Spondylolisthesis on bilateral pedicle stress fracture in the lumbar spine: A case study

AbstractWe report the clinical case of a 54-year-old woman presenting radicular low back pain on the right side of L4 associated to spondylolisthesis on L4-L5, without any notion of trauma or spine surgery. Furthermore this patient is regularly seen for benign rheumatoid polyarthritis complicated by steroid-induced osteoporosis. A preventive treatment was implanted with good results on pain improvement and functional capacities. For pedicle fractures the literature review reports several different etiologies: spontaneous fractures, hereditary fractures or stress-related fractures. There was a discussion on the various treatments available and in this case of spondylolisthesis on pedicle fracture a conservative treatment was implemented similar to the one for isthmic spondylolisthesis. It yielded satisfying results

Claw-free t-perfect graphs can be recognised in polynomial time

A graph is called t-perfect if its stable set polytope is defined by non-negativity, edge and odd-cycle inequalities. We show that it can be decided in polynomial time whether a given claw-free graph is t-perfect

The relevance of late MSA mandibles on the emergence of modern morphology in Northern Africa

North Africa is a key area for understanding hominin population movements and the expansion of our species. It is home to the earliest currently known Homo sapiens (Jebel Irhoud) and several late Middle Stone Age (MSA) fossils, notably Kébibat, Contrebandiers 1, Dar-es-Soltane II H5 and El Harhoura. Mostly referred to as “Aterian” they fill a gap in the North African fossil record between Jebel Irhoud and Iberomaurusians. We explore morphological continuity in this region by quantifying mandibular shape using 3D (semi)landmark geometric morphometric methods in a comparative framework of late Early and Middle Pleistocene hominins (n = 15), Neanderthals (n = 27) and H. sapiens (n = 145). We discovered a set of mixed features among late MSA fossils that is in line with an accretion of modern traits through time and an ongoing masticatory gracilization process. In Northern Africa, Aterians display similarities to Iberomaurusians and recent humans in the area as well as to the Tighenif and Thomas Quarry hominins, suggesting a greater time depth for regional continuity than previously assumed. The evidence we lay out for a long-term succession of hominins and humans emphasizes North Africa’s role as source area of the earliest H. sapiens

Changes in the composition and fatty acid profile of Najdi ewes’ milk before and after weaning

This trial aimed to study the changes in the yield, composition, and fatty acid (FA) profile of ewes’ milk during suckling and milking periods. Nineteen multiparous Najdi ewes were kept under identical management and feeding conditions during a 12-week trial that was divided into two periods. Milk samples were collected on each sampling day from the total yield during the suckling (3rd, 6th, and 9th week) and milking (12th week) periods. The milk yield and the total solids, fat, protein, and lactose contents of the milk remained constant throughout the suckling weeks, but the protein content increased and milk yield and lactose content decreased after weaning. There were no differences in milk saturated FA (SFA), unsaturated FA (UFA), and monounsaturated FA (MUFA) contents during the suckling and milking periods, whereas the polyunsaturated FA content increased during the milking period. There were no differences in the individual milk SFA during the weeks of suckling, but the contents of caproic acid (C6:0), caprylic acid (C8:0), margaric acid (C17:0), and stearic acid (C18:0) decreased. However, myristic acid (C14:0), lauric acid (C12:0), and isomers of pentadecanoic (C15:0) acid increased during the milking period. The percentage of vaccenic acid (C18:1△11t), rumenic acid (C18:2△9c,11t; conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)), ω-3 FA group, and the atherogenicity index did not differ during the suckling period, but increased after weaning in the 12th week of lactation. This study demonstrated that weaning lambs in Najdi ewes is probably a factor that strongly affects milk traits by changing yield, composition, and FA profile.Keywords: CLA, dairy ewes, milk fat, milk yield, stage of lactatio

Composición química, estabilidad oxidativa y actividad antiproliferativa del extracto de hexano de semilla de Anethum graveolens (eneldo)

This study aimed to evaluate the physicochemical properties, chemical composition, and anti­proliferative activity of the hexane extract of Anethum graveolens L. (dill) seeds using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Two fractions, namely the lipid fraction (74%) and volatile fraction (26%), were detected. The extract content of the seeds was about 9.4% and the extract had a pleasant spicy aroma. Oleic acid (52%), cis-vaccenic acid (6.2%), linoleic acid (5.5%), and palmitic acid (3.3%) were the key fatty acids in the lipid fraction, while apiol (23%) and d-carvone (2.4%) were the major volatile components. Tocols (tocopherols and tocotrienols) were also detected in the A. Graveolens extract (155 mg/100 g) and b-tocopherol was identified as the major tocol (71%). Dill extract showed a high oxidative stability (induction time = 45.22 h). Furthermore, dill extract showed antiproliferative activity against breast cancer cell lines.Este estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar las propiedades fisicoquí­micas, la composición química y la actividad antiproliferativa del extracto de hexano de semillas de Anethum graveolens L. (eneldo) mediante cromatografía de gases con espectrometría de masas (GC-MS). Se detectaron dos fracciones, la fracción lipídica (74%) y la fracción volátil (26%). El contenido del extracto de las semi­llas fue de aproximadamente 9,4% y el extracto tenía un agradable aroma picante. Los ácidos oleico (52%), cis-vaccénico (6,2%), linoleico (5,5%) y palmítico (3,3%) fueron los ácidos grasos clave en la fracción lipídica, mientras que el apiol (23%) y la d-carvona (2,4%) fueron los principales componentes volátiles. También se detectaron tocoles (tocoferoles y tocotrienoles) en el extracto de A. Graveolens (155 mg/100 g) y se identificó el β-tocoferol como el principal tocol (71%). El extracto de eneldo mostró una alta estabilidad oxidativa (tiempo de inducción = 45,22 h). Además, el extracto de eneldo mostró actividad antiproliferativa contra las líneas celulares de cáncer de mama

An improved neural network technique for data dimensionality reduction in satellite imagery

This paper presents an application of back-propagation neural network based mapping scheme of multispectrale data images. The approach exploits the ability of neural networks for non-linear projection of multidimensional data, and their advantages over traditional methods. An updating rule for this network, based on the Conjugate Gradient Algorithm is used. The main advantage of this algorithm is the speedup of the convergence rate. Performance evaluation using a Landsat image of Kénitra region (Morocco) is carried out. Classification results of the proposed algorithm outperform those obtained using conventional methods.Ce papier présente une nouvelle technique de réduction du nombre de canaux spectraux pour aider à la classification des images multispectrales en mode d'occupation du sol. Cette technique, basée sur des réseaux de neurones multicouches, propose une règle d'apprentissage de ces réseaux qui adapte le gradient conjugué à la méthode de rétropropagation; permettant ainsi une convergence rapide au réseau. Les résultats de classification sont évalués sur une fenêtre d'image Landsat-TM de 512*512 pixels, relative à la région de Kénitra (Maroc), et comparés à ceux obtenus par les méthodes classiques

Vector Bin Packing with Multiple-Choice

We consider a variant of bin packing called multiple-choice vector bin packing. In this problem we are given a set of items, where each item can be selected in one of several $D$-dimensional incarnations. We are also given $T$ bin types, each with its own cost and $D$-dimensional size. Our goal is to pack the items in a set of bins of minimum overall cost. The problem is motivated by scheduling in networks with guaranteed quality of service (QoS), but due to its general formulation it has many other applications as well. We present an approximation algorithm that is guaranteed to produce a solution whose cost is about $\ln D$ times the optimum. For the running time to be polynomial we require $D=O(1)$ and $T=O(\log n)$. This extends previous results for vector bin packing, in which each item has a single incarnation and there is only one bin type. To obtain our result we also present a PTAS for the multiple-choice version of multidimensional knapsack, where we are given only one bin and the goal is to pack a maximum weight set of (incarnations of) items in that bin

Antigen Incorporation on Cryptosporidium parvum Oocyst Walls

Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts are the infective stages responsible for transmission and survival of the organism in the environment. In the present work we show that the oocyst wall, far from being a static structure, is able to incorporate antigens by a mechanism involving vesicle fusion with the wall, and the incorporation of the antigen to the outer oocyst wall. Using immunoelectron microscopy we show that the antigen recognized by a monoclonal antibody used for diagnosis of cryptosporidiosis (MerifluorÒ, Meridian Diagnostic Inc.) could be found associated with vesicles in the space between the sporozoites and the oocysts wall, and incorporated to the outer oocyst wall by an unknown mechanism