260 research outputs found
Coherence-factor-based rough surface clutter suppression for forward-looking GPR imaging
We present an enhanced imaging procedure for suppression of the rough surface clutter arising in forward-looking ground-penetrating radar (FL-GPR) applications. The procedure is based on a matched filtering formulation of microwave tomographic imaging, and employs coherence factor (CF) for clutter suppression. After tomographic reconstruction, the CF is first applied to generate a "coherence map" of the region in front of the FL-GPR system illuminated by the transmitting antennas. A pixel-by-pixel multiplication of the tomographic image with the coherence map is then performed to generate the clutter-suppressed image. The effectiveness of the CF approach is demonstrated both qualitatively and quantitatively using electromagnetic modeled data of metallic and plastic shallow-buried targets
DIVERSITY OF FUNGI IN THE ALLIUM URSINUM L COVERED SOIL FOREST
In the soil,ecosystem there are differences in the diversity and spatial distribution of the fungal community. Forest soil samples were harvested in the spring season from the area of influence of plants of Allium ursinum L., in the western part of the country.The study of fungal diversity was carried out on the "soil grain method" on the sifted and ungrounded soil samples. The composition of fungal species is diverse, but there are also repetions (rehearsals) where the number of species is limited. The species present in both forest soil samples is Circinellaspp, followed by Penicillium spp and Aspergillus spp, the latter being isolated only from the sifted soil sample.The low-frequency species are: Torulaherbarum (species isolated from both soil samples), Chaetomium spirale (highlighted only in sampled (sifted) soil), Fusarium spp, Helminthosporiumspp and Mortierellamonospora, the last species isolated from the unsifted soil sample.Ă
A simple asthma prediction tool for preschool children with wheeze or cough
BACKGROUND
Many preschool children have wheeze or cough, but only some have asthma later. Existing prediction tools are difficult to apply in clinical practice or exhibit methodological weaknesses.
OBJECTIVE
We sought to develop a simple and robust tool for predicting asthma at school age in preschool children with wheeze or cough.
METHODS
From a population-based cohort in Leicestershire, United Kingdom, we included 1- to 3-year-old subjects seeing a doctor for wheeze or cough and assessed the prevalence of asthma 5 years later. We considered only noninvasive predictors that are easy to assess in primary care: demographic and perinatal data, eczema, upper and lower respiratory tract symptoms, and family history of atopy. We developed a model using logistic regression, avoided overfitting with the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator penalty, and then simplified it to a practical tool. We performed internal validation and assessed its predictive performance using the scaled Brier score and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve.
RESULTS
Of 1226 symptomatic children with follow-up information, 345 (28%) had asthma 5 years later. The tool consists of 10 predictors yielding a total score between 0 and 15: sex, age, wheeze without colds, wheeze frequency, activity disturbance, shortness of breath, exercise-related and aeroallergen-related wheeze/cough, eczema, and parental history of asthma/bronchitis. The scaled Brier scores for the internally validated model and tool were 0.20 and 0.16, and the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves were 0.76 and 0.74, respectively.
CONCLUSION
This tool represents a simple, low-cost, and noninvasive method to predict the risk of later asthma in symptomatic preschool children, which is ready to be tested in other populations
Riscul limfedemului dupÄ tratamentul cancerului mamar
Spital Universitar Clinic de UrgenÈe âSf. Spiridonâ, IaÈi, Al XI-lea Congres al AsociaÈiei Chirurgilor âNicolae Anestiadiâ din Republica Moldova Èi cea de-a XXXIII-a Reuniune a Chirurgilor din Moldova âIacomi-RÄzeÈuâ 27-30 septembrie 2011Introducere: ImportanÈa problemei este legatÄ de incidenÈa crescutÄ (Ăźntre 3 Èi 87%), consecinÈele limfedemului fiind asupra integrÄrii profesionale,
riscului de erizipel, calitÄÈii vieÈii Èi relaÈiei cu membrii familiei. Scopul lucrÄrii: De a sublinia importanÈa profilaxiei precoce, luĂąnd Ăźn calcul factori ce Èin
de boalÄ, chirurg Èi pacientÄ. Material Èi metodÄ: S-au luat Ăźn studiu 1104 paciente tratate pentru neoplasm mamar Ăźntre 2000 Èi 2010. La 228 cazuri s-a
efectuat intervenÈie conservatoare (cadranectomie Èi evidare limfo-gangionara), la 876-operaÈia Madden. S-au evaluat factorii favorizanÈi ai limfedemului
preexistenti terapiei pentru neoplasmul de sĂąn, factorii favorizanÈi Ăźn postoperator Èi terapia asociatÄ. Rezultate: Cu o dispensarizare la fiecare 3 luni Ăźn
primul an Èi la 6 luni ulterior, s-au decelat 42 observaÈii cu limfedem al membrului superior mediu Èi sever, precoce (pĂąnÄ la 21 zile postoperator) - 8
observaÈii, Ăźntre 21 zile Èi 12 luni - 4 observaÈii Èi dupÄ 12 luni - 30 observaÈii. Limfedemul sever a apÄrut Ăźn 13 cazuri la paciente de peste 60 ani, ÈinĂąnd
cont de factorii favorizanÈi, 8 paciente au beneficiat de mÄsuri terapeutice (administrarea de flavonoide micronizate, heparina fractionata, masaj, banda
elasticÄ, gimnastica membrului superior, scÄdere ponderalÄ) cu rezultate bune, iar la 5 paciente nu s-au obÈinut beneficii evidente. Pacientele cu limfedem
moderat (29cazuri) au avut o evoluÈie favorabilÄ Ăźn urma aplicÄrii aceloraÈi mÄsuri terapeutice Ăźn 25 cazuri, 4 paciente rÄmĂąnĂąnd cu limfedem moderat
permanent. Concluzii: Limfedemul mederat Èi sever au apÄrut (pe cazuistica analizata) numai dupÄ operaÈia Madden. Femeia vĂąrstnicÄ ar fi mai predispusÄ la limfedem. AblaÈia minuÈioasÄ a grÄsimii din jurul venei axilare ar predispune la limfedem prin interceptarea celor 2 colectoare principale
axilare. Greutatea corporalÄ mare, efortul fizic important postoperator constituie factori favorizanti ai limfedemului. ExistÄ mÄsuri terapeutice adjuvante
pentru limfedem, cu rezultate favorabile
Copy number variation of the beta-defensin genes in Europeans: no supporting evidence for association with lung function, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma
Lung function measures are heritable, predict mortality and are relevant in diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD and asthma are diseases of the airways with major public health impacts and each have a heritable component. Genome-wide association studies of SNPs have revealed novel genetic associations with both diseases but only account for a small proportion of the heritability. Complex copy number variation may account for some of the missing heritability. A well-characterised genomic region of complex copy number variation contains beta-defensin genes (DEFB103, DEFB104 and DEFB4), which have a role in the innate immune response. Previous studies have implicated these and related genes as being associated with asthma or COPD. We hypothesised that copy number variation of these genes may play a role in lung function in the general population and in COPD and asthma risk. We undertook copy number typing of this locus in 1149 adult and 689 children using a paralogue ratio test and investigated association with COPD, asthma and lung function. Replication of findings was assessed in a larger independent sample of COPD cases and smoking controls. We found evidence for an association of beta-defensin copy number with COPD in the adult cohort (OR = 1.4, 95%CI:1.02â1.92, P = 0.039) but this finding, and findings from a previous study, were not replicated in a larger follow-up sample(OR = 0.89, 95%CI:0.72â1.07, P = 0.217). No robust evidence of association with asthma in children was observed. We found no evidence for association between beta-defensin copy number and lung function in the general populations. Our findings suggest that previous reports of association of beta-defensin copy number with COPD should be viewed with caution. Suboptimal measurement of copy number can lead to spurious associations. Further beta-defensin copy number measurement in larger sample sizes of COPD cases and children with asthma are needed
Measurement of the CKM angle Îł from a combination of B±âDh± analyses
A combination of three LHCb measurements of the CKM angle Îł is presented. The decays B±âD K± and
B±âDϱ are used, where D denotes an admixture of D0 and D0 mesons, decaying into K+Kâ, Ï+Ïâ, K±Ïâ, K±ÏâϱÏâ, K0SÏ+Ïâ, or K0S K+Kâ ïŹnal states. All measurements use a dataset corresponding to 1.0 fbâ1 of integrated luminosity. Combining results from B±âD K± decays alone a best-ïŹt value of
Îł =72.0⊠is found, and conïŹdence intervals are set
Îł â [56.4,86.7]⊠at 68% CL,
Îł â [42.6,99.6]⊠at 95% CL.
The best-ïŹt value of Îł found from a combination of results from B±âDϱ decays alone, is Îł =18.9âŠ,
and the conïŹdence intervals
Îł â [7.4,99.2]⊠âȘ [167.9,176.4]⊠at 68% CL
are set, without constraint at 95% CL. The combination of results from B± â D K± and B± â Dϱ
decays gives a best-ïŹt value of Îł =72.6⊠and the conïŹdence intervals
Îł â [55.4,82.3]⊠at 68% CL,
Îł â [40.2,92.7]⊠at 95% CL
are set. All values are expressed modulo 180âŠ, and are obtained taking into account the effect of D0âD0
mixing
Differential branching fraction and angular analysis of the decay B0âKâ0ÎŒ+ÎŒâ
The angular distribution and differential branching fraction of the decay B 0â K â0 ÎŒ + ÎŒ â are studied using a data sample, collected by the LHCb experiment in pp collisions at sâ=7 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fbâ1. Several angular observables are measured in bins of the dimuon invariant mass squared, q 2. A first measurement of the zero-crossing point of the forward-backward asymmetry of the dimuon system is also presented. The zero-crossing point is measured to be q20=4.9±0.9GeV2/c4 , where the uncertainty is the sum of statistical and systematic uncertainties. The results are consistent with the Standard Model predictions
Search for the decay Bs0âD*âϱ
A search for the decay Bs0âD*âϱ is presented using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0ââfb-1 of pp collisions collected by LHCb. This decay is expected to be mediated by a W-exchange diagram, with little contribution from rescattering processes, and therefore a measurement of the branching fraction will help us to understand the mechanism behind related decays such as Bs0âÏ+Ï- and Bs0âDD- . Systematic uncertainties are minimized by using B0âD*âϱ as a normalization channel. We find no evidence for a signal, and set an upper limit on the branching fraction of B(Bs0âD*âϱ)<6.1(7.8)Ă10-6 at 90% (95%) confidence level
Study of DJ meson decays to D+Ïâ, D0Ï+ and Dâ+Ïâ final states in pp collisions
A study of D+Ïâ, D0Ï+ and Dâ+Ïâ final states is performed using pp collision data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fbâ1, collected at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV with the LHCb detector. The D1(2420)0 resonance is observed in the Dâ+Ïâ final state and the Dâ2(2460) resonance is observed in the D+Ïâ, D0Ï+ and Dâ+Ïâ final states. For both resonances, their properties and spin-parity assignments are obtained. In addition, two natural parity and two unnatural parity resonances are observed in the mass region between 2500 and 2800 MeV. Further structures in the region around 3000 MeV are observed in all the Dâ+Ïâ, D+Ïâ and D0Ï+ final states
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