Poliomyelitis: epidemiological aspects in Rio de Janeiro (Guanabara State) and adjacent areas in the period from 1961 to 1970

Based on the available data from the Hospital responsible for the care of paralitic poliomyelitis cases in Rio de Janeiro City (Guanabara State) and adjacent areas, and the laboratory studies carried out on these patients, the authors analize epidemiological aspects of poliomyelitis in a period of ten years (1961 to 1970). Paralitic poliomyelitis remains a public health problem, with a typical incidence in the less than 4 year age group. All three poliovirus types have been prevalent for at least one period of time during the last ten years. Trivalent oral vaccine has been used since 1961 but the vaccination levels achieved were not enough to a permanent control of the disease. A definite seasonal distribution of cases could not be observed with the available data. Active mass campaign vaccinations with previous motivation of all segments of the population, specially the low-income groups instead of passive waiting of children in Vaccination Centers seems to be the best aproach to control poliomyelitis in this area.

On the complexity of the Whitehead minimization problem

The Whitehead minimization problem consists in finding a minimum size element in the automorphic orbit of a word, a cyclic word or a finitely generated subgroup in a finite rank free group. We give the first fully polynomial algorithm to solve this problem, that is, an algorithm that is polynomial both in the length of the input word and in the rank of the free group. Earlier algorithms had an exponential dependency in the rank of the free group. It follows that the primitivity problem – to decide whether a word is an element of some basis of the free group – and the free factor problem can also be solved in polynomial time.

Avaluació dels algorismes d'encaminament per a una NoC amb topologia Mesh 2D

Aquest projecte presenta una avaluació de les diferents alternatives d'encaminament per a una NoC amb una topologia mesh 2D. Per tal d'exposar aquestes alternatives s'ha estudiat la composició d'un router implementat amb l'algorisme determinista XY i s'ha adaptat per tal que aquest suportés els algorismes parcialment adaptatius West First, North Last i Negative First. Un cop tenim els routers implementats es disposa un estudi dels diferents algorismes i com cadascun d'aquests actuen en front uns mateixos estímuls per tal de crear una comparativa entre ells que ens faciliti una elecció a priori.

The Euler characteristic of a category

The Euler characteristic of a finite category is defined and shown to be compatible with Euler characteristics of other types of object, including orbifolds. A formula is proved for the cardinality of a colimit of sets, generalizing the classical inclusion-exclusion formula. Both rest on a generalization of Rota's Möbius inversion from posets to categories.

Net spaces and boundedness of integral operators

In this paper we introduce new functional spaces which we call the net spaces. Using their properties, the necessary and sufficient conditions for the integral operators to be of strong or weak-type are obtained. The estimates of the norm of the convolution operator in weighted Lebesgue spaces are presented.

Diagnostic yield of short-term video-EEG monitoring for epilepsy and PNESs: a European assessment.

INTRODUCTION: Although long-term video-EEG monitoring (LVEM) is routinely used to investigate paroxysmal events, short-term video-EEG monitoring (SVEM) lasting <24 h is increasingly recognized as a cost-effective tool. Since, however, relatively few studies addressed the yield of SVEM among different diagnostic groups, we undertook the present study to investigate this aspect. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 226 consecutive SVEM recordings over 6 years. All patients were referred because routine EEGs were inconclusive. Patients were classified into 3 suspected diagnostic groups: (1) group with epileptic seizures, (2) group with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNESs), and (3) group with other or undetermined diagnoses. We assessed recording lengths, interictal epileptiform discharges, epileptic seizures, PNESs, and the definitive diagnoses obtained after SVEM. RESULTS: The mean age was 34 (±18.7) years, and the median recording length was 18.6 h. Among the 226 patients, 127 referred for suspected epilepsy - 73 had a diagnosis of epilepsy, none had a diagnosis of PNESs, and 54 had other or undetermined diagnoses post-SVEM. Of the 24 patients with pre-SVEM suspected PNESs, 1 had epilepsy, 12 had PNESs, and 11 had other or undetermined diagnoses. Of the 75 patients with other diagnoses pre-SVEM, 17 had epilepsy, 11 had PNESs, and 47 had other or undetermined diagnoses. After SVEM, 15 patients had definite diagnoses other than epilepsy or PNESs, while in 96 patients, diagnosis remained unclear. Overall, a definitive diagnosis could be reached in 129/226 (57%) patients. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that in nearly 3/5 patients without a definitive diagnosis after routine EEG, SVEM allowed us to reach a diagnosis. This procedure should be encouraged in this setting, given its time-effectiveness compared with LVEM.

A potential vector of Schistosoma mansoni in Uruguay

Susceptibily experiments were carried out with a Biomphalaria straminea-like planorbid snail (Biomphalaria aff. straminea, species inquirenda) from Espinillar, near Salto (Uruguay), in the area of the Salto Grande reservoir, exposed individually to 5 miracidia of Schistosoma mansoni (SJ2 and BH2 strains). Of 130 snails exposed to the SJ2 strain, originally infective to Biomphalaria tenagophila, 30 became infected (23%). The prepatent (precercaria) period ranged from 35 to 65 days. The cercarial output was irregular, following no definite pattern, varying from 138 to 76,075 per snail (daily average 4.3 to 447.5 and ending up with death. Three specimens that died, without having shed cercarie, on days 69 (2) and 80 after exposure to miracidia, had developing secondary sporocysts in their tissues, justifying the prospect of a longer precercarial period in these cases. In a control group of 120 B. teangophila, exposed to the SJ2 strain, 40 became infected, showing an infection rate (33.3%) not significantly different from that of the Espinillar snail (X [raised to the power of] 2 = 3.26). No cercarie were produced by any of the Espinilar snails exposed to miracidia of the BH2 strain, originally infective to Biomphalaria glabrata. Four specimens showed each a primary sporocyst in one tentacle, which disappeared between 15 and 25 days post-exposure, and two others died with immature, very slender sporocysts in their tissues on days 36 and 54. In a control group of 100 B. glabrata exposed to BH2 miracidia, 94 shed cercariae (94%) and 6 remained negative. Calculation of Frandsen's (1979a, b) TCP/100 index shows that "Espinillar Biomphalaria-SJ2 S. mansoni" is a vector-parasite "compatible" combination. Seeing that tenagophila-borne schistosomiasis is prevalent in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo states and has recently spread sothwards to Santa Catarina state, and the range of B. tenagophila overlaps taht of the Espinillar Biomphalaria, the possibility of schistosomiais establishing itself in Uruguay, although not imminent, is not to be disregarded.

Les débuts de la communication à trois. Interactions visuelles triadiques entre père, mère et bébé

Plusieurs auteurs ont montré que les échanges visuels entre des mères dépressives ou psychotiques et leur bébé présentent de multiples perturbations : dans cet article, les auteurs proposent une étude exploratoire portant sur les échanges visuels père-mère- bébé (9-18 semaines) dans deux groupes de familles, un groupe suivi pour des difficultés du post-partum et un groupe témoin. Les observations sont réalisées dans le cadre d'un jeu à trois structuré selon diverses modalités d'interaction (un parent joue avec l'enfant en présence de l'autre parent / les deux parents jouent conjointement avec le bébé). Les variables retenues concernent d'une part le niveau d'attention visuelle conjointe des partenaires, d'autre part l'évolution de cette attention visuelle au cours du jeu. Les résultats révèlent que les échanges visuels sont plus intenses dans les familles fonctionnelles, ce qui semble indiquer que l'engagement visuel triadique établi par les partenaires peut être représentatif du fonctionnement de la triade à un moment donné de son développement. D'autre part, l'analyse de l'évolution de l'engagement visuel au travers des différents contextes de jeu amène les auteurs à proposer l'hypothèse d'une « alliance triadique » établie conjointement par les trois partenaires et formant la matrice de leurs échanges dyadiques et triadiques. De façon plus générale, les auteurs supposent que l'établissement de cette alliance joue un rôle déterminant pour le développement et l'autonomisa- tion du bébé au sein de sa famille. Disorders in the visual interaction between depressive or psychotic mothers and their baby have been widely described : in this paper, the authors propose an exploratory study of father-mother-infant visual interaction (infants are 9-18 weeks old) in two groups of families, voluntary families and families in therapy for post-par turn disorders. The observations are gathered during a three-partner play, involving different kinds of triadic interaction (one parent plays with the infant, the other parent being « only present » / both parents play together with the child). The analyses have focused on the amount of visual attention shared by the partners and on the evolution of visual interaction during the game. Results show that triadic interaction is more intense in functional triads, which means that shared visual attention may be representative of the more general functioning of the family at a definite stage of its development. Furthermore, considering the sequential organization of visual interaction throughout the game led the authors to the construct of a « triadic alliance », jointly established by the three partners and providing a matrix for their dyadic and triadic interaction. On a more general level, such an alliance could play an important role for the development and the autonomy of the baby within his j her family.

Geometria integral i convexitat en espais de curvatura holomorfa constant

En aquest treball es tracten qüestions de la geometria integral clàssica a l'espai hiperbòlic i projectiu complex i a l'espai hermític estàndard, els anomenats espais de curvatura holomorfa constant. La geometria integral clàssica estudia, entre d'altres, l'expressió en termes geomètrics de la mesura de plans que tallen un domini convex fixat de l'espai euclidià. Aquesta expressió es dóna en termes de les integrals de curvatura mitja. Un dels resultats principals d'aquest treball expressa la mesura de plans complexos que tallen un domini fixat a l'espai hiperbòlic complex, en termes del que definim com volums intrínsecs hermítics, que generalitzen les integrals de curvatura mitja. Una altra de les preguntes que tracta la geometria integral clàssica és: donat un domini convex i l'espai de plans, com s'expressa la integral de la s-èssima integral de curvatura mitja del convex intersecció entre un pla i el convex fixat? A l'espai euclidià, a l'espai projectiu i hiperbòlic reals, aquesta integral correspon amb la s-èssima integral de curvatura mitja del convex inicial: se satisfà una propietat de reproductibitat, que no es té en els espais de curvatura holomorfa constant. En el treball donem l'expressió explícita de la integral de la curvatura mitja quan integrem sobre l'espai de plans complexos. L'expressem en termes de la integral de curvatura mitja del domini inicial i de la integral de la curvatura normal en una direcció especial: l'obtinguda en aplicar l'estructura complexa al vector normal. La motivació per estudiar els espais de curvatura holomorfa constant i, en particular, l'espai hiperbòlic complex, es troba en l'estudi del següent problema clàssic en geometria. Quin valor pren el quocient entre l'àrea i el perímetre per a successions de figures convexes del pla que creixen tendint a omplir-lo? Fins ara es coneixia el comportament d'aquest quocient en els espais de curvatura seccional negativa i que a l'espai hiperbòlic real les fites obtingudes són òptimes. Aquí provem que a l'espai hiperbòlic complex, les cotes generals no són òptimes i optimitzem la superior.

Cerebrospinal fluid antimicroglial antibodies in Alzheimer disease: a putative marker of an ongoing inflammatory process.

Immunocompetent microglia play an important role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Antimicroglial antibodies in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in clinically diagnosed AD patients have been previously recorded. Here, we report the results of the analysis of the CSF from 38 autopsy cases: 7 with definite AD; 14 with mild and 10 with moderate Alzheimer's type pathology; and 7 controls. Antimicroglial antibodies were identified in 70% of patients with definite AD, in 80% of patients with moderate and in 28% of patients with mild Alzheimer's type pathology. CSF antimicroglial antibodies were not observed in any of the control cases. The results show that CSF antimicroglial antibodies are present in the majority of patients with definite AD and also in cases with moderate Alzheimer's type changes. They may also indicate dysregulation of microglial function. Together with previous observations, these findings indicate that compromised immune defense mechanisms play an important role in the pathogenesis of AD.

HSU-Robbins and Spitzer's theorems for the variations of fractional Brownian motion

Using recent results on the behavior of multiple Wiener-Itô integrals based on Stein's method, we prove Hsu-Robbins and Spitzer's theorems for sequences of correlated random variables related to the increments of the fractional Brownian motion.

Sharp A₂ inequality for haar shift operators

"Vegeu el resum a l'inici del document del fitxer adjunt."

Sharp weighted bounds for fractional integral operators

The relationship between the operator norms of fractional integral operators acting on weighted Lebesgue spaces and the constant of the weights is investigated. Sharp bounds are obtained for both the fractional integral operators and the associated fractional maximal functions. As an application improved Sobolev inequalities are obtained. Some of the techniques used include a sharp off-diagonal version of the extrapolation theorem of Rubio de Francia and characterizations of two-weight norm inequalities.

Clinical presentation, etiology, and outcome of infective endocarditis in the 21st century: the International Collaboration on Endocarditis-Prospective Cohort Study.

We sought to provide a contemporary picture of the presentation, etiology, and outcome of infective endocarditis (IE) in a large patient cohort from multiple locations worldwide. Prospective cohort study of 2781 adults with definite IE who were admitted to 58 hospitals in 25 countries from June 1, 2000, through September 1, 2005. The median age of the cohort was 57.9 (interquartile range, 43.2-71.8) years, and 72.1% had native valve IE. Most patients (77.0%) presented early in the disease (<30 days) with few of the classic clinical hallmarks of IE. Recent health care exposure was found in one-quarter of patients. Staphylococcus aureus was the most common pathogen (31.2%). The mitral (41.1%) and aortic (37.6%) valves were infected most commonly. The following complications were common: stroke (16.9%), embolization other than stroke (22.6%), heart failure (32.3%), and intracardiac abscess (14.4%). Surgical therapy was common (48.2%), and in-hospital mortality remained high (17.7%). Prosthetic valve involvement (odds ratio, 1.47; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-1.90), increasing age (1.30; 1.17-1.46 per 10-year interval), pulmonary edema (1.79; 1.39-2.30), S aureus infection (1.54; 1.14-2.08), coagulase-negative staphylococcal infection (1.50; 1.07-2.10), mitral valve vegetation (1.34; 1.06-1.68), and paravalvular complications (2.25; 1.64-3.09) were associated with an increased risk of in-hospital death, whereas viridans streptococcal infection (0.52; 0.33-0.81) and surgery (0.61; 0.44-0.83) were associated with a decreased risk. In the early 21st century, IE is more often an acute disease, characterized by a high rate of S aureus infection. Mortality remains relatively high.