Geographical Comparisons Research Articles

Temporal and geographical comparison of bulk tank milk and water microbiota composition in Brazilian dairy farms

This study investigated the relationship between the bacterial communities of bulk tank milk (BTM) and water used in Brazilian dairy farms. We also explored the association between BTM microbiota and its quality parameters (i.e., somatic cell count [SCC] and total bacteria count [TBC]). Water and BTM samples were collected twice for high throughput metataxonomic characterization. Milk samples were collected for SCCs, TBCs, and antimicrobial residue analysis. Water samples were submitted for physico-chemical and microbiological analyses. Overall, the BTM bacterial community was not influenced by the water microbiota. Furthermore, a higher number of Bacillus spp. and a tendency toward a higher number of Lactococcus spp. was associated with a higher TBC, and consequently could be used as an indicator of milk quality. A higher number of Streptococcus spp. and a tendency toward a higher number of Staphylococcus spp. were associated with a higher SCC. Apart from a variation on the content of the Bacillus taxa, no effect of sampling time on BTM bacterial community was observed. Finally, a negative correlation between the number of different species (richness) on BTM and SCC was found.

Juvenile Second Chance Act Participation in Virginia: Impact on Rearrest, Reconviction, and Reincarceration

This study evaluates the recidivism impact of the Tidewater Reentry Initiative (TRI) for medium and high-risk juveniles released from secure statewide facilities. TRI used an intensive case management model combined with in-reach prerelease reentry planning. Impact was assessed using propensity score (PS) weighting in a geographic comparison design. Treatment youth were released from statewide facilities to the Tidewater area of Virginia; comparison youth were released to a comparison area. PSs were used to balance the samples on demographics, current case characteristics, and criminal history. Descriptively, treatment youth showed lower rearrest and reconviction rates at 6, 12, and 24 months following release than comparison youth. Survival analyses examined time to first rearrest, reconviction, and reincarceration, using 6 months to 6 years of follow-up data. Treatment youth were slower to be rearrested and reconvicted, which was significant at the p < .10 level in Cox proportional hazard models. These beneficial effects appear concentrated among the youth released as adults, but formal tests of the interaction were not significant. The intensive case management model seems to have promise to delay recidivism, although high recidivism rates suggest that the model is not intensive enough for high risk youth involved in the juvenile justice system.

Paths toward implementing eDNA-based bioassessments across the United States

In the United States, bioassessment is a key component of clean water assessment for each state and territory under federal guidelines. Yet, there is a patchwork of approaches implemented by different states that restricts geographic comparisons of water condition. At Jonah Ventures, we have reviewed approaches to implementation of bioassessment for each state and have recommendations for the adoption of aquatic eDNA metabarcoding to complement or replace current practices. States sample different organisms and assess biotic condition differently. For example, only 38 of 55 U.S. states and territories use or have developed methods for using fish assemblages in bioassessments of wadeable streams and rivers. States also differ in the analytical methods used to determine impairment. For benthic macroinvertebrate-based assessments, 2 states apply biotic indices, 35 multimetric indices, 2 predictive models, 2 no standard, and 9 a combination of approaches. Additionally, states vary in ecological values assigned to species, a result of geographic and methodological discrepancies. For instance, the common carp is considered tolerant of disturbance in most states, but not in Arkansas, Georgia, or Maryland. Adoption of eDNA-based bioassessments has the benefits of being cheaper and faster while providing higher taxon detection and resolution than traditional techniques. A single sample can be used to detect the presence or relative abundances of multiple biotic groups. As a result, sample collection can be democratized, and larger, more frequent datasets can be generated that cover a greater range of environments. As a first effort, in 2020, we collected over 100 filtered water samples from streams across the conterminous states. We sequenced multiple PCR replicates of each sample for a hypervariable region of the 12S rRNA gene using the MiFish-U primer set targeting bony fish. ESVs were then assigned to morphospecies taxonomy, and we calculated morphospecies trait-based and compositional metrics for each sample. Up to 18 species of fish were identified at a single site. We also began the process of developing de novo sequence-based ecological values and indices. Given recent advances in sample collection and processing, the path to adoption of eDNA-based assessment in the U.S. is clear: (1) Primer sets for benthic macroinvertebrates need to be improved. (2) Reference sequence libraries need to be expanded. As an example, only about one-third of the freshwater fish species in the U.S. have been sequenced to date. Although taxonomy-free assessments are viable, empirically managers will require taxon-specific information prior to adoption. Genome skimming is recommended for constructing full mitochondrial and chloroplast genome sequence libraries. (3) eDNA must be sampled across a broad gradient of sites that vary in their biogeography and stressors. We estimate about 10,000 samples across the U.S. should be sufficient to generate high-performing indices across the various ecoregions. (4) Analytical techniques must be rigorously tested, regionally calibrated, and consistently implemented across states. We favor an approach in which indices are calculated from gradients of ESV or taxon presence or relative abundances that can secondarily be interpreted based on specific ecological conditions - as opposed to a generalized stress gradient. The transition to eDNA-based bioassessments in the U.S. can likely be accomplished for &amp;lt;USD $20 million. We note that given the fundamental improvements of these techniques and the limitations of previous techniques, long-term datasets may become disjunct without rigorous methods comparisons and transition time. Yet, the benefits of this approach lie in the ability to generate consistent national maps of water quality, greater sampling density, and more accurate determination of causes of impaired quality.

Ecological Traits of a Common Japanese Pit Viper, the Mamushi (Gloydius blomhoffii), in Kyoto, with a Brief Geographic Comparison

Gloydius blomhoffii is a common pitviper distributed throughout Japan except for Okinawa Prefecture. To understand intraspecific geographic variation of this widely distributed snake, I describe several of its basic ecological traits observed during a 31-year-field survey conducted in the forest of Ashiu, northeastern Kyoto, in the western region of the mainland of Japan, and compare these traits with those reported in previous studies conducted in widespread areas of Japan. Body length of G. blomhoffii in Kyoto was smaller than that in the northernmost range and larger than that in the southernmost range. Sexual size dimorphism in snout-vent length, tail length, and body mass showed the same trends as in other areas. The sex ratio of the collected snakes was biased to females, which has not been observed in other studies. Pregnant females showed higher body temperature than males and non-pregnant females at a given air temperature. Parturition period, litter size, and body size of neonates generally overlapped with those reported in previous studies. Stomach contents were found only in 9.1% of snakes and consisted of rodents, frogs, and newts, which are prey items already known in G. blomhoffii. Although the forest in Ashiu has been incurred drastic environmental degradation, no obvious change in body size was detected over the study period. This study adds information on ecological traits of G. blomhoffii based on a population-level study and will facilitate future intensive field research to understand this common, but still poorly investigated, venomous snake endemic to Japan.

Patient experiences of alcohol specialist nurse interventions in a general hospital, and onwards care pathways.

To provide insight into patient experiences of a general hospital-based alcohol specialist nurse intervention during alcohol detoxification, experiences of alcohol specialist nurse hospital-based follow-up appointments (Pathway A) as well as the experiences of patients who did not have access to this additional help post detoxification (Pathway B). A longitudinal qualitative study. A thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews (2016-2017) with 24 patient participants (N=12 in each pathway; purposive selection) 1-4weeks post-detoxification and at 3 and 6months, to identify patient experiences of these interventions. Participants gave accounts of how 'empathic' and 'straight talking' interactions with alcohol specialist nurses during detoxification helped them to 'open up' and orient towards change. After detoxification follow-up, outpatient appointments in the hospital setting were seen as supporting change in early recovery and engagement with a wider range of services. Those with no access to nurse follow-up described experiencing a 'void' in available help. Participants in both groups described barriers to engagement with community alcohol services, peer groups and access to help for mild-moderate mental health problems. Patient accounts indicate alcohol specialist nurse interventions during and after unplanned detoxification in a hospital setting can help orient patients towards change and support early recovery. Providing alcohol specialist nurse interventions in general hospitals offers one route to initiating recovery in alcohol-dependent patients. This has potential to improve the lives of those affected and to reduce related demands on hospital services, but further research is needed.

Ecological and spatial patterns associated with diversification of South American Physaria (Brassicaceae) through the general concept of species

Analyzing the roles of ecology and geography on speciation and lineage diversification can shed light on the processes that generate and maintain biodiversity. Additionally, lineages rapidly diversifying across unstable habitats provide substantial challenges for resolving evolutionary histories and delimiting species. Physaria is represented in South American by six species distributed from southern Bolivia to northern central Argentina and growing in highlands of the southern-central Andes, but also along the hills and lowlands of central-eastern Argentina. This biogeographical variability, not common among other South American crucifers (Brassicaceae), prompted us to conduct different climatic niche and geographical range comparisons to study the potential roles of ecology and geography through the diversification of the group. However, the remarkable similarity between these species, coupled with the continuous variability of the diagnostic morphological characters, blurs the species boundaries. Therefore, in order to identify independent evolving lineages, we first employed species delimitation methods together with the general lineage concept of species, and used molecular sequences from nuclear ribosomal and chloroplast loci. Secondly, and in the light of the lineages obtained, we explored the roles of geography and ecology on the diversification of South American Physaria and tested for presence of phylogenetic niche-conservatism or niche-divergence patterns, as well as potential ecological speciation. Lineages identified by these delimitation methods were highly congruent with described species; nevertheless, some morphospecies were included under the same independent evolutionary lineage. Our results suggest that the climatic niche divergence along the heterogeneous landscape apparently was a major factor promoting diversification of the South American Physaria. Divergence was registered mainly on the temperature dimension, which promoted shifts between cold-temperate habitats associated with the highlands of the central-southern Andes and warm lowlands from central-eastern Argentina, i.e., the Monte and Dry Chaco ecoregions. In addition, some degree of niche divergence along the precipitation gradient was also secondarily recovered. Allopatry and dispersal capabilities also seem to be associated with the diversification of the group, presumably through the Late Pliocene-Pleistocene, and promoted by glacial cycles and climatic oscillations during the Quaternary. Results of these analyses are also discussed in a general context, which will contribute to the understanding of the evolutionary and ecological patterns of South American Brassicaceae.

Characterisation and chemometric evaluation of 17 elements in ten seaweed species from Greenland.

Several Greenland seaweed species have potential as foods or food ingredients, both for local consumption and export. However, knowledge regarding their content of beneficial and deleterious elements on a species specific and geographical basis is lacking. This study investigated the content of 17 elements (As, Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, I, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Se and Zn) in 77 samples of ten species (Agarum clathratum, Alaria esculenta, Ascophyllum nodosum, Fucus distichus, Fucus vesiculosus, Hedophyllum nigripes, Laminaria solidungula, Palmaria palmata, Saccharina latissima and Saccharina longicruris). Element profiles differed between species but showed similar patterns within the same family. For five species, different thallus parts were investigated separately, and showed different element profiles. A geographic origin comparison of Fucus species indicated regional differences. The seaweeds investigated were especially good sources of macrominerals (K > Na > Ca > Mg) and trace minerals, such as Fe. Iodine contents were high, especially in macroalgae of the family Laminariaceae. None of the samples exceeded the EU maximum levels for Cd, Hg or Pb, but some exceeded the stricter French regulations, especially for Cd and I. In conclusion, these ten species are promising food items.

Pohlia Hedw. and Oleolophozia L.Söderstr., De Roo &amp; Hedd. Species New to Turkey and South-West Asia

Pohlia lescuriana (Sull.) Ochi and Oleolophozia perssonii (H.Buch & S.W.Arnell) L.Söderstr., De Roo & Hedd. have been identified as new to Turkey and South-West Asia, following a recent bryological excursion in Giresun province of Turkey. The genus Oleolophozia L.Söderstr., De Roo & Hedd. is also new to Turkey. In this paper, brief descriptions, illustrations, information about geographic distribution, ecology and comparisons with morphologically similar taxa are given. A key to Pohlia Hedw. taxa in Turkey is added.

Blue-green urban infrastructure in Boston and Bombay (Mumbai): a macro-historical geographic comparison

This study offers a macro-historical geographic comparison of blue-green urban infrastructure in the coastal cities of Boston, USA and Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India. After introducing the aims and methods of comparative historical geography, we focus on the insights that these two cases offer. Their stories begin with ancient coastal fishing settlements, followed by early processes of urbanization and fortification in the 17th century. By the late-18th century Anglo-American merchants in Boston were trading with Parsi merchants in Bombay, at a time when Bostonians had little more to sell than ice in exchange for India’s fine textiles. From the early-19th century onwards, the two maritime cities undertook surprisingly parallel processes of land reclamation and water development. Boston commissioned blue-green infrastructure proposals at the urban scale, from Frederick Law Olmsted’s Back Bay Fens to Charles Eliot’s Metropolitan Park District Plan—innovations that offer more than a century of lessons in environmental performance and resilience. The two cities developed parallel “Esplanade,” “Back Bay,” and “Reclamation” projects. None of these projects anticipated the magnitude of 20th century land, water, and infrastructure change. Both cities have begun to address the increasing risks of urban flooding, sea level rise, and population displacement, but they need bolder metropolitan visions of blue-green urban infrastructure to address emerging climate change and water hazards.

Speed characteristics of heterogeneous traffic on inter-urban roads in Indonesia

Inter-urban roads in Indonesia accommodate heterogeneous traffic with mixed types of vehicles sharing the same lanes. The heterogeneity results in varied average speeds and speed deviations of different vehicle categories. Lack of posted speed limits, misplaced speed limit posts, and the vehicle speed and acceleration performances are among the possible factors leading to a wider spectrum of speed variations. Previous studies have been conducted to investigate speed characteristics, but few studies concentrate on the effects of heterogeneity. The present study analyzes the characteristics of traffic heterogeneity which is captured in six different types of vehicles, i.e. passenger cars, angkots, pickups, buses, trucks and motorcycles. Analysis was conducted on a set of six-year data of speed and speed deviations from 8 provinces. The average speeds and speed variations of different types of vehicles were analyzed for provinces with speed closeness created based on a Post hoc test. A pairwise multiple comparison was carried out to test the difference between each pair of means using R-E-G-W Q (Ryan-Einot-Gabriel-Welsch) Range test, which is a multiple stepdown procedure for One-Way Anova. Subset 1 consists of average speeds of NTT, NTB, South Sulawesi and Central Sulawesi. Subset 2 groups Central Sulawesi, South Sulawesi and South Kalimantan, subset 3 group consists of Bali and South East Sulawesi, and subset 4 groups South East Sulawesi and West Kalimantan. Within-group and between-group analyses were conducted on speeds and speed variations, and geographical comparisons by vehicle categories were made to a reference province. The results of this study can contribute to traffic policing, setting up the speed limits and traffic safety improvement programs.

Cost Analysis of Medical Students Applying to Orthopaedic Surgery Residency: Implications for the 2020 to 2021 Application Cycle During COVID-19.

Introduction:Although studies have evaluated the economic burden to medical students desiring an orthopaedic residency broadly, no study has evaluated in detail the application costs, away rotation costs, interview costs, and total costs. Given that the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Orthopaedic Association's Council of Orthopaedic Residency Directors have recommended orthopaedic surgery residency programs for the 2021 residency application cycle cancel away rotations and in-person interviews, our objective was to evaluate the cost savings to medical students applying during this time and the potential implications.Methods:Using the 2019 to 2020 Texas STAR Dashboard database, we queried responses from applicants applying to orthopaedic surgery residency. The dashboard was queried to record the application costs, away rotation costs, interview costs, and total costs for medical school seniors applying to orthopaedic surgery residency. Demographic information for applicants was also recorded. Mean and median costs were reported with percentile distributions and geographic comparisons. A Kruskal-Wallis H test was used to determine whether there were statistically significant differences in mean costs by medical school region.Results:The 2019 to 2020 Texas STAR Dashboard database had 473 responses from applicants to orthopaedic surgery residency. The mean application costs were $1,990, away rotation costs were $3,182, interview costs were $3,129, and total costs were $8,205. The mean total costs for applicants from Midwest schools were significantly less than Western schools ($7,410/applicant vs. $9,909/applicant) (p = 0.008). There was no significant difference between the mean application fees between regions. Away rotation costs for applicants from schools in the Midwest ($2,413/applicant) were significantly less compared with Northeast ($3,279/applicant), South ($3,343/applicant), and West ($3,913/applicant) (all p < 0.002). Interview costs for applicants from schools in the Northeast ($2,891/applicant) were less than applicants from Western US schools ($3,831/applicant) (p = 0.038).Conclusion:In the COVID-19 era, orthopaedic residency applicants could save on average $6,311 through the use of virtual interviews and lack of away rotations. There are geographic implications, with applicants from Western US medical schools potentially saving most.

КОНЦЕПТУАЛЬНАЯ ГЕОГРАФИЯ В ТУРИЗМЕ

Geographical descriptions and geographical comparisons provide a basis for understanding the key features of a place. These classical approaches, revealing the typical and the unique, make it possible to discover the «formula of the place», to understand the rational directions of the development of the territory. Often, territorial development projects are based not on marketing and technical calculations, but on a geographic idea. In this case, we are dealing with conceptual geography, which can significantly change the priorities of society’s development in the future. Conceptual geography is seen as an applied approach, expressed in the practical, economic design of geographical thought. The tourism sector demonstrates a special geographical conceptuality. Tourism is one of the areas of interest for people where the importance of geography is recognized. The most promising planning of tourist routes based on geographical creativity. The tourist industry is especially «genetically» territorial. Objects of tourism and recreation are inherently geographic, organically integrated into the territory, reflecting its features. The article shows the movement from descriptive and comparative geography to conceptual geography on the example of the development of one of the towns of the Perm region. Geographic technologies are actively used in tourism design. The development of conceptual geography through tourism testifies to its special sensitivity, to the ability to show new guidelines for social development.

Modern changes of the runoff characteristics of the rivers of the Greater Caucasus

The article is devoted to the analysis of modern changes in annual runoff, its main components – underground and surface runoff, as well as the minimum winter and summer-autumn runoff rivers of the Greater Caucasus within Azerbaijan. A brief review of previous studies on flow changes in the country is given. It is noted that in these works the method of geographical comparison and linear trend analysis were used. It is concluded that the changes in the surface and under ground runoff of the rivers of the Greater Caucasus due to climate change have not yet been analysed. The data on the runoff of 17 hydrological observation points covering 1934–2017 were analysed. All these hydrological observation points are located in the mountainous part of the river basins, i. e. runoff indices characterise the natural or conditionally natural regime of rivers. The annual values of the underground flow were determined as the arithmetic average of the monthly average minimum winter and summer-autumn water discharges. The annual values of surface runoff are calculated as the difference between annual and underground runoff. The method of geographical comparison is used. Calculations and generalisations of the results obtained are performed for different periods, according to the recommendations of the World Meteorological Organisation. It was revealed that, for 1981–2010 and 2001–2017 surface runoff of the rivers of the studied region decreased compared to runoff for the base period (1961–1990), due to a decrease in the amount of snow precipitation and a decrease in the volume of spring flood. However, there was a more significant increase in the underground flow of rivers and, therefore, an increase in annual flow was observed throughout the region. The dynamics of changes in the minimum river flow, especially in the winter season, is also positive, since over the past decades the snow cover has been melting earlier than usual, and favorable conditions are being created for the formation of groundwater that feeds the rivers during periods of minimal runoff. It is noted that the revealed nature of changes in various indices of river flow in the studied region is associated with climate change.

Excess mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic, a narrative review

Capturing all the deaths caused by COVID-19 through epidemiologic surveillance based on individual case notification is difficult, therefore, all-cause excess mortality (EM) is an appropriate measure for geographic comparisons and monitoring of the application of non-pharmacological sanitary measures. This is a narrative review of the literature about the observed EM during the COVID-19 pandemic. A research was made on scientific databases (Google Scholar, Pubmed, Virtual Health Library) using the terms "excess mortality", "excess deaths", "COVID-19", "coronavirus", "SARS-CoV-2". It included publications between 2019 and June 16, 2020. Twenty-seven articles were selected from 116 publications found. Most of them correspond to original articles with an analytical ecological study design. They confirm EM in the locations studied, with higher proportion of men and older people and with remarkable spatial heterogeneity. The need to optimize the standardization and updating of mortality registration and reporting mechanisms is highlighted. At a local level, data about EM that will allow these analyses is incipiently becoming available.

Modelling the linkage between coral assemblage structure and pattern of environmental forcing.

Geographical comparisons suggest that coral reef communities can vary as a function of their environmental context, differing not just in terms of total coral cover but also in terms of relative abundance (or coverage) of coral taxa. While much work has considered how shifts in benthic reef dynamics can shift dominance of stony corals relative to algal and other benthic competitors, the relative performance of coral types under differing patterns of environmental disturbance has received less attention. We construct an empirically-grounded numerical model to simulate coral assemblage dynamics under a spectrum of disturbance regimes, contrasting hydrodynamic disturbances (which cause morphology-specific, whole-colony mortality) with disturbances that cause mortality independently of colony morphology. We demonstrate that the relative representation of morphological types within a coral assemblage shows limited connection to the intensity, and essentially no connection to the frequency, of hydrodynamic disturbances. Morphological types of corals that are more vulnerable to mortality owing to hydrodynamic disturbance tend to grow faster, with rates sufficiently high to recover benthic coverage during inter-disturbance intervals. By contrast, we show that factors causing mortality without linkage to morphology, including those that cause only partial colony loss, more dramatically shift coral assemblage structure, disproportionately favouring fast-growing tabular morphologies. Furthermore, when intensity and likelihood of such disturbances increases, assemblages do not adapt smoothly and instead reveal a heightened level of temporal variance, beyond which reefs demonstrate drastically reduced coral coverage. Our findings highlight that adaptation of coral reef benthic assemblages depends on the nature of disturbances, with hydrodynamic disturbances having little to no effect on the capacity of reef coral communities to resist and recover with sustained coral dominance.

Urban upbringing and psychotic experiences in the United States: A racial and geographic comparison

Urban upbringing has been associated with greater risk for psychotic experiences, though research is needed to confirm whether this is true in the U.S., and whether the association depends on race, type of experience, and region of the country. We analyzed data from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (White respondents only) and the National Survey of American Life (Black respondents). Multivariable logistic regression models found that urban upbringing was not significantly associated with lifetime psychotic experiences for Whites, but was significantly associated with lower odds for Blacks, adjusting for socio-demographic covariates and common mental disorders. Rural upbringing was associated with greater odds of lifetime auditory hallucinatory experiences for Blacks. Exploratory analyses suggested growing up in a large city or ‘other’ environment were associated with greater odds of lifetime psychotic experiences among Whites currently residing in the Northeast, but lower odds among Whites residing in the South. For Blacks currently residing in the West, rural upbringing was associated with significantly greater odds of lifetime psychotic experiences when compared with growing up in a large city. White and Blacks may have different lived experiences in urban and rural settings, calling for more race- and location- specific research to explain these diverging patterns.

One-year characterization of organic aerosol markers in urban Beijing: Seasonal variation and spatiotemporal comparison

Organic aerosol (OA) is a major component of fine particulate matter (PM); however, only 10%–30% of OA have been identified as individual compounds, and some are used as markers to trace the sources and formation mechanisms of OA. The temporal and spatial coverage of these OA markers nonetheless remain inadequately characterized. This study presents a year-long measurement of 92 organic markers in PM2.5 samples collected at an urban site in Beijing from 2014 to 2015. Saccharides were the most abundant (340.1 ng m−3) species detected, followed by phthalic acids (283.4 ng m−3). In summer, high proportions (8%–24%) of phthalic acids, n-alkanes, fatty acids, and n-alcohols indicate dominant contributions of biogenic emission and atmospheric oxidation to OA in Beijing. In winter, when anthropogenic sources prevail, saccharides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and hopanes are more prominent (4%–25%). The spatial distributions of these OA markers in China show higher concentrations in northern cities (mainly from coal combustion and biomass burning) than in southern cities (mainly from vehicular emission). The inter-annual variations of OA markers, except for hopanes, from 2001 to 2015 suggest significant alleviation of the primary OA pollution in Beijing, with an average reduction of 35%–89% compared with those before 2008. The diagnostic ratio analyses between OA markers indicate that contributions from coal combustion and biomass burning decreased, whereas those from vehicular emission increased. Increasingly large vehicle fleets have increased hopane concentrations since 2008, but the levels were 35% lower in 2015 than those in 2010–2011 because of the tightening of emission controls for vehicles. This study provides a long-term and geographical comparison (from Beijing to other locations in China and beyond) of OA markers, demonstrating the temporal and spatial variations in primary OA, and calls for more studies on secondary OA.

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Two new species of &lt;em&gt;Anthurium &lt;/em&gt;Schott (Araceae) from the Atlantic Forest in Minas Gerais, Brazil&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Two new species of the genus Anthurium are described from the Serra do Brigadeiro State Park, in the Atlantic Forest region, southeastern Brazil. Anthurium atrovinosum was found from 1450 to 1720 m and A. brigadeiroense from 1260 to 1650 m. Although they are sympatric species, A. atrovinosum reaches higher elevations, while A. brigadeiroense can be found up to 1650 m. Both belong to Anthurium sect. Urospadix subsect. Insculptinervia, but are easily differentiated by the leaf blade shape, fruit color. Descriptions, illustrations, photographs, comments on geographical distribution, ecology, phenology and comparisons with other similar species are presented.

BOARD COMPOSITION OF INNOVATIVE FIRMS: A PORTRAIT AND GEOGRAPHICAL COMPARISON

ABSTRACT The board of directors is the highest internal governance body and is not only in charge of aligning the interests of shareholders and managers, but also of shaping the strategy of its organization. Thus, directors can potentially have an impact on many aspects, including their firm’s performance. However, up until now, the empirical evidences on this subject mainly focus on organizational outcomes such as financial performance and rely on specific geographical contexts like the USA. These facts highlight the relevance of the present study to analyse innovation performance and to be based on an international sample. The aim of this research is twofold: documenting the composition of the board of directors of the most innovative companies in the world and making a geographical comparison between them. This approach allowed us to make several observations and recommendations, particularly regarding the profile of the directors, which can be of great use for companies wishing to innovate and enriches both the literature in corporate governance and innovation. Keywords Corporate governance; Board composition; Innovation performance.

Экономико-географическое положение как фактор различий в производительности между регионами России

The article is devoted to assessing the relationship between productivity as the most important source of sustainable economic development, and various factors that can explain this productivity. The method of productivity estimation used in the paper takes into account that income is created using not only living labour, but also capital stock. In contrast to previous studies, the paper uses the productivity index that meets the transitivity criterion, which allows for geographical comparisons. To assess the benefits of economic-geographical location (EGL), a new centrality measure is presented that reflects the network nature of territorial connections and allows us to switch to accounting for not only points but also areal objects, particularly the subjects of the Russian Federation. Using the new centrality measure, it is shown that EGL explains the differences in productivity between the regions – the subjects of the Russian Federation in 2010–2016 better than other factors. At the same time, it follows from the estimated model that various properties of the labour force described by the concepts of human capital, and the institutional environment are significantly less related to the observed productivity of regions. To demonstrate the superiority of economic-geographical approaches to explaining productivity, we used relatively new for economic geography methods of machine learning.