Stochastic Order and Generalized Weighted Mean Invariance.

In this paper, we present order invariance theoretical results for weighted quasi-arithmetic means of a monotonic series of numbers. The quasi-arithmetic mean, or Kolmogorov-Nagumo mean, generalizes the classical mean and appears in many disciplines, from information theory to physics, from economics to traffic flow. Stochastic orders are defined on weights (or equivalently, discrete probability distributions).

Unusual presentation of Q fever in a kidney-pancreas transplant recipient.

Q fever is uncommon in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients. We describe a case of granulomatous lung disease as an unusual presentation of chronic Q fever in a kidney-pancreas transplant recipient.

Some Order Preserving Inequalities for Cross Entropy and Kullback-Leibler Divergence.

Cross entropy and Kullback-Leibler (K-L) divergence are fundamental quantities of information theory, and they are widely used in many fields. Since cross entropy is the negated logarithm of likelihood, minimizing cross entropy is equivalent to maximizing likelihood, and thus, cross entropy is applied for optimization in machine learning. K-L divergence also stands independently as a commonly used metric for measuring the difference between two distributions.

Green Synthesis of Ag Nanoparticles Using Grape Stalk Waste Extract for the Modification of Screen-Printed Electrodes.

The chemical synthesis of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) by using an environmentally friendly methodology for their preparation is presented. Thus, considering that plants possess components that can act as reducing agents and stabilizers in nanoparticles' production, the synthesis of Ag-NPs by using an extract aqueous solution of grape stalk waste as a reducing and capping agent is studied. First, the total polyphenols and reducing sugars contained in the produced extracts at different conditions are characterized.

[Antiurolithiasic effect of a plant mixture of Herniaria glabra, Agropyron repens, Equisetum arvense and Sambucus nigra (Herbensurina®) in the prevention of experimentally induced nephrolithiasis in rats].

Objective: To determine the effect of a botanical formulation of Herniaria glabra, Agropyron repens, Equisetum arvense, and Sambucus nigra as a preventive agent in an experimentally induced nefrolithiasis model in rats.

Methods: Six groups of six Wistar male rats each were induced for nefrolithiasis by treatment with 0.75% ethylene glycol (EG) and 1% ammonium chloride for three days and then EG only for 15 days.

New approach in modeling Cr(VI) sorption onto biomass from metal binary mixtures solutions.

In the last decades Cr(VI) sorption equilibrium and kinetic studies have been carried out using several types of biomasses. However there are few researchers that consider all the simultaneous processes that take place during Cr(VI) sorption (i.e.

Overestimation and Underestimation Biases in Photon Mapping with Non-Constant Kernels.

This paper presents an analysis of the overestimation bias in common used filtering kernels in the context of photon mapping density estimation. We use the joint distribution of order statistics to calculate the expected value of the estimators of irradiance, and show that the estimator provided by the cone filter is not consistent unless the slope is one (yielding the triangular kernel), and that the Epanechnikov and Silverman kernels are consistent. The Gaussian filter has two different estimation biases: the original normalization constant α underestimates radiance by 46.

Biosorbent encapsulation in calcium alginate: Effects of process variables on Cr(VI) removal from solutions.

Selected biosorbents, brewers draff and grape waste, have been encapsulated in calcium alginate beads and used for the removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions. The effects of encapsulation variables, including the type of waste, the percentage of waste in the beads and the curing time of the beads in CaCl2, on the diameters of the beads and Cr(VI) sorption kinetics have been evaluated. In total, 21 different types of beads were produced.

Occipital cortex activation by long-term repetitive tactile stimulation is necessary for object recognition in blinds: a case report.

Tactile vision has been approached from a variety of angles using different techniques. So far, a certain kind of object (and text) recognition has been shown, though seeing as such has not been achieved yet, and it remains unclear. Trough repetitive passive tactile stimulation perceptual processing is transferred from temporo-parietal to occipital areas, which affects object recognition.

Toxicity of metal-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid solution as a function of chemical speciation: an approach for toxicity assessment.

The influence of complexation by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) on the toxicity of Cd(II), Cu(II), Cd(II), and Ni(II) was investigated. Result of the Microtox test, which is based on measuring the decrease of light emitted by Vibrio fischeri bacterium when exposed to a toxicant, was used as an indication of toxicity. The effect of pH and EDTA molar ratio that might potentially modify the percentage of chemical species in solution on toxicity was evaluated.

Recruitment of occipital cortex during sensory substitution training linked to subjective experience of seeing in people with blindness.

Over three months of intensive training with a tactile stimulation device, 18 blind and 10 blindfolded seeing subjects improved in their ability to identify geometric figures by touch. Seven blind subjects spontaneously reported 'visual qualia', the subjective sensation of seeing flashes of light congruent with tactile stimuli. In the latter subjects tactile stimulation evoked activation of occipital cortex on electroencephalography (EEG).

Increased eutrophication and nutrient imbalances in the agricultural soil of NE Catalonia, Spain.

The soil C, N, P and K content of agricultural soil were measured over the last 4 decades in NE Catalonia (NE Spain). Plant-available P and K increased by ca 109 and 105% respectively and total N decreased by 30%. The increases in plant-available P content are in accordance with the increasingly used pig slurry being very rich in P, and with P tendency to be retained in soils, since it is less mobile than N.

A model to describe Cr(VI) kinetics biosorption.

In this work, the effect of pH control on kinetics of Cr(VI) sorption onto grape stalks has been studied. A set of experiments were performed at a constant pH 3+/-0.1 which was assured by means of a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC).

Modeling of kinetics of Cr(VI) sorption onto grape stalk waste in a stirred batch reactor.

Recently, Cr(VI) removal by grape stalks has been postulated to follow two mechanisms, adsorption and reduction to trivalent chromium. Nevertheless, the rate at which both processes take place and the possible simultaneity of both processes has not been investigated. In this work, kinetics of Cr(VI) sorption onto grape stalk waste has been studied.

Impact of auditory stimulation at a frequency of 5 Hz in verbal memory.

Introduction: The objective of this study was to establish whether stimulation at 5 Hz enables immediate words recall.

Method: A total of 20 participants received auditory stimulation at 5 Hz-theta, beta-13 Hz frequencies, white noise (WN) and words.

Results: The results indicate significant differences in the number of recalled words per day depending on the stimulation frequencies.

[Assessment of the immigrant child].

In the last twenty years Spain has turned into one of the principal countries recipients of foreign population. As consequence of this massive entry of people, our country is among the first ones of Europe for interannual increase of population. The concept of immigrant child is very wide and includes minors of very diverse characteristics, as the proceeding from international adoptions, the children coming from developing countries or those that come from other developed countries.

Removal of lead(II) and cadmium(II) from aqueous solutions using grape stalk waste.

The sorption of lead and cadmium from aqueous solutions by grape stalk waste (a by-product of wine production) was investigated. The effects of the contact time, pH of the solution, ionic medium, initial metal concentration, other metal ions present and ligands were studied in batch experiments at 20 degrees C. Maximum sorption for both metals was found to occur at an initial pH of around 5.

Complicated acute pediatric bacterial sinusitis: Imaging updated approach.

Acute bacterial sinusitis is usually a clinical diagnosis. Orbital complications require emergent evaluation with computed tomography. Using the orbital septum as an anatomic landmark, such infections can be classified as pre- or postseptal and treated with the most adequate therapy, ie, oral or intravenous antibiotics or surgical endonasal drainage.

Removal of copper and nickel ions from aqueous solutions by grape stalks wastes.

In the present work, the usefulness of grape stalks wastes generated in the wine production process has been investigated for the removal of copper and nickel ions from aqueous solutions. The sorption process was relatively fast and equilibrium was reached after about 60 min of contact. The influence of pH, sodium chloride and metal concentration on metal removal has been studied.

3p21, 5q21, 9p21 and 17p13 allelic deletions accumulate in the dysplastic spectrum of laryngeal carcinogenesis and precede malignant transformation.

A tissue field of somatic genetic alterations precede the histopathological phenotypic changes of carcinoma. Loss of Heterozygosity (LOH) at the sites of known or putative tumor suppressor genes is a common genetic abnormality detected in precancerous conditions. These genomic changes could be of potential use in the diagnosis and prognosis of pre-malignant laryngeal lesions.

Functionally active duplications of the CYP2D6 gene are more prevalent among larynx and lung cancer patients.

The cytochrome P450 CYP2D6 is a polymorphic drug-metabolizing enzyme that is involved in the metabolism of several drugs and xenobiotics. Several independent studies indicate that the CYP2D6 metabolic status is a secondary factor in the risk of developing lung cancer, with individuals with high activity being at increased risk. The occurrence of functionally active duplications of the CYP2D6 gene is a phenomenon that affects 3-8% of Caucasians and up to 30% in some ethnic groups.

Age effects on long-term neuropsychological outcome in paediatric traumatic brain injury.

In order to investigate the relationship between age at injury and long-term neuropsychological impairment, 29 children and adolescents who sustained traumatic brain injury (TBI) were studied at least 6 years post-trauma. Tests of intellectual, memory, visuospatial and frontal lobe functions were administered to patients and 29 normal matched control subjects. Correlations between performance on neuropsychological tests and age showed the following direction: the younger the child when TBI was sustained, the worse the cognitive outcome.

Improving survival of medulloblastoma: results in two groups of patients.

This retrospective study compares the results obtained in 56 children with medulloblastoma treated with two different protocols at our center between 1975 and 1990. Since 1985 we have been enrolled in the medulloblastoma SIOP II protocol in which we have entered 27 patients. These patients from the SIOP group (SG) and the 29 children treated before 1985, the historical group (HG).