Tactical Voting in Plurality Elections

How often will elections end in landslides? What is the probability for a head-to-head race? Analyzing ballot results from several large countries rather anomalous and yet unexplained distributions have been observed. We identify tactical voting as the driving ingredient for the anomalies and introduce a model to study its effect on plurality elections, characterized by the relative strength of the feedback from polls and the pairwise interaction between individuals in the society. With this model it becomes possible to explain the polarization of votes between two candidates, understand the small margin of victories frequently observed for different elections, and analyze the polls' impact in American, Canadian, and Brazilian ballots. Moreover, the model reproduces, quantitatively, the distribution of votes obtained in the Brazilian mayor elections with two, three, and four candidates.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

The virtual origin as a first-order correction for the far-field description of laminar jets

The far-field velocity and composition fields of a submerged laminar jet are known to approach a self-similar solution corresponding to the flow induced by a point source of momentum and scalar. Previous efforts to improve this far-field description have introduced a virtual origin for the streamwise coordinate to remedy the singular behavior of the self-similar solution near the jet origin. The purpose of this note is to show, by means of a perturbative analysis of the point-source solution, that this virtual origin is in fact the first-order correction to the leading-order description. The perturbative analysis, which uses the ratio x of the streamwise distance to the length of jet development as an asymptotically large quantity, also indicates that the displaced point source provides the description in the far field with small relative errors of order x-3 for the round jet and of order x-10/3 for the plane jet. The values of the virtual origin are obtained by numerical integration of the boundary-layer equations in the region of jet development, giving values that depend on the shape of the jet velocity profile at the exit

Expansion of human hematopoietic cells from umbilical cord blood using roller bottles in CO2 and CO2-free atmosphere

"In this work, we evaluated the expansion of human hematopoietic stem cells from umbilical cord blood in roller bottles. The Iscove's modified Dulbecco's medium, the Stem Pro 34-SFM medium, and the L-15 Leibovitz's medium for cultures in CO2-free atmosphere were assessed. At day 5 of culture, total colony forming unit expansions of 14.44 ± 3.74, 11.20 ± 6.37, and 17.25 ± 3.65-folds were attained, respectively. The expansion reached using L-15 medium in roller bottles was around 10 times higher than that achieved in the static control cultures. To our knowledge, this is the first report of cultures in CO2-free atmosphere to expand cord blood human hematopoietic stem cells and it opens a new branch of possibilities for culturing and clinical applications.

Findings and interobserver agreement in radiography and ultrasonography of the vertebral column of a large population of normally performing horses

Diagnostic imaging is a mainstay in the investigation of equine neck and back pain, but interpretation of radiographic and ultrasonographic findings in the spinal column of horses is not straightforward for a variety of reasons including individual anatomical variations, progressive degenerative nature of most pathologies and superimposition as well as technical limits. These issues are even more relevant in the context of examinations of apparently sound horses with absent, mild or unclear complaints, like it is often the case in pre-purchase examinations or cases of failure to meet expected performance. The first aim was to report on the spectrum, degree and location of first-line imaging findings in the spine of a large population of normally performing horses. Limited data is available about agreement of interpretation of equine vertebral column imaging by radiologists. The second aim of this prospective study was to determine interobserver agreement on radiographic and ultrasonographic diagnostic imaging findings in the vertebral column of the same population between multiple observers with longstanding experience in equine diagnostic imaging at two different institutions. Seventy-one horses randomly selected from a larger population of 250 normally performing horses participating in a swiss project on equine back health were examined at one referral center. Radiographic and ultrasonographic examinations were performed in a standardized fashion and images graded separately by two experienced radiologists at two different institutions. Focus was placed on osteoarthrosis of the synovial intervertebral articulations (SIVAs), impinging and overriding of the spinous processes (SPs) and spondylosis. Cohen’s weighted kappa was calculated for each pathology, location and segment in each modality. Interobserver agreement was calculated for findings at specific locations, single pathologies and single grades. Most horses showed no changes and were allocated grades 0 at most locations. Few abnormalities were found throughout the vertebral column, with clusters of abnormalities of the SIVAs in the caudal cervical segment and cranial lumbar segment as well as a cumulation of changes at the dorsal spinous processes in the caudal thoracic segment. These coincide with previously reported predilection sites of imaging findings in symptomatic populations. Overall mean value of agreement for imaging findings was moderate (k= 0.7). Agreement was moderate for imaging findings regarding the synovial intervertebral articulations of the thoracolumbar spine in radiography (k=0.66) but weak in ultrasonography (k=0.58). There was moderate agreement in the imaging findings of the cervical spine in ultrasonography (k=0.61) as well as radiography (k=0.62). Strong agreement was found in the radiographic assessment of changes of the thoracolumbar spinous processes (k=0.80). Almost perfect agreement was found in the radiographic assessment of thoracolumbar spondylosis (k=0.95). Agreement between radiologists in detection and grading of pathologies of the equine vertebral column is weak to almost perfect depending on pathology and location. Our results confirm findings about distribution of specific pathologies found in other studies and support the importance of interpreting imaging findings along with clinical findings for definitive case management and decision making. Additional studies are needed for determination of the correlation of imaging findings among different modalities and correlation of diagnostic imaging with clinical findings

Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery with origin in the right coronary artery from a single coronary ostium associated with multivessel coronary artery disease: case report and literature review

The anomalous origin of the coronary arteries is a group of rare congenital heart conditions in which there has been an increase in its diagnosis thanks to more accessible and less invasive imaging techniques such as coronary angiotomography, which allows visualization of the arteries in its entire path in a short exploration interval, with adequate spatial and temporal resolution. The clinical presentation is variable, up to 80% are asymptomatic and the remaining 20% may present arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, heart failure and sudden death. We present the case of a patient with unstable angina in whom an anomalous origin of the left coronary artery (LCA) with origin in the right coronary artery (RCA) from a single coronary ostium associated with multivessel coronary artery disease was diagnosed

Split-range control for improved operation of solar absorption cooling plants

This paper proposes the first application of a split-range control technique on a concentrating solar collector to improve an absorption plant production. Solar absorption plants have solar power availability in phase with cooling demand under design conditions. Thus, it is a powerful cooling technology in the context of renewable energy and energy efficiency. These plants need control systems to cope with solar irradiance intermittency, reject irradiation disturbances, manage fossil fuels backup systems and dump closed-loop thermal-hydraulic oscillations. In this work, control techniques are proposed and simulated in an absorption plant in Spain. The plant consists of a concentrating Fresnel solar collector connected to an absorption chiller. The objectives are to operate with 100% renewable solar energy and avoid safety defocus events while reducing temperature oscillations and control actuators effort. Firstly, the current available plant controllers are defined, then two modifications are proposed. The first modification is a split-range controller capable of manipulating both flow and defocus of the Fresnel collector, the second modification is a PI controller to substitute the original chiller on-off controller. The results compare, through validated models, the different control systems and indicate that using both proposed controllers reduces 94% of the sum of actuators effort and 43% of the integral of absolute set-point tracking error compared to the plant's factory pre-set controllers. The suggested controllers increase 66% of energy production and 63% of exergy production. Besides, the split-range technique can be extended to any concentrating solar collector control.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) Finance Code 001Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) 304032/2019–0Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades - Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) PID2019-104149RB-I00/10.13039/501100011033Consejo Europeo de Investigación (ERC) OCONTSOLAR 78905

TRPV4 channel is involved in the coupling of fluid viscosity changes to epithelial ciliary activity

Autoregulation of the ciliary beat frequency (CBF) has been proposed as the mechanism used by epithelial ciliated cells to maintain the CBF and prevent the collapse of mucociliary transport under conditions of varying mucus viscosity. Despite the relevance of this regulatory response to the pathophysiology of airways and reproductive tract, the underlying cellular and molecular aspects remain unknown. Hamster oviductal ciliated cells express the transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) channel, which is activated by increased viscous load involving a phospholipase A2–dependent pathway. TRPV4-transfected HeLa cells also increased their cationic currents in response to high viscous load. This mechanical activation is prevented in native ciliated cells loaded with a TRPV4 antibody. Application of the TRPV4 synthetic ligand 4α-phorbol 12,13-didecanoate increased cationic currents, intracellular Ca2+, and the CBF in the absence of a viscous load. Therefore, TRPV4 emerges as a candidate to participate in the coupling of fluid viscosity changes to the generation of the Ca2+ signal required for the autoregulation of CBF

Vasorelaxant activity of Euphorbia furcillata Kunth mainly by activation of NO/cGMP pathway and calcium channel blockade

The aim of current study was to determinate ex vivo and chromatographic fingerprint by HPLC of four extracts of Euphorbia furcillata K. Ethyl acetate extract of Euphorbia furcillata (EaEEf) was the most effective and potent extract (Emax=98.69±1.24%) and its effect was partially endothelium-dependent. Functional vasorelaxant mechanism of action of EaEEf was determinate, EaEEf showed efficient relaxation of KCl [80 mM]-induced contraction and norepinephrine and CaCl2 contraction curves showed diminution of maximal contraction in the presence of EAEEf and EaEEf-relaxation curve was shifted to the right in the presence of L-NAME (nitric oxide synthase inhibitor) and ODQ (guanylate cyclase inhibitor). Chromatographic fingerprints analysis suggests presence of diterpenoid such as abietane, tigliane, and ingenane skeletons. Our experiments suggest the EaEEf vasorelaxant activity could be attributed to diterpenoid molecules whose mechanism involves nitric oxide production and calcium channel blockade

Prevalence of anti-sperm antibodies, risk factors associated and their impact on spermatobioscopy in infertile men

Background: The first immunological correlation with male infertility was reported in 1954 by Wilson and Rumke with the identification of anti-sperm antibodies. The prevalence of anti-sperm antibodies in infertile men varies from 9%-36%, the main cause being the loss of the blood-testicular barrier and otherwise the association with chronic inflammation. It has been shown that immune infertility is found in 15% of patients with varicocele.Methods: A transversal comparative study was carried out with 360 infertile men who were tested for anti-sperm antibodies between January 2011 and July 2018. Two groups were integrated; Group 1, infertile men with positive anti-sperm antibodies >50%, group 2, infertile men with negative anti-sperm <50%. Seminogram parameters were evaluated according to the WHO 5th edition and associated risk factors with anti-sperm antibodies.Results: 360 infertile men were evaluated during the study, 42 were excluded because they did not meet the inclusion criteria, the prevalence of anti-sperm antibodies was 14.5%. Group 1; n=46 (14.5%) and group 2, n=272 (85.5%), the clinical characteristics and the hormonal profile were compared at study admission without significant difference. There was a significant decrease in progressive motility in group 1 (38.7±23.8) vs group 2 (50.1±18.9) p=0.03. Analyzing the risk factors, varicocele was found to be significant 23.7%, OR 2.14 (1.27-3.61) p=0.004 as well as retractable testicle 26.4%, OR 2.13 (1.23-3.70) p= 0.008.Conclusions: The affectation of motility was confirmed, which leads to the suspect varicocele and retractable testicle as risk factors

Violencia de género sobre estudiantes universitarios(as)

Proponemos un índice para medir violencia de género entre hombres y mujeres universitarios(as). Para construir el índice se aplica un cuestionario sobre violencia a una muestra representativa de estudiantes. Posteriormente, se organiza la información mediante un modelo ecológico y el resultado se integra en un índice vía el proceso jerárquico analítico. El índice se ejemplificó con datos de estudiantes de la Universidad Autónoma Chapingo (UACh). En la UACh, tanto hombres como mujeres reportaron grados similares de violencia directa, aunque las mujeres señalaron más consecuencias emocionales y sociales. El índice propuesto permite: (i) identificar los factores que influyen en la reproducción de la violencia, (ii) incorporar la opinión de los expertos, (iii) obtener información de múltiples factores y percepciones que las personas tienen sobre el fenómeno. Finalmente, este índice puede adaptarse para evaluar otros fenómenos sociales