394 research outputs found
NLINLS: a Differential Evolution based nonlinear least squares Fortran 77 program
No full textThis paper provides the list of Fortran 77 codes of nonlinear least squares using Differential Evolution as the minimizer algorithm. It has been tested on a number of difficult nonlinear least squares problems (taken from NIST, USA including CPC-X Software challenge problems). Help on how to use the program also is provided.Nonlinear least squares; Differential Evolution; Fortran 77
Reconstructing the impact of human activities in a NW Iberian Roman mining landscape for the last 2500 years
No full textThis article was made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.Little is known about the impact of human activities during Roman times on NW Iberian mining landscapes beyond the geomorphological transformations brought about by the use of hydraulic power for gold extraction. We present the high-resolution pollen record of La Molina mire, located in an area intensely used for gold mining (Asturias, NW Spain), combined with other proxy data from the same peat core to identify different human activities, evaluate the strategies followed for the management of the resources and describe the landscape response to human disturbances. We reconstructed the timing and synchronicity of landscape changes of varying intensity and form occurred before, during and after Roman times. An open landscape was prevalent during the local Late Iron Age, a period of relatively environmental stability. During the Early Roman Empire more significant vegetation shifts took place, reflected by changes in both forest (Corylus and Quercus) and heathland cover, as mining/metallurgy peaked and grazing and cultivation increased. In the Late Roman Empire, the influence of mining/metallurgy on landscape change started to disappear. This decoupling was further consolidated in the Germanic period (i.e., Visigothic and Sueve domination of the region), with a sharp decrease in mining/metallurgy but continued grazing. Although human impact was intense in some periods, mostly during the Early Roman Empire, forest regeneration occurred afterwards: clearances were local and short-lived. However, the Roman mining landscape turned into an agrarian one at the onset of the Middle Ages, characterized by a profound deforestation at a regional level due to a myriad of human activities that resulted in an irreversible openness of the landscape. © 2014 The Authors
Proposta de recursos ergonômicos para ambientes de autoria e para bibliotecas de objetos de interação reutilizáveis /
No full textDissertação (Mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico.O primeira meta deste estudo foi analisar e compreender como a engenharia de software, as técnicas, métodos e ferramentas formais necessárias à produção de software, tratam o desenvolvimento da interface do usuário. Esta análise evidenciou que as metodologias atualmente aplicadas na concepção de interfaces do usuário, não utilizam técnicas que busquem efetivamente especificar e avaliar os principais requisitos do usuário e da tarefa a ser informatizada. Com base nestes resultados, são apresentadas três técnicas de análise e projeto que buscam complementar estas metodologias tradicionais, fornecendo suporte para a integração de fatores humanos nas interações homem-computador (MUSE), descrevendo e analisando como a informação é utilizada durante a realização das tarefas (AIU) e gerando interfaces através de modelos de dados baseados em regras ergonômicas (GENIUS). A partir da compreensão destes métodos, realizou-se um estudo investigatório sobre ferramentas para desenvolvimento de interfaces, buscando avaliar o estado da arte destas ferramentas, verificando e apresentando as características de algumas delas, seus objetos de interação, suas potencialidades, funcionalidades e falhas. Este estudo permitiu formalizar várias considerações sobre estas ferramentas, que mescladas com requisitos ergonômicos para interfaces do usuário encontrados em vários autores e guias de estilo (Bastien & Scapin, Smith & Mosier, Motif, Microsoft, LabIUtil), formam um quadro de propostas de recursos ergonômicos para um possível ambiente de autoria e seus respectivos objetos de interação, na intenção de construir uma ferramenta com características de utilização ergonômicas, de uso fácil e que produza interfaces dentro de normas e padrões também ergonômicos
Molecular characteristics and antimicrobial resistance in invasive and noninvasive Group B Streptococcus between 2008 and 2015 in China
No full textGroup B streptococcus (GBS) is an increasing pathogen threat to newborns and adults with immunodepressive diseases. Here, a total of 193 GBS, including 51 invasive and 142 noninvasive isolates, were collected from the patients with infections in 7 tertiary hospitals from 5 cities in China during the year 2008 to 2015. The strains of GBS were characterized by classical and molecular techniques for capsular polysaccharide serotyping, genes for pilus island (PI) and et-like protein (alp), and antibiotic resistance profiling. Of 193 isolates, the predominant serotypes were III (45.6%) and Ia (18.7%). All strains carried at least 1 PI gene. The combination of PI-2b and PI-1 was present in 46.1% isolates, followed by PI-2a alone (80, 41.5%) and PI-2b alone (23, 11.9%). The most prevalent alp gene was rib (87, 45.1%), followed by alpha-C (47, 24.4%), epsilon (33, 17.1%), alp2/3 (7, 3.6%) and alp4 (2,1.0%), respectively. The clonal relationships between strains were investigated using multilocus sequence typing. The strains were distinguished into 26 individual sequence typing, and further clustered into 6 clonal complexes. A significant association was noted between the distributions of alp genes, serotyping and PI profiles, such as serotype III-rib-PI + PI-2a, Ib-alpha-C, and Ia-epsilon-PI-2a. No penicillin-resistant strains were detected, and 74.1%, 64.2%, and 68.9% were resistant to erythromycin, clindamycin, and tetracycline, respectively. The infective GBS isolates in China demonstrated epidemical features. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Beijing Municipal Science &Technology Commission, PR China [Z141107002514036]; Civil Aviation General Hospital Research Funds [2014001]; National Natural Science Foundation of China [81260244]SCI(E)[email protected]
Identification of heart rate-associated loci and their effects on cardiac conduction and rhythm disorders
No full textElevated resting heart rate is associated with greater risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality. In a 2-stage meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies in up to 181,171 individuals, we identified 14 new loci associated with heart rate and confirmed associations with all 7 previously established loci. Experimental downregulation of gene expression in Drosophila melanogaster and Danio rerio identified 20 genes at 11 loci that are relevant for heart rate regulation and highlight a role for genes involved in signal transmission, embryonic cardiac development and the pathophysiology of dilated cardiomyopathy, congenital heart failure and/or sudden cardiac death. In addition, genetic susceptibility to increased heart rate is associated with altered cardiac conduction and reduced risk of sick sinus syndrome, and both heart rate-increasing and heart rate-decreasing variants associate with risk of atrial fibrillation. Our findings provide fresh insights into the mechanisms regulating heart rate and identify new therapeutic targets
Prevalence and diagnostic value of GPs' gut feelings for cancer and serious diseases : protocol for a prospective observational study of diagnostic validity
No full textAbstract: Introduction Cancer diagnosis in primary care is an important challenge for general practitioners (GPs) due to the relatively low frequency of any single type of cancer and the heterogeneous signs and symptoms that can be present. In addition to analytical reasoning, GPs may become aware of gut feelings (GFs) as they suspect that a patient may have cancer or another serious disease. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and the predictive value of GFs for the diagnosis of cancer and serious diseases. Methods and analysis Prospective observational study of diagnostic validity. Participation will be offered to GPs from Majorca and Zaragoza (Spain). They will recruit all patients with a new reason for encounter during one or two workdays. GPs will complete the Gut Feelings Questionnaire (GFQ). Variables regarding patient, GP and consultation will be collected. Two and 6 months after the first visit, incident diagnoses of cancer or other serious diseases, diagnostic tests performed, referrals and new visits will be recorded. Analysis will include a descriptive analysis of the variables and prevalence of GFs, and the sensitivity, specificity, predictive values and likelihood ratios of the GFs (sense of alarm and sense of reassurance) for diagnosing cancer and other serious diseases, as measured with the GFQ. Ethics and dissemination The study has obtained approval from the Majorcan Primary Care Research Committee and from the Balearic Islands Ethical Committee, with reference number IB 3210/16 PI. The results may help GPs to make more accurate decisions about which patients need further examinations to rule out or to confirm a diagnosis of cancer or a serious disease, and which ones do not. The results will be published as part of the PhD project of the first author and in open access journals, and will be presented at medical conferences
Prevalence and diagnostic value of GPs' gut feelings for cancer and serious diseases: protocol for a prospective observational study of diagnostic validity
No full text[eng] Introduction Cancer diagnosis in primary care is an important challenge for general practitioners (GPs) due to the relatively low frequency of any single type of cancer and the heterogeneous signs and symptoms that can be present. In addition to analytical reasoning, GPs may become aware of gut feelings (GFs) as they suspect that a patient may have cancer or another serious disease. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and the predictive value of GFs for the diagnosis of cancer and serious diseases. Methods and analysis Prospective observational study of diagnostic validity. Participation will be offered to GPs from Majorca and Zaragoza (Spain). They will recruit all patients with a new reason for encounter during one or two workdays. GPs will complete the Gut Feelings Questionnaire (GFQ). Variables regarding patient, GP and consultation will be collected. Two and 6 months afterafter the first visit, incident diagnoses of cancer or other serious diseases, diagnostic tests performed, referrals and new visits will be recorded. Analysis will include a descriptive analysis of the variables and prevalence of GFs, and the sensitivity, specificity, predictive values and likelihood ratios of the GFs (sense of alarm and sense of reassurance) for diagnosing cancer and other serious diseases, as measured with the GFQ. Ethics and dissemination The study has obtained approval from the Majorcan Primary Care Research Committee and from the Balearic Islands Ethical Committee, with reference number IB 3210/16 PI. The results may help GPs to make more accurate decisions about which patients need further examinations to rule out or to confirm a diagnosis of cancer or a serious disease, and which ones do not. The results will be published as part of the PhD project of the first author and in open access journals, and will be presented at medical conferences
In cane's shadow: the impact of commodity plantations on local subsistence agriculture on Cuba's mid-nineteenth century sugar frontier
No full textThe fertility of the Cuban soil should have meant that the island be capable of feeding itself, yet during the nineteenth century such self-sufficiency appeared to be sacrificed in favour of spreading commodity cultivation – in particular sugar plantations, with this single crop coming to dominate the national economy. Cane plantations increasingly dominated the Cuban landscape, casting an ever longer shadow over the island's agricultural diversity as they spread, and by the early years of the twentieth century it seemed legitimate to claim that “without sugar there is no country”. Sugar exports became by far the most important element in the island's economy, generating great wealth for some but at the same time leading to considerable fragility; and by the beginning of the twentieth century, the impact of extensive sugar cane cultivation had radically altered the island's environment. However, even in its heyday, cane was just one (albeit very large scale and lucrative) agricultural product in a country where a large proportion of the rural population lived and worked on peasant smallholdings. Whether these were directly or indirectly tied to larger estates, or seeking to scratch out an independent living from the land that the plantations were unable to exploit (or had not yet reached) - along with the cultivation of food crops on the conucos of slaves and emancipated plantation workers and intercropping on estates ostensibly devoted to other commodity crops - they resulted in a hidden rural diversity belying the absolute dominance of cane.
Nevertheless, and despite the growth in the number of such smallholdings alongside the spread of the cane plantations, as the nineteenth century progressed Cuba found itself unable to meet its basic food requirements. That this was so at a national level has long been known. What is less understood is what actually occurred to the local subsistence economy in those districts where sugar-cane plantations spread. This paper makes a start at addressing this question. Drawing on mid-nineteenth century census data – in preparation for subsequent detailed local research - a comparison is made between two local cases of the nineteenth-century sugar frontier: San Juan de los Remedios, in the centre of the island; and Guantánamo, in the extreme east. Both districts saw cane cultivation rapidly rise from insignificance, though at the same time, neither district became entirely dominated by this one crop during the period (though they would be subsequently), thereby enabling the detailed relationship between the growth in sugar production and the local availability of basic food crops to be observed. The paper begins by describing the varied form that Cuban agriculture took prior to the development of ‘modern' sugar plantations, with its diverse combination of subsistence and commodity crops, before describing the spread of sugar plantations during the nineteenth century, and the increasing importance of this single crop for the island's economy, as well as its apparent dominance of some localities. The paper goes on to analyse the impact that the spread of a plantation economy had upon rural areas, both in terms of the apparent spread of smallholdings and the inability of the island to satisfy its basic food requirements. The paper ends with a discussion of the dynamic relationship between commodity and subsistence agriculture in Cuba
Technology education in secondary schools
No full textThe author outlines his background and refers to current relevant attitudes. He considers changes which have influenced the curriculum for manufacturing in resilient materials in schools. The word technology is currently in common use. Having examined a range of sources for common themes, the author synthesises a definition and examines some implications. He uses the example of the development of the electronic computer to illustrate the difference between science and technology before arguing that 'new technology', in schools, properly belongs within the framework of 'Craft Design & Technology' (CDT). Using references from industry, education and elsewhere, he describes the process of designing and upholds its predominance as a skill to be fostered. Arising from its cyclic nature are implications for the assessment of performance. As labour saving devices, windmills and robots are widely separated by time but both require control and the author seeks to explore this link. The components of control are also identifiable in the work of pupils over many years. He contrasts industrial robots with those of their prophets. The need far a review of the education service was established in 1976. The consequent chain of political initiatives in Britain is described highlighting the nature of politics. He considers a case history when those who 'do' become championed by those who would have it done’. Durham Local Education Authority's progress in CDT in-service training is described and the world of 'lower school' technology is explored by considering both pupil and updated teacher. The author describes industrial reality and intimates a curriculum possibility - the design, by lower school pupils, of automatic systems. He sees the computer in the CDT curriculum both as design tool and as part of solutions to human needs
Interactions of dietary whole-grain intake with fasting glucose-and insulin-related genetic loci in individuals of European descent: a meta-analysis of 14 cohort studies
No full textObjective: Whole grain foods are touted for multiple health benefits, including enhancing insulin sensitivity and reducing type 2 diabetes risk. Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with fasting glucose and insulin concentrations in individuals free of diabetes. We tested the hypothesis that whole grain food intake and genetic variation interact to influence concentrations of fasting glucose and insulin. Research Design & Methods: Via meta-analysis of data from 14 cohorts comprising approximately 48,000 participants of European descent, we studied interactions of whole grain intake with loci previously associated in GWAS with fasting glucose (16 loci) and/or insulin (2 loci) concentrations. For tests of interaction, we considered a p-value <0.0028 (0.05/18 tests) as statistically significant. Results: Greater whole grain food intake was associated with lower fasting glucose and insulin concentrations independent of demographics, other dietary and lifestyle factors, and BMI (? [95% CI] per 1-serving greater whole grain intake: ?0.009 mmol/L glucose [?0.013, ?0.005], p <0.0001 and ?0.011 pmol/L (ln) insulin [?0.015, ?0.007], p =0.0003). No interactions met our multiple testing-adjusted statistical significance threshold. The strongest SNP interaction with whole grain intake was rs780094 (GCKR) for fasting insulin (p = 0.006), where greater whole grain intake was associated with a smaller reduction in fasting insulin concentrations in those with the insulin-raising allele. Conclusions: Our results support the favorable association of whole grain intake with fasting glucose and insulin and suggest potential interaction between variation in GCKR and whole grain intake in influencing fasting insulin concentrations. <br/
- …
