Exploiting ConvNet Diversity for Flooding Identification

Flooding is the world's most costly type of natural disaster in terms of both economic losses and human causalities. A first and essential procedure toward flood monitoring is based on identifying the area most vulnerable to flooding, which gives authorities relevant regions to focus. In this letter, we propose several methods to perform flooding identification in high-resolution remote sensing images using deep learning. Specifically, some proposed techniques are based upon unique networks, such as dilated and deconvolutional ones, whereas others were conceived to exploit diversity of distinct networks in order to extract the maximum performance of each classifier. The evaluation of the proposed methods was conducted in a high-resolution remote sensing data set. Results show that the proposed algorithms outperformed the state-of-the-art baselines, providing improvements ranging from 1% to 4% in terms of the Jaccard Index

Risk factors for stress and mental disorders in pharmacists and pharmacist aides

Introduction: Mental disorders and work-related stress may result from situations related to the work process and its poor organization. Among the most affected by mental disorders are the professionals that integrate health services, including pharmacists and pharmacy assistants. The role of the pharmacist and the pharmaceutical care suffered major changes during the twentieth century and culminate in their current powers that, associated with the fact of being in the interface between the prescription and dispensing of medications, with a responsibility to reduce treatment risks and consequently involved in legal and medical/social issues, daily submit the professionals to stressor factors. Objective: To identify the most prevalent risk factors for stress and mental disorders related to work of pharmacist and pharmacist’ aides. Methodology: a literature review, using the keywords “Pharmacy / Pharmacist ‘Aides”, “Mental Disorders”, “Stress” and “Burnout” in the databases: PubMed, SciELO, BVS and Science Direct. Results / Discussion: There were twelve articles, with seven of them stress factors related to the profession and five specifically mental disorders. Among the first, six of them are international literature, and the only national paper is from Bastos et al. (2010), that expresses possible stressors using a series of interviews with community pharmacists in Rio de Janeiro. Mental disorders are covered only undergraduate students in pharmacy, as quoted by Hunt et al. (2013), which show cases of depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder related and sleep disorders and anhedonia. Conclusion: The most prevalent stressor factors found were: long work hours, frequent interruptions and insufficient number of workers. Introdução: Os transtornos mentais e o estresse relacionados ao trabalho podem ser provenientes de situações inerentes ao processo de trabalho e sua organização. Dentre os profissionais mais afetados estão aqueles que integram os serviços de saúde, envolvendo farmacêuticos e auxiliares de farmácia. O papel do farmacêutico e, consequentemente, a assistência farmacêutica, sofreram profundas mudanças durante o século XX que culminaram em suas atuais atribuições que, associadas ao fato de estarem na interface entre a prescrição e a dispensação de medicamentos com a responsabilidade de diminuir riscos terapêuticos, envolvidos em questões de cunho legal e clínico/social, submetem diariamente os profissionais a fatores estressores. Objetivo: Identificar os fatores de risco mais prevalentes para estresse e transtornos mentais relacionados ao trabalho em farmacêuticos e auxiliares de farmácia. Metodologia: Realizada uma revisão bibliográfica, utilizando os descritores “Farmacêuticos/ Auxiliares de farmácia” (“Pharmacist / Pharmacist’ Aides”), “Transtorno mental” (“Mental Disorders”), “Estresse” (“Stress”) e “Esgotamento profissional” (“Burnout”) nas bases de dados: PubMed, ScieLo, BVS e Science Direct. Resultados/Discussão: Foram encontrados doze artigos: sete abordavam fatores estressores relativos à profissão; cinco abordavam especificamente transtornos mentais. Dentre os primeiros, seis deles são de literatura internacional, sendo que o único artigo nacional é o de Bastos et al. (2010), que expressa possíveis fatores estressores após análise de uma série de entrevistas com farmacêuticos comunitários do Rio de Janeiro. Os transtornos de origem mental são abordados em estudos com alunos de graduação em farmácia (Hunt et al., 2013) que mostram casos de depressão e transtorno obsessivo-compulsivo relacionados a distúrbios do sono e anedonia. Conclusão: Os fatores mais prevalentes encontrados foram: extensa jornada de trabalho, número insuficiente de profissionais no ambiente laboral e diversas interrupções durante turno de trabalho

Release of Lungworm Larvae from Snails in the Environment: Potential for Alternative Transmission Pathways

Background: Gastropod-borne parasites may cause debilitating clinical conditions in animals and humans following the consumption of infected intermediate or paratenic hosts. However, the ingestion of fresh vegetables contaminated by snail mucus and/or water has also been proposed as a source of the infection for some zoonotic metastrongyloids (e.g., Angiostrongylus cantonensis). In the meantime, the feline lungworms Aelurostrongylus abstrusus and Troglostrongylus brevior are increasingly spreading among cat populations, along with their gastropod intermediate hosts. The aim of this study was to assess the potential of alternative transmission pathways for A. abstrusus and T. brevior L3 via the mucus of infected Helix aspersa snails and the water where gastropods died. In addition, the histological examination of snail specimens provided information on the larval localization and inflammatory reactions in the intermediate host. Methodology/Principal Findings: Twenty-four specimens of H. aspersa received ~500 L1 of A. abstrusus and T. brevior, and were assigned to six study groups. Snails were subjected to different mechanical and chemical stimuli throughout 20 days in order to elicit the production of mucus. At the end of the study, gastropods were submerged in tap water and the sediment was observed for lungworm larvae for three consecutive days. Finally, snails were artificially digested and recovered larvae were counted and morphologically and molecularly identified. The anatomical localization of A. abstrusus and T. brevior larvae within snail tissues was investigated by histology. L3 were detected in the snail mucus (i.e., 37 A. abstrusus and 19 T. brevior) and in the sediment of submerged specimens (172 A. abstrusus and 39 T. brevior). Following the artificial digestion of H. aspersa snails, a mean number of 127.8 A. abstrusus and 60.3 T. brevior larvae were recovered. The number of snail sections positive for A. abstrusus was higher than those for T. brevior. Conclusions: Results of this study indicate that A. abstrusus and T. brevior infective L3 are shed in the mucus of H. aspersa or in water where infected gastropods had died submerged. Both elimination pathways may represent alternative route(s) of environmental contamination and source of the infection for these nematodes under field conditions and may significantly affect the epidemiology of feline lungworms. Considering that snails may act as intermediate hosts for other metastrongyloid species, the environmental contamination by mucus-released larvae is discussed in a broader context

Parasites of the Reintroduced Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardinus) and Sympatric Mesocarnivores in Extremadura, Spain.

The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) is one of the most endangered felid species in the world. Conservation efforts have increased its population size and distribution and reinforced their genetic diversity through captive breeding and reintroduction programmes. Among several threats that the Iberian lynx faces, infectious and parasitic diseases have underlined effects on the health of their newly reintroduced populations, being essential to identify the primary sources of these agents and assess populations health status. To achieve this, 79 fresh faecal samples from Iberian lynx and sympatric mesocarnivores were collected in the reintroduction area of Extremadura, Spain. Samples were submitted to copromicroscopic analyses to assess parasite diversity, prevalence, and mean intensity of parasite burden. Overall, 19 (24.1%, ±15.1-35.0) samples were positive for at least one enteric parasite species. Parasite diversity and prevalence were higher in the Iberian lynx (43.8%) compared with the others mesocarnivores under study (e.g., the red fox Vulpes vulpes and the Egyptian mongoose Herpestes ichneumon). Ancylostomatidae and Toxocara cati were the most prevalent (15.6%) parasites. Obtained results revealed that Iberian lynx role as predator control might have reduced parasite cross-transmission between this felid and mesocarnivores due to their decreasing abundances. Surveillance programs must include regular monitoring of this endangered felid, comprising mesocarnivores, but also domestic/feral and wild cat communities.This research was funded by the European Union through its LIFE project Life + IBERLINCE (LIFE + 10NAT/ES/570) “Recuperación de la distribución histórica del lince ibérico (Lynx pardinus) en España y Portugal”. R. T. Torres is funded by national funds (OE), through FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the framework contract foreseen in the numbers 4, 5, and 6 of the article 23, of the Decree-Law 57/2016, of 29 August, changed by Law 57/2017, of 19 July. Thanks are due to FCT/MCTES for the financial support to CESAM (UIDP/50017/2020 + UIDB/50017/2020) and CIISA Project UIDB/00276/2020 through national funds.S

Flora vascular del municipio de Guadalcázar y zonas adyacentes, San Luis Potosí, México

Se estudió la riqueza de especies de plantas vasculares del municipio de Guadalcázar en la región del Altiplano Potosino, un área enclavada en la provincia fisiográfica conocida como Meseta Central y en donde una parte significativa de su superficie ha sido decretada área natural protegida. Se registraron 813 especies de plantas vasculares en 5 tipos de vegetación: matorral submontano, matorral xerófilo, bosque de Quercus, bosque de Pinus y pastizal, siendo el matorral submontano el que alberga la mayor riqueza florística, predominantemente especies de la familia Asteraceae. Un análisis del patrón de distribución de todas las especies mostró que 299 (36.8%) son endémicas de México, la mayoría de la familia Cactaceae. En cuanto al estado de conservación de las especies, 123 (15.1%) se encuentran en alguna categoría de riesgo e igualmente la mayoría de ellas son cactáceas. De la riqueza de plantas existentes en el área de estudio, 160 (19.7% del total) tienen registro de algún tipo de uso. ABSTRACT This study evaluates the species richness of vascular plants in the municipality of Guadalcázar, San Luis Potosí, an area located in the Central Mexican Plateau physiographic province, where a significant portion of their surface has been declared as a natural protected area. A total of 813 vascular plant species were registered in 5 vegetation types: submontane scrub, xerophytic scrub, oak forest, pine forest and grassland, with the submontane scrub being the vegetation type holding the highest floristic richness, predominantly Asteraceae. An analysis of the species distribution pattern revealed that 299 of them (36.8%) are Mexican endemics, most of them belonging to the Cactaceae. Considering the conservation status of the species, 123 (15.1%) are threatened, most of them also Cactaceae. A group of 160 of the total species (19.7%) had a record of some use in the study are

Follow-up observations at 16 and 33 GHz of extragalactic sources from WMAP 3-year data: I - Spectral properties

We present follow-up observations of 97 point sources from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) 3-year data, contained within the New Extragalactic WMAP Point Source (NEWPS) catalogue between declinations of -4 and +60 degrees; the sources form a flux-density-limited sample complete to 1.1 Jy (approximately 5 sigma) at 33 GHz. Our observations were made at 16 GHz using the Arcminute Microkelvin Imager (AMI) and at 33 GHz with the Very Small Array (VSA). 94 of the sources have reliable, simultaneous -- typically a few minutes apart -- observations with both telescopes. The spectra between 13.9 and 33.75 GHz are very different from those of bright sources at low frequency: 44 per cent have rising spectra (alpha < 0.0), where flux density is proportional to frequency^-alpha, and 93 per cent have spectra with alpha < 0.5; the median spectral index is 0.04. For the brighter sources, the agreement between VSA and WMAP 33-GHz flux densities averaged over sources is very good. However, for the fainter sources, the VSA tends to measure lower values for the flux densities than WMAP. We suggest that the main cause of this effect is Eddington bias arising from variability.Comment: 12 pages, 13 figures, submitted to MNRA

Kepler-21b: A 1.6REarth Planet Transiting the Bright Oscillating F Subgiant Star HD 179070

We present Kepler observations of the bright (V=8.3), oscillating star HD 179070. The observations show transit-like events which reveal that the star is orbited every 2.8 days by a small, 1.6 R_Earth object. Seismic studies of HD 179070 using short cadence Kepler observations show that HD 179070 has a frequencypower spectrum consistent with solar-like oscillations that are acoustic p-modes. Asteroseismic analysis provides robust values for the mass and radius of HD 179070, 1.34{\pm}0.06 M{\circ} and 1.86{\pm}0.04 R{\circ} respectively, as well as yielding an age of 2.84{\pm}0.34 Gyr for this F5 subgiant. Together with ground-based follow-up observations, analysis of the Kepler light curves and image data, and blend scenario models, we conservatively show at the >99.7% confidence level (3{\sigma}) that the transit event is caused by a 1.64{\pm}0.04 R_Earth exoplanet in a 2.785755{\pm}0.000032 day orbit. The exoplanet is only 0.04 AU away from the star and our spectroscopic observations provide an upper limit to its mass of ~10 M_Earth (2-{\sigma}). HD 179070 is the brightest exoplanet host star yet discovered by Kepler.Comment: Accepted to Ap

Searching for phenotypic causal networks involving complex traits: an application to European quail

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Structural equation models (SEM) are used to model multiple traits and the casual links among them. The number of different causal structures that can be used to fit a SEM is typically very large, even when only a few traits are studied. In recent applications of SEM in quantitative genetics mixed model settings, causal structures were pre-selected based on prior beliefs alone. Alternatively, there are algorithms that search for structures that are compatible with the joint distribution of the data. However, such a search cannot be performed directly on the joint distribution of the phenotypes since causal relationships are possibly masked by genetic covariances. In this context, the application of the Inductive Causation (IC) algorithm to the joint distribution of phenotypes conditional to unobservable genetic effects has been proposed.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Here, we applied this approach to five traits in European quail: birth weight (BW), weight at 35 days of age (W35), age at first egg (AFE), average egg weight from 77 to 110 days of age (AEW), and number of eggs laid in the same period (NE). We have focused the discussion on the challenges and difficulties resulting from applying this method to field data. Statistical decisions regarding partial correlations were based on different Highest Posterior Density (HPD) interval contents and models based on the selected causal structures were compared using the Deviance Information Criterion (DIC). In addition, we used temporal information to perform additional edge orienting, overriding the algorithm output when necessary.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>As a result, the final causal structure consisted of two separated substructures: BW→AEW and W35→AFE→NE, where an arrow represents a direct effect. Comparison between a SEM with the selected structure and a Multiple Trait Animal Model using DIC indicated that the SEM is more plausible.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Coupling prior knowledge with the output provided by the IC algorithm allowed further learning regarding phenotypic causal structures when compared to standard mixed effects SEM applications.</p