The Independence of Ethiopia and Liberia

This essay will examine the independence of Ethiopia and Liberia, two states frequently upheld as the only remaining independent African states during the colonial era. These two countries remained independent primarily because of the diplomatic regard that European nations held them, not because of military or geographic factors. The European view that these countries were legitimate players on the world stage was essential to avoiding outright conquest. However, these countries failed to achieve “real” independence. They had to sacrifice territory, succumb to European economic intrusion, and be placed in spheres of influence in order to remain “independent.” In fact, Liberia was a colony itself in many respects. This essay concludes by questioning why many Africana researchers refuse to acknowledge the questionable sovereignty of Ethiopia and Libera

Models of sex ratio evolution

Journal ArticleOur understanding of sex ratio evolution depends strongly on models that identify: (1) constraints on the production of male and female offspring, and (2) fitness consequences entailed by the production of different attainable brood sex ratios. Verbal and mathematical arguments by, among others, Darwin, Dusing, Fisher, and Shaw and Mohler established the fundamental principle that members of the minority sex tend to have higher fitness than members of the majority sex. They also outlined how various ecological, demographic and genetic variables might affect the details of sex-allocation strategies by modifying both the constraints and the fitness functions. Modern sex-allocation research is devoted largely to the exploration of such effects, which connect sex ratios to many other aspects of the biologies of many species

Sexual dimorphism in the Hymenoptera

Journal ArticleSpectacular sex differences of many kinds occur abundantly among the wasps, bees and ants that make up the insect order Hymenoptera. In some cases these differences are so extreme that males and females of the same species have been classified in different genera for decades, until a chance observation of mating, or emergence from a single nest, establishes their identity. Even where the sexes are similar in morphology they lead very different lives. The hard-working females hunt for prey or other larval provisions, and in many taxa they carry these provisions back to a nest that they have constructed to protect their offspring. The males, by contrast, lead short lives (sometimes nasty and brutish), devoted to the single purpose of inseminating females. Countless variations on this theme have evolved during the long and successful history of the order, and other features of hymenopteran biology have allowed these sex differences of ecology to be translated into equally striking sex differences of behavior, morphology and physiology

Turn off the Tap: Behavioural messages increase water efficiency during toothbrushing

Reducing consumer demand is part of a multidimensional strategy to increase water resilience. Theory-based ‘nudges’ or behaviour-change strategies may be effective at reducing demand at little cost. This paper reports a unique partnership between GlaxoSmithKline, water utility Anglian Water, and researchers at the University of East Anglia. Two experimental studies drawing on the strengths of these organizations investigated a behaviour change intervention designed to reduce water usage when toothbrushing. Study 1 tested the efficacy of three theory-based behavioural messages (social norms, ingroup norms, and collective efficacy) designed to encourage participants (N = 164) to turn off the tap whilst brushing teeth. In an actual toothbrushing scenario, all three messages proved to be effective compared to a no-treatment control condition. In study 2, homes in Newmarket, Suffolk (N = 382) were given toothbrushing packs containing a collective efficacy message that highlighted turning off the tap while toothbrushing. Smart-meter recorded water usage was obtained for three weeks before and three weeks after receiving the toothbrushing packs. Household water usage significantly decreased after receiving the packs. A control group of N = 382 households did not show a significant decrease in water usage during this timeframe. These studies suggest that behavioural messages from public or private companies can be effective in reducing real-world water usage while toothbrushing. This model of collaboration between industry, water utilities, and academics can serve as a model of best practice for public and private companies interested in reducing household water usage

Prevalência de parasitas intestinais na população do Bairro Salete, município de São Miguel do Oeste, SC

Os parasitas intestinais estão entre os patógenos mais frequentes encontrados em seres humanos. Os danos que os enteroparasitas podem causar a seus portadores incluem, entre outros agravos, obstrução intestinal, desnutrição, anemia, quadros de diarreia e má-absorção; as manifestações clínicas são usualmente proporcionais à carga parasitária albergada pelo indivíduo. No Extremo-Oeste de Santa Catarina, pouco se conhece sobre a prevalência das parasitoses intestinais. Esse trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a presença de parasitas intestinais em amostras de fezes dos moradores do Bairro Salete, município de São Miguel do Oeste (SC), e relacionar a presença de enteroparasitoses com a escolaridade dos indivíduos e saneamento básico da região de estudo. Os resultados demostraram menor prevalência nessa população de parasitas intestinais quando comparada a populações semelhantes. No entanto, verificaram-se condições favoráveis à presença de parasitas intestinais, como altos índices de analfabetismo e ensino fundamental incompleto na população estudada, que interessantemente foi relacionado com uma tendência para parasitas intestinais. Palavras-chave: Enteroparasitas. Prevalência. Saneamento básico

Safety assessment of high-dose narcotic analgesia for emergency department procedures

Study objective:To evaluate the safety of high-dose IV narcotics in patients requiring analgesia for painful emergency department procedures.Design:Prospective multicenter clinical trial.Setting:Five adult urban EDs.Methods and measurements:All patients received IV meperidine (1.5 to 3.0 mg/kg) titrated to analgesia followed by a painful procedure. Vital signs and alertness scale were recorded at regular intervals, and patients were observed for four hours. Adverse events were monitored and documented. Comparisons between baseline and postanalgesia intervals were made with a repeated measures ANOVA (Dunnett's test).Results:Although statistically significant changes in vital signs and alertness scale occurred, they were not clinically significant. Opiate reversal with naloxone was not needed in any patient, and no significant respiratory or circulatory compromise occurred.Conclusion:This study of 72 patients demonstrates that high-dose narcotic analgesia is appropriate, well tolerated, and safe when used in selected patients before painful procedures in the ED. Narcotic antagonists and resuscitation equipment nonetheless should be available to maximize safety.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/30581/1/0000218.pd

Phospho-ERK and AKT status, but not KRAS mutation status, are associated with outcomes in rectal cancer treated with chemoradiotherapy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>KRAS </it>mutations may predict poor response to radiotherapy. Downstream events from <it>KRAS</it>, such as activation of <it>BRAF</it>, AKT and ERK, may also confer prognostic information but have not been tested in rectal cancer (RC). Our objective was to explore the relationships of <it>KRAS </it>and <it>BRAF </it>mutation status with p-AKT and p-ERK and outcomes in RC.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Pre-radiotherapy RC tumor biopsies were evaluated. <it>KRAS </it>and <it>BRAF </it>mutations were assessed by pyrosequencing; p-AKT and p-ERK expression by immunohistochemistry.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of 70 patients, mean age was 58; 36% stage II, 56% stage III, and 9% stage IV. Responses to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy: 64% limited, 19% major, and 17% pathologic complete response. 64% were <it>KRAS </it>WT, 95% were <it>BRAF </it>WT. High p-ERK levels were associated with improved OS but not for p-AKT. High levels of p-AKT and p-ERK expression were associated with better responses. <it>KRAS </it>WT correlated with lower p-AKT expression but not p-ERK expression. No differences in OS, residual disease, or tumor downstaging were detected by <it>KRAS </it>status.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p><it>KRAS </it>mutation was not associated with lesser response to chemoradiotherapy or worse OS. High p-ERK expression was associated with better OS and response. Higher p-AKT expression was correlated with better response but not OS.</p

A communal catalogue reveals Earth's multiscale microbial diversity

Our growing awareness of the microbial world's importance and diversity contrasts starkly with our limited understanding of its fundamental structure. Despite recent advances in DNA sequencing, a lack of standardized protocols and common analytical frameworks impedes comparisons among studies, hindering the development of global inferences about microbial life on Earth. Here we present a meta-analysis of microbial community samples collected by hundreds of researchers for the Earth Microbiome Project. Coordinated protocols and new analytical methods, particularly the use of exact sequences instead of clustered operational taxonomic units, enable bacterial and archaeal ribosomal RNA gene sequences to be followed across multiple studies and allow us to explore patterns of diversity at an unprecedented scale. The result is both a reference database giving global context to DNA sequence data and a framework for incorporating data from future studies, fostering increasingly complete characterization of Earth's microbial diversity.Peer reviewe

A communal catalogue reveals Earth’s multiscale microbial diversity

Our growing awareness of the microbial world’s importance and diversity contrasts starkly with our limited understanding of its fundamental structure. Despite recent advances in DNA sequencing, a lack of standardized protocols and common analytical frameworks impedes comparisons among studies, hindering the development of global inferences about microbial life on Earth. Here we present a meta-analysis of microbial community samples collected by hundreds of researchers for the Earth Microbiome Project. Coordinated protocols and new analytical methods, particularly the use of exact sequences instead of clustered operational taxonomic units, enable bacterial and archaeal ribosomal RNA gene sequences to be followed across multiple studies and allow us to explore patterns of diversity at an unprecedented scale. The result is both a reference database giving global context to DNA sequence data and a framework for incorporating data from future studies, fostering increasingly complete characterization of Earth’s microbial diversity

Production of He-4 and (4) in Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S=2.76 TeV at the LHC

Results on the production of He-4 and (4) nuclei in Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S = 2.76 TeV in the rapidity range vertical bar y vertical bar <1, using the ALICE detector, are presented in this paper. The rapidity densities corresponding to 0-10% central events are found to be dN/dy4(He) = (0.8 +/- 0.4 (stat) +/- 0.3 (syst)) x 10(-6) and dN/dy4 = (1.1 +/- 0.4 (stat) +/- 0.2 (syst)) x 10(-6), respectively. This is in agreement with the statistical thermal model expectation assuming the same chemical freeze-out temperature (T-chem = 156 MeV) as for light hadrons. The measured ratio of (4)/He-4 is 1.4 +/- 0.8 (stat) +/- 0.5 (syst). (C) 2018 Published by Elsevier B.V.Peer reviewe