Abstract Approximation of functions of different classes have been considered by various researchers under different summability means. In the present paper, presumably a new theorem has been established under (E, 1)(N̅ pn) -product summability mean of conjugate Fourier series of a function of Zr (⍵) r (r ≥ 1) -class (generalized Zygmund class). Moreover, the result obtained here is a generalization of several known theorems.

ABSTRACT Introduction: Drug hypersensitivity reactions (DHR) are events that can occur during the administration of several chemotherapeutic agents and which could potentially be life-threatening. These events may present with intense pain, in some cases known as breakthrough cancer pain (BTCP). There are no currently available treatment guidelines for this specific type of pain. Objectives: To assess the efficacy of sublingual fentanyl citrate 100 mcg in cancer patients in the treatment of DHR-related BTCP during chemotherapy infusion. Material and methods: A retrospective study with patients receiving chemotherapy in the Medical Oncology Department of Hospital de Denia between 2013 and 2016 who were treated with fentanyl due to DHR-related BTCP (VAS [Visual Analogue Scale] > 7). BTCP severity was determined via a VAS before and after fentanyl administration. Student's t-test was used to compare VAS scores before and after the treatment. Results: A total of 34 patients were included (73.53 % women; mean age: 59.68 y/o). The chemotherapy treatments that were most frequently associated with the occurrence of DHR-related BTCP were docetaxel and oxaliplatin (both 35.29 %), followed by paclitaxel (20.59 %). On average, patients had a baseline VAS score of 8.55 (SD 0.79) before being treated with fentanyl. After treatment, the mean pain intensity was 1.48 (SD 1.50), which represented a significant difference (p < 0.001). The mean duration of the BTCP episode was of 5.29 minutes (SD 2.25), and the mean time to achieve pain relief was 1.52 minutes (SD 0.71). Conclusions: Sublingual fentanyl is an effective drug in the management of DHR-related BTCP during the infusion of taxanes and oxaliplatin, as it provides for a rapid and significant pain relief. Its role in this context should be further investigated by means of controlled clinical trials.

RESUMEN Introducción: Las reacciones de hipersensibilidad a fármacos (RHF) son eventos potencialmente mortales que se producen durante la administración de diversos agentes quimioterápicos. Pueden cursar con un dolor intenso, considerado en algunos casos como dolor irruptivo oncológico (DIO). Actualmente no existen guías para el tratamiento de este tipo específico de dolor. Objetivos: Evaluar, en pacientes oncológicos, la eficacia del citrato de fentanilo sublingual 100 mcg en el tratamiento del DIO asociado a RHF durante la infusión de quimioterapia. Material y métodos: Estudio retrospectivo con pacientes que recibieron quimioterapia en el servicio de Oncología Médica del Hospital de Denia entre 2013 y 2016 y que fueron tratados con fentanilo por DIO asociado a RHF (EVA > 7). Se estableció la gravedad del DIO mediante una escala EVA antes y después de administrar fentanilo. Se utilizó la t de Student para comparar las puntuaciones EVA antes y después del tratamiento. Resultados: En total, se incluyeron 34 pacientes (73,53 % mujeres, edad media 59,68 años). Los tratamientos quimioterápicos asociados a una mayor frecuencia a la aparición de DIO por RHF fueron docetaxel y oxaliplatino (ambos 35,29 %), seguidos de paclitaxel (20,59 %). En promedio, los pacientes tuvieron un valor basal de EVA de 8,55 (DE 0,79) antes de ser tratados con fentanilo. Tras el tratamiento, la intensidad media del dolor fue de 1,48 (DE 1,50), siendo la diferencia significativa (p < 0,001). La duración media del episodio de DIO fue de 5,29 minutos (DE 2,25), y el tiempo medio hasta el inicio del alivio del dolor de 1,52 minutos (DE 0,71). Conclusiones: Fentanilo sublingual es un fármaco efectivo en el manejo del DIO asociado a RHF durante la infusión de taxanos y oxaliplatino, donde permite un alivio rápido y significativo del dolor. Se debe seguir investigando su papel en este contexto mediante ensayos clínicos controlados.

In an opencast mine explosives are used for fragmentation of rock. Inefficient use of explosive energy in an opencast operation produces excessive ground vibration, which is measured by peak particle velocity (PPV). To mitigate ground vibration, it is essential to develop a model to predict PPV. At present empirical models are used. These models are based on only a few input variables, hence they fail to take into account the effects of the myriad factors that cause ground vibration. Due to lack of explicit knowledge about the complex mine blasting system the scope of application of mathematical and statistical modeling techniques is limited. The artificial neural network (ANN) technique is a learning algorithm that can remove some of these limitations and can be applied to predict PPV. In this paper an ANN model is developed for prediction of blast vibration using 248 data records collected from three coal mines with diverse geomining conditions. The correlation coefficient between measured PPV and model output was found to be 0.96 and the average error percentage 11.85. The ANN model output was compared with the output of three empirical models that are widely used for prediction of PPV. The correlation coefficient between the PPV predicted by an empirical model and measured PPV data was 0.63 and the relative error percentage 38.47. This result demonstrates the superiority of the ANN model compared to empirical blast models. By using site-specific structural discontinuities as input the model performance can be further improved. Sensitivity analysis and 3D plotting were used to gain further knowledge about blast-induced ground vibration.

This article is an edited transcription of a virtual symposium promoted by the Brazilian Society of Neuroscience and Behavior (SBNeC). Although the dynamics of sensory and motor representations have been one of the most studied features of the central nervous system, the actual mechanisms of brain plasticity that underlie the dynamic nature of sensory and motor maps are not entirely unraveled. Our discussion began with the notion that the processing of sensory information depends on many different cortical areas. Some of them are arranged topographically and others have non-topographic (analytical) properties. Besides a sensory component, every cortical area has an efferent output that can be mapped and can influence motor behavior. Although new behaviors might be related to modifications of the sensory or motor representations in a given cortical area, they can also be the result of the acquired ability to make new associations between specific sensory cues and certain movements, a type of learning known as conditioning motor learning. Many types of learning are directly related to the emotional or cognitive context in which a new behavior is acquired. This has been demonstrated by paradigms in which the receptive field properties of cortical neurons are modified when an animal is engaged in a given discrimination task or when a triggering feature is paired with an aversive stimulus. The role of the cholinergic input from the nucleus basalis to the neocortex was also highlighted as one important component of the circuits responsible for the context-dependent changes that can be induced in cortical maps.