Measuring Concentration in Data with an Exogenous Order

Concentration measures order the statistical units under observation according to their market share. However, there are situations where an order according to an exogenous variable is more appropriate or even required. The present article introduces a generalized definition of market concentration and defines a corresponding concentration measure. It is shown that this generalized concept of market concentration satisfies the common axioms of (classical) concentration measures. In an application example, the proposed approach is compared with classical concentration measures; the data are transfer spendings of German Bundesliga soccer teams, the ``obvious'' exogenous order of the teams is the league ranking

Tunable multi-photon Rabi oscillations in an electronic spin system

We report on multi-photon Rabi oscillations and controlled tuning of a multi-level system at room temperature (S=5/2 for Mn2+:MgO) in and out of a quasi-harmonic level configuration. The anisotropy is much smaller than the Zeeman splittings, such as the six level scheme shows only a small deviation from an equidistant diagram. This allows us to tune the spin dynamics by either compensating the cubic anisotropy with a precise static field orientation, or by microwave field intensity. Using the rotating frame approximation, the experiments are very well explained by both an analytical model and a generalized numerical model. The calculated multi-photon Rabi frequencies are in excellent agreement with the experimental data

Thin-layer agar for detection of resistance to rifampicin, ofloxacin and kanamycin in Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates

BACKGROUND: In low-income countries there is a great need for economical methods for testing the susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to antibiotics. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the thin-layer agar (TLA) for rapid detection of resistance to rifampicin (RMP), ofloxacin (OFX) and kanamycin (KM) in M. tuberculosis clinical isolates and to determine the sensitivity, specificity and time to positivity compared to the gold standard method. METHODS: One hundred and forty-seven clinical isolates of M. tuberculosis were studied. For the TLA method, a quadrant Petri plate containing 7H11 agar with RMP, OFX and KM was used. Results were compared to the Bactec MGIT960 for RMP and the proportion method for OFX and KM. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity for RMP and OFX were 100% and for KM they were 100% and 98.7%, respectively. The use of a TLA quadrant plate enables the rapid detection of resistance to the three anti-tuberculosis drugs RMP, OFX and KM in a median of 10 days. CONCLUSION: TLA was an accurate method for the detection of resistance in the three drugs studied. This faster method is simple to perform, providing an alternative method when more sophisticated techniques are not available in low-resource settings

MRI and Neuropsychological Correlates of Carbon Monoxide Exposure: A Case Report

A 45-year-old woman experienced long-term, chronic exposure to carbon monoxide in the restaurant kitchen where she was employed as a cook. After returning to the restaurant after 5 days off work, she noticed that her symptoms returned immediately; she then aired out the room and called the gas company. Approximately 6 hr after a leak was detected, the patient went to the hospital, where her carboxyhemoglobin was found to be within normal limits and results of a neurologic examination were described as normal. Based on her symptoms, the patient believed she had been exposed to CO for at least 1 year before the leak was discovered. Initially, she experienced flu-like symptoms, which eventually resolved. At the time of her first neuropsychological evaluation (17 months after the exposure was identified), her persisting complaints included difficulties in reading, writing, speaking and word retrieval. The test results were consistent with secondary frontal lobe dysfunction associated with subcortical disorders such as those seen after CO exposure. Results of a subsequent neuropsychological examination (29 months postexposure) showed slight improvement in performance, but her performance was still consistent with mild frontal/subcortical dysfunction. Although the initial screening of a brain magnetic resonance image (MRI) performed 15 months after the exposure was interpreted as being within normal limits, two subsequent blind reviews of the same scans identified multiple bilateral lesions in the basal ganglia, which were consistent with chronic CO exposure. We present this case as an example of the utility of MRI and neuropsychological examinations in detecting central nervous system dysfunction secondary to CO exposure

Капитальный ремонт магистрального газопровода «НГПЗ – Парабель» на участке 227-254 км

Объектом исследования является магистральный газопровод Ду 1000 протяженностью 26,267км. Цель работы – выбор эффективного способа выполнения работ по капитальному ремонту магистрального газопровода. Проведены расчеты толщины стенки трубы, трубопровод на прочность и устойчивость. Рассмотрена разработка траншеи, сварочно-монтажные работы, прокладка, ликвидации разрывов, проведение испытания, мероприятия по охране труда и безопасности строительства, охране окружающей среды, технико-экономическая часть. Было предложено выполнять укладку нового трубопровода параллельно существующему, силами КТП. На основании выполненных расчетов на прочность было рекомендовано увеличения толщины стенки.The object of study is (are) the main gas pipeline DN 1000 with a length of 26,267 km. Purpose – the choice of effective method of execution of works on capital repair of the trunk gas pipeline. The calculations of wall thickness, tubing for strength and stability. Describes the development of a trench, welding and installation works, laying, bridging the gaps, running the test, measures on labor protection and building safety, environmental, technical and economic part. It was proposed to carry out laying a new pipeline parallel to the existing, by the CTU. On the basis of the calculations for strength, it was recommended that increasing the thickness of the wall

Роль хемокинов в рекрутировании клеток-предшественников в опухолевую нишу при раке молочной железы

Развитие первичной опухоли сопровождается формированием опухолевой ниши, котораясоздает благоприятные условия для выживания и пролиферации раковых клеток. Одним из ключевых элементов эволюции опухолевой ниши является рекрутирование костномозговых клеток-предшественников, включая клетки-предшественники макрофагов, мезенхимальные столовые клетки, эндотелиальные и гемопоэтические клетки-предшественники. Миграция упомянутых клеток в опухоль регулируется рядом хемокинов, в том числе CCL2, CXCL12, MSP (macrophage stimulating protein) и MIF (macrophage inhibitory factor). Целью настоящего исследования являлось изучение параметров опухолевой ниши при раке молочной железы. Исследование включало 24 больных с инвазивной карциномой неспецифического типа молочной железы. В суспензии опухолевых клеток методом проточной цитофлюориметрии определяли содержание клеток-предшественников. Концентрацию хемокинов CCL2, CXCL12, MSP и MIF в венозной крови больных оценивали с помощью твердофазного иммуноферментного анализа. Достоверных различий в содержании исследованных клеточных популяций, а также концентрации изученных хемокинов между пациентами, разделенными на группы взависимости от наличия или отсутствия лимфогенных метастазов и неоадъювантного лечения, обнаружено не было. В то же время, установлена прямая корреляционная связь между содержанием гемопоэтических клеток-предшественников в опухоли и концентрацией CXCL12 и MIF в крови