Analysis of the respiratory dynamics during normal breathing by means of pseudo phase plots and pressure-volume loops

This paper reports on the analysis of tidal breathing patterns measured during noninvasive forced oscillation lung function tests in six individual groups. The three adult groups were healthy, with prediagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and with prediagnosed kyphoscoliosis, respectively. The three children groups were healthy, with prediagnosed asthma, and with prediagnosed cystic fibrosis, respectively. The analysis is applied to the pressure–volume curves and the pseudophaseplane loop by means of the box-counting method, which gives a measure of the area within each loop. The objective was to verify if there exists a link between the area of the loops, power-law patterns, and alterations in the respiratory structure with disease. We obtained statistically significant variations between the data sets corresponding to the six groups of patients, showing also the existence of power-law patterns. Our findings support the idea that the respiratory system changes with disease in terms of airway geometry and tissue parameters, leading, in turn, to variations in the fractal dimension of the respiratory tree and its dynamics.

Analysis of Forest Fires by means of Pseudo Phase Plane and Multidimensional Scaling Methods

Forest fires dynamics is often characterized by the absence of a characteristic length-scale, long range correlations in space and time, and long memory, which are features also associated with fractional order systems. In this paper a public domain forest fires catalogue, containing information of events for Portugal, covering the period from 1980 up to 2012, is tackled. The events are modelled as time series of Dirac impulses with amplitude proportional to the burnt area. The time series are viewed as the system output and are interpreted as a manifestation of the system dynamics. In the first phase we use the pseudo phase plane (PPP) technique to describe forest fires dynamics. In the second phase we use multidimensional scaling (MDS) visualization tools. The PPP allows the representation of forest fires dynamics in two-dimensional space, by taking time series representative of the phenomena. The MDS approach generates maps where objects that are perceived to be similar to each other are placed on the map forming clusters. The results are analysed in order to extract relationships among the data and to better understand forest fires behaviour.

Pseudo Phase Plane and Fractional Calculus Modelling of Western Global Economic Downturn

This paper applies Pseudo Phase Plane (PPP) and Fractional Calculus (FC) mathematical tools for modeling world economies. A challenging global rivalry among the largest international economies began in the early 1970s, when the post-war prosperity declined. It went on, up to now. If some worrying threatens may exist actually in terms of possible ambitious military aggression, invasion, or hegemony, countries’ PPP relative positions can tell something on the current global peaceful equilibrium. A global political downturn of the USA on global hegemony in favor of Asian partners is possible, but can still be not accomplished in the next decades. If the 1973 oil chock has represented the beginning of a long-run recession, the PPP analysis of the last four decades (1972–2012) does not conclude for other partners’ global dominance (Russian, Brazil, Japan, and Germany) in reaching high degrees of similarity with the most developed world countries. The synergies of the proposed mathematical tools lead to a better understanding of the dynamics underlying world economies and point towards the estimation of future states based on the memory of each time series.

A musculoskeletal shoulder model based on pseudo-inverse and null-space optimization.

The goal of the present work was assess the feasibility of using a pseudo-inverse and null-space optimization approach in the modeling of the shoulder biomechanics. The method was applied to a simplified musculoskeletal shoulder model. The mechanical system consisted in the arm, and the external forces were the arm weight, 6 scapulo-humeral muscles and the reaction at the glenohumeral joint, which was considered as a spherical joint. The muscle wrapping was considered around the humeral head assumed spherical. The dynamical equations were solved in a Lagrangian approach. The mathematical redundancy of the mechanical system was solved in two steps: a pseudo-inverse optimization to minimize the square of the muscle stress and a null-space optimization to restrict the muscle force to physiological limits. Several movements were simulated. The mathematical and numerical aspects of the constrained redundancy problem were efficiently solved by the proposed method. The prediction of muscle moment arms was consistent with cadaveric measurements and the joint reaction force was consistent with in vivo measurements. This preliminary work demonstrated that the developed algorithm has a great potential for more complex musculoskeletal modeling of the shoulder joint. In particular it could be further applied to a non-spherical joint model, allowing for the natural translation of the humeral head in the glenoid fossa.

Vincristine and intestinal pseudo-obstruction in children: report of 5 cases, literature review, and suggested management.

Summary: Intestinal pseudo-obstruction is a rare complication resulting from a variety of disorders. Symptoms include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and malnutrition. Vincristine-related pseudo-obstruction has been reported in the literature, but its description in children and recommendations for management are lacking. A review of the literature revealed 21 reported pediatric cases of vincristine-related pseudo-obstruction. Most have, however, been attributed to a drug interaction with itraconazole, accidental vincristine overdose, or liver failure. Potential genetic causes are rarely addressed. We present here 5 cases of pseudo-obstruction related to vincristine without any identifiable predisposing factors, and a suggested algorithm for management

Nicolaus Trevet Anglicus, Expositio in Boethium de consolatione philosophiae (1-166v). - Pseudo-Boethius, De disciplina scolarium (167-184v).

Ce ms. a appartenu à l'église paroissiale de Chaumont-en-Bassigny (Haute-Marne), comme en témoigne la mention du XVe s. "Ce livre cy appartient a l'eglise de Chaumont" (f. 184). En-dessous de cette mention figure la signature "H. Vigniery" (XVIe s.). En 1655, Claude Joly, chantre de Notre-Dame de Paris, l'a acheté à cette église (cf. l'inscription au contreplat sup., datée d'octobre 1658). Il a ensuite appartenu à la bibliothèque du chapitre de Notre-Dame de Paris, dont il porte l'ex-libris "A la bibliotheque de l'Eglise de Paris", précédé de la cote L5 (XVIIe s., contreplat sup.). Notre-Dame.

JACQUES DE VITRY, PSEUDO-TURPIN, Chroniques françaises, etc.

Contient : Histoire abrégée de Jérusalem, par JACQUES DE VITRY, traduction française du livre Ier. Début : « Puis que la misericorde Nostre Segneur ... (Table de cent chapitres.) I. La sainte tiere de promission... » — Fin. (xc) : « ... Nos ne navions point par mer por marceander, car en la mer on soefre moult de... » ; Chronique du PSEUDO-TURPIN, traduite en français par PIERRE. Incomplète du début : «... quant uns rois de France i venroit... » — Fin : « ... si ont encore non cil de Navare et aront tous jors, car cil qui les encacierent les nommerent ensi. Ci fine l'estoire de Carlemainne et de ses gens » ; Chronique abrégée des rois de France, s'arrêtant à l'année 1204. Début : « Si com nous trovons en escrit es anciens livres, Troies fu ancianement... — Fin : « ... par le commant au roi Jehan meisme, qui secorre ne les pooit. A tant s'en taist la matere. Amen. » — Suivent (f. 68) quelques notes sur les événements des années 1244-1249, qui occupent une colonne et se terminent par les mots : « ... et le diemence par matin, à l'eure de miedi, li rois entra en Damiete a toutes ses gens et n'i troverent que I. peu de gens, car li Sarrasin estoient tout fuit. » (Cf. Notices et extraits des mss., XXXII, II, 57) ; Chronique d'un anonyme de Béthune, s'arrêtant à l'année 1220, publiée par Fr. Michel, en 1840, sous le titre de Histoire des ducs de Normandie et des rois d'Angleterre (Société de l'histoire de France) ; L'Ordre de chevalerie, en prose. Début : « Ci en droit dist li contes que au tans le roi Salehadin ... » — Fin : « ... et ausi fu il au prince de Galilée. Ci faut li contes de mon seigneur Huon de Tabarie, le prince de Galilée et de Salehadin »

Histoire de France ou Chronique Saintongeaise, suivie d'une traduction du Pseudo-Turpin, le tout en dialecte Saintongeais.

Contient : 1° Histoire de France ; 2° Traduction de la chronique du Pseudo-Turpin

La Vie des Pères. — Les miracles de saint Jaques. — Pseudo-Turpin. — Amis et Amile.

Contient : « De la vie des Peres et de aucuns autres examples, » en vers ; « Livre Calixte apostoile des miracles saint Jasque de de Galice. » Début : « Calixtes, avasques, sers des sers de Deu, a seint Conant de Cluigney... » ; « Proemes saint Calixte en la passion saint Eutrope. » Début : « Sainz Eutropes, avasques et martyrs, giet en la cité... » ; La chronique de Turpin ou Pseudo-Turpin. Début : « Après de ce que sainz Jasques, qui premiers en Galice fust raporté par la mer des Jherusalem... » Cf. La Chronique de Turpin, publiée d'après les mss. B. n. 1850 et 2137, par Fredrik Wulff (Lund, 1881, in-4°) ; « Des sainz que li pelerin requierent en la voie saint Jasque. » Début : « Cil qui vont a saint Jasque par la voie Egidiaine requierent le cors saint Trophin... » ; « Li amitiez de Ami et Amile. » Début : « A temps de Pupin, roi de Frans, fu uns anfez néz... » Cf. Moland et d'Héricault, Nouvelles françoises en prose du xiiiesiècle (Paris, 1856, in-16), p. xxxi. — Catalogue... de La Vallière, t. II, p. 175, n° 2713 A