On the solution of some non-local problems

summary:This paper deals with two types of non-local problems for the Poisson equation in the disc. The first of them deals with the situation when the function value on the circle is given as a combination of unknown function values in the disc. The other type deals with the situation when a combination of the value of the function and its derivative by radius on the circle are given as a combination of unknown function values in the disc. The existence and uniqueness of the classical solution of these problems is proved. The solutions are constructed in an explicit form

Norm reasoning services

Norms are used in open Multi-Agent Systems as a formal specification of deontic statements aimed at regulating the actions of agents and the interactions among them. In this paper, we propose a set of services facilitating the development of both non-normative and normative agents for norm-governed MAS. Specifically, we propose to provide agents with norm reasoning services. These services will help agent designers/developers to programme agents that consider norm reasoning without having to implement the needed mechanisms to reason about norms by themselves. This article shows how these services perform as well as the results of the experiments that we conducted to evaluate their performance

The antinociceptive effect of systemic gabapentin is related to the type of sensitization-induced hyperalgesia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Gabapentin is a structural analogue of gamma-aminobutyric acid with strong anticonvulsant and analgesic activities. Important discrepancies are observed on the effectiveness and potency of gabapentin in acute nociception and sensitization due to inflammation and neuropathy. There is also some controversy in the literature on whether gabapentin is only active in central areas of the nervous system or is also effective in the periphery. This is probably due to the use of different experimental models, routes of administration and types of sensitization. The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of the spinal cord sensitization on the antinociceptive activity of gabapentin in the absence and in the presence of monoarthritis and neuropathy, using the same experimental protocol of stimulation and the same technique of evaluation of antinociception.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We studied the antinociceptive effects of iv. gabapentin in spinal cord neuronal responses from adult male Wistar rats using the recording of single motor units technique. Gabapentin was studied in the absence and in the presence of sensitization due to arthritis and neuropathy, combining noxious mechanical and repetitive electrical stimulation (wind-up).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The experiments showed that gabapentin was effective in arthritic (max. effect of 41 ± 15% of control and ID50 of 1,145 ± 14 micromol/kg; 200 mg/kg) and neuropathic rats (max. effect of 20 ± 8% of control and ID50 of 414 ± 27 micromol/kg; 73 mg/kg) but not in normal rats. The phenomenon of wind-up was dose-dependently reduced by gabapentin in neuropathy but not in normal and arthritic rats.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We conclude that systemic gabapentin is a potent and effective antinociceptive agent in sensitization caused by arthritis and neuropathy but not in the absence of sensitization. The potency of the antinociception was directly related to the intensity of sensitization in the present experimental conditions. The effect is mainly located in central areas in neuropathy since wind-up was significantly reduced, however, an action on inflammation-induced sensitized nociceptors is also likely.</p

Model Thermohaline Trends in the Mediterranean Sea during the Last Years: A Change with Respect to the Last Decades?

Temperature and salinity outputs from ECCO (years 93–09) and GLORYS (years 03–09) models have been used to compute the thermohaline and steric sea level trends in the surface (0–150 m), intermediate (150 m–600 m), and deep (600 m–bottom) layers of the Mediterranean Sea. Some changes with respect to the second half of the 20th century have been observed: the cooling of the upper waters of the entire eastern basin since 1950 seems to have vanished; the warming of WMDW historically reported for the second half of the last century could have reversed, although there is no agreement between both models at this point (trends of different sign are predicted); the salinification of WMDW reported for the previous decades is not observed in the south-westernmost area in the period 93–09, and a clear change from positive to negative in the steric sea level trend with respect to the period 93–05 is detected due to the sharp decreasing steric sea level of years 02–06

Special Issue "Viral Shedding and Transmission in Zoonotic Diseases"

The papers published in this Special Issue represent only a glimpse of the vast diversity of viral infectious diseases, and the complexity of their interactions with the host, that have an impact on human and animal health [...

Elaboración automática de datos fitosociológicos

26 páginas, 4 cuadros.Peer reviewe

Classification of Chimney EVAR-Related Endoleaks: Insights from the PERICLES Registry

Juxtarenal aortic aneurysms (JAAs) pose significant challenges for endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). A short or absent infrarenal neck typically excludes standard EVAR as a viable or reasonable treatment option. In this context, the use of chimney grafts (chEVAR) is gaining in popularity and applicability. These grafts are designed to course in the aortic lumen outside the main stent-graft to maintain normal perfusion to the involved target branches. As such, they may represent a promising and less resource-intensive option for management of JAAs. However, this technical strategy is not without challenges of its own, particularly the inevitable creation of \u201cgutters\u201d that result from the interaction of the chimney graft with the main aortic stent-graft. These gutters can become a conduit for type Ia endoleak formation, hence they represent the Achilles\u2019 heel of chEVAR. Current reports point to a relatively wide-ranging incidence (0%\u201313%) of type Ia endoleaks related to chEVAR. The PERICLES Registry collected the global transatlantic experience of 13 European and US vascular centers reporting 517 patients with complex aneurysms treated with EVAR and chimney parallel grafts. Overall, 6% of PERICLES chEVAR patients had a type Ia endoleak at completion angiography, but the rate of persistent endoleaks was only 2.9% at a mean 17.1 months of follow-up. Close review of the postoperative computed tomography angiograms of these persistent endoleak patients revealed distinct types and patterns of chEVAR-related type Ia endoleaks and form the basis of a new classification proposed herein. It is hoped that these observations will lead to development of new treatment algorithms for effective management of chimney-related endoleaks and, in some cases, to prevent them from occurring in the first place

Solving the brachistochrone and other variational problems with soap films

We show a method to solve the problem of the brachistochrone as well as other variational problems with the help of the soap films that are formed between two suitable surfaces. We also show the interesting connection between some variational problems of dynamics, statics, optics, and elasticity.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures. This article, except for a small correction, has been submitted to the American Journal of Physic