Search

In this paper a representation of random upper semicontinuous functions in terms of D E [0, 1]-valued random elements is stated. This fact allows us to consider for the first time a complete and separable metric, the Skorohod one, on a wide class of upper semicontinuous functions. Finally, different relevant concepts of measurability for random upper semicontinuous functions are studied and the relationships between them are analyzed.

Objectif Les tumeurs neuro-endocrines du pancreas (TNEp) sont des tumeurs rares. Depuis peu, deux therapies ciblees, everolimus et sunitinib, offrent une nouvelle option therapeutique a ces patients. L’etude observationnelle OPALINE a pour objectif d’obtenir des donnees en vie reelle permettant d’evaluer l’impact de ces therapies ciblees par rapport aux autres traitements disponibles, chez les patients atteints d’une TNEp. Methodes Sont eligibles pour cette etude tous les patients atteints d’une TNEp non resecable ou metastatique, bien differenciee et en progression, ayant recu entre 0 et 3 lignes de traitement anterieur. Cent cinquante (150) patients sont attendus, repartis en deux groupes : un groupe « therapies ciblees » (everolimus et sunitinib) et un groupe « autres traitements » (chimiotherapie, analogues de la somatostatine, interferon-alpha et radiotherapie interne vectorisee). La periode d’inclusion et de suivi sont de deux ans chacun. Resultats A la date du 20 juillet 2016, 76 patients ont ete inclus : 25 patients dans le groupe « therapies ciblees » et 51 dans le groupe « autres traitements ». A l’inclusion, l’âge moyen des patients etait de 61,9 ans (± 12,0) et le sexe ratio (H/F) de 1,45 ; 72/76 patients (94,7 %) presentaient une TNEp metastatique dont 68 (94,4 %) au niveau hepatique. Moins de 10 % des patients avaient un syndrome fonctionnel ; 70/72 patients (97,2 %) avaient un indice de performance ECOG inferieur ou egal a 2. La mediane entre le diagnostic et l’inclusion dans l’etude OPALINE est de 3,27 ans (extremes : 0,4 ; 13,63) ; 37/75 patients (49,3 %) ont recu un traitement locoregional anterieur : 29 (78,4 %) une chirurgie de la tumeur primitive, 13 (35,1 %) une (chimio) embolisation, 12 (32,4 %) une chirurgie locale des metastases hepatiques et 6 (16,2 %) une radiofrequence ; 42/75 patients (56,0 %) ont eu un octreoscan avant l’inclusion, positif dans 81 % des cas. Le Ki67 a ete rapporte chez 58/74 patients (78,4 %) et l’index mitotique pour 20/74 patients (27,0 %). En 1re ligne de traitement, tous groupes confondus, 32 patients (69,6 %) ont ete traites par chimiotherapie, 10 (21,7 %) par des analogues de la somatostatine et 4 (8,7 %) par une therapie ciblee. En 2e ligne de traitement, 6 patients (28,6 %) ont ete traites par therapie ciblee, 6 (28,6 %) par chimiotherapie, 6 (28,6 %) par des analogues de la somatostatine et 3 (14,3 %) par un autre traitement. En 3e ligne de traitement, 7 patients (58,3 %) ont ete traites par therapie ciblee, 4 (33,3 %) par chimiotherapie et 1 (8,3 %) par des analogues de la somatostatine. Dans le groupe « therapies ciblees », 3 patients (6,8 %) etaient naifs de traitement, 22 (50,0 %) ont beneficie d’une ligne de traitement, 12 (27,3 %) de 2 lignes de traitement et 7 (15,9 %) de 3 lignes de traitement. Dans le groupe « autres traitements », 25 patients (39,7 %) etaient naifs de traitement, 24 (38,1 %) ont beneficie d’une ligne de traitement, 9 (14,3 %) de 2 lignes de traitement et 5 (7,9 %) de 3 lignes de traitement. Conclusion Cette etude observationnelle permettra de decrire, a partir d’une cohorte de 150 patients, la strategie de la prise en charge des TNEp bien differenciees metastatiques, dans differents centres en France.

The study of local adaptation is a main focus of evolutionary biology since it may contribute to explain the current species diversity. The genomic scan procedures permit for the first time to study the connection between specific DNA patterns and processes as natural selection, genetic drift, recombination, mutation and gene flow. Accordingly, the information on genomes from non-model organisms increases and the interest on detecting the signal of natural selection in the DNA sequences of different populations also raises. The main goal of the present work is to explore a sequence-based method for detecting natural selection in divergent populations connected by migration. In doing so, we rely on a recently published statistic based upon th e definition of haplotype allelic classes (HAC). The original measure was modified to be more sensitive to intermediate frequencies in non-model species. A linkage-disequilibrium-based method was also assayed and individual-based simulations were performed to test the methods. The results suggest that the HAC-based methods and, specifically, the new proposed method are quite powerful for detecting the footprint of moderate divergent selection. They are also robust to reasonable model misspecification. One obvious advantage of the new algorithm is that it does not require knowledge of the allelic state.

SUMMARY: Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) has been considered the principal cytokine involved in the pathogenesis of renal fibrosis. In the present study, we evaluated TGF-β activity in occasional samples from 22 normal individuals and 29 patients (11 with focal glomerulosclerosis, 11 with membranous nephropathy, five with Berger disease, one with type I membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis and one with postinfectious glomerulonephritis) using a CCL-64 mink lung cell growth inhibition assay. A significantly increased urinary TGF-β activity (reported in relation to urine creatinine, Ucreat, and median) was observed in patients with glomerulonephritis compared with normal individuals (P

A novel data-evaluation procedure for the automatic atom to peak or multiplet assignment of 1H-NMR spectra of small molecules has been developed using a fast and robust expert system. The applicability and reliability of the method are demonstrated by comparison of a manually assigned database of 1H-NMR spectra with the assignments produced by the automatic procedure. The results of this analysis show an excellent success ratio, indicating that this new algorithm can have a major impact as a time saving tool for the organic chemist. A new graphical feature used to illustrate both the stability and quality of the elementary assignments is also introduced.

International audience; OBJECTIVES: The aims of the study were to assess in patients with advanced HIV disease receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) intensification with enfuvirtide (i) resistance at virological failure (VF), (ii) impact of baseline tropism on immunovirological response, and (iii) HIV-1 DNA tropism evolution during ART. METHODS: The ANRS 130 APOLLO randomized trial evaluated in naive patients the immunovirological impact of standard ART without (control arm) or with enfuvirtide. Tropism was determined on RNA and DNA by V3-loop sequencing interpreted using the Geno2Pheno algorithm. RESULTS: At baseline the median CD4 cell count was 30 cells/mm(3). Among the 170 patients assessable in this virological substudy, HIV-1 RNA tropism was as follows: 60% of viruses were R5 and 40% were R5X4/X4. HIV-1 DNA tropism was as follows: 54% were R5 and 46% were R5X4/X4. At week 24, 39% and 49% of patients experienced VF in the enfuvirtide and control arms, respectively. In the enfuvirtide arm, only resistance-associated mutations to enfuvirtide were detected. In the control arm, two patients displayed drug-resistant viruses at the time of VF. No impact of baseline tropism was observed on immunovirological response, regardless of the study arm. Among the 25 patients experiencing DNA tropism switch between baseline and week 24, 16 (64%) switched from R5 to R5X4/X4. These latter were mostly successfully suppressed patients receiving enfuvirtide and exhibiting poorer immunological response. CONCLUSIONS: Baseline RNA tropism had no impact on the immunovirological response. Drug resistance mutations were only detected for the fusion inhibitor. Finally, the mechanism of replenishment of the viral cellular reservoir with X4 viruses observed needs to be further analysed.

A new species is described, Geastrum lilloi, from Argentina. It belongs to the subsection Epigaea, with xylophilus and gregarious habit within a subi- culum, is epigean even in young stages, and has a flat peristome, which is a simple hole.

The ligand (3,4-toluenediamine-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid in the title compound, K[Fe(C15H14N2O8)H2O].1.5H2O is hexadentate, but the central iron(III) ion is seven-coordinate, with one coordinated water molecule. The complex has a roughly pentagonal bipyramidal geometry. The Fe-N bond lengths are 2.304 (3) A in the para position and 2.349 (3) A in the meta position with respect to the methyl group. The presence of the CH3 group increases the basicity of the N atom in the para position, shortening the length of the Fe-N bond.

The High-Performance Light Water Reactor (HPLWR) is the European Supercritical Water-cooled Reactor design. In this paper, a thermal-hydraulic study of the HPLWR fuel assembly using CFD codes was carried out. The capability of the Reynolds Stress model of Speziale (SSG) and the k-ω Shear Stress Transport model (SST) for predicting the supercritical water heat transfer was evaluated. The axial temperature distributions of the fuel, cladding, coolant and moderator in the fuel assembly were obtained. Numerical results of the fuel temperature profiles were compared with that obtained by Waata (2006) and a good agreement was achieved. The cladding surface temperature profiles calculated with SSG and SST turbulence models are below the prescribed limits; however, hot spots in one sub-channel were found. The difference in the average thermal-hydraulic properties of the supercritical water calculated with SSG and SST was negligible. The fuel and cladding surface temperatures are higher when using the SST model.

The burden of disease due to chronic viral hepatitis constitutes a global threat. In many Balkan and Mediterranean countries, the disease burden due to viral hepatitis remains largely unrecognized, including in high-risk groups and migrants, because of a lack of reliable epidemiological data, suggesting the need for better and targeted surveillance for public health gains. In many countries, the burden of chronic liver disease due to hepatitis B and C is increasing due to ageing of unvaccinated populations and migration, and a probable increase in drug injecting. Targeted vaccination strategies for hepatitis B virus (HBV) among risk groups and harm reduction interventions at adequate scale and coverage for injecting drug users are needed. Transmission of HBV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) in healthcare settings and a higher prevalence of HBV and HCV among recipients of blood and blood products in the Balkan and North African countries highlight the need to implement and monitor universal precautions in these settings and use voluntary, nonremunerated, repeat donors. Progress in drug discovery has improved outcomes of treatment for both HBV and HCV, although access is limited by the high costs of these drugs and resources available for health care. Egypt, with the highest burden of hepatitis C in the world, provides treatment through its National Control Strategy. Addressing the burden of viral hepatitis in the Balkan and Mediterranean regions will require national commitments in the form of strategic plans, financial and human resources, normative guidance and technical support from regional agencies and research.

The simplest unit of the title compound, [Zn 2 (C 15 H 14 N 2 O 8 )(H 2 O) 4 ].2H 2 O, is a dinuclear Zn II complex bridged by the O atoms of one carboxylate moiety of the 3,4-toluenediamine-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetate ligand (3,4-tdta). The coordination geometry of the zinc-3,4-tdta moiety is close to trigonal prismatic, whereas the other zinc ion is in a nearly O h environment comprising two O atoms from carboxylate groups of different ligands and four water molecules. The other two water molecules are waters of crystallization in the polynuclear complex [Zn-μ-(3,4-tdta)-Zn(H 2 O) 4 ] n .2H 2 O n .

Small bowel obstruction (SBO) is a common clinical syndrome caused mainly by postoperative adhesions. In complement to clinical and biological evaluations, CT scan has emerged as a valuable imaging modality and may provide reliable information. The early recognition of signs suggesting bowel ischemia is essential for urgent operation. However appropriate management of SBO remains a common clinical challenge. Although a conservative approach can be successful in a substantial percentage of selected patients, regular and close re-assessement is mandatory. Any persistance or progression of the critical symptoms and signs should indeed lead to surgical exploration. Here we review the principles of adhesive SBO management and suggest a decision procedure for conservative versus surgical treatment.

The performance of three curve representation schemes are compared. They are the strip-tree, Bezier-curve-employing, and arc-tree methods. Each scheme represents a curved shape as a hierarchy of approximations, where higher levels in the hierarchy correspond to coarser approximations of the curve. In addition, each approximation typically corresponds to a bounding area that encloses the actual curve. When geometric operations are computed, coarse approximation of the curve are initially addressed and finer approximation levels are processed if necessary. It is shown that the three representations differ in the choice of bounding areas, the type and amount of information stored at each approximation level, and the method of deciding whether to proceed to finer approximations. >

FLK North is one of the densest concentrations of fossils found in Olduvai Gorge. A recent taphonomic re-evaluation of the collection excavated by Leakey at the site suggests that it was a palimpsest in which most of the animals were accumulated and modified by carnivores. The lithic tools therefore seem to have an independent depositional history from most of the fauna. The present study, based on new excavations, expands the evidence supporting this interpretation and demonstrates a thicker deposit than was reported by Leakey, including new archaeological levels. It also shows that in the few instances where hominins butchered carcasses, meat, not marrow, was their main target. This argues against passive scavenging hypotheses, which emphasize the dietary role of marrow, and instead underscores the importance of meat in the diet of early Pleistocene hominins.

The anatomy, histology and androgen receptor immunohistochemistry of the prostate (P), seminal vesicles (SV), bulbourethral and coagulant gland (CG) were studied in male viscacha, a seasonally reproductive wild rodent. Two histologically well-defined zones, peripheral and central, were identified in the prostate, according to their relationship with the urethra. The epithelial cells were periodic acid-Schiff (PAS)-positive in the central zone and alcian blue negative in the two zones. The SV are a paired gland, tubular, of tortuous aspect and formed by radial layers. The bulbourethral glands were paired, formed by tubuloalveolar acini and surrounded by a thick layer of skeletal muscle. The CG was multilobulated. The large adenomers showed PAS-positive epithelium and were negative to alcian blue. Androgen receptors in the P, SV and coagulating gland showed variations in their distribution with immunohistochemistry heterogeneous pattern. Finally, the reproductive system accessory glands of male viscacha may be considered as a novel and interesting model for the study of seasonal reproduction in photoperiod-dependent animals.

In 1908, Gustav Mie solved Maxwell's equations to account for the absorption and scattering of spherical plasmonic particles. Since then much attention has been devoted to the size dependent optical properties of metallic nanoparticles. However, ensemble measurements of colloidal solutions generally only yield the total extinction cross sections of the nanoparticles. Here, we show how Mie's prediction on the size dependence of the surface absorption and scattering can be probed separately for the same gold nanoparticle by using two single particle spectroscopy techniques, (1) dark-field scattering and (2) photothermal imaging, which selectively only measure scattering and absorption, respectively. Combining the optical measurements with correlated scanning electron microscopy furthermore allowed us to measure the size of the spherical gold nanoparticles, which ranged from 43 to 274 nm in diameter. We found that even though the trend predicted by Mie theory is followed well by the experimental data over a large range of nanoparticle diameters, for small size variations changes in scattering and absorption intensities are dominated by factors other than those considered by Mie theory. In particular, spectral shifts of the plasmon resonance due to deviations from a spherical particle shape alone cannot explain the observed variation in absorption and scattering intensities.

Objective: In a recent randomized study, we demonstrated that XELOX (oxaliplatin + oral capecitabine) was well tolerated and not inferior in terms of efficacy to the infusional FOLFOX-6 regimen in first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). The objective of this additional analysis was to compare the cost of XELOX and FOLFOX-6. Methods: This cost-minimisation study took into account costs related to drug acquisition, hospital care for chemotherapy administration and for serious adverse event management. Hospital care costs were based on French ‘diagnosis-related group’ tariffs. Drug acquisition costs were drawn from French official sources. Analysis was performed from the French health insurance perspective. Results: Baseline characteristics of the 282 patients included (143 XELOX, 139 FOLFOX-6) were well balanced. Patients reported less and shorter hospitalisations (day and overnight hospital care) with XELOX: 6.4 ± 2.2 hospitalisations versus 9.7 ± 3.1 (p < 0.001); 11.4 ± 10.6 days versus 17.7 ± 11.8 (p < 0.001). Mean disease management cost per patient was significantly lower with XELOX (EUR 12,918 ± 5,075 vs. EUR 17,229 ± 8,665, p < 0.001). Conclusion: In the perspective of our analysis, taking into account hospitalisation and drug acquisition costs, the treatment of mCRC patients with XELOX in comparison to FOLFOX-6 significantly decreased the costs, as well as the mean overall hospitalisation length of stay.

Treatment with fluororacil, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide followed by weekly paclitaxel (FEC-P) yielded superior disease-free survival than FEC in the adjuvant breast cancer trial GEICAM 9906. We evaluate molecular subtypes predictive of prognosis and paclitaxel response in this trial. Two molecular subtype classifications based on conventional immunohistochemical and fluorescent in situ hybridization determinations were used: #1: Four groups segregated according to the combination of hormone receptor (HR) and HER2 status; #2: Intrinsic subtype classification (Triple Negative (TN), HER2, Luminal B and Luminal A). Results: Both subtype classifications yielded prognostic and predictive information. HR +/HER2- patients (and Luminal A patients) had a significantly better outcome than the other subgroups of patients. The superiority of FEC-P over FEC was clearly more marked in HR-/HER2- patients (TN patients), particularly in the subset with basal phenotype (TN and either EGFR+ or cytokeratins 5/6+). The Luminal A subtype also achieved a significant benefit with FEC-P. The molecular-defined subgroup of TN was clearly predictive of better response to treatment with FEC-P. Luminal A patients had the best prognosis and also have a better outcome with weekly paclitaxel., This work was supported, in part, by grants from Bristol- Myers Squibb and Pharmacia.

The recent trend towards large multi-MW wind turbines resulted in the role of the control system becoming increasingly important. The extension of the role of the controller to alleviate structural loads has motivated the exploration of novel control strategies, which seek to maximise load reduction by exploiting the blade pitch system. The reduction of blade fatigue loads through individual blade pitch control is one of the examples. A novel approach to reduction of the unbalanced rotor loads by pitch control is presented in this paper. Each blade is equipped with its own actuator, sensors and controller. These local blade control loops operate in isolation without a need of communication with each other. The single blade control approach to regulation of unbalanced rotor loads presented in this paper has an important advantage of being relatively easy to design and tune. Furthermore, it does not affect the operation of the central controller and the latter need not be re-designed when used in conjunction with the single blade controllers. Their performance is assessed using BLADED simulations.

International audience

In Optometry and in Audiology, the routine tests to prescribe correction lenses and headsets are respectively the visual acuity test (the first chart with letters was developed by Snellen in 1862) and conventional pure tone audiometry (the first audiometer with electrical current was devised by Hartmann in 1878). At present there are psychophysical non invasive tests that, besides evaluating visual and auditory performance globally and even in cases catalogued as normal according to routine tests, supply early information regarding diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, renal failure, cardiovascular problems, etc. Concerning Optometry, one of these tests is the achromatic luminance contrast sensitivity test (introduced by Schade in 1956). Concerning Audiology, one of these tests is high frequency pure tone audiometry (introduced a few decades ago) which yields information relative to pathologies affecting the basal cochlea and complements data resulting from conventional audiometry. These utilities of the contrast sensitivity test and of pure tone audiometry derive from the facts that Fourier components constitute the basis to synthesize stimuli present at the entrance of the visual and auditory systems; that these systems responses depend on frequencies and that the patient's psychophysical state affects frequency processing. The frequency of interest in the former test is the effective spatial frequency (inverse of the angle subtended at the eye by a cycle of a sinusoidal grating and measured in cycles/degree) and, in the latter, the temporal frequency (measured in cycles/sec). Both tests have similar duration and consist in determining the patient's threshold (corresponding to the inverse multiplicative of the contrast or to the inverse additive of the sound intensity level) for each harmonic stimulus present at the system entrance (sinusoidal grating or pure tone sound). In this article the frequencies, standard normality curves and abnormal threshold shifts inherent to the contrast sensitivity test (which for simplicity could be termed “visionmetry”) and to pure tone audiometry (also termed auditory sensitivity test) are analyzed with the purpose of contributing to divulge their ability to supply early information associated to pathologies not solely related to the visual and auditory systems respectively.

High-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) have the potential to be used as possible energy generation sources in the near future, owing to their inherently safe performance, low power density design, and high conversion efficiency. However, safety is the most important issue for its commercialisation in the nuclear energy industry. The research of the thermal-hydraulic characteristics is very important for safe design and operation of an HTGR. In this article, the thermal-hydraulic simulation of compressible flow inside the core of the pebble bed reactor HTR-10 (High Temperature Reactor) using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is described. The realistic approach was considered, where every closely packed pebble is realistically modelled considering a graphite layer and sphere of fuel. Owing to the high computational cost it is impossible to simulate the full core; therefore, the geometry used is an FCC (Face Centred Cubic) cell with the total height of the core, with 41 layers of pebbles and 82 full pebbles. The input data used were taken from the thermal-hydraulic IAEA Benchmark. The results show the profiles of temperature of the coolant in the core, and the temperature distribution inside the pebbles. The maximum temperatures in the pebbles do not exceed the allowable limit for this type of nuclear fuel. The obtained results are consistent with the results of other authors using other simulation techniques and models.

El artículo trata de la experiencia indígena de Guanabacoa, Cuba, asentamiento de principios de la colonización ibérica en el Caribe. Las cuestiones de la etnicidad y de la participación de la comunidad en la interpretación arqueológica muestran como una mirada a partir de la Arqueología Pública puede ser original y constructiva.

With the increase in size of wind turbines, there is increasing interest in exploiting the pitch control capability of variable speed turbines to alleviate tower fatigue loads. The most direct method is to modify the blade pitch angle in response to a measurement of tower acceleration. It is shown that the flap mode has a central role in determining whether this approach is effective since there is a strong interaction between the blade flap-wise mode and the tower fore-aft mode. Several different approaches to the design of the controller for the tower speed feedback loop are investigated.

The aim of this study was to determine the clinical benefit of a new combined antigen-antibody immunoenzymatic assay (Monolisa HCV Ag-Ab Ultra, Biorad) in the setting of acute HCV infection in HIV infected patients.The performance of this assay was first evaluated in 160 HIV positive samples from uninfected and chronically HCV infected patients. To assess the performance of the Ag-Ab assay in the context of acute hepatitis C, 94 stored frozen serums from 20 recently diagnosed cases were retrospectively tested for HCV-RNA and presence of anti-HCV antibodies, in parallel with the new assay.In HIV infected patients, the sensitivity and specificity of the Ultra assay was 100% with a strong discrimination between positive and negative samples. In HCV acutely infected patients, the Ag-Ab assay significantly reduced the seronegative period, allowing an earlier diagnosis compared to a 3rd generation ELISA in 65% of the cases. The combined assay became positive on the same bleed as the first HCV-RNA detection for 13 patients out of 20. Nevertheless, in one case, characterized by an absence of seroconversion over one year but a continuous viral replication above 1 million IU/ml, the combined assay did not improve HCV infection diagnosis.Use of this new assay as a first line screening would significantly reduce the long seronegative window period seen in HCV infection allowing earlier HCV diagnosis and rapid clinical management. However, in case of clinical acute hepatitis C, sensitive HCV-RNA detection should remain the gold standard.

Les tumeurs endocrines (TE) sont developpees a partir des cellules du systeme endocrinien diffus et caracterisees par leurs capacites secretoires. Malgre une differenciation neuro-endocrine commune, elles constituent un groupe de tumeurs tres heterogene dont la presentation clinique, l'evolution et le pronostic sont extremement differents. Il convient en particulier de distinguer les TE peu differenciees (TEPD), caracterisees par leur agressivite et leur rapidite d’evolution, des TE bien differenciees d’evolution plus lente.

Local area networks are now widely used to run parallel applications. They are particularly suitable to run I/O intensive applications, because each node usually includes disk space. However, programming these applications is rather difficult. The programmer must partition data into disk nudes and, at run time, transfer data from disk space into the memory of each node that uses the data and vice versa. Also, such partitioning gives data a fixed location in disk space, and is usually not adequate for performance because processors do not access mostly data in their local memory or disk, but on disk space in remote nodes. This paper presents a distributed parallel file system that both eases the programming and improves the performance of parallel I/O intensive applications. Our file system eases programming through mapping into memory files of size up to hundreds of Giga bytes. It improves performance through automatically diffusing, or migrating and replicating, data in files to the local memory or local disk of the processors that use the data. Data diffusion occurs under a multiple-readers-single-writer protocol. On applications tested the performance gain can be up to 20 % compared to versions using the MPI file system.

Root morphology and anatomy of the myco-heterotrophic Arachnitis uniflora (Corsiaceae) were studied in relation to their association with a Glomus species (Glomeromycota). The mycorrhizal features were studied in three distinctive stages of development: (i) shoot and flower restricted to a small, underground bud; (ii) shoot and flower bud up to 1.5 cm; and (iii) shoot and flower already withered. The hyphae penetrate through and between the epidermal and exodermal cells; the exodermis and outer cortical cells become colonized in an inter- and intracellular manner, with some coils being formed in these layers. The fungi colonize the middle cortex, where intracellular vesicles in bundles are abundant. Arbuscules are formed profusely at very early stages of development, while in older stages they almost disappear and abundant vesicles are formed. Except for some details, the pattern of root colonization corresponds to a Paris-type. Presence of storage substances (starch and oil) also was recorded. Starch is produced and stored within root cells, mainly in the outer and inner root cortex. In senescent stages, plant and fungal tissues collapse. Fil: Dominguez, Laura Susana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina Fil: Sersic, Alicia Noemi. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina

Pulp capping and pulpotomy procedures were performed on 15 male mongrel dogs. Three materials were used: calcium hydroxide, acid-etched dentin bonding, and mineral trioxide aggregate. Six of the animals were killed at 50 days and nine were killed at 150 days. Samples from 11 dogs were used for histological evaluation, and the remaining dog samples were used for scanning electron microscopy evaluation. Each slide was graded histologically according to previously published criteria. Scanning electron microscopy analysis was performed, and the weight percentage of elements found in the dentin of a nontreated tooth versus the bridge formed in the exposed specimen was established. By evaluating pulp inflammation in vital pulp-therapy treatments, it was found that mineral trioxide aggregate was not significantly different from the untreated control group, both in pulp-capping procedures at 50 days (p = 0.357) or 150 days (p = 0.198) and pulpotomy procedures at 50 days (p = 0.357) or 150 days (p = 0.198). Moreover, histologically mineral trioxide aggregate was a considerably better material than calcium hydroxide or acid-etched dentin bonding in maintaining the integrity of the pulp.

The point reactor kinetics model is an initial value problem characterized by a system of ordinary differential equations that describe the time dependence of the neutron population within a nuclear reactor and core and the decay of the delayed neutron precursors.

Orthodontic treatment is not without risk. The risks may be due to patient factors (which may not always be evident before treatment) or may come about because of the treatment itself. While the common types of risk are well documented, less information is available as to how some of the more unusual problems can best be managed when they arise; often the need for teamwork between the patient, orthodontist and general dental practitioner (GDP) are underestimated. This paper presents three patients in whom various root-related problems existed either before orthodontic treatment or which arose during orthodontic treatment; demonstrates how they were managed; and highlights the need for teamwork to ensure a 'least harmful' outcome. All patients were followed up for over a year.

Because the apoptotic process appears to be involved in the response-to-treatment of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, we investigated the prognostic value of the expression of three apoptosis-associated genes (p53, Bax, and Bcl-2) in tumor biopsies from patients with locally advanced head and neck carcinoma. Using specific monoclonal antibodies, immunohistochemical staining for p53, Bax, and Bcl-2 was performed on tumor material from 43 patients before their scheduled adjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Results indicated that the response to treatment was 83.7% (36 of 43 patients). Bax staining was positive in 8 cases (19.5%), p53 in 19 (47.5%), and Bcl-2 in 4 patients (10.8%). There were no statistically significant correlations between any of the apoptosis genes assayed and the patients' response to treatment or to overall survival. In the univariate statistical analysis, response-to-treatment was the only significant variable (p = 0.013) predictive of survival rate. These results suggest that p53, Bax, and Bcl-2 expression are not significant predictive factors of response to induction treatment in locally advanced head and neck carcinoma and that their routine use as prognostic markers cannot be recommended.

Presents a new specification technique for complex hardware-sofware systems, based on standard high-level programming languages, such as C, C++, Java, Scheme, or Ada, without extensions or semantic changes. Unlike previous approaches, the designer may choose the model of computation and the specification language that best suits her needs, while still being able to formally verify the correctness of the specification. The details of the available hardware and software resources, and the implementation of the different models of computation are encapsulated in libraries to maximize reuse in system specifications.

Este artigo apresenta técnica para dimensionar e classificar populações caninas, segundo graus de dependência e restrição. Foi desenvolvida pelo Instituto Pasteur de São Paulo, com a seguinte metodologia: (1) realização de um inquérito domiciliar para identificação dos cães com proprietário e do grau de restrição. Aos proprietários de cães restritos, totalmente ou parcialmente, e aos moradores que não se definiram como proprietários únicos foram entregues coleiras de três cores distintas, solicitando-lhes colocação nos cães sob seus cuidados; (2) contagem de cães que circulavam na rua e classificação conforme cor da coleira, cuja ausência identificou os cães sem proprietário. Os pesquisadores foram posicionados em locais pré-determinados, distantes em média cinqüenta metros. O tempo de cada contagem foi de trinta segundos, repetindo-se a cada 15 minutos, por uma hora, com início e término marcados por apito. A técnica, aplicada em dois setores censitários do Município de Serra Azul, Estado de São Paulo, Brasil, foi realizada por adolescentes de 13 a 17 anos, submetidos a um dia de treinamento. O procedimento foi simples e possibilitou acesso à informação de difícil obtenção, como o percentual de cães sem proprietário ou sem proprietário definido, que, no caso estudado, foi de 5%. This paper describes a technique developed by the Pasteur Institute in São Paulo, Brazil, for counting and classifying a canine population according to levels of dependency and confinement. First, a household survey was performed to identify dogs with owners and their degree of restriction. Different-colored collars were given to totally and partially restricted dogs. Dogs cared for by individuals who did not consider themselves the owners received collars of a third color. After the survey, surveyors counted and recorded dogs on the streets according to the color of their collars. Absence of collars identified dogs without owners. Surveyors were positioned at predetermined sites, an average of 50 meters apart. Counting time lasted 30 seconds and was repeated every 10 to 15 minutes for one hour, with starting and finishing times signaled by blasts on a whistle. The technique was used in the city of Serra Azul, São Paulo, Brazil, by 13- to 17-year-olds after a one-day training program. A total of 498 dogs were recorded in two census tracts, 5% of which were classified as without owners and unrestricted.

This paper describes a technique developed by the Pasteur Institute in São Paulo, Brazil, for counting and classifying a canine population according to levels of dependency and confinement. First, a household survey was performed to identify dogs with owners and their degree of restriction. Different-colored collars were given to totally and partially restricted dogs. Dogs cared for by individuals who did not consider themselves the owners received collars of a third color. After the survey, surveyors counted and recorded dogs on the streets according to the color of their collars. Absence of collars identified dogs without owners. Surveyors were positioned at predetermined sites, an average of 50 meters apart. Counting time lasted 30 seconds and was repeated every 10 to 15 minutes for one hour, with starting and finishing times signaled by blasts on a whistle. The technique was used in the city of Serra Azul, São Paulo, Brazil, by 13- to 17-year-olds after a one-day training program. A total of 498 dogs were recorded in two census tracts, 5% of which were classified as without owners and unrestricted.

Although its declining incidence in most Western countries, gastric cancer remains a leading cause of cancer death. In France, it ranks second after colorectal cancer in terms of frequency. Chronic gastritis is the most frequent pathological condition that predispose to gastric cancer. One of the most important aetiological factor of gastric carcinogenesis is obviously the infection by Helicobacter pylori. Positive diagnosis of gastric cancer is made by upper gastrointestinal endoscopy combined with biopsies. Surgical resection is currently the only potentially curative treatment. However, the 5-year-survival rate after apparently curative surgical resection remains only 15% in Western populations. The studies on adjuvant treatment after surgical resection, have failed to demonstrate any improvement in overall or disease-free survival. Although promising in the locally advance setting, the pre-operative cytotoxic approach with or without radiation therapy remains experimental. In advanced disease the so-called ECF regimen results in delayed symptoms-free survival, increased survival (median: 9 months) and better quality of life.

The present case report describes a procedure for obtaining the master impression and the maxillo-mandibular relationship for the definitive prosthesis in a maxillectomy patient. After casting the metal framework, a visible-light-cured tray resin was spread over the resin retention grid and gradually cured. Modelling compound was extended over the resin with functional movements, and finally the margins of the defect were sealed with a dental impression wax. A column of light-cured resin was constructed from the lower face of the resin/compound/wax structure to the opposing dental arch. This column permitted recording of the maxillo-mandibular relationship.