Excusing and justifying rape cognitions in judgements of sexually-coercive dating scenarios

According to recent analyses, Bumby’s RAPE scale of rape-supportive cognitions about women and sexual assault is comprised of two factors. Excusing rape serves to reduce abusers’ culpability for their offending, and ascribing blame to victims, while justifying rape is associated with a sense of sexual entitlement. The distinct effects of these factors on rape judgements have not yet been investigated. We examined whether these belief clusters differentially explained judgements of perpetrator innocence after priming cues related to each of them. We used a cross-sectional design (N = 217) to test our hypotheses. As predicted, we found that excusing rape cognitions contributed to exaggerated innocence judgements when the victim paid the bill on a first date (potentially indicative of romantic or sexual interest). However, contrary to expectations there was no evidence that participants justified rape when the perpetrator paid the bill. Implications for conceptualising the functions of rape-supportive cognitions are discussed

Phase Transition in Matched Formulas and a Heuristic for Biclique Satisfiability

A matched formula is a CNF formula whose incidence graph admits a matching which matches a distinct variable to every clause. We study phase transition in a context of matched formulas and their generalization of biclique satisfiable formulas. We have performed experiments to find a phase transition of property "being matched" with respect to the ratio $m/n$ where $m$ is the number of clauses and $n$ is the number of variables of the input formula $\varphi$. We compare the results of experiments to a theoretical lower bound which was shown by Franco and Gelder (2003). Any matched formula is satisfiable, moreover, it remains satisfiable even if we change polarities of any literal occurrences. Szeider (2005) generalized matched formulas into two classes having the same property -- var-satisfiable and biclique satisfiable formulas. A formula is biclique satisfiable if its incidence graph admits covering by pairwise disjoint bounded bicliques. Recognizing if a formula is biclique satisfiable is NP-complete. In this paper we describe a heuristic algorithm for recognizing whether a formula is biclique satisfiable and we evaluate it by experiments on random formulas. We also describe an encoding of the problem of checking whether a formula is biclique satisfiable into SAT and we use it to evaluate the performance of our heuristicComment: Conference version submitted to SOFSEM 2018 (https://beda.dcs.fmph.uniba.sk/sofsem2019/) 18 pages(17 without refernces), 3 figures, 8 tables, an algorithm pseudocod

Diversity bias in colorectal surgery: a global perspective

Colorectal surgery; Diversity; RaceCirugía de colon y recto; Diversidad; RazaCirurgia de còlon i recte; Diversitat; RaçaThere is a specific lack of data on equity and injustices among colorectal surgeons regarding diversity. This study aimed to explore colorectal surgeon’s lived experience of diversity bias with a specific focus on gender, sexual orientation or gender identity and race or religion. A bespoke questionnaire was designed and disseminated to colorectal surgeons and trainees through specialty association mailing lists and social media channels. Quantitative and qualitative data points were analysed. 306 colorectal surgeons responded globally. 58.8% (n = 180) identified as male and 40.5% (n = 124) as female. 19% were residents/registrars. 39.2% stated that they had personally experienced or witnessed gender inequality in their current workplace, 4.9% because of sexual orientation, and 7.5% due to their race or religion. Sexist jokes, pregnancy-related comments, homophobic comments, liberal use of offensive terms and disparaging comments and stereotypical jokes were commonly experienced. 44.4% (n = 135) did not believe their institution of employer guaranteed an environment of respect for diversity and only 20% were aware of society guidelines on equality and diversity. Diversity bias is prevalent in colorectal surgery. It is necessary to work towards real equality and inclusivity and embrace diversity, both to promote equity among colleagues and provide better surgical care to patients.Open access funding provided by Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli within the CRUI-CARE Agreement. All authors have no source of funding

TACE treatment in hepatocellular carcinoma: What should we do now?

n/

Revisiting global fossil fuel and biofuel emissions of ethane

Recent measurements over the Northern Hemisphere indicate that the long-term decline in the atmospheric burden of ethane (C2H6) has ended and the abundance increased dramatically between 2010 and 2014. The rise in C2H6 atmospheric abundances has been attributed to oil and natural gas extraction in North America. Existing global C2H6 emission inventories are based on outdated activity maps that do not account for current oil and natural gas exploitation regions. We present an updated global C2H6 emission inventory based on 2010 satellite-derived CH4 fluxes with adjusted C2H6 emissions over the U.S. from the National Emission Inventory (NEI 2011). We contrast our global 2010 C2H6 emission inventory with one developed for 2001. The C2H6 difference between global anthropogenic emissions is subtle (7.9 versus 7.2 Tg yr−1), but the spatial distribution of the emissions is distinct. In the 2010 C2H6 inventory, fossil fuel sources in the Northern Hemisphere represent half of global C2H6 emissions and 95% of global fossil fuel emissions. Over the U.S., unadjusted NEI 2011 C2H6 emissions produce mixing ratios that are 14–50% of those observed by aircraft observations (2008–2014). When the NEI 2011 C2H6 emission totals are scaled by a factor of 1.4, the Goddard Earth Observing System Chem model largely reproduces a regional suite of observations, with the exception of the central U.S., where it continues to underpredict observed mixing ratios in the lower troposphere. We estimate monthly mean contributions of fossil fuel C2H6 emissions to ozone and peroxyacetyl nitrate surface mixing ratios over North America of ~1% and ~8%, respectively

The nutraceutical antihypertensive action of C-phycocyanin in chronic kidney disease is related to the prevention of endothelial dysfunction

C-phycocyanin (CPC) is an antihypertensive that is not still wholly pharmacologically described. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether CPC counteracts endothelial dysfunction as an antihypertensive mechanism in rats with 5/6 nephrectomy (NFx) as a chronic kidney disease (CKD) model. Twenty-four male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: sham control, sham-treated with CPC (100 mg/Kg/d), NFx, and NFx treated with CPC. Blood pressure was measured each week, and renal function evaluated at the end of the treatment. Afterward, animals were euthanized, and their thoracic aortas were analyzed for endothelium functional test, oxidative stress, and NO production. 5/6 Nephrectomy caused hypertension increasing lipid peroxidation and ROS production, overexpression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), reduction in the first-line antioxidant enzymes activities, and reduced-glutathione (GSH) with a down-expression of eNOS. The vasomotor response reduced endothelium-dependent vasodilation in aorta segments exposed to acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside. However, the treatment with CPC prevented hypertension by reducing oxidative stress, NO system disturbance, and endothelial dysfunction. The CPC treatment did not prevent CKD-caused disturbance in the antioxidant enzymes activities. Therefore, CPC exhibited an antihypertensive activity while avoiding endothelial dysfunction

Biomarkers and in vitro strategies for nephrotoxicity and renal disease assessment

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a global public health concern, impacting nearly 13.3 million patients and resulting in three million deaths per year. Chronic kidney disease has increased by 135% since 1990, representing the pathology with the fastest growth rate worldwide. The annual costs of dialysis and kidney transplants range between US$35,000 and US$100,000 per patient. Despite its great impact, kidney disease has remained mostly asymptomatic for many years. AKI continues to be a major, unmet medical condition for which there are no pharmacological treatments available, while animal models are limited to provide direction for therapeutic translation into humans. Currently, serum creatinine is the standard biomarker to identify nephrotoxicity; however, it is a late stage biomarker. Hence, there is a pressing need to study in vitro biomarkers for the assessment of nephrotoxicity in order to develop new and safer drugs. Understanding of the mechanisms by which molecules produce nephrotoxicity is vital in order to both prevent adversity and treat kidney injury. In this review, we address new technologies and models that may be used to identify earlier biomarkers and pathways involved in nephrotoxicity, such as cell culture, omics, bioinformatics platform, CRISPR/Cas9 genome-editing, in silico, organoids and 3D bioprinting, considering AOP

Correlations between product distribution and feedstock composition in thermal cracking processes for mixed plastic waste

Thermal conversion can transform the carbon-based waste into valuable chemicals to be further used in the petrochemical industry for a polymeric carbon circular economy. This work\u27s aim was to identify chemical correlations between the thermal-cracking products and the feedstock polymer composition when using highly blended waste streams. The challenges addressed were to: (i) access a pool of experimental data on the monomer recovery potential of real-life, highly blended waste streams; (ii) estimate the polymer constituents of the mixed waste streams; and (iii) formulate a generic and systematic method to identify correlations between feedstock constituents and cracking products. Different post-consumer waste streams were investigated, including cardboard, automotive shredder residues, cable stripping waste, and textile waste. The cracking experiments were performed in a 2–4MWth industrial-scale Dual Fluidized Bed system at 800 \ub0C using steam as fluidization agent. The polymeric constituents of the feedstocks were estimated using a numerical convex optimization method. To identify correlations between the feedstocks and products, a carbon bond-based classification was introduced. The experimental monomer yield ranged from 0.08 kg/kgf to 0.3 kg/kgf (f = feedstock) for the evaluated materials, corresponding to a carbon feedstock conversion rate between 14 % and 44 %. High yields of valuable monomers were obtained for the materials with the highest polyolefin content. The olefin monomer production correlated positively to the amount of aliphatic carbon in the original material and negatively to the carbon contents of the aromatic rings. From the trends observed, it was concluded that a framework based on carbon bond types is a promising approach to identify such correlations, which could serve as predictive tools for monomer recovery based on material\u27s composition and overall process conditions

Teleagro: software architecture of georeferencing and detection of heat of cattle

The systems of livestock production contribute in a preponderant way to improve the quality of life of the communities, since it allows to support the production of the daily sustenance of the communities, to conserve the ecosystems, to promote the conservation of the wild life and to satisfy the values and traditions cultural Latin America, with its large wilderness areas, and a privileged climate favors the maintenance of livestock, to meet the demands of food and ensure regional and global food security. In Colombia, the agricultural sector contributes approximately 11.83% of the national GDP at current prices, according to the Bank of the Republic. Likewise, the livestock industry participates with 3.6%, in comparison with other sectors of the agricultural economy, the production of Colombian cattle doubles and triples to other sectors, such as poultry, coffee and floriculture. In addition, it contributes to the generation of employment in more than 25% of the total jobs generated in the agricultural sector and approximately 7% of the total employment of the Colombian economy (http://www.banrep.gov.co/is/pib). Within agricultural production, livestock occupy 38 million hectares, being 9 times larger than the area dedicated to agriculture. However, agriculture contributes 63% of the value of agricultural production, while livestock, mainly extensive, contributes 26% (FEDEGAN, Strategic Livestock Plan 2019). The large proportion of the área with agricultural vocation dedicated to precarious extensive livestock has explained the low agricultural productivity in Colombia, with very serious consequences for human and sustainable development. This document shows the results of the communications, software and hardware platforms to help the livestock sector to manage production