Clinical and radiological features related to the growth potential of meningioma

Clinical and radiological features that help predict the growth potential of meningioma would be beneficial. The purpose of this study is to clarify the characteristics related to proliferating potential using the MIB-1 staining index. We analyzed the relationship of MIB-1 staining indices to characteristics of 342 consecutive patients with meningioma surgically removed between 1995 and 2004 by logistic regression analysis. One hundred and forty-nine of the patients with meningioma were ≥60 in age; 89 male; 48 recurrent; 203 symptomatic; 157 at the skull base; 124 over 20 cm(3); 24 multiple; 136 with edema; 117 with calcification. The MIB-1 staining index in 56 of 296 grade I meningiomas in WHO classification was ≥ 3.0; in 27 of 28 grade II; and in 17 of 18 grade III, respectively. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that male (odds ratio [OR], 2.374, p=0.003), recurrence (OR, 7.574, p=0.0001), skull base (OR, 0.540, p=0.035), calcification (OR, 0.498, p=0.019) were independent risk factors for a high MIB-1 staining index (≥3.0); age, symptomatic, volume, multiple, edema were not. Male, recurrence, non-skull base, absence of calcification are independent risk factors for a high proliferative potential. These should be taken into consideration when managing meningiomas

Discourse structure and language technology

This publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively.An increasing number of researchers and practitioners in Natural Language Engineering face the prospect of having to work with entire texts, rather than individual sentences. While it is clear that text must have useful structure, its nature may be less clear, making it more difficult to exploit in applications. This survey of work on discourse structure thus provides a primer on the bases of which discourse is structured along with some of their formal properties. It then lays out the current state-of-the-art with respect to algorithms for recognizing these different structures, and how these algorithms are currently being used in Language Technology applications. After identifying resources that should prove useful in improving algorithm performance across a range of languages, we conclude by speculating on future discourse structure-enabled technology.Peer Reviewe

BEL-1, a Novel Clavulanic Acid-Inhibited Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase, and the Class 1 Integron In120 in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Screening by a double-disk synergy test identified a Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolate that produced a clavulanic acid-inhibited expanded-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL). Cloning and sequencing identified a novel ESBL, BEL-1, weakly related to other Ambler class A ESBLs. β-Lactamase BEL-1 hydrolyzed significantly most expanded-spectrum cephalosporins and aztreonam, and its activity was inhibited by clavulanic acid, tazobactam, cefoxitin, moxalactam, and imipenem. This chromosome-encoded ESBL gene was embedded in a class 1 integron containing three other gene cassettes. In addition, this integron was bracketed by Tn1404 transposon sequences at its right end and by P. aeruginosa-specific sequences at its left end

La métallurgie du fer au Sahel : Répartition spatiale de bas fourneaux au Sud-Ouest du Niger. Premiers résultats

International audienceA 15 km à l'Est de Niamey (Sud-Ouest du Niger), une prospection pédestre exhaustive a permis de dénombrer plus de 4000 bas-fourneaux sur un bassin versant de 24 km². Ils sont identifiables par la présence de scories correspondant aux résidus de réduction du fer. Ce grand nombre de structures de réduction est lié au fonctionnement à usage unique des bas-fourneaux, qui est peu étudié dans la région ouest africaine. Les premières études de répartition spatiale montrent que l'implantation de ces bas-fourneaux est principalement soumise à la géomorphologie. Les forgerons ont installé leurs sites de réduction à proximité des talus de plateaux où affleure le minerai de fer et sur des surfaces sableuses aujourd'hui encroûtées. In Southwest Niger, 15 km east of Niamey, ca 4 000 low shaft furnaces were counted by GPS during an exhaustive archaeological prospection in a lake catchment area, which covers an area of 24 km². Slag, by-product of iron smelting, allows us to identify the presence of low shaft furnaces. This vast quantity of furnaces is the consequence of their single use; this has been particularity little studied in West Africa. First results of spatial repartition show that settlement of low shaft furnaces depends on geomorphology. Smiths have built their furnaces near tablelands which are rich in outcrops of iron ore and on currently encrusted sandy surfaces

Lovers of the wild

For high voice and piano: words by R. L. Stevenson

Development of a motorless walking assistive device for foot flexions with instant torque output in gait cycle

With its low birthrate, Japan currently faces an aging issue. As the senior population gradually increases, applying moderate daily exercise has been widely accepted as a key to ease the incidence of life-related diseases, such as cerebrovascular disease that leads to severe aftermath by causing unhealthy gait posture. An already productized active assistive device named RE-Gait® uses a motor and pressure sensors to detect the force varying from forefoot to heel in walking, thereby aiding both plantarflexion and dorsiflexion for people who are unable to freely control their lower limbs. Corresponding torque output depending on individual physical conditions can be customized from physiotherapist’s site. By contrast, considering a larger torque production with short delay time and less weight, replacing the motor with springs is appropriate. Furthermore, given that the target user includes senior and able-bodied people who possess muscle functionalities, the proposed device reduces the amount of time spent on learning to maneuver the battery-powered type and allows them to walk freely with less concerns on adjusting parameters and battery level. Therefore, the full mechanical types appear to be appropriate. By implementing the ratchet–pawl combination, the necessary energy source used for driving the assistance can be obtained from the body weight. With the pair of mechanical pressure sensors that can store and release the body weight energy, assistance on the foot can be enhanced at each anticipated stage. Four sets of experiments, including Motion Capture to verify the ankle angle variation and electromyography (EMG) to muscle activities, are used to verify the effectiveness of the mechanical walking assistive device. Results show that the device effectively offers assistance to both plantarflexion and dorsiflexion. Comparison with and without attaching the device and trajectories from Motion Capture are all increased. Furthermore, compared with the percentage of maximum voluntary contraction (%MVC) for muscle acquired by EMG, the muscle activities clearly decline. The device effectively provide assistance to foot flexions