Search

STUDY DESIGN Global cross-sectional survey. OBJECTIVE To validate the AO Spine Subaxial Cervical Spine Injury Classification by examining the perceived injury severity by surgeon across AO geographical regions and practice experience. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Previous subaxial cervical spine injury classifications have been limited by subpar interobserver reliability and clinical applicability. In an attempt to create a universally validated scheme with prognostic value, AO Spine established a subaxial cervical spine injury classification involving four elements: (1) injury morphology, (2) facet injury involvement, (3) neurologic status, and (4) case-specific modifiers. METHODS A survey was sent to 272 AO Spine members across all geographic regions and with a variety of practice experience. Respondents graded the severity of each variable of the classification system on a scale from zero (low severity) to 100 (high severity). Primary outcome was to assess differences in perceived injury severity for each injury type over geographic regions and level of practice experience. RESULTS A total of 189 responses were received. Overall, the classification system exhibited a hierarchical progression in subtype injury severity scores. Only three subtypes showed a significant difference in injury severity score among geographic regions: F3 (floating lateral mass fracture, p:0.04), N3 (incomplete spinal cord injury, p:0.03), and M2 (critical disk herniation, p:0.04). When stratified by surgeon experience, pairwise comparison showed only 2 morphological subtypes, B1 (bony posterior tension band injury, p:0.02) and F2 (unstable facet fracture, p:0.03), and one neurologic subtype (N3, p:0.02) exhibited a significant difference in injury severity score. CONCLUSIONS The AO Spine Subaxial Cervical Spine Injury Classification System has shown to be reliable and suitable for proper patient management. The study shows this classification is substantially generalizable by geographic region and surgeon experience; and provides a consistent method of communication among physicians while covering the majority of subaxial cervical spine traumatic injuries.Level of Evidence: 4.

In this work, the description and classification of a set of fossil shark tooth specimens, from the upper Kimmeridgian-lower Tithonian (Upper Jurassic) of Torres Vedras, was developed. The material, currently housed in the paleontological collection of Sociedade de História Natural, was collected on the surface of the marine deposits at the top of the Praia Azul Member, Lourinhã Formation, Lusitanian Basin. The attribution of the specimens to Hybodus cf. reticulatus, was based on the presence of the following most striking characteristics: a reticulated, spongy root, perpendicular to the crown; a completely to almost completely straight main cusp; several straight, well-defined, and parallel ridges that run from the base of the crown to about half of the height of the main cusp; and flat, well-defined cutting edges. RESUMO: No presente trabalho, fez-se a descrição e a classificação de um conjunto de espécimes de dentes fósseis de tubarão, do Kimmeridgiano superior-Tithoniano inferior (Jurássico Superior) de Torres Vedras. O material, atualmente sediado na coleção paleontológica da Sociedade de História Natural, foi colhido à superfície nos depósitos marinhos do topo do Membro da Praia Azul, Formação da Lourinhã, Bacia Lusitaniana. A atribuição dos espécimes a Hybodus cf. reticulatus, baseou-se na presença das seguintes características mais marcantes: raiz reticulada, esponjosa e perpendicular à coroa; cúspide principal totalmente ou quase totalmente estreita; várias pregas estreitas, bem definidas e paralelas entre si, que surgem desde a base da coroa até aproximadamente metade da altura da cúspide principal; e bordo cortante liso e bem definido. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Made available in DSpace on 2022-01-12T18:01:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ART22019.pdf: 277036 bytes, checksum: bcc6aa1852914e69f3de1590708cf4b7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2021 Monitoramento da extração de vitamina C empregando modelos de calibração multivariados por espectroscopia NIR.

Banana is a crop with outstanding economic and social expression throughout the world, therefore, it is important to use appropriate methods of propagation. The micropropagation is an appropriate method because it is disease-free, unlike traditional methods that spread pests and diseases. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of silicon on foliar anatomy and chlorophyll content of banana plants culturedin vitro using temporary immersion bioreactor technology. Explants of ?Dwarf Cavendish? banana established in vitro were inoculated in bioreactors containing MS liquid medium. Treatments included silicon concentration (0 and 1 mLL-1) and frequency of immersions (every 4, 6, and 8 hours) lasting 1 minute per immersion. Cultures were maintained in a growth room at 27 ± 2 °C under LED light (50 μmol m-² s-¹) with a 16 h of photoperiod for 36 days. After that period, anatomical characteristics and chlorophyll content were evaluated. Higher values were observed for some characteristics validated in plants cultivated with silicon when compared to control. Silicon addition resulted in increased thickness of the leaf?s limb tissues, resulting in a larger mesophyll (563.122μm) which is the set of measurements of all leaf?s limb tissues, it also provided greater adaxial and abaxial stomatal density (0.108817μm and 0.305085μm) respectively, greater adaxial and abaxial polar diameter/equatorial diameter ratio (1.982 and 2.069) respectively, and increased chlorophyll a content (0.000134 mg·g-1 fresh weight) and a/b ratio (1.710425) of plants of banana ?Dwarf Cavendish? cultured in bioreactors. Made available in DSpace on 2022-02-10T18:00:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 AGRIS-Banana-Biorreactors-2021.pdf: 439742 bytes, checksum: 7be61f067486a2a989ef5869b39588b6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2021

RESUMO: O conceito de agricultura de precisão (AP) tem sido empregado na viticultura tendo em vista a adoção de práticas de manejo sítio-específico a partir da caracterização da variabilidade espacial das áreas cultivadas. Neste sentido, o vigor vegetativo das videiras pode ser adotado como uma variável regionalizada representativa da condição dos vinhedos, uma vez que expressa a interação dos diversos fatores ambientais predominantes nesses sistemas agrícolas. Em razão da sua relevância para adoção de práticas de AP, o vigor vegetativo pode ser monitorado intensivamente por tecnologias de georreferenciamento e sensoriamento que permitem a estimativa e predição espacial de índices de vegetação (IV). Desta forma, o presente estudo teve como objetivo caracterizar a variabilidade das condições edafoclimáticas de vinhedos comerciais, bem como do vigor vegetativo de videiras viníferas a partir de estimativas do índice de vegetação por diferença normalizada no vermelho limítrofe (NDRE) e do índice de vegetação por diferença normalizada (NDVI). A pesquisa foi conduzida durante os ciclos de produção de 2018 e 2019 em três vinhedos comerciais irrigados, e implantados com as cultivares Cabernet Franc e Cabernet Sauvignon (Vitis vinifera L.), ambas submetidas ao manejo de dupla-poda anual. O solo dos vinhedos foi avaliado conforme a granulometria e os atributos físico-hídricos relacionados ao armazenamento e disponibilidade de água. Por sua vez, as condições mesoclimáticas foram monitoradas ao longo dos ciclos de produção, durante o período anterior e posterior ao início da maturação das bagas (veraison). Os vinhedos também foram caracterizados quanto ao número de graus dias demandado pelas cultivares para conclusão do ciclo fenológico, bem como no que se referiu à dinâmica do armazenamento de água no solo. Para a caracterização do vigor vegetativo, os IV adotados foram estimados a partir da reflectância (ρ) do dossel das videiras, mensurada via sensoriamento proximal em três ocasiões ao longo do período de desenvolvimento e maturação dos cachos. A partir da estimação geoestatística, as predições espaciais dos IV foram avaliadas segundo a similaridade entre medidas realizadas em diferentes fases do ciclo e sua estabilidade espaço-temporal. Os resultados interpolados dos IV também foram usados na delimitação de zonas homogêneas (ZH) e posterior zonas de manejo (ZM), para subdivisão dos vinhedos em regiões de baixo e alto vigor vegetativo. Essas regionalizações foram validadas de acordo com parâmetros biofísicos, relacionados ao vigor e conteúdo de água na folha, e aspectos produtivos das videiras, bem como quanto à composição de bagas e umidade da camada superficial do solo, capacidade de armazenamento de água e lâmina de irrigação requerida. Além disso, testou-se o potencial da colheita seletiva de cachos para a diferenciação qualitativa de vinhos, conforme as ZH do vigor vegetativo deduzido segundo o NDVI, estimado no período de início de maturação de bagas. Em um mesmo vinhedo, foi possível identificar condições do solo semelhantes ao longo do perfil, além de um padrão regular quanto a dinâmica de armazenamento de água ao longo dos ciclos de produção. Além disso, apesar das variações interanuais no acúmulo de graus dias correspondente a cada cultivar, o sistema de dupla-poda adotado localmente permitiu que as cultivares de videiras fossem submetidas as condições mesoclimáticas estáveis, porém distintas entre si, ao se comparar o período anterior e posterior ao veraison. Em vinhedos cultivados com variedades vigorosas, cujo desenvolvimento se encontra consolidado, as predições do NDRE e NDVI apresentaram elevada estabilidade temporal, espacial e similaridade no padrão de distribuição dos valores interpolados estimados em fases avançadas do ciclo de produção. Contudo, foi possível verificar a adequabilidade da caracterização da expressão vegetativa dos vinhedos conforme a metodologia adotada nesse estudo, uma vez que foram observadas diferenças significativas entre regionalizações do vigor quanto às variáveis de validação. Além disso, a representação da variabilidade do vigor vegetativo também apresentou potencial para orientar a colheita seletiva de cachos e a obtenção de vinhos de composição distinta em um mesmo vinhedo. Made available in DSpace on 2022-01-03T19:00:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 costa-brs-dr-botfca.pdf: 19982308 bytes, checksum: 9c72fd4eb1ef43c0d8bb04c083bd6c0e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2021 Orientador: Luís Henrique Bassoi, Embrapa Instrumentação.

OBJECTIVE Optimal management of A3 and A4 cervical spine fractures, as defined by the AO Spine Subaxial Injury Classification System, remains controversial. The objectives of this study were to determine whether significant management variations exist with respect to 1) fracture location across the upper, middle, and lower subaxial cervical spine and 2) geographic region, experience, or specialty. METHODS A survey was internationally distributed to 272 AO Spine members across six geographic regions (North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East). Participants’ management of A3 and A4 subaxial cervical fractures across cervical regions was assessed in four clinical scenarios. Key characteristics considered in the vignettes included degree of neurological deficit, pain severity, cervical spine stability, presence of comorbidities, and fitness for surgery. Respondents were also directly asked about their preferences for operative management and misalignment acceptance across the subaxial cervical spine. RESULTS In total, 155 (57.0%) participants completed the survey. Pooled analysis demonstrated that surgeons were more likely to offer operative intervention for both A3 (p < 0.001) and A4 (p < 0.001) fractures located at the cervicothoracic junction compared with fractures at the upper or middle subaxial cervical regions. There were no significant variations in management for junctional incomplete (p = 0.116) or complete (p = 0.342) burst fractures between geographic regions. Surgeons with more than 10 years of experience were more likely to operatively manage A3 (p < 0.001) and A4 (p < 0.001) fractures than their younger counterparts. Neurosurgeons were more likely to offer surgical stabilization of A3 (p < 0.001) and A4 (p < 0.001) fractures than their orthopedic colleagues. Clinicians from both specialties agreed regarding their preference for fixation of lower junctional A3 (p = 0.866) and A4 (p = 0.368) fractures. Overall, surgical fixation was recommended more often for A4 than A3 fractures in all four scenarios (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS The subaxial cervical spine should not be considered a single unified entity. Both A3 and A4 fracture subtypes were more likely to be surgically managed at the cervicothoracic junction than the upper or middle subaxial cervical regions. The authors also determined that treatment strategies for A3 and A4 subaxial cervical spine fractures varied significantly, with the latter demonstrating a greater likelihood of operative management. These findings should be reflected in future subaxial cervical spine trauma algorithms.

Patients with multiple myeloma are generally older and vary in fitness levels, which may influence the clinical benefit of treatment. Patients from the large, phase 3 FIRST trial in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) were retrospectively investigated to determine outcomes based on frailty using scores for age, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS), instead of the EQ-5D quality-of-life questionnaire, as previously reported. ECOG PS (n = 1618) was investigated in frailty groups: frail (49%) and nonfrail (51%). Frail patients experienced worse progression-free and overall survival vs nonfrail patients. Prognostic assessment was improved when combining frailty and International Staging System stage (I/II vs III). Frail patients had a higher risk of developing grade 3/4 treatment-emergent adverse events. Treatment effects observed in the FIRST trial were confirmed per frailty group and per frailty and ISS group. The use of this ECOG PS–containing frailty scale as a predictive measure of clinical outcomes in patients with transplant-ineligible NDMM is supported by data from the FIRST trial. This score, based on age, CCI, and ECOG PS, can be easily replicated and may help design future myeloma studies in frail or nonfrail elderly patients. © 2019, The Author(s).

OBJECTIVE To compare assay sensitivity of the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for global osteoarthritis pain and the Western Ontario and McMaster University (WOMAC) pain subscale, and the associated between-trial heterogeneity in effect sizes (ES). DESIGN We included trials with placebo, sham or non-intervention control that included at least 100 patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis per arm, reporting both VAS and WOMAC pain scores. ES were calculated as between-group difference in means divided by the pooled standard deviation and compared using a paired t-test. ES and τ2 as a measure of between-trial heterogeneity were combined using random-effects meta-regression with robust variance estimation to account for the correlation of data within trials and meta-analyses. RESULTS Twenty-eight trials with 44 randomized comparisons were included. In 28 comparisons (64%), ES from VAS favoured the intervention more than those from WOMAC pain (P=0.003). Twenty-six p-values (59%) were smaller according to VAS (P=0.008). The 44 comparisons contributed to 12 meta-analyses. Eleven meta-analyses (92%) showed larger benefits of interventions according to VAS, with a combined overall difference in ES of -0.08 (95% CI -0.14 to -0.02). τ2 was similar for VAS and WOMAC pain (difference in τ2, -0.003, 95% CI -0.009 to 0.004). CONCLUSION The VAS for global pain had slightly higher assay sensitivity at trial and meta-analysis levels than the WOMAC pain subscale without relevant increase in between-trial heterogeneity.

Book synopsis: The Routledge Handbook of Research Methods in Applied Linguistics provides a critical survey of the methodological concepts, designs, instruments and types of analysis that are used within the broad field of applied linguistics. With more than 40 chapters written by leading and emerging scholars, this book problematizes and theorizes applied linguistics research, incorporating numerous multi-faceted methodological considerations and pointing to the future of good practice in research. Topics covered include:\ud \ud key concepts and constructs in research methodology, such as sampling strategies and mixed methods research;\ud research designs such as experimental research, case study research, and action research;\ud data collection methods, from questionnaires and interviews to think-aloud protocols and data elicitation tasks;\ud data analysis methods, such as use of R, inferential statistical analysis, and qualitative content analysis;\ud current considerations in applied linguistics research, such as a need for transparency and greater incorporation of multilingualism in research;\ud recent innovations in research methods related to multimodality, eye-tracking, and advances in quantitative methods.\ud The Routledge Handbook of Research Methods in Applied Linguistics is key reading for both experienced and novice researchers in Applied Linguistics as well as anyone undertaking study in this area.