No-arbitrage in discrete-time markets with proportional transaction costs and general information structure

We discuss the no-arbitrage conditions in a general framework for discrete-time models of financial markets with proportional transaction costs and general information structure. We extend the results of Kabanov and al. (2002), Kabanov and al. (2003) and Schachermayer (2004) to the case where bid-ask spreads are not known with certainty. In the "no-friction" case, we retrieve the result of Kabanov and Stricker (2003)

Left pancreatectomy for primary hydatid cyst of the body of pancreas

Hydatid disease is a considerable health problem Worldwide. Primary hydatid disease of the pancreas is very rare. We report the case of a 30-year-old woman who presented with abdominal pain and an epigastric mass. A  diagnosis of hydatid cyst of the pancreas was established by ultrasonographybefore surgery. The treatment consisted of a distal pancreatectomy. The postoperative evolution was uneventful. Hydatid disease should be consideredin the differential diagnosis of all cystic masses in the pancreas, especially in the geographical regions where the disease is endemic. Surgical removal remains the main form of defi nitive treatment

No arbitrage and closure results for trading cones with transaction costs

In this paper, we consider trading with proportional transaction costs as in Schachermayer’s paper (Schachermayer in Math. Finance 14:19–48, 2004). We give a necessary and sufficient condition for ${\mathcal{A}}$ , the cone of claims attainable from zero endowment, to be closed. Then we show how to define a revised set of trading prices in such a way that, firstly, the corresponding cone of claims attainable for zero endowment, ${\tilde{ {\mathcal{A}}}}$ , does obey the fundamental theorem of asset pricing and, secondly, if ${\tilde{ {\mathcal{A}}}}$ is arbitrage-free then it is the closure of ${\mathcal{A}}$ . We then conclude by showing how to represent claims

Somatic embryogenesis in Abies nebrodensis, an endangered Sicilian fir

Somatic embryogenesis, as a promising biotechnological tool for many conifer trees, has never been applied for the Abies nebrodensis species. Although all the encouraging results previously obtained by the EU LIFE (European LIFE program) funded projects in over ten years, the critically endangered Sicilian fr remains alarmingly close to extinction. In this study, we reported the first protocol of somatic embryogenesis obtained from mature zygotic embryos of the Abies nebrodensis. Seeds from Abies adult trees with specifc identifcation numbers (IN) were collected and full seeds were identifed by X-ray. Diferent experiments were carried out for callus initiation, from both zygotic immature and mature embryos, testing diferent culture media. The immature embryos did not give embryogenic tissue (ET). Embryogenic callus (EC) was successfully induced from mature embryos with variable frequencies (0–40%). Schenk and Hilderbrandt (SH) was the most suitable initiation medium where the obtained callus initiation rate reached up to 40% for IN7 (frst experiment). 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) showed to be essential to induce EC (second experiment). IN8 presented the highest callus initiation rate (40%) among all tested donor trees, whereas IN13 recorded the lowest rate with 4% (third experiment). ET maturation from each singular embryo of IN7, IN8, IN10 and IN21 was successfully achieved in SH medium containing 37,83 µM abscisic acid (ABA), 8% of polyethylene glycol (PEG-4000) and 4% maltose. The encapsulation technology was assessed on the obtained ET and its proliferation was observed after encapsulation

Paratesticular Liposarcoma: What is the Best Therapeutic Strategy?

Introduction: Liposarcomas are neoplasms of mesodermal origin derived from adipose tissue and correspond to 10–14% of all soft tissue sarcomas. Paratesticular liposarcoma is very rare.Case report: We report a 60-year old man who presented with a left testicular tumor 20 cm in diameter. Initial incisional biopsy was reported as fibromatosis. Chest and abdominal CT scan did not show distant metastases. Through an inguinal incision orchidectomy with homolateral inguinal node dissection was performed. Histopathological examination showed a paratesticular myxoid liposarcoma. Adjuvant radiotherapy without chemotherapy was administered. The patient remains well at 11 months followup, with no evidence of recurrence.Conclusion: Complete surgical extirpation reduces the risk of local recurrence. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy may reduce the tumor size, thus facilitating complete excision

Case report: Acute peritonitis from non-traumatic rupture of the bladder

Spontaneous bladder rupture (SBR) is rare. This entity occurs outside of any traumatic context. A 70 years-old man was admitted for acute peritonitis, acute urinary retention and hematuria. Laparotomy and exploration showed acute generalized peritonitis related to a centimeter hole in the bladder dome. Peritoneal lavage was done with biopsy of the perforation edges, a cystostomy and suturing of the bladder. The immediate postoperative course was uneventful. The etiological investigation revealed a locally advanced and metastatic prostate cancer. The evolution was rapidly fatal and the patient’s death occurred two months later due to metastatic disease. The causes, diagnosis and treatment of SBR are reviewed by the authors

Herbicidal activity of essential oils extracted from different Mediterranean species against Echinochloa crus galli

Weed infestation in agricultural fields can cause huge economic losses and low-quality crop yields. Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P.Beauv. (barnyardgrass) is one of the greatest yields limiting weeds in rice cultivation systems. It is a cosmopolitan weed in both temperate and tropical regions and is reported as a weed in 36 different crops in 61 countries. The success of this weed may be attributed to the production of large numbers of small, easily dispersed seeds per plant, possession of seed dormancy, rapid development and ability to flower under a wide range of photoperiods, and relative resistance of mature plants to herbicide sprays. Thus, the best way to control barnyardgrass in an environmentally acceptable and sustainable approach is to develop eco-friendly and effective alternative means based on natural allelochemicals. Among the natural plant products, essential oils (EOs) constitute an important group. EOs may help reducing the use of synthetic herbicides and lead to less pollution and more safe agricultural products. Recently, the interest in exploring EOs with phytotoxic effects from aromatic plants for weed control has increased tremendously, because they do not persist in soil and do not leach into ground water. EOs extracted from Thymbra capitata (L.) Cav.; Mentha x piperita L.; and Santolina chamaecyparissus L. were reported to reduce the emergence and seedling growth of many weeds. The present investigation allows for a more detailed insight into the herbicidal activity of the previously mentioned EOs during spray foliar and irrigation application in post-emergence on E. crus-galli plants. T. capitata M. piperita and S. chamaecyparissus EOs were purchased from “Bordas Chinchurreta”, “Sigma-Aldrich” and and “Aromas de Ademuz”, respectively. Soil for the experiments was collected from the topsoil of a citrus field not treated with herbicides (Valencia, Spain), that was air-dried and sieved at 1 cm. E.crus-galli seeds were purchased from Herbiseed (England), and germinated in a germination-growth chamber at 30 ± 0.1 °C, 16 h in light and 20 ± 0.1 °C, 8 h in dark. Once the seedlings of E.crus-galli emerged, they were placed on pots (8x8x7 cm) filled with 2 cm of perlite at the bottom and 5 cm of the collected soil. Ten pots per treatment were prepared and placed in the greenhouse. In order to find the most effective dose of EOs and its adequate mode of application, different concentrations were used: 12, 16 and 20 µL/mL for Mentha and Santolina EOs and 4, 8 and 12 µL/mL for Thymbra EO. Fitoil was used as emulsifier at a concentration of 0.05% (v/v). Plants of barnyardgrass were treated at two-leaf stage by irrigating and spraying mode of application. To monitor the experiments, photos were taken after 24, 48 and 72 hours; and then once a week. The photos were processed with Digimizer software to obtain different data: efficacy of the treatment, level of damage, height of plants, weed plant fresh and dry weight

L’acupuncture : comme alternative dans la prise en charge de la paralysie faciale peripherique idiopathique : experience tunisienne

La paralysie faciale périphérique idiopathique ou à frigoré (PfPi) est la plus fréquente des paralysies faciales. Elle pose un problème thérapeutique malgré la diversité des traitements proposés. L’acupuncture est une des alternatives proposées parmi cet arsenal thérapeutique. Le but de ce travail est d’évaluer l’apport de l’acupuncture dans le traitement de la PfPi et de dégager les différents facteurs pronostiques pouvant influencer la récupération de la fonction faciale. Notre étude a regroupé 40 patients porteurs de PfPi recrutés aux services d’ORL de l’hôpital régional de Jendouba et de l’hôpital de Charles Nicolle sur une période de 14 mois et pris en charge aux centres d’acupuncture à l’hôpital Mongi Slim et à l’hôpital régional de Jendouba. Tous les patients ont été traités, auparavant, selon le concept de la médecine occidentale, et n’ont été adressés qu’après échec du traitement médical conventionnel. L’évaluation de notre travail est basée sur deux tests : le testing musculaire de freyss et le grading de House et Brackman. L’étude statistique s’est basée sur le logiciel « SPSS ». Les résultats de cette étude montrent que le traitement par acupuncture trouve son indication lorsque le traitement médical conventionnel a échoué, même après un long délai de consultation.Mots-clés : paralysie faciale périphérique, acupuncture, traitement.The Bell’s palsy is the most common peripheral facial paralysis. it poses a therapeutic problem despite the diversity of treatments. Acupuncture is an alternative among the proposed therapeutic arsenal. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the contribution of acupuncture in the treatment of facial paralysis and to identify different prognostic factors that may influence the recovery of facial function. Our study included 40 patients with Bell’s palsy recruited in the services of ENT in Jendouba hospital and Charles Nicolle hospital over a period of 14 months and supported in centers of acupuncture in Mongi Slim hospital and Jendouba hospital. All patients were previously under the concept of medical treatment, and were sent after failure of this treatment. The evaluation of our work is based on two tests: muscle testing of freyss and grading of House and Brackman. The study is based on statistical software "SPSS". The results of this study show that treatment with acupuncture is indicated in Bell’s palsy when conventional medical treatment has failed and even after a long period of consultation.Keywords: facial palsy, acupuncture, treatment

Control of Problematic Weeds in Mediterranean Vineyards with the Bioherbicide Pelargonic Acid

[EN] Pelargonic acid (PA) is the only natural herbicide authorized for professional use in Spain. Incorporating PA into an integrated weed management strategy in vineyards may enable a more sustainable production method for grapes. In this work, PA of 55% concentration, formulated by a commercial company (PSEI), was evaluated and applied at 8, 10, 12, and 15 L/ha for weed control in Mediterranean vineyards during 2020 and 2021. A total of 22 different weed species, 16 dicotyledonous and 6 monocotyledonous, were identified in the experimental areas. Previously, greenhouse assays were performed against Avena fatua L. and Chenopodium album L. to determine the dose/response curves. PSEI proved to be a viable post-emergence herbicide with an efficacy of 40.79¿80.90%, depending on the applied dose (higher doses were the most effective). Broader herbicidal activity (20% or more) was obtained against dicotyledonous weeds compared with monocotyledonous. The PA formulation was remarkable in achieving PSEI-similar effects as compared to the market reference but at lower concentrations (around 13% less PA) and doses (1¿8 less L/ha). PA has proved to be a good candidate to control weeds in Mediterranean vineyards when used as a post-emergence broad-spectrum herbicide in the first stages of weed development.This research was funded by SEIPASA.Muñoz, M.; Torres-Pagán, N.; Jouini, A.; Araniti, F.; Sánchez-Moreiras, AM.; Verdeguer Sancho, MM. (2022). Control of Problematic Weeds in Mediterranean Vineyards with the Bioherbicide Pelargonic Acid. Agronomy. 12(10):1-18. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12102476118121

The factor structure of the mood disorder questionnaire in Tunisian patients

Background: The Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) is a frequently used screening tool for the early detection of Bipolar Disorder (BD), which is often unrecognized or misdiagnosed at its onset. In this study, data from Tunisia has been used to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Arabic MDQ. Methods: The sample included 151 patients with a current major depressive episode. The Arabic adapted version of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR was used to formulate a diagnosis, yielding 62 patients with BD and 89 with unipolar Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Principal component analysis with parallel analysis was used to establish the spontaneous distribution of the 13 core items of the MDQ. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was used to check the available factor models. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to assess the capacity of the MDQ to distinguish patients with BD from those with MDD. Results: Cronbach’s α in the sample was 0.80 (95%CI: 0.75 to 0.85). Ordinal α was 0.88. Parallel analysis suggested two main components, which explained 59% of variance in the data. CFA found a good fit for the existing unidimensional, the two-factor, and the three-factor models. ROC analysis showed that at a threshold of 7, the MDQ was able to distinguish patients with BD from those with MDD with extraordinary negative predictive value (0.92) and a positive diagnostic likelihood ratio of 3.8. Conclusion: The Arabic version of the MDQ showed good measurement properties in terms of reliability, factorial validity and discriminative properties