A colimit decomposition for homotopy algebras in Cat

Badzioch showed that in the category of simplicial sets each homotopy algebra of a Lawvere theory is weakly equivalent to a strict algebra. In seeking to extend this result to other contexts Rosicky observed a key point to be that each homotopy colimit in simplicial sets admits a decomposition into a homotopy sifted colimit of finite coproducts, and asked the author whether a similar decomposition holds in the 2-category of categories Cat. Our purpose in the present paper is to show that this is the case.Comment: Some notation changed; small amount of exposition added in intr

A Geo Information System (GIS) for circum-arctic coastal dynamics

Coastal erosion forms a major source of the sediment, organic carbon and nutrient flux into the arctic basin. Recent studies indicate that sediment input resulting from the erosion of ice-rich, permafrost-dominated coasts might be equal to or greater than river input. The program Arctic Coastal Dynamics (ACD) has been developed to improve our understanding of circum-arctic coastal dynamics as a function of environmental forcing, coastal geology, geocryology and morphodynamic behavior. Under this framework a circum-arctic Geo Information System (GIS) has been developed, which is applied to display generalized information on coastal characteristics and to analyse coastal material fluxes. The coastal GIS is based on a digital elevation model, which was constructed from the International Bathymetric Chart of the Arctic Ocean, and permafrost parameters adopted from the Circumpolar Active-Layer Permafrost System. A segmentation of the Laptev Sea coastline was performed as a first step towards a GIS-based quantification of the sediment and total organic carbon (TOC) fluxes resulting from coastal erosion

Thermodynamic graph-rewriting

We develop a new thermodynamic approach to stochastic graph-rewriting. The ingredients are a finite set of reversible graph-rewriting rules called generating rules, a finite set of connected graphs P called energy patterns and an energy cost function. The idea is that the generators define the qualitative dynamics, by showing which transformations are possible, while the energy patterns and cost function specify the long-term probability $\pi$ of any reachable graph. Given the generators and energy patterns, we construct a finite set of rules which (i) has the same qualitative transition system as the generators; and (ii) when equipped with suitable rates, defines a continuous-time Markov chain of which $\pi$ is the unique fixed point. The construction relies on the use of site graphs and a technique of `growth policy' for quantitative rule refinement which is of independent interest. This division of labour between the qualitative and long-term quantitative aspects of the dynamics leads to intuitive and concise descriptions for realistic models (see the examples in S4 and S5). It also guarantees thermodynamical consistency (AKA detailed balance), otherwise known to be undecidable, which is important for some applications. Finally, it leads to parsimonious parameterizations of models, again an important point in some applications

Precautionary labelling of foods for allergen content: are we ready for a global framework?

© 2014 Allen et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.Food allergy appears to be on the rise with the current mainstay of treatment centred on allergen avoidance. Mandatory allergen labelling has improved the safety of food for allergic consumers. However an additional form of voluntary labelling (termed precautionary allergen labelling) has evolved on a wide range of packaged goods, in a bid by manufacturers to minimise risk to customers, and the negative impact on business that might result from exposure to trace amounts of food allergen present during cross-contamination during production. This has resulted in near ubiquitous utilisation of a multitude of different precautionary allergen labels with subsequent confusion amongst many consumers as to their significance. The global nature of food production and manufacturing makes harmonisation of allergen labelling regulations across the world a matter of increasing importance. Addressing inconsistencies across countries with regards to labelling legislation, as well as improvement or even banning of precautionary allergy labelling are both likely to be significant steps forward in improved food safety for allergic families. This article outlines the current status of allergen labelling legislation around the world and reviews the value of current existing precautionary allergen labelling for the allergic consumer. We strongly urge for an international framework to be considered to help roadmap a solution to the weaknesses of the current systems, and discuss the role of legislation in facilitating this

The epidemiology of traumatic brain injuries sustained by children under 10 years of age presenting to a tertiary hospital in Soweto, South Africa

Background. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the paediatric population is a significant contributor to death and disability worldwide. In sub-Saharan Africa, death and disability from TBI are still superseded by infectious disease. Mechanisms of injury differ by region and socioeconomics, but in general, falls, road traffic collisions (RTCs), being ‘struck by/against objects’ and non-accidental injuries (NAIs) are responsible for most cases.Objectives. To: (i) quantify the burden of TBI in terms of demographics, causes and severity; (ii) explore resource utilisation regarding length of stay, computed tomography (CT) brain scan use and multidisciplinary participation; (iii) interrogate possible temporal patterns of injury; and (iv) thus identify potential targets for community-based prevention strategies.Methods. In a 5-year retrospective review of all children aged <10 years admitted with TBI between September 2013 and August 2018, demographics, date of injury, mechanism of injury, severity of TBI based on the Glasgow Coma Scale, and requirement for a CT brain scan were collected for each patient. Outcomes were reported as discharge, transfer or death. Outcomes for children sustaining isolated TBI were compared with those for children sustaining TBI with polytrauma.Results. A total of 2 153 patients were included, with a mean (standard deviation) age of 4.6 (2.7) years and a male/female ratio of 1.7:1. RTCs were the most frequent cause of injury at 59% (80% of these were pedestrian-vehicle collisions), followed by falls at 24%. Mild TBIs accounted for 87% of admissions, moderate injuries for 6%, and severe injuries for 7%. Polytrauma was associated with increased severity of TBI. The cohort had a 2.3% mortality. NAIs accounted for 6% of injuries and carried a 4% mortality. The median (interquartile range) duration of hospitalisation was 1 (1 - 3) days, ranging from <24 hours to 132 days. CT scans were performed on 43% of admitted patients, and 48% of patients had consultations with another medical or allied medical discipline. Injuries were more frequent during the summer months and over weekends. Infants aged <1 year were identified as a group particularly vulnerable to injury, specifically NAI.Conclusions. Paediatric TBI was demonstrated to be a resource-intensive public health concern. From the results, we identified potential primary prevention targets that could perhaps be incorporated into broader community-based intervention programmes. We also identified a need to study long-term consequences of mild TBI further in our paediatric population

Can sexual selection drive female life histories? A comparative study on Galliform birds

Sexual selection is an important driver of many of the most spectacular morphological traits that we find in the animal kingdom (for example see Andersson, 1994). As such, sexual selection is most often emphasized as

Perinatal health monitoring in Europe: results from the EURO-PERISTAT project

Data about deliveries, births, mothers and newborn babies are collected extensively to monitor the health and care of mothers and babies during pregnancy, delivery and the post-partum period, but there is no common approach in Europe. We analysed the problems related to using the European data for international comparisons of perinatal health. We made an inventory of relevant data sources in 25 European Union (EU) member states and Norway, and collected perinatal data using a previously defined indicator list. The main sources were civil registration based on birth and death certificates, medical birth registers, hospital discharge systems, congenital anomaly registers, confidential enquiries and audits. A few countries provided data from routine perinatal surveys or from aggregated data collection systems. The main methodological problems were related to differences in registration criteria and definitions, coverage of data collection, problems in combining information from different sources, missing data and random variation for rare events. Collection of European perinatal health information is feasible, but the national health information systems need improvements to fill gaps. To improve international comparisons, stillbirth definitions should be standardised and a short list of causes of fetal and infant deaths should be developed

Life-history innovation to climate change:Can single-brooded migrant birds become multiple breeders?

When climatic conditions change and become outside the range experienced in the past, species may show life-history innovations allowing them to adapt in new ways. We report such an innovation for pied flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca. Decades of breeding biological studies on pied flycatchers have rarely reported multiple breeding in this long-distance migrant. In two populations, we found 12 recent incidents of females with second broods, all produced by extremely early laying females in warm springs. As such early first broods are a recent phenomenon, because laying dates have gradually advanced over time, this innovation now allows individual females to enhance their reproductive success considerably. If laying dates continue advancing, potentially more females may become multiple breeders and selection for early (and multiple) breeding phenotypes increases, which may accelerate adaptation to climatic change

The stress hormone corticosterone in a marine top predatorreflects short-term changes in food availability

-In many seabird studies, single annual proxies of prey abundance have been used to explain variability in breeding performance, but much more important is probably the timing of prey availability relative to the breeding season when energy demand is at a maximum. Until now, intraseasonal variation in prey availability has been difficult to quantify in seabirds. Using a state-of-the-art ocean drift model of larval cod Gadus morhua, an important constituent of the diet of common guillemots Uria aalge in the southwestern Barents Sea, we were able to show clear, short-term correlations between food availability and measurements of the stress hormone corticosterone (CORT) in parental guillemots over a 3-year period (2009–2011). The model allowed the extraction of abundance and size of cod larvae with very high spatial (4 km) and temporal resolutions (1 day) and showed that cod larvae from adjacent northern spawning grounds in Norway were always available near the guillemot breeding colony while those from more distant southerly spawning grounds were less frequent, but larger. The latter arrived in waves whose magnitude and timing, and thus overlap with the guillemot breeding season, varied between years. CORT levels in adult guillemots were lower in birds caught after a week with high frequencies of southern cod larvae. This pattern was restricted to the two years (2009 and 2010) in which southern larvae arrived before the end of the guillemot breeding season. Any such pattern was masked in 2011 by already exceptionally high numbers of cod larvae in the region throughout chick-rearing period. The findings suggest that CORT levels in breeding birds increase when the arrival of southern sizable larvae does not match the period of peak energy requirements during breeding. Common guillemot, CORT, food availability, seabird, Uria aalg

Producing valid statistics when legislation, culture, and medical practices differ for births at or before the threshold of survival: Report of a European workshop

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