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Pain localised to the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) and metatarsophalangeal (MTP) region represents a frequent cause of lameness in sport horses, and standing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of these regions is increasingly being acquired. This multicentre retrospective study describes the ranges of abnormalities identified on standing MRI of the MCP/MTP region and compares patterns of abnormalities between forelimbs, hindlimbs and different sports disciplines. In total, 341 MRI reports were reviewed. Subchondral bone plate irregularities, condylar and proximal phalanx pathologies were frequently identified with subchondral bone defect, sclerosis and increased intensity on STIR images often described. Medial pathology was frequently identified in the forelimbs, and more lateral pathology was reported in the hindlimbs, which could potentially reflect differences in the loading patterns. Significant differences in MRI findings were found between different sports activities, with MCP/MTP bone pathology occurring more frequently in MRI reports from race and endurance horses and MCP/MTP soft tissue injuries being reported more frequently in dressage and show-jumping horses, particularly in the suspensory apparatus, including the distal sesamoidean ligaments. The findings of this study identify patterns of MCP/MTP abnormalities detected using standing MRI, with differences seen between forelimbs and hindlimbs and between different sports disciplines.
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Heterotopic mineralization in equine distal limbs has been considered an incidental finding and little is known about its imaging features. The study aimed to identify heterotopic mineralization and adjacent pathology in the fetlock region with cone-beam (CB) computed tomography (CT), fan-beam (FB) CT, and low-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Images from 12 equine cadaver limbs were examined for heterotopic mineralization and adjacent pathology and verified by macro-examination. Retrospective review of the CBCT/MR images from 2 standing horses was also included. CBCT and FBCT identified twelve mineralization's with homogeneous hyperattenuation: oblique-sesamoidean-ligament (5) without macroscopic abnormality; deep-digital-flexor-tendon (1) and suspensory-branch (6) with macroscopic abnormalities. MRI failed to identify all mineralization's, but detected suspensory branch splitting, and T2 and STIR hyperintensity in 4 suspensory-branches and 3 oblique-sesamoidean-ligaments. Macro-examination found corresponding disruption/splitting and discoloration. All modalities identified 7 ossified fragments showing cortical/trabecular pattern: capsular (1), palmar sagittal ridge (1), proximal phalanx (2) without macroscopic abnormality, and proximal sesamoid bones (3). On MRI, fragments were most identifiable on T1 images. All abaxial avulsions had suspensory-branch splitting on T1 images with T2 and STIR hyperintensity. Macro-examination showed ligament disruption/splitting and discoloration. Suspensory-branch/intersesamoidean ligament mineralization's were identified by CBCT in standing cases; 1 had associated T2 hyperintensity. Both CT systems were generally superior in identifying heterotopic mineralization's than MRI, while MRI provided information on soft tissue pathology related to the lesions, which may be important for management.
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Enfermedades de los Caballos , Caballos , Animales , Enfermedades de los Caballos/diagnóstico , Articulaciones/patología , Huesos/patología , Tomografía Computarizada por Rayos X/veterinaria , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética/veterinariaRESUMEN
In the context of a global food system, the dynamics associated to international food trade have become key determinants of food security. In this paper, we resort to a diffusion model to simulate how shocks to domestic food production propagate through the international food trade network and study the relationship between trade openness and vulnerability. The results of our simulations suggest that low-income and food insecure countries tend to be the more exposed to external shocks and, at the same time, they are usually not in a position to take full advantage of international food trade when it comes to shield themselves from shocks to domestic production. We also study and discuss how nodes characteristics are associated with the propagation dynamics and with countries' vulnerability, finding that simple centrality measures can significantly predict the magnitude of the shock experienced by individual countries.
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Comercio , Abastecimiento de Alimentos , Alimentos , Seguridad AlimentariaRESUMEN
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0200639.].
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Food Security is a long-standing concern worldwide. The expansion of global food markets brings benefits but also risks, such as shock transmission within the global network of trade relations. We focus on this last issue, from an empirical point of view, by analysing the diffusion of trade shocks-defined as relevant drops in exported quantities-during the period 1986-2011, for four major staples (wheat, maize, rice, and soy-beans) both at country level and at global scale. We find that: (i) income per capita of importing countries is relevant in shock propagation; (ii) developing countries tend to absorb most of the negative export variation (i.e., the trade shock), and (iii) global food prices and real (tonnes) flows of commodities are only weakly correlated, meaning that a quantity-based investigation provides additional information with respect to a price-based analysis. This work offers a novel framework, complementary to the price-based literature, for the measurement of the propagation of international food shocks.
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Abastecimiento de Alimentos/economía , Modelos Teóricos , Comercio , Cooperación Internacional , TriticumRESUMEN
Solar foot penetration is one of the causes of deep digital flexor tendon injuries in horses, however, limited information is available on the prognosis for return to soundness in the absence of synovial sepsis. Objectives of this retrospective observational study were to describe low-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings and long-term outcome for a group of horses with this combination of clinical problems. Horses were included if low-field standing MRI of the foot was performed following puncture wounds, injury of the deep digital flexor tendon was diagnosed, and sepsis was confirmed to be absent in all adjacent synovial structures (distal interphalangeal joint, navicular bursa, and digital flexor tendon sheath). Medical records were reviewed and MRI studies were re-interpreted. Follow-up information was obtained via a telephone questionnaire at a minimum of 6 months post-injury. A total of 11 horses met inclusion criteria. In three horses, the deep digital flexor tendon injury was only visible in the T2 fast spin echo sequence and contrast radiography improved diagnostic certainty. The most commonly affected area was between the distal border of the distal sesamoid bone and the facies flexoria of the distal phalanx (6/11, 55%). Six horses (60%) had an excellent outcome (5, show jumping; 1, general purpose) and returned to full athletic function. Five horses (40%) were sound but had not yet resumed full work at the time of follow-up. Findings indicated that the prognosis for return to soundness can be good for horses with solar penetration, deep digital flexor injury, and absence of synovial sepsis.
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Enfermedades del Pie/veterinaria , Enfermedades de los Caballos/diagnóstico por imagen , Cojera Animal/etiología , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética/veterinaria , Traumatismos de los Tendones/patología , Animales , Femenino , Enfermedades del Pie/diagnóstico por imagen , Enfermedades del Pie/patología , Enfermedades de los Caballos/etiología , Caballos , Cojera Animal/diagnóstico por imagen , Masculino , Estudios Retrospectivos , Membrana Sinovial/diagnóstico por imagen , Membrana Sinovial/patología , Traumatismos de los Tendones/diagnóstico por imagenRESUMEN
The aim of the paper is to investigate the main determinants of the bilateral virtual water (water used in the production of a commodity or service) flows associated with international trade in agricultural goods across the Mediterranean basin. We consider the bilateral gross flows of virtual water in the area and study what export-specific and import-specific factors are significantly associated with virtual water flows. We follow a sequential approach. Through a gravity model of trade, we obtain a "refined" version of the variable we aim to explain, one that is free of the amount of flows due to pair-specific factors affecting bilateral trade flows and that fully reflects the impact of country-specific determinants of virtual water trade. A number of country-specific potential explanatory variables, ranging from water endowments to trade barriers, from per capita GDP to irrigation prices, is presented and tested. To identify the variables that help to explain the bilateral flows of virtual water, we adopt a model selection procedure based on model averaging. Our findings confirm one of the main controversial results in the literature: larger water endowments do not necessarily lead to a larger 'export' of virtual water, as one could expect. We also find some evidence that higher water irrigation prices reduce (increase) virtual water 'exports' ('imports').
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In this paper we develop a model for the evolution of multiple networks which is able to replicate the concentrated and sparse nature of world trade data. Our model is an extension of the preferential attachment growth model to the case of multiple networks. Countries trade a variety of goods of different complexity. Every country progressively evolves from trading less sophisticated to high-tech goods. The probabilities of capturing more trade opportunities at a given level of complexity and of starting to trade more complex goods are both proportional to the number of existing trade links. We provide a set of theoretical predictions and simulative results. A calibration exercise shows that our model replicates the same concentration level of world trade as well as the sparsity pattern of the trade matrix. We also discuss a set of numerical solutions to deal with large multiple networks.
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Comercio , Internacionalidad , Modelos Teóricos , Calibración , Simulación por ComputadorRESUMEN
It is commonly found that distributions that seem to be lognormal over a broad range change to a power-law (Pareto) distribution for the last few percentiles. The distributions of many physical, natural, and social events (earthquake size, species abundance, income and wealth, as well as file, city, and firm sizes) display this structure. We present a test for the occurrence of power-law tails in statistical distributions based on maximum entropy. This methodology allows one to identify the true data-generating processes even in the case when it is neither lognormal nor Pareto. The maximum entropy approach is then compared with other widely used methods and applied to different levels of aggregation of complex systems. Our results provide support for the theory that distributions with lognormal body and Pareto tail can be generated as mixtures of lognormally distributed units.
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Entropía , Modelos Teóricos , Distribución NormalRESUMEN
This paper studies the statistical properties of the web of import-export relationships among world countries using a weighted-network approach. We analyze how the distributions of the most important network statistics measuring connectivity, assortativity, clustering, and centrality have coevolved over time. We show that all node-statistic distributions and their correlation structure have remained surprisingly stable in the last 20 years -and are likely to do so in the future. Conversely, the distribution of (positive) link weights is slowly moving from a log-normal density towards a power law. We also characterize the autoregressive properties of network-statistics dynamics. We find that network-statistics growth rates are well-proxied by fat-tailed densities like the Laplace or the asymmetric exponential power. Finally, we find that all our results are reasonably robust to a few alternative, economically meaningful, weighting schemes.