Williams Syndrome - Review of Clinical Features and It’s Medical Considerations in Dental Treatment

Williams syndrome is a congenital disorder that involves multiple system. The condition is characterized by a number of developmental and physical abnormalities. The cause of this disorder is a micro deletion from the long arm of chromosome 7 at 7q11.23. The deleted portion of the chromosome 7q11.23 includes the ELN gene that codes for the structural protein elastin and therefore in the affected individuals arteries may become narrowed. Hypocalcaemia is also found in the affected individuals. Typical facial, oral, and dental features are characteristic of this syndrome. Presence of congenital heart defects and the risk of developing cardiac arrest make dental treatment challenging for such patients. This article narrates the etiology, pathogenesis, and clinical features including oral features of patients with Williams syndrome. A note on role of dental evaluation in diagnosis of Williams syndrome and medical consideration in the dental treatment of patients with Williams syndrome has also been presented.published_or_final_versio

An Efficient Perceptual of Content Based Image Retrieval System Using SVM and Evolutionary Algorithms

The CBIR tends to index and retrieve images based on their visual content. CBIR avoids several issues related to traditional ways that of retrieving images by keywords. Thus, a growing interest within the area of CBIR has been established in recent years. The performance of a CBIR system mainly depends on the particular image representation and similarity matching operate utilized. The CBIR tends to index and retrieve images supported their visual content. CBIR avoids several issues related to traditional ways that of retrieving images by keywords. Thus, a growing interest within the area of CBIR has been established in recent years. The performance of a CBIR system principally depends on the actual image illustration and similarity matching operate utilized. therefore a replacement CBIR system is projected which can give accurate results as compared to previously developed systems. This introduces the new composite framework for image classification in a content-based image retrieval system. The projected composite framework uses an evolutionary algorithm to select training samples for support vector machine (SVM). to style such a system, the most popular techniques of content-based image retrieval are reviewed initial. Our review reveals some limitations of the existing techniques, preventing them to accurately address some issues

Bonding to hypomineralized enamel – A systematic review

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A Study of nature of the Photovoltaic modules under the influence of partial shading effect

The behaviour of the solar photovoltaic array will be rapidly changing under the influence of partial shading phenomenon. When two (or) more photovoltaic modules are embedded in series, then the total output voltage and the net output power obtained from the series connected photovoltaic modules will mainly depends upon the solar insolation which is being projected upon each and every module respectively. Small perturbation in solar irradiation levels will lead to large considerable change in the output parameters. This paper mainly focuses on observing the effect of partial shading on photovoltaic modules which are connected in series. The main objective of this paper is to examine about the mismatching phenomenon that occurs while tracking the global maxima point which plays a vital role in extracting maximum power from solar photovoltaic array in an effective manner

Hierarchy-guided Model Selection for Time Series Forecasting

Generalizability of time series forecasting models depends on the quality of model selection. Temporal cross validation (TCV) is a standard technique to perform model selection in forecasting tasks. TCV sequentially partitions the training time series into train and validation windows, and performs hyperparameter optmization (HPO) of the forecast model to select the model with the best validation performance. Model selection with TCV often leads to poor test performance when the test data distribution differs from that of the validation data. We propose a novel model selection method, H-Pro that exploits the data hierarchy often associated with a time series dataset. Generally, the aggregated data at the higher levels of the hierarchy show better predictability and more consistency compared to the bottom-level data which is more sparse and (sometimes) intermittent. H-Pro performs the HPO of the lowest-level student model based on the test proxy forecasts obtained from a set of teacher models at higher levels in the hierarchy. The consistency of the teachers' proxy forecasts help select better student models at the lowest-level. We perform extensive empirical studies on multiple datasets to validate the efficacy of the proposed method. H-Pro along with off-the-shelf forecasting models outperform existing state-of-the-art forecasting methods including the winning models of the M5 point-forecasting competition

24-Hour Measurement of Gastric pH in Rural South Africa

Background. Previous studies have established norms of 24-hour gastric pH profiles for western countries. This study was designed to establish the pattern for a rural African population with a high incidence of oesophageal cancer. Methods. After lower oesophageal manometry a probe was placed 10 cm distal to the lower oesophageal sphincter. We carried out 24-hour ambulatory monitoring of gastric pH on 59 healthy subjects. This was satisfactorily completed on 26 female and 18 male (age 21–64, median 35) subjects in the Transkei region of South Africa. Results. The mean 24 hour gastric pH was 2.84 and the mean night-time pH was 3.7. 40 volunteers recorded a night-time pH reaching over 4. 33 volunteers recorded a night-time pH over 7. Night-time alkalinisation was present for 136.4 minutes (25th centile 22.8, 75th centile 208.1) at pH4 or over, and 79.3 (2.5, 122.7) minutes at pH7 or over. Episodes of rapid alkaline rise were 17 (10, 47). 21.1% of these occurred while supine. 35 of 36 tested subjects were positive for H. pylori IgG. Conclusion. Gastric alkalinisation is common in Transkei, at a higher pH than that reported in other studies, and is sustained longer. Nighttime alkalinisation is frequent. This suggests a high level of duodenogastric reflux

Variations in Litterfall Dynamics, C:N:P Stoichiometry and Associated Nutrient Return in Pure and Mixed Stands of Camphor Tree and Masson Pine Forests

Litterfall, directly and indirectly, affects the soil physicochemical properties, microbial activity, and diversity of soil fauna and flora by adding organic matter and nutrients to the soil. This study explores litterfall dynamics such as litterfall production, litter decomposition rate, and associated nutrient return in three forest types, that is, camphor tree forest (CTF), Masson pine forest (MPF), and camphor tree and Masson pine mixed forest (CMF), in subtropical China. Results showed that CMF had the highest mean annual litterfall production (4.30 ± 0.22 t ha−1), which was significantly higher than that of MPF (3.41 ± 0.25 t ha−1) and CTF (3.26 ± 0.17 t ha−1). Leaf represented the major fraction of litterfall, constituting over 71% of the total litterfall mass in the three forest types. The contribution of branch litter was 16.3, 8.9, and 16.9%, and miscellaneous litter was 12.6, 18.9, and 11.1% in CTF, MPF, and CMF, respectively. The concentration of macronutrients ranked as N > Ca > K > Mg > P in all litter fractions. The total annual macronutrient return to the soil from the litterfall was in order as CTF (74.2 kg ha−1‧yr−1) > CMF (70.7 kg ha−1‧yr−1) > MPF (33.6 kg ha−1‧yr−1). The decomposition rate was higher in leaf litter than in branch litter throughout the three forests. Among the forest types, the leaf and branch decomposition rates were in a pattern: CTF > CMF > MPF. The ratio of C/N in both leaf and branch litters was significantly higher in MPF than in CTF and CMF, while no significant differences in N/P ratio were found in these litters among the three forests. The high N:P ratios in leaf litter (23/30) and the branch (24/32) litter indicated the high N returning and low nutrient returning to the soil. Our results suggested that the broadleaved forests have faster litter decomposition and higher macronutrient returns than conifer forests. Moreover, the litter decomposition rate was mainly associated with litterfall quality and chemical composition. The introduction of broadleaved trees into monoculture coniferous stands could increase litter production nutrients return, and thus, it had advantages in soil nutrients restoration and sustainable forest management

Mechanical model of the ultra-fast underwater trap of Utricularia

The underwater traps of the carnivorous plants of the Utricularia species catch their preys through the repetition of an "active slow deflation / passive fast suction" sequence. In this paper, we propose a mechanical model that describes both phases and strongly supports the hypothesis that the trap door acts as a flexible valve that buckles under the combined effects of pressure forces and the mechanical stimulation of trigger hairs, and not as a panel articulated on hinges. This model combines two different approaches, namely (i) the description of thin membranes as triangle meshes with strain and curvature energy, and (ii) the molecular dynamics approach, which consists in computing the time evolution of the position of each vertex of the mesh according to Langevin equations. The only free parameter in the expression of the elastic energy is the Young's modulus E of the membranes. The values for this parameter are unequivocally obtained by requiring that the trap model fires, like real traps, when the pressure difference between the outside and the inside of the trap reaches about 15 kPa. Among other results, our simulations show that, for a pressure difference slightly larger than the critical one, the door buckles, slides on the threshold and finally swings wide open, in excellent agreement with the sequence observed in high-speed videos.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physical Review

Factors associated with chest injuries to front seat occupants in frontal impacts

Objective: Improving crash protection for older car occupants is a matter of urgency since the number of older car users is forecast to grow dramatically over the next two decades. The thorax is particularly vulnerable in older occupants, and this study aimed to provide real-world in-depth analysis of factors contributing to chest injuries in frontal impacts involving European cars. Methods: Real world crash injury data were interrogated, focusing on cars with current restraint components. The research examined belted front-seat occupants in frontal impacts where air bags, pretensioners and load limiters were present. Results: The chest was the most often injured body region at AIS 2+, 3+ and 4+ injury levels. The rate of AIS 2+ and AIS 3+ chest injuries was highest among elderly occupants and lowest among young occupants, and elderly occupants sustained proportionally more severe chest injuries in low/moderate speed impacts compared to young and middle-aged occupants. However, it should be noted that rates of AIS 2 chest injury were also significantly higher for middle-aged occupants compared to the young. The front passenger seat was shown to be more often associated with significant chest injury than the driver seat. The higher proportion of elderly female occupants was postulated as a reason for this. Skeletal injury was the most frequent type of AIS 2+ chest injury and the rate of injury for elderly occupants with such injuries was higher than for young and middle-aged occupants. With the increase in the number of rib fractures, the risk of pulmonary complications and organ injuries tended to increase. The major cause of chest injury was identified as restraining loads transmitted to the chest via the seat belt. The absence of intrusion in the majority of cases, suggests an opportunity for the restraint system to better manage the crash pulse. Not only for elderly occupants but for those who are middle-aged as well. Conclusions: This study shows the necessity for safety interventions, through new vehicle crashworthiness systems to improve chest protection especially for middle aged and elderly car occupants. Deployment of appropriate injury risk criteria, use of an appropriate dummy thorax, development of a low energy restraint test, and the development of more adaptive restraints have been discussed as possible solutions to the problem