Nonlinear Rank Correlations

Rank correlation is a fundamental tool to express dependence in case in which the data are arranged in order. There are, by contrast, circumstances where the ordinal association is of a nonlinear type. In this paper we have investigated the effectiveness of thirty measures of rank correlation for assessing agreement between two evaluators in the presence of non costant scale of terms. These measures have been divided into three classes: unweighted rank correlations, weighted rank correlations, correlations of scores. Our findings suggest that none is systematically better than the other in all circumstances. However, a simply weighted version of the Kendall’s $\tau$ provides plausible answers to many special situations where intercategory distances are not the same

Caracterização de produtores de uva de mesa e dos sistemas de irrigação da região de Jales (SP).

O objetivo do presente trabalho é caracterizar, com base em dados amostrais, as propriedades da região e os sistemas de irrigação que são utilizados na cultura da videira.bitstream/item/48529/1/ComunicadoTecnico-106.pd

Aspectos fitossanitários da viticultura na região Noroeste do Estado de São Paulo.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi realizar um levantamento e uma avaliação do perfil do produtor de uva de mesa da região de Jales, identificando os problemas fitossanitários enfrentados, bem como as tecnologias adotadas para o controle de pragas que ocorrem na cultura da videira dessa região.bitstream/item/84830/1/cot136.pd

A 13-Gene DNA Methylation Analysis Using Oral Brushing Specimens as an Indicator of Oral Cancer Risk: A Descriptive Case Report

Analysis of genetic or epigenetic markers from saliva or brushing specimens has been proposed as a diagnostic aid to identify patients at risk of developing oral cancer. However, no reliable non-invasive molecular method for this purpose is commercially available. In the present report, we describe the potential application of a procedure based on a 13-gene DNA methylation analysis using oral brushing samples from a patient affected by oral leukoplakia who developed two metachronous oral carcinomas during the follow-up period. A positive or a negative score was calculated for each brushing sample based on a predefined cut-off value. In this patient, a positive score was detected in the oral leukoplakia diagnosed more than 2 years before the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma and subsequently in clinically healthy mucosa 8 months before the appearance of a secondary tumor. This suggests a potential role of our procedure as an indicator of oral cancer risk

Mandibular reconstruction with bridging customized plate after ablative surgery for ONJ: A multi‐centric case series

Purpose: Computer‐aided methods for mandibular reconstruction have improved both functional and morphological results in patients who underwent segmental mandibular resection. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the overlaying of virtual planning in terms of measures of the Computer Assisted Design/Computer Assisted Manufacturing CAD/CAM plate for mandibular reconstruction in patients who are ineligible for the insertion of reconstructing the titanium plate supported by fibular free flap, due to their poor health status, or in the presence of specific contraindications to autologous bone flap harvest. Materials and methods: The retrospective study performed analyzed the results of nine patients. The patients were treated at the Maxillofacial Surgery Unit of Policlinico S. Orsola of Bologna, Italy, and Policlinico San Marco, Catania, Italy, from April 2016 to June 2021. Superimposition between planning and post operative Computed Tomography CT scan was performed to assess the accuracy. Results: All reconstructive procedures were carried out successfully. No microsurgery‐related complications occurred. In two cases, we had plate misplacement, and in one case, plate exposure that led to plate removal. The average accuracy of the series assessed after CT superimposition, as previously described, was 0.95 mm. Conclusions: Considering that microvascular bone transfer is a high‐risk procedure in BRONJ patients, we can conclude that the positioning of a customized bridging mandibular prosthesis (CBMP), whether or not it is associated with a microvascular soft tissue transfer, is a safe technique in terms of surgical outcome and feasibility

Craniofacial osteomas: From diagnosis to therapy

An osteoma is a benign bone lesion with no clear pathogenesis, almost exclusive to the craniofacial area. Osteomas show very slow continuous growth, even in adulthood, unlike other bony lesions. Since these lesions are frequently asymptomatic, the diagnosis is usually made by plain radiography or by a computed tomography (CT) scan performed for other reasons. Rarely, the extensive growth could determine aesthetic or functional problems that vary according to different locations. Radiographically, osteomas appear as radiopaque lesions similar to bone cortex, and may determine bone expansion. Cone beam CT is the optimal imaging modality for assessing the relationship between osteomas and adjacent structures, and for surgical planning. The differential diagnosis includes several inflammatory and tumoral pathologies, but the typical craniofacial location may aid in the diagnosis. Due to the benign nature of osteomas, surgical treatment is limited to symptomatic lesions. Radical surgical resection is the gold standard therapy; it is based on a minimally invasive surgical approach with the aim of achieving an optimal cosmetic result. Reconstructive surgery for an osteoma is quite infrequent and reserved for patients with large central osteomas, such as big mandibular or maxillary lesions. In this regard, computer-assisted surgery guarantees better outcomes, providing the possibility of preoperative simulation of demolitive and reconstructive surgery

Simulation of nitrous oxide emissions at field scale using the SPACSYS model

AbstractNitrous oxide emitted to the atmosphere via the soil processes of nitrification and denitrification plays an important role in the greenhouse gas balance of the atmosphere and is involved in the destruction of stratospheric ozone. These processes are controlled by biological, physical and chemical factors such as growth and activity of microbes, nitrogen availability, soil temperature and water availability. A comprehensive understanding of these processes embodied in an appropriate model can help develop agricultural mitigation strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and help with estimating emissions at landscape and regional scales. A detailed module to describe the denitrification and nitrification processes and nitrogenous gas emissions was incorporated into the SPACSYS model to replace an earlier module that used a simplified first-order equation to estimate denitrification and was unable to distinguish the emissions of individual nitrogenous gases. A dataset derived from a Scottish grassland experiment in silage production was used to validate soil moisture in the top 10cm soil, cut biomass, nitrogen offtake and N2O emissions. The comparison between the simulated and observed data suggested that the new module can provide a good representation of these processes and improve prediction of N2O emissions. The model provides an opportunity to estimate gaseous N emissions under a wide range of management scenarios in agriculture, and synthesises our understanding of the interaction and regulation of the processes

Quantification of the Leydig cell compartment in testicular biopsies and association with biochemical Leydig cell dysfunction in testicular cancer survivor

A simple histological method to evaluate the Leydig cell compartment is lacking. We aimed to establish such a method and to investigate if Leydig cell hyperplasia of the biopsy contralateral to the tumour-bearing testicle in patients with testicular germ cell cancer is associated with biochemical signs of Leydig cell dysfunction after long-term follow-up. A case group of 50 long-term testicular germ cell cancer survivors without human chorionic gonadotropin elevation, 10 testicular germ cell cancer patients with elevated human chorionic gonadotropin and 10 controls without testicular malignancy were included. For each subject, 2-4 representative sections from their testicular biopsies were selected for analysis. Using the image processing program ImageJ (V.1.48, NIH), an area with a minimum of 50 tubules was selected and delineated (total selected area) and the total Leydig cell area was calculated by adding up every delineated Leydig cell group within the total selected area. Four different methods were tested for the ability to quantify the Leydig cell compartment. In the 50 testicular germ cell cancer survivors, associations between the area of the Leydig cell compartment and serum levels of testosterone and luteinising hormone were investigated using linear regression analysis. The Leydig cell compartment was best quantified by the total Leydig cell area/total selected area index, which was significantly larger in the human chorionic gonadotropin-positive patients than in controls (P = 0.00001). In the 50 human chorionic gonadotropin-negative testicular germ cell cancer survivors, increasing total Leydig cell area/total selected area was significantly associated with decreased levels of total testosterone and decreased total testosterone/luteinising hormone ratio after a median of 9-year follow-up. In conclusion, a new simple method, total Leydig cell area/total selected area, was established to estimate the Leydig cell compartment in testicular biopsies. The index identified Leydig cell hyperplasia in the contralateral biopsy in patients with testicular germ cell cancer, and it was associated with long-term biochemical Leydig cell dysfunction. Although in testicular germ cell cancer survivors, the clinical value is limited because the contralateral biopsies are not commonly available, we propose a closer andrological follow-up in any patient with an increased total Leydig cell area/total selected area index