Contraction groups in complete Kac-Moody groups

Let G be an abstract Kac-Moody group over a finite field and G the closure of the image of G in the automorphism group of its positive building. We show that if the Dynkin diagram associated to G is irreducible and neither of spherical nor of affine type, then the contraction groups of elements in G which are not topologically periodic are not closed. (In those groups there always exist elements which are not topologically periodic.)

Preferred suppliers in auction markets

In a procurement setting, this paper examines agreements between a buyer and one of the suppliers which would increase their joint surplus. The provisions of such agreements depend on the buyer's ability to design the rules of the final procurement auction. When the buyer has no such ability, their joint surplus can be increased by an agreement which grants to the preferred supplier a right-of-first-refusal on the lowest price offer from the other suppliers. When the buyer does have this ability, one agreement which maximizes their joint surplus includes a revelation game for the cost of the preferred supplier and a reserve price in the procurement auction based on that cost.

Pizgrischite, (Cu,Fe)Cu14PbBi17S35, a new sulfosalt from the Swiss Alps: Description, crystal structure and occurrence

Pizgrischite, (Cu,Fe)Cu14PbBi17S35, is a new mineral species named after the type locality, Piz Grisch Mountain, Val Ferrera, Graubunden, Switzerland. This sulfosalt occurs as thin, striated, metallic lead-grey blades measuring up to I cm in length, embedded in quartz and associated with tetrahedrite, chalcopyrite, pyrite, sphalerite, emplectite and derivatives of the aikinite-bismuthinite series. In plane-polarized light, the new species is brownish grey with no perceptible pleochroism; under crossed nicols in oil immersion, it presents a weak anisotropy with dark brown tints. Minimum and maximum reflectance values (in %) in air are: 40.7-42.15 (470 nm), 41.2-43.1 (546 nm), 41.2-43.35 (589 nm) and 40.7-43.3 (650 nm). Cleavage is perfect along 001 I and well developed on {010}. Abundant polysynthetic twinning is observed on (010). The mean micro-indentation hardness is 190 kg/mm(2) (Mohs hardness 3.3), and the calculated density is 6.58 g/cm(3). Electron-microprobe analyses yield (wt%; mean result of seven analyses): Cu 16.48, Pb 2.10, Fe 0.77, Bi 60.70, Sb 0.35, S 19.16, Se 0.04, total 99.60. The resulting empirical chemical formula is (Cu15.24Fe0.80Pb0.60)(Sigma 16.64)(Bi17.07Sb0.17)(Sigma 17.24)(S35.09Se0.03)(Sigma 35.12), in accordance with the formula derived from the single-crystal refinement of the structure, (Cu,Fe)Cu14PbBi17S35. Pizgrischite is monoclinic, space group C2/m, with the following unit-cell parameters: a 35.054(2), b3.91123(I), c43.192(2) angstrom, beta 96.713(4)degrees, V5881.24 angstrom(3), Z=4. The strongest seven X-ray powder-diffraction lines [d in angstrom (I)(hkl)] are: 5.364(40)((6) over bar 04), 4.080(50)((8) over bar 05), 3.120(40)(118), 3.104(68)((3) over bar 18), 2.759(53) ((9) over bar 11),2.752(44)(910) and 1.956(100)(020). The crystal structure is an expanded monoclinic derivative of kupcikite. Pizgrischite belongs to the cuprobismutite series of bismuth sulfosalts but, sensu stricto, it is not a homologue of cuprobismutite. At the type locality. pizarischite is the result of the Alpine metamorphism under greenschist-facies conditions of pre-Tertiary hydrothermal Cu-Bi mineralization.

Characterisation of microbial communities colonising the hyphal surfaces of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are symbiotic soil fungi that are intimately associated with the roots of the majority of land plants. They colonise the interior of the roots and the hyphae extend into the soil. It is well known that bacterial colonisation of the rhizosphere can be crucial for many pathogenic as well as symbiotic plant-microbe interactions. However, although bacteria colonising the extraradical AMF hyphae (the hyphosphere) might be equally important for AMF symbiosis, little is known regarding which bacterial species would colonise AMF hyphae. In this study, we investigated which bacterial communities might be associated with AMF hyphae. As bacterial-hyphal attachment is extremely difficult to study in situ, we designed a system to grow AMF hyphae of Glomus intraradices and Glomus proliferum and studied which bacteria separated from an agricultural soil specifically attach to the hyphae. Characterisation of attached and non-attached bacterial communities was performed using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism and clone library sequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene fragments. For all experiments, the composition of hyphal attached bacterial communities was different from the non-attached communities, and was also different from bacterial communities that had attached to glass wool (a non-living substratum). Analysis of amplified 16S rRNA genes indicated that in particular bacteria from the family of Oxalobacteraceae were highly abundant on AMF hyphae, suggesting that they may have developed specific interactions with the fungi.

The ubiquitin-proteasome system in prostate cancer and its transition to castration resistance.

Prostate cancer is the most common carcinoma in the male population. In its initial stage, the disease is androgen-dependent and responds therapeutically to androgen deprivation treatment but it usually progresses after a few years to an androgen-independent phase that is refractory to hormonal manipulations. The proteasome is a multi-unit protease system that regulates the abundance and function of a significant number of cell proteins, and its inhibition results in cancer cell growth inhibition and apoptosis and is already exploited in the clinic with the use of proteasome inhibitor bortezomib in multiple myeloma. In order to be recognized by the proteasome, a target protein needs to be linked to a chain of the small protein ubiquitin. In this paper, we review the role of ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) in androgen receptor-dependent transcription as well as in the castration resistant stage of the disease, and we discuss therapeutic opportunities that UPS inhibition offers in prostate cancer.

Influence of inflammation on total energy expenditure in hemodialysis patients.

Background and Objectives: Studies show that inflammation can contribute to an increase in resting energy expenditure in patients with chronic kidney disease; however, findings about total energy expenditure (TEE) have not been reported. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of inflammation on TEE and physical activity energy expenditure in hemodialysis (HD) patients.Design: This was a cross-sectional study.Setting: This study was conducted from Hopital Edouard Herriot, Lyon, France.Patients: This study included 24 HD patients and 18 healthy subjects.Main Outcome Measure: TEE and step counts were measured over a 7-day period by the SenseWear Pro2 Armband in 24 HD patients (15 patients with C-reactive protein,5 mg/L, aged 67.0 +/- 6 14.7 years, and 9 with C-reactive protein >5 mg/L, aged 69.0 +/- 6 18.0 years) and compared with 18 healthy subjects (62.3 +/- 6 15.3 years).Results: Mean estimated TEE measured with SenseWear Pro2 Armband was significantly lower (25.5 +/- 4.1 kcal/kg/day) in patients with inflammation when compared with those without inflammation (32.0 +/- 6.7 kcal/kg/day) and with healthy subjects (31.8 +/- 6 7.0 kcal/kg/day) (P = .012). There was a difference in the physical activity (step counts) between patient groups (P < .05). Healthy subjects and patients without inflammation walked more (8,107 +/- 5,419 and 6,016 +/- 3,752 steps/day, respectively) as compared with patients with inflammation (2,801 +/- 2,754 steps/day, P = .001).Conclusion: Our findings suggest that patients with inflammation have a lower TEE when compared with healthy subjects and patients without inflammation. TEE is influenced by physical activity because patients with inflammation appear to be less active. (C) 2011 by the National Kidney Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved.

Activity and Residual Effect of Two Formulations of Lambdacyhalothrin Sprayed on Palm Leaves to Rhodnius prolixus

The insecticidal activity and residual effect of two formulations of lambdacyhalothrin were evaluated with Rhodnius prolixus;laboratory and field tests were conducted in the State of Chiapas, Mexico. The results indicate that the lethal concentrations of the active ingredient of SC (LC50 = 2.37 and LC90 = 8.5 mg, a.i./m²) were 4-8 times than those with the insecticide WP applied on R. prolixus bugs in palm leaves, a common building material for thatched roofs. Other investigators in South America recommended applying 30 mg a.i./m² in porous materials; we obtained that the products WP and SC were 3.5 and 16 times more effective on palm leaves. Regarding the evaluation of the residual effects in field spraying, there was up to 15 months persistence after the application of WP in two doses (8.6 mg a.i./m² and 3.752 mg a.i./m²) with SC. We consider R. prolixus highly susceptible to the employed pyrethroids; they could be used to control this vector in the state of Chiapas, Mexico.

Kidney transplantation in patients with Fabry disease

Introduction and Aims: Fabry disease is an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder caused by absence or deficient activity of the lysosomal enzyme alpha-galactosidase A. Renal manifestations occur early in life in a significant proportion of children, in many women and in almost all men with Fabry disease. These manifestations ultimately progress to end-stage renal disease in nearly all males and in some female patients. Data on kidney transplantation in patients with Fabry disease who are receiving enzyme replacement therapy (ERT), however, are scarce. Methods: We examined the clinical characteristics of kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) in the Fabry Outcome Survey (FOS) - a European database of patients with Fabry disease that was established to monitor the safety and outcome of ERT. Results: Of the 752 patients enrolled in FOS up to October 2005, 34 (4.5%) were reported to be KTRs. The mean age of these 32 male and 2 female patients was 45 ± 9 years, the median time since the transplant was 9 years, the median estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was 46 mL/min/1.73 m2 and the median level of proteinuria was 180 mg/24 hours. ERT was well tolerated, with mild infusion-related reactions reported in only one patient. Amongst these patients, 53% were reported to have hypertension, 71% left ventricular hypertrophy, 27% cardiac valve disease and 27% arrhythmia. A total of 23 (68%) of the patients (1 female, 22 males) were receiving ERT with agalsidase alfa (Replagal; Shire Human Genetic Therapies, UK), with a median duration of treatment of 2.5 years. There were no differences in age or time since transplantation between treated and untreated patients. The median eGFRs were 46 and 49 mL/min/1.73 m2 and the median levels of proteinuria were 200 and 160 mg/24 hours, respectively. Conclusions: KTRs represent a significant minority of individuals enrolled in a large international registry of patients with Fabry disease (FOS). Approximately two-thirds of KTRs with Fabry disease enrolled in FOS receive ERT with agalsidase alfa, which is well tolerated. Comparison of treated and untreated patients has the potential to examine effects of ERT on the progression of renal and cardiovascular disease.

Construcció d'un Sistema d'Informació Geogràfica municipal per a la gestió d'una agencia de taxis

Aquest projecte neix amb l'objectiu de construir un Sistema d'Informació Geogràfica (SIG) que permeti millorar els serveis oferts per una agencia de taxis, referits a la gestió dels seus vehicles i dels seus clients.

Robust Factor Analysis for Compositional Data

Factor analysis as frequent technique for multivariate data inspection is widely used also for compositional data analysis. The usual way is to use a centered logratio (clr)transformation to obtain the random vector y of dimension D. The factor model istheny = Λf + e (1)with the factors f of dimension k & D, the error term e, and the loadings matrix Λ.Using the usual model assumptions (see, e.g., Basilevsky, 1994), the factor analysismodel (1) can be written asCov(y) = ΛΛT + ψ (2)where ψ = Cov(e) has a diagonal form. The diagonal elements of ψ as well as theloadings matrix Λ are estimated from an estimation of Cov(y).Given observed clr transformed data Y as realizations of the random vectory. Outliers or deviations from the idealized model assumptions of factor analysiscan severely effect the parameter estimation. As a way out, robust estimation ofthe covariance matrix of Y will lead to robust estimates of Λ and ψ in (2), seePison et al. (2003). Well known robust covariance estimators with good statisticalproperties, like the MCD or the S-estimators (see, e.g. Maronna et al., 2006), relyon a full-rank data matrix Y which is not the case for clr transformed data (see,e.g., Aitchison, 1986).The isometric logratio (ilr) transformation (Egozcue et al., 2003) solves thissingularity problem. The data matrix Y is transformed to a matrix Z by usingan orthonormal basis of lower dimension. Using the ilr transformed data, a robustcovariance matrix C(Z) can be estimated. The result can be back-transformed tothe clr space byC(Y ) = V C(Z)V Twhere the matrix V with orthonormal columns comes from the relation betweenthe clr and the ilr transformation. Now the parameters in the model (2) can beestimated (Basilevsky, 1994) and the results have a direct interpretation since thelinks to the original variables are still preserved.The above procedure will be applied to data from geochemistry. Our specialinterest is on comparing the results with those of Reimann et al. (2002) for the Kolaproject data

Association of Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera: Psychodidae) population density with climate variables in Montes Claros, an area of American visceral leishmaniasis transmission in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil

In the present paper, we evaluate the relationship between climate variables and population density of Lutzomyia longipalpis in Montes Claros, an area of active transmission of American visceral leishmaniasis (AVL) in Brazil. Entomological captures were performed in 10 selected districts of the city, between September 2002-August 2003. A total of 773 specimens of L. longipalpiswere captured in the period and the population density could be associated with local climate variables (cumulative rainfall, average temperature and relative humidity) through a mathematical linear model with a determination coefficient (Rsqr) of 0.752. Although based on an oversimplified statistical analysis, as far as the vector is concerned, this approach showed to be potentially useful as a starting point to guide control measures for AVL in Montes Claros.

Hipertrofia benigna de próstata : cáncer de próstata : proceso asistencial integrado. 3ª ed

Publicado en la página web de la Consejería de Salud y Bienestar Social: www.juntadeandalucia.es/salud (Consejería de Salud y Bienestar Social / Profesionales / Nuestro Compromiso por la Calidad / Procesos Asistenciales Integrados)

Evaluation of the risk of congenital cardiovascular defects associated with use of paroxetine during pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: In 2005-2006, several studies noted an increased risk of cardiovascular birth defects associated with maternal use of paroxetine compared with other antidepressants in the same class. In this study, the authors sought to determine whether paroxetine was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular defects in infants of women exposed to the drug during the first trimester of pregnancy. METHOD: From teratology information services around the world, the authors collected prospectively ascertained, unpublished cases of infants exposed to paroxetine early in the first trimester of pregnancy and compared them with an unexposed cohort. The authors also contacted the authors of published database studies on antidepressants as a class to determine how many of the women in those studies had been exposed to paroxetine and the rates of cardiovascular defects in their infants. RESULTS: The authors were able to ascertain the outcomes of 1,174 infants from eight services. The rates of cardiac defects in the paroxetine group and in the unexposed group were both 0.7%. The rate in the database studies (2,061 cases from four studies) was 1.5%. CONCLUSIONS: Paroxetine does not appear to be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular defects following use in early pregnancy, as the incidence in more than 3,000 infants was well within the population incidence of approximately 1%.

Caracterização dos perfis glicêmicos domiciliares como estratégia para os ajustes insulinoterápicos em pacientes com diabetes mellitus do tipo 1

O artigo tem como objetivo principal caracterizar os perfis glicêmicos domiciliares de pacientes com diabetes mellitus tipo1, a partir de um esquema de monitorização proposto, e adotá-los como estratégia de ajuste nas doses de insulina. Foram realizados 3259 testes, 781 antes do café, 752 antes do almoço, 765 antes do jantar, 740 antes de deitar e 221 pela madrugada. A média das glicemias nestes períodos ultrapassaram os limites superiores satisfatórios em 6,87%, 3,83%, 11,37%, 30,50% e 19,28% respectivamente. Estes dados forneceram subsídios para ajustes nos esquemas insulinoterápicos. Os níveis HbA1c não mudaram de forma significante com os ajustes realizados porém, foram mantidos em 10%.

Direct visualization of the trimeric structure of the ASIC1a channel, using AFM imaging.

There has been confusion about the subunit stoichiometry of the degenerin family of ion channels. Recently, a crystal structure of acid-sensing ion channel (ASIC) 1a revealed that it assembles as a trimer. Here, we used atomic force microscopy (AFM) to image unprocessed ASIC1a bound to mica. We detected a mixture of subunit monomers, dimers and trimers. In some cases, triple-subunit clusters were clearly visible, confirming the trimeric structure of the channel, and indicating that the trimer sometimes disaggregated after adhesion to the mica surface. This AFM-based technique will now enable us to determine the subunit arrangement within heteromeric ASICs.