885 research outputs found
Rational Choices and Welfare Changes in Philippine Family Energy Demand: Evidence from Family Income and Expenditure Surveys
This study found Philippine family demands for (1) electricity, (2) gas and liquid fuels, (3) solid fuels, (4) food, and (5) othersâbased on Family Income and Expenditure Surveys (FIES) in 2009, 2012, and 2015âare rational (i.e., expenditure minimizing). Specifically, all own-price elasticities are negative (downward sloping demand curves). Cross-price elasticities between (1), (2), and (3) are positive (substitutes) while cross-price elasticities of (1), (2), and (3) with (4) or (5) are mostly negative (generally complements). Income elasticities are positive (normal goods), except for (3), comprising âfuelwood, charcoal, and biomass residuesâ that are consumed less at higher incomes (inferior goods). These elasticities yield a Hicks-Slutsky substitution matrix that is symmetric and negative semi-definiteâthe necessary and sufficient conditions for expenditure minimizationâa finding unprecedented in a Philippine demand study. These results validate computing compensating variation (CV) and equivalent variation (EV) that are changes in compensated incomes for restoring welfare after prices change. During 2009-2015, the overall Consumer Price Index increased 3.08 percent annually to which energy price increases contributed 0.23 percentage points, about equal to mid-point CV and EV estimates of welfare losses ranging 0.18 to 0.30 percent of 2009 total expenditures. However, improved household energy end-use efficiency by âwasteâ reduction compensated the above welfare losses even without increasing total expenditures or investing in efficiency improvements
Comparative gastrointestinal organ lengths among Amazonian primates (Primates: Platyrrhini)
Objectives: The morphological features of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) in mammals reflect a species' food niche breadth and dietary adaptations. For many wild mammals, the relationship between the structure of the GIT and diet is still poorly understood, for example, the GIT for frugivorous primates is usually classified as unspecialized and homogeneous. Here, we compare the GIT structure of 13 primate species from the three families of extant platyrrhines (Atelidae, Pitheciidae, and Cebidae) in Amazonia, and discuss possible evolutionary adaptations to different diets and trophic niches. Methods: We measured the length of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, cecum, colon, and rectum of the digestive tracts of 289 primate specimens. We determined the allometric relationships of the different tubular organs with the total length of the GIT as a proxy of specimen body size. Allometric parameters were used to establish the quotients of differentiation of every organ for each primate specimen. Results: There was a high differentiation in structure of the digestive organs among genera. Alouatta specimens clearly separated from the other genera based on dissimilarities in gastric, colonic, and rectal quotients, likely linked to the fermentation of plant contents. In contrast, all cebines (Sapajus, Cebus, and Saimiri) and Cacajao species had similar small intestine quotients, which is expected due to their high rates of animal matter consumed. Conclusions: We show that diverse adaptations in digestive structure exist among frugivorous primates, which in turn reflect different dietary patterns within this group that may enable the geographic coexistence of different primate species
Assistência prÊ-natal à adolescente e os atributos da Atenção Primåria à Saúde
OBJECTIVE: evaluate prenatal care for adolescents in health units, in accordance with the attributes of Primary Health Care (PHC) guidelines. METHOD: quantitative study conducted with health professionals, using the Primary Care Assessment Tool-Brazil to assess the presence and extent of PHC attributes. RESULTS: for all the participating units, the attribute Access scored =6.6; the attributes Longitudinality, Coordination (integration of care), Coordination (information systems) and Integrality scored =6.6, and the Essential Score =6.6. Comparing basic units with family health units, the attribute scores were equally distributed; Accessibility scored =6.6, the others attributes scored =6.6; however, in the basic units, the Essential Score was =6.6 and, in the family health units, =6.6. CONCLUSION: expanding the coverage of family health units and the training of professionals can be considered strategies to qualify health care.OBJETIVO: evaluar la atenciĂłn prenatal a las adolescentes en unidades de salud, segĂşn los atributos de la AtenciĂłn Primaria a la Salud. MĂTODO: estudio de abordaje cuantitativo, realizado con profesionales de la salud, utilizando el instrumento Primary Care Assessment Tool-Brasil para analizar la presencia y extensiĂłn de los atributos vinculados a la APS en las unidades de salud. RESULTADOS: para todas las unidades participantes, el atributo Acceso obtuvo un puntaje =6,6; los atributos Longitudinalidad, CoordinaciĂłn (integraciĂłn de cuidados), CoordinaciĂłn (sistemas de informaciĂłn) e Integralidad obtuvieron puntajes =6,6 y el Puntaje Esencial fue =6,6. Comparando las unidades bĂĄsicas de salud y las unidades de salud de la familia, los puntajes estĂĄn igualmente distribuidos: Accesibilidad =6,6 y los demĂĄs atributos con puntajes =6,6; sin embargo, el puntaje Esencial en las unidades bĂĄsicas fue =6,6 y el de las unidades de salud de la familia fue =6,6. CONCLUSIĂN: la ampliaciĂłn de la cobertura de las unidades de salud de la familia y la capacitaciĂłn profesional pueden ser estrategias para calificar la atenciĂłn a la salud.OBJETIVO: avaliar a atenção prĂŠ-natal Ă s adolescentes em unidades de saĂşde, segundo os atributos da Atenção PrimĂĄria Ă SaĂşde. MĂTODO: estudo de abordagem quantitativa, realizado com profissionais de saĂşde, utilizando-se o instrumento Primary Care Assessment Tool-Brasil, para analisar a presença e extensĂŁo dos atributos. RESULTADOS: para todas as unidades participantes, o atributo acesso obteve escore =6,6; os atributos longitudinalidade, coordenação (integração de cuidados), coordenação (sistemas de informação) e integralidade obtiveram escores =6,6 e escore essencial =6,6. Comparando-se as unidades bĂĄsicas e as unidades de saĂşde da famĂlia, os escores estĂŁo igualmente distribuĂdos: acessibilidade: =6,6 e os demais atributos com escores =6,6, no entanto, o escore essencial nas unidades bĂĄsicas foi =6,6 e nas unidades de saĂşde da famĂlia foi =6,6. CONCLUSĂO: a ampliação da cobertura das unidades de saĂşde da famĂlia e a capacitação profissional podem ser estratĂŠgias para qualificar a atenção Ă saĂşde
Mutual information rate and bounds for it
The amount of information exchanged per unit of time between two nodes in a
dynamical network or between two data sets is a powerful concept for analysing
complex systems. This quantity, known as the mutual information rate (MIR), is
calculated from the mutual information, which is rigorously defined only for
random systems. Moreover, the definition of mutual information is based on
probabilities of significant events. This work offers a simple alternative way
to calculate the MIR in dynamical (deterministic) networks or between two data
sets (not fully deterministic), and to calculate its upper and lower bounds
without having to calculate probabilities, but rather in terms of well known
and well defined quantities in dynamical systems. As possible applications of
our bounds, we study the relationship between synchronisation and the exchange
of information in a system of two coupled maps and in experimental networks of
coupled oscillators
Interleukin-1 polymorphisms associated with increased risk of gastric cancer
Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with a variety of clinical outcomes including gastric cancer and duodenal ulcer disease. The reasons for this variation are not clear, but the gastric physiological response is influenced by the severity and anatomical distribution of gastritis induced by H. pylori. Thus, individuals with gastritis predominantly localized to the antrum retain normal (or even high) acid secretion, whereas individuals with extensive corpus gastritis develop hypochlorhydria and gastric atrophy, which are presumptive precursors of gastric cancer. Here we report that interleukin-1 gene cluster polymorphisms suspected of enhancing production of interleukin-1-beta are associated with an increased risk of both hypochlorhydria induced by H. pylori and gastric cancer. Two of these polymorphism are in near-complete linkage disequilibrium and one is a TATA-box polymorphism that markedly affects DNA-protein interactions in vitro. The association with disease may be explained by the biological properties of interleukin-1-beta, which is an important pro-inflammatory cytokine and a powerful inhibitor of gastric acid secretion. Host genetic factors that affect interleukin-1-beta may determine why some individuals infected with H. pylori develop gastric cancer while others do no
La RelaciĂłn Entre la MotivaciĂłn Docente y Variables de la OrganizaciĂłn: RevisiĂłn de la Literatura
Abstract Teacher motivation plays a central role in education because ofitsimpacton student motivation. Previous reviews of teacher motivation have focused on individual variables and psychopathology indicators. However, it is also important to understand the effect of organizational variableson teacher motivationbecause these highlightthe contextthat the teacher is a part of(i.e.,the school). The literature review in this paper analysed studies related to teacher motivation and a pre-defined group of organizational variablesthat werepublished between 1990 and 2014 in several electronic databases.The study found that organizational culture was the most studied variable associated with teacher motivationand most studies in this area were published between 2010 and 2014.Further,there was a prevalence of quantitative studies. This paper concludes with the theoreticaland practical implications of the results,as well assuggestions for future research directions
Glucocorticoid receptor (DlGR1) is expressed in pre-larval and larval stages of the teleost fish Dicentrarchus labrax
Glucocorticoid hormone receptors (GR), members of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily, are ligand-dependent transcription factors expressed in various tissues by binding to specific DNA sequences. Since glucocorticoids have a role in maintaining the homeostatic status in fish, we previously cloned and sequenced a GR (DlGR1) of adult Dicentrarchus labrax; we also showed mRNA expression (in situ hybridization) and tissue immunohistochemical localization of DlGR1 in several organs. This work has now been extended to the examination of the expression, tissue distribution, and cytolocalization of DlGR1 in larval developmental stages by similar methods to those used for the adult organs. The riboprobe included the DlGR1 cDNA transcriptional activation domain (1.0â1,300 nucleotide sequence) showing no significant similarity with a known second GR cDNA sequence of sea bass. The antibody was specific for an opportunely selected peptide sequence of the DlGR1 transcriptional domain. In histological sections of brain, head kidney, gills, liver, anterior intestine, and spleen cells, the riboprobe was mainly located in the cell nucleus. The antibody identified DlGR1 in the head kidney, gills, liver, and anterior intestine, mainly located in the cytosol. These results are in agreement with the receptor location in adult tissues. The greater presence of both the transcript and protein of DlGR1 in the late developmental stages suggests an increasing expression of this receptor. The cytolocalization (nuclear-cytosolic) and presumptive roles of DlGR1-containing tissues are discussed
Compressed representation of a partially defined integer function over multiple arguments
In OLAP (OnLine Analitical Processing) data are analysed in an n-dimensional cube. The cube may be represented as a partially defined function over n arguments. Considering that often the function is not defined everywhere, we ask: is there a known way of representing the function or the points in which it is defined, in a more compact manner than the trivial one
Azimuthal anisotropy of charged particles at high transverse momenta in PbPb collisions at sqrt(s[NN]) = 2.76 TeV
The azimuthal anisotropy of charged particles in PbPb collisions at
nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 2.76 TeV is measured with the CMS
detector at the LHC over an extended transverse momentum (pt) range up to
approximately 60 GeV. The data cover both the low-pt region associated with
hydrodynamic flow phenomena and the high-pt region where the anisotropies may
reflect the path-length dependence of parton energy loss in the created medium.
The anisotropy parameter (v2) of the particles is extracted by correlating
charged tracks with respect to the event-plane reconstructed by using the
energy deposited in forward-angle calorimeters. For the six bins of collision
centrality studied, spanning the range of 0-60% most-central events, the
observed v2 values are found to first increase with pt, reaching a maximum
around pt = 3 GeV, and then to gradually decrease to almost zero, with the
decline persisting up to at least pt = 40 GeV over the full centrality range
measured.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO
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