Pharmacogenetics in Type 2 Diabetes: Potential Implications for Clinical Practice

Pharmacogenetic research aims to study how genetic variation may influence drug efficacy and/or toxicity; pharmacogenomics expands this quest to the entire genome. Pharmacogenetic findings may help to uncover new drug targets, illuminate pathophysiology, clarify disease heterogeneity, aid in the fine-mapping of genetic associations, and contribute to personalized treatment. In diabetes, there is precedent for the successful application of pharmacogenetic concepts to monogenic forms of the disease, such as maturity onset diabetes of the young or neonatal diabetes. Whether similar insights will be produced for the common form of type 2 diabetes remains to be seen. With recent advances in genetic approaches, the successive application of candidate gene studies, large-scale genotyping studies and genome-wide association studies has begun to generate suggestive results that may lead to changes in clinical practice. However, many potential barriers to the translation of pharmacogenetic discoveries to the clinical management of diabetes still remain. Here, we offer a contemporary overview of the field in its current state, identify potential obstacles, and highlight future directions

Estimation of specific cutting energy in an S235 alloy for multi-directional ultrasonic vibration-assisted machining using the Finite Element Method

The objective of this work is to analyze the influence of the vibration-assisted turning process on the machinability of S235 carbon steel. During the experiments using this vibrational machining process, the vibrational amplitude and frequency of the cutting tool were adjusted to drive the tool tip in an elliptical or linear motion in the feed direction. Furthermore, a finite element analysis was deployed to investigate the mechanical response for different vibration-assisted cutting conditions. The results show how the specific cutting energy and the material’s machinability behave when using different operational cutting parameters, such as vibration frequency and tool tip motion in the x-axis, y-axis, and elliptical (x-y plane) motion. Then, the specific cutting energy and material’s machinability are compared with a conventional turning process, which helps to validate the finite element method (FEM) for the vibration-assisted process. As a result of the operating parameters used, the vibration-assisted machining process leads to a machinability improvement of up to 18% in S235 carbon steel. In particular, higher vibration frequencies were shown to increase the material’s machinability due to the specific cutting energy decrease. Therefore, the finite element method can be used to predict the vibration-assisted cutting and the specific cutting energy, based on predefined cutting parameters.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Benchmark for Reduction of Anchored Vessels Emissions Enabling Change of Operations - Research on air pollution management in The Port of Gothenburg, Sweden

While air emission inventories can be calculated for distinct levels of accuracy depending on the availability of primary data versus average data, there are hovering assumptions in the methodologies that lead to uncertainties in assessing CO2 benchmarks for anchoring operational mode. Normally, well-grounded information is neither available for auxiliary engines nor boilers at anchor to estimate the fuel consumption and the CO2 emission that stem from it. However, research can generate primary data, as in the Brave Eco Method for tanker vessels. This case study creates a benchmark of CO2 emission for the vessel at anchor in the port of Gothenburg as well as qualitative information of energy management at anchor. The average CO2 emission rate for vessels at anchor in the port of Gothenburg was approximately 1.84 metric tonnes per hour in 2019. A similar emission rate is calculated for a period of 2021 with 1.54 metric tonnes of CO2 per hour. These emissions are calculated using a bottom-up and fuel-based inventory methodology consisting of estimating fuel consumption for all the port’s calls. Comparisons are made for world-known emission inventory methods in terms of CO2 emissions of the port calls. Spatial distributions of CO2 are shown for the designated anchor areas in Gothenburg. Ultimately, this research suggests a course of action to reduce carbon intensity in the areas adjoining the bay

Tombs, teeth and culture: 2,500 years of microevolution and the origins of the prehispanic societies in the Calima archaeological region of Colombia, South America

El objetivo principal de esta investigación es el de contribuir a la discusión sobre el origen de las sociedades prehispánicas formativas y tardías de la región arqueológica Calima de Colombia. Los restos dentales examinados en esta investigación pertenecen a 114 individuos distribuidos en siete cementerios ubicados en la región arqueológica Calima. Se observaron 15 rasgos no métricos dentales aplicando el método de ASUDAS (Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System). Se aplicó la Medida Media de Divergencia MMD en las comparaciones entre pares de muestras colombianas de los periodos Formativo y Tardío de la región arqueológica. El análisis de coordenadas principales realizado muestra dos grupos. La sociedad tardía Sonso expone diferencias significativas con relación a Ilama. El origen Ilama se explica como resultado de migraciones desde el noroccidente del país durante el periodo Formativo temprano (6000 ? 4000 AP), mientras que el origen Sonsoide proviene del sur del país durante épocas Formativas tardías (2000 ? 1500 AP).umen El objetivo principal de esta investigación es el de contribuir a la discusión sobre el origen de las sociedades prehispánicas formativas y tardías de la región arqueológica Calima de Colombia. Los restos dentales examinados en esta investigación pertenecen a 114 individuos distribuidos en siete cementerios ubicados en la región arqueológica Calima. Se observaron 15 rasgos no métricos dentales aplicando el método de ASUDAS (Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System). Se aplicó la Medida Media de Divergencia MMD en las comparaciones entre pares de muestras colombianas de los periodos Formativo y Tardío de la región arqueológica. El análisis de coordenadas principales realizado muestra dos grupos. La sociedad tardía Sonso expone diferencias significativas con relación a Ilama. El origen Ilama se explica como resultado de migraciones desde el noroccidente del país durante el periodo Formativo temprano (6000 – 4000 AP), mientras que el origen Sonsoide proviene del sur del país durante épocas Formativas tardías (2000 – 1500 AP)Fil: Rodriguez Florez, Carlos David. Universidad Nacional de Cordoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Fisicas y Naturales; Argentina;Fil: Colantonio, Sonia Edith. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - CONICET - Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones y Estudio sobre Cultura y Sociedad; Argentina

The GuideView System for Interactive, Structured, Multi-modal Delivery of Clinical Guidelines

GuideView is a computerized clinical guideline system which delivers clinical guidelines in an easy-to-understand and easy-to-use package. It may potentially enhance the quality of medical care or allow non-medical personnel to provide acceptable levels of care in situations where physicians or nurses may not be available. Such a system can be very valuable during space flight missions when a physician is not readily available, or perhaps the designated medical personnel is unable to provide care. Complex clinical guidelines are broken into simple steps. At each step clinical information is presented in multiple modes, including voice,audio, text, pictures, and video. Users can respond via mouse clicks or via voice navigation. GuideView can also interact with medical sensors using wireless or wired connections. The system's interface is illustrated and the results of a usability study are presented

EFFECT OF PLANT POPULATION IN GREAT NORTHERN AND PINTO BEAN PRODUCTION IN WESTERN NEBRASKA

INTRODUCTION In this project we explored the effect of plant population and row spacing on the yield and quality of great northern and pinto beans grown in Nebraska. This project builds on the findings from a preliminary non-replicated great northern variety trial conducted at Morrill, NE in 2014. That trial included four great northern cultivars with different plant architecture. In general, yields were reduced 18.8% (795 kg ha-1) when plant population increased from 251,152 to 300,715 plants ha-1. Yield reduction was greatest in ‘6107’ (24.7%) followed by ‘Marquis’ (20.1%), ‘Beryl-R’ (15.5%) and ‘Coyne’ (14.0%). In the current project we used replicated trials to evaluate the impact of plant population on two great northern and two pinto bean cultivars. Within each market class, one cultivar had a prostrate (III) and the other had an upright (II) growth habit. Our goal was to identify the optimal plant population and row spacing for each cultivar. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study was conducted during 2015 at the PREC-Scottsbluff, NE. Two great northern, ‘Marquis’ (III) and ‘Draco’ (II), and two pinto cultivars, Montrose (III) and Sinaloa (II) were planted in separate experiments at two row spacing (15 and 30 inches) and four plant populations. Target populations for the 30-inch row spacing were 45,000, 80,000, 100,000, and 120,000 plants/acre. Target populations for the 15-inch row spacing were 80,000, 100,000, 120,000, and 150,000 plants/acre. Four and seven rows were planted for the 30- and 15-inch row spacing experiments, respectively

EFFECT OF PLANT POPULATION IN GREAT NORTHERN AND PINTO BEAN PRODUCTION IN WESTERN NEBRASKA

INTRODUCTION In this project we explored the effect of plant population and row spacing on the yield and quality of great northern and pinto beans grown in Nebraska. This project builds on the findings from a preliminary non-replicated great northern variety trial conducted at Morrill, NE in 2014. That trial included four great northern cultivars with different plant architecture. In general, yields were reduced 18.8% (795 kg ha-1) when plant population increased from 251,152 to 300,715 plants ha-1. Yield reduction was greatest in ‘6107’ (24.7%) followed by ‘Marquis’ (20.1%), ‘Beryl-R’ (15.5%) and ‘Coyne’ (14.0%). In the current project we used replicated trials to evaluate the impact of plant population on two great northern and two pinto bean cultivars. Within each market class, one cultivar had a prostrate (III) and the other had an upright (II) growth habit. Our goal was to identify the optimal plant population and row spacing for each cultivar. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study was conducted during 2015 at the PREC-Scottsbluff, NE. Two great northern, ‘Marquis’ (III) and ‘Draco’ (II), and two pinto cultivars, Montrose (III) and Sinaloa (II) were planted in separate experiments at two row spacing (15 and 30 inches) and four plant populations. Target populations for the 30-inch row spacing were 45,000, 80,000, 100,000, and 120,000 plants/acre. Target populations for the 15-inch row spacing were 80,000, 100,000, 120,000, and 150,000 plants/acre. Four and seven rows were planted for the 30- and 15-inch row spacing experiments, respectively

Los efectos del crédito bidireccional entre conglomerados financieros en el mercado repo

Examinamos cómo la estructura del mercado, el poder de mercado y el riesgo sistémico responden a relaciones de financiamiento estrechas e intensas entre conglomerados financieros (CF) en mercados de repos bilaterales descentralizados. Usando datos a nivel transaccional de México, documentamos relaciones de financiamiento persistentes y estables entre bancos y fondos afiliados a CF con dos características distintivas: primero, las transacciones de financiamiento son bidireccionales, es decir, un par dado de CF rivales proporciona financiamiento mutuo en el mismo día; segundo, las transacciones bidireccionales se ejecutan a tasas promedio más bajas en comparación con las transacciones unidireccionales. Mostramos que los préstamos bidireccionales entre los CF favorecen la concentración del mercado, aumentan el poder de mercado de los fondos afiliados a los CF y empeoran los términos de intercambio de las transacciones de crédito de bancos y fondos independientes. Además, encontramos que la contribución individual a nivel de banco al riesgo sistémico aumenta con los préstamos bidireccionales.We examine how market structure, market power, and systemic risk respond to close and intense lending relationships between financial conglomerates (FCs) in non-centrally cleared bilateral repo. Using transaction-level data from Mexico, we document persistent and stable funding relationships between FC-affiliated banks and funds with two distinctive features: first, funding transactions are two-way, that is, a given pair of rival FCs provide lending to one another on the same day; second, two-way transactions are executed at lower average rates than one-way transactions. We show that two-way lending between FCs favours both market concentration and market power of FC-affiliated funds, and worsens the terms of trade of independent banks’ and funds’ lending. Furthermore, we find that the bank-level contribution to systemic risk increases with two-way lending.Los efectos del crédito bidireccional entre conglomerados financieros en mercados repo bilaterales Enfoque El mercado de acuerdos de recompra (repo) es una parte importante de los sistemas financieros en todo el mundo. En este mercado, los bancos y otras instituciones financieras obtienen liquidez contra garantías con el compromiso de recomprar esas garantías en un corto período de tiempo. Precisamente por su importancia como fuente de liquidez de corto plazo para instituciones expuestas a corridas, los mercados repo también tienen el potencial de generar crisis que pueden involucrar a todo el sistema financiero. Recientemente, la creciente concentración de los mercados financieros en unos pocos grandes conglomerados financieros (CF) está causando nuevas preocupaciones sobre los efectos de los mercados repo en la estabilidad de los sistemas. En este artículo, examinamos cómo la estructura de mercado, el poder de mercado y el riesgo sistémico responden a relaciones de préstamo estrechas e intensas entre conglomerados financieros (CF) en mercados repo en los que las partes interactúan directamente sin la intervención de una autoridad central o intermediario. Para esto, usamos datos transaccionales del mercado repo mexicano registrados por el Banco Central de México entre el 1º. de enero de 2006 y el 8 de febrero de 2018, construimos medidas de profundidad e intensidad de las relaciones bidireccionales entre CF basadas en el volumen total de crédito y el número de créditos de cada par, respectivamente, y llevamos a cabo un conjunto de regresiones para determinar el efecto de la profundidad e intensidad de las relaciones bidireccionales de crédito entre pares de CF en varias variables de interés indicadoras del grado de concentración del mercado de oferta de liquidez, poder de mercado de los fondos de inversión y contribución de los bancos al riesgo del sistema. Contribución Las contribuciones de este artículo son principalmente tres. Primero, documentamos un fenómeno nuevo en la literatura de relacionamiento de crédito entre instituciones: la existencia de transacciones de crédito bidireccionales y contemporáneas entre bancos y fondos afiliados a CF a tasas promedio más bajas en comparación con las transacciones unidireccionales. Segundo, mostramos que este tipo de relaciones tiene efectos estadística y económicamente significativos en el nivel de competencia del mercado de fondeo repo y en la estabilidad del sistema financiero. Finalmente, nuestro trabajo pone la lupa sobre una vulnerabilidad a la que pueden estar expuestos todos aquellos mercados repo con características similares a las de México: bilateral, sin intervención de una autoridad central y en el que las partes conocen la identidad de su contraparte. Resultados Mostramos que los préstamos bidireccionales entre los CF favorecen la concentración del mercado, aumentan el poder de mercado de los fondos afiliados a los CF y empeoran los términos de intercambio de los préstamos de bancos y fondos independientes. Además, encontramos que la contribución individual a nivel bancario al riesgo sistémico aumenta con los préstamos bidireccionales. Frase destacada: Nuestro trabajo pone la lupa sobre una vulnerabilidad a la que pueden estar expuestos todos aquellos mercados repo con características similares a las de México: bilateral, sin intervención de una autoridad central y en el que las partes conocen la identidad de su contraparte

Schwarz alternating domain decomposition approach for the solution of mixed heat convection flow problems based on the method of approximate particular solutions

The incompressible two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations including thermal energy balance equation are solved by the recently developed Method of Approximate Particular Solutions (MAPS). In a previous authors’ work this method was implemented to solve the two-dimensional Stokes equations by employing the pressure and velocity particular solutions obtained by Oseen’s decomposition with the Multiquadric (MQ) RBF as non-homogeneous term. A pressure-velocity linkage strategy is not required since the pressure particular solutions are obtained from the velocity ones. In the present contribution, the Navier-Stokes equations with Boussinesq approximation are solved by linearizing the convective term in a Picard iterative scheme. With the velocity values obtained at each of the Picard iterations, the energy conservation equation is solved by the MAPS by approximating temperature with the particular solutions of a Poisson problem with the MQ as a forcing term. With the aim of improving the computational efficiency of the global strategy, the two-dimensional domain is split into overlapped rectangular subdomains where the Schwarz Alternating Algorithm is employed to find a solution by using velocity and temperatures values from neighbouring zones as boundary conditions. The mixed convection lid-driven cavity flow problem is solved for moderate Reynolds and low Richardson numbers with the aim of validating the proposed method