Nature versus Nurture: The curved spine of the galaxy cluster X-ray luminosity -- temperature relation

The physical processes that define the spine of the galaxy cluster X-ray luminosity -- temperature (L-T) relation are investigated using a large hydrodynamical simulation of the Universe. This simulation models the same volume and phases as the Millennium Simulation and has a linear extent of 500 h^{-1} Mpc. We demonstrate that mergers typically boost a cluster along but also slightly below the L-T relation. Due to this boost we expect that all of the very brightest clusters will be near the peak of a merger. Objects from near the top of the L-T relation tend to have assembled much of their mass earlier than an average halo of similar final mass. Conversely, objects from the bottom of the relation are often experiencing an ongoing or recent merger.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, submitted to MNRA

Analyticity and criticality results for the eigenvalues of the biharmonic operator

We consider the eigenvalues of the biharmonic operator subject to several homogeneous boundary conditions (Dirichlet, Neumann, Navier, Steklov). We show that simple eigenvalues and elementary symmetric functions of multiple eigenvalues are real analytic, and provide Hadamard-type formulas for the corresponding shape derivatives. After recalling the known results in shape optimization, we prove that balls are always critical domains under volume constraint.Comment: To appear on the proceedings of the conference "Geometric Properties for Parabolic and Elliptic PDE's - 4th Italian-Japanese Workshop" held in Palinuro (Italy), May 25-29, 201

Effects of ecucation and investment in research in agricultural production in Brazil.

We use census data (1996 and 2006) to model the agricultural production at state level in Brazil. Cost efficiency measurements are computed using data envelopment analysis and the response is assessed via censored regressions. We study the effects of region, education and investment in agricultural research on the economic efficiency. Education has a strong significant effect, as well as investment in research. The intensity of the effects varies over regions for education, and is statistically the same for investment in research

A new critical curve for the Lane-Emden system

We study stable positive radially symmetric solutions for the Lane-Emden system $-\Delta u=v^p$ in $\R^N$, $-\Delta v=u^q$ in $\R^N$, where $p,q\geq 1$. We obtain a new critical curve that optimally describes the existence of such solutions.Comment: 13 pages, 1 figur

The importance of patients' case-mix for the correct interpretation of the hospital fatality rate in COVID-19 disease

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to document data on the epidemiology and factors associated with clinical course leading to death of patients hospitalised with COVID-19. METHODS: Prospective observational cohort study on patients hospitalised with COVID-19 disease in February-24th/May-17th 2020 in Milan, Italy. Uni-multivariable Cox regression analyses were performed. Death's percentage by two-weeks' intervals according to age and disease severity was analysed. RESULTS: A total of 174/539 (32.3%) patients died in hospital over 8228 person-day follow-up; the 14-day Kaplan-Meier probability of death was 29.5% (95%CI: 25.5-34.0). Older age, burden of comorbidities, COVID-19 disease severity, inflammatory markers at admission were independent predictors of increased risk, while several drug-combinations were predictors of reduced risk of in-hospital death. The highest fatality rate, 36.5%, occurred during the 2nd-3rd week of March, when 55.4% of patients presented with severe disease, while a second peak, by the end of April, was related to the admission of older patients (55% ≥80 years) with less severe disease, 30% coming from long-term care facilities. CONCLUSIONS: The unusual fatality rate in our setting is likely to be related to age and the clinical conditions of our patients. These findings may be useful to better allocate resources of the national healthcare system, in case of re-intensification of COVID-19 epidemics

Caracterização produtiva de agricultores que receberam sementes biofortificadas e potencial de adoção: resultados de uma amostra no Piauí.

O trabalho apresenta resultados parciais da avaliação da caracterização socioeconômica de uma amostra de 90 famílias de agricultores rurais do estado do Piauí.Organização Embrapa Agroindústria de Alimentos. Editora técnica: Marília Regini Nutt

Caracterização socioeconômica de agricultores com acesso a variedades biofortificadas: resultados iniciais no Piauí.

Este trabalho apresenta resultados parciais da caracterização socioeconômica de uma amostra de 90 famílias de agricultores rurais do Estado do Piauí. Os questionários foram aplicados de julho a outubro de 2014 e, após tabulados, fez-se a análise descritiva dos dados. Estão descritas as características dos agricultores, tais como, nível de escolaridade, renda média mensal, fonte de renda e benefícios sociais. Esta amostra foi retirada de uma espécie de banco de dados de famílias cadastradas pelo BioFort que receberam manivas de mandioca, sementes de feijão e ramas de batata-doce biofortificadas.Organização Embrapa Agroindústria de Alimentos. Editora técnica Marília Regini Nutti

Avaliação multidimensional de impactos de cultivares biofortificadas: feijão caupi BRS Aracê no Piauí.

O projeto biofortificação de cultivos foi criado para oferecer produtos com maior quantidade de nutrientes e que pudessem ser uma alternativa de produção à agricultura familiar.Organização: Embrapa Agroindústria de Alimentos. Editora técnica: Marília Regini Nutti

Testing Simulation Theory with Cross-Modal Multivariate Classification of fMRI Data

The discovery of mirror neurons has suggested a potential neural basis for simulation and common coding theories of action perception, theories which propose that we understand other people's actions because perceiving their actions activates some of our neurons in much the same way as when we perform the actions. We propose testing this model directly in humans with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) by means of cross-modal classification. Cross-modal classification evaluates whether a classifier that has learned to separate stimuli in the sensory domain can also separate the stimuli in the motor domain. Successful classification provides support for simulation theories because it means that the fMRI signal, and presumably brain activity, is similar when perceiving and performing actions. In this paper we demonstrate the feasibility of the technique by showing that classifiers which have learned to discriminate whether a participant heard a hand or a mouth action, based on the activity patterns in the premotor cortex, can also determine, without additional training, whether the participant executed a hand or mouth action. This provides direct evidence that, while perceiving others' actions, (1) the pattern of activity in premotor voxels with sensory properties is a significant source of information regarding the nature of these actions, and (2) that this information shares a common code with motor execution