A Bijective Census of Nonseparable Planar Maps

AbstractBijections are obtained between nonseparable planar maps and two different kinds of trees: description trees and skew ternary trees. A combinatorial relation between the latter and ternary trees allows bijective enumeration and random generation of nonseparable planar maps. The involved bijections take account of the usual combinatorial parameters and give a bijective proof of formulae established by Brown and Tutte. These results, combined with a bijection due to Goulden and West, give a purely combinatorial enumeration of two-stack-sortable permutations

MicroRNA 200a as a histologically independent marker for meningioma recurrence : Results of a four microRNA panel analysis in meningiomas

Introduction: Meningiomas are mostly benign neoplasms of the central nervous system. Nevertheless there are recurrences in about 20% after surgical resection. Previous studies could reveal several predictors of meningioma recurrence. Tumor progression often is associated with a specific pattern of chromosome losses. Our study investigated the potential function of selected microRNAs as markers of tumor progression. Methods: By real-time polymerase chain reaction the expressions of microRNA 21-3p, 34a-3p, 200a-3p, and 409-3p were analyzed in solid tumor and in blood samples of 51 meningioma patients as well as in blood samples of 20 healthy individuals. Additionally, aberrations of parts of chromosomes 1, 14, 18, and 22 were analyzed by FISH. Tumor and blood samples were statistically analyzed, using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient as well as Mann–Whitney U- and Kruskal–Wallis-Test. Results: MicroRNA 200a showed significantly lower expressions in recurrent meningiomas than in newly diagnosed ones. MicroRNA 409 in meningiomas was correlated significantly with tumor volume and showed a significant negative correlation with patient age. Significance was found between the expression patterns of microRNAs 34a and 200a with the respective aberrations of chromosome 1p and the microRNA 409 with aberration of chromosome 14. In the male cohort the expression of microRNA 200a in blood was significantly upregulated in patients compared to healthy volunteers. By our research the function of microRNA 200a was proved to detect meningioma patients by liquid biopsy. Conclusion: We detected microRNA 200a as a new biomarker to indicate meningioma recurrences. Future transferability to blood could be important for patient follow-up

Genetic analysis of egg production traits in turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) using a single-step genomic random regression model.

BACKGROUND Egg production traits are economically important in poultry breeding programs. Previous studies have shown that incorporating genomic data can increase the accuracy of genetic prediction of egg production. Our objective was to estimate the genetic and phenotypic parameters of such traits and compare the prediction accuracy of pedigree-based random regression best linear unbiased prediction (RR-PBLUP) and genomic single-step random regression BLUP (RR-ssGBLUP). Egg production was recorded on 7422 birds during 24 consecutive weeks from first egg laid. Hatch-week of birth by week of lay and week of lay by age at first egg were fitted as fixed effects and body weight as a covariate, while additive genetic and permanent environment effects were fitted as random effects, along with heterogeneous residual variances over 24 weeks of egg production. Predictions accuracies were compared based on two statistics: (1) the correlation between estimated breeding values and phenotypes divided by the square root of the trait heritability, and (2) the ratio of the variance of BLUP predictions of individual Mendelian sampling effects divided by one half of the estimate of the additive genetic variance. RESULTS Heritability estimates along the production trajectory obtained with RR-PBLUP ranged from 0.09 to 0.22, with higher estimates for intermediate weeks. Estimates of phenotypic correlations between weekly egg production were lower than the corresponding genetic correlation estimates. Our results indicate that genetic correlations decreased over the laying period, with the highest estimate being between traits in later weeks and the lowest between early weeks and later ages. Prediction accuracies based on the correlation-based statistic ranged from 0.11 to 0.44 for RR-PBLUP and from 0.22 to 0.57 for RR-ssGBLUP using the correlation-based statistic. The ratios of the variances of BLUP predictions of Mendelian sampling effects and one half of the additive genetic variance ranged from 0.17 to 0.26 for RR-PBLUP and from 0.17 to 0.34 for RR-ssGBLUP. Although the improvement in accuracies from RR-ssGBLUP over those from RR-PBLUP was not uniform over time for either statistic, accuracies obtained with RR-ssGBLUP were generally equal to or higher than those with RR-PBLUP. CONCLUSIONS Our findings show the potential advantage of incorporating genomic data in genetic evaluation of egg production traits using random regression models, which can contribute to the genetic improvement of egg production in turkey populations

Gesundheitsforderung in der stationaren Altenbetreuung Forderliche und hinderliche Faktoren bei der Implementation eines Mobilitatsprogramms

Marent B, Wieczorek CC, Schmied H, et al. Gesundheitsförderung in der stationären Altenbetreuung. Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung. 2014;9(4):298-304

Individual and non‐additive effects of exotic sap‐feeders on root functional and mycorrhizal traits of a shared conifer host

Forest pests drive tree mortality through disruption of functional traits linked to nutrient acquisition, growth and reproduction. The impacts of attack by individual or multiple above‐ground herbivores on root functional traits critical to tree health have received little attention. This is especially true for exotic herbivores, organisms often found in disturbed forests. We excavated whole‐root systems from eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) individuals experimentally infested with hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA: Adelges tsugae) and elongate hemlock scale (EHS: Fiorina externa) individually, or in combination, for periods of 2 and 4 years. Below‐ground root biomass, functional traits and storage nutrients were measured to assess impacts of herbivory. We also quantified ectomycorrhizal fungal (EMF) colonisation of fine roots and used culture‐independent methods to examine EMF diversity. Trees infested with HWA had a greater root mass fraction (root to total biomass ratio), although feeding had no observable effects on root functional traits (e.g. specific root length) or on resource allocation to roots. HWA feeding did significantly reduce EMF colonisation of hemlock fine roots, though surprisingly, EMF diversity and that of other fungal associates were unaffected. In contrast to HWA, EHS (alone or in conjunction with HWA) feeding had no observable effect on below‐ground traits or EMF colonisation alone; however, its presence mediated HWA effects when trees were co‐infested. Simultaneous infestation within the same year yielded significant reductions in EMF colonisation, whereas prior EHS attack weakened HWA effects. Our results collectively suggest that prior EHS attack dampens the impact of HWA on below‐ground functional traits. This highlights how the timing and sequence of herbivore arrival can alter plant‐mediated interactions between herbivores and their effects on above–below‐ground linkages and associated tree health

Can Machines Be Artists? A Deweyan Response in Theory and Practice

To speak comfortably of the machine artist (as outlined in the call for papers for this Special Issue) makes key assumptions about what it is to be an artist. It assumes, for instance, that the experience of living as an artist, which includes the socialisation, hard work, single-mindedness, and focused energy of creative activity, is incidental rather than essential since these aspects are not comfortably applicable to machines. Instead, it supposes that what is essential is the artistic product, and it is the similarity of human and machine products that makes it possible to speak of machine artists. This definition of art in terms of products is supported by modern psychological theories of creativity, defined as the generation of novel ideas which give rise to valuable products. These ideas take place in the mind or brain, regarded as a closed system within whose workings the secret of creativity will eventually be revealed. This is the framework of what is widely referred to as “cognitivism”. This definition in terms of novel ideas and valuable products has been widely assumed by artificial intelligence (AI) and computational creativity (CC), and this has been backed up through a particular version of the Turing Test. In this, a machine can be said to be a creative artist if its products cannot be distinguished from human art. However, there is another psychological view of creativity, that of John Dewey, in which a lived experience of inquiry and focus is essential to being creative. In this theory, creativity is a function of the whole person interacting with the world, rather than originating in the brain. This makes creativity a Process rather than a Cognitivist framework. Of course, the brain is crucial in a Process theory, but as part of an open system which includes both body and environment. Developments in “machine art” have been seen as spectacular and are widely publicised. But there may be a danger that these will distract from what we take to be the most exciting prospect of all. This is the contribution of computer technology to stimulate, challenge, and provoke artistic practice of all forms

High-resolution late Holocene sedimentary cores record the long history of the city of Cádiz (south-western Spain)

Today, coastal cities worldwide are facing major changes resulting from climate change and anthropogenic forcing, which requires adaptation and mitigation strategies to be established. In this context, sedimentological archives in many Mediterranean cities record a multi-millennial history of environmental dynamics and human adaptation, revealing a long-lasting resilience. Founded by the Phoenicians around 3000 years ago, Cadiz (south-western Spain) is a key example of a coastal resilient city. This urban centre is considered to be one of the first cities of western Europe and has experienced major natural hazards during its long history, such as coastal erosion, storms, and also tsunamis (like the one in 1755 CE following the destructive Lisbon earthquake). In the framework of an international, joint archaeological and geoarchaeological project, three cores have been drilled in a marine palaeochannel that ran through the ancient city of Cadiz. These cores reveal a >= 50m thick Holocene sedimentary sequence. Importantly, most of the deposits date from the 1st millennium BCE to the 1st millennium CE. This exceptional sedimentary archive will allow our scientific team to achieve its research goals, which are (1) to reconstruct the palaeogeographical evolution of this specific coastal area; (2) to trace the intensity of activities of the city of Cadiz based on archaeological data, as well as geochemical and palaeoecological indicators; and (3) to identify and date high-energy event deposits such as storms and tsunami

Protocol of a Multicentre Randomised Controlled Trial Assessing Transperineal Prostate Biopsy to Reduce Infectiouscomplications

Introduction Approximately one million prostate biopsies are performed annually in the USA, and most are performed using a transrectal approach under local anaesthesia. The risk of postbiopsy infection is increasing due to increasing antibiotic resistance of rectal flora. Single-centre studies suggest that a clean, percutaneous transperineal approach to prostate biopsy may have a lower risk of infection. To date, there is no high-level evidence comparing transperineal versus transrectal prostate biopsy. We hypothesise that transperineal versus transrectal prostate biopsy under local anaesthesia has a significantly lower risk of infection, similar pain/discomfort levels and comparable detection of non-low-grade prostate cancer. Methods and analysis We will perform a multicentre, prospective randomised clinical trial to compare transperineal versus transrectal prostate biopsy for elevated prostate-specific antigen in the first biopsy, prior negative biopsy and active surveillance biopsy setting. Prostate MRI will be performed prior to biopsy, and targeted biopsy will be conducted for suspicious MRI lesions in addition to systematic biopsy (12 cores). Approximately 1700 men will be recruited and randomised in a 1:1 ratio to transperineal versus transrectal biopsy. A streamlined design to collect data and to determine trial eligibility along with the two-stage consent process will be used to facilitate subject recruitment and retention. The primary outcome is postbiopsy infection, and secondary outcomes include other adverse events (bleeding, urinary retention), pain/ discomfort/anxiety and critically, detection of non-low-grade (grade group ≥2) prostate cancer. Ethics and dissemination The Institutional Review Board of the Biomedical Research Alliance of New York approved the research protocol (protocol number #18-02-365, approved 20 April 2020). The results of the trial will be presented at scientific conferences and published in peer-reviewed medical journals. Trial registration number NCT04815876