Pollen analyses of sediment core GeoB1711-4 in the eastern South Atlantic

Influx of aeolian pollen trapped in marine sediments off Namibia provides a wind variation record for the last 135 kyr. The influx of major pollen components is derived from the southwest African desert/semi-desert zone and shows six periods during which enhanced southeast trade winds contributed to strong upwelling and reduced sea surface temperatures. The most prominent of these occurred during 17-23 cal. kyr, 42-56 kyr and before 130 kyr B.P. Correspondence between the pollen influx record and the Vostok deuterium isotope record suggests that pronounced glacial Antarctic cooling was accompanied by intensification of the southeast trades throughout the Late Quaternary. However, during 42-23 kyr B.P. the combination of strong Antarctic glaciation with a decrease of wind zonality induced by low latitude precessional insolation changes caused strong alongshore winds and Ekman pumping that resulted in strong upwelling and reduced sea surface temperatures without pollen influx enhancement.

Pollen and spores of sites GeoB8331 and GeoB8323, Namaqualand Mudbelt, Holocene South Africa

To better understand Holocene vegetation and hydrological changes in South Africa, we analyzed pollen and microcharcoal records of two marine sites GeoB8331 and GeoB8323 from the Namaqualand mudbelt offshore the west coast of South Africa covering the last 9900 and 2200 years, respectively. Our data corroborate findings from literature that climate developments apparently contrast between the summer rainfall zone (SRZ) and winter rainfall zone (WRZ) over the last 9900 years, especially during the early and middle Holocene. During the early Holocene (9900-7800 cal.yr BP), a minimum of grass pollen suggests low summer rainfall in the SRZ, and the initial presence of Renosterveld vegetation indicates relatively wet conditions in the WRZ. Towards the middle Holocene (7800-2400 cal. yr BP), a rather moist savanna/grassland rich in grasses suggests higher summer rainfall in the SRZ resulting from increased austral summer insolation and a decline of fynbos vegetation accompanied by an increasing Succulent Karoo vegetation in the WRZ possibly suggests a southward shift of the Southern Hemisphere westerlies. During the last 2200 years, a trend towards higher aridity was observed for the SRZ, while the climate in the WRZ remained relatively stable. The Little Ice Age (ca. 700-200 cal. yr BP) was rather cool in both rainfall zones and drier in the SRZ while wetter in the WRZ.

THE ELEMENTARY TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF MOTIVATION FOR AND THE PRINCIPAL’S INFLUENCE ON THEIR ENGAGEMENT IN SELF-DIRECTED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

All teachers participate in self-directed professional development (PD) at some point in their careers; however, the degree to which this participation takes place varies greatly from teacher to teacher and is influenced by the leadership of the school principal. The motivation behind why teachers choose to engage in PD is an important construct. Therefore, there is a need for better understanding of the leader’s role with respect to how and why teachers engage in self-directed professional development. The purpose of the research was to explore the elementary teachers’ motivation for and the school principal’s influence on their engagement in self-directed professional development. Three research questions guided this study: 1. What motivates teachers to engage in self-directed professional development? 2. What are the conditions necessary for promoting teachers’ engagement in self-directed professional development? 3. What are teachers’ perceptions of the principal’s role in supporting, fostering, encouraging, and sustaining the professional development of teachers? A qualitative research approach was adopted for this study. Six elementary teachers from one south-eastern Ontario school board, consisting of three novice and three more experienced teachers, provided their responses to a consistent complement of 14 questions. Their responses were documented via individual interviews, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analysed. The findings suggested that, coupled with the individual motivating influences, the culture of the school was found to be a conditional dynamic that either stimulated or dissuaded participation in self-directed PD. The school principal provided an additional catalyst or deterrence via relational disposition. When teachers felt their needs for competency, relatedness, and autonomy were satisfied, the conditions necessary to motivate teachers to engage in PD were fulfilled. A principal who personified the tenets of transformational leadership served to facilitate teachers’ inclinations to take on PD. A leadership style that was collaborative and trustful and allowed for personal autonomy was a dominant foundational piece that was critical for participant participation in self-directed PD. Finally, the principals were found to positively impact school climate by partaking in PD alongside teachers and ensuring there was a shared vision of the school so that teachers could tailor PD to parallel school interests.

On the Virtualization of CUDA Based GPU Remoting on ARM and X86 Machines in the GVirtuS Framework

The astonishing development of diverse and different hardware platforms is twofold: on one side, the challenge for the exascale performance for big data processing and management; on the other side, the mobile and embedded devices for data collection and human machine interaction. This drove to a highly hierarchical evolution of programming models. GVirtuS is the general virtualization system developed in 2009 and firstly introduced in 2010 enabling a completely transparent layer among GPUs and VMs. This paper shows the latest achievements and developments of GVirtuS, now supporting CUDA 6.5, memory management and scheduling. Thanks to the new and improved remoting capabilities, GVirtus now enables GPU sharing among physical and virtual machines based on x86 and ARM CPUs on local workstations,computing clusters and distributed cloud appliances.

Progetto urbanistico di sviluppo di aree site in comune di Imola con inserimento di parco tematico e centro commerciale: Il Parco dei Motori

«Apriamo il Parco dei motori. Solo così Imola e Bologna vivono» Con queste parole, perentorie, il Direttore dell’ ANCE Bologna Carmine Preziosi ha presentato alla stampa nel settembre del 2013 l’idea della quale questa tesi fa parte integrante. Mai si è riusciti davvero a sfruttare a livello continuo e deciso la nomea di “terra dei motori” che l’Emilia Romagna possiede. Quale migliore luogo di Imola, con il suo storico tracciato, per tentare di rilanciare il turismo e creare un nuovo polo attrattivo tra la costa Adriatica e le grandi città della Regione base di tante case automobilistiche? L’individuazione dell’area tramite dialoghi con interlocutori REALMENTE interessati, approfondimenti, studi sociali, del territorio, dell’ambiente, normativi hanno portato alla progettazione urbanistica e di dettaglio (parco tematico compreso in tutti i suoi aspetti fondamentali grazie al rapporto con alcune delle più grandi aziende del mondo del settore) di un lavoro che si presenta finito per essere presentato alle autorità locali per una seria e decisa discussione a riguardo della fattibilità. Tale progetto creerebbe un’area di turismo e di utilità per la collettività del luogo, presentando, oltre al parco e al suo resort, un centro commerciale, un parco verde attrezzato e una futura area di espansione ad uso del Comune, il tutto in una zona adiacente all’ autostrada e ben collegata alla città stessa nonché alle principali vie di comunicazione.

Angiotensin receptor I stimulates osteoprogenitor proliferation through TGFβ-mediated signaling

Clinical studies of large human populations and pharmacological interventions in rodent models have recently suggested that anti-hypertensive drugs that target angiotensin II (Ang II) activity may also improve loss of bone mineral density. Here we identified in a genetic screen the Ang II type I receptor (AT1R) as a potential determinant of osteogenic differentiation and, implicitly, bone formation. Silencing of AT1R expression by RNA interference severely impaired the maturation of a multipotent mesenchymal cell line (W20-17) along the osteoblastic lineage. The same effect was also observed after the addition of the AT1R antagonist losartan but not the AT2R inhibitor PD123,319. Additional cell culture assays traced the time of greatest losartan action to the early stages of W20-17 differentiation, namely during cell proliferation. Indeed, addition of Ang II increased proliferation of differentiating W20-17 and primary mesenchymal stem cells and this stimulation was reversed by losartan treatment. Cells treated with losartan also displayed an appreciable decrease of activated (phosphorylated)-Smad2/3 proteins. Moreover, Ang II treatment elevated endogenous transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) expression considerably and in an AT1R-dependent manner. Finally, exogenous TGFβ was able to restore high proliferative activity to W20-17 cells that were treated with both Ang II and losartan. Collectively, these results suggest a novel mechanism of Ang II action in bone metabolism that is mediated by TGFβ and targets proliferation of osteoblast progenitors.

Traumatic abdominal wall hernia. Case report

Despite the high incidence of abdominal traumas, traumatic abdominal wall hernias (TAWHs) remain rare probably because of elasticity of the abdominal wall. The TAWH is due to blunt abdominal trauma with disruption of the abdominal wall muscles and fascia with intact overlying skin. TAWH can be classified into high energy injures (generally motor vehicle accidents) and low energy injures (impact on a small blunt object). Common example of the latter type is a fall onto a bicycle handlebar. The mechanism of the trauma includes sudden increase of intra-abdominal pressure and extensive shear forces applied to the abdominal wall. The diagnosis of TAWH is difficult in the Emergency Room because during the primary diagnostic process most attention is directed toward the detection of internal injures and TAWH can be missed. In this article we report a case of TAWH caused by a work accident (an heavy steel tube fallen onto the abdominal wall of the patient from a height of five meters) with delayed diagnosis.

Stapled haemorrhoidopexy vs. Milligan-Morgan haemorrhoidectomy for grade III haemorrhoids: a randomized clinical trial

The aim of this double blind randomized clinical trial was to compare the short-term and long-term outcomes of stapled haemorrhoidopexy (SH group) performed using a circular stapler with that of the Milligan-Morgan haemorrhoidectomy (MMH group). A total of 79 consecutive patients with grade III haemorrhoids were randomized into two groups treated with SH (n. 39) and MMH (n. 40). The outcomes of the procedures were evaluated postoperatively and over a follow-up period of minimum 2 years. Patients undergoing the SH procedure showed greater short term advantages than MMH group with reduced pain, shorter length of hospital stay, earlier return to work and high patient satisfaction. Long-term follow-up has indicated more favourable results in MMH group in terms of resumption of symptoms with absence of residual prolapse and risk of recurrence of prolapse. At two years follow-up recurrent prolapse was confirmed in six patients of SH group (13%) whereas in none of the MMH group. At six months follow-up there weren’t significant difference in the mean satisfaction score for the two groups. At two years the mean satisfaction score was higher in the MMH group vs SH group. Seven patients in the SH group needed a reoperation whereas none in MMH group. From January 2009, in our Surgery Unit the patients are always informed about a higher recurrence rate of SH and we perform this technique only when the patient choices to accept this risk to take advantage of the short-term benefits of this procedure.

Evaluation of negative pressure vacuum-assisted system in acute and chronic wounds closure. Our experience

Negative-pressure therapy or vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) has been used in clinical applications since the 1940’s and has increased in popularity over the past decade. This dressing technique consists of an open cell foam dressing put into the wound cavity, a vacuum pump produces a negative pressure and an adhesive drape. A controlled sub atmospheric pressure from 75 to 150 mmHg is applied. The vacuum-assisted closure has been applied by many clinicians to chronic wounds in humans; however it cannot be used as a replacement for surgical debridement. The initial treatment for every contaminated wound should be the necrosectomy. The VAC therapy has a complementary function and the range of its indications includes pressure sores, stasis ulcers, chronic wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers, post traumatic and post operative wounds, infected wounds such as necrotizing fasciitis or sternal wounds, soft-tissue injuries, bone exposed injuries, abdominal open wounds and for securing a skin graft. We describe our experience with the VAC dressing used to manage acute and chronic wounds in a series of 135 patients, with excellent results together with satisfaction of the patients.

Extracranial association of arteriovenous and venous malformations. Case report

Association of multiple vascular malformations of the face is a rare condition. An arteriovenous malformation (AVM) with a venous malformation as the draining vein is also a rarity. We report a case of extracranial mixed vascular malformations that deformed the normal architecture of the lower face. Removal of the AVM was followed by stability of the jaw and tongue malformation, indicating the AVM used the venous malformation as its draining vein. This approach spared the patient severe cosmetic and functional sequelae.

Análisis comparativo de métodos de calibrado para sensores RGB-D y su influencia en el registro de múltiples vistas

Los sensores de propósito general RGB-D son dispositivos capaces de proporcionar información de color y de profundidad de la escena. Debido al amplio rango de aplicación que tienen estos sensores, despiertan gran interés en múltiples áreas, provocando que en algunos casos funcionen al límite de sensibilidad. Los métodos de calibración resultan más importantes, si cabe, para este tipo de sensores para mejorar la precisión de los datos adquiridos. Por esta razón, resulta de enorme transcendencia analizar y estudiar el calibrado de estos sensores RGBD de propósito general. En este trabajo se ha realizado un estudio de las diferentes tecnologías empleadas para determinar la profundidad, siendo la luz estructurada y el tiempo de vuelo las más comunes. Además, se ha analizado y estudiado aquellos parámetros del sensor que influyen en la obtención de los datos con precisión adecuada dependiendo del problema a tratar. El calibrado determina, como primer elemento del proceso de visión, los parámetros característicos que definen un sistema de visión artificial, en este caso, aquellos que permiten mejorar la exactitud y precisión de los datos aportados. En este trabajo se han analizado tres algoritmos de calibración, tanto de propósito general como de propósito específico, para llevar a cabo el proceso de calibrado de tres sensores ampliamente utilizados: Microsoft Kinect, PrimeSense Carmine 1.09 y Microsoft Kinect v2. Los dos primeros utilizan la tecnología de luz estructurada para determinar la profundidad, mientras que el tercero utiliza tiempo de vuelo. La experimentación realizada permite determinar de manera cuantitativa la exactitud y la precisión de los sensores y su mejora durante el proceso de calibrado, aportando los mejores resultados para cada caso. Finalmente, y con el objetivo de mostrar el proceso de calibrado en un sistema de registro global, diferentes pruebas han sido realizadas con el método de registro µ-MAR. Se ha utilizado inspección visual para determinar el comportamiento de los datos de captura corregidos según los resultados de los diferentes algoritmos de calibrado. Este hecho permite observar la importancia de disponer de datos exactos para ciertas aplicaciones como el registro 3D de una escena.

Avaliação de nova estratégia extrativa, baseada em NTDs, combinada com dados de análise cromatigráfica e quimiométrica para a deteção de biomarcadores de diferentes tipos de cancro

A elevada incidência e mortalidade mundiais associadas ao cancro justificam o desenvolvimento e implementação de estratégias eficazes e não-invasivas conducentes a um diagnóstico precoce. Neste contexto, pretendeu-se avaliar a performance de uma metodologia inovadora, a microextração por “needle trap” (NTME), na extração de metabolitos voláteis (VOMs) da urina de pacientes oncológicos com diferentes tipos de cancro - cólon, pulmão e mama, e de indivíduos saudáveis, com a finalidade de identificar um conjunto de VOMs potenciais biomarcadores dos diferentes tipos cancros em estudo. De modo a maximizar a eficiência da extração dos VOMs, foram otimizados diferentes parâmetros experimentais, nomeadamente a natureza do sorvente, a temperatura, o tempo de equilíbrio, o volume de headspace, a força iónica, o pH do meio e o volume e a agitação da amostra. Usando como sorvente o DVB/Car1000/CarX, os melhores resultados foram obtidos com 4 mL de urina acidificada (pH= 2), 20% NaCl, 40 mL de headspace e 40 min de equilíbrio a 50 °C. Foi ainda avaliada a estabilidade dos VOMs no sorvente até 72 h após a extração. Nos quatro grupos em estudo foram identificados, por GC-MS, 259 VOMs pertencentes a diversas famílias químicas, nomeadamente cetonas, compostos sulfurados, furânicos e terpénicos. A matriz de dados obtida para cada grupo em estudo foi submetida a análise discriminante, usando o método dos mínimos quadrados parciais (PLS-DA), que resultou em clusters distintos diferenciadores de cada grupo. A aplicabilidade do modelo foi avaliada através do método de classificação SIMCA (modelagem suave e independente de analogias de classe), com elevadas taxas de classificação, sensibilidade e especificidade. Este foi o primeiro estudo usando NTME para o estabelecimento do padrão volatómico da urina. Os resultados obtidos revelam-se muito promissores originando perfis voláteis de maior expressividade, mais completos e abrangentes, que os obtidos usando metodologias de referência.

Avaliação de nova estratégia extrativa, baseada em NTDs, combinada com dados de análise cromatigráfica e quimiométrica para a deteção de biomarcadores de diferentes tipos de cancro

A elevada incidência e mortalidade mundiais associadas ao cancro justificam o desenvolvimento e implementação de estratégias eficazes e não-invasivas conducentes a um diagnóstico precoce. Neste contexto, pretendeu-se avaliar a performance de uma metodologia inovadora, a microextração por “needle trap” (NTME), na extração de metabolitos voláteis (VOMs) da urina de pacientes oncológicos com diferentes tipos de cancro - cólon, pulmão e mama, e de indivíduos saudáveis, com a finalidade de identificar um conjunto de VOMs potenciais biomarcadores dos diferentes tipos cancros em estudo. De modo a maximizar a eficiência da extração dos VOMs, foram otimizados diferentes parâmetros experimentais, nomeadamente a natureza do sorvente, a temperatura, o tempo de equilíbrio, o volume de headspace, a força iónica, o pH do meio e o volume e a agitação da amostra. Usando como sorvente o DVB/Car1000/CarX, os melhores resultados foram obtidos com 4 mL de urina acidificada (pH= 2), 20% NaCl, 40 mL de headspace e 40 min de equilíbrio a 50 °C. Foi ainda avaliada a estabilidade dos VOMs no sorvente até 72 h após a extração. Nos quatro grupos em estudo foram identificados, por GC-MS, 259 VOMs pertencentes a diversas famílias químicas, nomeadamente cetonas, compostos sulfurados, furânicos e terpénicos. A matriz de dados obtida para cada grupo em estudo foi submetida a análise discriminante, usando o método dos mínimos quadrados parciais (PLS-DA), que resultou em clusters distintos diferenciadores de cada grupo. A aplicabilidade do modelo foi avaliada através do método de classificação SIMCA (modelagem suave e independente de analogias de classe), com elevadas taxas de classificação, sensibilidade e especificidade. Este foi o primeiro estudo usando NTME para o estabelecimento do padrão volatómico da urina. Os resultados obtidos revelam-se muito promissores originando perfis voláteis de maior expressividade, mais completos e abrangentes, que os obtidos usando metodologias de referência.

(Con)vencidas da Pintura: pintoras portuguesas na transição dos séculos XIX-X

Para as senhoras portuguesas que desejassem ser pintoras no final do século XIX e início do XX, apresentava-se, consciente ou inconscientemente, um programa: tinham de fazer o contrário dos Vencidos da Vida. Ser obstinada era, assim, condição essencial para uma pintora portuguesa de oitocentos (porque são destas que trato aqui) não desistir do ofício. Abordarei neste artigo quatro senhoras cujas obras se integraram nos avatares do Naturalismo, mas muitas mais existem. Escolhi três pintoras que participaram nas exposições do Grupo do Leão, bem como noutros certames, e uma não menos felina, mas que não foi arregimentada para as mostras do Grupo, respectivamente Maria Augusta Bordalo Pinheiro, Berta Ramalho Ortigão, Helena Gomes e Fanny Munró.

Producción indígena y mercado urbano a finales del período colonial. La provisión de alimentos a la ciudad de Guatemala. 1787- 1822

ResumenEstudia el proceso de reestructuración de la oferta de alimentos a la ciudad de Guatemala, con el fin de evaluar el impacto del auge añilero en el hinterland de la ciudad de Guatemala. También analiza la diferenciación social del campesino indígena al interior de los pueblos a finales del periodo colonial.AbstractThe purpose of this study of the restructuring of food supply to Guatemala City is to asses the impact of the indigo boom on the hinterland of that city. The author also discusses social differentiation of Indian peasant within their town toward the end to the colonial period.