803 research outputs found
Global parameter test ideals
This paper shows the existence of ideals whose localizations and completions at prime ideals are parameter test ideals of the localized and completed rings. We do this for Cohen-Macaulay localizations (resp., completions) of non-local rings, for generalized Cohen-Macaulay rings, and for non-local rings with isolated non Cohen-Macaulay points, each being an isolated non -rational point. The tools used to prove this results are constructive in nature and as a consequence our results yield algorithms for the computation of these global parameter test ideals. Finally, we illustrate the power of our methods by analyzing the HSL numbers of local cohomology modules with support at any prime ideal
Short-term earthquake forecasting experiment before and during the L’Aquila (central Italy) seismic sequence of April 2009
In this paper, we compare the forecasting performance of several statistical models, which are used to describe the occurrence process of earthquakes in forecasting the short-term earthquake probabilities during the L’Aquila earthquake sequence in central Italy in 2009. These models include the Proximity to Past Earthquakes (PPE) model and two versions of the Epidemic Type Aftershock Sequence (ETAS) model. We used the information gains corresponding to the Poisson and binomial scores to evaluate the performance of these models. It is shown that both ETAS models work better than the PPE model. However, in comparing the two types of ETAS models, the one with the same fixed exponent coefficient (alpha) = 2.3 for both the productivity function and the scaling factor in the spatial response function (ETAS I), performs better in forecasting the active aftershock sequence than the model with different exponent coefficients (ETAS II), when the Poisson score is adopted. ETAS II performs better when a lower magnitude threshold of 2.0 and the binomial score are used. The reason is found to be that the catalog does not have an event of similar magnitude to the L’Aquila mainshock (Mw 6.3) in the training period (April 16, 2005 to March 15, 2009), and the (alpha)-value is underestimated, thus the forecast seismicity is underestimated when the productivity function is extrapolated to high magnitudes. We also investigate the effect of the inclusion of small events in forecasting larger events. These results suggest that the training catalog used for estimating the model parameters should include earthquakes of magnitudes similar to the mainshock when forecasting seismicity during an aftershock sequence
Daily earthquake forecasts during the May-June 2012 Emilia earthquake sequence (northern Italy)
The paper has no abstrac
Intranasal dexmedetomidine and intravenous ketamine for procedural sedation in a child with alpha-mannosidosis: A magic bullet?
Background: Procedural sedation is increasingly needed in pediatrics. Although different drugs or drugs association are available, which is the safest and most efficient has yet to be defined, especially in syndromic children with increased sedation-related risk factors. Case report: we report the case of a five-year-old child affected by alpha-mannosidosis who required procedural sedation for an MRI scan and a lumbar puncture. We administered intranasal dexmedetomidine (4 \u3bcg/kg) 45 min before intravenous cannulation, followed by one bolus of ketamine (1 mg/kg) for each procedure. The patient maintained spontaneous breathing and no desaturation or any complication occurred. Conclusion: intranasal dexmedetomidine and intravenous ketamine could be a feasible option for MRI and lumbar puncture in children with alpha-mannosidosis needing sedation
Unilateral leg swelling in a newborn
A female neonate was born with asymmetric lower limbs, the right leg appearing enlarged, with thickened, reddish-purple skin and ectasic superficial reticulum (figure 1A,B). Limb pulses were present and symmetrical. The girl's family history and prenatal scans were unremarkable. Laboratory findings were within the normal range, except for a mild thrombocytopenia (90 000/μL), which spontaneously resolved during the next few days. A leg X-ray and the Doppler analysis ruled out the presence of calcifications and venous varices, respectively. Ultrasound showed significant skin thickening, with marked dermal hypertrophy and hyperechogenicity. Magnetic resonance showed circumferential thickening of the derma, with mild hypertrophy of some perforating vessels (figure 2). A biopsy of the right thigh showed capillary malformations on histology. edpract;archdischild-2020-320450v1/BLKF1F1BLK_F1Figure 1(A, B) Hypertrophy of the right lower limb, with large capillary malformation extending to the gluteus and the external genitalia. edpract;archdischild-2020-320450v1/BLKF2F2BLK_F2Figure 2Axial THRIVE magnetic resonance scan of the thighs' proximal third, showing circumferential dermal thickening and inhomogeneity of the right leg's subcutaneous tissue. QUESTIONS: Based on the clinical picture and investigations results, which is the most likely diagnosis?Beckwith-WiedemannCLOVES syndromeKlippel-Trenaunay syndromeKaposiform hemangioendotheliomaHow can the diagnosis be confirmed?CT with PETLymphoscintigraphyGenetic testingNone of the above, the diagnosis is clinicalWhat is the mainstay of management?Conservative with follow-upPharmacotherapySclerotherapySurgeryWhich of the following complications can occur?ScoliosisGlaucomaUrinary and gastrointestinal bleedingAll of the above Answers can be found on page 02
Spring diet of the pine marten in Sardinia, Italy
Alimentación primaveral de la marta en Cerdeña, ItaliaEl conocimiento del comportamiento de alimentación de un carnÃvoro es esencial para entender su ecologÃa. La marta Martes martes se define comúnmente como un depredador generalista oportunista, porque su dieta en Europa incluye mamÃferos, frutas, aves y invertebrados. A partir del análisis de las heces, hemos descrito los hábitos alimenticios en primavera y la amplitud del nicho trófico de la marta en ambiente mediterráneo en Cerdeña (Italia central). Los pequeños mamÃferos (sobre todo Apodemus sylvaticus, Mus musculus y Eliomys quercinus) representan la fuente más importante de alimentación de la marta, ya que constituyen aproximadamente el 52% del volumen medio. Otra fuente importante de alimentos secundarios la constituyen los invertebrados (especialmente escarabajos y larvas de insectos) y las aves (paseriformes casi exclusivamente), mientras que los grandes mamÃferos, los lagomorfos, los reptiles y las frutas están poco representados en la dieta. La composición de la dieta y el valor del Ãndice de Levins indican que la marta en Cerdeña es un depredador especialista facultativo, con una especialización en la depredación de los micromamÃferos.Knowledge of a carnivore’s foraging behaviour is essential to understand its ecology. The pine marten Martes martes is commonly defined as an opportunistic generalist predator since its diet in Europe includes mammals, fruits, birds and invertebrates. Based on faecal analyses, we evaluated spring feeding habits and trophic niche breadth of the pine marten in a Mediterranean landscape on the island of Sardinia (Central Italy). The most important source of food for the pine marten was small mammals (mainly Apodemus sylvaticus, Mus musculus and Eliomys quercinus), accounting for 52% of the percent mean volume. Important secondary foods were invertebrates (mainly beetles and insect larvae) and birds (almost exclusively passerines), whereas large mammals, lagomorphs, reptiles and fruits made little contribution to the diet. The diet composition and the Levins’ index value suggest that the pine marten in Sardinia behaves as a facultative specialist predator, with a specialization towards small mammals.Alimentación primaveral de la marta en Cerdeña, ItaliaEl conocimiento del comportamiento de alimentación de un carnÃvoro es esencial para entender su ecologÃa. La marta Martes martes se define comúnmente como un depredador generalista oportunista, porque su dieta en Europa incluye mamÃferos, frutas, aves y invertebrados. A partir del análisis de las heces, hemos descrito los hábitos alimenticios en primavera y la amplitud del nicho trófico de la marta en ambiente mediterráneo en Cerdeña (Italia central). Los pequeños mamÃferos (sobre todo Apodemus sylvaticus, Mus musculus y Eliomys quercinus) representan la fuente más importante de alimentación de la marta, ya que constituyen aproximadamente el 52% del volumen medio. Otra fuente importante de alimentos secundarios la constituyen los invertebrados (especialmente escarabajos y larvas de insectos) y las aves (paseriformes casi exclusivamente), mientras que los grandes mamÃferos, los lagomorfos, los reptiles y las frutas están poco representados en la dieta. La composición de la dieta y el valor del Ãndice de Levins indican que la marta en Cerdeña es un depredador especialista facultativo, con una especialización en la depredación de los micromamÃferos
Evidence of Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) infection in human and pigs in Sardinia, Italy
Introduction. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence
of anti-HEV antibodies in humans sera and to study
HEV prevalence in swine from different Sardinian farms, testing
viral HEV-RNA in bile samples.
Methods. In the first six months of 2008, 532 subjects of whom
402 blood donors and 130 workers at zoonotic risk, were
enrolled. Anti-HEV were determined with an enzyme linked
immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In positive subjects, RNA was
extracted and tested by RT-Nested-PCR.
From July 2006 to March 2007, 95 bile samples were collected
from randomly selected pigs. RNA was extracted from 250 ?l of
bile and tested by RT-Nested-PCR.
Results. The overall prevalence of anti-HEV antibodies was
4.3%; 5.0% among blood donors and 2.3% among workers at
zoonotic risk, with no statistically significant differences between
sex, age classes and occupation. The search for HEV-RNA in the
subjects positive for antibodies, gave negative results.
HEV genome was detected in 6 of the 95 swine bile samples
tested. Sequences were clustered within the genotype 3 and are
edited on GenBank under accession number: from FJ850960 to
FJ850962 and from FJ883000 to FJ883002.
Discussion. The overall prevalence of anti-HEV shows that the
virus circulates without giving origin to cases of acute hepatitis.
The low prevalence value found in workers at zoonotic risk do
not apparently support the hypothesis of professional risk. In
this study, HEV-RNA was isolated from pigs in Sardinia for the
first time confirming the role of swine as HEV reservoir and the
possibility of virus transmission to humans
Correlation of Static Stress Changes and Earthquake Occurrence in
A systematic analysis is made of static Coulomb stress changes and
earthquake occurrence in the area of the North Aegean Sea, Greece, in order to assess the
prospect of using static stress changes to construct a regional earthquake likelihood
model. The earthquake data set comprises all events of magnitude M ≥ 5.2 which have
occurred since 1964. This is compared to the evolving stress field due to constant tectonic
loading and perturbations due to coseismic slip associated with major earthquakes (M ≥
6.4) over the same period. The stress was resolved for sixteen fault orientation classes,
covering the observed focal mechanisms of all earthquakes in the region. Analysis using
error diagrams shows that earthquake occurrence is better correlated with the constant
tectonic loading component of the stress field than with the total stress field changes since
1964, and that little, if any, information on earthquake occurrence is lost if only the
maximum of the tectonic loading over the fault orientation classes is considered.
Moreover, the information on earthquake occurrence is actually increased by taking the
maximum of the evolving stress field since 1964, and of its coseismic–slip component,
over the fault orientation classes. The maximum, over fault orientation classes, of linear
combinations of the tectonic loading and the evolving stress field is insignificantly better
correlated with earthquake occurrence than the maximum of the tectonic loading by itself.
A composite stress–change variable is constructed from ordering of the maximum
tectonic loading component and the maximum coseismic–slip component, in order to
optimize the correlation with earthquake occurrence. The results indicate that it would be
difficult to construct a time–varying earthquake likelihood model from the evolving stress
field that is more informative than a time–invariant model based on the constant tectonic
loading
Clinical course and features of persistent polyclonal B-cell lymphocytosis with BCL-6 amplification during pregnancy
Background: Persistent polyclonal B-cell lymphocytosis is a rare nonmalignant disorder characterized by mild persistent lymphocyte proliferation with possible evolution to aggressive lymphoma. Its biology is not well known, but it is characterized by a specific immunophenotype with rearrangement of the BCL-2/IGH gene, whereas amplification of the BCL-6 gene has rarely been reported. Given the paucity of reports, it has been hypothesized that this disorder is associated with poor pregnancy outcomes. Case report: To our knowledge, only two successful pregnancies have been described in women with this condition. We report the third successful pregnancy in a patient with PPBL and the first with amplification of the BCL-6 gene. Conclusions: PPBL is still a poorly understood clinical condition with insufficient data to demonstrate an adverse effect on pregnancy. The role of BCL-6 dysregulation in the pathogenesis of PPBL and its prognostic significance are still unknown. Evolution into aggressive clonal lymphoproliferative disorders is possible and prolonged hematologic follow-up is warranted in patients with this rare clinical disorder
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