A Backward Particle Interpretation of Feynman-Kac Formulae

We design a particle interpretation of Feynman-Kac measures on path spaces based on a backward Markovian representation combined with a traditional mean field particle interpretation of the flow of their final time marginals. In contrast to traditional genealogical tree based models, these new particle algorithms can be used to compute normalized additive functionals "on-the-fly" as well as their limiting occupation measures with a given precision degree that does not depend on the final time horizon. We provide uniform convergence results w.r.t. the time horizon parameter as well as functional central limit theorems and exponential concentration estimates. We also illustrate these results in the context of computational physics and imaginary time Schroedinger type partial differential equations, with a special interest in the numerical approximation of the invariant measure associated to $h$-processes

Large Intra-Articular Anterior Cruciate Ligament Ganglion Cyst, Presenting with Inability to Flex the Knee

A 41-year-old female presented with a 3-month history of gradually worsening anterior knee pain, swelling and inability to flex the knee. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a large intra-articular cystic swelling anterior to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), extending into the Hoffa's infrapatellar fat pad. Following manipulation under anaesthesia and arthroscopic debridement of the cyst, the patient's symptoms were relieved with restoration of normal knee motion. ACL ganglion cysts are uncommon intra-articular pathological entities, which are usually asymptomatic and diagnosed incidentally by MRI. This is the first reported case of an ACL cyst being so large as to cause a mechanical block to knee flexion

The transfer and fate of Pb from sewage sludge amended soil in a multi-trophic food chain: a comparison with the labile elements Cd and Zn

The contamination of agroecosystems due to the presence of trace elements in commonly used agricultural materials is a serious issue. The most contaminated material is usually sewage sludge, and the sustainable use of this material within agriculture is a major concern. This study addresses a key issue in this respect, the fate of trace metals applied to soil in food chains. The work particularly addresses the transfer of Pb, which is an understudied element in this respect, and compares the transfer of Pb with two of the most labile metals, Cd and Zn. The transfer of these elements was determined from sludge-amended soils in a food chain consisting of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea), the mustard aphid (Lipaphis erysimi) and a predatory beetle (Coccinella septempunctata). The soil was amended with sludge at rates of 0, 5, 10 and 20 % (w/w). Results showed that Cd was readily transferred through the food chain until the predator trophic level. Zn was the most readily transferred element in the lower trophic levels, but transfer to aphids was effectively restricted by the plant regulating shoot concentration. Pb had the lowest level of transfer from soil to shoot and exhibited particular retention in the roots. Nevertheless, Pb concentrations were significantly increased by sludge amendment in aphids, and Pb was increasingly transferred to ladybirds as levels increased. The potential for Pb to cause secondary toxicity to organisms in higher trophic levels may have therefore been underestimated

Accretion, Primordial Black Holes and Standard Cosmology

Primordial Black Holes evaporate due to Hawking radiation. We find that the evaporation time of primordial black holes increase when accretion of radiation is included.Thus depending on accretion efficiency more and more number of primordial black holes are existing today, which strengthens the idea that the primordial black holes are the proper candidate for dark matter.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figure

Source of Previous Treatment for Re-Treatment TB Cases Registered under the National TB Control Programme, India, 2010

BACKGROUND: In 2009, nearly half (289,756) of global re-treatment TB notifications are from India; no nationally-representative data on the source of previous treatment was available to inform strategies for improvement of initial TB treatment outcome. OBJECTIVES: To assess the source of previous treatment for re-treatment TB patients registered under India's Revised National TB control Programme (RNTCP). METHODOLOGY: A nationally-representative cross sectional study was conducted in a sample of 36 randomly-selected districts. All consecutively registered retreatment TB patients during a defined 15-day period in these 36 districts were contacted and the information on the source of previous treatment sought. RESULTS: Data was collected from all 1712 retreatment TB patients registered in the identified districts during the study period. The data includes information on 595 'relapse' cases, 105 'failure' cases, 437 'treatment after default (TAD)' cases and 575 're-treatment others' cases. The source of most recent previous anti-tuberculosis therapy for 754 [44% (95% CI, 38.2%-49.9%)] of the re-treatment TB patients was from providers outside the TB control programme. A higher proportion of patients registered as TAD (64%) and 'retreatment others' (59%) were likely to be treated outside the National Programme, when compared to the proportion among 'relapse' (22%) or 'failure' (6%). Extrapolated to national registration, of the 292,972 re-treatment registrations in 2010, 128,907 patients would have been most recently treated outside the national programme. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly half of the re-treatment cases registered with the national programme were most recently treated outside the programme setting. Enhanced efforts towards extending treatment support and supervision to patients treated by private sector treatment providers are urgently required to improve the quality of treatment and reduce the numbers of patients with recurrent disease. In addition, reasons for the large number of recurrent TB cases from those already treated by the national programme require urgent detailed investigation

Blood eosinophils and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease Science Committee 2022 review.

This is the final version. Available from the American Thoracic Society via the DOI in this record. The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) published its first report for the diagnosis and management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in 2001 (1). Since then, GOLD has updated it yearly (2), the last time in 2022 (www.goldcopd.org). To do so, GOLD critically evaluates the new evidence since the previous publication and decides whether it merits (or not) inclusion in the most recent update. GOLD publishes specific recommendations and, sometimes, the main arguments behind them, but it often lacks space for a detailed discussion regarding the pros and cons behind each recommendation. To address this limitation, the Scientific Committee of GOLD decided to publish, separately from the main annual update, a series of papers that review and discuss topics of particular current interest for clinical practice. The GOLD 2019 report recommended using blood eosinophil counts (BEC) as part of a precision medicine strategy to identify the most suitable patients for inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) treatment (3). Recent publications have provided further evidence and insights concerning BEC in COPD. Here, we discuss the role of BEC as a COPD biomarker, focusing on new advances and summarizing the associated changes in the GOLD 2022 report (shown in Table 1)

Hsp21potentiates antifungal drug tolerance in Candida albicans

Peer reviewedPublisher PD