Distribuciones tonales en la música del renacimiento, un análisis comparativo

In this study we use the technique of note counting, tonal hierarchies and the algorithm to find tones to quantitatively assess how much the Renaissance musical language and subsequent tonal language resemble. The results show that there is a great correspondence between the tonal distributions of both languages and between them and the tonal hierarchies found by Krumhansl and Kessler (1982). This suggests that the differences are smaller than what is usually considered and that, in the Renaissance, there is a hierarchy of tones similar to that of tonalism. On the other hand, some problematic cases show that modal language favors tonal ambiguity. Finally, empirical evidence is provided to the notion that, in the Renaissance, the system tends, progressively over time, to two poles: the major hue and the minor hue.En este estudio usamos la técnica de conteos de notas, las jerarquías tonales y el algoritmo para hallar tonalidades para evaluar de manera cuantitativa qué tanto se parecen el lenguaje musical del Renacimiento y el lenguaje tonal posterior. Los resultados muestran que hay una gran correspondencia entre las distribuciones tonales de ambos lenguajes y entre éstas y las jerarquías tonales halladas por Krumhansl y Kessler (1982). Esto sugiere que las diferencias son menores de lo que suele considerarse y que, en el Renacimiento, hay una jerarquía de tonos parecida a la del tonalismo. Por otra parte, algunos casos problemáticos muestran que el lenguaje modal favorece la ambigüedad tonal. Por último, se aporta evidencia empírica a la noción de que, en el Renacimiento, el sistema tiende, de manera progresiva en el tiempo, a dos polos: la tonalidad mayor y la tonalidad menor

A low-cost, compact device for monitoring tissue oxygen consumption using speckle contrast optical spectroscopy

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Grover-QAOA for 3-SAT: Quadratic Speedup, Fair-Sampling, and Parameter Clustering

The SAT problem is a prototypical NP-complete problem of fundamental importance in computational complexity theory with many applications in science and engineering; as such, it has long served as an essential benchmark for classical and quantum algorithms. This study shows numerical evidence for a quadratic speedup of the Grover Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (G-QAOA) over random sampling for finding all solutions to 3-SAT problems (All-SAT). G-QAOA is less resource-intensive and more adaptable for 3-SAT and Max-SAT than Grover's algorithm, and it surpasses conventional QAOA in its ability to sample all solutions. We show these benefits by classical simulations of many-round G-QAOA on thousands of random 3-SAT instances. We also observe G-QAOA advantages on the IonQ Aria quantum computer for small instances, finding that current hardware suffices to determine and sample all solutions. Interestingly, a single-angle-pair constraint that uses the same pair of angles at each G-QAOA round greatly reduces the classical computational overhead of optimizing the G-QAOA angles while preserving its quadratic speedup. We also find parameter clustering of the angles. The single-angle-pair protocol and parameter clustering significantly reduce obstacles to classical optimization of the G-QAOA angles

Limb Salvage Does Not Predict Functional Limb Outcome after Revascularization for Traumatic Acute Limb Ischemia

BackgroundTraumatic vascular injury leading to acute limb ischemia (ALI) is an uncommon problem with a potential for high morbidity. We describe a contemporary series of patients with traumatic ALI managed primarily by vascular surgeons at a tertiary referral center and review factors associated with limb salvage and functional limb outcomes.MethodsWe conducted a single institution, retrospective review of all patients requiring revascularization for upper extremity (UE) and lower extremity (LE) ALI secondary to trauma from 2013 to 2016. Demographic data, transfer timing, injury severity score (ISS), Rutherford classification (RC), preoperative imaging, level of occlusion, procedural information, fasciotomy characteristics, and discharge disposition were reviewed. Outcome measures included limb salvage and functional limb outcomes.ResultsWe identified 68 patients with traumatic ALI requiring revascularization. The majority of patients had moderate ISS scores, were RC 2a or 2b on presentation (65%), were transferred from another institution (53%), and underwent preoperative imaging (62%) with expeditious time to operation (median 4.5 hr). The most common location of vascular injury for UE was axillary-brachial (88%) and for LE was femoral-popliteal (69%). Open vascular procedures dominated the treatment strategy, and the median number of operations was 3. Fasciotomy was performed in 25% of UE and 58% of LE injuries. Shunts were utilized in only 2 patients. Overall LS was 94% for UE and 78% for LE. The median length of stay (LOS) was 11 days, with 25% of patients discharged to a skilled nursing facility. Follow-up was obtained for 59% of patients. For UE injuries, 57% of patients had no or minimal functional deficits, while 33% had major functional deficits and 10% underwent amputation. For LE injuries, 68% of patients had no or minimal functional deficits, while 6% had major functional deficits, and 26% had undergone amputation. Rutherford class and the number of operations performed were independent predictors of amputation and functional limb at follow-up in our logistic regression model (P < 0.05).ConclusionsRevascularization for traumatic ALI yields high limb salvage rates in patients with RC 1 and 2 ischemia and patients with UE injuries. However, limb salvage does not necessarily equate to good functional outcomes. This signifies the complex nature of injuries in this patient population, especially when multiple operations are required

Replication of the association of HLA-B7 with Alzheimer's disease: a role for homozygosity?

BACKGROUND: There are reasons to expect an association with Alzheimer's disease (AD) within the HLA region. The HLA-B & C genes have, however, been relatively understudied. A geographically specific association with HLA-B7 & HLA-Cw*0702 had been suggested by our previous, small study. METHODS: We studied the HLA-B & C alleles in 196 cases of 'definite' or 'probable' AD and 199 elderly controls of the OPTIMA cohort, the largest full study of these alleles in AD to date. RESULTS: We replicated the association of HLA-B7 with AD (overall, adjusted odds ratio = 2.3, 95% confidence interval = 1.4–3.7, p = 0.001), but not the previously suggested interaction with the ε4 allele of apolipoprotein E. Results for HLA-Cw*0702, which is in tight linkage disequilibrium with HLA-B7, were consistent with those for the latter. Homozygotes of both alleles appeared to be at particularly high risk of AD. CONCLUSION: HLA-B7 and HLA-Cw*0702 are associated with AD in the Oxford population. Because of the contradictions between cohorts in our previous study, we suggest that these results may be geographically specific. This might be because of differences between populations in the structure of linkage disequilibrium or in interactions with environmental, genetic or epigenetic factors. A much larger study will be needed to clarify the role of homozygosity of HLA alleles in AD risk

Efficacy of phage therapy in preclinical models of bacterial infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND Antimicrobial resistance of bacterial pathogens is an increasing clinical problem and alternative approaches to antibiotic chemotherapy are needed. One of these approaches is the use of lytic bacterial viruses known as phage therapy. We aimed to assess the efficacy of phage therapy in preclinical animal models of bacterial infection. METHODS In this systematic review and meta-analysis, MEDLINE/Ovid, Embase/Ovid, CINAHL/EbscoHOST, Web of Science/Wiley, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Google Scholar were searched from inception to Sept 30, 2021. Studies assessing phage efficacy in animal models were included. Only studies that assessed the efficacy of phage therapy in treating established bacterial infections in terms of survival and bacterial abundance or density were included. Studies reporting only in-vitro or ex-vivo results and those with incomplete information were excluded. Risk-of-bias assessment was performed using the Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory Animal Experimentation tool. The main endpoints were animal survival and tissue bacterial burden, which were reported using pooled odds ratios (ORs) and mean differences with random-effects models. The I2 measure and its 95% CI were also calculated. This study is registered with PROSPERO, CRD42022311309. FINDINGS Of the 5084 references screened, 124 studies fulfilled the selection criteria. Risk of bias was high for 70 (56%) of the 124 included studies; therefore, only studies classified as having a low-to-moderate risk of bias were considered for quantitative data synthesis (n=32). Phage therapy was associated with significantly improved survival at 24 h in systemic infection models (OR 0·08 [95% CI 0·03 to 0·20]; I2=55% [95% CI 8 to 77]), skin infection (OR 0·08 [0·04 to 0·19]; I2 = 0% [0 to 79]), and pneumonia models (OR 0·13 [0·06 to 0·31]; I2=0% [0 to 68]) when compared with placebo. Animals with skin infections (mean difference -2·66 [95% CI -3·17 to -2·16]; I2 = 95% [90 to 96]) and those with pneumonia (mean difference -3·35 [-6·00 to -0·69]; I2 = 99% [98 to 99]) treated with phage therapy had significantly lower tissue bacterial loads at 5 ± 2 days of follow-up compared with placebo. INTERPRETATION Phage therapy significantly improved animal survival and reduced organ bacterial loads compared with placebo in preclinical animal models. However, high heterogeneity was observed in some comparisons. More evidence is needed to identify the factors influencing phage therapy performance to improve future clinical application. FUNDING Swiss National Foundation and Swiss Heart Foundation

Bionomics of Culex quinquefasciatus within urban areas of Rio de Janeiro, Southeastern Brazil

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate density, parity rates, daily survival and longevity of natural populations of Culex quinquefasciatus in three neighborhoods with distinct socio-economic and infrastructure profiles. METHODS: Mosquito collections of the Culex quinquefasciatus species were performed weekly during two four month periods, from August to November 2008 (spring) and March to June 2009 (fall), in a favela (slum), a suburban area and a middle class area of Rio de Janeiro, Southeastern Brazil. Collections were performed with backpack aspirators, in 20 randomly selected houses in each area per week, during 15-20 minutes per house. Ovaries were removed from captured females and classified as initial, intermediary or final stage. Furthermore, females were dissected for determination of parity based on the condition of the tracheal system. Mosquito survival rate and longevity were estimated on a per month basis for each neighborhood. RESULTS: We collected a total of 2,062 Culex quinquefasciatus, but monthly vector density was not correlated with temperature and rainfall. We dissected the ovaries of 625 Culex quinquefasciatus, and overall, there was a higher proportion of nulliparous females during the dryer months, while gravid females were more frequent in rainy months. In the middle class neighborhood, the parity rate reached up to 93.75% with survivorship of 0.979. Lower parity and survival rates were obtained in the suburban area (as low as 36.4% parity and 0.711 daily survival). Up to 84.7% of Culex quinquefasciatus females could survive the eight day period needed to complete West Nile Virus incubation. CONCLUSIONS: The survival rate of Culex quinquefasciatus varied significantly between the neighborhoods. This suggests that vectorial capacity and disease transmission risk may vary greatly between different urban areas, which is potentially useful information for vector control programs

Novel Textbook Outcomes following emergency laparotomy:Delphi exercise

Background: Textbook outcomes are composite outcome measures that reflect the ideal overall experience for patients. There are many of these in the elective surgery literature but no textbook outcomes have been proposed for patients following emergency laparotomy. The aim was to achieve international consensus amongst experts and patients for the best Textbook Outcomes for non-trauma and trauma emergency laparotomy. Methods: A modified Delphi exercise was undertaken with three planned rounds to achieve consensus regarding the best Textbook Outcomes based on the category, number and importance (Likert scale of 1–5) of individual outcome measures. There were separate questions for non-trauma and trauma. A patient engagement exercise was undertaken after round 2 to inform the final round. Results: A total of 337 participants from 53 countries participated in all three rounds of the exercise. The final Textbook Outcomes were divided into ‘early’ and ‘longer-term’. For non-trauma patients the proposed early Textbook Outcome was ‘Discharged from hospital without serious postoperative complications (Clavien–Dindo ≥ grade III; including intra-abdominal sepsis, organ failure, unplanned re-operation or death). For trauma patients it was ‘Discharged from hospital without unexpected transfusion after haemostasis, and no serious postoperative complications (adapted Clavien–Dindo for trauma ≥ grade III; including intra-abdominal sepsis, organ failure, unplanned re-operation on or death)’. The longer-term Textbook Outcome for both non-trauma and trauma was ‘Achieved the early Textbook Outcome, and restoration of baseline quality of life at 1 year’. Conclusion: Early and longer-term Textbook Outcomes have been agreed by an international consensus of experts for non-trauma and trauma emergency laparotomy. These now require clinical validation with patient data.</p

An investigation of the phase locking index for measuring of interdependency of cortical source signals recorded in the EEG

The phase locking index (PLI) was introduced to quantify in a statistical sense the phase synchronization of two signals. It has been commonly used to process biosignals. In this article, we investigate the PLI for measuring the interdependency of cortical source signals (CSSs) recorded in the Electroencephalogram (EEG). To this end, we consider simple analytical models for the mapping of simulated CSSs into the EEG. For these models, the PLI is investigated analytically and through numerical simulations. An evaluation is made of the sensitivity of the PLI to the amount of crosstalk between the sources through biological tissues of the head. It is found that the PLI is a useful interdependency measure for CSSs, especially when the amount of crosstalk is small. Another common interdependency measure is the coherence. A direct comparison of both measures has not been made in the literature so far. We assess the performance of the PLI and coherence for estimation and detection purposes based on, respectively, a normalized variance and a novel statistical measure termed contrast. Based on these performance measures, it is found that the PLI is similar or better than the CM in most cases. This result is also confirmed through analysis of EEGs recorded from epileptic patients