A Tale of Three Cities: Crime and Displacement after Hurricane Katrina

When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in August 2005, it greatly disrupted both the physical and social structures of that community. One consequence of the hurricane was the displacement of large numbers of New Orleans residents to other cities, including Houston, San Antonio, and Phoenix. There has been media speculation that such a grand-scale population displacement led to increased crime in communities that were recipient of large numbers of displaced New Orleans residents. This study was a case study of three cities with somewhat different experiences with Katrina\u27s diaspora. Time series analysis was used to examine the pre- and post-Katrina trends in six Part I offenses (murder, robbery, aggravated assault, rape, burglary, and auto theft) to assess any impact of such large-scale population shifts on crime in host communities. Contrary to much popular speculation, only modest effects were found on crime. Social disorganization theory was used to frame both the analysis and the interpretation of these result

Limited diversity of Anopheles darlingi in the Peruvian Amazon region of Iquitos.

Anopheles darlingi is the most important malaria vector in the Amazon basin of South America, and is capable of transmitting both Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax. To understand the genetic structure of this vector in the Amazonian region of Peru, a simple polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based test to identify this species of mosquito was used. A random amplified polymorphic DNA-PCR was used to study genetic variation at the micro-geographic level in nine geographically separate populations of An. darlingi collected in areas with different degrees of deforestation surrounding the city of Iquitos. Within-population genetic diversity in nine populations, as quantified by the expected heterozygosity (H(E)), ranged from 0.27 to 0.32. Average genetic distance (F(ST)) among these populations was 0.017. These results show that the nine studied populations are highly homogeneous, suggesting that strategies can be developed to combat this malaria vector as a single epidemiologic unit

Engineering simulations of a super-complex cultural heritage building: Ica Cathedral in Peru

The Cathedral of Ica, Peru, is one of the four prototype buildings involved in the ongoing Seismic Retrofitting Project, initiative of the Getty Conservation Institute. The complex historical building, which was heavily damaged by earthquakes in 2007 and 2009, can be divided into two substructures: an external masonry envelope and an internal timber frame built by a construction method known as quincha technique. This study makes use of the information available in literature and the results obtained from experimental campaigns performed by Pontificia Universidad Catlica del PerA and University of Minho. Nonlinear behaviour of masonry is simulated in the numerical models by considering specified compressive and tensile softening behaviour, while isotropic homogeneous and linear behaviour is adopted for modelling timber with appropriate assumptions on the connections. A single representative bay was initially studied by performing linear elastic analysis and verifying the compliance with the various criteria specified by the applicable normative to discuss the actual failure of Ica Cathedral. Afterwards, the structural behaviour of the two substructures composing the Cathedral is evaluated independently. Finally, the interaction of these two substructures is investigated by performing structural analysis on the entire structure of Ica Cathedral. Several structural analysis techniques, including eigenvalue, nonlinear static and dynamic analyses, are performed in order to: (1) evaluate the dominant mode shapes of the structure; (2) validate the numerical models by reproducing the structural damage observed in situ; (3) estimate the structural performance; and (4) identify the main failure mechanisms.This work was carried out with funding from the Getty Seismic Retrofitting Project under the auspices of the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI). This work is also partially financed by FEDER funds through the Competitivity Factors Operational Programme-COMPETE and by national funds through FCT-Foundation for Science and Technology within the scope of the projects POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007633 and PTDC/ECM-EST/2777/2014.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Registro para México de Lissonota Fascipennis Townes (hymenoptera: ichneumonidae) como parasitoide del gusano rojo del maguey

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Hydrolyzed Collagen Supplementation on Lower Body Stiffness in Recreational Triathletes

Background: Myotendinous stiffness is related to the collagen content of the muscle and tendon, and can be estimated during running by changes in vertical stiffness (kvert) and the resulting modifications of the spatiotemporal parameters (on-off ground asymmetry and landing-takeoff asymmetry). Supplementation with amino acids found in collagen, such as proline, glycine, and hydroxyl proline, combined with ascorbic acid, improve collagen synthesis and potentially result in improved mechanical strength and stiffness. Objectives: To determine if hydrolyzed collagen (HC) supplementation increases kvert and improves the spatiotemporal parameters during running in recreational triathletes. Methods: Nine active males (weight; 68.4 ± 5.7 kg, height; 171.8 ± 5.4 cm, age; 32.5 ± 4.1 years; Vo2max; 53.15 ± 2.19 mL/kg/min) were randomly distributed into a collagen group (CollG, n = 5) and a control group (CG, n = 4). Participants were supplemented for 4 weeks with 15g HC (CollG) or 15g placebo (CG; maltodextrin), 3 times per week. One hour after supplementation, the participants of both groups were asked to perform four repetitions of short sprints to further stimulate collagen synthesis. The ground reaction forces were recorded during running at 4.44 m s-1, 5.55 m.s-1, and 6.66 m.s-1 for assessment of kvert and the spatiotemporal step parameters. Results: Both groups increased kvert with speed (4.44 - 6.66 m s-1) from 24.8 ± 2.7 to 53.7 ± 16.5 N/m and from 25.1 to 49.8 N/m in the CollG and CG, respectively (P < 0.0001); however, there were no differences between groups before and after the supplementation period. As a consequence, the spatiotemporal parameters of running were also similar between groups. Conclusions: Four weeks of HC supplementation does not improve the bouncing mechanism of running in recreational triathletes

Negative Modulation of Macroautophagy by Stabilized HERPUD1 is Counteracted by an Increased ER-Lysosomal Network With Impact in Drug-Induced Stress Cell Survival

Macroautophagy and the ubiquitin proteasome system work as an interconnected network in the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. Indeed, efficient activation of macroautophagy upon nutritional deprivation is sustained by degradation of preexisting proteins by the proteasome. However, the specific substrates that are degraded by the proteasome in order to activate macroautophagy are currently unknown. By quantitative proteomic analysis we identified several proteins downregulated in response to starvation independently of ATG5 expression. Among them, the most significant was HERPUD1, an ER membrane protein with low expression and known to be degraded by the proteasome under normal conditions. Contrary, under ER stress, levels of HERPUD1 increased rapidly due to a blockage in its proteasomal degradation. Thus, we explored whether HERPUD1 stability could work as a negative regulator of autophagy. In this work, we expressed a version of HERPUD1 with its ubiquitin-like domain (UBL) deleted, which is known to be crucial for its proteasome degradation. In comparison to HERPUD1-WT, we found the UBL-deleted version caused a negative role on basal and induced macroautophagy. Unexpectedly, we found stabilized HERPUD1 promotes ER remodeling independent of unfolded protein response activation observing an increase in stacked-tubular structures resembling previously described tubular ER rearrangements. Importantly, a phosphomimetic S59D mutation within the UBL mimics the phenotype observed with the UBL-deleted version including an increase in HERPUD1 stability and ER remodeling together with a negative role on autophagy. Moreover, we found UBL-deleted version and HERPUD1-S59D trigger an increase in cellular size, whereas HERPUD1-S59D also causes an increased in nuclear size. Interestingly, ER remodeling by the deletion of the UBL and the phosphomimetic S59D version led to an increase in the number and function of lysosomes. In addition, the UBL-deleted version and phosphomimetic S59D version established a tight ER-lysosomal network with the presence of extended patches of ER-lysosomal membrane-contact sites condition that reveals an increase of cell survival under stress conditions. Altogether, we propose stabilized HERPUD1 downregulates macroautophagy favoring instead a closed interplay between the ER and lysosomes with consequences in drug-cell stress survival

Perfiles hematológicos en pacientes infectados con malaria en un área endémica del Perú

Objetivos. Evaluar la variación de los perfiles hematológicos antes, durante y después del tratamiento de pacientes infectados con malaria no complicada por Plasmodium vivax (Pv) y P. falciparum (Pf) en una población de la región Loreto. Materiales y métodos. El estudio se realizó entre 2010 y 2012, en Zungarococha (Iquitos). Los 425 participantes tuvieron tres visitas (visita 1-día 0-antes del tratamiento, visita 2-día 7-durante tratamiento, visita 3-día 28-después del tratamiento), hemograma completo, diagnóstico microscópico y molecular (PCR). Resultados. En la primera visita, se encontraron 93 (21,9%) positivos a Pv y 34 (8,0%) a Pf. Todos los positivos mostraron una reducción en los indicadores hematológicos de hematocrito, recuento de glóbulos blancos (RGB), neutrófilos abastonados y segmentados, eosinófilos y plaquetas (p<0.001) en comparación con el grupo negativo. Se encontró un porcentaje mayor de neutrófilos abastonados en Pf y de neutrófilos segmentados en Pv comparado al grupo negativo. Se observó variaciones en los perfiles  hematológicos después del tratamiento para ambas especies, los neutrófilos abastonados disminuyeron, las plaquetas aumentaron, los eosinófilos se incrementaron al día 7 y decaen el día 28, el hematocrito y los neutrófilos segmentados disminuyeron al día 7 y se normalizaron el día 28. Las diferencias entre especies en el tiempo mostraron una disminución diaria de neutrófilos abastonados en infectados con Pv que en Pf. Conclusiones. El perfil hematológico en pacientes positivos a malaria no complicada varía en el tiempo durante y después del tratamiento. Estos son indicadores de la progresión de la enfermedad y ayudan en la vigilancia terapéutica de pacientes infectados con Plasmodium

Perfiles hematológicos en pacientes infectados con malaria en un área endémica del Perú [Hematological profiles of malaria-infected patients in an endemic area of Peru]

OBJECTIVES.: To evaluate the variation of hematological profiles of patients infected with uncomplicated Plasmodium vivax (Pv) and P. falciparum (Pf) malaria before, during and after treatment in a population of the Loreto region. MATERIALS AND METHODS.: This study was conducted between 2010 and 2012, in Zungarococha (Iquitos). The 425 participants had three visits (visit 1-day 0-before treatment, visit 2-day 7-during treatment, visit 3-day 28-after treatment), complete blood count, microscopic and molecular diagnosis (PCR). RESULTS.: At the first visit, 93 (21.9%) participants were found positive for Pv and 34 (8.0%) for Pf. All positives showed a reduction in hematocrit, white blood cell count (WBC), ablated and segmented neutrophils, eosinophils and platelets (p<0.001) compared to the negative group. A higher percentage of ablated neutrophils was found in Pf and segmented neutrophils in Pv compared to the negative group. Variations in hematological profiles were observed after treatment for both species; ablated neutrophils decreased, platelets increased, eosinophils increased at day 7 and declined at day 28, hematocrit and segmented neutrophils decreased at day 7 and normalized at day 28. Interspecies differences over time showed a bigger daily decrease in ablated neutrophils in Pv-infected when compared to Pf. CONCLUSIONS.: The hematological profile in uncomplicated malaria-positive patients varies over time during and after treatment. These are indicators of disease progression and help in the therapeutic surveillance of Plasmodium-infected patients

The meaning of negation in the second language classroom: evidence from 'any'

This article brings together an experimental study involving L2 knowledge of negation in English and an analysis of how English language textbooks treat negation, in order to consider whether textbook explanations of negation could better exploit linguistic insights into negation. We focus on the English negative polarity item any, whose distribution is contingent on negation, whether through the explicit negator not or through lexical semantic negators (e.g. hardly). Our experiment compares Chinese-speaking learners with existing data from Arabic-speaking learners, finding lower accuracy on any with lexical semantic negators in both groups. Our textbook analysis reveals an approach to negation that is limited to form, focusing on the explicit negator not without explicit treatment of other types of negation. We propose that emphasizing the meaning of negation, with explicit treatment of the full range of negative forms could facilitate more complete acquisition across a range of grammatical properties where negation plays a role