Forensic examination of effects of rheumatoid arthritis on handwriting characteristics

Background Rheumatoid arthritis is known to produce deformity of the joints and muscles which can affect the handwriting of an individual significantly. Examination of such handwriting specimens can become a challenging task for the document examiners. This can affect the accuracy of their opinions upon the related cases. Thus, the present study was conducted to determine the effects of rheumatoid arthritis on handwriting characteristics qualitatively and statistically. The study also included qualitative analysis and comparison of line quality defects of copied writings and writings affected by rheumatoid arthritis. Results Handwriting characteristics were analyzed qualitatively and statistically in old writings vs affected writings. All these handwriting characteristics were also analyzed qualitatively in copied writings vs affected writings. The results of the study showed significant deteriorating effects of rheumatoid arthritis on almost all handwriting characteristics, except for characteristics such as slant, retouching, and overwriting. The pictorial appearance of letters in the writings executed before and after the onset of illness was even observed to appear different altogether in case of some individuals with severely affected writings. Moreover, the analysis of copied writings indicated the execution of writing by a different person. Handwriting characteristics such as slant, spacing, and alignment were observed to show insignificance in analyzing differences between copied and genuine writings affected by the illness. Conclusion It has been concluded that rheumatoid arthritis causes deterioration of letters, tremor, disturbed rhythm, and a huge variation in other handwriting characteristics. The copied writings have also presented line quality defects like artificial tremor, hesitations, retouching, and unnatural pen lifts at all wrong places. The determination of these peculiarities may assist the document examiners in the differentiation of copied and affected writings.

Assigning Defined Daily/Course Doses for Antimicrobials in Turkeys to Enable a Cross-Country Quantification and Comparison of Antimicrobial Use

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens our public health and is mainly driven by antimicrobial usage (AMU). For this reason the World Health Organization calls for detailed monitoring of AMU over all animal sectors involved. Therefore, we aimed to quantify AMU on turkey farms. First, turkey-specific Defined Daily Dose (DDDturkey) was determined. These were compared to the broiler alternative from the European Surveillance of Veterinary Antimicrobial Consumption (DDDvet), that mention DDDvet as a proxy for other poultry species. DDDturkey ranged from being 81.5% smaller to 48.5% larger compared to its DDDvet alternative for broilers. Second, antimicrobial treatments were registered on 60 turkey farms divided over France, Germany and Spain between 2014 and 2016 (20 flocks per country). Afterwards, AMU was quantified using treatment incidence (TI) per 100 days. TI expresses the percentage of the rearing period that the turkeys were treated with a standard dose of antimicrobials. Minimum, median and maximum TI at flock level and based on DDDturkey = 0.0, 10.0 and 65.7, respectively. Yet, a huge variation in amounts of antimicrobials used at flock level was observed, both within and between countries. Seven farms (12%) did not use any antimicrobials. Aminopenicillins, polymyxins, and fluoroquinolones were responsible for 72.2% of total AMU. The proportion of treating farms peaked on week five of the production cycle (41.7%), and 79.4% of the total AMU was administered in the first half of production. To conclude, not all DDDvet values for broilers can be applied to turkeys. Additionally, the results of AMU show potential for reducing and improving AMU on turkey farms, especially concerning the usage of critically important antimicrobials.

Inter-District Variations in Agricultural Productivity of Jammu Division of Jammu & Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir is primarily an agrarian state. Around 80 percent of its population is engaged in this sector. The state has huge variation in its agro-climate diversity as Jammu region has a subtropical and Kashmir has temperate climate. These variations make it idyllic for performing varied cultivation. The present research paper is an attempt to analyze the variations in agricultural productivity of major crops at the district level in the Jammu division for the period 2010-11 to 2016-17. The results show tremendous variations in the productivity of the crop sector across districts. The districts of the Jammu region have depicted very low productivity and wide variations across the districts. The variations in the productivity level of the major crops of the Jammu region have been found mainly in the hilly areas like Kishtwar, Doda, Poonch and Reasi thus depicting wheat and maize as the staple food of these districts. These variations at district level has indicated the need for evolving specific strategies at the district level for ensuring sustainable and inclusive agricultural growth in a state consequently in the country.

Mitochondrial Genomic Landscape: A Portrait of the Mitochondrial Genome 40 Years after the First Complete Sequence

Notwithstanding the initial claims of general conservation, mitochondrial genomes are a largely heterogeneous set of organellar chromosomes which displays a bewildering diversity in terms of structure, architecture, gene content, and functionality. The mitochondrial genome is typically described as a single chromosome, yet many examples of multipartite genomes have been found (for example, among sponges and diplonemeans); the mitochondrial genome is typically depicted as circular, yet many linear genomes are known (for example, among jellyfish, alveolates, and apicomplexans); the chromosome is normally said to be “small”, yet there is a huge variation between the smallest and the largest known genomes (found, for example, in ctenophores and vascular plants, respectively); even the gene content is highly unconserved, ranging from the 13 oxidative phosphorylation-related enzymatic subunits encoded by animal mitochondria to the wider set of mitochondrial genes found in jakobids. In the present paper, we compile and describe a large database of 27,873 mitochondrial genomes currently available in GenBank, encompassing the whole eukaryotic domain. We discuss the major features of mitochondrial molecular diversity, with special reference to nucleotide composition and compositional biases; moreover, the database is made publicly available for future analyses on the MoZoo Lab GitHub page.

The Emerging Terbinafine-Resistant Trichophyton Epidemic: What Is the Role of Antifungal Susceptibility Testing?

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Dermatophytosis is commonly encountered in the dermatological clinics. The main aetiological agents in dermatophytosis of skin and nails in humans are <i>Trichophyton</i> (<i>T</i>.) <i>rubrum</i>, <i>T. mentagrophytes</i> and <i>T. interdigitale</i> (former <i>T. mentagrophytes-</i>complex). Terbinafine therapy is usually effective in eradicating infections due to these species by inhibiting their squalene epoxidase (SQLE) enzyme, but increasing numbers of clinically resistant cases and mutations in the SQLE gene have been documented recently. Resistance to antimycotics is phenotypically determined by antifungal susceptibility testing (AFST). However, AFST is not routinely performed for dermatophytes and no breakpoints classifying isolates as susceptible or resistant are available, making it difficult to interpret the clinical impact of a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). <b><i>Summary:</i></b> PubMed was systematically searched for terbinafine susceptibility testing of dermatophytes on October 20, 2020, by two individual researchers. The inclusion criteria were <i>in vitro</i> terbinafine susceptibility testing of <i>Trichophyton (T.) rubrum</i>, <i>T. mentagrophytes</i> and <i>T. interdigitale</i> with the broth microdilution technique. The exclusion criteria were non-English written papers. Outcomes were reported as MIC range, geometric mean, modal MIC and MIC₅₀ and MIC₉₀ in which 50 or 90% of isolates were inhibited, respectively. The reported MICs ranged from &#x3c;0.001 to &#x3e;64 mg/L. The huge variation in MIC is partly explained by the heterogeneity of the <i>Trichophyton</i> isolates, where some originated from routine specimens (wild types) whereas others came from non-responding patients with a known SQLE gene mutation. Another reason for the great variation in MIC is the use of different AFST methods where MIC values are not directly comparable. High MICs were reported particularly in isolates with SQLE gene mutation. The following SQLE alterations were reported: F397L, L393F, L393S, H440Y, F393I, F393V, F415I, F415S, F415V, S443P, A448T, L335F/A448T, S395P/A448T, L393S/A448T, Q408L/A448T, F397L/A448T, I121M/V237I and H440Y/F484Y in terbinafine-resistant isolates.

Adventitious Rooting in Populus Species: Update and Perspectives

Populus spp. are among the most economically important species worldwide. These trees are used not only for wood and fiber production, but also in the rehabilitation of degraded lands. Since they are clonally propagated, the ability of stem cuttings to form adventitious roots is a critical point for plant establishment and survival in the field, and consequently for the forest industry. Adventitious rooting in different Populus clones has been an agronomic trait targeted in breeding programs for many years, and many factors have been identified that affect this quantitative trait. A huge variation in the rooting capacity has been observed among the species in the Populus genus, and the responses to some of the factors affecting this trait have been shown to be genotype-dependent. This review analyses similarities and differences between results obtained from studies examining the role of internal and external factors affecting rooting of Populus species cuttings. Since rooting is the most important requirement for stand establishment in clonally propagated species, understanding the physiological and genetic mechanisms that promote this trait is essential for successful commercial deployment.

A Brief History of Time (to Issuance)

This chapter examines to another aspect of executive order management. It turns out that the average executive order takes some seventy-five days to move from draft proposal to the Federal Register, with huge variation around that figure. What affects that timing? What makes an executive order take longer to issue? What characteristics of orders and agencies, of interagency interaction and requirements of the management process itself, are associated with delay? Quantitative analysis, elaborated by case studies, helps us explore these questions for the first time as the duration of the formulation process is tested as a proxy for executive collective action problems.

Bursaphelenchus paraleoni n. sp. (Tylenchina: Aphelenchoididae) intercepted in Loblolly pine logs imported into China from the USA

Summary Bursaphelenchus paraleoni n. sp. was isolated from Loblolly pine, Pinus taeda, logs from the USA. The new species is characterised by a lateral field with three lines, 13-16 μm long stylet with small basal swellings, and the excretory pore located slightly posterior to the nerve ring. The male spicules are mitten-shaped, the lamina smoothly tapering towards the distal tip. The condylus is broadly rounded, with a small dorsally bent hook, rostrum triangular or conical with finely rounded tip, and cucullus absent. One midventral precloacal papilla, one adcloacal pair and two postcloacal pairs of genital papillae are present. The bursal flap is long and spade-like with the posterior margin truncate or irregular. Females have a small vulval flap 4-6 μm long, a post-vulval uterine sac extending for 34-49% of the vulva to anus distance, a very long tail with slight ventral curvature, mostly filiform and with a finely rounded terminus, occasionally bluntly rounded. Huge variation in the tails of males and females were observed in a culture. It is similar to species of B. eidmanni, B. leoni, and B. silvestris in the leoni-group but detailed phylogenetic analysis based on 18S, ITS and D2-D3 28S sequences confirmed it as a new species.

A Field Guide to Harlequins and Other Common Ladybirds of Britain and Ireland

The invasive Harlequin ladybird is an eye-catching and beautiful species, but it can be very difficult to identify, with huge variation in colouration and pattern. This comprehensive photographic field guide is the first complete guide to identifying Harlequin ladybirds found in Britain and Ireland. It also covers all the other 25 conspicuous ladybird species that occur. - Detailed, informative and beautifully illustrated with more than 350 remarkable colour photographs including ladybird developmental time sequences and numerous images of each ladybird species - Ground-breaking quick key for Harlequin identification - Includes a photographic guide to the larvae of all 26 species – the first of its kind - Easy to follow comprehensive descriptions and explanations of ladybird lifecycles and habits This clear, user-friendly field guide is ideal for anyone interested in learning how to identify a Harlequin ladybird, from beginners to more experienced entomologists, students and professionals. This book is ideal for learning to recognise and understand this charismatic and significant beetle.

Probabilistic Model-Based Malaria Disease Recognition System

In this paper, we present a probabilistic-based method to predict malaria disease at an early stage. Malaria is a very dangerous disease that creates a lot of health problems. Therefore, there is a need for a system that helps us to recognize this disease at early stages through the visual symptoms and from the environmental data. In this paper, we proposed a Bayesian network (BN) model to predict the occurrences of malaria disease. The proposed BN model is built on different attributes of the patient’s symptoms and environmental data which are divided into training and testing parts. Our proposed BN model when evaluated on the collected dataset found promising results with an accuracy of 81%. One the other hand, F1 score is also a good evaluation of these probabilistic models because there is a huge variation in class data. The complexity of these models is very high due to the increase of parent nodes in the given influence diagram, and the conditional probability table (CPT) also becomes more complex.