Max-plus linear observer: application to manufacturing systems

This paper deals with the observer design for max-plus linear systems. The approach is based on the residuation theory which is suitable to deal with linear mapping inversion in idempotent semiring. An illustrative example allows to discuss about a practical implementation

Acute Intestinal Obstruction Due To Gallstone Ileus [abdome Agudo Por Obstrução Por Ileobiliar]

Objective: Small bowel obstruction (SBO) due to gallstones (gallstone ileus) is an uncommon complication of cholelithiasis, for which there is no defined surgical procedure. The objective of this study was to perform a systematic review of the history, available image exams and clinical approach to the diagnosis and treatment of gallstone ileus. Method: We conducted a retrospective study in a university hospital including all cases of SBO treated over a period of 23 years. According to the surgical treatment, the patients were divided into two groups: (1) enterolithotomy with posterior cholecystectomy (two-stage surgery); and (2) enterolithotomy, cholecystectomy and fistula closure (one-stage surgery). Results: Twelve patients were included in the study, including 11 females (91,6%), with a mean age of 72.2 years. All patients presented associated diseases, mainly arterial hypertension (75%). All except one patient had multiple SBO symptoms. Gallstone ileus diagnosis was made before laparotomy in six patients (50%). There were eight patients in group 1 and four in group 2, and the morbidity was, respectively, 33.3% and 8.3%. Overall mortality was 16.6% (one patient in each group). Conclusion: Gallstone ileus should be suspected in the elderly with SBO symptoms. Early diagnosis can reduce post-operative complications. Treatment is urgent laparotomy and the surgical approach must be individualized for each case. The majority of patients in this study were treated with enterolithotomy, with cholecystectomy being performed later in two symptomatic patients.404275280Martin, F., Intestinal obstruction due to gall-stones: With report of three successful cases (1912) Ann Surg., 55 (5), pp. 725-743Reisner, R.M., Cohen, J.R., Gallstone ileus: A review of 1001 reported cases (1994) Am Surg., 60 (6), pp. 441-446Lobo, D.N., Jobling, J.C., Balfour, T.W., Gallstone ileus: Diagnostic pittfalls and therapeutic successes (2000) J Clin Gastroenterol., 30 (1), pp. 72-76Hayes, N., Saha, S., Recurrent gallstone Ileus (2012) Clin Med Res., 10 (4), pp. 236-239Carrascosa, M.F., Riego-Martín, M.D., Salcines Caviedes, J.R., González Gutiérrez, P., Gallstone ileus (2012) BMJ Case Rep., , Feb 21;2012Rojas-Rojas, D.J., Martínez-Ordaz, J.L., Romero-Hernández, T., Biliary ileus: 10-years experience (2012) Cir Cir., 80 (3), pp. 228-232Tucker, A., Garstin, I., A peculiar cause of bowel obstruction (2013) Int J Surg Case Rep., 4 (5), pp. 473-476Halabi, W.J., Kang, C.Y., Ketana, N.K., Lafaro, K.J., Nguyen, V.K., Stamos, M.J., Surgery for gallstone ileus: A nationwide comparison of trends and outcomes (2013) Ann Surg., , jan 4 [Epub ahead of print]Pronio, A., Piroli, S., Caporilli, D., Ciamberlano, B., Coluzzi, M., Castellucci, G., Recurrent gallstone ileus: Case report and literature review (2013) G Chir., 34 (1-2), pp. 35-37McHado, M.A.C., Jukemura, J., Volpe, P., Abdo, E.E., Penteado, S., Bacchella, T., Fístulas biliares internas: Estudo de 13 casos e revisão da literatura (1995) Hos Clin Fac Med S Paulo., 50 (1), pp. 45-48Ayantunde, A.A., Agrawal, A., Gallstone Ileus: Diagnosis and management (2007) World J Surg., 31 (6), pp. 1292-1297Ravikumar, R., Williams, J.G., The operative management of gallstone ileus (2010) Ann R Coll Surg Engl., 92 (4), pp. 279-281Day, E.A., Marks, C., Gallstone ileus: Review of literature and presentation of thirty-four new cases (1975) Am J Surg., 129 (5), pp. 552-558Deitz, D.M., Standage, B.A., Pinson, C.W., McConnell, D.B., Krippaehne, W.W., Improving the outcome in gallstone ileus (1986) Am J Surg., 151 (5), pp. 572-576Bouveret, L., Stenose du pylore, adherent a la vesicule calculeuse (1896) Rev Med., 16, pp. 1-16Gajendran, M., Muniraj, T., Gelrud, A., A challenging case of gastric outlet obstruction (Bouveret's syndrome): A case report (2011) J Med Case Rep., 5, p. 497Costil, V., Jullès, M.C., Zins, M., Loriau, J., Bouveretś syndrome. An unusual localization of gallstone ileus (2012) J Visc Surg., 149 (4), pp. e284-e286Kasahara, Y., Umemura, H., Shiraha, S., Kuyama, T., Sakata, K., Kubota, H., Gallstone ileus. Review of 112 patients in the Japanese literature (1980) Am J Surg., 140 (3), pp. 437-440van Hillo, M., van der Vliet, J.A., Wiggers, T., Obertop, H., Terpstra, O.T., Greep, J.M., Gallstone obstruction of the intestine: An analysis of ten patients and a review of the literature (1987) Surgery., 101 (3), pp. 273-276Nuño-Guzmán, C.M., Arróniz-Jáuregui, J., Moreno-Pérez, P.A., Chávez-Solís, E.A., Esparza-Arias, N., Hernández-González, C.I., Gallstone ileus: One-stage surgery in a patient with intermittent obstruction (2010) World J Gastrointest Surg., 2 (5), pp. 172-176Clavien, P.A., Richon, J., Burgan, S., Rohner, A., Gallstone ileus (1990) Br J Surg., 77 (7), pp. 737-742Murphy, K.P., Kearney, D.E., Mc Laughlin, P.D., Maher, M.M., Complete radiological findings in gallstone ileus (2012) J Neurogastroenterol Motil., 18 (4), pp. 448-449Huang, S.T., Huang, M.Y., Gallstone ileus: A diagnostic challenge by plain radiography (2013) Emerg Med J., 30 (5), p. 370Lasson, A., Lorén, I., Nilsson, A., Nirhov, N., Nilsson, P., Ultrasonography in gallstone ileus: A diagnostic challenge (1995) Eur J Surg., 161 (4), pp. 259-263Mishin, I., Ghidirim, G., Zastavnitsky, G., Non-operative treatment for gall-stone ileus-a case report (2011) Pol Przegl Chir., 83 (4), pp. 223-226Conzo, G., Mauriello, C., Gambardella, C., Napolitano, S., Cavallo, F., Tartaglia, E., Gallstone ileus: One-stage surgery in an elderly patient: One-stage surgery in gallstone ileus (2013) Int J Surg Case Rep., 4 (3), pp. 316-318Mallipeddi, M.K., Pappas, T.N., Shapiro, M.L., Scarborough, J.E., Gallstone ileus: Revisiting surgical outcomes using National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data (2013) J Surg Res., , May 31. [Epub ahead of print]Beriner, S.D., Burson, L.C., One-stage repair for cholecyst-duodenal fistula and gallstone ileus (1965) Arch Surg., 90, pp. 313-316Jones, R., Broman, D., Hawkins, R., Corless, D., Twice recurrent gallstone ileus: A case report (2012) J Med Case Rep., 6 (1), p. 362Paiva-Coronel, G., Martínez-Ramos, D., Cosa-Rodríguez, R., Salvador-Sanchis, J.L., Íleo biliar. Abordaje asistido por laparoscopia (2010) Cir Esp., 87 (4), pp. 255-25

Tidal Dwarf Galaxies at Intermediate Redshifts

We present the first attempt at measuring the production rate of tidal dwarf galaxies (TDGs) and estimating their contribution to the overall dwarf population. Using HST/ACS deep imaging data from GOODS and GEMS surveys in conjunction with photometric redshifts from COMBO-17 survey, we performed a morphological analysis for a sample of merging/interacting galaxies in the Extended Chandra Deep Field South and identified tidal dwarf candidates in the rest-frame optical bands. We estimated a production rate about 1.4 {\times} 10^{-5} per Gyr per comoving volume for long-lived TDGs with stellar mass 3 {\times} 10^{8-9} solar mass at 0.5<z<1.1. Together with galaxy merger rates and TDG survival rate from the literature, our results suggest that only a marginal fraction (less than 10%) of dwarf galaxies in the local universe could be tidally-originated. TDGs in our sample are on average bluer than their host galaxies in the optical. Stellar population modelling of optical to near-infrared spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for two TDGs favors a burst component with age 400/200 Myr and stellar mass 40%/26% of the total, indicating that a young stellar population newly formed in TDGs. This is consistent with the episodic star formation histories found for nearby TDGs.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, Accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Scienc

Comparative analysis of the secretome and interactome of Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma rangeli reveals species specific immune response modulating proteins

Chagas disease, a zoonosis caused by the flagellate protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, is a chronic and systemic parasitic infection that affects ~5–7 million people worldwide, mainly in Latin America. Chagas disease is an emerging public health problem due to the lack of vaccines and effective treatments. According to recent studies, several T. cruzi secreted proteins interact with the human host during cell invasion. Moreover, some comparative studies with T. rangeli, which is non-pathogenic in humans, have been performed to identify proteins directly involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. In this study, we present an integrated analysis of canonical putative secreted proteins (PSPs) from both species. Additionally, we propose an interactome with human host and gene family clusters, and a phylogenetic inference of a selected protein. In total, we identified 322 exclusively PSPs in T. cruzi and 202 in T. rangeli. Among the PSPs identified in T. cruzi, we found several trans-sialidases, mucins, MASPs, proteins with phospholipase 2 domains (PLA2-like), and proteins with Hsp70 domains (Hsp70-like) which have been previously characterized and demonstrated to be related to T. cruzi virulence. PSPs found in T. rangeli were related to protozoan metabolism, specifically carboxylases and phosphatases. Furthermore, we also identified PSPs that may interact with the human immune system, including heat shock and MASP proteins, but in a lower number compared to T. cruzi. Interestingly, we describe a hypothetical hybrid interactome of PSPs which reveals that T. cruzi secreted molecules may be down-regulating IL-17 whilst T. rangeli may enhance the production of IL-15. These results will pave the way for a better understanding of the pathophysiology of Chagas disease and may ultimately lead to the identification of molecular targets, such as key PSPs, that could be used to minimize the health outcomes of Chagas disease by modulating the immune response triggered by T. cruzi infection

Produtividade e vigor do maracujazeiro-amarelo plantado em covas e plantio direto sob manejo orgânico.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o vigor e a produtividade do maracujazeiro-amarelo plantado em diferentes tamanhos de cova e plantio direto sob manejo orgânico. O experimento foi conduzido de 2005 a 2007, no Setor de Agricultura Ecológica da Universidade Federal do Acre, em delineamento de blocos casualizados, constituídos de cinco tratamentos, quatro repetições e quatro plantas por parcela. Foram avaliados cinco tipos de preparo do solo: T1 cova do tamanho do torrão (0,19 x 0,063m) com adubação em cobertura; T2 cova de 0,30 x 0,30 x 0,30m com adubação de plantio na cova; T3 cova de 0,30 x 0,30 x 0,30m com adubação de plantio em cobertura; T4 cova de 0,50 x 0,50 x 0,50m com adubação de plantio na cova; e T5 cova de 0,50 x 0,50 x 0,50m com adubação de plantio em cobertura. O tamanho da cova e o plantio direto não influenciaram o vigor da planta e a biomassa de raízes. O número de frutos por planta e a produtividade, na segunda e na somatória das duas safras, foram maiores com plantio direto e com covas cúbicas de 0,30m. Após dois anos de cultivo, a densidade do solo foi maior na camada de 0-5cm de profundidade num raio de 20cm da planta para o plantio em covas de 0,50m com adubação na cova e menor para o plantio direto, não havendo diferença entre os demais tratamentos. O plantio direto ou o plantio em covas pequenas com dimensões de 0,30 x 0,30 x 0,30m proporcionou maior produtividade de maracujá que o plantio em covas maiores, mesmo não influenciando o vigor das plantas e a massa seca de raízes