Of autoregressive continuous time model parameters estimation

This article revisits a sequential approach to the estimation of the parameter in a first-order autoregressive model (AR(1)) with continuous time. There is provided a numerical study to get a results of sequential estimations of the parameter in first-order autoregressive model with continuous time and is computed a stopping rule and the optimal time of observations. Also there is provided a comparing analysis of estimation results with using the sequential approach both the optimal time of observations

Neighbourhood greenness and income of occupants in four German areas: GINIplus and LISAplus

Objective We investigated whether families with lower individual-level socioeconomic status (SES) reside in less green neighbourhoods in four areas in Germany. Methods Data were collected within two German birth cohorts – GINIplus and LISAplus. Net equivalent household income was categorized into study area-specific tertiles and used as a proxy for individual-level SES. Neighbourhood greenness was calculated in 500-m buffers around home addresses as: 1) the mean normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI); 2) percent tree cover. Associations between income and neighbourhood greenness were assessed per study area using adjusted linear regression models. Results In the Munich and Leipzig areas, families in the low and medium income tertiles resided in neighbourhoods with lower NDVI compared to those in the high income tertile (mean percent change in NDVI: −4.0 (95% confidence interval = −6.7 to −1.3) and −5.5 (−10.9 to −0.2), respectively). In contrast, in the Wesel area, families in the low income tertile resided in neighbourhoods with higher NDVI (2.9 (0.5–5.3)). Only the association in the Munich area was replicated when using tree cover instead of the NDVI. Conclusions This study provides suggestive evidence that the presence and direction of associations between greenness and SES is region-specific in Germany. The degree of urbanization did not clarify this heterogeneity completely

Assessing potential locations for flood-based farming using satellite imagery: a case study of Afar region, Ethiopia

The dry lowlands of Ethiopia are seasonally affected by long periods of low rainfall and, coinciding with rainfall in the Amhara highlands, flood waters which flow onto the lowlands resulting in damage to landscapes and settlements. In an attempt to convert water from storm generated floods into productive use, this study proposes a methodology using remote sensing data and geographical information system tools to identify potential sites where flood spreading weirs may be installed and farming systems developed which produce food and fodder for poor rural communities. First, land use land cover maps for the study area were developed using Landsat-8 and MODIS temporal data. Sentinel-1 data at 10 and 20m resolution on a 12-day basis were then used to determine flood prone areas. Slope and drainage maps were derived from Shuttle RADAR Topography Mission Digital Elevation Model at 90m spatial resolution. Accuracy assessment using ground survey data showed that overall accuracies (correctness) of the land use/land cover classes were 86% with kappa 0.82. Coinciding with rainfall in the uplands, March and April are the months with flood events in the short growing season (belg) and June, July and August have flood events during the major (meher) season. In the Afar region, there is potentially >0.55m ha land available for development using seasonal flood waters from belg or meher seasons. During the 4 years of monitoring (2015–2018), a minimum of 142,000 and 172,000 ha of land were flooded in the belg and meher seasons, respectively. The dominant flooded areas were found in slope classes of <2% with spatial coverage varying across the districts. We concluded that Afar has a huge potential for flood-based technology implementation and recommend further investigation into the investments needed to support new socio-economic opportunities and implications for the local agro-pastoral communities

Facilitating livelihoods diversification through flood-based land restoration in pastoral systems of Afar, Ethiopia

The pastoral systems of Eastern Africa have been affected by the alternated incidence of recurrent drought and flood for the last decades, aggravating poverty and local conflicts. We have introduced an innovation to convert floods to productive use using water spreading weirs (WSW) as an entry point to capture and spread the torrential flood emerging in the neighbouring highlands into rangelands and crop fields of low-lying pastoral systems in Afar, Ethiopia. The productivity and landscape feature have changed from an abandoned field to a productive landscape within 3 years of intervention. The flood patterns and sediment loads created at least four different crop management zones and productivity levels. Based on moisture and nutrient regimes, we developed land suitability maps for integrating crops and forages fitting to specific niches. The outcome was a fast recovery of landscapes, with 150% biomass yield increment, increased access to dry season feed and food. These positive outcomes could be attributed to the proper design of weirs, joint planning and execution between pastoralists, researchers and development agents, identification and availing best-fitting varieties for each management zone and developing simple GIS-based parcel level maps to guide development agents and pastoralists. The major ‘agents’ were community leaders (‘Kedoh Abbobati’) who keenly debated potential benefits and drawbacks of innovations, enforced customary rules and byelaw and suggested changes in approaches and choices of interventions. In general, an innovation system approach helped to create local confidence, attract attention of government institutions and helped local actors to identify investment areas, develop implementation strategies to increase productivity, define changes as it occurs and minimize conflicts between competing communities. However, the risk of de facto use of a plot of communal land translating into long-term occupation and ownership may be impacting a communal territory and social cohesion that was subject to other collective choice customary rules

Flooding events turned into farming opportunities: Innovation transforms livelihoods of pastoralists in Ethiopia, Policy Brief 13

• Water Spreading Weirs: To capture and spread the torrential flood emerging in the neighboring highlands to low-lying rangelands and crop fields, five weirs were built based on land suitability studies. • Working together: Joint planning and execution between community leaders, landscape and crop researchers and development agents using a combination of good agronomy, remote sensing and GIS-based maps yielded positive results. • Success draws attention: Seeing the results, pastoralists were willing to take up farming. It created local confidence, drew government attention and benefited pastoralists

Loss-of-function uORF mutations in human malignancies

Ribosome profiling revealed widespread translational activity at upstream open reading frames (uORFs) and validated uORF-mediated translational control as a commonly repressive mechanism of gene expression. Translational activation of proto-oncogenes through loss-of-uORF mutations has been demonstrated, yet a systematic search for cancer-associated genetic alterations in uORFs is lacking. Here, we applied a PCR-based, multiplex identifier-tagged deep sequencing approach to screen 404 uORF translation initiation sites of 83 human tyrosine kinases and 49 other proto-oncogenes in 308 human malignancies. We identified loss-of-function uORF mutations in EPHB1 in two samples derived from breast and colon cancer, and in MAP2K6 in a sample of colon adenocarcinoma. Both mutations were associated with enhanced translation, suggesting that loss-of-uORF-mediated translational induction of the downstream main protein coding sequence may have contributed to carcinogenesis. Computational analysis of whole exome sequencing datasets of 464 colon adenocarcinomas subsequently revealed another 53 non-recurrent somatic mutations functionally deleting 22 uORF initiation and 31 uORF termination codons, respectively. These data provide evidence for somatic mutations affecting uORF initiation and termination codons in human cancer. The insufficient coverage of uORF regions in current whole exome sequencing datasets demands for future genome-wide analyses to ultimately define the contribution of uORF-mediated translational deregulation in oncogenesis

Does the Constitution Provide More Ballot Access Protection for Presidential Elections Than for U.S. House Elections?

Both the U.S. Constitution and The Federalist Papers suggest that voters ought to have more freedom to vote for the candidate of their choice for the U.S. House of Representatives than they do for the President or the U.S. Senate. Yet, strangely, for the last thirty-three years, the U.S. Supreme Court and lower courts have ruled that the Constitution gives voters more freedom to vote for the candidate of their choice in presidential elections than in congressional elections. Also, state legislatures, which have been writing ballot access laws since 1888, have passed laws that make it easier for minor-party and independent candidates to get on the ballot for President than for the U.S. House. As a result, voters in virtually every state invariably have far more choices on their general election ballots for the President than they do for the House. This Article argues that the right of a voter to vote for someone other than a Democrat or a Republican for the House is just as important as a voter’s right to do so for President, and that courts should grant more ballot access protection to minor-party and independent candidates for the House

Prognostic impact of meningeal dissemination in primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL): experience from the G-PCNSL-SG1 trial

Background We evaluated the frequency and prognostic impact of meningeal dissemination (MD) in immunocompetent adult patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma treated in a randomized phase III trial. Patients and methods MD was evaluated at study entry and defined by lymphoma proof in the meningeal compartment detected by at least one of the following methods: cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytomorphology, detection of clonal B cells by IgH PCR in CSF or contrast enhancement of the leptomeninges on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Results Data on MD were available in 415 patients, of those, MD was detected in 65 (15.7%): in 44/361 (12.2%) by CSF cytomorphology, in 16/152 (10.5%) by PCR and in 17/415 (4.1%) by MRI. Major patients' characteristics and therapy did not significantly differ between patients with MD (MD+) versus those without MD (MD−). There was a significant correlation of MD with CSF pleocytosis (>5/μl; P45 mg/dl). Median progression-free survival was 6.7 months [95% confidence interval (CI) 0-14.5] in MD+ and 8.3 months (5.7-10.8) in MD− patients (P=0.95); median overall survival was 21.5 months (95% CI 16.8-26.1) and 24.9 months (17.5-32.3), respectively (P=0.98). Conclusion MD was detected infrequently and had no impact on outcome in this tria

B-cell receptor-driven MALT1 activity regulates MYC signaling in mantle cell lymphoma.

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a mature B-cell lymphoma characterized by poor clinical outcome. Recent studies revealed the importance of B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling in maintaining MCL survival. However, it remains unclear which role MALT1, an essential component of the CARD11-BCL10-MALT1 complex that links BCR signaling to the NF-κB pathway, plays in the biology of MCL. Here we show that a subset of MCLs is addicted to MALT1, as its inhibition by either RNA or pharmacologic interference induced cytotoxicity both in vitro and in vivo. Gene expression profiling following MALT1 inhibition demonstrated that MALT1 controls an MYC-driven gene expression network predominantly through increasing MYC protein stability. Thus, our analyses identify a previously unappreciated regulatory mechanism of MYC expression. Investigating primary mouse splenocytes, we could demonstrate that MALT1-induced MYC regulation is not restricted to MCL, but represents a common mechanism. MYC itself is pivotal for MCL survival because its downregulation and pharmacologic inhibition induced cytotoxicity in all MCL models. Collectively, these results provide a strong mechanistic rationale to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of targeting the MALT1-MYC axis in MCL patients