BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The size variation of single subcortical infarcts (SSIs) may be because of differences in stroke mechanisms or branching patterns of perforators. We aim to investigate this issue using high-resolution MRI. METHODS Patients with high-resolution MRI-identified SSI without significant (≥50%) middle cerebral artery stenosis were enrolled. Perforator stems were defined as pe...

Successful production and development of stable and adaptable genotypes only depend on the positive results achieved from the interaction between genotype and environment that consequently has a significant impact on breeding strategies. In this regard, we conducted an experiment to study genotypic differences of 16 lines durum wheat under both zinc sufficient and deficient stress during 2014-2...

BACKGROUND Deep and organ/space surgical site infections (D/OS SSI) cause significant morbidity, mortality, and costs. Rates are publicly reported and increasingly used as quality metrics affecting hospital payment. Lack of standardized surveillance methods threaten the accuracy of reported data and decrease confidence in comparisons based upon these data. METHODS We analyzed data from nation...

Methods Exploratory descriptive study, developed in a governmental hospital of tertiary care in Minas Gerais (Brazil), from January 2008 to December 2009. Medical records and reports of control infection practitioner of 98 patients readmitted with SSI were reviewed and the data were analyzed in relation to gender, age, co morbidities, length of staying, surgery, specialty, type of procedures, w...

Everyday walking is often interrupted by obstacles and changes in the environment that make gait a highly non-stationary process. This study introduces a novel measure, termed the step stability index (SSI), to quantify stepping stability under non-stationary walking conditions among older adults. This index is based on the ensemble empirical mode decomposition method. We hypothesized that a hi...

Defining droughts based on a single variable/index (e.g., precipitation, soil moisture, or runoff) may not be sufficient for reliable risk assessment and decision-making. In this paper, a multivariate, multiindex droughtmodeling approach is proposed using the concept of copulas. The proposed model, named Multivariate Standardized Drought Index (MSDI), probabilist ically combines the Standardize...

Common bean is adapted to relatively cool climatic conditions and temperatures of>30 Cduring the day or>20 C at night result in yield reduction. The long-term goal of breeding for heat tolerance is the development of germplasm with improved field level tolerance under variable temperature conditions. Using previously developed stress indices, this studypresents results fromhigh temperature scre...

Abstract Mountain snowpacks act as natural water towers, storing winter precipitation until summer months when downstream demand is greatest. We introduce a Snow Storage Index (SSI), representing the temporal phase difference between daily and surface inputs—sum of rainfall snowmelt into terrestrial systems—weighted by relative magnitudes. Different from snow equivalent or fraction, SSI represe...

BACKGROUND In 2008, a bundle of care to prevent Surgical Site Infections (SSIs) was introduced in the Netherlands. The bundle consisted of four elements: antibiotic prophylaxis according to local guidelines, no hair removal, normothermia and 'hygiene discipline' in the operating room (i.e. number of door movements). Dutch hospitals were advised to implement the bundle and to measure the outcome...