Urban regeneration and tenure mix: exploring the dynamics of neighbour interactions

This article draws on in-depth research on the nature and intensity of neighbour relations in an area in Peckham, London, which underwent urban regeneration aimed at improving the urban environment and increasing the area’s tenure mix. Drawing on the literature on neighbouring, the article explores residents’ perceptions and attitudes towards their neighbours and the dynamics of their routine interactions. Despite findings pointing towards a general atmosphere of cordiality and solidarity, interactions were casual, coexisted with prejudiced views towards certain groups and areas, and were viewed by residents as part of their everyday social practices of community. As a result, very little else was exchanged between tenures, putting into question some policy assumptions that the increased physical proximity between housing tenures can potentially lead to instrumental interaction that can benefit low-income households in social housing. Reflecting on these findings, the article discusses some implications that have relevance for policy and research

Knuthian Drawings of Series-Parallel Flowcharts

Inspired by a classic paper by Knuth, we revisit the problem of drawing flowcharts of loop-free algorithms, that is, degree-three series-parallel digraphs. Our drawing algorithms show that it is possible to produce Knuthian drawings of degree-three series-parallel digraphs with good aspect ratios and small numbers of edge bends.Comment: Full versio

Summing the strokes: energy economy in northern elephant seals during large-scale foraging migrations.

BackgroundThe energy requirements of free-ranging marine mammals are challenging to measure due to cryptic and far-ranging feeding habits, but are important to quantify given the potential impacts of high-level predators on ecosystems. Given their large body size and carnivorous lifestyle, we would predict that northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) have elevated field metabolic rates (FMRs) that require high prey intake rates, especially during pregnancy. Disturbance associated with climate change or human activity is predicted to further elevate energy requirements due to an increase in locomotor costs required to accommodate a reduction in prey or time available to forage. In this study, we determined the FMRs, total energy requirements, and energy budgets of adult, female northern elephant seals. We also examined the impact of increased locomotor costs on foraging success in this species.ResultsBody size, time spent at sea and reproductive status strongly influenced FMR. During the short foraging migration, FMR averaged 90.1 (SE = 1.7) kJ kg(-1)d(-1) - only 36 % greater than predicted basal metabolic rate. During the long migration, when seals were pregnant, FMRs averaged 69.4 (±3.0) kJ kg(-1)d(-1) - values approaching those predicted to be necessary to support basal metabolism in mammals of this size. Low FMRs in pregnant seals were driven by hypometabolism coupled with a positive feedback loop between improving body condition and reduced flipper stroking frequency. In contrast, three additional seals carrying large, non-streamlined instrumentation saw a four-fold increase in energy partitioned toward locomotion, resulting in elevated FMRs and only half the mass gain of normally-swimming study animals.ConclusionsThese results highlight the importance of keeping locomotion costs low for successful foraging in this species. In preparation for lactation and two fasting periods with high demands on energy reserves, migrating elephant seals utilize an economical foraging strategy whereby energy savings from reduced locomotion costs are shuttled towards somatic growth and fetal gestation. Remarkably, the energy requirements of this species, particularly during pregnancy, are 70-80 % lower than expected for mammalian carnivores, approaching or even falling below values predicted to be necessary to support basal metabolism in mammals of this size

Data compression in smart distribution systems via singular value decomposition

Electrical distribution systems have been experiencing many changes in recent times. Advances in metering system infrastructure and the deployment of a large number of smart meters in the grid will produce a big volume of data that will be required for many different applications. Despite the significant investments taking place in the communications infrastructure, this remains a bottleneck for the implementation of some applications. This paper presents a methodology for lossy data compression in smart distribution systems using the singular value decomposition technique. The proposed method is capable of significantly reducing the volume of data to be transmitted through the communications network and accurately reconstructing the original data. These features are illustrated by results from tests carried out using real data collected from metering devices at many different substations

Het Rijksvaccinatieprogramma in Nederland : Surveillance en ontwikkelingen in 2014-2015

In Nederland is de vaccinatiegraad binnen het Rijksvaccinatieprogramma (RVP) hoog, waardoor weinig mensen de ziekten krijgen waartegen zij worden ingeënt. Alleen de deelname aan de vaccinatie van meisjes tegen het humaan papillomavirus (HPV) ligt lager. Na de vaccinaties komen weinig ernstige bijwerkingen voor. Bijwerkingen die gerapporteerd worden zijn doorgaans niet ernstig van aard zijn. Continue monitoring is nodig om een optimaal vaccinatieprogramma te behouden. Wijzigingen in het vaccinatieschema in 2014-2015 Sinds januari 2014 is de vaccinatie tegen het HPV-virus, dat baarmoederhalskanker kan veroorzaken, teruggebracht naar twee prikken. De vaccinatie wordt aan alle twaalfjarige meisjes aangeboden. Ontwikkelingen voor RVP-ziekten Door de uitbreiding van het pneumokokkenvaccin met drie typen in 2011 is het aantal kinderen gedaald dat van deze drie typen ziek werd. Deze daling was ook te zien onder volwassenen, die mogelijk indirect door de vaccinatie van kinderen zijn beschermd.Kinkhoest nam in 2014 weer toe na een daling in 2013. Het aantal zieken was minder hoog dan tijdens de epidemie in 2012. De bof kwam weinig voor in 2014, al steeg het aantal meldingen weer in de eerste maanden van 2015. De meeste mazelengevallen zijn in de eerste twee maanden van 2014 gerapporteerd, aan het einde van de epidemie die in 2013 begon. De mazelen kwam voor in gebieden waar mensen zich om religieuze redenen vaak niet laten vaccineren. Er zijn geen gevallen van polio gemeld. Vorig jaar waren de controles op polio geïntensiveerd in regio's in Nederland waar vluchtelingen worden opgevangen. Dit betrof vluchtelingen uit enkele niet-Europese landen waar het aantal poliogevallen was gestegen, zoals Syrië. Aangezien polio in die landen in 2014 minder voorkwam zijn de controles tot een normaal niveau teruggebracht. Ontwikkelingen voor toekomstige RVP-kandidaten De Gezondheidsraad kan de minister adviseren om het aantal ziekten die onder het RVP vallen uit te breiden. Het RIVM houdt in de gaten hoe ziekten die hiervoor in aanmerking komen, zich ontwikkelen. In 2014 kwamen uitzonderlijk weinig infecties met het rotavirus voor. Ook daalde het aantal zieken door meningokokken serogroep B. Het aantal mensen met het waterpokken, gordelroos en hepatitis A is de afgelopen jaren stabiel gebleven.In the Netherlands, participation in the National Immunisation Programme (NIP) is high, resulting in low incidences of most diseases included in the NIP. Yet coverage for vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) in girls is lower. Only a few severe adverse events following immunisation occurred. Reported adverse events are mostly mild and transient. Continuous monitoring of effectiveness and safety is necessary for the programme to remain optimal. Changes in the vaccination schedule in 2014-2015 Since 2014, girls have been receiving a reduced number of doses against human papillomavirus (HPV). Two doses of HPV vaccine are offered to 12-year-old girls. Developments for diseases included in the NIP The switch to the 10-valent pneumococcal vaccine (PCV10) in 2011 reduced the number of invasive pneumococcal diseases caused by the additional PCV10 serotypes in the vaccinated age groups. A decrease in the incidence of IPD caused by the additional PCV10 serotypes was also seen in the adult age groups, which is probably due to indirect protection. The incidence of pertussis increased in 2014 after a lower incidence in 2013, but was somewhat lower than during the epidemic year 2012. The incidence of mumps was low in 2014, but a resurgence of mumps and an endemic transmission were encountered in the first few months of 2015. The majority of the measles cases reported in 2014 belonged to the measles epidemic in the Bible Belt, which started in 2013. No cases of polio were reported. The environmental routine surveillance, which was intensified in the region where refugees were first cared for in 2013, was changed to routine level again in April 2015. Developments for future NIP candidates The Health Council could advise the Dutch Minister of Health, Welfare and Sports on expansion of the NIP. The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands (RIVM) investigates developments in potential future NIP candidates. In 2014, the rotavirus season was exceptionally low. A decrease in meningococcal serogroup B disease was seen in 2014. Incidences of varicella zoster virus and hepatitis A remained stable over the previous years.Ministerie van VW

A frotarsius chatrathi, first tarsiiform primate (? Tarsiidae) from Africa

Tarsiiform primates have long been regarded as a Laurasian group, with an extensive fossil record in the Eocene of North America and EuropeI and two important but less well-known records from Asia

Adult Tinea Capitis and Tinea Barbae in a Tertiary Portuguese Hospital: a 11-Year Audit

Adult tinea capitis and tinea barbae are nowadays considered uncommon in developed countries. Despite their potential for morbidity and healthcare costs, few series have attempted to characterise these infectious disorders. We conducted a cross-sectional study to analyse the epidemiological, clinical and mycological characteristics of adult tinea capitis and tinea barbae of a large tertiary centre in Southern Europe. All adult patients with a mycological-confirmed tinea capitis or barbae over a 11-year period (January 2008 to December 2018) were considered for the analysis. Concerning tinea capitis, 860 culture-confirmed diagnoses were made during this 11-year period, of which only 15 (1.5%) occurred in adults (15 patients). A disproportionately high number of patients were female and immunocompromised. Microsporum audouinii (20%) and Trichophyton rubrum (20%) were the most common isolates. Half of the cases were initially misdiagnosed. Regarding tinea barbae, 7 cases were diagnosed over this time period. Overuse of topical steroids was widespread in this population. Trichophyton rubrum was the infectious agent in all cases. Initial misdiagnosis was very common (43%). Adult tinea capitis and tinea barbae can still be observed in contemporary practice and remain a public health concern, with the immunosuppressed patient being particularly affected. Initial misdiagnosis is a common occurrence. Anthropophilic fungi are now the most common aetiologic agents of these infections, and they will probably continue to do so as the large urban centres expand peripherally. Awareness for this diagnosis is necessary to prevent unwarranted morbidity and costs.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Vocal Repertoire and Intraspecific Variation within Two Loud Calls of the Small-Eared Greater Galago (Otolemur garnettii) in Tanzania and Kenya

© 2019 S. Karger AG, Basel. All rights reserved. Vocal repertoires and call structure can provide insights into the behaviour and evolution of species, as well as aid in taxonomic classification. Nocturnal primates have large vocal repertoires. This suggests that acoustic communication plays an important role in their life histories. Little is known about the behavioural context or the intraspecific variation of their vocalisations. We used autonomous recording units and manual recorders to investigate the vocal behaviour and structure of loud calls of the small-eared greater galago (Otolemur garnettii)in Kenya and Tanzania. We describe the vocal repertoire, temporal calling patterns and structure of 2 loud calls of 2 subspecies: O. g. panganiensis and O. g. kikuyuensis. We found considerable intraspecific structural differences in both loud calls. These are congruent with the current subspecies classification. Differences in vocalisations among populations are not consistent with the "acoustic adaptation hypothesis," rather they are likely a result of geographic variation due to isolation caused by vegetational barriers in southern Kenya

Orthogonal Range Reporting and Rectangle Stabbing for Fat Rectangles

In this paper we study two geometric data structure problems in the special case when input objects or queries are fat rectangles. We show that in this case a significant improvement compared to the general case can be achieved. We describe data structures that answer two- and three-dimensional orthogonal range reporting queries in the case when the query range is a \emph{fat} rectangle. Our two-dimensional data structure uses $O(n)$ words and supports queries in $O(\log\log U +k)$ time, where $n$ is the number of points in the data structure, $U$ is the size of the universe and $k$ is the number of points in the query range. Our three-dimensional data structure needs $O(n\log^{\varepsilon}U)$ words of space and answers queries in $O(\log \log U + k)$ time. We also consider the rectangle stabbing problem on a set of three-dimensional fat rectangles. Our data structure uses $O(n)$ space and answers stabbing queries in $O(\log U\log\log U +k)$ time.Comment: extended version of a WADS'19 pape

Optimal Grid Drawings of Complete Multipartite Graphs and an Integer Variant of the Algebraic Connectivity

How to draw the vertices of a complete multipartite graph $G$ on different points of a bounded $d$-dimensional integer grid, such that the sum of squared distances between vertices of $G$ is (i) minimized or (ii) maximized? For both problems we provide a characterization of the solutions. For the particular case $d=1$, our solution for (i) also settles the minimum-2-sum problem for complete bipartite graphs; the minimum-2-sum problem was defined by Juvan and Mohar in 1992. Weighted centroidal Voronoi tessellations are the solution for (ii). Such drawings are related with Laplacian eigenvalues of graphs. This motivates us to study which properties of the algebraic connectivity of graphs carry over to the restricted setting of drawings of graphs with integer coordinates.Comment: Appears in the Proceedings of the 26th International Symposium on Graph Drawing and Network Visualization (GD 2018