response of a biological tissue due to the existence of abnormal inclusions under skin or abnormal functionality. The Pennes bioheat transfer equation is used as a biophysical model to describe heat loss and circulatory system contribution to heat transfer in a tissue under skin. The objective of this study is the to obtain the temperature mapping on the skin, in view of the existence of abnormal inclusion or abnormal functionality, and later, see the influence of different parameters such as location, size, conductivity, metabolic generation heat and blood perfusion on the temperature mapping. After the introduction of the mathematical model of bioheat transfer in the skin tissue, we present the discrete grid of the medium and boundary conditions including radiation. Finally, we give numerical results concerning detection of abnormalities under skin tissue. We try to extend the obtained model to handle clinical observations concerning evaluation of patients at high risk for lower extremity peripheral arterial disease..

This paper presents a finite element method for the simulation of two-dimensional internal compressible flows. The Navier-Stokes equations are solved in terms of the so-called enthalpic variables: the static pressure p, the momentum per unit volume U and the total specific enthalpy h. The variational formulation is a variante of the SUPG method. The stability of this method is reenforced by the use of a discontinuity capturing operator. A turbulence algebraic model for the simulation of flows in ejectors is built. It consists in separating the flow into two regions: one near the wall where the Baldwin-Lomax model is applied and the other, far from the wall, where a new formulation, based on the Schlichting model for free jets, is proposed. The turbulent viscosity evaluation, on an unstructured grid, is a variante of the Rostand's technic. The discretization of the variational form is done on a P1/P2 element and uses an implicit scheme. The algebraic system is solved using the GMRES algorithm with...

OBJECTIVES: The NOS2 gene encodes for the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), responsible for nitric oxide (NO) production, which contributes to antimicrobial and antipathogenic activities. Higher levels of both iNOS and NO-induced damage have been observed in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. NOS2 may have a role in a specific subset of IBD patients with severe and/or extensive colitis. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the role of NOS2 in such a subset, very early onset IBD (VEO-IBD). METHODS: Seventeen tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the NOS2 gene were successfully genotyped in VEO-IBD patients. Genetic associations were replicated in an independent VEO-IBD cohort. Functional analysis for iNOS activity was performed on the most significantly associated functional variant. RESULTS: The NOS2 rs2297518 SNP was found to be associated in VEO-IBD in two independent cohorts. Upon combined analysis, a coding variant (S608L) showed the strongest association with VEO-IBD (Pcombined=1.13 × 10−6, OR (odds ratio)=3.398 (95% CI (confidence interval) 2.02–5.717)) as well as associations with VEO-Crohn's disease and VEO-ulcerative colitis (UC). This variant also showed an association with UC diagnosed between 11 and 17 years of age but not with adult-onset IBD (>17 years). B-cell lymphoblastoid cell lines genotyped for the risk variant as well as Henle-407 cells transfected with a plasmid construct with the risk variant showed higher NO production. Colonic biopsies of VEO-IBD patients showed higher immunohistochemical staining of nitrotyrosine, indicating more nitrosative stress and tissue damage. CONCLUSIONS: These studies suggest the importance of iNOS in genetic susceptibility to younger IBD presentation due to higher NO production.

Background Antibodies to microbial antigens have been associated with specific diagnoses and phenotypes of inflammatory bowel disease. We evaluated the prevalence of pANCA, IgA and IgG anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies, anti-OmpC, and anti-flagellin in a large well-defined population of patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) and analyzed for various clinical outcomes. Methods Samples were collected from 391 patients with CD, 207 patients with UC, and 62 healthy controls. Patients were phenotyped using the Montreal classification. Blinded serological analyses were performed for pANCA, IgA and IgG anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies, anti-OmpC, and anti-flagellin. Results In CD, increasing quantitative levels for antibodies were associated with a younger age of diagnosis, longer disease duration, increased surgeries, ileocolonic and perianal disease, and internal perforating behavior. In UC, they were associated with colectomy. An increasing number of seropositive antibodies in CD was associated with a younger age at diagnosis, increased disease duration, ileocolonic and perianal disease, internal penetrating and stricturing behavior, and increased surgeries. Multivariate analysis confirmed the association of antimicrobial antibodies with features of complicated CD and UC. Conclusions Increased serological markers are associated with a more aggressive CD phenotype and an increased need for colectomy in UC. This raises the possibility for use of these markers in patients at risk of complex disease.

Classic speech spectrogram shows log-magnitude amplitude (dB) versus time and frequency. The sound pressure level in dB is approximately proportional to the volume perceived by the ear. The classic speech sonagram offers a single integration time which is the length of the window. It implements a uniform bandpass filter, the spectral samples are regularly spaced and correspond to equal bandwidths. The choice of the window length determines the time-frequency resolution for all frequencies of sonagram. The more the window is narrower, the better the time resolution and the worse the frequency resolution. This implies that the display resolution of formants, voicing and frictions at low frequencies is less good than the resolution of the bursts in the high frequencies and vice versa. It is so necessary to make the right choice of windows compared to the signal.

The quality of the medical image can be evaluated by several subjective techniques. However, the objective technical assessments of the quality of medical imaging have been recently proposed. The fusion of information from different imaging modalities allows a more accurate analysis. We have developed new techniques based on the multiresolution fusion. MRI and PET images have been fused with eight multi resolution techniques. For the evaluation of fusion images obtained, we opted by objective techniques. The results p rove that the fusion with RATIO and contrast techniques to offer the best results. Evaluation by objective technical quality of medical i mages fused is feasible and successful.

The Navier-Stokes and Euler equations are solved in a conservative form and using the conservation variables. The variational formulation and the corresponding finite element approximations are discussed. For high speed flows, the numerical model has to be stabilized. We used a SUPG method along with a shock capturing operator. The stabilization techniques and the solution algorithm are described. Some numerical tests are carried out to validate the code. This model is employed to simulate the flow in an engine intake.

This paper presents an automatic method for Silence/Sonorant/Non-Sonorant detection based on multiresolution spectral analysis (MRS) and ANOVA method. Our method is composed of two parts. The first is calculation of the MRS by combining several FFT of different lengths. The second is an automatic Silence/Sonorant/Non-Sonorant detection by calculating a classical statistics method such as Standard Deviation and Mean and a statistical test such as the Analysis of Variance ANOVA of each N frames of the MRS FFT. We used our Visual Assistance of Speech Processing (VASP) System applied to a corpus. This corpus was in French Belgian pronounced by Belgian speakers. The analysis of the obtained results shows that automatic Silence/Sonorant/NonSonorant detection based on MRS provides better results compared to classical spectral analysis of the corpora used. Classifications with ANOVA was better then the classical methods such as Standard Deviation and Mean.

Tunisian dialect is a mixture of several languages; Arabic, Berber, French, Italian, English and Spanish. In this paper, we introduce a study of two common vowels /a/ and / e / in tunisian dialect and french. Vowels are pronounced in tunisian context. Our study is realized in time-frequency domain. Firstly, we present our corpus and our system Visual Assistance of Speech Processing VASP, which are used to realize our analysis. Then, we describe two visual representations in time-frequency domain: classical and multiresolution spectrogram. Finally, we apply VASP on tunisian dialect and french language. The analysis of the obtained results shows that due to the influence of french language on the tunisian dialect, the vowels /a/ and / e / are, in some contexts, similarly pronounced.

A unified finite element method for the computation of two dimensional compressible viscous and free surface flows is presented. The Navier-Stokes (resp. Shallow- Water) equations are solved in terms of the dependent variables velocity and a which is the logarithm of the density (resp. of the head water). It is particulary shown that it is necessary to use stable variational formulation at least for the continuity equation to avoid any oscillations in case of rapid flows. The method proposed herein combines the ideas behind Stream-Line Upwinding Petrov Galerkin Method and Flux limiting methods in order to introduce a stabilisation mechanism only where it is required. Numerical computations of relatively high Reynolds number (2000–10000) two-dimensional transonic and transcriticai flows around a NACA-0012 airfoil exhibit a progression from a steady to periodic vortex sheding flows.