BioGeomancer: Automated Georeferencing to Map the World's Biodiversity Data

The BioGeomancer Project provides a toolkit to georeference data and specimens collected for natural history collections, a crucial task if the potential of these specimens is to be fully realized

CHANGES IN THE ANAEROBIC THRESHOLD IN AN ANNUAL CYCLE OF SPORT TRAINING OF YOUNG SOCCER PLAYERS

The aim of the study was to assess changes in the anaerobic threshold of young soccer players in an annual training cycle. A group of highly trained 15-18 year old players of KKS Lech Poznań were tested. The tests included an annual training macrocycle, and its individual stages resulted from the time structure of the sports training. In order to assess the level of exercise capacities of the players, a field exercise test of increasing intensity was carried out on a soccer pitch. The test made it possible to determine the 4 millimolar lactate threshold (T LA 4 mmol · l-1) on the basis of the lactate concentration in blood [LA], to establish the threshold running speed and the threshold heart rate [HR]. The threshold running speed at the level of the 4 millimolar lactate threshold was established using the two-point form of the equation of a straight line. The obtained indicators of the threshold running speed allowed for precise establishment of effort intensity used in individual training in developing aerobic endurance. In order to test the significance of differences in mean values between four dates of tests, a non-parametric Friedman ANOVA test was used. The significance of differences between consecutive dates of tests was determined using a post-hoc Friedman ANOVA test. The tests showed significant differences in values of selected indicators determined at the anaerobic threshold in various stages of an annual training cycle of young soccer players. The most beneficial changes in terms of the threshold running speed were noted on the fourth date of tests, when the participants had the highest values of 4.01 m · s-1 for older juniors, and 3.80 m · s-1 for younger juniors. This may be indicative of effective application of an individualized programme of training loads and of good preparation of teams for competition in terms of players’ aerobic endurance

Фактор страху в ранньомодерних теоріях держави: проект Томаса Гоббса

Стаття присвячена висвітленню трансформаційних форм та місця феномену страху в політичній теорії Т. Гоббса, значення страху в принципах державного суверенітету.Статья посвящена исследованию трансформационных форм и места феномена страха в политической теории Т. Гоббса, его значение в принципе государственного суверенитета.The article is devoted to research the transformation forms and place of the phenomenon of fear in the political theory of Thomas Hobbs, its value in the principle of state sovereignty

Community next steps for making globally unique identifiers work for biocollections data

Biodiversity data is being digitized and made available online at a rapidly increasing rate but current practices typically do not preserve linkages between these data, which impedes interoperation, provenance tracking, and assembly of larger datasets. For data associated with biocollections, the biodiversity community has long recognized that an essential part of establishing and preserving linkages is to apply globally unique identifiers at the point when data are generated in the field and to persist these identifiers downstream, but this is seldom implemented in practice. There has neither been coalescence towards one single identifier solution (as in some other domains), nor even a set of recommended best practices and standards to support multiple identifier schemes sharing consistent responses. In order to further progress towards a broader community consensus, a group of biocollections and informatics experts assembled in Stockholm in October 2014 to discuss community next steps to overcome current roadblocks. The workshop participants divided into four groups focusing on: identifier practice in current field biocollections; identifier application for legacy biocollections; identifiers as applied to biodiversity data records as they are published and made available in semantically marked-up publications; and cross-cutting identifier solutions that bridge across these domains. The main outcome was consensus on key issues, including recognition of differences between legacy and new biocollections processes, the need for identifier metadata profiles that can report information on identifier persistence missions, and the unambiguous indication of the type of object associated with the identifier. Current identifier characteristics are also summarized, and an overview of available schemes and practices is provided

Maximum Locomotor Speed of the Best Football Players at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil

In comprehensive preparation of a player to football competition special attention is paid to his predispositions in terms of speed abilities. Therefore, the authors’ objective was to analyse maximum locomotor speed of players of the four best national teams competing during the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, including specifying the differences in terms of speeds of these national teams and players in corresponding playing positions of individual teams. The analysis used data obtained using the Castrol Performance Index, a kinematic method and in order to present significance of differences between the studied teams and playing positions one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed. The study showed that the mean maximum running speed of the players of the four best teams of the World Cup was 8.34 metres/ second. The mean maximum locomotive speed of the defenders in semi-finalist teams of the tournament was 8.29 m/s, while the midfielders’ speed was – 8.16 m/s, the forwards’ – 8.48 m/s and the goalkeepers’ – 7.40 m/s. The players who had a maximum speed of 9 m/s or more were the Dutchman Ron Vlaar (9.16 m/s) and the Argentines José María Basanta (9.09 m/s) and Ángel Di Maria (9.17 m/s). There is no significant difference between the world’s best teams, including between their corresponding playing positions, in the level of maximum running speeds determining the dynamics of the game

Giant palaeotsunami in Kiribati: Converging evidence from geology and oral history

For tsunami science within Oceania, the vast Central and Western Pacific (CEWEP) is an anomalous region because of the scarcity of historical tsunami observations and the complete absence of dated palaeotsunami evidence. This paper therefore records the first dated high‐magnitude palaeotsunami event within the CEWEP region. A combination of both geological data and oral history is provided for a palaeotsunami that struck remote Makin island, northernmost of the Gilbert Islands in Kiribati, toward the end of the 16th century. A previously undocumented oral tradition of giant waves is well known to the people of Makin. Narration of this legend by the Wiin te Maneaba, traditional storyteller on Makin, provided important details supporting a tsunami hypothesis. The legend preserves credible information surrounding the giant‐wave origin of Rebua and Tokia, two prominent subaerial megaclasts of blade and block geometry that were transported 80–130 m shorewards from the reef‐edge source and deposited in sideways and inverted orientations. From available hydrodynamic flow transport equations, minimum flow velocities of 7.3–16.3 m s−1 were generated, depending on whether the reefblocks were rotated or lifted onto the reef platform. The youngest U‐Th age‐dates for fossil corals retrieved from the reefblocks give a maximum age for the palaeotsunami of circa AD 1576. Several far‐field Pacific Rim and regional possibilities exist for tsunamigenesis. These include subduction‐zone seismicity and catastrophic volcanic eruption, both of which have been linked to earlier (late 15th century) palaeotsunami events recorded elsewhere in the Pacific Islands. However, the available evidence here suggests that the ~AD 1576 Makin palaeotsunami was more likely to have been locally generated by tsunamigenic offshore submarine slope failure close to Makin\u27s western reef, associated with the giant arcuate bight structure that characterizes the northern rim of Butaritari atoll

CAN THE FACE-TO-FACE INTUBATION TECHNIQUE BE USED DURING CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION? A PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED, CROSSOVER MANIKIN TRIAL

   BACKGROUND: Endotracheal intubation in cardiopulmonary resuscitation conditions is the gold standard for the protection of airway patency, allowing for both ventilation with positive pressures and continuous moni­toring of carbon dioxide concentration in the exhaled air, as well as enabling continuous chest compressions. AIM: The aim of the study was to compare the effectiveness of endotracheal intubation performed with the usage of Macintosh laryngoscope in two positions: behind the patient’s head and in the face-to-face position. METHODS: We included 54 students during their final year of medicine in the study. All of participants declared the ability to perform endotracheal intubation based on direct laryngoscopy. Prior to the study, all participants took part in the training in laryngoscopy and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. During the study, the participants performed intubation in the simulated resuscitation environment in two scenarios: Scenario A — intubation from behind the patient;s head, Scenario B — face-to-face intubation. Participants had a maximum of three intubation attempts. The chest compressions were paused during the procedure. RESULTS: The effectiveness of the first intubation attempt in the case of scenario A was 44.4%, while in the case of scenario B — 24.1%. The overall success ratios of intubation for scenarios A and B were 88.9% vs. 53.7%, respectively. The median intubation time during scenario A was 43.5 [IQR; 34–53.5] seconds, and 54.5 [IQR; 38.5–59.5] seconds for scenario B. CONCLUSIONS: In the study, intubation performed by final-year medical students while taking a position behind the head of the victim was of a higher efficiency when compared to the face-to-face position

unexpected impact of the number of glutamine residues on metal complex stability

The emerging question which this study aims to answer is: what impact do glutamines have on the stability of metal–peptide complexes? We focused our attention on the N-terminal domain of Hpn and Hpn-like proteins from Helicobacter pylori. Cu2+ and Ni2+ complexes of the model peptides MAHHE-NH2, MAHHEEQ-NH2, MAHHEQQ-NH2 and MAHHEQQHQA-NH2 were studied by means of different thermodynamic and spectroscopic techniques, as well as through molecular modelling computation. Experimental results, in very good agreement with theoretical findings, lead to the not obvious conclusion that the stability of metal complexes distinctly increases with the number of glutamine residues present in the peptide, although glutamine side-chains do not directly take part in coordination. This peculiar finding allows one to look at polyglutamine sequences, not only the ones present in some bacterial chaperones but also those involved in several neurodegenerative diseases, from a new perspective

Profiles of phenotype resistance to antibiotic other than β-lactams in Klebsiella pneumoniae ESBLs-producers, carrying blaSHV genes

Extended spectrum β-lactamases production is one of the most common mechanism of resistance to extendedspectrum β-lactam antibiotics is increasing worldwide. Twenty five strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from clinicalspecimens were tested. Based on the phenotypic confirmatory test all these strains were defined as ESBL producers namedESBL(+). The plasmid DNA from each strains was used to investigate the presence of blaSHV genes responsible for extendedspectrum β-lactamases production. Moreover, susceptibility of these strains to antibiotic other than β-lactams in was tested

A Systemic Assessment of the European Offshore Wind Innovation: Insights from the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and the United Kingdom

The development and diffusion of offshore wind energy technology is important for European energy policy. However, the large potential does not automatically lead to a large share in future energy systems; neither does an emergent stage of technological development automatically lead to success for companies and the related economic growth and growth in employment. Recent insights in innovation studies suggest that the success chances of technological innovations are, to a large extent, determined by how the surrounding system (the innovation system) is built up and how it functions. Many innovation systems are characterized by flaws that hamper the development and diffusion of innovations. These flaws are often labelled as system problems or system challenges. Intelligent innovation policy therefore evaluates how innovation systems are functioning, tries to create insight into the systems’ challenges and develops policies accordingly. This report assesses the European offshore wind innovation system based on insights from four countries: Denmark, the UK, the Netherlands and Germany. We use the Technological Innovation System (TIS) approach to analyse the state and functioning of the system at the end of 2011. Based on the analysis we identify four types of systemic challenges: (i) actor-related such as deficiency of engineers; (ii) institutional, e.g. non-aligned national regulatory frameworks; (iii) interaction-related like poor transferability of scientific knowledge to specific contexts of application and; (iv) infrastructural such as poor grid infrastructure. We suggest the challenges require a systemic, coordinated policy effort at a European level if the system is expected to contribute to the goals of climate change reduction and stimulation of green growth.JRC.F.6-Energy systems evaluatio