Adaptive understanding and management for floods

Resource management problems have so often defied prediction that surprise rather than certainty has become the common theme for embarrassed managers and theoreticians. The sources of uncertainty derive from our failure to grasp the structure and operation of complex systems: nested hierarchies that generate non-linear dynamics from within-scale and cross-scale interactions. We increasingly recognize that surprise and uncertainty are inevitable given that nature and society are moving targets with very complicated interactions at multiple scales. How can we practically address this uncertainty? We describe a process, Adaptive Environmental Assessment and Management (AEAM), that has developed over 30 years of experiments as a test of our abilities to integrate inquiry, understanding, and action in the face of surprising shifts in evolving resource systems. AEAM has been applied to resource management problems such as tourism, fisheries, forestries, mining and agriculture. We consider briefly AEAM’s application to river management problems in North America and discuss the potential to experiment with AEAM to address the interplay of ecological and economic problems in European river basins with a history of flooding

The dynamics of commodity return comovements

We compare factor models with respect to their ability to explain commodity futures return comovements. A simple one-factor model based on the first principal component extracted from a panel of commodity returns outperforms a macroeconomic model, and explains most of the realized comovements. We find that intersectoral correlations display more time variations than intrasectoral correlations. Dissecting the evidence further, we find that comovements are driven by the variation of the factor as opposed to exposure to it. Our results cast doubt on the persistence of the effects of financialization and emphasize the importance of the dynamics of the factor variance

Milk Lacking α-Casein Leads to Permanent Reduction in Body Size in Mice

The major physiological function of milk is the transport of amino acids, carbohydrates, lipids and minerals to mammalian offspring. Caseins, the major milk proteins, are secreted in the form of a micelle consisting of protein and calcium-phosphate

Analysis of Tp53 Codon 72 Polymorphisms, Tp53 Mutations, and HPV Infection in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinomas

Non-melanoma skin cancers are one of the most common human malignancies accounting for 2-3% of tumors in the US and represent a significant health burden. Epidemiology studies have implicated Tp53 mutations triggered by UV exposure, and human papilloma virus (HPV) infection to be significant causes of non-melanoma skin cancer. However, the relationship between Tp53 and cutaneous HPV infection is not well understood in skin cancers. In this study we assessed the association of HPV infection and Tp53 polymorphisms and mutations in lesional specimens with squamous cell carcinomas.We studied 55 cases of histologically confirmed cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and 41 controls for the presence of HPV infection and Tp53 genotype (mutations and polymorphism).We found an increased number of Tp53 mutations in the squamous cell carcinoma samples compared with perilesional or control samples. There was increased frequency of homozygous Tp53-72R polymorphism in cases with squamous cell carcinomas, while the Tp53-72P allele (Tp53-72R/P and Tp53-72P/P) was more frequent in normal control samples. Carcinoma samples positive for HPV showed a decreased frequency of Tp53 mutations compared to those without HPV infection. In addition, carcinoma samples with a Tp53-72P allele showed an increased incidence of Tp53 mutations in comparison carcinomas samples homozygous for Tp53-72R.These studies suggest there are two separate pathways (HPV infection and Tp53 mutation) leading to cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas stratified by the Tp53 codon-72 polymorphism. The presence of a Tp53-72P allele is protective against cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, and carcinoma specimens with Tp53-72P are more likely to have Tp53 mutations. In contrast Tp53-72R is a significant risk factor for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and is frequently associated with HPV infection instead of Tp53 mutations. Heterozygosity for Tp53-72R/P is protective against squamous cell carcinomas, possibly reflecting a requirement for both HPV infection and Tp53 mutations

Sex- and age-related differences in the management and outcomes of chronic heart failure: an analysis of patients from the ESC HFA EORP Heart Failure Long-Term Registry

Aims: This study aimed to assess age- and sex-related differences in management and 1-year risk for all-cause mortality and hospitalization in chronic heart failure (HF) patients. Methods and results: Of 16 354 patients included in the European Society of Cardiology Heart Failure Long-Term Registry, 9428 chronic HF patients were analysed [median age: 66 years; 28.5% women; mean left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 37%]. Rates of use of guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) were high (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers, beta-blockers and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists: 85.7%, 88.7% and 58.8%, respectively). Crude GDMT utilization rates were lower in women than in men (all differences: P\ua0 64 0.001), and GDMT use became lower with ageing in both sexes, at baseline and at 1-year follow-up. Sex was not an independent predictor of GDMT prescription; however, age >75 years was a significant predictor of GDMT underutilization. Rates of all-cause mortality were lower in women than in men (7.1% vs. 8.7%; P\ua0=\ua00.015), as were rates of all-cause hospitalization (21.9% vs. 27.3%; P\ua075 years. Conclusions: There was a decline in GDMT use with advanced age in both sexes. Sex was not an independent predictor of GDMT or adverse outcomes. However, age >75 years independently predicted lower GDMT use and higher all-cause mortality in patients with LVEF 6445%

The influence of roasting on chosen quality parameters of coffee

W badaniach wykorzystano kawę zieloną z Brazylii i Etiopii, którą poddano procesowi palenia. W próbkach pobieranych w trakcie prażenia porównywano suchą masę, kwasowość, zawartość cukrów bezpośrednio redukujących, polifenoli ogółem, przeciwutleniaczy oraz przeprowadzono oznaczenie składników aromatu kawy (GC-MS). Wyniki badań świadczą o silnym wpływie procesu palenia na jakość sensoryczną i fizykochemiczną kaw. W próbkach obu gatunków kaw prażenie powodowało wzrost zawartości cukrów bezpośrednio redukujących i kwasowości. Zauważono niewielki spadek zawartości polifenoli i aktywności przeciwutleniającej. Kawy zielone charakteryzowały się ograniczonym profilem związków lotnych, natomiast na bogaty profil zapachowy kaw palonych wpływały głównie pirazyny, ketony i pochodne furanu.Green coffee from Brazil and Ethiopia were used for the presented investigations. The coffee samples were received during roasting process. The content of dry weight, acidity, reducing sugars, total polyphenols and antioxidant activity were analysed in the study. The coffee aroma compounds were also determined. The results obtained indicate a strong influence of roasting process on sensory and physicochemical quality of the coffees. For both coffee species roasting resulted in an increase of reducing sugar contents and acidity. A slight decrease of polyphenol contents and antioxidant activity was noted. Green coffees had a limited volatile profile. Rich aroma profiles of roasted coffees were influenced mainly by pyrazines, furan derivatives and ketones

Optimizing the process of extracting trehalose from yeast cells and specifying parameters of its determination by HPLC technique

Wykorzystano technikę wysokosprawnej chromatografii cieczowej do oznaczania trehalozy w próbach mogących zawierać inne disacharydy (maltozę, sacharozę). Przetestowano dwie kolumny i różne składy eluentów pod względem efektywności rozdziału. Wyznaczono granice wykrywalności, oznaczalności, zakres liniowości oraz precyzję wytypowanych metod. Ponadto wykonano optymalizację procesu ekstrakcji trehalozy z komórek drożdży pod względem substancji dezintegrującej, temperatury oraz czasu trwania ekstrakcji.A technique of High Performance Liquid Chromatography was applied to determine trehalose in the samples, which could contain other disaccharides (maltose, sucrose). Two columns and various mobile phases of eluents were tested as regards the efficiency of resolution. The limits of detection and determination were estimated as were the range of linearity and the precision of the selected methods. Moreover, the process of extracting trehalose from yeast cells was as regards the disintegrating substance, temperature, and extraction duration time)