Different Degrees Of Intensity Research Articles

Risks and benefits of the biological interface between managed and wild bee pollinators

Summary Increasing global human populations and climate change not only increase the demand for food but require it to be supplied in sustainable quantities. One crucial aspect for sustainability is to ensure pollinator services for crop production and ecosystem services. The global distribution of universal bee pollinators and the different degrees of intensity of bee‐keeping have resulted in a high variability of impacts. It is therefore essential to separate the different pollinator populations, in particular the cases of honeybees and bumblebees, into wild/feral and managed populations, which can and will interact. Such interactions can be either beneficial or deleterious. A deleterious interaction between wild/feral colonies and the managed populations may result in disease and pest transmission. However, a wild/feral population could easily buffer the effects of newly introduced pathogens increasing the resistance of the population as a whole. Varroa mites that caused the loss of the wild population of Apis mellifera in Europe have recently been established in South Africa. Studies of the mite's introduction into South Africa suggest that African honeybee populations are less affected by the mite and can deal with and survive parasite loads which would kill colonies in the Northern Hemisphere. This observed resilience in Africa and Americas is most likely based on the interactions between wild and managed bees, since a large proportion of the total honeybee population is wild in these regions and therefore not influenced by humans. This allows the wild population to adapt to new parasites/pathogens, without human interference, with the large numbers of wild colonies ensuring that resilience is high. A high ratio of wild to managed colonies could also ensure that beneficial adaptations in the wild population filter through to the managed population. Whether a similar situation prevails in bumblebees with wild and managed populations needs to be more carefully examined, particularly in the context of the global trade in colonies of these bees. Our current understanding of the interaction between wild/feral and managed populations suggests that transporting of species out of their endemic range should be done with great caution. A lay summary is available for this article.

Evaluation of MAGE-1 Cancer-Testis Antigen Expression in Invasive Breast Cancer and its Correlation with Prognostic Factors

BackgroundAberrant expression of cancer-testis antigens (CTA) in breast carcinoma tissue, and its natural expression in the testis, the tissue away from the immune system, makes them good candidates for cancer immunotherapy and vaccines designing.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to assess the expression of a CTA (MAGE-1) in invasive breast cancer and its correlation with prognostic factors.Methods Paraffin blocks of breast cancer tissues from 113 patients operated in 2011 - 2013 were stained for MAGE-1expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The associations of MAGE-1 expression with known prognostic factors were assessed by statistical analysis using SPSS 16.ResultsMAGE-1 expression was found in cancer cell cytoplasms of 30.1% of patients, with different degrees of intensity, (23.9% moderate and 6.2% strong). Nuclear staining turned positive in 31.8%, stratified from moderate in 26.5%to to strong in 5.3%. There was a significant association between the number of lymph nodes involved and both nuclear (P = 0.042) and cytoplasmic (P = 0.003) MAGE-1 expression. There was also a significant correlation between the nuclear expression of MAGE-1 and tumor size (P = 0.018). Cytoplasmic expression of MAGE-1 increased with increasing pathologic grade of tumors although the association was not statistically significant (P = 0.119).ConclusionsCTA MAGE-1 has significant association with some prognostic factors in breast cancer and may have the role of a prognostic factor.

Current activities of Cardiovascular Rehabilitation in the ambulatory setting of the Lombardy Region

In the present work, the current activities of Cardiovascular Rehabilitation and Prevention (CRP) in the ambulatory setting of the Lombardy Region (Italy) are described. Based on the 2012 Legislation, ambulatory CRP is delivered by means of three programme categories (MAC 6, 7, and 8) with different degrees of intensity. The patient evaluation of global cardiovascular/clinical risk, comorbidity, and disability is the cornerstone for MAC prescription. Following the organization of MAC activities, a survey on 327 patients was carried out by the regional network of the Italian Society of Cardiovascular Rehabilitation (GICR-IACPR). Globally, acute coronary syndromes (with or without coronary revascularization) constituted the main access group to CRP. More than 60% of patients displayed a condition of high risk, comorbidity, and disability. The outcome of ambulatory CRP by means of MAC 6 and 7 was satisfactory, while in the 'less intensive' MAC 8 patients with complete drug up-titration and achievement of secondary prevention targets were no more than 70%.

Seguridad alimentaria y desarrollo sostenible en las laderas de Centro América: retos futuros para la investigación y la formulación de políticas.

Central America is facing serious problems concerning erosion and poor management of natural resources. Poverty is usually the source and cause of such problem as well as the high population growth. One major problem is the intense usage of mountain slopes in the production of basic grains under traditional migratory agricultural methods. It is a well established tradition to consider these areas as a source of cheap labor force and also as a region of subsistence for a rural impoverished population. Nevertheless, a high percentage of both the population and agricultural production of Central America is to be located in such areas, and mountain slopes constitute over 80% of the regional extension. This document presents an anylisis of the perspectives for sustainable development in the mountain slops of Central America and the challenges faced by researchers and by those in charge of planning and implementing development policies in the area. With different degrees of intensity, all area countries are facing the same problems in their mountain slope areas; as a result, it is necessay to generate information on the development of new methods, adequated to the exploitation of mountain slops, the formulation of local and national policies, the coordination with institutions which take into account the local reality and the need of a sustainable development of the region.

SECTORAL DIFFERENCES IN TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER

This paper studies sectoral differences in technology transfer of 170 Russian Research and Technology Organisations engaged into technology transfer to agriculture, mining and quarrying, high-tech, medium-high-tech, medium-low-tech and low-tech industries. RTOs in these five groups do not overlap by customers’ economic activities and are representative for all Russian regions. Certain factors have in fact opposite effects in different sectors. A customer without a clear vision is perceived as a curse by one sector, but by another one perceived as a blessing. Another such factor is the high economic risk of the application of new technologies. Furthermore, we proved the presence of influence factors which show the same effects with different degrees of intensity depending on the sectors. Thereby, we also provide insights into Russia’s innovation system.

Navigating ethnicity in Peru: a framework for measuring multiple self-identification among indigenous Quechua women

ABSTRACTThis article maps the particular statistical representation of diversity that becomes visible when Quechua ethnoracial identification in Peru is framed as multiple. It does so against a backdrop of uncertainty regarding how to categorize the heterogeneity and complexity of subpopulations, which arise when multiple ascriptions are considered. Using the 2007–2008 Peruvian Demographic and Health Surveys, which provide data of women of reproductive age, the study examines how indigenous Quechua women self-identify and what factors affect their choices. We modeled the relationship between a number of cultural and sociodemographic variables and a self-identification measure that offered respondents the opportunity to identify with multiple ethnoracial categories and to ascribe to them with different degrees of intensity. Challenging the prevailing contraposition between indigeneity and mestizaje, the study reveals that multiple self-identification can yield relevant insights into cultural diversity and sociodemographic variability within the Quechua population, and offers an acceptable trade-off between the reductionism of single option self-identification and the maximized validity of unprompted open response methods.

Chronic Pain and Pharmacotherapy in Chronic Renal Patients on Hemodialysis

Objective: To analyze the intensity of chronic pain and pharmacotherapy in chronic renal patients on hemodialysis. Method: This is a cross-sectional, prospective study conducted in a Service of Substitute Renal Therapy in the South region of Brazil. Seventy adult patients with chronic renal disease, who were undergoing hemodialysis treatment in the first half of 2015, participated in the study. We used the Graduated Scale for Chronic Pain. The data were analyzed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences software version 18.0. The study was approved under N&deg. CAAE: 20138913.4.0000.0118. Results: Fifty-one (72%) patients reported some forms of pain in the last six months, 17 (24%) reported severely limiting pain, high interference and persistence. Painkillers were most widely used therapy for pain management, in 19 patients (27%). Conclusion: Chronic pain was reported in different degrees of intensity, with severely limiting character, high interference, and persistence. Painkillers were the most widely used pharmacological class to control it.

Framing inter-religious dispute: a comparative analysis of Chinese-, English-, and Malay-language newspapers in Peninsular Malaysia

Religious and ethnicity issues in multicultural societies have always been difficult to report. This study aims to conduct a framing analysis of the coverage of the biggest inter-religious dispute in Malaysia to date – the “Allah” dispute. Specifically, the study compares the coverage of Chinese-, English-, and Malay-language newspapers and assesses the factors that lead to differences in frame building. The findings showed that these newspapers reported the dispute with different degrees of intensity and prominence, and they employed different news sources. Although conflict appeared to be the salient frame used by the dailies, the aspects highlighted by them varied. Sin Chew (Chinese-language daily) was the most vocal in its coverage, which reflected a counter-hegemonic discourse. The Star (English-language daily) used a moderate approach, while Utusan (Malay-language daily) strongly supported the status quo. The frames built by The Star and Utusan could be attributed to the fact that these two newspapers were inclined to serve the politically vested interests of their owners.

Apology in Use

There have been many researchers (Holmes, Brown and Levinson, Olshtain, Blum-Kulka, House, Kasper) who have devoted themselves to the analysis of one of the basic units of human linguistic communication - the act of apologizing. An apology, as argued by Holmes (1989), is seen as a face-supportive act. As such, it does not impose on thehearer’s face. It has been understood that the act of apologizing serves as a social goal of maintaining harmony between the speakers, and in order to make it convincing and workable it has to be used with appropriate strategies. Olshtain (1989) claimed that apologies do not differ drastically across languages and therefore it could be said that they are mostly universal. Interestingly enough, what Blum-Kulka, House and Kasper (1989: 21) noticed is that apologies are used with different degrees of intensity. Speakers may use intensifiers or upgraders to increase the power of their apology (‘I’m so sorry’, ‘I’m really sorry’), but they may also use other modality markers such as downgraders to avoid the use of apology and minimize their guilt (ex. I didn’t know you’d be eager to go out tonight.). Moreover, an act of apologizing might not accompany the set of realization patterns typical for apologizing and does not have to coincide with thespeaker’s pragmatic intention. ‘Sorry ‘bout that!’ is an example that one may find in contexts in which a speaker is not apologizing for something s/he did, but s/he is sarcastic or just superficially using the pattern to avoid a sincere apology. In other words, meaning does not have to be tightly connected to the pragmatic intention whatsoever. Still, the aim of this paper will be to analyze the structure of an apology using data-collection instruments, such asthediscourse completion test (DCT), rating scalesand role-plays,inorder to elicitapologetic data produced by non-native speakers who are highly proficient in English andwho are responsible for teaching and guiding young generations. The paper will examine teachers’ apologetic competences as a type of knowledge that everyone needs to acquire, process, develop, use and display on a daily basis. The analysis of teachers’ contextual perceptions and choices of apology strategies openly indicates their socio-pragmatic performance through written and oral tasks, and their pragmalinguistic performance as well. Keywords: interlanguage pragmatics, speech acts, discourse completion task, role-play data, apology strategies

Upwards Intensifiers in the English, German and Croatian Language

This paper investigates the upwards intensifiers (adverbs of intensifying) in the English, German and Croatian language. Intensity as an important human cognitive category, and language expressivity is differently treated in grammars and dictionaries of all three languages, especially with respect to different degrees of intensity. In this paper we argue that it is possible to model a typology of upwards adverb intensifiers in the three languages, according to their morphosyntactic and semantic aspects. When it comes to intensifiers, it is necessary to describe which collocates are modified by intensifiers and which semantic fields the collocates belong to. The results of the corpus analysis based on Harry Potter novels show that all the three languages express the category of the upwards intensity in the same way: the number of intensifiers is similar, the collocates mostly belong to the same semantic fields and word classes, they have similar syntactic functions.

Glucocorticoid functional reserve in full-spectrum intensity of primary hypothyroidism.

Adrenal function might be impaired in patients with primary hypothyroidism. The objective was to evaluate adrenocortical function using the low-dose cosyntropin test in patients with primary hypothyroidism. Consequently a prospective, longitudinal, controlled study of sixty adult patients with primary hypothyroidism was carried out. Patients naïve to L-T4 treatment were compared with control participants. A low-dose cosyntropin test was done before and after L-T4 therapy. Thirty and sixty minutes after the low-dose cosyntropin, the mean cortisol values were lower in the cases group (612.6 ± 133.1 and 603.4 ± 153.7 nmol/L) when compared to the control group (677.0 ± 82.4 and 669.9 ± 83.7 nmol/L) (P = 0.001 and 0.003), respectively. After L-T4 therapy, this difference was lost. Four out of 60 cases (6.7%) taking a cortisol cutoff value of 500 mmol/L and 11 out of 60 (18.3%) having 550 mmol/L as the cutoff had adrenal insufficiency before L-T4 therapy. After L-T4 therapy, 50% and 81% of the cases had normal cortisol response. In conclusion, patients with different degrees of intensity of primary hypothyroidism had improved cortisol response after reaching euthyroidism. The incidence of adrenal insufficiency was 6.7–18.3% and more than 50% of the cases had a normal cortisol response after L-T4 therapy.

Joint distributions of wave height and period in laboratory generated nonlinear sea states

The main goal of the work is to investigate the joint distribution of the wave heights and periods of nonlinear wave time series obtained in laboratory conditions. Three groups of laboratory experiments carried out in Marintek, Norway and in CEHIPAR, Spain are used in the work. Due to different scales of the generated waves only the series that in full scale have the same distance from the wave maker are compared. For different initial steepness of the produced wave time series the spatial variations of the main sea state parameters, the power spectral density, the joint distribution of wave heights and periods, and marginal distributions of the wave heights and the wave periods are studied. The observed results of the joint distributions are also compared with the theoretical model of Longuet-Higgins (1983). It is found that the observed joint distributions of wave heights and periods in the Marintek and in the CEHIPAR basins are similar to each other. However the results show that close to the mode of the joint density there is a deviation with different degrees of intensity from the theoretical ones, especially for large wave steepness.

Global politics and education systems: towards education markets?

Our paper has as its first aim to highlight the fact that the approach on which studies about educational policies or the politics of education (the second concept being more widely used in social sciences) have been based so far involves returning to the stance posited by J.A. Maravall –a category composed of ideas, foundations, mind-set, ideology, etc.; in other words, politics as an idea. A second analytical category would be expressed by norms, legislation, actions, practices, etc., which represent politics as regulation (Dutercq, 2005). Despite placing our study within the management of both categories from a methodological point of view, our focus is more specifically placed on the second interpretation. Thus, new education policies break the ‘methodological nationalism’ with a view to present standardized, mercantile and global discourses and practices as a demand of international education agencies. These global policies end, or begin, by building a social and practical network identified here as ‘schooling market’ and expressed through private ownership of schools and governance (the social use of education practices), which operates with different degrees of intensity across international education systems.

Working with the inner critic: Therapeutic approach

The inner critic refers to a well-integrated system of critical and negative thoughts and attitudes of the self that interferes with the individual's organismic experiencing process. In a previous article published in the same issue (Working with the inner critic: Process features and pathways to change), we demonstrated that the critic exhibits during therapy through a variety of manifestations and different degrees of intensity. Several pathways to change need to take place in order for this process blockage to evolve in a more adaptive self-aspect. In this article we offer a differentiated look of what therapists can do in concrete terms in order to facilitate these pathways of change. A comprehensive and varied sample of therapy episodes in which the inner critic was salient, was analyzed in depth. The research demonstrated that a variety of strategies was used to encourage the inner critic into motion. A flexible approach, tailored to the nature and intensity of the inner critic, appeared to offer the best chance of success. A critic-friendly approach that is attuning to the critic's feelings and concerns and valorizing these appeared to be more beneficial when the critic manifested itself in a stubborn and intensive way. Where the critic presented a milder manifestation the critic could be more easily set aside at a distance or contact could be made with the suppressed organismic experience. Maintaining a uniform approach to the problem without any regard to the way in which the critic was gradually being expressed, appeared to delay the therapy process or even, in certain cases, to be counter-therapeutic, particularly where the critic was quite intense.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, differential diagnosis with blood oxygenation, beta/theta ratio, and attention measures

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the disorders causing the greatest impact, conditioning academic learning, quality of concentration, and capacity for self-regulation and control. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV (DSM-IV-TR) establishes the most commonly accepted criteria for diagnosis (Inattentive: ADHD-I, Hyperactive/impulsive: ADHD-HI, and Combined: ADHD-C), but currently, diverse studies disagree about whether to address it as a continuum with different degrees of intensity (subtype structure) or as specific disorders (counterposed profiles). Prior research has tested the hypothesis of differential categories with performance measures and cortical activation. The goal proposed herein is to confirm these results, incorporating a new measure, near-infrared hemoencefalography (nir-HEG), in order to control cortical activation through levels of blood oxygenation. For this purpose, we used a sample of 205 children between 8 and 13 years (105 control group, 28 with ADHD-I, 35 with ADHD-HI, and 37 with ADHD-C), administering a continuous performance test (TOVA), quantified electroencephalogram (Q-EEG), and nir-HEG. Results reflect the counterposed profiles hypothesis instead of the degrees of intensity, although the latter is more habitual and generalized.

Relationships between clinical data and quantitative EMG findings in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy

Background and purposeIn recently published reports, electrophysiological findings were analysed, in some facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) cases without genetic disease confirmation. In several reports, some electrophysiological findings were described, not specific for myopathy. The aim of study was to analyse electrophysiological findings in a genetically homogeneous FSHD group to find possible relationships between electromyography (EMG) abnormalities and clinical symptoms. Material and methods37 patients with genetically proven FSHD (23 men and 14 women) aged 7–58 years (mean 28.8 years) were studied. Electromyographic examinations were done according to a uniform scheme for FSHD. Quantitative EMG examination was performed in vastus lateralis, tibialis anterior, deltoid and biceps brachii muscles. ResultsThere was no correlation between clinical features and electrophysiological findings. EMG confirmed myopathic changes in all patients with most advanced changes in tibialis anterior and deltoid muscles. Some of these changes were unspecific for myopathy and the degree of their intensity differed in particular muscles. The most advanced changes were observed in the tibialis anterior and deltoid muscles. The usefulness of the size index for myopathic processes assessment was confirmed. Analysis of so-called outliers for motor unit activity potential parameters did not show any new data for evaluation of the myopathic process. Myopathic changes in our material were not as advanced as those described in classical dystrophies. Histopathological examinations of skeletal muscle were normal in about 1/3 of patients. ConclusionsWe established that myopathic changes are clearly present in FSHD, with different degrees of intensity, most pronounced in tibialis anterior and deltoid muscles. There was no correlation between electrophysiological findings and clinical features. The size index provided the highest motor unit potential diagnostic sensitivity in FSHD.

Stress Factors in the Professional Activities of Romanian Teachers

Stress manifests itself through different degrees of intensity and frequency. It has been noticed that the burnout occurs more and more often with people that work in fields involving human relationships. It affected people who become emotionally involved and invest a great deal of psychological and physical effort into their work and consider that the results of their labour are not at the expected level.It is known that professional stress also occurs in teaching.Researching the problem of professional stress in the education system is very important for mitigating the negative effects that stressors have on the quality of teaches’ activities and their health.The conditions in which teachers conduct their professional activity are one of overburden generated by the countless roles that they have to assume, the great number of pupils in a classroom, the less than desirable behaviour of some pupils, the school atmosphere etc. These are some of the stress-generating factors.

Collaborative teacher learning in different primary school settings

During the last two decades there has been a growing awareness of the potentially strong role teacher collaboration can play in relation to teacher and team learning. Teachers collaborate with their colleagues in different formal and informal settings. Because most studies have focused on teacher learning in one collaborative setting or are related to a specific innovation, little is known about how teachers learn within the different collaborative settings that emerge out of their teaching work. The aim of this exploratory study was to gain deeper insight into collaborative teacher learning during regular work at primary schools. Collaborative teacher learning was investigated within multiple settings, taking into account both the undertaken learning activities by teachers and the learning outcomes. Teacher and principal perceptions were collected through semi-structured interviews that were conducted with two teachers and one principal per school, including seven primary schools. Results show that teacher learning occurred within different collaborative settings in schools, however, with different degrees of intensity and outcomes across these various settings. Thus, depending on the collaborative setting, more or less different learning activities and learning outcomes were reported by teachers and principals. The results suggest that high quality team meetings can be a powerful context for teacher learning.

15M: Something Constituent This Way Comes

What we can reasonably call the uprising that began on May 15, 2011, was the most important political and social event in Spain since the end of the dictatorship and the beginning of the “democratic transition” codified in the 1978 constitution. No other event, movement, or sociopolitical process has been comparable in terms of democratic radicalism and a broad social spectrum of mobilization. Some have rightly said that a “second transition” has begun, this time liberated from the fear inscribed on bodies after forty years of bloody dictatorship. The struggle against the Franco dictatorship—fundamental for the transition process launched after the dictator’s death—was the work of specific minorities, for the most part workers and students (and we should not forget the price paid in lives, prison, and torture). In contrast, 15M was, in different degrees of intensity, the first large experience of the politicization of millions of anybodies or whatever people [personas cualesquiera]. That does not mean that the social or labor composition (and within it, what we might call the technical composition) did not matter or was irrelevant for minimally understanding 15M. Indeed, in this essay, we shall see how they were decisive for understanding how something like this was possible.

Green Facades as a New Sustainable Approach Towards Climate Change

For various reasons, sustainability today is producing an important and interesting approach between architecture and the environment. This is taking place in forms and with different degrees of intensity. Within the challenges of energy crisis and climatic changes architects started to develop new approaches to address the quest of energy demands in buildings.One of these approaches is façade greening which started to take an important place in the last 10 years, it's not considered a new innovation, where applying green facade is not a new concept; however it has not been approved as an energy saving method for the built environment.Vertical greening can provide a cooling potential on the building surface, which is very important during summer periods in hot climates. The cooling effect of green facades has also an impact on the inner climate in the building by preventing warming up the façade.Within this quest, this paper is focused on the analysis of the effect of green facades systems on the building temperature and addressing different types of green facades systems and their thermal effect.