Placing the peripheries within Brazil’s rightward turn: socio-spatial transformation and electoral realignment, 2002–2018

In 2018, far right candidate Jair Bolsonaro came to power in Brazil by building a socially and geographically heterogeneous electoral coalition. A crucial and largely overlooked part of this coalition were the inhabitants of low-income peripheries in large cities in the Southeast of the country. Throughout the 2000s, these voters tended to vote for the left-leaning Workers’ Party in presidential elections, but over the 2010s they shifted electorally to the right. This article maps these shifts and analyses them in relation to major urban, social and institutional transformations. We first present longitudinal electoral data at the scale of electoral zones for the metropolitan areas of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. We then present case studies of two peripheral districts, analysing these in relation to a range of key socio-economic and institutional variables. We argue that the peripheries of both metropolises have been subject to common transformations that influenced electoral behaviour, but that there are important differences between peripheral areas that help to explain the varying strength and durability of the rightward turn at the local scale. In dialogue with the theme of this special issue, we argue that that this kind of sensitive socio-spatial analysis helps to situate and add nuance to theories of ‘revanchist populism’

Predicting antibiotic resistance in Enterobacterales to support optimal empiric treatment of urinary tract infections in outpatient veterans.

OBJECTIVE: Bacterial resistance is known to diminish the effectiveness of antibiotics for treatment of urinary tract infections. Review of recent healthcare and antibiotic exposures, as well as prior culture results is recommended to aid in selection of empirical treatment. However, the optimal approach for assessing these data is unclear. We utilized data from the Veterans Health Administration to evaluate relationships between culture and treatment history and the subsequent probability of antibiotic-resistant bacteria identified in urine cultures to further guide clinicians in understanding these risk factors. METHODS: Using the XGBoost algorithm, a retrospective cohort of outpatients with urine culture results and antibiotic prescriptions from 2017 to 2022 was used to develop models for predicting antibiotic resistance for three classes of antibiotics: cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) obtained from urine cultures. Model performance was assessed using Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve (AUC) and Precision-Recall AUC (PRAUC). RESULTS: There were 392,647 prior urine cultures identified in 214,656 patients. A history of bacterial resistance to the specific treatment was the most important predictor of subsequent resistance for positive cultures, followed by a history of specific antibiotic exposure. The models performed better than previously established risk factors alone, especially for fluoroquinolone resistance, with an AUC of .84 and PRAUC of .70. Notably, the models performance improved markedly (AUC = .90, PRAUC = .87) when applied to cultures from patients with a known history of resistance to any of the antibiotic classes. CONCLUSION: These predictive models demonstrate potential in guiding antibiotic prescription and improving infection management

Assessing the potential of increased commercial scale Koura farming in the Canterbury region

Aquaculture is the world's fastest growing primary industry. It is expected that by 2030 aquaculture will match the wild fisheries catch (SOFIA Report 2004). Aquaculture has been growing rapidly in New Zealand mostly through the commercial production of three species; greenshell mussels, king or chinook salmon and Pacific oysters. Within the New Zealand aquaculture industry the majority, around 70% of our production value is within the marine environment. Worldwide trends differ with only around 33% of the production value resulting from the marine environment. These ratios suggest that our freshwater/land-based aquaculture industry has yet to be fully utilized. There are two freshwater crayfish species endemic to New Zealand; these species are known as koura and have significant potential as a species for land-based aquaculture ventures. Currently, there is only one commercially viable koura farming operation in New Zealand. The demand for koura far exceeds the supply; farmers are struggling to meet domestic demand let alone any export potential. The growth of commercially viable crayfish industries in Louisiana, USA, Australia and elsewhere has provided a stimulus for this research into the factors affecting the growth of our own industry. Historically koura have been abundant in our streams and rivers and still are in several regions. However, given the increasing development of rural land for agriculture in particular diary farming and the demand for water resources it is difficult to determine with any certainty whether these wild populations will remain stable without conservation and further research. This research aims to address the potential of koura farming within the Canterbury region, by the use of case studyies to assess the factors affecting the growth of the industry at large. In particular; investigating the planning/legislative provisions for koura farming and by using two established koura farms as case studies to help identify issues for a S.W.O.T. (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) Analysis for the potential of further growth of the industry. The influence of the relevant stakeholders is also considered; the role of the Department of Conservation, Ministry of Fisheries, Local Iwi (Ngai Tahu), Local Authorities and their stance on koura farming is investigated. With little or no government assistance koura farming has developed from a backyard hobby into an enterprise with serious commercial potential. This research aims to highlight the potential of the koura industry and provides a basis for further discussion and research

Evaluation of the Induction of Immune Memory following Infant Immunisation with Serogroup C Neisseria meningitidis Conjugate Vaccines - Exploratory Analyses within a Randomised Controlled Trial

Aim: We measured meningococcal serogroup C (MenC)-specific memory B-cell responses in infants by Enzyme-Linked Immunospot (ELISpot) following different MenC conjugate vaccine schedules to investigate the impact of priming on immune memory. Methods: Infants aged 2 months were randomised to receive 1 or 2 doses of MenC-CRM197 at 3 or 3 and 4 months, 1 dose of MenC-TT at 3 months, or no primary MenC doses. All children received a Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)-MenC booster at 12 months. Blood was drawn at 5, 12, 12 months +6 days and 13 months of age. Results: Results were available for 110, 103, 76 and 44 children from each group respectively. Following primary immunisations, and prior to the 12-month booster, there were no significant differences between 1- or 2-dose primed children in the number of MenC memory B-cells detected. One month following the booster, children primed with 1 dose MenC-TT had more memory B-cells than children primed with either 1-dose (p = 0.001) or 2-dose (p<0.0001) MenC-CRM197. There were no differences in MenC memory B-cells detected in children who received 1 or 2 doses of MenC-CRM197 in infancy and un-primed children. Conclusions: MenC-specific memory B-cell production may be more dependent on the type of primary vaccine used than the number of doses administered. Although the mechanistic differences between MenC-CRM197 and MenC-TT priming are unclear, it is possible that structural differences, including the carrier proteins, may underlie differential interactions with B- and T-cell populations, and thus different effects on various memory B-cell subsets. A MenC-TT/Hib-MenC-TT combination for priming/boosting may offer an advantage in inducing more persistent antibody.peer-reviewe

Multiple conserved regulatory domains promote Fezf2 expression in the developing cerebral cortex.

BackgroundThe genetic programs required for development of the cerebral cortex are under intense investigation. However, non-coding DNA elements that control the expression of developmentally important genes remain poorly defined. Here we investigate the regulation of Fezf2, a transcription factor that is necessary for the generation of deep-layer cortical projection neurons.ResultsUsing a combination of chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by high throughput sequencing (ChIP-seq) we mapped the binding of four deep-layer-enriched transcription factors previously shown to be important for cortical development. Building upon this we characterized the activity of three regulatory regions around the Fezf2 locus at multiple stages throughout corticogenesis. We identified a promoter that was sufficient for expression in the cerebral cortex, and enhancers that drove reporter gene expression in distinct forebrain domains, including progenitor cells and cortical projection neurons.ConclusionsThese results provide insight into the regulatory logic controlling Fezf2 expression and further the understanding of how multiple non-coding regulatory domains can collaborate to control gene expression in vivo

An examination of entrance criteria for international medical graduates (IMGs) into Canadian psychiatry residency programs

Background: Although international medical graduates (IMGs) are essential in health care service delivery, a gap exists in the literature about how IMGs are selected into psychiatry residency programs in Canada. The purpose of this study was to identify the relative weight or importance that Canadian program directors (PDs) of psychiatry place on certain selection criteria when matching IMGs into residency programs.Methods: We electronically distributed a web-based questionnaire to 16 university residency program directors of psychiatry in Canada. Program Directors were asked to rate the importance of 43 selection criteria using 5-point Likert Scales. Criteria were grouped into six domains: academic criteria, extracurricular activities, supporting information, behavioural issues of concern, medical school country, and other education. Mean total values for each set of criteria were calculated and used to create rank orders within each domain.Results: Eight out of 16 program directors responded. Our analysis indicated that academics and behavioral issues of concern were the most important selection criteria.Conclusion: Our findings provide valuable insight about the perspectives of Program Directors toward IMGs who apply for psychiatry residency programs in Canada. Further studies are needed to better understand which criteria contribute to IMGs’ performances as psychiatric residents

Impact of depth of response on survival in patients treated with cobimetinib ± vemurafenib: pooled analysis of BRIM-2, BRIM-3, BRIM-7 and coBRIM.

BackgroundThis pooled analysis investigated the prognostic value of depth of response in two cohorts of patients with BRAFV600-mutated metastatic melanoma treated with vemurafenib or cobimetinib plus vemurafenib.MethodsThe data were pooled from BRIM-2, BRIM-3, BRIM-7 and coBRIM. Association of depth of response with survival was estimated by Cox proportional hazards regression, adjusted for clinically relevant covariates. Depth of response was analysed in previously identified prognostic subgroups based on disease characteristics and gene signatures.ResultsGreater tumour reduction and longer time to maximal response were significantly associated with longer progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) when evaluated as continuous variables. Patients with the deepest responses had long-lasting survival outcomes (median PFS: 14 months; OS: 32 months with vemurafenib; not estimable with cobimetinib plus vemurafenib). Cobimetinib plus vemurafenib improved depth of response versus vemurafenib monotherapy regardless of other prognostic factors, including gene signatures.ConclusionsGreater depth of response was associated with improved survival, supporting its utility as a measure of treatment efficacy in melanoma and further evaluation of its incorporation into existing prognostic models. Cobimetinib plus vemurafenib improved outcomes across quartiles of response regardless of prognostic factors or gene signatures and provided durable survival benefits in patients with deep responses

Synthesis and Incorporation of Unnatural Amino Acids To Probe and Optimize Protein Bioconjugations

The utilization of unnatural amino acids (UAAs) in bioconjugations is ideal due to their ability to confer a degree of bioorthogonality and specificity. In order to elucidate optimal conditions for the preparation of bioconjugates with UAAs, we synthesized 9 UAAs with variable methylene tethers (2-4) and either an azide, alkyne, or halide functional group. All 9 UAAs were then incorporated into green fluorescent protein (GFP) using a promiscuous aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase. The different bioconjugations were then analyzed for optimal tether length via reaction with either a fluorophore or a derivatized resin. Interestingly, the optimal tether length was found to be dependent on the type of reaction. Overall, these findings provide a better understanding of various parameters that can be optimized for the efficient preparation of bioconjugates

Raven: An On-Orbit Relative Navigation Demonstration Using International Space Station Visiting Vehicles

Since the last Hubble Servicing Mission five years ago, the Satellite Servicing Capabilities Office (SSCO) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has been focusing on maturing the technologies necessary to robotically service orbiting legacy assets-spacecraft not necessarily designed for in-flight service. Raven, SSCO's next orbital experiment to the International Space Station (ISS), is a real-time autonomous non-cooperative relative navigation system that will mature the estimation algorithms required for rendezvous and proximity operations for a satellite-servicing mission. Raven will fly as a hosted payload as part of the Space Test Program's STP-H5 mission, which will be mounted on an external ExPRESS Logistics Carrier (ELC) and will image the many visiting vehicles arriving and departing from the ISS as targets for observation. Raven will host multiple sensors: a visible camera with a variable field of view lens, a long-wave infrared camera, and a short-wave flash lidar. This sensor suite can be pointed via a two-axis gimbal to provide a wide field of regard to track the visiting vehicles as they make their approach. Various real-time vision processing algorithms will produce range, bearing, and six degree of freedom pose measurements that will be processed in a relative navigation filter to produce an optimal relative state estimate. In this overview paper, we will cover top-level requirements, experimental concept of operations, system design, and the status of Raven integration and test activities

Proliferation Security Initiative \u2714

In September 2013 Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Rebecca Hersman requested that the Naval War College conduct a PSI table top game in May 2014 in conjunction with a meeting of the PSI Operational Experts Group (OEG). It was specifically requested that the game explore critical challenges and opportunities in counter- proliferation interdiction, and identify capacity building tools that may be shared with the broader PSI community