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Background and Aims Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cutaneous fistula is a rare complication that can occur after a neuraxial anaesthesia technique. It can cause serious complications such as incapacitating headaches, cranial nerve symptoms, central nervous system infection and intracranial subdural hematoma.1 Methods Description of a case report in the section below. Results Case report: A healthy pregnant woman was subjected to a c-section after an uneventful combined spinal-epidural neuraxial block. On the second postoperative day, upon the removal of the epidural catheter, a fluid leakage was noticed emerging from the puncture site. The fluid was crystalline and had a measured glucose level of 83 mg/dL. The patient was completely asymptomatic. Following neurosurgery consultation, the leak site was sutured at the skin level after 24h of persistent leakage. The patient was discharged home the next day completely asymptomatic. She had the suture removed 3 days later, without any recurrence of the leakage. She didn´t report any symptoms during a two-month follow-up. Conclusions This report presents another case of a CSF fistula after a neuraxial block and highlights the success of a conservative approach that avoided not only a blood patch, but also a surgical procedure, in an asymptomatic young woman.

Post-transplantation lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is a heterogeneous group of conditions that complicate organ transplantation and are due to immunosuppression. Central nervous system (CNS)-PTLD is rare but its incidence is increasing. It often occurs late and is associated with kidney transplantation and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. Outcomes are poor. We present the case of a 77-year-old white male who received a cadaveric kidney transplant in 2003. Maintenance immunosuppression consisted of mycofenolate mofetil (MMF), cyclosporine, and prednisolone. In 2017, while admitted for other cause, he presented with de novo epileptic seizures. Because the patient had a pacemaker, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could not be performed. The final diagnosis of CNS-PTLD was known through brain biopsy, after a suitable image was obtained with contrasted brain computed tomography (CT). EBV was positive in brain biopsy, cefalospinal fluid, and blood. Treatment was attempted with reduction of immunosuppression. Cyclosporine was switched to sirolimus. The patient died before administration of rituximab. The patient's performance status was poor. There must be awareness for neurological symptoms after kidney transplantation to timely diagnose CNS-PTLD. Contrasted brain CT may be useful to obtain a biopsy specimen in cases where MRI is impossible to use.

Strongyloides stercoralis (SS) can cause hyperinfection and disseminated infection in immunosuppressed individuals, with risk of mortality. We report the case of a cadaveric kidney transplant recipient who developed gastrointestinal symptoms and eosinophilia, approximately 3 months after transplantation. Stool examination and esophagogastroduodenoscopy with biopsies were positive for SS larvae. The patient was started on oral ivermectin and immunosuppression was reduced, but still the clinical picture got worse with metabolic ileus and respiratory symptoms, with the need for administration of subcutaneous ivermectin and combined therapy with albendazol. The patient survived and graft function was preserved. The patient was unlikely to be the source of infection. We also present a review of cases of SS infection in kidney transplant recipients.

Purpose: To investigate age-related differences in outcomes of critically ill patients with sepsis around the world. Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of data from the prospective ICON audit, in which all adult ( >16 years ) patients admitted to participating ICUs between May 8 and 18, 2012, were included, except admissions for routine postoperative observation. For this sub-analysis, the 10,012 patients with completed age data were included. They were divided into five age groups - 80 years. Sepsis was defined as infection plus at least one organ failure. Results: A total of 2963 patients had sepsis, with similar proportions across the age groups (80 = 30.9%). Hospital mortality increased with age and in patients >80 years was almost twice that of patients 70 years was independently associated with increased risk of dying. Conclusions: The odds for death in ICU patients with sepsis increased with age with the maximal rate of increase occurring between the ages of 71 and 77 years. (C) 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Our study suggests the possibility for transformational change in the productivity and risk profile of some of India's rainfed cropping systems. In the semi-arid regions of Southern India, farmers traditionally crop sorghum or chickpea on Vertisols during the post-rainy season, keeping the fields fallow during the rainy season. This practice avoids land management problems, but limits the potential for crop intensification to increase systems productivity. A long-term (15 year) experiment at ICRISAT demonstrated that cropping during the rainy season is technically feasible, and that grain productivity of double cropped sorghum + chickpea (SCP–SCP) and mung bean + sorghum (MS–MS) sequential systems were higher than their conventional counterparts with rainy season fallow, i.e. fallow + post-rainy sorghum (FS–FS) and fallow + post-rainy chickpea (FS–FCP). Without N application, mean grain yield of post-rainy sorghum in the MS–MS system was significantly greater (2520 kg ha−1 per two-year rotation) than in the FS–FS system (1940 kg ha−1 per two-year rotation), with the added benefit of the mung bean grain yield (1000 kg ha−1 per two-year rotation) from the MS–MS system. In the SCP–SCP system the additional grain yield of rainy sorghum (3400 kg ha−1 per two-year rotation) ensured that the total productivity of this system was greater than all other systems. Double cropping MS–MS and SCP–SCP sequential systems had significantly higher crop N uptake compared to traditional fallow systems at all rates of applied nitrogen (N). The intensified MS–MS and SCP–SCP sequential systems without any N fertilizer applied recorded a much higher median gross profit of Rs. 20,600 (US $ 375) and Rs. 15,930 (US $ 290) ha−1 yr−1, respectively, compared to Rs. 1560 (US $ 28) ha−1 yr−1) with the FS–FS system. Applying 120 kg of N ha−1 considerably increased the profitability of all systems, lifting median gross profits of the sorghum + chickpea system over Rs. 60,000 (US $ 1091) ha−1 yr−1 and the conventional system to Rs. 20,570 (US $ 374) ha−1 yr−1. The gross profit margin analysis showed that nitrogen is a key input for improving productivity, particularly for the double cropping systems. However, traditional systems are unviable and risky without N application in the variable climates of the semi-arid tropics. Together, our results show that on Vertisols in semi-arid India, double cropping systems increase systems’ productivity, and are financially more profitability and less risky than traditional fallow post-rainy systems while further benefits can be achieved through fertilizer application.

Researchers find the proton conductivity of jelly found in the Ampullae of Lorenzini of sharks and skates to be unusually high., In 1678, Stefano Lorenzini first described a network of organs of unknown function in the torpedo ray—the ampullae of Lorenzini (AoL). An individual ampulla consists of a pore on the skin that is open to the environment, a canal containing a jelly and leading to an alveolus with a series of electrosensing cells. The role of the AoL remained a mystery for almost 300 years until research demonstrated that skates, sharks, and rays detect very weak electric fields produced by a potential prey. The AoL jelly likely contributes to this electrosensing function, yet the exact details of this contribution remain unclear. We measure the proton conductivity of the AoL jelly extracted from skates and sharks. The room-temperature proton conductivity of the AoL jelly is very high at 2 ± 1 mS/cm. This conductivity is only 40-fold lower than the current state-of-the-art proton-conducting polymer Nafion, and it is the highest reported for a biological material so far. We suggest that keratan sulfate, identified previously in the AoL jelly and confirmed here, may contribute to the high proton conductivity of the AoL jelly with its sulfate groups—acid groups and proton donors. We hope that the observed high proton conductivity of the AoL jelly may contribute to future studies of the AoL function.

Resumen Las lesiones viscerales (intestinales y ureterales) y vasculares durante la cirugia discal son infrecuentes por lo que, en ocasiones, se omiten en los protocolos de consentimiento informado. Sin embargo, estas lesiones son potencialmente muy graves y tienen un alto porcentaje de mortalidad. A pesar de su rareza, los anestesistas y cirujanos deben tenerlas en cuenta, ya que, en el caso de presentarse, un diagnostico precoz resulta de vital importancia. Normalmente, los pacientes que logran sobrevivir presentan una recuperacion completa sin secuelas de ningun tipo. Se presenta un caso clinico de una rotura de arteria y vena iliaca comun derechas producidas en el transcurso de una discectomia L4-L5 por via posterior, que requirieron dos intervenciones vasculares. En los meses siguientes la paciente presento como secuela una plexopatia lumbosacra que afecto a una extremidad y de la que se recupero parcialmente.

Soil, water and production systems constitute the most important natural resources of a watershed in the rainfed agro-ecosystem; and for sustainability of the production systems they need to be in harmony with the environment. To learn from the past research, a review is made of literature on the impact of natural resource management practices on soil and water quality in the semi-arid tropical regions of India. The results from long-term on station field experiments show that an integrated use of soil and water conservation practices with balanced plant nutrition can not only sustain increased productivity but also maintain soil quality at the watershed or catchment level. Natural resource management practices that conserve soil and water also help to maintain surface and groundwater quality. The changes in soil and water quality, as impacted by natural resource management practices, need to be monitored and assessed on a continuing basis as the outcome of such research offers valuable opportunity for the implementation of corrective management practices, as and when needed.

In the framework of the Clear-PEM project for the construction of a high-resolution scanner for breast cancer imaging, a very compact and dense frontend electronics system has been developed for readout of multi-pixel S8550 Hamamatsu APDs. The frontend electronics are instrumented with a mixed-signal Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), which incorporates 192 low-noise charge pre-amplifiers, shapers, analog memory cells and digital control blocks. Pulses are continuously stored in memory cells at clock frequency. Channels above a common threshold voltage are readout for digitization by off-chip free-sampling ADCs. The ASIC has a size of 7.3 × 9.8 mm 2 and was implemented in a AMS 0.35 μ m CMOS technology. In this paper the experimental characterization of the Clear-PEM frontend ASIC, reading out multi-pixel APDs coupled to LYSO:Ce crystal matrices, is presented. The chips were mounted on a custom test board connected to six APD arrays and to the data acquisition system. Six 32-pixel LYSO:Ce crystal matrices coupled on both sides to APD arrays were readout by two test boards. All 384 channels were operational. The chip power consumption is 660 mW (3.4 mW per channel). A very stable behavior of the chip was observed, with an estimated ENC of 1200 – 1300 e - at APD gain 100. The inter-channel noise dispersion and mean baseline variation is less than 8% and 0.5%, respectively. The spread in the gain between different channels is found to be 1.5%. Energy resolution of 16.5% at 511 keV and 12.8% at 662 keV has been measured. Timing measurements between the two APDs that readout the same crystal is extracted and compared with detailed Monte Carlo simulations. At 511 keV the measured single photon time RMS resolution is 1.30 ns, in very good agreement with the expected value of 1.34 ns.

Soil sampling is an integral component of fertility evaluation and nutrient recommendation for efficient use of nutrients in crop production. Little attention has been devoted to evaluating methodology for sampling watersheds under dryland agriculture. A stratified random sampling methodology for sampling the Appayapally watershed in Mahabubnagar district of Andhra Pradesh state in the semi‐arid tropical region of India was adopted and evaluated. The watershed has an area of about 500 ha, with gentle sloping lands (

Experiments were conducted on-farm during two seasons (2003–2004) to determine the effects of sulfur (S), boron (B), and zinc (Zn) fertilization on the grain and straw quality of sorghum and maize grown under rainfed conditions in the semi-arid zone of India. The farmers' fields were deficient in S, B, and Zn; in addition the soils were low in organic matter and extractable phosphorus (P), but adequate in extractable potassium (K). Results showed that the applications of S, B, and Zn (SBZn) with nitrogen (N) and P (SBZn + NP) significantly increased the grain N, S, and Zn concentrations in maize and sorghum compared to farmer inputs (FI) and SBZn treatments; the results relative to P and B composition of the grain of the crops were not consistent and did not show any definite trend. The application of SBZn + NP over FI generally increased N, S, and Zn concentration in sorghum and maize straw compared to FI and SBZn treatments. The straw composition of the crops relative to P and B did not show a ...

On-farm studies were conducted during 2002–2004 to determine fertility status, including sulfur (S) and micronutrients, and crop response to fertilization on farmers' fields in the semi-arid zone of India. Nine hundred-twenty four soil samples taken from farmers' fields, spread in the three districts of Andhra Pradesh (India), were analyzed for soil chemical fertility parameters. Results showed that samples were low in organic carbon (C), total nitrogen (N), and low to moderate in extractable phosphorus (P), but adequate in available potassium (K). Analyses of soil samples for extractable S and micronutrients was most revealing and showed that 73–95% of the farmers' fields were deficient in S, 70–100% in boron (B), and 62–94% in zinc (Zn). On-farm trials conducted during three seasons (2002–2004) showed significant yield responses of maize, castor, groundnut, and mung bean to the applications of S, B, and Zn. The yield responses were larger when S, Zn, and B were applied along with N and P. Appli...

Inspired by nature, in particular by the marine mussels adhesive proteins (MAPs) and by the tough brick-and-mortar nacre-like structure, novel multilayered films are prepared in the present work. Organic-inorganic multilayered films, with an architecture similar to nacre based on bioactive glass nanoparticles (BG), chitosan and hyaluronic acid modified with catechol groups, which are the main responsible for the outstanding adhesion in MAPs, are developed for the first time. The biomimetic conjugate is prepared by carbodiimide chemistry and analyzed by ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry. The build-up of the multilayered films is monitored with a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring and their topography is characterized by atomic force microscopy. The mechanical properties reveal that the films containing catechol groups and BG present an enhanced adhesion. Moreover, the bioactivity of the films upon immersion in a simulated body fluid solution for 7 days is evaluated by scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. It was found that the constructed films promote the formation of bone-like apatite in vitro. Such multifunctional mussel inspired LbL films, which combine enhanced adhesion and bioactivity, could be potentially used as coatings of a variety of implants for orthopedic applications., The authors want to acknowledge the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and the European program FEDER/COMPETE for the financial support through project BioSeaGlue: EXPL/CTM-BIO/0646/2013 (FCOMP-01-0124- FEDER-041105).

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) have been precisely aligned and positioned in device architectures using ac dielectrophoresis by patterning floating metal posts or strips within the electrode gaps. These structures perturb the electric field, causing local enhancements in the field intensity, as seen in simulation, that guide the nanotubes along a predictable path in given directions, in zigzag patterns, or as single or a sequence of tubes along a series of posts. This method enables the assembly of SWNTs in complex multi-electrode geometries, when specifying the electrode voltages is not sufficient to direct the desired assembly. The device characteristics of the dielectrophoretically-aligned SWNTs are discussed.

The Clear-PEM detector system is a compact positron emission mammography scanner with about 12000 channels aiming at high sensitivity and good spatial resolution. Front-end, Trigger, and Data Acquisition electronics are crucial components of this system. The on-detector front-end is implemented as a data-driven synchronous system that identifies and selects the analog signals whose energy is above a predefined threshold. The off-detector trigger logic uses digitized front-end data streams to compute pulse amplitudes and timing. Based on this information it generates a coincidence trigger signal that is used to initiate the conditioning and transfer of the relevant data to the data acquisition computer. To minimize dead-time, the data acquisition electronics makes extensive use of pipeline processing structures and derandomizer memories with multievent capacity. The system operates at 100-MHz clock frequency, and is capable of sustaining a data acquisition rate of 1 million events per second with an efficiency above 95%, at a total single photon background rate of 10 MHz. The basic component of the front-end system is a low-noise amplifier-multiplexer chip presently under development. The off-detector system is designed around a dual-bus crate backplane for fast intercommunication between the system boards. The trigger and data acquisition logic is implemented in large FPGAs with 4 million gates. Monte Carlo simulation results evaluating the trigger performance, as well as results of hardware simulations are presented, showing the correctness of the design and the implementation approach

The clear-PEM detector is a positron emission mammography scanner based on high-granularity avalanche photodiodes readout with 12 288 channels. The front-end sub-system is instrumented with low-noise 192:2 channel amplifier-multiplexer ASICs and free-running sampling ADCs. The off-detector trigger, implemented in a FPGA based architecture, computes the pulses amplitude and timing required for coincidence validation from the front-end data streams. A high-level C++ simulation tool was developed for data acquisition performance analysis and validated at bit level against FPGA VHDL testbenches. In this work, simulation studies concerning the performance of the on-line/off-line energy and time extraction algorithms and the foreseen detector energy and time resolution are presented. Time calibration, trigger efficiency and ghosting are also discussed

The main aspects of the design and test (D&T) of a reconfigurable architecture for the Data Acquisition Electronics (DAE) system of the Clear-PEM detector are presented in this paper. The application focuses medical imaging using a compact PEM (Positron Emission Mammography) detector with 12288 channels, targeting high sensitivity and spatial resolution. The DAE system processes data frames that come from a front-end (FE) electronics, identifies the relevant data and transfers it to a PC for image processing. The design is supported in a novel D&T methodology, in which hierarchy, modularity and parallelism are extensively exploited to improve design and testability features. Parameterization has also been used to improve design flexibility. Nominal frequency is 100 MHz. The DAE must respond to a data acquisition rate of 1 million relevant events (coincidences) per second, under a total single photon background rate in the detector of 10 MHz. Trigger and data acquisition logic is implemented in eight 4-million, one 2-million and one 1-million gate FPGAs (Xilinx Virtex II). Functional Built-In Self Test (BIST) and Debug features are incorporated in the design to allow on-board FPGA testing and self-testing during product lifetime.

The design and evaluation of the imaging system Clear-PEM for positron emission mammography, under development by the PEM Consortium within the framework of the Crystal Clear Collaboration at CERN, is presented. The proposed apparatus is based on fast, segmented, high atomic number radiation sensors with depth-of-interaction measurement capabilities, and state-of-the-art data acquisition techniques. The camera consists of two compact and planar detector heads with dimensions 16.5/spl times/14.5 cm/sup 2/ for breast and axilla imaging. Low-noise integrated electronics provide signal amplification and analog multiplexing based on a new data-driven architecture. The coincidence trigger and data acquisition architecture makes extensive use of pipeline processing structures and multi-event memories for high efficiency up to a data acquisition rate of one million events/s. Experimental validation of the detection techniques, namely the basic properties of the radiation sensors and the ability to measure the depth-of-interaction of the incoming photons, are presented. System performance in terms of detection sensitivity, count-rates and reconstructed image spatial resolution were also evaluated by means of a detailed Monte Carlo simulation and an iterative image reconstruction algorithm.

On-farm experiments to study soil fertility depletion—one of the biophysical factors limiting crop production—were conducted in six villages of central Myanmar during 1997 to 1999. Systematic socioeconomic surveys and analysis of socioeconomic and crop production factors aided the selection of farmers. Topsoil mineral nitrogen content at the start of the cropping season was high (10–25 mg N kg−1). Available phosphorous was around the threshold level for most crops, but exchangeable potassium was low. The predominant continuous cropping system of sole groundnut was on average positive for P (0.24 kg ha−1 y−1) and K (7.05 kg ha−1 y−1) and negative for N (−32.4 kg ha−1 y−1). A negative balance for N in the groundnut/pigeonpea (−58 kg ha−1 y−1) and mung bean/pigeonpea (−56 kg ha−1 y−1) intercropping systems was noted. The nutrient balances were positive in early sesame—late sesame (29 kg N ha−1 y−1, 8 kg P ha−1 y−1, 33 kg K ha−1 y−1) and early sesame/pigeonpea (8 kg N ha−1 y−1, 15 kg P h−1 y−1, 44 kg K ha−1 y...

In southern and central India, farmers crop Vertisols only in the post-rainy season, to avoid land management problems in the rainy season. In 1983 ICRISAT established a long-term trial seeking to intensify cropping. The trial included intercrops, sequential crops and appropriate Vertisol management technology to allow consecutive rainy-season and post-rainy season crops to be grown. Benefits provided by legumes to succeeding rainy-season sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) were analysed in relation to a non-legume system of sorghum + safflower (Carthamus tinctorius). Rainy-season sorghum grain yield production was sustained at about 2.7 t ha−1 over 12 years within a continuous sorghum–pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) intercrop system. With a cowpea–pigeonpea intercrop system, succeeding sorghum benefitted each year by about 40 kg N ha−1 (fertilizer nitrogen (N) equivalent). Without N fertilizer application the sorghum grain yield was around 3.3 t ha−1. Legume benefits were less marked in the chickpea (Cicer arietinum)-based rotation than in the pigeonpea system, in which a 12-year build up of soil total N (about 125 μg g−1) was observed. Although sorghum benefitted from this system, pigeonpea yields declined over time due to soil-borne fungi and nematodes. Wider rotations of crops with pigeonpea may help to overcome these problems, while sustaining sorghum production.

During rainless weather following a monsoon, sorghum (Sorghum bicolor cv. SPH–280) was grown on a Vertisol either unirrigated throughout growth or irrigated for 7 weeks after emergence and rainfed thereafter. Before sowing, ammonium sulphate was applied at six rates from 0 to 150 kg/ha N. Roots were sampled every 2 weeks to determine biomass and root length density as a function of depth. Every week, soil water content in all treatments was measured gravimetrically to a depth of 0·23 m and with a neutron probe from 0·3 to 1·5 m.Below 0·45 m, volumetric water content was a negative exponential function of time after roots arrived and the maximum depth of extraction moved downwards at 2–5 cm per day. In the dry treatment, the extraction ‘front’ lagged behind the deepest roots by c. 12 days initially but the two fronts eventually converged. Irrigation delayed the descent of the extraction front by c. 20 days but thereafter it appeared to descend faster than without irrigation. Averaged over N rates, the time constant of the exponential function was inversely related to the root length density, lv, decreasing with depth from about 20 to 10 days as lv increased from 2·5 to 4·0 km/m3.The biomass[ratio ]water ratio was almost independent of N but increased from a mean of 5·3 g dry matter per kg water in the dry treatments to 6·9 g/kg with irrigation. When normalized by the seasonal mean difference in vapour pressure deficit within irrigated and unirrigated plots, the ratios were 13·1 and 13·3 kPa g per kg water, respectively.

In parts of peninsular India, sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) is grown during the dry season using water stored in the root zone. The optimum application of nitrogen is difficult to assess because no comprehensive model exists for the interaction of water and N. To explore this system as a basis for modelling in the first instance and ultimately for better management, sorghum (cv. SPH–280) was grown in the post-rainy season at ICRISAT (Andhra Pradesh, India) with and without irrigation and at six rates of nitrogen from zero to 150 kg/ha applied before sowing. The biomass of top components was measured weekly and of roots every 2 weeks. Interception of solar radiation was monitored continuously in all treatments.Leaf expansion was strongly influenced both by water and by N, whereas specific leaf area was almost independent of treatment. In the irrigated treatment, the Biomass Radiation Coefficient (e) for the main growth period was almost independent of N application at 1·3–1·4 g/MJ and was also independent of leaf N. In consequence, the main source of differences in yield was a decrease in radiation interception with decreasing N. In contrast, without irrigation, biomass, yield, e and leaf N were all maximal at 60 kg/ha N.At 33 days after emergence (DAE), root mass was almost independent of N whether water had been applied or not, but was somewhat smaller with irrigation. Later, root, leaf, and panicle mass all responded to N and to water, but stem mass was unresponsive to N with irrigation. There was evidence of translocation from stem to grain in most treatments. With irrigation, a maximum grain yield of 4·8 t/ha was obtained at 150 kg/ha N and without irrigation the maximum was 3·2 t/ha at 90 kg/ha.

High temperatures and evaporation in summer (April-June) and erratic rainfall in the wet season (July-September) are common features of the harsh environment of Indian semiarid tropics (SAT). The rainfall of this region often occurs in large storms punctuated by discrete dry spells. During excessive rainy periods there is a strong possibility that a large part of the resident soil-N, especially NO - [over] 3, NO - [over] 2 etc., may move beyond the root zone with the excess water percolating down the soil profile. To understand the N losses through leaching in a deep Vertisol (depth > 150 cm) of the Indian SAT, a field experiment was conducted during the "wet" season (June-September) of 1992 under rainfed conditions, using bromide (Br-) as a tracer for NO - [over] 3. Bromide (as NaBr) at 200 kg ha-1 was applied onto the surface of a bare fallow soil, in microplots (200 x 200 cm2), on June 15, and its vertical movement to 100 cm was monitored weekly. Results showed that Br- distribution was influenced strongly by rainfall. After 1 week (June 15-22), with a rainfall of 64 mm, Br- was found to a depth of 60 cm, and whereas most (40%) was in the top layer (0-10 cm), a total of 90% of applied Br- was recovered to a depth of 60 cm. With large storms occurring in early July (e.g., 68 mm on July 2), Br- was moved further down the profile and accumulated largely in the 30 to 40-cm layer. In early August, because of continuous heavy rainfall, almost all Br- had migrated beyond 50 cm depth. Approximately 40% was not found within the profile (0-100 cm) on September 11. In dry spells during late August and early September, upward movement of 10 to 20% of Br- was also noticed at 60 to 100 cm depth. Thus, the results demonstrate that early August may be a critical period for maximum NO - [over] 3 leaching in this soil and emphasize the need of advance strategies to reduce these effects in view of increasing need for N use efficiency and reduction of ground water contamination

The N loss from Vertisols was estimated by measuring the loss of 15N-labelled urea N under conditions that promote NH3 volatilization. Urea granules were placed on the top of 150-mm deep soil columns (Vertisols) collected from three sites with a range in pH, electrical conductivity, and cation exchange capacity. There were two contrasting moisture treatments, one near field capacity (wet) and another with intermittent wetting of the soil surface before allowing the columns to dry (moist-dry). The results indicated that losses were influenced markedly by pH and moisture treatment, being 29.5, 33.5, and 33% from the wet soils and 37, 42, and 40.5% from the moistdry soils with pH values of 7.7, 8.2, and 9.3, respectively. These observations clearly indicate that broadcasting of urea on the surface of Vertisols may cause substantial N losses.

The quantity and patterns of net mineralization of soil nitrogen (N) were studied in Vertisols under different cropping systems in the semi-arid tropical areas. Eight cropping systems were selected; three contained pigeonpea (PP), one contained PP and cowpea (COP), and two contained chickpea (CP) as legume component crops, one included sequence cropping with nonlegumes during the rainy and postrainy seasons, and one system was kept fallow (F) during the rainy season and sown to sorghum (S) during the postrainy season. Cropping systems with PP as a component crop increased mineralizable N(No) content two-fold in the soil compared with fallow + sorghum (F+S)−F+S system. The N mineralization rate constant (k) was not significantly affected by previous cropping history of the soil; however, a numerically higher rate constant was observed in the COP/PP intercrop, followed by sequential S+safflower (SF) system as compared to the other soils. Mineral N accumulation curves for six soils were more accurately described by the exponential model than the linear model. The active N fraction (No/Ntot %) varied between 8 and 16% for different systems and a direct relationship was observed between No/Ntot and total N for the soils under diverse cropping systems.

Little attention has been devoted to calibrating the soil tests for P in the field for crops grown under rainfed conditions in different soil types. Field experiments were conducted during the 1990 rainy season (June-September) at the ICRISAT Center, Patancheru (near Hyderabad), India on nearby Vertisol and Alfisol sites having a range in extractable P, for establishing relationships between extractable P and sorghum yield.

The variable responses of crops to added nitrogen (N) in Alfisols of the Indian semi-arid tropics are partly due to variable rainfall and partly due to variable losses of available-N. To measure the losses of N through leaching, which can be appreciable under some circumstances, a field experiment was conducted during the rainy season (June-September) of 1992, using bromide (Br) as a tracer for NO3-. Bromide (as NaBr) was applied to bare fallow soil at a rate of 200 kg ha−1 in microplots (2 m × 2 m) and its vertical movement was monitored periodically. Data on rainfall and Br− distribution in the soil profile on different dates of soil sampling clearly indicated that the movement of Br− was strongly dependent on rainfall. During the first month (15 June-15 July) after Br− application, with scattered and light rainfall about 90% of the added Br− remained in the soil profile (0.6 m). After continuous heavy rainfall in early August more than 90% Br− had moved beyond 0.6 m depth. This indicates a very high risk of NO3- leaching in this soil, and it is unavoidable without special measures to protect the applied N.

The response of crops to added P in Vertisols is generally less predictable than in other soil types under similar agroclimatic conditions. Very few studies have considered the residual effects of P while studying responses to fresh P applications. Field experiments were conducted for three years to study the response of sorghum to fertilizer P applied at 0, 10, 20 and 40 kg P ha−1, and its residual value in a Vertisol, very low in extractable P (0.4 mg P kg−1 soil), at the ICRISAT Center, Patancheru (near Hyderbad), India. In order to compare the response to fresh and residual P directly in each season, a split-plot design was adopted. One crop of sorghum (cv CSH6) was grown each year during the rainy season (June-September). The phenology of the sorghum crop and its harvest index were greatly affected by P application. The days to 50% flowering and physiological maturity were significantly reduced by P application as well as by the residues of fertilizer P applied in the previous season. In the first year of the experiment, sorghum grain yield increased from 0.14 t (no P added) to 3.48 t ha−1 with P added at the rate of 40 kg P ha−1. Phosphorus applied in the previous year was 58% as effective as fresh P but P applied two years earlier was only 18% as effective as fresh P.

A field experiment was conducted to obtain the N balance sheet for sole crops and intercrops of sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] and pigeonpeas [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.]. Intercropping gave a significant advantage over sole cropping in terms of dry matter production and grain yield, as calculated on the basis of the land equivalent ratio and area-time equivalent ratio. The N fertilizer use efficiency and atmospheric N2 fixation by pigeonpea were estimated using 15N-labeling and natural abundance methods. The N fertilizer use efficiency of sorghum was unaltered by the cropping system, while that of the pigeonpea was greatly reduced by intercropping. Although intercropping increased the fractional contribution of fixed N to the pigeonpeas, no significant difference was observed between the cropping systems in total symbiotically fixed N. There was no evidence of a significant transfer of N from the pigeonpea to the sorghum. This study showed that use of soil N and fertilizer N by pigeonpeas was almost the same as that by sorghum in sole cropping, indicating the potential competence of pigeonpeas to exploit soil N. However, when N was exhausted by a companion crop in intercropping, the pigeonpea crop increased its dependency on atmospheric N2 fixation. We conclude that knowledge of how N from different sources is shared by companion crops is a prerequisite to establishing strategies to increase N use, and consequently land productivity, in intercropping systems.

Objective: The performance of a two-component compression system in daily practice was assessed in an outpatient clinic where patients with a wide variety of comorbidities and wound characteristics are treated. Methods: In the single-centred observational study, patients with venous leg ulcers (VLUs) on one or both legs were treated with a two-component compression system for up to 12 months or until the ulcer healed. The only exclusion criteria were an ABPI Results: In total, 136 patients with VLUs were included. Baseline median ulcer duration was 7.5 months and the baseline median size was 4.3cm2. The average reduction in total ulcer surface was 2.9 ± 5.5cm2 per month. Of the wounds, 90.4% healed after 12 months; the mean healing time was three months (Kaplan-Meier, CI 95%: 3–4). The baseline wound size had a significant influence on mean healing time (Cox proportional hazards model; p4.3cm2 healed within a mean of five months, while wounds 2 healed within a mean of two months (log rank test: pConclusion: Healing results were encouraging and suggest a good applicability in the daily practice of VLU therapy. Further studies will include systematic assessment of patient concordance. Declaration of interest: None.

The significance of double crop (intercrop and sequential crop), single crop (rainy season crop fallow from June to September), and rotations on densities of Heterodera cajani, Helicotylenchus retusus, and Rotylenchulus reniformis was studied on Vertisol (Typic Pellusterts) between 1987 and 1993. Cowpea (Vigna sinensis), mungbean (Phaseolus aureus), and pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) greatly increased the population densities of H. cajani and suppressed the population densities of other plant-parasitic nematodes. Mean population densities of H. cajani were about 8 times lower in single crop systems than in double crop systems, with pigeonpea as a component intercrop. Plots planted to sorghum, safflower, and chickpea in the preceding year contained fewer H. cajani eggs and juveniles than did plots previously planted to pigeonpea, cowpea, or mungbean. Continuous cropping of sorghum in the rainy season and safflower in the post-rainy season markedly reduced the population density of H. cajani. Sorghum, safflower, and chickpea favored increased population densities of H. retusus. Adding cowpea to the system resulted in a significant increase in the densities of R. reniformis. Mean densities of total plant-parasitic nematodes were three times greater in double crop systems, with pigeonpea as a component intercrop than in single crop systems with rainy season fallow component. Cropping systems had a regulatory effect on the nematode populations and could be an effective nematode management tactic. Intercropping of sorghum with H. cajani tolerant pigeonpea could be effective in increasing the productivity of traditional production systems in H. cajani infested regions.

Obtaining images with high resolution and contrast from short exams is crucial for the viability of Positron Emission Mammography as an early breast cancer detection technique. The Clear-PEM detector is a Positron Emission Mammography scanner, developed by the Portuguese Consortium in the framework of the Crystal Clear Collaboration at CERN, based on high-granularity avalanche photodiodes readout with 12288 channels, coupled to pixilated 2x2x20 mm3 LYSO:Ce crystals in a double readout configuration. The scanner features a high bandwidth three-level acquisition system with negligible dead time in order to minimize exam time. The frontend is instrumented with low-noise amplifier/discriminator/multiplexer ASICs (L0 trigger) and free-running ADCs while the off-ddetector electronics, implemented in FPGAs, computes the trigger primitives from the pulse amplitude and timing. With this information the readout electronics selects interesting photoelectric events and groups multi-hit events due to in-Compton scatter into possible coincidences. After a first-level trigger (L1) is generated, filtered data is read out over a high speed data link into a second-level (L2) software trigger which reprocesses the selected events in temporal coincidence with more accurate energy and time extraction algorithms. The DOI coordinate and the re-validated energy and time allow to achieve an improved reconstruction of in-detector Compton scattering and rejection of random and scattered coincidences. On this paper, we report on the experimental validation, characterization and optimization of the L1 data acquisition electronics, readout link and L2 software trigger and present performance results. We discuss the validation of the associated operation software.

Genetic variation in the interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF5) gene affects systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) susceptibility. However, association is complex and incompletely defined. We obtained fourteen European sample collections with a total of 1383 SLE patients and 1614 controls to better define the role of the different IRF5 variants. Eleven polymorphisms were studied, including nine tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and two extra functional polymorphisms. Two tag SNPs showed independent and opposed associations: susceptibility (rs10488631, P < 10(-17)) and protection (rs729302, P < 10(-6)). Haplotype analyses showed that the susceptibility haplotype, identified by the minor allele of rs10488631, can be due to epistasis between three IRF5 functional polymorphisms. These polymorphisms determine increased mRNA expression, a splice variant with a different exon 1 and a longer proline-rich region in exon 6. This result is striking as none of the three polymorphisms had an independent effect on their own. Protection was independent of these polymorphisms and seemed to reside in the 50 side of the gene. In conclusion, our results help to understand the role of the IRF5 locus in SLE susceptibility by clearly separating protection from susceptibility as caused by independent polymorphisms. In addition, we have found evidence for epistasis between known functional polymorphisms for the susceptibility effect.

The Clear-PEM scanner for positron emission mammography under development is described. The detector is based on pixelized LYSO crystals optically coupled to avalanche photodiodes and readout by a fast low-noise electronic system. A dedicated digital trigger (TGR) and data acquisition (DAQ) system is used for on-line selection of coincidence events with high efficiency, large bandwidth and small dead-time. A specialized gantry allows to perform exams of the breast and of the axilla. In this paper we present results of the measurement of detector modules that integrate the system under construction as well as the imaging performance estimated from Monte Carlo simulated data. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6TJM-4M942B5-D/1/e8aea93baa1aeae3538ea200a5a54665

El factor de transferencia (Hebertrans) constituye un inmunoestimulante que se emplea en una amplia gama de enfermedades. Su seguridad ha sido evaluada en los ensayos clínicos pre-registro, pero no así en investigaciones poscomercialización, por tal motivo se realizó un estudio observacional y multicéntrico de vigilancia activa, en pacientes tratados con factor de transferencia en 11 hospitales de la Ciudad de La Habana , para identificar los eventos presentados durante el tratamiento, así como clasificarlos según su causalidad y gravedad. La información fue recogida por el médico inmunólogo de cada hospital y supervisada por el farmacoepidemiólogo hospitalario. Durante el tratamiento se obtuvo información de 387 pacientes y se reportaron 133 eventos en 86 casos (22,2 %). Los más frecuentes fueron fiebre, dolor y eritema en el sitio de la inyección, cefalea y diarrea; el 92,5 % de los eventos observados fueron leves. El 27,8 % se clasificó como definitivamente provocados por el fármaco, estos últimos relacionados con la vía de administración. El factor de transferencia resultó un medicamento seguro en los pacientes observadosTransfer factor called Hebertrans is an immunostimulant used in a wide range of diseases. The safety of this drug has been assessed in several clinical assays prior to registration, but not in aftermarket research studies. Therefore, a multicenter observational study of active surveillance was carried out in patients treated with transfer factor in 11 hospitals located in the City of Havana to detect adverse events in the course of treatment, and then to classify them by cause and severity. Data was collected by the immunologist in each hospital and supervised by the pharmacological epidemiologist. During the treatment, information was gathered from 387 patients where 133 events were reported in 86 cases (22,2%). The most frequent were fever, pain, erythema at the site of injection, headache and diarrhea; 92,5% of events were slight. 27,8% of adverse events were definitively caused by the drug and mainly related to the route of administration. Transfer factor was a safe drug for the patients under observation

First experimental results of the imaging system Clear-PEM for positron emission mammography, under development within the framework of the Crystal Clear Collaboration at CERN, are presented. The quality control procedures of crystal pixels, APD arrays and assembled detector modules are described. The detector module performance was characterized in detail. Results on measurements of light yield, energy resolution, depth-of-interaction and inter-channel cross-talk are discussed. The status of the development of the front-end electronics and of the data acquisition boards is reported.

The purpose of this paper is to present the main aspects of a design and test (D&T) methodology used in the development of a specific type of system. The application focuses medical imaging using a compact positron emission mammography (PEM) detector with 12288 channels, targeting high selectivity and spatial resolution. The system operates at 100 MHz, with a data acquisition rate of 1 million events per second, under a total single photon background rate in the detector of 10 MHz. In this paper, the data acquisition electronics (DAE) system of the clear-PEM detector is used as vehicle for demonstrating the characteristics and versatility of the D&T methodology. For production and lifetime test, robust functional-oriented built-in self test (BIST) structures are developed. A design challenge in this context is the need to identify relevant data out of a huge amount of data streams. Another design challenge is the need to guaranty synchronism, without which data would become meaningless. Hierarchy, modularity, parallelism and pipelining are extensively exploited to meet these stringent system requirements. DAE implementation involves eight 4-million, one 2-million and one 1-million gate FPGAs (Xilinx Virtex II).

This paper discusses with examples from recent literature the use of biophysical indicators in monitoring the impact of natural resource management (NRM) interventions on soil quality attributes. The use of simulation modelling to assess the long-term effects of NRM interventions on soil quality and future research needs are also provided.