Random parking, Euclidean functionals, and rubber elasticity

We study subadditive functions of the random parking model previously analyzed by the second author. In particular, we consider local functions $S$ of subsets of $\mathbb{R}^d$ and of point sets that are (almost) subadditive in their first variable. Denoting by $\xi$ the random parking measure in $\mathbb{R}^d$, and by $\xi^R$ the random parking measure in the cube $Q_R=(-R,R)^d$, we show, under some natural assumptions on $S$, that there exists a constant $\bar{S}\in \mathbb{R}$ such that % $$\lim_{R\to +\infty} \frac{S(Q_R,\xi)}{|Q_R|}\,=\,\lim_{R\to +\infty}\frac{S(Q_R,\xi^R)}{|Q_R|}\,=\,\bar{S}$$ % almost surely. If $\zeta \mapsto S(Q_R,\zeta)$ is the counting measure of $\zeta$ in $Q_R$, then we retrieve the result by the second author on the existence of the jamming limit. The present work generalizes this result to a wide class of (almost) subadditive functions. In particular, classical Euclidean optimization problems as well as the discrete model for rubber previously studied by Alicandro, Cicalese, and the first author enter this class of functions. In the case of rubber elasticity, this yields an approximation result for the continuous energy density associated with the discrete model at the thermodynamic limit, as well as a generalization to stochastic networks generated on bounded sets.Comment: 28 page

Controle da produção de aflatoxinas no amendoim em casca úmido com ortofenilfenato de sódio: III. Testes no armazém

The present experiment aimed to evaluate the effect of sodium ortho-phenylphenate (SOP) application to in-shell moist peanuts for the control of aflatoxin production. Previous studies showed the need to improve the SOP solution distribution on peanut pods to evaluate the product. Thus, in this experiment the place of the spray system was the bag filler pipe of the pre-cleaning machine in the warehouse. In the 1989 rainy season two lots of 120 bags of in-shell moist peanuts were sprayed with 0.5 and 1% SOP solutions and aflatoxin production was not controlled. In the dry season of 1989 and in the rainy season of 1990, in-shell moist peanuts were sprayed with 5% SOP solution. The coverage of pods with the solution was efficient, allowing a uniform distribution of SOP solution on the pods. The results showed that only the 5.0% concentration of SOP solution utilized controlled the external fungal growth when a naked eye observation was made, however did not control aflatoxin production when applied to in-shell moist peanuts, probably due to the internal presence of Aspergillus flavus and because the fungicide could not penetrate inside to reach the kernels.O presente trabalho teve por objetivo avaliar a eficiência da solução de ortofenilfenato de sódio (OFS), no controle da produção de aflatoxinas quando aplicada no amendoim em casca, úmido. Trabalhos anteriormente realizados, em condições de campo, indicaram a necessidade de otimizar a aplicação da solução, para se poder avaliar a real eficiência dessa substância. Assim, neste experimento, o sistema de pulverização foi adaptado na bica de saída da máquina de pré-limpeza, no armazém. Na safra das águas de 1989, dois lotes de 120 sacos de amendoim em casca úmido foram pulverizados com solução de OFS em concentrações de 0,5 e 1,0 % e verificou-se que não houve controle da produção de aflatoxinas em ambas as concentrações utilizadas. Nas safras da seca de 1989 e das águas de 1990 o amendoim em casca úmido foi pulverizado com solução de OFS na concentração de 5,0%. A cobertura das vagens com a solução foi eficiente, permitindo uma distribuição uniforme da solução de OFS sobre as vagens. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que nenhuma das concentrações utilizadas controlou a produção de aflatoxinas, quando aplicadas no amendoim em casca, embora, aparentemente, tenham controlado o crescimento fúngico da parte externa das vagens de amendoim. Provavelmente os fungos aflatoxigênicos já poderiam estar presentes dentro de vagens sadias e desse modo a casca do amendoim poderia ser uma barreira à penetração do fungicida dentro da vagem e atingir as amêndoas

Fibroblast growth factors 19 and 21 in acute liver damage

Currently there are very few pharmacological options available to treat acute liver injury. Because its natural exposure to noxious stimuli the liver has developed a strong endogenous hepatoprotective capacity. Indeed, experimental evidence exposed a variety of endogenous hepatic and systemic responses naturally activated to protect the hepatic parenchyma and to foster liver regeneration, therefore preserving individual’s survival. The fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family encompasses a range of polypeptides with important effects on cellular differentiation, growth survival and metabolic regulation in adult organisms. Among these FGFs, FGF19 and FGF21 are endocrine hormones that profoundly influence systemic metabolism but also exert important hepatoprotective activities. In this review, we revisit the biology of these factors and highlight their potential application for the clinical management of acute liver injur

Conforming to accreditation in Iranian hospitals

This paper examines the operation of an accreditation programme for hospitals in Iran. It explores the process of accreditation as a regulatory control system and analyses hospitals’ responses to this type of control. We draw on the notion of steering and argue that the accreditation system is transactional in nature. Our findings show that hospitals conform to the scheme, although they also resist some of its requirements. On a wider policy level, we suggest that accreditations offer the accreditor the opportunity to impact on how activities are undertaken, but hospitals require incentives in order to make the necessary organisational changes

Impact of a Citywide Sanitation Program in Northeast Brazil on Intestinal Parasites Infection in Young Children

BACKGROUND: Sanitation affects health, especially that of young children. Residents of Salvador, in Northeast Brazil, have had a high prevalence of intestinal parasites. A citywide sanitation intervention started in 1996 aimed to raise the level of sewer coverage from 26% to 80% of households. OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the impact of this intervention on the prevalence of Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichuria, and Giardia duodenalis infections in preschool children. METHODS: The evaluation was composed of two cross-sectional studies (1998 and 2003-2004), each of a sample of 681 and 976 children 1-4 years of age, respectively. Children were sampled from 24 sentinel areas chosen to represent the range of environmental conditions in the study site. Data were collected using an individual/household questionnaire, and an environmental survey was conducted in each area before and after the intervention to assess basic household and neighborhood sanitation conditions. Stool samples were examined for the presence of intestinal parasites. The effect of the intervention was estimated by hierarchical modeling, fitting a sequence of multivariate regression models. FINDINGS: The prevalence ofA. lumbricoides infection was reduced from 24.4% to 12.0%, T. trichuria from 18.0% to 5.0%, and G. duodenalis from 14.1% to 5.3%. Most of this reduction appeared to be explained by the increased coverage in each neighborhood by the sewage system constructed during the intervention. The key explanatory variable was thus an ecological measure of exposure and not household-based, suggesting that the parasite transmission prevented by the program was mainly in the public (vs. the domestic) domain. CONCLUSION: This study, using advanced statistical modeling to control for individual and ecological potential confounders, demonstrates the impact on intestinal parasites of sanitation improvements implemented at the scale of a large population

Quantitative analyses and modelling to support achievement of the 2020 goals for nine neglected tropical diseases

Quantitative analysis and mathematical models are useful tools in informing strategies to control or eliminate disease. Currently, there is an urgent need to develop these tools to inform policy to achieve the 2020 goals for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). In this paper we give an overview of a collection of novel model-based analyses which aim to address key questions on the dynamics of transmission and control of nine NTDs: Chagas disease, visceral leishmaniasis, human African trypanosomiasis, leprosy, soil-transmitted helminths, schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis and trachoma. Several common themes resonate throughout these analyses, including: the importance of epidemiological setting on the success of interventions; targeting groups who are at highest risk of infection or re-infection; and reaching populations who are not accessing interventions and may act as a reservoir for infection,. The results also highlight the challenge of maintaining elimination 'as a public health problem' when true elimination is not reached. The models elucidate the factors that may be contributing most to persistence of disease and discuss the requirements for eventually achieving true elimination, if that is possible. Overall this collection presents new analyses to inform current control initiatives. These papers form a base from which further development of the models and more rigorous validation against a variety of datasets can help to give more detailed advice. At the moment, the models' predictions are being considered as the world prepares for a final push towards control or elimination of neglected tropical diseases by 2020

Motivación de las vocaciones científicas en microbiología en alumnos de educación infantil y primaria

Resumen del poster presentado en: XXIX Congreso de la Sociedad Española de Microbiología SEM. Microorganismos: un universo en continua evolucion. Burgos, España. 25-28 junio (2023)Proyectos PID2021-123164OB-I00, EMERGIA20_00114, TED2021-129599B-I00. Agradecemos a Vanesa Rodríguez Valero, Daniel Sánchez Hernández y Rocío Quero García, docentes del C.E.I.P. José Hurtado, Granada

Multi-frequency monitoring of γ-ray loud blazars I. Light curves and spectral energy distributions

Context: Being dominated by non-thermal emission from aligned relativistic jets, blazars allow us to elucidate the physics of extragalactic jets, and, ltimately, how the energy is extracted from the central black hole in radio-loud active galactic nuclei. Aims: Crucial information is provided by broad-band spectral energy distributions (SEDs), their trends with luminosity and correlated multi-frequency variability. With this study we plan to obtain a database of contemporaneous radio-to-optical spectra of a sample of blazars, which are and will be observed by current and future high-energy satellites. Methods: Since December 2004 we are performing a monthly multi-frequency radio monitoring of a sample of 35 blazars at the antennas in Medicina and Noto. Contemporaneous near-IR and optical observations for all our observing epochs are organised. Results: Until June 2006 about 4000 radio measurements and 5500 near-IR and optical measurements were obtained. Most of the sources show significant variability in all observing bands. Here we present the multi-frequency data acquired during the first eighteen months of the project, and construct the SEDs for the best-sampled sources