Space, politics and autoconstruction in two settlements in Rio: A comparison between the unplanned Morro do Timbau and the planned M Dias housing project

The thesis has its origin in the recognition that there is little knowledge of how squatter settlements and other unplanned housing environments are produced and how do they work in spatial terms. The thesis is structured around three main ideas which take the form of assumption by many authors writing in the subject of squatter settlements. These ideas are related to the concepts of neighbourhood unit, of leadership and community participation, and of social networks and marginality. The thesis uses two settlements in Rio, Brazil, to compare a planned with an unplanned environment. The empirical evidence of the two case studies are used to examine these there theoretical concepts and to describe the process of up-grading of the settlements. The term autoconstruction is used to name the phenomenon of social, political and spatial up-grading of the settlements

Landscape scale habitat suitability modelling of bats in the Western Ghats of India: Bats like something in their tea

To conserve biodiversity it is imperative that we understand how different species respond to land use change, and determine the scales at which habitat changes affect species' persistence. We used habitat suitability models (HSMs) at spatial scales from 100-4000. m to address these concerns for bats in the Western Ghats of India, a biodiversity hotspot of global importance where the habitat requirements of bats are poorly understood. We used acoustic and capture data to build fine scale HSMs for ten species (Hesperoptenus tickelli, Miniopterus fuliginosus, Miniopterus pusillus, Myotis horsfieldii, Pipistrellus ceylonicus, Megaderma spasma, Hipposideros pomona, Rhinolophus beddomei, Rhinolophus indorouxii and Rhinolophus lepidus) in a tea-dominated landscape. Small (100-500. m) scale habitat variables (e.g. percentage tea plantation cover) and distances to habitat features (e.g. distance to water) were the strongest predictors of bat occurrence, likely due to their high mobility, which enables them to exploit even small or isolated foraging areas. Most species showed a positive response to coffee plantations grown under native shade and to forest fragments, but a negative response to more heavily modified tea plantations. Two species were never recorded in tea plantations. This is the first study of bats in tea plantations globally, and the first ecological Old World bat study to combine acoustic and capture data. Our results suggest that although bats respond negatively to tea plantations, tea-dominated landscapes that also contain forest fragments and shade coffee can nevertheless support many bat species

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SUMMARY: In this order, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) updates the EQR Data Dictionary to indicate how market participants should enter information in certain fields of the new EQR system so that the new system’s validation process will more readily accept filings. These updates to the EQR Data Dictionary enable the implementation of the Commission’s revised EQR filing process. This order also updates the EQR Data Dictionary’s list of Balancing Authority names and abbreviations to reflect changes in the official source of such data. EFFECTIVE DATE: This order will become effective [insert date of publication in the FEDERAL REGISTER]. The definitions adopted in this order shall be used beginning with the filing of the third quarter (Q3), 2013 EQR.- 2

Comparative evaluation of antimutagenic and antimitotic effects of Morchella esculenta extracts and protocatechuic acid

Morchella esculenta (L.) Pers. methanolic extracts, obtained from fruiting bodies growing wild in Serbia and Portugal, were screened for their antimutagenic properties and compared to protocatechuic acid, previously identified in both species. Salmonella typhimurium TA100 reversion assay was used for the antimutagenic properties. Methanolic extracts expressed important antimutagenic potency towards S. typhimurium, which was documented by index of antimutagenicity (I). Sample from Serbia expressed slightly higher antimutagenic properties with inhibition rate of 58.7%. Sample from Portugal gave inhibition rate of 51.7%. Protocatechuic acid had inhibition rate I of his+ revertants of 72.4%. Cell viability in the presence of extracts was also documented. M. esculenta samples from Serbia and Portugal possessed novel biological potential for the studied species, as well as its phenolic compound – protocatechuic acid, identified in both samples. Genotoxic effect, regarding mitotic index and chromosomal aberration score, was also assessed by using Allium cepa L. assay. Protocatechuic acid showed the most significant decrease in mitotic index, as well as decrease in chromosomal aberration score.Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development; FCT Portugal; COMPETE/QREN/EU, PTDC/AGR-ALI/110062/2009 PEst-OE/AGR/UI0690/201

Fast-Sec: an approach to secure Big Data processing in the cloud

Group Security is an important concern in computer systems, which is especially remarkable when the system has to handle large amounts of data and some different users accessing this data with different accessing permissions. This work proposes an innovative approach for providing a security infrastructure support to Big Data Analytic in Cloud-based systems named Fast-sec. Fast-Sec handles systems with large volumes of data from heterogeneous sources, in which users may access the system by different platforms, consuming or providing data. The security infrastructure proposed in Fast-Sec provides an authentication mechanism for users, and data access control adapted to high demands from cloud-based Big Data environment. The reported results show the adequacy of the proposed safety infrastructure to the cloud-based systems processing Big Data. © 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Franci

Thyroxine and Free Thyroxine Levels in Workers Occupationally Exposed to Inorganic Lead

Background The effects of lead exposure on thyroid function are unclear. Methods Serum thyroxine (T4) was evaluated among 137 lead-exposed workers and 83 non-exposed workers. Free thyroxine (FT4) was evaluated among a subset of these workers. Exposure metrics included blood lead level (BLL), which reflects recent exposure, zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP), a marker of intermediate-duration lead exposure, exposure duration, and estimated cumulative exposure. Multiple linear regression results were adjusted for age, race, and current smoking status. Results Mean BLLs were 38.9 μg/dL in lead exposed workers and 2.1 μg/dL in non-exposed workers. The adjusted mean T4 and FT4 concentrations among exposed and non-exposed workers were similar. While T4 was not significantly related to any of the exposure metrics, FT4 was inversely related to the logged values of both exposure duration and cumulative exposure, but not to ZPP or BLL. Conclusions The findings suggest that FT4 levels may be related to long-term lead exposure

Poor availability of context-specific evidence hampers decision-making in conservation

Evidence-based conservation relies on reliable and relevant evidence. Practitioners often prefer locally relevant studies whose results are more likely to be transferable to the context of planned conservation interventions. To quantify the availability of relevant evidence for amphibian and bird conservation we reviewed Conservation Evidence, a database of quantitative tests of conservation interventions. Studies were geographically clustered, and few locally conducted studies were found in Western sub-Saharan Africa, Russia, South East Asia, and Eastern South America. Globally there were extremely low densities of studies per intervention - fewer than one study within 2000 km of a given location. The availability of relevant evidence was extremely low when we restricted studies to those studying biomes or taxonomic orders containing high percentages of threatened species, compared to the most frequently studied biomes and taxonomic orders. Further constraining the evidence by study design showed that only 17–20% of amphibian and bird studies used reliable designs. Our results highlight the paucity of evidence on the effectiveness of conservation interventions, and the disparity in evidence for local contexts that are frequently studied and those where conservation needs are greatest. Addressing the serious global shortfall in context-specific evidence requires a step change in the frequency of testing conservation interventions, greater use of reliable study designs and standardized metrics, and methodological advances to analyze patchy evidence bases

Colorectal cancer linkage on chromosomes 4q21, 8q13, 12q24, and 15q22

A substantial proportion of familial colorectal cancer (CRC) is not a consequence of known susceptibility loci, such as mismatch repair (MMR) genes, supporting the existence of additional loci. To identify novel CRC loci, we conducted a genome-wide linkage scan in 356 white families with no evidence of defective MMR (i.e., no loss of tumor expression of MMR proteins, no microsatellite instability (MSI)-high tumors, or no evidence of linkage to MMR genes). Families were ascertained via the Colon Cancer Family Registry multi-site NCI-supported consortium (Colon CFR), the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Memorial University of Newfoundland. A total of 1,612 individuals (average 5.0 per family including 2.2 affected) were genotyped using genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism linkage arrays; parametric and non-parametric linkage analysis used MERLIN in a priori-defined family groups. Five lod scores greater than 3.0 were observed assuming heterogeneity. The greatest were among families with mean age of diagnosis less than 50 years at 4q21.1 (dominant HLOD = 4.51, α = 0.84, 145.40 cM, rs10518142) and among all families at 12q24.32 (dominant HLOD = 3.60, α = 0.48, 285.15 cM, rs952093). Among families with four or more affected individuals and among clinic-based families, a common peak was observed at 15q22.31 (101.40 cM, rs1477798; dominant HLOD = 3.07, α = 0.29; dominant HLOD = 3.03, α = 0.32, respectively). Analysis of families with only two affected individuals yielded a peak at 8q13.2 (recessive HLOD = 3.02, α = 0.51, 132.52 cM, rs1319036). These previously unreported linkage peaks demonstrate the continued utility of family-based data in complex traits and suggest that new CRC risk alleles remain to be elucidated. © 2012 Cicek et al

Building a tool to overcome barriers in research-implementation spaces: The conservation evidence database

Conservation practitioners, policy-makers and researchers work within shared spaces with many shared goals. Improving the flow of information between conservation researchers, practitioners and policy-makers could lead to dramatic gains in the effectiveness of conservation practice. However, several barriers can hinder this transfer including lack of time, inaccessibility of evidence, the real or perceived irrelevance of scientific research to practical questions, and the politically motivated spread of disinformation. Conservation Evidence works to overcome these barriers by providing a freely-available database of summarized scientific evidence for the effects of conservation interventions on biodiversity. The methods used to build this database – a combination of discipline-wide literature searching and subject-wide evidence synthesis – have been developed over the last 15 years to address the challenges of synthesizing large volumes of evidence of varying quality and measured outcomes. Here, we describe the methods to enhance understanding of the database and how it should be used. We discuss how the database can help to expand multi-directional information transfers between research, practice and policy, which should improve the implementation of evidence-based conservation and, ultimately, achieve better outcomes for biodiversity

Castanea sativa mill. flowers as potential chemopreventive agent against rat prostate cancer model

Introduction: Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancer among men, having a huge impact in their health [1]. This work aimed to evaluate the influence of a decoction extract obtained from C. sativa flowers (CF) on chemically and hormonally induced rat prostate cancer animal model. Material & Methods: All the animal experiments were approved by the Institutional Animals Ethics Committee and by Portuguese national authorities (DGAV no 021326). Forty male Wistar Unilever rats were randomly divided into four groups: control group (n=10), induced group (n=15), CF control group (n=5) and CF induced group (n=10). Animals from induced groups received a multistep induction protocol, which consisted of sequential administration of flutamide, testosterone propionate, the carcinogenic agent MNU and crystalline testosterone. The CF extract, rich in ellagitannins especially trigalloy-HHDP- glucose, was administered in the drinking water (3 mg/animal/day) for 49 weeks. Animals were sacrificed at 61 weeks of age and organs were collected, weighed and processed for light microscopy. Data were analysed using SPSS and GraphPad Prism software. Results: There were no significant differences in relative mean liver weight among groups exposed and not exposed to the CF extract and no animals developed severe hepatic changes. Animals from CF induced group developed less prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia than induced group. Also, animals exposed to the CF extract did not present areas of inflammation of the dorsolateral prostate lobe greater than 50% unlike the groups not exposed (p<0.05). The administration of CF in induced animals was able to decrease the activity of CAT and GST by 36% and 20%, respectively (p<0.05). Conclusions: These results suggest that CF extract was well tolerate by the animals and did not cause severe hepatic and renal toxicity. C. sativa flowers extract may be used as chemopreventive agent against prostate cancer and seems to have an antioxidant role