The Parnassos-Ghiona region constitutes the most significant bauxite-bearing province in Greece, with a well-documented history of research highlighting its geotectonic complexity and its importance for bauxite exploitation. Among the three principal bauxite horizons, the lower stratum (b1) remains the least thoroughly investigated, in contrast to the upper (b3) and intermediate (b2) strata. This disparity is primarily attributed to the limited surface exposure of the b1 horizon within the broader Parnassos-Ghiona Unit. The present study examines the characteristics of the b1 strata through an integrated mineralogical and geochemical approach. For the first time, the confirmed presence of rare earth element (REE) minerals within the b1 horizon is documented. Geochemical proxies, including REE distribution patterns and elemental ratios, indicate a genetic relationship with igneous parent rocks of intermediate to basic affinity.

Abstract In the process of lower coal roadway support under double gobs in close coal seams, there are problems such as the whole destruction of the lower coal seam and the intermediate strata, the thin roof of the lower coal roadway with the smaller support space, the upper rock of the lower coal roadway without anchor bearing layer, the roof falling, the anchor cable offing, and so on. On the basis of the engineering background of No. 11103 haulage roadway in Fenxi coal mine, the research methods of theoretical modeling analysis, numerical simulation analysis and field engineering test are comprehensively adopted. In this paper, the layout of the roadway with floor insertion in the lower coal seam, the distribution characteristics of surrounding rock deviatoric stress, the control principle of broken surrounding rock and the coupling support method of shed–cable–prop are systematically studied. The study shows that many measures are needed to ensure the stability of the surrounding rock in the strong mining roadway of the lower coal seam. The lower coal seam roadway section was modified from the original rectangular section to adopt an arched section to counteract the broken roof. The staggered position of the lower coal seam roadway layout was modified from the original coal roadway position to a coal–rock roadway, so as to avoid the area of high deviatoric stress in the coal pillar and the area of crushed coal body, and to leave an effective support space for the roof. The support scheme of the lower coal seam roadway was improved to use anchor cable and single prop to support the weak section of U‐type steel shed with local coupling, and realize unequal force coupling by adjusting the size of the force at different coupling points. In the field monitoring the deformation of the roadway is small, and the support effect is good.

Taraba State is one of the states in Nigeria that produce high quality timber. A study to determine the density and stands structure of Gangume Forest Reserve was carried out in Bali Local Government Area of Taraba State, Nigeria. Twenty hectare plots were lay out in the forest and each plot was re-demarcated into four equal sizes of 50m x 50m and one was randomly selected for enumeration. A total of 592 tree species were enumerated belonging to 17 families. The data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, density, basal area, diameter (dbh), and total height of the tree species. The result of the study revealed that the average density was 118 trees/ha, total basal area was 18.2918m2 with an average of 0.91459m2/ha and the diameter distribution revealed that majority (152) 26.0% of the trees falls into diameter class of 20-29cm, followed by 10-19cm (102) 17-2%, and 30-39cm (101) 17.0%. The density was more in the lower DBH from 10cm to 39cm accounting for a total of 380 (64.1) trees in the forest. Four stratum of tree species population structures were identified with the intermediate strata with the highest (201) 33.9% population of trees, followed by the co-dominant with (199) 33.6%, ground floor with (192) 32.4% and the dominant/emergent with only (10) 1.6% population of trees. There is high human activities in the forest despite the fact that the forest has good reproduction and ability of regeneration. The forest should be left undisturbed to regenerate naturally.

Objective response rate (ORR) under mRECIST criteria after transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a well-perceived surrogate endpoint of overall survival (OS). However, its optimal time point remains controversial and may be influenced by tumor burden. We aim to investigate the surrogacy of initial/best ORR in relation to tumor burden. A total of 1549 eligible treatment-naïve patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), Child-Pugh score ≤ 7, and performance status score ≤ 1 undergoing TACE between January 2010 and May 2016 from 17 academic hospitals were retrospectively analyzed. Based on "six-and-twelve" criteria, tumor burden was graded as low, intermediate, and high if the sum of the maximum tumor diameter and tumor number was ≤ 6, > 6 but ≤ 12, and > 12, respectively. Both initial and best ORRs interacted with tumor burden. Initial and best ORRs could equivalently predict and correlate with OS in low (adjusted HR, 2.55 and 2.95, respectively, both p < 0.001; R = 0.84, p = 0.035, and R = 0.97, p = 0.002, respectively) and intermediate strata (adjusted HR, 1.81 and 2.22, respectively, both p < 0.001; R = 0.74, p = 0.023, and R = 0.9, p = 0.002, respectively). For high strata, only best ORR exhibited qualified surrogacy (adjusted HR, 2.61, p < 0.001; R = 0.70, p = 0.035), whereas initial ORR was not significant (adjusted HR, 1.08, p = 0.357; R = 0.22, p = 0.54). ORR as surrogacy of OS is associated with tumor burden. For patients with low/intermediate tumor burden, initial ORR should be preferred in its early availability upon similar sensitivity, whereas for patients with high tumor burden, best ORR has optimal sensitivity. Timing of OR assessment should be tailored according to tumor burden. • This is the first study utilizing individual patient data to comprehensively analyze the surrogacy of ORR with a long follow-up period. • Optimal timing of ORR assessment for predicting survival should be tailored according to tumor burden. • For patients with low and intermediate tumor burden, initial ORR is optimal for its timeliness upon similar sensitivity with best ORR. For patients with high tumor burden, best ORR has optimal sensitivity.

Introduction: Despite growing interest by the ecosystems derived from the Guyanese formations, the vertical structure of the communities and relationships of the biota with the climatic conditions in these ecosystems are unknown. Objective: Characterize the structure and vertical composition of the arthropod fauna associated with three of the most representative ecosystems of the Northern area of the serranía de La Lindosa in Colombia based on morphological and ecological parameters. Methods: The arthropod fauna was sampled, from the subsurface soil level to the shrub and tree stratum. The fauna was determined up to the level of family or supraspecific group and the values of Alfa and Beta diversity were determined. Body length measurements were made, and the coloration and trophic level of each group were determined. Results: The composition and diversity of the arthropod fauna was different in each ecosystem and vertical stratum and most of the groups in all the ecosystems studied present low abundances. Groups of phytophagous and predatory habits were frequent in all ecosystems and the highest biomass of arthropod fauna comes from groups of polyphagous habits, of medium size and great abundance. Light and dark colorations are the most frequent in landscape-scale. Conclusion: The ecosystems studied are characterized by the low values of diversity and replacement and the large number of non-shared groups that apparently respond to the microclimatic characteristics; however, there are some generalities on a landscape scale such as the greater richness and abundance of groups in the intermediate strata, the greater proportion of groups with phytophagous habits and medium body sizes, and the predominance of dark colorations in the lower strata.

An electromechanical based model for Love-type waves in anisotropic-porous-piezoelectric composite structure with interfacial imperfections

ABSTRACT Studies of the current Chilean population performed using classical genetic markers have established that the Chilean population originated primarily from the admixture of European people, particularly Spaniards, and Amerindians. A socioeconomic-ethno-genetic cline was established soon after the conquest. Spaniards born in Spain or Chile occupied the highest Socioeconomic Strata, while Amerindians belonged to the lowest. The intermediate strata consisted of people with different degrees of ethnic admixture; the larger the European admixture, the higher the Socioeconomic Level. The present study of molecular genomic markers sought to calculate the percentage of Amerindian admixture and revealed a finer distribution of this cline, as well as differences between two Amerindian groups: Aymara and Mapuche. The use of two socioeconomic classifications – Class and Socioeconomic Level – reveals important differences. Furthermore, Self-reported Ethnicity (self-assignment to an ethnic group) and Self-reported Ancestry (self-recognition of Amerindian ancestors) show variations and differing relationships between socioeconomic classifications and genomic Amerindian Admixture. These data constitute a valuable input for the formulation of public healthcare policy and show that the notions of Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Strata and Class should always be a consideration in policy development.

La fresa (Fragaria x ananassa Duchesne) es un cultivo importante en México y el mundo. Para incrementar el rendimiento se han explorado varios sistemas de producción, como los sistemas hidropónicos. El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar el efecto de cultivares de fresa, densidades y estratos de plantación en sistema hidropónico piramidal, en el desarrollo de las plantas, producción y calidad de frutos. El estudio se realizó en Salinas de Hidalgo, SLP, México, en el ciclo primavera-otoño de 2017. El factor estrato impacto en el desarrollo y rendimiento del cultivo, con el estrato alto se incrementó el número de hojas, ancho de la corona, número de frutos y rendimiento (23.5 kg m-2), y cantidad de sólidos solubles en comparación con los inferiores. Las plantas en estratos intermedios fueron menos productivas, probablemente por la sombra causada por las de estrato más alto. La densidad y el cultivar no tuvieron efecto significativo en el desarrollo, rendimiento y calidad de fruto.

This communication aims to verify how the recent process of precarious medianization occurred in Brazil. This is part of the question whether the second Brazilian developmental experience promoted changes in the intermediate strata of the class structure in Brazil. Through a consistent bibliographic review, derived from doctorate research, we make use of decolonial thought as a knowledge that confronts neoliberal and financial rhetoric. Here we outline the tension between coloniality/decoloniality that makes it possible to locate normative references called social markers of the tension between coloniality/decoloniality. The markers then try to analyze the development, especially the Brazilian heterodox model of the PT governments, and possible changes in the class structure. It is identified, then, a process of precarious medianization in which social mobility occurs in a limited way inflating the intermediate strata and not producing a middle class society. This produces conservative and far-rigth reactions in order to ensure the maintenance of an unequal social order, based on strong privileges at the top of the socioeconomic pyramid, not breaking with the colonization of social life

Abstract This work consisted of analysing the impact of protection on the Widou Thiengoly's grasslands structure. Data were collected from three selected sites by the quadrat point methodology, consisting of reading the herbaceous on a 10 m line. These sites were the 2013 defended plot (site A), the 2009 semi‐protected plot (site B) and the unprotected grazing areas or off plot (site C). The results revealed a floristic composition of 45 species, belonging to 34 genera and 17 botanical families. The number of species identified was 28 in site A, 31 in site B and 29 in site C. Despite a certain similarity noted in the number of species, the herbaceous vegetation was more balanced in 2013 plot than in 2009 plot and in off plot where it tended to be homogeneous. The herbaceous cover in October 2015 was 99.8% in the 2013 plot; 98.8% in the 2009 plot; and 96.8% in the unprotected sites. The vertical stratification of herbaceous cover showed a better development at the intermediate strata (between 20 cm and 50 cm) in all the sites except in off plot where small grasses dominated. In this study, protection improved the specific balance, while semi‐protection had a positive effect on the specific richness and growth of the grasses.

Long-term changes in the diversity, abundance and size composition of deep sea demersal teleosts from the Azores assessed through surveys and commercial landings

We prove that the moduli space of compact genus three Riemann surfaces contains only finitely many algebraically primitive Teichmüller curves. For the stratum Ω M 3 ( 4 ) , consisting of holomorphic one-forms with a single zero, our approach to finiteness uses the Harder-Narasimhan filtration of the Hodge bundle over a Teichmüller curve to obtain new information on the locations of the zeros of eigenforms. By passing to the boundary of moduli space, this gives explicit constraints on the cusps of Teichmüller curves in terms of cross-ratios of six points on P 1 . These constraints are akin to those that appear in Zilber and Pink’s conjectures on unlikely intersections in diophantine geometry. However, in our case one is lead naturally to the intersection of a surface with a family of codimension two algebraic subgroups of G m n × G a n (rather than the more standard G m n ). The ambient algebraic group lies outside the scope of Zilber’s Conjecture but we are nonetheless able to prove a sufficiently strong height bound. For the generic stratum Ω M 3 ( 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 ) , we obtain global torsion order bounds through a computer search for subtori of a codimension-two subvariety of G m 9 . These torsion bounds together with new bounds for the moduli of horizontal cylinders in terms of torsion orders yields finiteness in this stratum. The intermediate strata are handled with a mix of these techniques.

Shrub expansion is increasingly observed in arctic and subarctic environments. The development of shrub structure may significantly impact the abiotic environment at the local scale. Our objective was to reconstruct the development of the vertical structure of Betula glandulosa Michx. and to evaluate its effects on winter and summer soil temperature and on snow depth. Stratified sampling of the shrub revealed that shrub biomass distribution followed a similar pattern in stands of contrasting heights. Woody biomass was maximal in the lower stratum and relatively stable in the intermediate strata, while the foliar biomass tracked the vertical development of the shrub structure. Dendrochronological analysis revealed that shrub stands are relatively young; most of the dominant stems started their development after 1990. Shrub height was positively associated with both the dominant stem age and its vertical growth rate. Temperature differences among sites were greater during winter (ca 10 °C) than during summer (ca 2 °C), while the sum of freezing degree-days varied from 680 °C to 2125 °C. Shrub height was the most plausible variable explaining snow depth, winter ground level temperature and the sum of freezing degree-days. However, woody biomass in the 30–40 cm strata best explained summer ground level temperature. Our results suggest that the development of a shrub structure will have far-reaching consequences on the abiotic environment of subarctic ecosystems.

The Middle Class:Political, Economic, and Social Perspectives Dennis Gilbert (bio) The Argentine Silent Majority: Middle Classes, Politics, Violence, and Memory in the Seventies. By Sebastián Carassai. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2014. Pp. xii + 357. $25.95 paper. ISBN: 9780822356011. Latin America’s Emerging Middle Classes: Economic Perspectives. Edited by Jeffrey Dayton-Johnson. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015. Pp. xxv + 209. $100.00 cloth. ISBN: 9781137320780. Latin America’s Middle Class: Unsettled Debates and New Histories. Edited by David S. Parker and Louise E. Walker. Plymouth, UK: Lexington Books, 2013. Pp. viii + 236. $34.99 paper. ISBN: 9780739168530. Creating a Common Table in Twentieth-Century Argentina: Doña Petrona, Women, and Food. By Rebekah E. Pite. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2013. Pp. xv + 326. ISBN: 9781469606903. Waking from the Dream: Mexico’s Middle Classes after 1968. By Louise E. Walker. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2013. Pp. xviii + 321. $65.00 cloth. ISBN: 9780804781510. Three myths haunt the scholarly literature on the middle class in Latin America: (1) the middle class is impossible to define; (2) the middle class is “anxious” because it is endangered, fragile, and maybe even disappearing; and (3) the middle class is the progressive hope for (or the reactionary impediment to) political and economic change. Of course, there is some truth in each of them, as there is in most myths. But they can be misleading and therefore deserve scrutiny. myth one: the undefinable middle class This is an old issue. Marx puzzled over bourgeois society’s growing “horde of flunkies, the soldiers, sailors, police, lower officials … mistresses, grooms, clowns … lawyers, physicians, scholars, schoolmasters and inventors, etc.” Vague references to the middle classes, middle bourgeoisie, intermediate strata, and similar concepts abound in his writings.1 A century and a half later, there is no standard definition or even consensus over what to call the mixed bag of people in the middle of the class structure. Among scholars, there are disciplinary differences [End Page 255] in the ways the middle class is conceived and counted. Economists have relied on income ranges; sociologists have traditionally focused on occupational categories; and historians, inspired by the “cultural turn” in the historiography of recent years, have understood middle class in terms of the way groups of people imagine and speak of themselves. Many scholars, including Louise E. Walker and Sebastián Carassai, authors of two of the titles reviewed here, have abandoned the singular “middle class” for the plural “middle classes” to emphasize the heterogeneity they see in this category. The implication is that the middle class is somehow more heterogeneous than any other class. But perhaps it only appears so because we who write about class are typically middle class and, like most people, inclined to perceive finer social distinctions in closer proximity to ourselves. At the beginning of her book on the Mexican middle class after 1968, Walker defines her subject with list of occupations including lawyers, doctors, teachers, white-collar workers at various levels, technical workers, and small business owners—in short, the people we might think of when we visualize the middle class. In an appendix, Walker thoughtfully compares various twentieth-century definitions and population estimates of Mexico’s middle class, all based on some combination of occupation and income. She is correct in her conclusion that “even the most rigorous quantitative … estimates are partly subjective” (211). Walker’s conception of her own subject matter is expansive, stretching well beyond groups of people defined by jobs and pay. Middle class, she writes, refers to “a set of material conditions, a state of mind, and a political discourse” (2). Reflecting these different concerns and the shifting character of her sources, Walker’s sense of the middle class changes from chapter to chapter. Carassai, writing on Argentina in the 1970s, draws on Pierre Bourdieu to define middle class as “a theoretical construction based on the objective existence of differences and differentiations that in turn are expressed in different dispositions or habitus. In other words, people can be aggregated together in ‘classes’ or ‘groups’ because, in order to exist socially, they distinguish themselves from others” (7). Whatever the value of this conception of class...

&lt;p&gt;No cristianismo dos primeiros séculos encontramos uma pluralidade de escolas e correntes, com luzes e sombras e notáveis conflitos. Considerando isto, este artigo oferece algumas reflexões e análises sobre a existência de pluralismo religioso no cristianismo primitivo na cidade de Éfeso, a capital da província romana da Ásia Menor, sede guardiã do culto imperial. Ele destaca as formas de articulação cultural, sua relação com o poder religioso e político imperial e das regiões nos quais se desenvolveram. Focaliza as formas populares do cristianismo primitivo, entendido como representante do estrato intermediário, ou seja, letrado, mas não erudito, porém capaz de expressar práticas e representações de um conjunto maior de pessoas das camadas subalternas da sociedade. As narrativas analisadas nos oferecem um acesso privilegiado a memórias do pluralismo religioso na cidade de Éfeso nos dois primeiros séculos da era cristã.&lt;/p&gt;

Background: Anticoagulant-based prophylaxis in atrial fibrillation patients at high-risk for stroke remains underutilized in clinical practice despite extensive literature supporting its benefits. The recent 2014 AHA/ACC/HRS Atrial Fibrillation Guidelines emphasize risk stratification to target anticoagulation to those who would derive the most benefit. Rapid guideline implementation could be achieved through patient registries and decision support that provide actionable information at the point of care. Our objective is to risk-stratify primary care patients with atrial fibrillation at Denver Health (DH), an integrated safety net health system, and to characterize patterns of anticoagulation use and non-use as the first phase of a quality improvement initiative that includes development of a disease registry. Methods: We identified patients diagnosed with atrial fibrillation who made one or more visits over a two-year period to a primary care site at DH. We utilized the CHA2DS2VASc score to stratify patients as low-risk (score = 0 or 1 if female gender was the sole risk factor), intermediate-risk (score = 1), or high-risk (score = 2+) of stroke. We examined the use of anticoagulant therapy within each stratum. For patients at high-risk, we compared characteristics between those who were on any anticoagulant and those who were not. We examined differences in age, gender, payer, HAS-BLED score, and modifiable factors that contribute to the HAS-BLED score. HAS-BLED score was calculated using ICD9 codes, vital signs, and laboratory values drawn from electronic medical record data. Results: The study population of 867 patients had a median age of 64 years (interquartile range: 56-73) and 373 (43%) were women. Of the 867 patients, 168 (19.4%) were uninsured, 227 (26.2%) were covered by Medicaid, and 425 (49%) by Medicare. CHA2DS2VASc score-based stratification indicated 59 (6.8%), 71 (8.2%), and 737 (85%) patients were at low, intermediate, and high-risk, respectively. Of the low-risk patients, 13 (22%) were on anticoagulants, despite guidelines recommending no therapy for these patients. Anticoagulation rates among the intermediate and high-risk strata were 60.6% (43 of 71) and 64.5% (475 of 737), respectively. Among high-risk patients, those not on anticoagulation were more likely to have uncontrolled hypertension, abnormal liver function, or were on medications that predispose to bleeding. There were no significant differences in the proportion of patients with a HAS-BLED score of 3+ among those high-risk patients receiving anticoagulation and those not. Conclusions: A baseline assessment of stroke prophylaxis among atrial fibrillation patients in a safety net health system demonstrates nonguideline-concordant anticoagulation use among low-risk patients and suboptimal anticoagulation use among high-risk patients, patterns that could not be explained by HAS-BLED score.

Overstory succession in a mixed Quercus petraea–Fagus sylvatica old growth forest revealed through the spatial pattern of competition and mortality

O presente estudo pretende contribuir para lançar a discussão em torno daquilo que, no período moderno, se entendia por camadas intermédias. Para conhecer as visões sociais no período de referência (1600-1850) foram usadas fontes heterogêneas. O objetivo central é sublinhar, por um lado, a multiplicidade dos esquemas de representação social e a coexistência de taxinomias e, por outro, provar que, apesar de estranhas ao discurso legal e ao enquadramento normativo, a noção de mediania e as visões da sociedade que a incluem estão difundidas em Portugal no período em análise.

Habitat selection and population spreading of the horned octopus Eledone cirrhosa (Lamarck, 1798) in Galician waters (NW Atlantic)

The distribution of macrofauna on the inner continental shelf of southeastern Brazil: The major influence of an estuarine system