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Introduction Temporomandibular-joint osteoarthritis (TMJOA) management is a major challenge. Minimally invasive therapies (based mainly on injections) have been developed to increase local efficacy and limit adverse systemic effects. However, the requirement for repeat injections due to a short duration of action and expensive healthcare costs have pushed researchers to develop, via tissue engineering, drug-delivery systems (DDSs). In this literature systematic review, we aim to provide an overview of studies that tested DDSs on a TMJOA model. Material and methods We searched on PubMed for articles published from November 1965 to March 2021 on DDSs using a TMJOA model. We highlighted the different DDSs and the active molecule employed. Route of drug administration, model type, test duration, and efficacy duration were assessed. To evaluate the quality of each study, a protocol bias was tested using QUADAS-2™. Results Of the 10 studies that were full text-screened, four used a poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-based delivery system. The other DDSs employed chitosan-based hydrogels, microneedles patches, nanostructured lipid carriers, or poloxamer micelles. Hyaluronic acid, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and analgesics were used as active molecules in five studies. The main way to administer DDSs was intra-articular injection and the most used model was the rat. Discussion Various DDSs and active molecules have been studied on a TMJOA model that could aid TMJOA management. Further works using longer test durations are necessary to validate these advances.

Background and Aim: Tonometers are an important instrument for measuring intraocular pressure (IOP) in the diagnosis of glaucoma or uveitis. This study aimed to compare the accuracy of the main types of tonometers with different IOP measurement methodologies in dogs: TonoVet and TonoVet Plus (rebound), Tono-Pen Avia Vet (applanation), and Kowa HA-2 (Goldmann applanation). Materials and Methods: IOP was measured in 152 eyes of 76 dogs. A postmortem study was performed by comparing manometry and tonometry values and calculating the correlation coefficient (r2), in vivo real IOP (manometry) among the tonometers was compared, and an outpatient study was conducted with healthy eyes and eyes with signs of glaucoma and uveitis. Results: In the postmortem study, the values of r2 in descending order were Kowa (0.989), TonoVet Plus (0.984), TonoVet (0.981), and Tono-Pen Avia Vet (0.847). The IOP values in mmHg in the in vivo study were as follows: Aneroid manometer (16.8±2.5.7), TonoVet (18.1±2.9), TonoVet Plus (20.6±2.3), Tono-Pen Avia Vet (17.1±2.5), and Kowa (16.1±1.7); in outpatient clinics: TonoVet (16.8±3.8), TonoVet Plus (19.2±2.9), Tono-Pen Avia Vet (16.2±2.4), and Kowa (15.0±1.3); glaucoma: TonoVet (30.2±3.5), TonoVet Plus (35.0±6.1), Tono-Pen Avia Vet (29.5±4.2), and Kowa (23.9±5.0); and uveitis: TonoVet (14.2±1.4), TonoVet Plus (17.6±1.9), Tono-Pen Avia Vet (13.7±2.1), and Kowa (12.6±1.7). Conclusion: There was a strong correlation between IOP values and manometry in all the tonometers. The highest values were obtained with TonoVet Plus and the lowest with Kowa HA-2. All tonometers accurately measured IOP in dogs, including the latest TonoVet Plus, which showed an excellent correlation coefficient.

Aim To describe the nature and duration of nursing activities and how much time registered nurses allocate to the different dimensions of their scope of practice in a Swiss university hospital internal medicine ward. Design A single-centre observational descriptive study. Method Using a time and motion study, two researchers shadowed healthcare workers (N = 21) during 46 complete work shifts in 2018. They recorded each activity observed in real time using a tablet computer with a pre-registered list of 42 activities classified into 13 dimensions. Results A total of 507.5 work hours were observed. Less than one third of registered nurses' work time was spent with patients. They allocated the most time to the dimensions of 'communication and care coordination' and 'care planning', whereas 'optimizing the quality and safety of care', 'integrating and supervising staff' and 'client education' were allocated the least time. Conclusion This study provided a reliable description of nurses' time use at work. It highlighted suboptimal use of the full scope of nursing practice. Impact Both work organization and culture should be reconsidered to promote better use of nursing skills. Practice optimization should focus on the following three main areas: (1) greater involvement of registered nurses in building relationships and directly caring for patients and their families; (2) better use of registered nurses' skills in the activities required of their proper roles, including nursing clinical assessments and patient education and (3) more systematically updating registered nurses' knowledge.

Background Mycobacterium leprae was the first microorganism directly associated with a disease, however, there are still important gaps in our understanding of transmission. Although household contacts are prioritized, there is evidence of the importance of extrahousehold contacts. The goal of this article is to contribute to our understanding of the transmission of leprosy ex-household. Methods We compare co-location data of 397 leprosy cases and 211 controls drawn from the Centro de Dermatologia Sanitária D. Libânia in Fortaleza, Brazil. We collected lifetime geolocation data related to residence, school attendance and workplace and developed novel methods to establish a critical distance (Rc) for exposure and evaluated the potential for transmission for residence, school and workplace. Results Our methods provide different threshold values of distance for residence, school and workplace. Residence networks demonstrate an Rc of about 500 m. Cases cluster in workplaces as well. Schools do not cluster cases. Conclusions Our novel network approach offers a promising opportunity to explore leprosy transmission. Our networks confirm the importance of coresidence, provide a boundary and suggest a role for transmission in workplaces. Schools, on the other hand, do not demonstrate a clustering of cases. Our findings may have programmatic relevance.

Background: Transplacentally transferred antibodies induced by maternal pertussis vaccination interfere with infant immune responses to pertussis primary vaccination. We evaluated whether this interference remains in toddlers after booster vaccination. Methods: In a prior phase IV, observer-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study (NCT02377349), pregnant women in Australia, Canada and Europe received intramuscular tetanus-reduced-antigen-content diphtheria-three-component acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap group) or placebo (control group) at 270/7–366/7 weeks’ gestation, with crossover immunization postpartum. Their infants were primed (study NCT02422264) and boosted (at 11–18 months; current study NCT02853929) with diphtheria-tetanus-three-component acellular pertussis-hepatitis B virus-inactivated poliovirus/Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine (DTaP-HepB-IPV/Hib) and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. Immunogenicity before and after booster vaccination, and reactogenicity and safety of the booster were evaluated descriptively. Results: 263 (Tdap group) and 277 (control group) toddlers received a DTaP-HepB-IPV/Hib booster. Pre-booster vaccination, observed geometric mean concentrations (GMCs) for the three pertussis antigens and diphtheria were 1.4–1.5-fold higher in controls than in the Tdap group. No differences were observed for the other DTaP-HepB-IPV/Hib antigens. One month post-booster vaccination, booster response rates for pertussis antigens were ≥ 92.1% and seroprotection rates for the other DTaP-HepB-IPV/Hib antigens were ≥ 99.2% in both groups (primary objective). Higher post-booster GMCs were observed in controls versus the Tdap group for anti-filamentous hemagglutinin (1.2-fold), anti-pertussis toxoid (1.5-fold) and anti-diphtheria (1.4-fold). GMCs for the other DTaP-HepB-IPV/Hib antigens were similar between groups. Serious adverse events were reported for three toddlers (controls, not vaccination-related). One death occurred pre-booster (Tdap group, not vaccination-related). Conclusions: As a consequence of interference of maternal pertussis antibodies with infant immune responses to pertussis primary vaccination, pertussis antibody concentrations were still lower in toddlers from Tdap-vaccinated mothers before DTaP-HepB-IPV/Hib booster vaccination. After the booster, antibody concentrations were lower for filamentous hemagglutinin and pertussis toxoid but not for pertactin. The clinical significance of this interference requires further evaluation. Clinical Trial Registration. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02853929. publishedVersion

International audience; Due to an EU directive making integrated pest management (IPM) mandatory, European farmers are expected to reduce their use of chemical pesticides, which may potentially increase production costs and risk of harvest loss. Less pesticide use is appreciated by many consumers and may generate a higher willingness to pay (WTP). However, IPM is a wide concept and it is difficult for consumers to distinguish between products with high and low risk of pesticide residues. As a result, consumers might use other characteristics, such as country of origin, for the identification of safer products. In this study, we investigate if a higher WTP for Norwegian strawberries is associated with a belief that they contain less pesticide residues than imported berries. We use regression analysis to estimate to what extent the difference in WTP for Norwegian and imported strawberries is correlated with various perceptions about strawberries. The analyses reveal that the stronger the belief that Norwegian strawberries have less pesticide risk than imported ones, the higher the WTP for Norwegian strawberries. This means that if consumers believe domestic farmers use little pesticides, domestic products might be able to sell at considerably higher prices than imports. Hence, it may be economically beneficial for farmers to keep pesticide use at a minimum. Furthermore, we find that consumers have a higher WTP for strawberries produced with less use of pesticides, although not pesticide-free, indicating that IPM is appreciated.

Objetivo deste relato e demonstrar os resultados anatomicos e funcionais apos vitrectomia com aspiracao ativa de descolamento retiniano exsudativo (DR) na doenca de Coats. Paciente de 32 anos foi encaminhado para exame oftalmologico, sendo a acuidade visual de movimentos de maos no olho esquerdo. O exame de fundo de olho revelou, no olho esquerdo, alteracoes telangiectasicas e aneurismaticas nos vasos retinianos associadas a descolamento retiniano exsudativo e regmatogenico, afetando a macula, com quadro clinico bastante sugestivo de Doenca de Coats. A vitrectomia via pars plana foi realizada com drenagem do liquido sub-retiniano e exsudacao, com todas as tecnicas necessarias para se obter, ao final do tratamento, melhora da visao associada a bons resultados anatomicos. Este caso demonstra que a aspiracao cuidadosa e lentamente ativa, durante a vitrectomia posterior via pars plana, oferece um melhor prognostico funcional nesses casos. Alem disso, o bom resultado anatomico tambem ocorreu.

Background Endometriosis can be associated with considerable pain and sterility. After surgical excision of moderate or severe endometriosis lesions, the rate of recurrence reaches up to 67%. The objective of this retrospective study was to establish the recurrence and pregnancy rates following surgical resection of stage III/IV endometriosis lesions. Indications for operation were endometriosis symptoms, sonographic findings and/or infertility. Methods A total of 456 patients who underwent stage III/IV endometriosis surgery between 2004 and 2014 were sent a questionnaire relating to their postoperative medical treatment, pregnancies, relief of symptoms and recurrence. Responses of 206 patients (45.2%) and their clinical data were analysed for this study. Results A total of 66.5% (N = 137) of patients had stage III disease, and 33.5% (N = 69) had stage IV disease. The average age was 37 years (17–59). A total of 63.1% (N = 130) of surgeries were performed by laparoscopy, 21.8% (N = 45) were performed by laparotomy and 15% (N = 31) were performed by conversion. Complete resection of endometriosis lesions was achieved in 90.8% of patients (N = 187). After surgery, 48.5% (N = 100) of the women did not receive hormonal treatment; the main reason was the desire for children in 53%. Complete or partial relief in complaints was achieved in 93.2% (N = 192). The rate of recurrence was 21.8% (N = 45). The statistically significant factors that was associated with a higher risk to develop recurrence was an age p After surgery, 65.8% (79/120) of patients who wished to have children became pregnant. There was a statistically significant association among a higher postoperative pregnancy rate and age p p Conclusion We assessed the high percentage of complete or partial relief of symptoms of 93.2%, the high postoperative pregnancy rate of 65.8% and the low rate of recurrence of 21.8% compared to international literature to be very encouraging for women suffering from moderate and severe endometriosis. Though laparoscopy is considered the ‘gold standard’of endometriosis surgery, laparotomy still may be indicated in patients with extensive endometriosis especially to preserve reproductive function.

Left ventricular contraction dyssynchrony (LVCD) has been related to induced ischemia and transmural scar but the interplay of myocardial viability and dyssynchrony is unknown. The aim of the present study was to establish the role of dyssynchrony in the context of a viability study performed with nitrate augmentation gated single photon emission computed tomography (GSPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI).Fifty-four consecutive patients with ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC) and depressed left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were included. They underwent a two-day rest/nitroglycerine (NTG) study GSPECT MPI to determine the myocardial viability. Patients with a nitrate-induced uptake increase of 10% vs baseline, in at least, two consecutive dysfunctional segments were considered viable as well as those who showed no improvement in the uptake but the uptake was 50% on post NTG study. Patients with no nitrate-induced uptake increase of 10% and the uptake of 50% were considered non-viable. Perfusion, function and LVCD were compared in 25 viable patients vs 29 non-viable patients at baseline and after NTG administration.After NTG administration, in the viable group, the LVEF increased (36.44 ± 6.64% vs 39.84 ± 6.39%) and the end-systolic volume decreased significantly (119.28 ± 31.77 mL vs 109.08 ± 33.17 mL) (P 0.01). These patients also experienced a significant reduction in the LVCD variables: phase standard deviation was reduced in the post NTG study (57.77° ± 19.47° vs 52.02° ± 17.09°) as well as the phase histogram bandwidth (190.20° ± 78.83° vs 178.0° ± 76.14°) (P 0.05). Functional and LVCD variables remained similar in the non-viable patients (P 0.05).In patients with IDC and depressed LVEF, the myocardial viability detected by rest/ NTG GSPECT MPI, might determine LVCD improvement.

In this paper, we analyze the effects on content provision in the news market of single-homing (i.e. when readers consume news from just one outlet) and multi-homing (i.e. when readers can choose to consume news from competing outlets). Media firms compete on content provision and on advertising revenues. Readers have an ideal variety of content and experience a disutility from consuming news that differs from their ideal variety. In addition, readers have a preference for single-homing and for multi-homing. In this set-up, we show that media firms only diversify content with single-homing, but not with multi-homing. The reason for this is that competition for readers and advertising is lower under multi-homing than under single-homing, since multi-homing readers consume from all media outlets. We derive the consequences of single-homing and multi-homing for profits, consumer surplus and social welfare. We also discuss the implications of our results for the current debate in the media market related with social media and echo chambers.

It has been argued that the central nervous system relies on combining simple movement elements (i.e. motor primitives) to generate complex motor outputs. However, how movement elements are generated and combined during the acquisition of new motor skills is still a source of debate. Herein, we present results providing new insights into the role of movement elements in the acquisition of motor skills that we obtained by analysing kinematic data collected while healthy subjects learned a new motor task. The task consisted of playing an interactive game using a platform with embedded sensors whose aggregate output was used to control a virtual object in the game. Subjects learned the task over multiple blocks. The analysis of the kinematic data was carried out using a recently developed technique referred to as "movement element decomposition." The technique entails the decomposition of complex multi-dimensional movements in one-dimensional elements marked by a bell-shaped velocity profile. We computed the number of movement elements during each block and measured how closely they matched a theoretical velocity profile derived by minimizing a cost function accounting for the smoothness of movement and the cost of time. The results showed that, in the early stage of motor skill acquisition, two mechanisms underlie the improvement in motor performance: 1) a decrease in the number of movement elements composing the motor output and 2) a gradual change in the movement elements that resulted in a shape matching the velocity profile derived by using the above-mentioned theoretical model.

Background Porcine circovirus type 1 (PCV-1) material was detected in the human rotavirus vaccine (HRV) in 2010. In this study we compared immunogenicity and safety of the PCV-free HRV vaccine (PCV-free HRV) with HRV. PCV-free HRV is an HRV with no detectable PCV-1 and PCV-2 according to the limit of detection of the tests used. Methods Healthy infants 6–12 weeks of age were randomized (1:1:1:1) to receive 2 doses of 1 of the 3 lots of PCV-free HRV or HRV. The study objectives were to demonstrate lot-to-lot consistency of the PCV-free HRV and noninferiority of PCV-free HRV as compared to HRV in terms of immunogenicity, 1–2 months post dose 2. Reactogenicity and safety were also assessed. Results Overall, 1612 infants were enrolled and 1545 completed the study. Study objectives were demonstrated because the predefined criteria were met. Among participants receiving PCV-free HRV and HRV, 79.27% and 81.76% seroconverted and geometric mean concentrations were 159.5 and 152.8 U/mL, respectively. The incidences of adverse events and serious adverse events were similar between the pooled PCV-free HRV and HRV groups. Conclusions The 3 PCV-free HRV lots demonstrated consistency and PCV-free HRV was noninferior compared to HRV in terms of immunogenicity. Clinical trials registration NCT02914184.

Individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD) exhibit changes in static brain connectivity in rest. However, little known as chronic pain associated with hip osteonecrosis affects dynamic brain connectivity during rest and the motor imagery task. The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics of the dynamic functional brain connectivity of individuals with SCD and chronic pain secondary to hip osteonecrosis. This is a cross-sectional study comparing the dynamic brain connectivity of healthy individuals (n = 18) with the dynamic brain connectivity of individuals with SCD and chronic pain (n = 22). Individuals with SCD and chronic pain were stratified into high- or low-intensity pain groups based on pain intensity at the time of assessment. Dynamic brain connectivity was assessed through electroencephalography in 3 stages, resting state with eyes closed, and during hip (painful for the SCD individuals) and hand (control, nonpainful) motor imagery. Average weight of the edges and full synchronization time (FST)—time required for 95% of the possible edges to appear over time during a given task—were evaluated. Regarding the average weight of the edges, individuals with SCD and high-intensity pain presented higher edge weight during hip motor imagery. The average weight of the edges correlated positively with pain intensity and depression symptoms. Individuals with SCD and chronic pain complete the cerebral network at rest more quickly (lower FST). Individuals with SCD and chronic pain/hip osteonecrosis have impaired dynamic brain network with shorter FST in rest network and more pronounced diffuse connectivity in individuals with high-intensity pain. The dynamic brain network evaluated by time-varying graphs and motif synchronization was able to identify differences between groups.

Objective The aim of this study was to characterize the dynamic brain networks underlying the affective modulation of pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral image perception due to painful stimulations in healthy subjects. Methods Forty volunteers, 20 men and 20 women, participated in this study. Brain activity was recorded by 64-channel electroencephalography. After data cleaning, brain functional networks were built through the use of the motif synchronization method. Results We found that increased cerebral connectivity in the left hemisphere under the pain condition broke the connection symmetry. Both women and men showed homophilic connections (intrahemispheric), but women were more homophilic than men. The pain condition increased homophily in the left hemisphere, and emotions could modulate pain. The frontal, central, and left temporal regions showed homophilic variation, depending on the emotional stimulus. Conclusions Pain and emotions altered brain activity. There was increased connectivity and homophily in the left brain hemisphere for the painful experience. The emotions modulated brain activity in the pain condition. Overall, the brain presented homophilic characteristics; homophily changed, depending on emotion or pain. The left brain hemisphere seems to be related to pain processing.

Objetivo: Descrever conforto para pacientes em serviço de emergência e implicações no cuidado de enfermagem. Método: Estudo exploratório descritivo qualitativo, realizado em hospital do Norte do Ceará referência para 55 municípios, com amostra de 85 pacientes, internados de 12 a 24 horas no Serviço de Emergência, investigados através de formulário, entre novembro de 2014 a fevereiro de 2015, com dados foram tratados segundo análise temática de Minayo. CEP 793.626 e CAAE 30640114.7.0000.5053. Resultados: No aspecto físico, a dor é o principal desconforto; no contexto psicoespiritosociocultural, a espera por atendimento; nos aspectos ambientais, os leitos. Conclusão: Os profissionais da enfermagem foram citados como os que mais contribuem para amenizar o desconforto dos pacientes.

Objective To assess the impact of tDCS on posture, gait and coordination of movements in subjects with cerebellar ataxia. Patients and methods This is a two-phase, double blind, auto matched, pilot study. Seven people were selected to participate in the study aged from 14 to 57. tDCS and sham-tDCS were applied at different times to all participants for 40 min over five consecutive days so that they were blind to which of the two techniques was applied at any one time. The area stimulated was the bilateral motor cortex. Subjects were evaluated before and after the interventions using the Scale for Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) and specific tests to measure posture and balance were carried out using the Wii Fit platform and CvMob software. Results The study indicates a statistically significant improvement in respect of gait parameters and the total score of the SARA scale and Wii Fit platform after tDCS when compared with data obtained from sham-tDCS trials (p: 0,03). The adverse events relating to tDCS were all self-limiting and from mild to moderate intensity. Conclusion Despite the small sample size, tDCS showed positive results in some motor parameters and could be considered a valuable new option for the treatment of cerebellar ataxias.

In this paper, we address two entrepreneurship puzzles prevailing in developing countries. First, field experiments on business training programs and grants have shown that it is much more difficult to improve business outcomes for female entrepreneurs than for their male counterparts. Second, empirical studies have revealed that it is difficult to increase entrepreneurial performance in the informal sector. We argue that an extended version of the entrepreneurship model in Lucas (Bell Journal of Economics, 9, 508–523, Lucas 1978) can provide insights into these recurrent puzzles. In particular, if female entrepreneurs are time constrained, interventions that only target business ability and credit constraints may not be sufficient to raise the entrepreneurial outcomes of female entrepreneurs. In addition, if informal entrepreneurs face business constraints in terms of both their access to credit and entrepreneurial ability, interventions that target these constraints together can have a potentially greater impact than those that target either in isolation. We support our theoretical predictions using data from a field experiment with microfinance clients, conducted in Tanzania.

This work aimed, to determine the characteristics of activity series from fractal geometry concepts application, in addition to evaluate the possibility of identifying individuals with fibromyalgia. Activity level data were collected from 27 healthy subjects and 27 fibromyalgia patients, with the use of clock-like devices equipped with accelerometers, for about four weeks, all day long. The activity series were evaluated through fractal and multifractal methods. Hurst exponent analysis exhibited values according to other studies ($H>0.5$) for both groups ($H=0.98\pm0.04$ for healthy subjects and $H=0.97\pm0.03$ for fibromyalgia patients), however, it is not possible to distinguish between the two groups by such analysis. Activity time series also exhibited a multifractal pattern. A paired analysis of the spectra indices for the sleep and awake states revealed differences between healthy subjects and fibromyalgia patients. The individuals feature differences between awake and sleep states, having statistically significant differences for $\alpha_{q-} - \alpha_{0}$ in healthy subjects ($p = 0.014$) and $D_{0}$ for patients with fibromyalgia ($p = 0.013$). The approach has proven to be an option on the characterisation of such kind of signals and was able to differ between both healthy and fibromyalgia groups. This outcome suggests changes in the physiologic mechanisms of movement control., Comment: Preprint accepted for publication at Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications

Background and Aims Clinical outcomes of Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) in ICU mainly depend on opportune preventive strategies. Thus, early identification of AKI is mandatory, and alternative diagnostic strategies become plausible: one of them, Renal Angina Index (RAI), described by Matsuura1, predicts the development of AKI KDIGO 2-3, at 7th day after admission to the intensive care unit according to a cut-off point >6 on a scale with a “creatinine score” (determined by the difference in serum creatinine between that at ICU admission and the first 24 hours in the ICU) and the impact of the patients medical history. 1Kidney Int Rep (2018) 3, 677-683. Our aim is to describe predictive capacity of the Renal Angina Index (RAI) in adult critical care patients in our population. Method We retrospectively selected from our Critical Care Nephrology database adult patients admitted in any of our hospital`s ICU between February to August 2020, excluding those at admission with diagnosis of AKI, serum creatinine > 2.5 mg/dl, or those receiving dialysis (acute or chronic) or kidney transplantation. We defined AKI according to KDIGO criteria. The RAI score was defined as the worst condition score multiplied by the creatinine score. The performance of the RAI score was assessed by Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis power to detect a difference of 0.2 between the area under the curve (AUC), under the null hypothesis of AUC = 0.5 (no diagnostic accuracy). The optimal cut point was estimated with the Youden method. Results From 1204 new ICU patients, we included 372 patients (women 40.3%), with mean age 60.9 (18-98) (table 1). Main indication for ICU admission was medical conditions. Mean APACHE II was 22.9, hemodinamic support was required in 41,1% patients, mechanical ventilation in 58.6% patients and diabetes mellitus was present in 21.5% patients. AKI KDIGO 2-3 developed in 26.8% of patients. Mean creatinine at admission was statistically different in patients with AKI (CI 0.95 –0.51 - --0.15 mg/dl, p=0.0004). The requirement of hemodynamic (p = 0.003) and ventilatory support (p = 0.009), sepsis (p = 0.003), and COVID-19 (p = 0.03) were more frequent in patients who developed AKI. Renal replacement therapy was required in 39 (60%) of patients with severe AKI (incidence 10,5%). RAI cutt-off point determined by Youden method in the overall sample was 24, being significantly higher in patients who developed AKI (16.54 Vs 7.47, CI 0.95 –13.5--4.99, p A cut-off point of 24 was required for the Best predictive capacity for severe AKI, with sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratio of 34%, 94%, 5.5 and 0.7 respectively. Conclusion In our population, RAI score requires a cutoff point much higher than that originally described to predict the development of severe AKI. Losing its discriminatory capacity.

Whole body vibration has been proven to improve the health status of patients with fibromyalgia, providing an activation of the neuromuscular spindles, which are responsible for muscle contraction. The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of two types of whole body vibrating platforms (vertical and rotational) during a 12-week training program. Sixty fibromyalgia patients (90% were women) were randomly assigned to one of the following groups: group A (n = 20), who performed the vibration training with a vertical platform, group B (n = 20), who did rotational platform training, or a control group C (n = 20), who did not do any training. Sensitivity measures (pressure pain and vibration thresholds), quality of life (Quality of Life Index), motor function tasks (Berg Scale, six-minute walking test, isometric back muscle strength), and static and dynamic balance (Romberg test and gait analysis) were assessed before, immediately after, and three months after the therapy program. Although both types of vibration appeared to have beneficial effects with respect to the control group, the training was more effective with the rotational than with vertical platform in some parameters, such as vibration thresholds (p &lt, 0.001), motor function tasks (p &lt, 0.001), mediolateral sway (p &lt, 0.001), and gait speed (p &lt, 0.05). Nevertheless, improvements disappeared in the follow-up in both types of vibration. Our study points out greater benefits with the use of rotational rather than vertical whole body vibration. The use of the rotational modality is recommended in the standard therapy program for patients with fibromyalgia. Due to the fact that the positive effects of both types of vibration disappeared during the follow-up, continuous or intermittent use is recommended.

In this paper, we identify treatment spillovers between microfinance clients in Tanzania using data from a partial population experiment where only a subset of loan group members was offered treatment in the form of business training, a business grant, or both. Our results show large and significant spillover effects from indirect exposure to treatment through group peers. In particular, we find that male microfinance clients with peers receiving both business training and the business grant experience to have significantly higher sales than those not receiving any treatment. Moreover, microfinance clients with positive spillovers make higher investments and borrow more. In addition, the treatment impacts are higher for group members with smaller loans (which is consistent with higher marginal rates of return to capital), and for members in groups with a greater share of women. Our findings illustrate that loan groups may be an important arena for the sharing of entrepreneurial resources, and that standard treatment–control analyses of similar interventions may underestimate impacts in settings with close social interactions.

Purpose Development of minimally invasive therapies for temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJOA) has focused on drug intra-articular injections to avoid the systemic adverse effects experienced when these substances are administered orally. Therefore, we performed a systematic review to answer the question “Which method of induction of a TMJOA-related pain model in rats leads to prolonged painful symptoms, allowing the best assessment of a sustained drug delivery system?” Materials and Methods Following the PRISMA guidelines, we searched MEDLINE for papers published from 1994 to July 2020 on a TMJ arthritis model using rats. We identified the means of pain induction and of nociception assessment. We assessed protocol bias using an adaptation of the QUADAS-2 tool. Animal selection, the reference standard method of pain assessment, applicability of a statistical assessment, and flow and timing were assessed. Results Of the 59 full papers we reviewed, 41 performed no pain assessment after the first 7 days following induction of the TMJ-related pain model. We eventually identified 18 long-term TMJOA-related pain models. Pain was induced by injection of toxic substances, most commonly Freund's complete adjuvant (50 μg per 50 μl), formalin at various concentrations, or monosodium iodoacetate (0,5 mg per 50 μl), into the TMJ, or by physical methods. Few studies reported data on pain after 21 days of follow-up. Heterogeneity of induction methods, pain assessment methods, and flow and timing biases precluded a meta-analysis. Conclusions Given that pain is 1 of the main symptoms of TMJOA, experimental study protocols should include long-term pain assessment.

The aim of this review was to examine the existing evidence about interventions proposed for the treatment of clinical chorioamnionitis, with the goal of developing an evidence-based contemporary approach for the management of this condition. Most trials that assessed the use of antibiotics in clinical chorioamnionitis included patients with a gestational age ≥34 weeks and in labor. The first-line antimicrobial regimen for the treatment of clinical chorioamnionitis is ampicillin combined with gentamicin, which should be initiated during the intrapartum period. In the event of a cesarean delivery, patients should receive clindamycin at the time of umbilical cord clamping. The administration of additional antibiotic therapy does not appear to be necessary after vaginal or cesarean delivery. However, if post-delivery antibiotics are prescribed, there is support for the administration of an additional dose. Patients should receive antipyretics, mainly acetaminophen, even though there is no clear evidence of their benefits. Current evidence suggests that the administration of antenatal corticosteroids for fetal lung maturation and of magnesium sulfate for fetal neuroprotection to patients with clinical chorioamnionitis between 24 0/7 and 33 6/7 weeks of gestation, and possibly between 23 0/7 and 23 6/7 weeks, has an overall beneficial effect on the infant. However, delivery should not be delayed in order to complete the full course of corticosteroids and magnesium sulfate. Once the diagnosis of clinical chorioamnionitis has been established, delivery should be considered, regardless of the gestational age. Vaginal delivery is the safer option and cesarean delivery should be reserved for standard obstetric indications. The time interval between the diagnosis of clinical chorioamnionitis and delivery is not related to most adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Patients may require a higher dose of oxytocin to achieve adequate uterine activity and/or greater uterine activity to effect a given change in cervical dilation. The benefit of using continuous electronic fetal heart rate monitoring in these patients is unclear. We identified the following promising interventions for the management of clinical chorioamnionitis: (1) an antibiotic regimen including ceftriaxone, clarithromycin, and metronidazole that provides coverage against the most commonly identified microorganisms in patients with clinical chorioamnionitis; (2) vaginal cleansing with antiseptic solutions before cesarean delivery with the aim of decreasing the risk of endometritis and, possibly, postoperative wound infection; and (3) antenatal administration of N-acetylcysteine, an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent, to reduce neonatal morbidity and mortality. Well-powered randomized controlled trials are needed to assess these interventions in patients with clinical chorioamnionitis.

This paper presents an innovative modular autonomous underwater vehicle (MARA) developed for the exploration of underwater confined spaces such as underwater caves, flooded underground mines or complex tight infrastructures in underwater environments. The particular mission scenario of exploration of flooded underground mines was used as a key driver for the robot development. The autonomous underwater vehicle is described from the mechanical, hardware and software points of view. The availability of the INESC TEC underwater systems test tank and access conditions to Porto harbour and the Urgeirica mine allows for easy robot field validation. Preliminary results are also presented and discussed.

The negative effect of fragmentation is one of the main concerns in the study of biodiversity loss in landscape ecology. The use of the matrix has been considered an important factor because it can change the relationship of a population with the configuration of the landscape. A systematic way to assess the effect of matrix quality in fragmented landscapes could lead to a better understanding of how matrices can be used to suppress the negative effect of fragmentation. We built a computational individual-based model capable of simulating bi-dimensional landscapes with three types of land cover (habitat, suitable matrix and hostile matrix) and individuals that inhabit those landscapes. We explored in which situations changes in the proportion of the suitable matrix in the landscape and the degree of usability of this suitable matrix can mitigate the negative effect of fragmentation per se. We observed that (i) an increase in the matrix quality (increases in the suitable matrix proportion and/or usability) can suppress the fragmentation effect in 47% of the simulated scenarios; (ii) the less usable the matrix is the more of it is needed to suppress the fragmentation effect; (iii) there is a level of usability below which increasing the suitable matrix proportion does cause the fragmentation effect to cease. These results point toward a landscape management that considers the similarity of the matrix to the native habitat under management. We suggest that an index to measure the usability of elements of the matrix could be an important tool to further the use of computational models in landscape management.

Extradomiciliary contacts have been overlooked in the study of TB transmission due to difficulties in identifying actual contacts in large populations. Complex network analysis provides a framework to model the structure of contacts, specially extradomiciliary ones. We conducted a study of incident sputum-positive TB cases and healthy controls occurring in a moderate TB burden city. Cases and controls were interviewed to obtain data regarding the usual locations of residence, work, study, and leisure. Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from sputum was genotyped. The collected data were used to build networks based on a framework of putative social interactions indicating possible TB transmission. A user-friendly open source environment (GraphTube) was setup to extract information from the collected data. Networks based on the likelihood of patient-patient, patient-healthy, and healthy-healthy contacts were setup, depending on a constraint of geographical distance of places attended by the volunteers. Using a threshold for the geographical distance of 300 m, the differences between TB cases and controls are revealed. Several clusters formed by social network nodes with high genotypic similarity were characterized. The developed framework provided consistent results and can be used to support the targeted search of potentially infected individuals and to help to understand the TB transmission.

Background Endometriosis can be associated with considerable pain and sterility. After surgical excision of moderate or severe endometriosis the recurrence rates amount to 50%. The objective of this retrospective study was to evaluate the recurrence and pregnancy rates following surgical resection of endometriosis stage III/IV. Methods 456 patients who underwent stage III/IV endometriosis surgery between 2004 and 2014 were sent a questionnaire relating to postoperative medical treatment, pregnancies, relief of symptoms and recurrence. Data and responses of 206 patients (45.2%) were analyzed. The statistical analysis was performed with the statistical software ´R`. Statistical significance was given if the p-value was less than 0.05. The study was approved by the local Ethics Committee of Hannover Medical School. Results 66.5% (N=137) of patients were established with stage III, 33.5% (N=69) with stage IV. Average age was 37 years (17-59). 63.1% (N=130) of surgeries were performed by laparoscopy with an average duration of 81 minutes, 21.8% (N=45; 189 minutes) by laparotomy and 15% (N=31; 202 minutes) by conversion. Complete resection of endometriosis was achieved in 90.8% (N=187). After surgery, 48.5% (N=100) of the women did not receive hormonal treatment, main reason was the desire for children in 53%. Complete or partial relief in complaints was achieved in 93.2% (N=192). Rate of recurrence was 21.8% (N=45). The association between incomplete resection and recurrence was on the threshold of significance (p=0.1). After surgery, 65.8% (79/120) of patients who wished to have children got pregnant. There is a statistically significant association between postoperative pregnancy rate and age

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) intake and supplementation has been directly and indirectly associated with physiological function relative to exercise, aging and reproduction. This chapter describes several significant aspects regarding biochemical properties and mechanism of action of CoQ10 in male and female fertility and reproduction. This effect is mainly through its action as an antioxidant, protecting against oxidative stress by controlling the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) associated with reproductive pathologies. Although some studies support the evidence of use of CoQ10 to improve fertility, the available literature is contradictory and conflicting due to lack of standardization regarding type, dosage and time frame of treatment with CoQ10 as well as the bio-specimen, the exercise protocol employed and the assays used to analyze these specimens. However, CoQ10 supplementation seems to be able to improve both male and female gamete physiology, conception and embryo development and pregnancy success, something that may be related to the protecting effect against ROS-related fertility issues. It seems it may, as well, attenuate somewhat the negative impact of age on fertility, though discontinuation of treatment will result in cessation or diminution of such effect.

A material model for carburized CrNiMo steel and an advanced shear stress intensity, multiaxial fatigue criterion against surface and subsurface fatigue in bevel gears have been developed and presented in earlier publications. This study assesses the accuracy of the proposed methodology by comparing it to load-controlled bevel gear tests at varying hardening layer thicknesses. The dominant failure mode was wheel-initiated tooth flank fracture. Fractographic analysis by means of scanning electron microscopy revealed a severely elongated MgO-Al2O3 cluster in the only pinion-initiated tooth flank fracture. By correlating the calculated material utilizations and the number of cycles to failure, a reiterated lifetime factor is presented. The refined methodology is shown to be capable to differentiate between and accurately predict pitting and subsurface fatigue under well-defined test conditions.

In this paper, we evaluate whether the diffusion of the dengue fever can be explained by differences among regional economies. We evaluate the dengue fever self-affinity behavior and self-organized critical behavior within the fifteen economic regions of State of Bahia, Brazil, between 2000 and 2009. The results showed two distinct behaviors for long-range correlation scaling: persistent for a month and subdiffusive for one year, according to DFA method. Furthermore, the dengue fever distribution presented power law behaviors for these data sets, according to SOC analysis. In this study, we concluded that this disease was not influenced by economic aspects or regional arrangement, and also suggest that the disease’s vector (Aedes aegypti mosquito) has adapted to all the economic regions.

Introdução: O desenvolvimento tecnológico em Audiologia possibilita a criação e aplicação de ferramentas voltadas à reabilitação da pessoa com deficiência auditiva. Todavia, os recentes avanços ainda não abrangem todas as competências necessárias para atender às demandas específicas de pessoas com múltiplas deficiências. Objetivo: Avaliar a tecnologia de rastreamento ocular como auxílio à intervenção interdisciplinar para a reabilitação auditiva de pessoas com múltiplas deficiências no Sistema Único de Saúde - SUS. Método: Trata-se de um estudo de caso, descritivo, exploratório, de natureza qualiquantitativa. Foram realizadas: elaboração de um banco de imagens e construção de um software para o gerenciamento de imagens; aplicação de pilotos para adequação da metodologia; aplicação dos procedimentos desenvolvidos na reabilitação auditiva em seis usuários com múltiplas deficiências. Resultados: O software desenvolvido gerencia 244 imagens validadas, que utilizadas em conjunto com a tecnologia de rastreamento ocular, possibilitou a aplicação da entrevista social e anamnese otorrinolaringológica diretamente aos usuários, assim como, a avaliação audiológica básica, indicação de prótese auditiva, terapia fonoaudiológica e psicológica. As tecnologias propostas foram utilizadas de maneira interdisciplinar, e possibilitaram maior inserção dos usuários em seu processo terapêutico. Conclusão: Este estudo apontou que é viável a associação do software de imagens à tecnologia assistiva de rastreamento ocular para uso em uma parcela de pessoas com múltiplas deficiências, possibilitando obtenção de respostas e maior participação durante a realização dos procedimentos em saúde auditiva.

Myomas are defined as benign tumours that arise from smooth muscle cells of the uterus. Clinically, they are found in 5–77% of women of reproductive age. The prevalence rate varies considerably in the literature and a large number of fibroids do not cause symptoms. The lifetime risk of acquiring myomas is 70% for Caucasian women and ≥ 80% for African American women. The data of 265 patients undergoing surgery for symptomatic myomas by laparoscopy or laparotomy, performed in the gynaecological department of Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany, between 2009 and 2013, were retrospectively analysed in this retrospective design study. High pregnancy rates (up to 70%) and birth rates (up to 86%) after myomectomy, regardless of the surgical approach adopted, were found in the current study. The trend was that ≥ 3 myomas and those that were ≥ 6 cm in size were almost always removed by laparotomy in our clinic. It was possible to remove up to 42 myomas without having to perform a hysterectomy. A statistically significant negative correlation was observed in relation to the association between the size of the largest myoma extracted and the pregnancy rate (p = 0.02). A statistically significant correlation between the number of removed myomas and the pregnancy rate was observed for patients who wished to bear children (p = 0.010). Elevated complication rates (of up to 50%) were reported for more than three extracted myomas with a statistically significance (p = 0.0471). It is necessary to ensure sound preoperative selection of the surgical approach in order to achieve the most optimal results, especially for those patients who wished to bear children.

Fibromyalgia (FM) and chronic low back pain (CLBP) have shared pathophysiology and have a considerable impact on patients’ daily activities and quality of life. The main objective of this study was to compare pain impact, somatosensory sensitivity, motor functionality, and balance among 60 patients with FM, 60 patients with CLBP, and 60 pain-free controls aged between 30 and 65 years. It is essential to know the possible differences existing in symptomatology of two of the major chronic pain processes that most affect the population, such as FM and CLBP. The fact of establishing possible differences in sensory thresholds, motor function, and proprioceptive measures among patients with FM and CLBP could bring us closer to a greater knowledge of the chronic pain process. Through an observational study, a comparison was made between the three groups (FM, CLBP, and pain-free controls) evaluating functional performance, postural balance, kinematic gait parameters, strength, depression, fatigue, and sensitivity to pain and vibration. Patients with chronic pain showed worse somatosensory sensitivity (p &lt, 0.001) and motor function (p &lt, 0.001) than pain-free controls. Moreover, patients with FM showed greater pain impact (p &lt, 0.001) and bigger somatosensory (p &lt, 0.001) and motor deficiencies (p &lt, 0.001) than patients with CLBP. Further research should explore the possible reasons for the greater deterioration in patients with FM in comparison with other chronic pain conditions. Our results, showing the multiple areas susceptible of deterioration, make it necessary to adopt interdisciplinary interventions focused both on physical and emotional dysfunction.

Introduction: Despite the evaluation of technology in human movement evaluation, the high cost and specific training of these kind of technology are not feasible for clinical practice. An ideal videogrammetry system should be easy to use, low cost, with minimal equipment, and fast realization. Objective: This paper aims to determine if CvMob is a reliable tool for the evaluation of bidimensional human gait. Methods and materials: The sample was composed of 56 healthy individuals who were simultaneously filmed by CvMob and Vicon system cameras. Linear trajectories and angular measurements were compared to validate the CvMob system, and inter and intrarater findings of the same measurements were used to determine reliability. Results: A strong correlation (rs mean = 0.988) of the linear trajectories between systems and inter and intrarater analysis were found. According to the Bland-Altman method, the angles that had good agreement between systems were maximum flexion and extension of the knee and dorsiflexion range of motion and stride length. Conclusion: The CvMob is a reliable tool for analysis of linear motion and lengths in bidimensional evaluations of human gait. The angular measurements demonstrate high agreement for the knee joint; however, the hip and ankle measurements were limited by differences between systems.

Facebook has become the object of research in different areas. The present study presents a bibliometric analysis of the scientific literature related to the use of this social network in educational research. To this end, bibliometric techniques were applied in the analysis of scientific articles indexed at the Web of Science Core Collection, from Thomson Reuters, and linked to the research areas of Education/Educational Research. This resulted in the identification of, among others, developments in scientific production, the most important journals that publish papers on the topic, the main authors and the main articles published in the area. The results indicate the growth of scientific production in the area from 2008 onwards, pointing to Computers and Education as the most relevant journal by number of publications (22) and impact factor and indicate that authors from the United States, Australia, Taiwan, United Kingdom and South Africa stand out in the construction of knowledge on educational research applying Facebook. Moreover, the ego-network of the Educational Research area shows that this area coexists with other areas of knowledge in the use of social networking, such as Computer Science, Linguistics and Health Sciences, indicating an interdisciplinary and transversal nature in different areas of research.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text., Background: We evaluated an inactivated quadrivalent influenza vaccine (IIV4) in children 6–35 months of age in a phase III, observer-blind trial. Methods: The aim of this analysis was to estimate vaccine efficacy (VE) in preventing laboratory-confirmed influenza in each of 5 independent seasonal cohorts (2011−2014), as well as vaccine impact on healthcare utilization in 3 study regions (Europe/Mediterranean, Asia-Pacific and Central America). Healthy children were randomized 1:1 to IIV4 or control vaccines. VE was estimated against influenza confirmed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction on nasal swabs. Cultured isolates were characterized as antigenically matched/mismatched to vaccine strains. Results: The total vaccinated cohort included 12,018 children (N = 1777, 2526, 1564, 1501 and 4650 in cohorts 1−5, respectively). For reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction confirmed influenza of any severity (all strains combined), VE in cohorts 1−5 was 57.8%, 52.9%, 73.4%, 30.3% and 41.4%, respectively, with the lower limit of the 95% confidence interval >0 for all estimates. The proportion of vaccine match for all strains combined in each cohort was 0.9%, 79.3%, 72.5%, 24.1% and 28.6%, respectively. Antibiotic use associated with influenza illness was reduced with IIV4 by 71% in Europe, 36% in Asia Pacific and 59% in Central America. Conclusions: IIV4 prevented influenza in children 6−35 months of age in each of 5 separate influenza seasons in diverse geographical regions. A possible interaction between VE, degree of vaccine match and socioeconomic status was observed. The IIV4 attenuated the severity of breakthrough influenza illness and reduced healthcare utilization, particularly antibiotic use.

Background Pertussis immunization during pregnancy results in high pertussis antibody concentrations in young infants but may interfere with infant immune responses to post-natal immunization. Methods This phase IV, multi-country, open-label study assessed the immunogenicity and safety of infant primary vaccination with DTaP-HepB-IPV/Hib and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13). Enrolled infants (6–14 weeks old) were born to mothers who were randomized to receive reduced-antigen-content diphtheria-tetanus-three-component acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap group) or placebo (control group) during pregnancy (270/7–366/7 weeks’ gestation) with crossover immunization postpartum. All infants received 2 or 3 DTaP-HepB-IPV/Hib and PCV13 doses according to national schedules. Immunogenicity was assessed in infants pre- and 1 month post-primary vaccination. The primary objective was to assess seroprotection/vaccine response rates for DTaP-HepB-IPV/Hib antigens 1 month post-primary vaccination. Results 601 infants (Tdap group: 296; control group: 305) were vaccinated. One month post-priming, seroprotection rates were 100% (diphtheria; tetanus), ≥98.5% (hepatitis B), ≥95.9% (polio) and ≥94.5% (Hib) in both groups. Vaccine response rates for pertussis antigens were significantly lower in infants whose mothers received pregnancy Tdap (37.5–77.1%) versus placebo (90.0–99.2%). Solicited and unsolicited adverse event rates were similar between groups. Serious adverse events occurred in 2.4% (Tdap group) and 5.6% (control group) of infants, none were vaccination-related. Conclusions Pertussis antibodies transferred during pregnancy may decrease the risk of pertussis infection in the first months of life but interfere with the infant’s ability to produce pertussis antibodies, the clinical significance of which remains unknown. Safety and reactogenicity results were consistent with previous experience. Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02422264.

The establishment of physical training programs for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) has several benefits. The study aimed to analyze the effect of resistance training using prediction of intensity by subjective perception of effort (SPE) on body composition, muscle strength, and TCD4+ lymphocyte levels in PLWHA. This a randomized controlled trial study. Participants (11 men and 8 women), were divided in two groups: exercise group (EG) and control group (CG). The EG was submitted to 12 weeks of a resistance-training program based in the prediction of intensity by SPE. Body mass percentages were evaluated using tetrapolar bioelectrical impedance and skinfold methods. We used Flow Cytometry to quantify CD4+ T lymphocytes. Patients showed significant changes in Body Fat Percentage (Δ%=-6.23%), Lean Body Mass (Δ%=2.45%), and CD4T lymphocytes levels (Δ%=15.77%). They also showed significant increase in muscular strength presented in the test for one repetition maximum in all the evaluated exercises. Our data suggest that exercising program prescribed by SPE is capable of improving immune function, body composition, and muscular strength in PLWHA.

Higher education has joined affirmative action and promoted the coexistence between different social groups at universities. This study evaluated the interaction pattern between 926 affirmative action and regular students from 25 different undergraduate programs from a public university using an informal social networks questionnaire. Homophily was the parameter chosen to measure intergroup relations. This behavior was evaluated according to the student’s term, yield rate (percentage of admitted students who enroll), field of knowledge and nature of relationship. The results showed a low degree of integration between groups in highly competitive undergraduate programs. The group of regular students showed a greater tendency for endogeneity. These results point to need to create a culture of inclusion that provides a distribution of resources between different social groups. Resumo A adesão ao sistema de cotas no ensino superior promoveu a convivência entre grupos sociais distintos. O estudo avaliou o padrão de interação entre 926 estudantes cotistas e não cotistas de 25 turmas de uma universidade pública brasileira, utilizando um questionário de redes sociais informais. Homofilia foi o parâmetro escolhido para medir as relações intergrupais. Esse comportamento foi avaliado de acordo com o semestre, a concorrência, a área de conhecimento e a natureza da relação. Os resultados demonstraram baixo grau de integração entre os grupos nos cursos de alta concorrência, bem como maior tendência à endogenia no grupo de não cotistas. Tais resultados apontam a necessidade de se criar uma cultura inclusiva, que propicie a distribuição de recursos entre os diferentes grupos sociais envolvidos.

The aim of this paper is to analyze the stock exchanges for a large set of countries (20 in total) before and after the subprime crisis, identifying which markets are the most central and if the linkage pattern changed after the crisis. We started by calculating the correlations between stock markets’ returns, using the ρ DCCA, in order to identify if there is some variation in the scale between the links in the different stock markets of the network, in both periods. Additionally, a cross-correlation filtering process will be performed with the intention of identifying which countries have stronger relationships according to the used time scales. The results show the central role of European markets among the world’s main financial markets, mainly France, Germany and the United Kingdom. Moreover, after the subprime crisis we find the formation of two large communities, one of European and American countries and the other formed by Asian countries plus Australia, while in the pre-crisis period three communities could be identified. It is possible to conclude that after the 2008 crisis the connectivity and integration of the network for the whole set of analyzed timescales increased.

Contains fulltext : 218139.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) Studies in microbiology have long been mostly restricted to small spatial scales. However, recent technological advances, such as new sequencing methodologies, have ushered an era of large-scale sequencing of environmental DNA data from multiple biomes worldwide. These global datasets can now be used to explore long standing questions of microbial ecology. New methodological approaches and concepts are being developed to study such large-scale patterns in microbial communities, resulting in new perspectives that represent a significant advances for both microbiology and macroecology. Here, we identify and review important conceptual, computational, and methodological challenges and opportunities in microbial macroecology. Specifically, we discuss the challenges of handling and analyzing large amounts of microbiome data to understand taxa distribution and co-occurrence patterns. We also discuss approaches for modeling microbial communities based on environmental data, including information on biological interactions to make full use of available Big Data. Finally, we summarize the methods presented in a general approach aimed to aid microbiologists in addressing fundamental questions in microbial macroecology, including classical propositions (such as "everything is everywhere, but the environment selects") as well as applied ecological problems, such as those posed by human induced global environmental changes.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text., Background: It has not yet been demonstrated whether 2 doses of inactivated quadrivalent influenza vaccine (IIV4) prime a booster response in infants. We evaluated the anamnestic immune response to an IIV4 in children 17−48 months of age. Methods: Children were randomized to 2 doses of IIV4 or control in the primary phase III study (NCT01439360). One year later, in an open-label revaccination extension study (NCT01702454), a subset of children who received IIV4 in the primary study (primed group) received 1 IIV4 dose and children who received control in the primary study (unprimed) received 2 IIV4 doses 28 days apart. The primary objective was to evaluate hemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibody titers 7 days after first IIV4 vaccination in the per-protocol cohort (N = 224 primed; N = 209 unprimed). Neutralizing and antineuraminidase antibodies were also measured. Safety was analyzed in the total vaccinated cohort (N = 241 primed; N = 229 unprimed). Results: An anamnestic response was observed in primed children relative to unprimed controls, measured by age-adjusted geometric mean HI titer ratios against strains homologous (A/H1N1: 9.0; B/Victoria: 3.9) and heterologous (A/H3N2: 2.7; B/Yamagata: 6.7) to those in the primary vaccination series. The anamnestic response in primed children included increases in neutralizing antibodies (mean geometric increase: 5.0–10.6) and antineuraminidase antibodies (4.9–8.8). No serious adverse events related to vaccination were reported. Conclusions: In this study, 2-dose priming with IIV4 induced immune memory that was recalled with 1-dose IIV4 the following year to boost HI, antineuraminidase and neutralizing antibodies, even though the IIV4 strain composition partially changed.

We analyze technical progress in the Brazilian agriculture in the period 1976–2016. Output is production value and inputs are expenses on land, labor, and other inputs. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) measures are used to capture technological progress via efficiency analysis. Filtering the data with a moving average and fractional regression we identify four periods with distinct behavior of technical efficiency under constant or decreasing returns to scale. From 1976 to 1988 and from 1996 to 2007 technical efficiency decreases at statistically significant rates of −1.74% and −0.26% respectively. From 1989 to 1995 and from 2008 to 2016 efficiency increases at statistically significant rates of 1.53% and 1.75% respectively. Efficiency of input use varies in these periods and is computed as a byproduct of the DEA analysis. We observe a more efficient usage of land and other inputs. A parametric fit using adjusted efficient inputs indicate the relative elasticities of 40.5%, 38.5% and 21.0% for other inputs, land and labor, respectively. Technological progress increases 3.73% in the period 1976–1988, decreases 1,58% between 1989 and 1995, increases 0.17% in the period 1996–2007 and increases 1.01% between 2008 and 2016. Technological inputs are statistically significantly influential on total factor productivity as indicated by an infinite distributed lag model. The long run elasticity effect is 39.5%. The effect of investments (public) in agricultural research has a significant elasticity of 0.835.

In this paper, we analyze the e¤ects on media plurality of competition between a private news …rm that maximize pro…ts and a publicly owned news …rms that maximizes social welfare. News …rms decide on media plurality in terms of the level of adaption of news to readers’ political preferences. We show that the di¤erence between the private duopoly and the mixed duopoly market structure holds on the relation between the costs to adapt news to readers’political preferences and the intensity of the readers’political preferences. When the costs to adapt news to readers’political preferences are high relatively to the intensity of the readers’political preferences, in the mixed duopoly, pro…ts in the industry are lower, but prices, media plurality, consumer surplus, and social welfare are higher than in the private duopoly case. The contrary occurs when the costs to adapt news to readers’political preferences are low relatively to the intensity of the readers’political preferences. In this way, when the costs to adapt news to readers’ political preferences are low relatively to the intensity of the readers’ political preferences, a mixed duopoly achieves "regulation by participation" in terms of media plurality. Keywords: Media Plurality, Media Firms, Private Duopoly, Mixed Duopoly. JEL Classi…cation: H42, L13, L82. Institute for Research in Economics and Business Administration (SNF), Norwegian School of Economics (NHH), Helleveien 30, 5045 Bergen, Norway. Tel: +(47)55959622, Fax: +(47)55959439; E-mail: armando.pires@snf.no.

The major aim of this work was to propose a new association method known as Motif-Synchronization. This method was developed to provide information about the synchronization degree and direction between two nodes of a network by counting the number of occurrences of some patterns between any two time series. The second objective of this work was to present a new methodology for the analysis of dynamic brain networks, by combining the Time-Varying Graph (TVG) method with a directional association method. We further applied the new algorithms to a set of human electroencephalogram (EEG) signals to perform a dynamic analysis of the brain functional networks (BFN).

The liver is a complex organ that performs vital functions of synthesis, heat production, detoxification and regulation; its failure carries a highly critical risk. At the end of the last century, some artificial liver devices began to develop with the aim of being used as supportive therapy until liver transplantation (bridge-to-transplant) or liver regeneration (bridge-to-recovery). The well-recognized devices are the Molecular Adsorbent Recirculating System™ (MARS™), the Single-Pass Albumin Dialysis system and the Fractionated Plasma Separation and Adsorption system (Prometheus™). In the following years, experimental works and early clinical applications were reported, and to date, many thousands of patients have already been treated with these devices. The ability of artificial liver support systems to replace the liver detoxification function, at least partially, has been proven, and the correction of various biochemical parameters has been demonstrated. However, the complex tasks of regulation and synthesis must be addressed through the use of bioartificial systems, which still face several developmental problems and very high production costs. Moreover, clinical data on improved survival are conflicting. This paper reviews the progress achieved and new data published on artificial liver support systems over the past decade and the prospects for these devices.