Coronavirus–associated enteritis in a quail farm

An enteric syndrome observed in semi-intensively reared quails is described. The affected birds showed depression, severe diarrhoea and dehydration. The mortality occurred particularly in young birds. At necropsy, the prominent lesion was catarrhal enteritis. Laboratory investigations demonstrated the presence of coronavirus in the gut of dead animals. No additional pathogens were detected. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence for the presence of CoVs in quail with enteritis

the optimal electric energy procurement problem under reliability constraints

Abstract We consider the problem faced by a large consumer that has to define the procurement plan to cover its energy needs. The uncertain nature of the problem, related to the spot price and energy needs, is dealt by the stochastic programming framework. The proposed approach provides the decision maker with a proactive strategy that covers the energy needs with a high reliability level and integrates the Conditional Value at Risk (CVaR) measure to control potential losses. We apply the approach to a real case study and emphasize the effect of the reliability value choice and the difference between risk neutral and adverse positions

Quality of Experience Provision in the Future Internet

This work deals with the satisfaction of the quality of experience (QoE) requirements in the perspective of the emerging future Internet framework. The evolution of the Internet is pointing out its limitations, which are likely to hinder its potential. In this respect, this paper introduces an innovative approach to cope with some key limitations of the present communication networks. In particular, the need of efficiently utilizing the available network resources and of guaranteeing the user expectations in terms of QoE requires a full cognitive approach, which is realized by the introduction of a novel architecture design, the so-called future Internet core platform. The future Internet core platform aims at bringing together the applications world with the network world, hence introducing a further cognitive level while enabling a new generation of applications: network-aware applications. This paper is concerned with an important aspect of the intelligent connectivity between applications and network: the service class association, which, if performed with a cognitive approach, can yield some important improvements and advantages in the emerging information era. The key idea presented in this paper is a real-time dynamic control procedure for the selection of the optimal service class. The approach is based on theoretical considerations validated by a proof-of-concept simulation

Pyoderma gangrenosum associated with pseudo-PelgerHuët anomaly in a patient with idiopathic myelofibrosis

Pseudo-Pelger-Huët anomaly is a condition in which almost all the granulocytes are hyposegmented and/or hypogranulated. It is typically recognized in peripheral blood smears and represents a marker of several disorders, such as myeloproliferative diseases and myelodysplasia. The occurrence of the pseudoPelger-Huët anomaly in the cutaneous infiltrate of pyoderma gangrenosum is very rare. We describe the case of a 70-year-old man with idiopathic myelofibrosis who developed pyoderma gangrenosum. Histological examination showed an infiltrate consisting of granulocytic elements with features of dysmaturity and segmentation anomalies (hypo- and hypersegmented forms), suggestive of pseudo-Pelger-Huët anomaly. Methylprednisolone treatment resulted in progressive improvement of pyoderma gangrenosum

Typing of Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli isolated from laying hens during the production cycle

C. jejuni and C. coli isolated on three layer farms during the production cycle were typed by PCR-RFLP flagellin gene profiling. Three typical restriction patterns were detected for C. coli (H, O, R), 5 for C. jejuni (I, P, Q, T, S) and 8 were common for both. The D profile was present in all three flocks. C fla-type was detected on farms A and B. The results of the study suggest that some genotypes tend to prevail and persist more than others on farms and in certain geographic areas

Exploring the Potentialities of Automatic Extraction of University Webometric Information

The main objective of this work is to show the potentialities of recently developed approaches for automatic knowledge extraction directly from the universities’ websites. The information automatically extracted can be potentially updated with a frequency higher than once per year, and be safe from manipulations or misinterpretations. Moreover, this approach allows us flexibility in collecting indicators about the efficiency of universities’ websites and their effectiveness in disseminating key contents. These new indicators can complement traditional indicators of scientific research (e.g. number of articles and number of citations) and teaching (e.g. number of students and graduates) by introducing further dimensions to allow new insights for “profiling” the analyzed universities. The main findings of this study concern the evaluation of the potential in digitalization of universities, in particular by presenting techniques for the automatic extraction of information from the web to build indicators of quality and impact of universities’ websites. These indicators can complement traditional indicators and can be used to identify groups of universities with common features using clustering techniques working with the above indicators

Intuition, intertemporal preferences and budget

Este trabalho verificou de que forma os aspectos intuitivos dos seres humanos impactam as preferências intertemporais na elaboração do orçamento. Por meio de uma pesquisa de campo, cenários foram delineados para mensurar a capacidade cognitiva dos respondentes e para identificar suas preferências relacionadas à alocação de recursos em decisões orçamentárias. Uma escala de seis itens foi empregada para captar como a variável interveniente “participação no processo orçamentário” se manifestou presente na relação entre a classificação cognitiva dos indivíduos e suas preferências intertemporais. A pesquisa foi realizada junto a uma amostra formada por 125 estudantes de pós-graduação em Salvador, Bahia, inscritos em diferentes cursos. A regressão logística múltipla foi utilizada para a análise principal dos dados e, de forma adicional, empregou-se uma análise não paramétrica. Os achados da análise principal, por meio da regressão logística, sugerem que a classificação dos indivíduos como intuitivos ou não intuitivos não contribui para a explicação das escolhas intertemporais. Entretanto, uma análise adicional, por meio da aplicação do teste não paramétrico de Mann-Whitney, sugeriu a existência de uma associação entre a classificação cognitiva dos indivíduos e as escolhas intertemporais. Os resultados indicaram, ainda, que a participação no processo orçamentário não influencia significativamente na relação entre a intuição, definida a partir da classificação cognitiva dos respondentes, e as escolhas intertemporais dos indivíduos.Palavras-chave: intuição, preferências intertemporais, classificação cognitiva, orçamento.This study examined how the intuitive aspects of humans impact on the intertemporal allocation of resources in organizational activities. Making use of a survey, scenarios were arranged to measure the cognitive ability of respondents and to identify their preferences related to resource allocation in budget decisions. A scale of six items was used to investigate how the intervening variable “participation in the budgeting process” was manifested in the relationship between cognitive classification of individuals and their intertemporal preferences. The survey was conducted among a sample comprised of 125 graduate students in Salvador, Bahia, enrolled in different courses. Multiple logistic regression was used for the main analysis of the data and additionally, we used a non-parametric analysis. The findings obtained by main analysis using multiple logistic regression suggest that the classification of individuals as intuitive or non-intuitive does not contribute to the explanation of intertemporal choices. However, additional analysis, by applying the non-parametric Mann-Whitney test suggested the existence of an association between cognitive classification of individuals and intertemporal choices. The results also indicated that participation in the budget process does not influence significantly the relation between intuition, defined from the cognitive classification of the respondents, and the intertemporal choices of individuals.Keywords: intuition, intertemporal preferences, cognitive classification, resources allocation

Intuição, preferências Intertemporais e orçamento

This study examined how the intuitive aspects of humans impact on the intertemporal allocation of resources in organizational activities. Making use of a survey, scenarios were arranged to measure the cognitive ability of respondents and to identify their preferences related to resource allocation in budget decisions. A scale of six items was used to investigate how the intervening variable “participation in the budgeting process” was manifested in the relationship between cognitive classification of individuals and their intertemporal preferences. The survey was conducted among a sample comprised of 125 graduate students in Salvador, Bahia, enrolled in different courses. Multiple logistic regression was used for the main analysis of the data and additionally, we used a non-parametric analysis. The findings obtained by main analysis using multiple logistic regression suggest that the classification of individuals as intuitive or non-intuitive does not contribute to the explanation of intertemporal choices. However, additional analysis, by applying the non-parametric Mann-Whitney test suggested the existence of an association between cognitive classification of individuals and intertemporal choices. The results also indicated that participation in the budget process does not influence significantly the relation between intuition, defined from the cognitive classification of the respondents, and the intertemporal choices of individuals.Keywords: intuition, intertemporal preferences, cognitive classification, resources allocation.Este trabalho verificou de que forma os aspectos intuitivos dos seres humanos impactam as preferências intertemporais na elaboração do orçamento. Por meio de uma pesquisa de campo, cenários foram delineados para mensurar a capacidade cognitiva dos respondentes e para identificar suas preferências relacionadas à alocação de recursos em decisões orçamentárias. Uma escala de seis itens foi empregada para captar como a variável interveniente “participação no processo orçamentário” se manifestou presente na relação entre a classificação cognitiva dos indivíduos e suas preferências intertemporais. A pesquisa foi realizada junto a uma amostra formada por 125 estudantes de pós-graduação em Salvador, Bahia, inscritos em diferentes cursos. A regressão logística múltipla foi utilizada para a análise principal dos dados e, de forma adicional, empregou-se uma análise não paramétrica. Os achados da análise principal, por meio da regressão logística, sugerem que a classificação dos indivíduos como intuitivos ou não intuitivos não contribui para a explicação das escolhas intertemporais. Entretanto, uma análise adicional, por meio da aplicação do teste não paramétrico de Mann-Whitney, sugeriu a existência de uma associação entre a classificação cognitiva dos indivíduos e as escolhas intertemporais. Os resultados indicaram, ainda, que a participação no processo orçamentário não influencia significativamente na relação entre a intuição, definida a partir da classificação cognitiva dos respondentes, e as escolhas intertemporais dos indivíduos.Palavras-chave: intuição, preferências intertemporais, classificação cognitiva, orçamento

Lysophosphatidic Acid Signaling Axis Mediates Ceramide 1-Phosphate-Induced Proliferation of C2C12 Myoblasts.

Sphingolipids are not only crucial for membrane architecture but act as critical regulators of cell functions. The bioactive sphingolipid ceramide 1-phosphate (C1P), generated by the action of ceramide kinase, has been reported to stimulate cell proliferation, cell migration and to regulate inflammatory responses via activation of different signaling pathways. We have previously shown that skeletal muscle is a tissue target for C1P since the phosphosphingolipid plays a positive role in myoblast proliferation implying a role in muscle regeneration. Skeletal muscle displays strong capacity of regeneration thanks to the presence of quiescent adult stem cells called satellite cells that upon trauma enter into the cell cycle and start proliferating. However, at present, the exact molecular mechanism by which C1P triggers its mitogenic effect in myoblasts is lacking. Here, we report for the first time that C1P stimulates C2C12 myoblast proliferation via lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) signaling axis. Indeed, C1P subsequently to phospholipase A2 activation leads to LPA1 and LPA3 engagement, which in turn drive Akt (protein kinase B) and ERK1/2 (extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2) activation, thus stimulating DNA synthesis. The present findings shed new light on the key role of bioactive sphingolipids in skeletal muscle and provide further support to the notion that these pleiotropic molecules might be useful therapeutic targets for skeletal muscle regeneration

Enzyme replacement therapy with idursulfase for mucopolysaccharidosis type ii (hunter syndrome)

Background Mucopolysaccharidosis II, also known as Hunter syndrome, is a rare, X-linked disease caused by a deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme iduronate-2-sulfatase, which catalyses a step in the catabolism of glycosaminoglycans. The glycosaminoglycans accumulate within tissues affecting multiple organs and physiologic systems. The clinical manifestations include neurologic involvement, severe airways obstruction, skeletal deformities and cardiomyopathy. The disease has a variable age of onset and variable rate of progression. In those with severe disease, death usually occurs in the second decade of life, whereas those individuals with less severe disease may survive into adulthood. Enzyme replacement therapy with intravenous infusions of idursulfase has emerged as a new treatment for mucopolysaccharidosis type II. This is an update of a previously published version of this review. Objectives To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of enzyme replacement therapy with idursulfase compared to other interventions, placebo or no intervention, for treating mucopolysaccharidosis type II. Search methods We searched the Cochrane Cystic Fibrosis and Genetic Disorders Group's Trials Register (date of last search 23 November 2015). We also searched Embase, PubMed and the Literature Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciencias da Saude (LILACS) (date of last search 28 November 2015). Selection criteria Randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials of enzyme replacement therapy with idursulfase compared to no intervention, placebo or other options (e.g. behavioral strategies, transplantation). Data collection and analysis Two authors independently screened the trials identified, appraised quality of papers and extracted data. Main results One study (96 male participants) met the inclusion criteria, although the primary outcome of this review -z score for height and weight, was not assessed in the study. This trial was considered to be of overall good quality. Following 53 weeks of treatment, participants in the weekly idursulfase 0.5 mg/kg group demonstrated a significant improvement rate compared with placebo for the primary outcome: distance walked in sixminutes on the basis of the sum of ranks of change from baseline, mean difference 37.00 (95% confidence interval 6.52 to 67.48). The every-other-week idursulfase 0.5 mg/kg group also showed an improvement, which was not significant compared with placebo, mean difference 23.00 (95% confidence interval -4.49 to 50.49). After 53 weeks, there was no statistical significance difference in per cent predicted forced vital capacity between the three groups and absolute forced vital capacity was significantly increased from baseline in the weekly dosing group compared to placebo, mean difference 0.16 (95% confidence interval CI 0.05 to 0.27). No difference was observed between the every-other-week idursulfase 0.5 mg/kg group and placebo. In addition, liver and spleen volumes and urine glycosaminoglycan excretion were significantly reduced from baseline by both idursulfase dosing regimens. Idursulfase was generally well tolerated, but infusion reactions did occur. Idursulfase antibodies were detected in 31.7% of participants at the end of the study and they were related to a smaller reduction in urine glycosaminoglycan levels. Authors' conclusions The current evidence is limited. While the randomised clinical trial identified was considered to be of good quality, it failed to describe important outcomes. It has been demonstrated that enzyme replacement therapy with idursulfase is effective in relation to functional capacity (distance walked in six minutes and forced vital capacity), liver and spleen volumes and urine glycosaminoglycan excretion in people with mucopolysaccharidosis type II compared with placebo. There is no available evidence in the included study and in the literature on outcomes such as improvement in growth, sleep apnoea, cardiac function, quality of life and mortality. More studies are needed to obtain more information on the long-term effectiveness and safety of enzyme replacement therapy.National Institute for Health Research, UKNational Institute for Health ResearchEmergency Medicine and Evidence Based Medicine, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilDepartment of Public Health, Universidade do Estado do Pará, Belém, BrazilDepartment of Urology,Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilEmergency Medicine and Evidence Based Medicine, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Borges Lagoa 564 Cj 64, BR-04038000 Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilDepartment of Urology,Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc