Classical Variant Research Articles

Order by disorder in classical kagome antiferromagnets with chiral interactions

The Heisenberg antiferromagnet on the kagome lattice is an archetypal instance of how large ground state degeneracies arise, and how they may get resolved by thermal and quantum fluctuations. Augmenting the Heisenberg model by chiral spin interactions has proved to be of particular interest in the discovery of certain chiral quantum spin liquids. Here we consider the classical variant of this chiral kagome model and find that it exhibits, similar to the classical Heisenberg antiferromagnet, a remarkably large and structured ground-state manifold, which combines continuous and discrete degrees of freedom. This allows for a rich set of order-by-disorder phenomena. Degeneracy lifting occurs in a highly selective way, choosing already at the harmonic level specific triaxial states which however retain an emergent $Z_2$ degree of freedom (absent in the conventional Heisenberg model). We also study the competition of entropic and energetic ground state selection as the model interpolates between the purely chiral and Heisenberg cases. For this mixed model, we find a "proximate ordered-by-disorder" finite-temperature regime where fluctuations overcome the energetic ground state preference of the perturbation. Finally, a semiclassical route to a spin liquid is provided by quantum order by disorder in the purely chiral models, where the aforementioned $Z_2$ degrees of freedom are elevated to the role of an emergent gauge field.

Complement component C4 structural variation and quantitative traits contribute to sex-biased vulnerability in systemic sclerosis

Copy number (CN) polymorphisms of complement C4 play distinct roles in many conditions, including immune-mediated diseases. We investigated the association of C4 CN with systemic sclerosis (SSc) risk. Imputed total C4, C4A, C4B, and HERV-K CN were analyzed in 26,633 individuals and validated in an independent cohort. Our results showed that higher C4 CN confers protection to SSc, and deviations from CN parity of C4A and C4B augmented risk. The protection contributed per copy of C4A and C4B differed by sex. Stronger protection was afforded by C4A in men and by C4B in women. C4 CN correlated well with its gene expression and serum protein levels, and less C4 was detected for both in SSc patients. Conditioned analysis suggests that C4 genetics strongly contributes to the SSc association within the major histocompatibility complex locus and highlights classical alleles and amino acid variants of HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DPB1 as C4-independent signals.

Optimized variant calling for estimating kinship

One of the fundamental goals of forensic genetics is sample attribution, i.e., whether an item of evidence can be associated with some person or persons. The most common scenario involves a direct comparison, e.g., between DNA profiles from an evidentiary item and a sample collected from a person of interest. Less common is an indirect comparison in which kinship is used to potentially identify the source of the evidence. Because of the sheer amount of information lost in the hereditary process for comparison purposes, sampling a limited set of loci may not provide enough resolution to accurately resolve a relationship. Instead, whole genome techniques can sample the entirety of the genome or a sufficiently large portion of the genome and as such they may effect better relationship determinations. While relatively common in other areas of study, whole genome techniques have only begun to be explored in the forensic sciences. As such, bioinformatic pipelines are introduced for estimating kinship by massively parallel sequencing of whole genomes using approaches adapted from the medical and population genomic literature. The pipelines are designed to characterize a person’s entire genome, not just some set of targeted markers. Two different variant callers are considered, contrasting a classical variant calling algorithm (BCFtools) to a more modern deep convolution neural network (DeepVariant). Two different bioinformatic pipelines specific to each variant caller are introduced and evaluated in a titration series. Filters and thresholds are then optimized specifically for the purposes of estimating kinship as determined by the KING-robust algorithm. With the appropriate filtering and thresholds in place both tools perform similarly, with DeepVariant tending to produce more accurate genotypes, though the resultant types of inaccuracies tended to produce slightly less accurate overall estimates of relatedness

Unstable lesions of the forearm: Terminology, evaluative score and synoptic table

The term “unstable lesions of the forearm” (ULF) was born to more easily describe how a partial or complete instability of the forearm unit might occur due to a traumatic loss of the transverse or longitudinal connection between the radius and ulna. For such an alteration to occur, at least two of the three main osteoligamentous locks (proximal, middle and distal) must be interrupted, often in association with a radial and/or ulnar fracture. Examining the historical patterns (Monteggia, Galeazzi, Essex–Lopresti and criss-cross lesions) and variants described in the literature, out of a total of 586 recorded interventions for forearm trauma, two elbow teams and one wrist team selected 75 cases of ULF. The aim was to describe the instability depending on its clinical and radiographic features, together with the anatomopathological evolution of the lesions based on the time of diagnosis and treatment. The clinical results, evaluated using a new score (FIPS) the Forearm Italian Performance, revealed a correlation between earlier diagnosis and treatment and a better score. The authors suggest a synoptic table that describes 1) the type of instability (proximal transverse, distal transverse, longitudinal and transverse, proximal and distal transverse), 2) classic patterns and variants with characteristic lesions and evolution over time (acute, chronic dynamic, chronic static) and 3) the three forearm constraints and segmental involvement of radius and/or ulna using an alphanumeric classification. Finally, some generic surgical suggestions are proposed.

A multiplex real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay for differentiation of classical and variant II strains of avian infectious bronchitis virus.

Identification of avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) genotypes is essential for controlling infectious bronchitis (IB) disease, because vaccines that differ from the circulating strains might not provide efficient cross-protection. In Egypt, IBV strain typing is a difficult process, due to the widespread distribution of four genotype lineages (GI-13, GI-23, GI-1, and GI-16), which may contribute to IBV vaccination failure. In this study, we developed a multiplex real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (mRT-qPCR) assay that targets highly conserved areas of the S1 gene in order to detect classical (G1) and Egyptian variant II (G23) strains in allantoic fluids and clinical samples. The viral genotyping technique was assessed usingcommercially available vaccines as well as local strains, and 16 field isolates were tested to investigate its clinical applicability. The assay was found to be specific for the detection of classical and VAR II strains and did not detect the VAR I strain or other avian pathogens such as Newcastle disease virus, avian influenza virus (H9N2 and H5N8), or infectious bursal disease virus. The results also showed that 28 out of 41 samples tested positive for IBV utilizing rt-qRT-PCR targeting the N gene and that 26 out of the 28 positive samples were genotyped by mRT-qPCR targeting the S1 gene, whereas the remaining two samples that were not genotyped were VAR 1 (4/91) and VAR I (793/B). Interestingly, the testing could identify combined infections in one sample, indicating a mixed infection with both genotypes. The real-time RT-PCR assay could detect viral RNA at concentrations as low as 102 EID50 /ml for both classical and variant II. This assay is rapid, specific, and sensitive. It appears to be a valuable tool for regular disease monitoring that can be used to differentiate as well as identify viruses.

A robust ant colony metaheuristic for urban freight transport scheduling using passenger rail network

This paper considers a promising alternative for freight transport using urban passenger rail networks. It addresses a freight rail transport scheduling problem (FRTSP), which is one of the key operational issues to integrate freight into passenger transport in urban areas. In this paper, we develop a robust ant colony optimization (ACO) metaheuristic to tackle large-size instances. Taguchi method is used to set control parameters to make the algorithm robust. Computational results clearly highlight the proposed ACO algorithm’s capability of yielding near-optimal solutions in short computation times, even in large-size instances. They also show that the proposed algorithm dominates classic ACO variants, even when the parameters of these variants are also set using Taguchi method.

Clinical behaviour of papillary thyroid cancer oncocytic variant: stage-matched comparison versus classical and tall cell variant papillary thyroid cancer

ObjectivePapillary thyroid cancer (PTC) has many variants and most of them are mild tumors. Oncocytic variant (OV) is a rare subtype of PTC. There are controversial results about its prognosis in the literature. We investigated its aggressivity and clinical course by comparing it with classical variant (CV) and tall cell variant (TV) of PTC over a stage-matched design. Material and MethodsPure 100 OV, 71TV and 1219 CV were included in this retrospective cohort study. OV was compared with CV and TV according to independent prognostic parameters. OV was also compared stage by stage with CV and TV for recurrence. ResultsMean age was 46,8 years and male/female ratio 25/75 for OV. The recurrence rates in our study were 16% in OV, 13,5% in CV and 56% in TV. There is a statistically significant difference according to recurrence between stage I and stage IV OV and CV (p=0.023, p=0.03, respectively). There is also a statistically significant difference between stage I and stage IV OV and TV according to recurrence (p=0.001, p=0.024, respectively). OV can be supposed to behave between CV and TV, but very closer to CV. ConclusionsOV seems to be slightly more aggressive than CV. Despite an inadequate sample size for stage II and III, our findings imply an increased recurrence risk for OV than CV at the advanced stages (stage III and IV) and CV has an unfavorable prognosis than OV at early stages (stage I and II) according to stage-matched model.

Susceptibility of Domestic Goat (Capra aegagrus hircus) to Experimental Infection with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) B.1.351/Beta Variant.

A wide range of animal species are susceptible to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Natural and/or experimental infections have been reported in pet, zoo, farmed and wild animals. Interestingly, some SARS-CoV-2 variants, such as B.1.1.7/Alpha, B.1.351/Beta, and B.1.1.529/Omicron, were demonstrated to infect some animal species not susceptible to classical viral variants. The present study aimed to elucidate if goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) are susceptible to the B.1.351/Beta variant. First, an in silico approach was used to predict the affinity between the receptor-binding domain of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.351/Beta variant and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 from goats. Moreover, we performed an experimental inoculation with this variant in domestic goat and showed evidence of infection. SARS-CoV-2 was detected in nasal swabs and tissues by RT-qPCR and/or immunohistochemistry, and seroneutralisation was confirmed via ELISA and live virus neutralisation assays. However, the viral amount and tissue distribution suggest a low susceptibility of goats to the B.1.351/Beta variant. Therefore, although monitoring livestock is advisable, it is unlikely that goats play a role as SARS-CoV-2 reservoir species, and they are not useful surrogates to study SARS-CoV-2 infection in farmed animals.

Mantle cell lymphoma involving the oral and maxillofacial region: a study of 20 cases

To investigate the clinicopathologic features of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) involving the oral and maxillofacial region. The MCL cases were retrieved from the pathosis database of 6 pathology laboratories. Original hematoxylin and eosin slides and immunohistochemical reactions were reviewed for confirmation of the initial diagnosis. Clinical data of the cases were obtained from the patients' pathosis and/or medical charts. Twenty cases were included in the study, showing a male predominance and a mean age of 66 years. The oral cavity (12 cases) and the oropharynx (5 cases) were the most commonly involved subsites. Most cases presented as asymptomatic swellings, with 2 cases showing bilateral involvement of the palate. The classic histologic variant predominated (12/20 cases). All cases expressed CD20 with nuclear cyclin D1 positivity. SOX11 was seen in 9/13 cases, CD5 in 6/16 cases, Bcl2 in 16/19 cases, CD10 in 2/20 cases, and Bcl6 in 4/16 cases. Ki67 showed a mean proliferation index of 40.6%. The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) was negative in all cases investigated. Follow-up data was available for 7 patients, with 5 currently alive and 2 deceased. Mantle cell lymphoma, albeit rare, may manifest in the oral and maxillofacial region. Its histologic heterogeneity demands a high degree of diagnostic skill from pathologists.

Protein profiling by reverse phase protein array (RPPA) in classical hairy cell leukemia (HCL) and HCL-variant.

Classical hairy cell leukemia (HCL-c) and HCL variant (HCL-v) are recognized as separate entities with HCL-v having significantly shorter overall survival. Proteomic studies, shown to be prognostic in various forms of leukemia, have not been performed in HCL. We performed reverse phase protein array-based protein profiling with 384 antibodies in HCL-c (n = 12), HCL-v (n = 4), and normal B-cells (n = 5) samples. While HCL could be distinguished from normal based on unsupervised hierarchical clustering, overlap in protein expression patterns was seen between HCL-c and HCL-v, with ∼10% of the proteins being differentially expressed, suggesting potential therapeutic targets.

32748 A case series of pediatric cellular neurothekeomas and a review of the histologic spectrum

Neurothekeomas are rare, benign neoplasms of unknown histogenesis. These neoplasms are a frequent source of diagnostic challenge due to their incompletely defined clinical and morphologic spectrum. Clinically, they may present as a solitary, slow-growing papule or nodule on the head, neck, or extremities of younger individuals, with a slight female predominance. They have traditionally been classified into 3 histologic variants: classical (myxoid), cellular, and mixed, depending on immunohistochemical (IHC) staining and the amount of myxoid matrix. Although the classical variant is believed to be derived from neural sheath cells due to positive S-100 staining, the cellular variant is presumably derived from perineural or dermal lineage. IHC findings for cellular neurothekeomas are typically positive for NKI/C3, smooth muscle actin (SMA) and neuron-specific enolase (NSE), while negative for epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) and S-100. There have been few reports of a rare myxoid cellular neurothekeoma entity that presents with histologic features of the myxoid variant combined with IHC findings of the cellular variant. We herein report a case series of 3 pediatric patients diagnosed with cellular neurothekeoma, particularly highlighting 2 unusual case of a myxoid cellular neurothekeoma with atypical IHC that was negative for NKI/C3, SMA, and NSE as well as negative for S-100. In addition to reporting on our institutional experience with 3 clinical cases of cellular neurothekeomas in a pediatric population, we will explore the histologic spectrum and discuss the current understanding of cellular neurothekeomas.

EVOLUTION OF DRUG THERAPY FOR CLASSICAL HODGKIN LYMPHOMA

Hodgkin's lymphoma is a malignant disease of the lymphatic system. Hodgkin's lymphoma was first described by Dr. Thomas Hodgkin in 1832 and later named “Hodgkin's disease” by Samuel Wilkes. Hodgkin's lymphoma accounts for about 24 % of all lymphomas. Hodgkin's lymphoma is classified as classical and nodular lymphoid-predominant (Nodular type of lymphoidpredominant Hodgkin's lymphoma). Classical Hodgkin's lymphoma includes the following histologic variants: nodular sclerosis variant (types I and II), mixed cell variant, classic lymphocyte-rich variant, and rare lymphoid depletion variant. Epidemiological and serological studies showed the involvement of the Epstein-Barr virus into Hodgkin's lymphoma etiology, since its genome was found in the study of the biopsy material samples from patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma. A relationship with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was revealed as well, and patients infected with HIV have a significantly increased risk of developing Hodgkin's lymphoma compared to healthy people. An in-depth study of the Hodgkin's lymphoma pathophysiology revealed new therapeutic targets in the treatment of this disease. All these discoveries changed the understanding of the Hodgkin's lymphoma pathogenesis, and were important for the development of new methods of treatment. The history of therapy begins on the cusp of the 19th and 20th centuries. Over the past four decades, achievements in radiation therapy and combined chemotherapy have significantly improved overall survival of patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Currently, more than 80 % of patients under 60 years old with first diagnosed Hodgkin's lymphoma can be cured from this disease after first-line chemotherapy.

Scale-selective and noise-robust extended local binary pattern for texture classification

As one of the most successful local feature descriptors, the local binary pattern (LBP) estimates the texture distribution rule of an image based on the signs of differences between neighboring pixels to obtain intensity- and rotation- invariance. In this paper, we propose a novel image descriptor to address scale transformation and noise interference simultaneously. We name it scale-selective and noise-robust extended LBP (SNELBP). First, each image in training sets is transformed into different scale spaces by a Gaussian filter. Second, noise-robust pattern histograms are obtained from each scale space by using our previously proposed median robust extended LBP (MRELBP). Then, scale-invariant histograms are determined by selecting the maximum among all scale levels for a certain image. Finally, the most informative patterns are selected from the dictionary pretrained by the two-stage compact dominant feature selection method (CDFS), maintaining the descriptor more lightweight with sufficiently low time cost. Extensive experiments on five public databases (Outex_TC_00011, TC_00012, KTH-TIPS, UMD and NEU) and one fresh texture database (JoJo) under two kinds of interferences (Gaussian and salt pepper) indicate that our SNELBP yields more competitive results than thirty classical LPB variants as well as eight typical deep learning methods.

ПРЕДВАРИТЕЛЬНОЕ ОПИСАНИЕ РАБОТЫ ЖЕЛЕЗОБЕТОННЫХ ЭЛЕМЕНТОВ С ВНЕШНИМ АРМИРОВАНИЕМ КОМПОЗИТНЫМИ МАТЕРИАЛАМИ ПРИ ИЗГИБЕ С КРУЧЕНИЕМ

The calculation methods of reinforced external reinforcement elements when working on torsion are considered succinctly in available sources and current regulatory documents. This article discusses a number of existing proven methods for calculating reinforced concrete bendable elements with external composite reinforcement, including when working with torsion. The necessity of introducing into the existing calculation dependences of the prerequisites for substantiating the behavior of reinforced concrete bendable elements, including those with external composite reinforcement, when working in a complex stress-strain state is described. The cases of occurrence of additional torsional forces in the conditions of classical variants of loads and impacts on the element are considered. A description of the work of reinforced concrete elements with external reinforcement with composite materials during bending with torsion is proposed. The main provisions of the work of reinforced concrete structures in bending with torsion are given. The main limiting states are presented. An assumptions are made about the possible presence of additional limiting states of reinforced concrete elements with external reinforcement with composite materials. A variant of the condition of proportionality of longitudinal relative deformations for reinforced concrete elements with external reinforcement with composite materials during bending with torsion is proposed.

Encapsulated Follicular Variant of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: A review on Surgical Treatment.

Differentiated thyroid carcinoma is one of the commonest malignancies in head and neck region. Among differentiated thyroid carcinoma, papillary carcinoma is the commonest. Encapsulated follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma tumors are very indolent tumors which behave like benign tumors. Many tumors have been over diagnosed and over treated in spite of their indolent nature. We aimed to find out if total thyroidectomy is really required for very low grade tumors like encapsulated FVPTC. We operated 672 patients of thyroid disease during 2012 to 2020 in SMS Medical College, Jaipur. Out of 256 patients, 199 patients (78%) had papillary carcinoma of thyroid. Classical variant was present in 40% and follicular variant was present in 35% (N-69). Out of 69 patients with follicular variant of PTC, 59 patients had well encapsulated type of follicular variant of PTC while 10 patients had invasive type of follicular variant of PTC. Encapsulated FVPTC are less aggressive and indolent tumors. They should be treated more conservatively. Hemithyroidectomy is sufficient treatment for its complete cure. Out of 69 patients with Follicular variant of PTC, 59 patients had encapsulated disease. Out of 59 patients, 14 (24%) had bilateral nodular disease. 45 (77%) patients had unilateral disease; multicentric in one lobe in 9 (15%) patients and unicentric in 36 (61%) patients. However, encapsulated FVPTC was only found in predominant lobe and the non dominant lobe had benign disease.

Sturge Weber Syndrome Roach Type I: A case report

Convulsion is a serious neurological symptom with diverse underlying etiology ranging from metabolic causes to organic brain lesions. Congenital neuro-cutaneous syndromes are rare causes of seizures that manifest with specific external features. This article reports a 22-year-old man born to non-consanguine parents, who presents with recurrent seizures commencing at the age of one year along with thephysical sign of capillary hemangioma on the right side of theface and radiological evidence of ipsilateral subcortical calcification in the brain. These features constitute the diagnosis of a rare neuro-cutaneous disorder, the Sturge-Weber syndrome, a classical variant, the Roach Type I.

APPLICATION OF FINITE DIFFERENCE METHOD FOR MEASUREMENT SIMULATION IN ULTRASOUND TRANSMISSION TOMOGRAPHY

In this work, we present a computer simulation model that generates the propagation of sound waves to solve a forward problem in ultrasound transmission tomography. The simulator can be used to create data sets used in the supervised learning process. A solution to the "free-space" boundary problem was proposed, and the memory consumption was significantly optimized from O(n2) to O(n). The given method of simulating wave scattering enables the control of the noise extinction time within the tomographic probe and the permeability of the sound wave. The presented version of the script simulates the classic variant of a circular probe with evenly distributed sensors around the circumference.

OF CHRONIC B-LYMPHOPROLIFERATIVE DISEASES BY FLOW CYTOMETRY: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Relevance: Immunophenotyping with multiparameter flow cytofluorimetry differentiates classical variants of chronic B-lymphoproliferative diseases. However, some atypical conditions are hard to interpret, leading to the search for new differential markers.
 The study aimed to analyze the predictive value of monoclonal markers CD200, CD103, and CD11c in differential diagnostics of hairy
 cell leukemia, splenic marginal zone lymphoma, and splenic mantle zone lymphoma.
 Methods: We studied open access articles with a search depth of 10 years using the following databases of scientific publications
 and specialized search engines: PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus, Сyberleninka, and the eLIBRARY
 electronic library. As a result, 30 literary sources were identified, of which eight publications were the basis of the analytical material for
 this article. Inclusion criteria: Evidence level A, B publications: meta-analyses, systematic reviews, cohort, and cross-sectional studies.
 Exclusion criteria: expert opinion in the form of short messages or promotional articles.
 Results: We revealed a different degree of informativeness of some traditional markers in immunophenotypic diagnostics of B-cell
 lymphoproliferative diseases by flow cytometry; the use of additional differential markers CD200, CD103, and CD11c showed their high
 informativeness in differential diagnostics between different variants of B-cell lymphoproliferative diseases with initial immunophenotypic
 and morphological characteristics of lymphoid elements.
 Conclusion: Analysis of the selected publications gives grounds to improve the multiparametric panel for differential diagnostics of
 chronic B-lymphoproliferative diseases.

THE ROLE OF DIFFERENTIAL MARKERS CD 200, CD103, CD11C IN THE DIAGNOSIS
 OF CHRONIC B-LYMPHOPROLIFERATIVE DISEASES BY FLOW CYTOMETRY:
 A LITERATURE REVIEW

Relevance: Immunophenotyping with multiparameter flow cytofluorimetry allows differentiating classical variants of chronic B-lymphoproliferative diseases. However, some atypical conditions are hard to interpret; they gave rise to the search for new differential markers.
 The study aimed to analyze the predictive value of monoclonal markers CD200, CD103, and CD11c in differential diagnostics of hairy cell
 leukemia, splenic marginal zone lymphoma, and splenic mantle zone lymphoma.
 Methods: We studied open access articles with a search depth of 10 years using the following databases of scientific publications and specialized search engines: PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus, Сyberleninka, and the eLIBRARY electronic library. As
 a result, 30 literary sources were identified, of which eight publications were the basis of the analytical material for this article. Inclusion criteria:
 Evidence level A, B publications: meta-analyses, systematic reviews, cohort, and cross-sectional studies. Exclusion criteria: expert opinion in the
 form of short messages or promotional articles.
 Results: We revealed a different degree of informativeness of some traditional markers in immunophenotypic diagnostics of B-cell lymphoproliferative diseases by flow cytometry; the use of additional differential markers CD200, CD103, and CD11c showed their high informativeness
 in differential diagnostics between different variants of B-cell lymphoproliferative diseases with initial immunophenotypic and morphological
 characteristics of lymphoid elements.
 Conclusion: Analysis of the selected publications gives grounds to improve the multiparametric panel for differential diagnostics of chronic
 B-lymphoproliferative diseases.

A Novel AI-Based Visual Stimuli Generation Approach for Environment Concept Design

The nature of environment concept design is a visual-based issue, where designers need to find loads of visual stimuli to create the high-quality concept. This paper aims to introduce a novel AI-based method to automatically generate images as design inspiration for environment concept design. Through interviewing eight professionals, we discovered that acquiring the design stimulus with inspired “composition” in a short time is the prioritized need of designers. This paper takes spectacular ambience for example. Through testing six classic GAN model variants trained by a self-made data set, we selected qualified four models to generate black and white thumbnails as stimuli with spectacular ambience. Moreover, we conducted a qualitative study of the outputs of the four models in a manner that invite eight designers to discuss. Finally, we summarized five key factors that influence designers' satisfaction with generated visual stimuli and discuss future directions that are worth studying.