Measuring species diversity for conservation biology: incorpo- rating social and ecological importance of species

ABSTRACT A new Importance-Diversity Index is proposed as an enhancement to the traditional Shannon diversity index. The proposed index incorporates an importance weight to each species of organisms found in an ecosystem. The importance weights are derived from four (4) main domains deemed important in conservation biology, namely: (1) species endemicity, (2) economic utility, (3) functional role in the ecosystem, and (4) risk status of the species (threatened or endangered). Scenario simulations show that the new index aids in conservation decisions particularly in cases where the Shannon's indices of the ecosystems are equal or near equal or even in situations where the Shannon's index clearly identifies a site but the relative importance of the species found in other sites is heavier

Theory of Distance Relativity of Fractal Dimensions

The velocity of a moving object is different when measured from a stationary frame of reference and on a moving frame of reference (see the famous train experiment and the Michelson-Morley experiment). Because velocity is relative to the frame of reference, so do the concepts of “distance” and “time”. Thus, were born the concepts of relativistic mass, relativistic distance, and the notion of time dilation, which practically revolutionized Newton’s classical Physics (Muller, General Theory of Relativity, 1958). In this paper, we investigate how the fractal dimension of the same natural geometric object changes relative to the distance from which a picture of the object is taken. Keywords: Fractal dimension, Distance, Fracta

Long-Term Iron and Vitamin B12 Deficiency Are Present after Bariatric Surgery, Despite the Widespread Use of Supplements

There are few long-term nutritional studies in subjects undergoing bariatric surgery that have assessed weight regain and nutritional deficiencies. In this study, we report data 8 years after surgery on weight loss, use of dietary supplements and deficit of micronutrients in a cohort of patients from five centres in central and northern Italy. The study group consisted of 52 subjects (age: 38.1 +/- 10.6 y, 42 females): 16 patients had Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), 25 patients had sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and 11 subjects had adjustable gastric banding (AGB). All three bariatric procedures led to sustained weight loss: the average percentage excess weight loss, defined as weight loss divided by excess weight based on ideal body weight, was 60.6% +/- 32.3. Despite good adherence to prescribed supplements, 80.7% of subjects (72.7%, AGB; 76.7%, SG; 93.8 %, RYGB) reported at least one nutritional deficiency: iron (F 64.3% vs. M 30%), vitamin B12 (F 16.6% vs. M 10%), calcium (F 33.3% vs. M 0%) and vitamin D (F 38.1% vs. M 60%). Long-term nutritional deficiencies were greater than the general population among men for iron and among women for vitamin B12

Efficacy of Ivermectin, FenbendazoIe, Mebendazole and Mebendazole combined with Piperazine Citrate, in the control of cyathostomes of Mangalarga Paulista equids

The anthelmintic efficacy of Ivermectin, Fenbendazole, Mebendazole and Mebendazole combined with Piperazine Citrate for the control of cyathostomes of Mangalarga Paulista equids were analyzed. In all cases of positive eggs per gram (epg) counts before and after treatment, pure populations of cyathostome larvae with eight gut cells in faecal cultures were consistently observed. The percentages of efficacy were evaluated between the 7th and 72nd days post-treatment. Confronting the epg mean values of Ivermectin in respect of the others anthelmintics, significant differences were found between the 7th and 57th days; Fenbendazole and Mebendazole did not show significant differences during the experiment. The association of Mebendazole combined with Piperazine Citrate indicated a significantly higher efficacy than Fenbendazole and Mebendazole between the 7th and 30th days.Através de estudo comparativo, objetivou-se avaliar a eficiência anti-helmíntica de Ivermectina, de Fenbendaole, de Mebendazole e de Mebendazole associado ao Citrato de Piperazina, no controle de ciatostomíneos de equinos da raça Mangalarga Paulista. As coproculturas realizadas antes e após os tratamentos levaram consistentemente ao encontro de populações puras de ciatostomíneos com oito células intestinais. Os percentuais de eficácia foram avaliados do 7º ao 72º dias pós-tratamento. Comparando os valores médios de opg de Ivermectina em relação aos outros anti-helmínticos, observou-se diferença significante do 7º ao 57º dias: Fenbendazole e Mebendazole não mostraram diferenças significantes durante o experimento. A combinação de Mebendazole associado ao Citrato de Piperazina foi significantemente superior ao Fenbendazole e ao Mebendazole do 7º ao 30º dias

Noninvasive assessment of patients undergoing percutaneous intervention in myocardial infarction

FUNDAMENTO: A reestenose pós-intervenção coronariana percutânea primária permanece um problema de relevância clínica, mesmo com o implante de stents. A capacidade das provas não invasivas para detecção de reestenose não foi totalmente demonstrada. OBJETIVO: Avaliar a habilidade do teste ergométrico (TE) e da cintilografia de perfusão miocárdica (CPM) no diagnóstico de reestenose em pacientes com infarto agudo do miocárdio, e supradenivelamento do segmento ST, submetidos à angioplastia coronariana percutânea primária (ACPP), com implante de stent nas primeiras 12 horas de evolução. MÉTODOS: De Ago/2003-Jan/2006, foram selecionados 64 pacientes (ps) (56,2 ± 10,2 anos, 53 homens) submetidos à ACPP. Apenas ps com fração de ejeção do ventrículo esquerdo > 40,0%, definida por ecocardiograma de repouso, foram incluídos. Teste ergométrico, com as 12 derivações do ECG associadas a precordiais direitas, e CPM foram realizados 6 semanas, 6 meses e um ano após o tratamento. Foi realizada cinecoronariografia no 6º mês. RESULTADOS: Doença uniarterial ocorreu em 46,9% dos ps, sendo a artéria descendente anterior tratada em 48,4%. Reestenose angiográfica ocorreu em 28,8%. Sensibilidade, especificidade, valor preditivo positivo (VPP), valor preditivo negativo (VPN) e acurácia do TE para detecção de reestenose não foram significativos. A adição de derivações precordiais direitas não proporcionou informações adicionais. Sensibilidade, especificidade, VPP, VPN e acurácia da CPM apresentaram correlação com reestenose apenas no 6º mês, considerando-se summed difference score > 2 (p = 0,006) e > 4 (p = 0,014). CONCLUSÃO: O TE não discriminou reestenose. A CPM realizada no 6º mês foi relacionada à reestenose e mostrou-se útil durante a evolução.BACKGROUND: Restenosis after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) remains an important clinical problem, even with stent implantation. The ability of noninvasive testing to diagnose restenosis has had only inconsistent demonstration. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to evaluate the ability of exercise treadmill testing (ETT) and myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) to diagnose restenosis in patients treated by PPCI within 12 hours of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). METHODS: From August 2003 to January 2006, 64 patients (mean age of 56.2±10.2 years, 53 males) were enrolled after PPCI. Only patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) > 40%, as assessed by resting transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), were included. ETT with 12-lead ECG monitoring and right precordial leads, as also MPI were performed at 6 weeks, 6 months, and one year after intervention. Coronary angiography was performed at six months. RESULTS: Single-vessel disease was observed in 46.9% of the patients. The left anterior descending coronary artery was treated in 48.4% of the patients. Angiographic restenosis occurred in 28.8%. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of ETT in detecting restenosis were not significant. Right precordial leads did not add information. MPI sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and accuracy correlated with restenosis only in the 6-month follow-up, both when considering summed difference score >2 (p=0.006) and >4 (p=0.014). CONCLUSION: ETT did not discriminate restenosis in this population. MPI performed at 6 months correlated with restenosis and proved useful during follow-up

Descrição do perfil do fuste de árvores por meio das funções de afilamento

The objective of this study was to summarize information about the use of modeling the stem profile of trees through taper functions. It is known that some factors influence the growth of trees and consequently the stem profile. Then, the taper functions are responsible to study the stem profile and its variations that affect directly in forest planning. Thus, the modeling is a tool able to describe the stem profile and conduct the forest production for the different business. Aiming to improve the estimates of forest inventory, the improvement of statistic technical of modeling in the country already provide considerable results. Examples are mixed models and multivariate modeling innovate in this segment. These approaches have been used to improve the precision of the estimates, reducing costs and facilitating decision making in forest management.O objetivo desse trabalho foi resumir informações a respeito da utilização da modelagem do perfil do tronco de árvores por meio das funções de afilamento. Sabe-se que vários fatores exercem influência no crescimento das árvores e por consequência, na forma do tronco das mesmas. Com isso, as funções de afilamento são responsáveis por estudar a forma do tronco e suas variações que afetam diretamente no planejamento florestal. Assim, a modelagem é a ferramenta capaz de descrever o perfil do tronco e auxiliar no direcionamento da produção florestal para os diferentes segmentos empresariais. Visando melhorar as estimativas do inventário florestal, o aprimoramento das técnicas estatísticas de modelagem no país já fornecem resultados consideráveis. Exemplo disso tem-se os modelos mistos e a modelagem multivariada que inovam nesse segmento. Essas abordagens melhoraram ainda mais a precisão das estimativas, diminuindo custos e facilitando a tomada de decisões no manejo florestal

Psychological treatments and psychotherapies in the neurorehabilitation of pain. Evidences and recommendations from the italian consensus conference on pain in neurorehabilitation

BACKGROUND: It is increasingly recognized that treating pain is crucial for effective care within neurological rehabilitation in the setting of the neurological rehabilitation. The Italian Consensus Conference on Pain in Neurorehabilitation was constituted with the purpose identifying best practices for us in this context. Along with drug therapies and physical interventions, psychological treatments have been proven to be some of the most valuable tools that can be used within a multidisciplinary approach for fostering a reduction in pain intensity. However, there is a need to elucidate what forms of psychotherapy could be effectively matched with the specific pathologies that are typically addressed by neurorehabilitation teams. OBJECTIVES: To extensively assess the available evidence which supports the use of psychological therapies for pain reduction in neurological diseases. METHODS: A systematic review of the studies evaluating the effect of psychotherapies on pain intensity in neurological disorders was performed through an electronic search using PUBMED, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Based on the level of evidence of the included studies, recommendations were outlined separately for the different conditions. RESULTS: The literature search yielded 2352 results and the final database included 400 articles. The overall strength of the recommendations was medium/low. The different forms of psychological interventions, including Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, cognitive or behavioral techniques, Mindfulness, hypnosis, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Brief Interpersonal Therapy, virtual reality interventions, various forms of biofeedback and mirror therapy were found to be effective for pain reduction in pathologies such as musculoskeletal pain, fibromyalgia, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, Central Post-Stroke pain, Phantom Limb Pain, pain secondary to Spinal Cord Injury, multiple sclerosis and other debilitating syndromes, diabetic neuropathy, Medically Unexplained Symptoms, migraine and headache. CONCLUSIONS: Psychological interventions and psychotherapies are safe and effective treatments that can be used within an integrated approach for patients undergoing neurological rehabilitation for pain. The different interventions can be specifically selected depending on the disease being treated. A table of evidence and recommendations from the Italian Consensus Conference on Pain in Neurorehabilitation is also provided in the final part of the pape

Reliability of forced internal rotation and active internal rotation to assess lateral instability of the biceps pulley

Purpose: the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between positive painful forced internal rotation (FIR) and lateral pulley instability in the presence of a pre-diagnosed posterosuperior cuff tear. The same investigation was conducted for painful active internal rotation (AIR). Methods: a multicenter prospective study was conducted in a series of patients scheduled to undergo arthroscopic posterosuperior cuff repair. Pain was assessed using a visual analog scale (VAS) and the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire (DASH) was administered. The VAS score at rest, DASH score, and presence/absence of pain on FIR and AIR were recorded and their relationships with lesions of the lateral pulley, cuff tear patterns and shape of lesions were analyzed. Results: the study population consisted of 115 patients (mean age: 55.1 years) recruited from 12 centers. The dominant arm was affected in 72 cases (62.6%). The average anteroposterior extension of the lesion was 1.61 cm. The mean preoperative VAS and DASH scores were 6.1 and 41.8, respectively. FIR and AIR were positive in 94 (81.7%) and 85 (73.9%) cases, respectively. The lateral pulley was compromised in 50 cases (43.4%). Cuff tears were partial articular in 35 patients (30.4%), complete in 61 (53%), and partial bursal in 19 (16.5%). No statistical correlation between positive FIR or AIR and lateral pulley lesions was detected. Positive FIR and AIR were statistically associated with complete lesions. Negative FIR was associated with the presence of partial articular tears. Conclusions: painful FIR in the presence of a postero-superior cuff tear does not indicate lateral pulley instability. When a cuff tear is suspected, positive FIR and AIR are suggestive of full-thickness tear patterns while a negative FIR suggests a partial articular lesion. Level of evidence: level I, validating cohort study with good reference standards