Andrei Platonov and Boris Pil'niak: The Pursuit of the Happy Man

В статье рассматривается эволюция советского человека в конце 1920-х - начале 1930-х гг. на примере произведений Бориса Пильняка и Андрея Платонова.Certain novels by Boris Pil'niak and Andrei Platonov seem to be in conversation with one another in delineating the evolution of the Soviet man at the end of the Twenties and the beginning of the Thirties

Non-local kinetic and macroscopic models for self-organised animal aggregations

The last two decades have seen a surge in kinetic and macroscopic models derived to investigate the multi-scale aspects of self-organised biological aggregations. Because the individual-level details incorporated into the kinetic models (e.g., individual speeds and turning rates) make them somewhat difficult to investigate, one is interested in transforming these models into simpler macroscopic models, by using various scaling techniques that are imposed by the biological assumptions of the models. However, not many studies investigate how the dynamics of the initial models are preserved via these scalings. Here, we consider two scaling approaches (parabolic and grazing collision limits) that can be used to reduce a class of non-local 1D and 2D models for biological aggregations to simpler models existent in the literature. Then, we investigate how some of the spatio-temporal patterns exhibited by the original kinetic models are preserved via these scalings. To this end, we focus on the parabolic scaling for non-local 1D models and apply asymptotic preserving numerical methods, which allow us to analyse changes in the patterns as the scaling coefficient ϵ is varied from ϵ=1 (for 1D transport models) to ϵ=0 (for 1D parabolic models). We show that some patterns (describing stationary aggregations) are preserved in the limit ϵ→0, while other patterns (describing moving aggregations) are lost. To understand the loss of these patterns, we construct bifurcation diagrams

Breast cancer "tailored follow-up" in Italian oncology units: a web-based survey

urpose: Breast cancer follow-up procedures after primary treatment are still a controversial issue. Aim of this study was to investigate, through a web-based survey, surveillance methodologies selected by Italian oncologists in everyday clinical practice. Methods: Referents of Italian medical oncology units were invited to participate to the study via e-mail through the SurveyMonkey website. Participants were asked how, in their institution, exams of disease staging and follow-up are planned in asymptomatic women and if surveillance continues beyond the 5th year. Results: Between February and May 2013, 125 out of 233 (53.6%) invited referents of Italian medical oncology units agreed to participate in the survey. Ninety-seven (77.6%) referents state that modalities of breast cancer follow-up are planned according to the risk of disease progression at diagnosis and only 12 (9.6%) oncology units apply the minimal follow-up procedures according to international guidelines. Minimal follow-up is never applied in high risk asymptomatic women. Ninety-eight (78.4%) oncology units continue follow-up in all patients beyond 5 years. Conclusions: Our survey shows that 90.4% of participating Italian oncology units declare they do not apply the minimal breast cancer follow-up procedures after primary treatment in asymptomatic women, as suggested by national and international guidelines. Interestingly, about 80.0% of interviewed referents performs the so called "tailored follow-up", high intensity for high risk, low intensity for low risk patients. There is an urgent need of randomized clinical trials able to determine the effectiveness of risk-based follow-up modalities, their ideal frequency and persistence in time

Analysis of protein-coding genetic variation in 60,706 humans

Large-scale reference data sets of human genetic variation are critical for the medical and functional interpretation of DNA sequence changes. We describe the aggregation and analysis of high-quality exome (protein-coding region) sequence data for 60,706 individuals of diverse ethnicities generated as part of the Exome Aggregation Consortium (ExAC). This catalogue of human genetic diversity contains an average of one variant every eight bases of the exome, and provides direct evidence for the presence of widespread mutational recurrence. We have used this catalogue to calculate objective metrics of pathogenicity for sequence variants, and to identify genes subject to strong selection against various classes of mutation; identifying 3,230 genes with near-complete depletion of truncating variants with 72% having no currently established human disease phenotype. Finally, we demonstrate that these data can be used for the efficient filtering of candidate disease-causing variants, and for the discovery of human “knockout” variants in protein-coding genes

Differential Cerebral Cortex Transcriptomes of Baboon Neonates Consuming Moderate and High Docosahexaenoic Acid Formulas

BACKGROUND: Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) and arachidonic acid (ARA, 20:4n-6) are the major long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) of the central nervous system (CNS). These nutrients are present in most infant formulas at modest levels, intended to support visual and neural development. There are no investigations in primates of the biological consequences of dietary DHA at levels above those present in formulas but within normal breastmilk levels. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Twelve baboons were divided into three formula groups: Control, with no DHA-ARA; “L”, LCPUFA, with 0.33%DHA-0.67%ARA; “L3”, LCPUFA, with 1.00%DHA-0.67%ARA. All the samples are from the precentral gyrus of cerebral cortex brain regions. At 12 weeks of age, changes in gene expression were detected in 1,108 of 54,000 probe sets (2.05%), with most showing <2-fold change. Gene ontology analysis assigns them to diverse biological functions, notably lipid metabolism and transport, G-protein and signal transduction, development, visual perception, cytoskeleton, peptidases, stress response, transcription regulation, and 400 transcripts having no defined function. PLA2G6, a phospholipase recently associated with infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy, was downregulated in both LCPUFA groups. ELOVL5, a PUFA elongase, was the only LCPUFA biosynthetic enzyme that was differentially expressed. Mitochondrial fatty acid carrier, CPT2, was among several genes associated with mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation to be downregulated by high DHA, while the mitochondrial proton carrier, UCP2, was upregulated. TIMM8A, also known as deafness/dystonia peptide 1, was among several differentially expressed neural development genes. LUM and TIMP3, associated with corneal structure and age-related macular degeneration, respectively, were among visual perception genes influenced by LCPUFA. TIA1, a silencer of COX2 gene translation, is upregulated by high DHA. Ingenuity pathway analysis identified a highly significant nervous system network, with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) as the outstanding interaction partner. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that LCPUFA concentrations within the normal range of human breastmilk induce global changes in gene expression across a wide array of processes, in addition to changes in visual and neural function normally associated with formula LCPUFA

GIS analysis for defining sea level rise effects on Sicily coasts for the end of the 21stcentury

Coastal regions around the world are experiencing the increasing threat of sea level rise (SLR) due to climate change. Predictive models are needed to identify areas at risk of flooding and plan future activities aimed at avoiding, or at least limiting, damage to the natural environment, buildings, and people. Geographic Information Systems (GISs), through the processing of georeferenced data, allow not only to map the coastal areas that may be submerged, but also to carry out calculations and analysis to support further studies and insights. This paper examines the impact of SLR on the coasts of Sicily, Italy, using a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the study area (resolution: 20 m x 20 m) and GIS tools. The objective is to provide medium scale maps of the potential submerged zones for the end of the 21st century (2071-2100) as resulting from SLR values supplied by the Copernicus platform and identified as the IPCC (CMIP5) RCP4.5 scenario. The bathtub method available in literature is carried out using Quantum GIS (QGIS) software version 3.28. Attention is also focused on the limits and advantages of the adopted approach. The experiments demonstrate on the one hand the versatility of the GIS tools that allow the implementation of the bathtub method, on the other the seriousness of the SLR, given the considerable extension of the areas at risk of submersion as resulting from the maps produced for Sicily coasts

Preschool Worth 4-Shape test: Testability, reliability, and validity

Purpose: the Worth 4-Dot is used to assess binocular fusion, but it is difficult to use with young children. We modified the Worth 4-Dot by replacing the circles with shapes while maintaining the same color configuration. the purpose of this study was to determine the testability, reliability, and validity of the Worth 4-Shape test. Methods: Subjects aged 2 to 8 years and 4 patients aged over 8 years with best-corrected visual acuity of 20/40 or greater (n = 131 patients, n = 123 normals) attempted test and retest at 35 cm and 3 m using the Worth 4-Shape and Worth 4-Dot. To provide a gold standard, medical history, bifoveal fixation, and stereoacuity were reviewed. Results: Testability of the Worth 4-Shape was significantly higher than the Worth 4-Dot both in children aged less than 4 years (95.9% vs 79.5% at 35 cm, P .3). the sensitivity and specificity of the Worth 4-Shape (92%, 97%) and Worth 4-Dot (90%, 94%) were comparable. Between-test analysis found 96% agreement between both tests at 35 cm and 97% agreement at 3 m. Conclusions. the success rate for the Worth 4-Shape is higher than the Worth 4-Dot, especially in children aged less than 4 years, and has equivalent accuracy. the Worth 4-Shape test-retest reliability is high supporting its validity for use with young children.Retina Fdn SW, Dallas, TX 75231 USAUniv Texas, SW Med Ctr, Dept Ophthalmol, Dallas, TX USAUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Oftalmol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Oftalmol, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc