Structural changes over time in individual‐based networks involving a harvester ant, seeds, and invertebrates

Abstract Background The objective of this work was to describe magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) changes over time in inflammatory and structural lesions at the sacroiliac joint (SIJ) in children with spondyloarthritis (SpA) exposed and unexposed to tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi). Methods This was a retrospective, multicenter study of SpA patients with suspected or confirmed sacroiliitis who underwent at ≥2 pelvic MRI scans. Images were reviewed independently by 3 radiologists and scored for inflammatory and structural changes using the Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada (SPARCC) SIJ inflammation score (SIS) and structural score (SSS). Longitudinal, quantitative changes in patient MRI scans were measured using descriptive statistics and stratified by TNFi exposure. We used an average treatment effects (ATE) regression model to explore the average effect of TNFi exposure over time on inflammatory and structural lesions, adjusting for baseline lesion scores. Results Forty-six subjects were evaluated using the SIS (n = 45) and SSS (n = 18). Median age at baseline imaging was 13.6 years, 63% were male and 71% were white. Twenty-three subjects (50%) were TNFi exposed between MRI studies. The median change in SIS in TNFi exposed and unexposed subjects with a baseline SIS ≥0 was − 20.7 and − 14.3, respectively (p = 0.09). Eleven (85%) TNFi exposed and 8 (89%) unexposed subjects with a baseline SIS ≥0 met the SIS minimal clinically important difference (MCID; ≥2.5). Using the ATE model adjusted for baseline SIS, the average effect of TNFi on SIS in patients with a baseline SIS ≥2 was − 14.5 (p < 0.01). Unadjusted erosion change score was significantly worse in TNFi unexposed versus exposed subjects (p = 0.03) but in the ATE model the effect of TNFi was not significant. Conclusion This study quantitatively describes how lesions in the SIJs on MRI change over time in patients exposed to TNFi versus unexposed. Follow-up imaging in TNFi exposed patients showed greater improvement than the unexposed group by most metrics, some of which reached statistical significance. Surprisingly, a majority of TNFi unexposed children with a baseline SIS≥2 met the SIS MCID. Additional studies assessing the short and long-term effects of TNFi on inflammatory and structural changes in juvenile SpA are needed.

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Similarities in Time-Series of Housing Prices on Local Markets in Poland

Real Estate Management and Valuation ◽

10.2478/remav-2014-0026 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 22 (3) ◽

pp. 45-53 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mirosław Belej ◽

Sławomir Kulesza

Keyword(s):

Real Estate ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Housing Prices ◽

Local Markets ◽

Real Estate Markets ◽

The North ◽

Real Estate Prices ◽

Changes Over Time ◽

External Stimuli ◽

Over Time

Abstract This study examined similarities between local real estate markets in Poland from 2006 - 2013 by analyzing changes in housing prices. The analyses covered five cities - all of which are major centers of their regions: Warsaw (Mazovia - the center of Poland), Bialystok (Podlasie - the east of Poland), Cracow (Malopolska - the south of Poland), Poznan (Wielkopolska - the west of Poland) and Gdansk (Pomerania - the north of Poland). The time period was chosen so that it covered an interval of rapid changes in real estate prices (a housing bubble) and their subsequent relaxation to the equilibrium state. Firstly, a multi-dimensional analysis which took into account the Chebyshev distance was employed. This helped to conduct an analysis of the correlation of price changes over time, which revealed their concurrence and, moreover, showed specific propagation delays to external stimuli, and hence could be a measure of the market’s inertia. The degree of integration of the local markets under study changed only slightly over time; therefore, a thesis can be put forth in regard to the interrelation of local real estate markets, imagined as a system of communicating vessels. In the second stage, the damped harmonic oscillator model was employed to describe the observed evolution of real estate prices. This study exhibited high inertia in real estate markets, manifested during rapid structural changes in the system’s state occurring in conditions far from equilibrium. In long-term evolution, the pace of change is slow enough for the systems to remain close to equilibrium

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Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Rheumatoid Arthritis Clinical Trials: Emerging Patterns Based on Recent Experience

The Journal of Rheumatology ◽

10.3899/jrheum.110418 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 38 (9) ◽

pp. 2023-2030 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

CHARLES G. PETERFY ◽

PETER COUNTRYMAN ◽

ANNARITA GABRIELE ◽

TIM SHAW ◽

ANDREW ANISFELD ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽

Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽

Clinical Trials ◽

Magnetic Resonance ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Discriminative Power ◽

Resonance Imaging ◽

Changes Over Time ◽

Over Time ◽

Wrist Joints

Objective.The current validated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scoring method for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in clinical trials, RA MRI Score (RAMRIS), incorporates all metacarpophalangeal (MCP) and wrist joints except MCP-1. The experience with radiographic scoring, however, was that excluding certain bones in the wrist improved the discriminative power for changes over time. In this study, we pool MRI data from randomized controlled clinical trails (RCT) to determine which combination of MCP and wrist joints are most sensitive and discriminative for structural changes over time.Methods.MR images from 4 multicenter RCT, including 522 RA patients, were read by 2 radiologists, using the RAMRIS scoring system for erosion, osteitis, and synovitis. In one RCT, joint-space narrowing (JSN) was assessed cross-sectionally by one radiologist using a previously validated method. Baseline frequencies of erosion, JSN, osteitis, and synovitis of different bones and joints in the hand and wrist were compared. Intraclass correlation coefficients between readers were determined for each location. Finally, 7 different combinations of bone/joint locations were compared for their ability to discriminate subjects showing increases or decreases from baseline greater than or equal to smallest detectable changes (SDC) at Weeks 12 or 24.Results.Frequency of involvement and reliability for assessing change varied by location. As in earlier analyses, excluding certain wrist bones increased the percentage of subjects showing changes greater than or equal to SDC.Conclusion.These findings suggest that excluding wrist bones that do not frequently or reliably demonstrate structural changes improves the discriminative power of the RAMRIS scoring system.

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Direct Dating Methods

The Oxford Handbook of Archaeological Ceramic Analysis ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199681532.013.39 ◽

2016 ◽

pp. 670-690

Author(s):

Sophie Blain ◽

Christopher Hall

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Organic Material ◽

Research Method ◽

Radiocarbon Dating ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Archaeological Ceramics ◽

Dating Methods ◽

Changes Over Time ◽

Over Time ◽

Stylistic Changes

Many important anthropological questions require the researcher to determine the date of the artifacts and features under consideration. Archaeological ceramics are often used to date contexts and strata, relying upon stylistic changes over time (typology). These relative dates can often be anchored in real time by radiocarbon dating of organic material believed to be contemporaneous. However, these dates are still relative or approximates. The two techniques discussed in this chapter, luminescence and rehydroxylation dating, are able to directly date the ceramics themselves using mineralogical/structural changes. Rehydroxylation dating is at present a research method not fully validated.

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Quantifying neuronal structural changes over time using dynamic morphometrics

Trends in Neurosciences ◽

10.1016/j.tins.2021.10.011 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Peter William Hogg ◽

Patrick Coleman ◽

Tristan Dellazizzo Toth ◽

Kurt Haas

Keyword(s):

Structural Changes ◽

Changes Over Time ◽

Over Time

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The Carmine Maggiore Bell Tower: An Inclusive and Sustainable Restoration Experience

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13031445 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 1445

Author(s):

Mariano Nuzzo ◽

Giuseppe Faella

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Multidisciplinary Approach ◽

Historical Analysis ◽

Structural Safety ◽

Intrinsic Geometry ◽

Bell Tower ◽

Changes Over Time ◽

The City ◽

Over Time

The preservation of cultural heritage needs a restoration design format that can only be achievable by an in-depth multidisciplinary approach. Besides, a sustainable project requires that the link between architecture and technology be expressed through a “conscious” approach to the building. Therefore, each design must be based on the in-depth knowledge of history, construction rules, and mechanical properties of buildings to be restored. The bell towers are among the most exposed to degradation and earthquake damage constructions for their intrinsic geometry and structure. The “Carmine Maggiore” bell tower is one of the most important symbols of Naples (Italy) and, at 72 m high, it has stood out for centuries against the city. The tower underwent many significant damages and structural changes over time. The design, here illustrated, was aimed at restoring and repairing this bell tower, preserving existing materials, without altering the signs of time. The paper shows the methodology followed in the project, which, starting from an in-depth historical analysis and a detailed geometric and diagnostic survey, through several structural analyses, allowed an “inclusive” project (restoration, structural, and lighting project) based on suitable solutions that meet all the requirements of compatibility, sustainability, and structural safety.

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Comparison of two devices for measuring exercise transcutaneous oxygen pressures in patients with claudication

VASA ◽

10.1024/0301-1526/a000454 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 44 (5) ◽

pp. 355-362 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Marie Urban ◽

Alban Fouasson-Chailloux ◽

Isabelle Signolet ◽

Christophe Colas Ribas ◽

Mathieu Feuilloy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oxygen Pressure ◽

Optical Sensors ◽

Chemical Sensors ◽

Transcutaneous Oxygen ◽

Starting Values ◽

Two Systems ◽

Transcutaneous Oxygen Pressure ◽

New Sensors ◽

Changes Over Time ◽

Over Time

Abstract. Summary: Background: We aimed at estimating the agreement between the Medicap® (photo-optical) and Radiometer® (electro-chemical) sensors during exercise transcutaneous oxygen pressure (tcpO2) tests. Our hypothesis was that although absolute starting values (tcpO2rest: mean over 2 minutes) might be different, tcpO2-changes over time and the minimal value of the decrease from rest of oxygen pressure (DROPmin) results at exercise shall be concordant between the two systems. Patients and methods: Forty seven patients with arterial claudication (65 + / - 7 years) performed a treadmill test with 5 probes each of the electro-chemical and photo-optical devices simultaneously, one of each system on the chest, on each buttock and on each calf. Results: Seventeen Medicap® probes disconnected during the tests. tcpO2rest and DROPmin values were higher with Medicap® than with Radiometer®, by 13.7 + / - 17.1 mm Hg and 3.4 + / - 11.7 mm Hg, respectively. Despite the differences in absolute starting values, changes over time were similar between the two systems. The concordance between the two systems was approximately 70 % for classification of test results from DROPmin. Conclusions: Photo-optical sensors are promising alternatives to electro-chemical sensors for exercise oximetry, provided that miniaturisation and weight reduction of the new sensors are possible.

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