A possible case of serum sickness after ocrelizumab infusion – Commentary

Serum sickness is a type III delayed hypersensitivity reaction which causes deposition of immune-complexes in the tissues. It has been reported with rituximab, and in this issue of the journal, there is a case report of a patient with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis who developed a possible serum sickness after the third infusion of ocrelizumab. In this commentary, we discuss the current literature on serum sickness, and how to diagnose and manage it. We provide our opinion on this particular case, and encourage neurologists and patients to remain vigilant of such a possibility

Synthesis and Characterization of New Thioxanthone Derivatives

This work comprises the synthesis of new thioxanthone derivatives containing C-substituted thioxanthone. To obtain these derivatives, the o-mercapto benzoic acid was chosen as the starting material, which was reacted with dry benzene in sulfuric acid (98 %) to produce the thioxanthone (1). The 2,7-(disulfonyl phosphine imine) thioxanthone (4-8) were prepared from reaction of compound (1) with chlorosulfonic acid gave 2,7-(disulfonyl chloride) thioxanthone (2). Treatment of (2) with sodium azide to produce 2,7-(disulfonyl azide) thioxanthone (3). Condensation of (3) with phosphorus compounds afforded compounds (4-8). The 2,7-(disulfonamide) thioxanthone (9-21) was obtained when compound (2) condensed with different aromatic amines, it gave the expected amides (9-21)

A one decade survey of autonomous mobile robot systems

Recently, autonomous mobile robots have gained popularity in the modern world due to their relevance technology and application in real world situations. The global market for mobile robots will grow significantly over the next 20 years. Autonomous mobile robots are found in many fields including institutions, industry, business, hospitals, agriculture as well as private households for the purpose of improving day-to-day activities and services. The development of technology has increased in the requirements for mobile robots because of the services and tasks provided by them, like rescue and research operations, surveillance, carry heavy objects and so on. Researchers have conducted many works on the importance of robots, their uses, and problems. This article aims to analyze the control system of mobile robots and the way robots have the ability of moving in real-world to achieve their goals. It should be noted that there are several technological directions in a mobile robot industry. It must be observed and integrated so that the robot functions properly: Navigation systems, localization systems, detection systems (sensors) along with motion and kinematics and dynamics systems. All such systems should be united through a control unit; thus, the mission or work of mobile robots are conducted with reliability

Impacts of climate change on soybean production under different treatments of field experiments considering the uncertainty of general circulation models

Earth is faced with dramatic changes in the weather systems, which leads to climate change. Climate change affects water resources and crop production. In this study, five and seven general circulation models (GCMs) were respectively collected via the IPCC Fourth and Fifth Assessment Reports. Emission scenarios including B1, A1B, and A2 for AR4 and RCP2.6 and RCP8.5 for AR5 were applied to predict future climate change. The weighting method of mean observed temperature-precipitation (MOTP) was utilized to compute uncertainty related to different climate models. The scenario files made by ΔT and ΔP were applied to the downscaled model of LARS-WG to generate weighted multi-model ensemble means of temperature and precipitation for the period 2020–2039 centered on 2030s. These ensemble means were incorporated into the calibrated AquaCrop model to predict final yield and biomass. In this study, soybean data were applied for four different varieties under three irrigation treatments in field experiments carried out at Karaj Seed and Plant Improvement Institute in two successive years. However, the results of statistical analysis between the model output and observed data for all varieties and irrigation treatments in the calibration year (2010) and validation year (2011) were the same at the 95% confidence level. It is suggested that AquaCrop is a valid model to predict yield and biomass for the study area in the future. Furthermore, comparing future climatic variables to the historical period during the soybean growing season showed enhancement of these variables by the 2030s. The amplitude change of temperature was larger in AR5, whereas the amplitude change of precipitation and CO2 were larger in AR4. The soybean yield and biomass increased for all treatments in the 2030 s with positive correlation with the climatic variables. The maximum temperature represented the most significant correlation with yield and biomass for almost all treatments. Finally, soybeans might achieve an optimal threshold temperature in the future, leading to yield increases in the 2030s

A nonuniform DPLL architecture for optimized performance

This paper presents the design, analysis, simulation, and implementation of the architecture of a new nonuniform-type digital phase-locked loop (DPLL). The proposed loop uses a composite phase detector (CPD), which consists of a sample-and-hold unit and an arctan block. The CPD improves the system linearity and results in a wider lock range. In addition, the loop has an adaptive controller block, which can be used to minimize the overall system sensitivity to variations in the power of the input signal. Furthermore, the controller has a tuning mechanism that gives the designer the flexibility to customize the loop parameters to suit a particular application. These performance parameters include lock range, acquisition time, phase noise or jitter, and signal-to-noise ratio enhancement. The simulation results show that the proposed loop provides flexibility to optimize the major conflicting system parameters. A prototype of the proposed system was implemented using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and the practical results concur with those obtained by simulation using MATLAB/Simulink. © 2013 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan.Published versio

Performance evaluation of the time delay digital tanlock loop architectures

This article presents the architectures, theoretical analyses and testing results of modified time delay digital tanlock loop (TDTLs) system. The modifications to the original TDTL architecture were introduced to overcome some of the limitations of the original TDTL and to enhance the overall performance of the particular systems. The limitations addressed in this article include the non-linearity of the phase detector, the restricted width of the locking range and the overall system acquisition speed. Each of the modified architectures was tested by subjecting the system to sudden positive and negative frequency steps and comparing its response with that of the original TDTL. In addition, the performance of all the architectures was evaluated under noise-free as well as noisy environments. The extensive simulation results using MATLAB/SIMULINK demonstrate that the new architectures overcome the limitations they addressed and the overall results confirmed significant improvements in performance compared to the conventional TDTL system

Diagnosis and management of Neuro-Behçet's disease: international consensus recommendations.

Neuro-Behçet's disease (NBD) is one of the more serious manifestations of Behçet's disease (BD), which is a relapsing inflammatory multisystem disease with an interesting epidemiology. Though NBD is relatively uncommon, being potentially treatable, neurologists need to consider it in the differential diagnosis of inflammatory, infective, or demyelinating CNS disorders. Evidence-based information on key issues of NBD diagnosis and management is scarce, and planning for such studies is challenging. We therefore initiated this project to develop expert consensus recommendations that might be helpful to neurologists and other clinicians, created through an extensive literature review and wide consultations with an international advisory panel, followed by a Delphi exercise. We agreed on consensus criteria for the diagnosis of NBD with two levels of certainty in addition to recommendations on when to consider NBD in a neurological patient, and on the use of various paraclinical tests. The management recommendations included treatment of the parenchymal NBD and cerebral venous thrombosis, the use of disease modifying therapies, prognostic factors, outcome measures, and headache in BD. Future studies are needed to validate the proposed criteria and provide evidence-based treatments

Current empirical assessment methods for adolescents and children who sexually abuse others

The assessment of adolescents and children who commit sexually abusive behavior is a complex and challenging task. Incorporating empirically based assessment methods into psychosexual evaluations promises appropriate coverage of relevant domains, sound interpretation of the meaning of data, reduced clinician biases and error, and greater certainty in decision-making. In this paper we review empirically-based assessment methods currently available for use in psychosexual assessment of adolescents and children who sexually abuse others. Our review describes the robustness of these measures and provides guidance for their appropriate use in assessment. The review highlighted that several empirically-based measures are suitable for clinical use with adolescents, but very little is available to guide assessment of children\u27s abusive behavior per se. </i