关键词： Alternative Food Networks (AFN)   Short Food Supply Chains (SFSC)   Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)   Direct marketing  

摘要： For some time we have seen a shift away from direct marketing, a core feature and dominant exchange form in the alternative food world, towards a greater role for intermediation. Yet, we still need to better understand to what extent and in what ways new mediated Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) represent an evolution of or departure from core tenets of alternative food systems. This paper focuses on AFNs with new intermediaries that connect small-scale producers with urban end-consumers. Based on original research in Frankfurt, Berlin, and Calgary, we analyze three different types of mediated AFNs: one driven by consumers, one by an external intermediary, and one by producers. Our cases include non-capitalist, capitalist, and alternative capitalist economic practices as identified by Gibson-Graham. Conceptually, we base our analysis on the three-pillar-model of alternative agri-food systems, which we further refine. Besides comparing our cases with each other, for heuristic purposes we also compare them with an ideal-type model that adheres to core tenets of alterity in all three pillars. Our empirical analysis shows that intermediary organizations can bring important benefits and that mediated AFNs are in principle able to hold true to the core tenets of alternative agri-food systems. However, it is very important to develop models of democratic control and ownership as well as economic arrangements in which created value is fairly shared. Only then can the potentials of new mediated models be realized while the pitfalls of the conventional systems they seek to replace be avoided.

关键词： Microvascular anastomosis   Microsurgery training   Suture size   Microsurgery learning curve  

摘要： Background Laboratory microsurgery training using invivo rat models is essential for clinical operation. However, challenges existin a structured training course when students transition from a non-livingmodel exercise to a living one. In the present article, we first demonstratethis steep learning curve in early-stage microsurgery training. We then proposethe potential solution of using various sizes of sutures for different trainingpurposes. Methods Twoseparate preliminary studies were included. First, we reviewed the records of25 students enrolled in our basic microsurgery training course. Each studentcompleted exercises in a non-living model before graduating to a live animalmodel where their performance on end-to-end arterial and venous anastomoses wasevaluated. Second, we examined the feasibility of different suture sizes in amillimeter microvascular anastomosis. Four groups of identical procedures inrat femoral artery were completed using sutures from 8-0 to 11-0. Patency rateand mean blood flow at 60 min post-op were measured and compared. Results Thirty-minute patency rates for firstarterial and venous anastomoses were 18/25 and 14/25. Those students who hadnon-patent anastomoses spent significantly longer time than those who hadpatent ones (p<.05). For varioussuture sizes, all groups achieved a 100% patency rate. No significantdifferences were found between the mean blood flow volume at 60 min post-op (p>.05). Conclusions Steep learning curve existed in the early-stagemicrosurgery training when transitioning from non-living to living exercisemodels. The feasibility of using various suture sizes in millimeter anastomosismay be a potential solution for instructors to ease this steep learning curve. Level of Evidence: Not gradable

关键词： hypertrophic pyloric stenosis   pyloromyotomy   laparoscopic   arthrotomy knife  

摘要： Background: When the disposable arthroscopic banana knife (Linvatec, Largo, FL) became unavailable, many pediatric surgeons adapted the use of spatula tip cautery for laparoscopic pyloromyotomy;however, reusable arthroscopic knives remain readily available and are well suited to the ***: We compared laparoscopic pyloromyotomy with a reusable arthroscopic banana knife (Sklar, West Chester, PA;catalog no. 45-6050) to those using spatula tip cautery at a single institution between September 1, 2012, and December 31, 2019. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare operative time, room time, and time to discharge between ***: Overall, 109 patients underwent pyloromyotomy for hypertrophic pyloric stenosis during the study time period. Of these, 12 were open and one was undertaken with the Storz pyloromyotomy knife, so these were excluded. A total of 74 (77.1%) laparoscopic cases with spatula tip cautery and 22 (22.9%) with the banana knife were included. Mean age at the time of surgery was similar to 37 days. The majority of patients in each group were white, male, and full term. The most common comorbid conditions were reactive airway disease and neonatal abstinence syndrome. There were no significant differences in operative time (P = .61), room time (P = .41), or time from surgery to discharge (P = .26) between procedures using the banana knife and those using the cautery spatula tip. There were no perforations or ***: Our findings suggest that the reusable banana knife is a safe and effective alternative to spatula tip cautery for laparoscopic pyloromyotomy, with no difference in operative time, time from surgery to discharge, or complications.

关键词： Research assessment framework   Malaysia   Research centres of excellence   Participatory action research (PAR)   MyRA  

摘要： Evaluation of research performance has significantly increased in importance, particularly in many emerging higher education systems. In Malaysia, the Malaysian Research Assessment (MyRA) was developed to evaluate the research performance of universities and Research Centres of Excellence (RCoEs). This paper reports on a participatory action research approach aimed at developing a new framework for measuring research performance of Malaysian RCoEs. The introduction provides the contexts leading to the development and adoption of the MyRA including the challenges and its appropriateness as a tool for evaluating the research performance of relatively smaller entities namely, RCoEs. A stepwise approach in developing an alternative system of assessment for RCoEs is then described, leading to a list of prioritised components and criteria for the newly proposed tool. Finally, some of the wider implications of the new assessment framework are discussed, including the applicability to other contexts, lessons learned, and the contribution to the literature.

关键词： Marine ecotoxicology   Mysidopsis juniae   Seawater   Toxicity   Complexation   Bioavailability  

摘要： The evaluation of sediment quality through biological testing of the aqueous fraction can be applied in dredging situations and is associated with a small number of confounding factors. The use of test organisms that are relatively resistant to contaminants is recommended when working with complex mixtures such as sediments. In this study, the sensitivity of the mysid Mysidopsis juniae to ammonia (NH3) and metals was investigated in acute toxicity laboratory tests and the results were compared to those obtained in the traditional test with sea urchin embryos and larvae. The ability of the toxicity identification and evaluation (TIE) technique, with the use of EDTA and sodium thiosulfate, to indicate the factors responsible for adverse effects was determined. The results indicate that mysids are almost 5 times more resistant than the sea urchin to ammonia (NH3), more sensitive to Cd2+ and Ni2+ and more resistant to Zn2+ and Pb2+. With the TIE technique and with the use of EDTA as a complexing agent, a greater resolution was observed in the diagnosis of the presence of the metals Cd2+ and Ni2+, which could be applied to the aqueous fraction of the sediment.

关键词： breast cancer   estrogen receptor   alternative splicing   EMT   splicing signature  

摘要： Simple Summary Aberrant alternative splicing is now considered a hallmark of cancer, including breast cancer. This results in the production of novel tumor-specific splice RNA variants, and the activation of biological processes such as epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, leading to more aggressive phenotypes. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of estrogen receptor alpha in regulating the expression of RNA-binding proteins in luminal breast cancer cells and to determine the effects of its downregulation at the isoform level by exploring changes in isoform usage and alternative splicing. The findings of this study unravel a novel layer of gene regulation mediated by estrogen receptor alpha, which is fundamental for breast cancer cell growth as well as epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Finally, we foresee that this novel feature should be considered when studying the functional roles of estrogen receptor alpha in the onset and progression of breast cancer. Background: The transcriptional activity of estrogen receptor alpha (ER alpha) in breast cancer (BC) is extensively characterized. Our group has previously shown that ER alpha controls the expression of a number of genes in its unliganded form (apoER alpha), among which a large group of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) encode genes, suggesting its role in the control of co- and post-transcriptional events. Methods: apoER alpha-mediated RNA processing events were characterized by the analysis of transcript usage and alternative splicing changes in an RNA-sequencing dataset from MCF-7 cells after siRNA-induced ER alpha downregulation. Results: ApoER alpha depletion induced an expression change of 681 RBPs, including 84 splicing factors involved in translation, ribonucleoprotein complex assembly, and 3 ' end processing. ApoER alpha depletion results in 758 isoform switching events with effects on 3 ' end length and the splicing of alternative cassette exons. The functional enrichment of these events sho

关键词： admixtures   cement/cementitious materials  

摘要： The stringent early-age strength requirements for production of prestressed hollowcore (HC) slabs have restricted the use of alternative cementitious materials, such as ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS). In the present paper, an experimental study conducted in a precast factory is described in which GGBS-concrete HC slabs with 30 and 50% GGBS are compared with concrete slabs made from control samples (using 100% CEM II A-L cement, as used in summer mixes). The use of a novel admixture, thermal curing and a new early-age strength determination technique enables confirmation of the development of the required very early strength, such that cutting and lifting of the HC slabs can occur within 20 h of pouring. The HC slabs are instrumented to study the internal temperatures in the different slabs, leading to early-age strength development whereby these slabs are tested for immediate transportability and ultimate capacity. Further, the control and 30% GGBS slabs are tested for early-age creep under a flexural test in the factory. At later ages, using the new technique for making cube specimens, cubes and cores cut from the actual HC slabs are shown to have similar 28-day strengths and density.

关键词： Apriori算法   慢性萎缩性胃炎   慢性非萎缩性胃炎   数据挖掘   关联规则分析  

摘要： 目的:探讨慢性胃炎患者其他体检结果间的关联规则.方法:将慢性胃炎患者分为男性慢性非萎缩性胃炎、男性慢性萎缩性胃炎、女性慢性非萎缩性胃炎、女性慢性萎缩性胃炎四组分别进行回顾性研究,利用Apriori算法对每组体检数据进行数据挖掘,分析其间的关联规则.结果:男性慢性非萎缩性胃炎、男性慢性萎缩性胃炎、女性慢性非萎缩性胃炎、女性慢性萎缩性胃炎体检者其他体检结果出现频率由高到低前三项分别为"脂肪肝(55.56％)、甲状腺结节(42.86％)、反流性食管炎(33.33％)","脂肪肝(57.65％)、甲状腺结节(55.16％)、前列腺增生(33.10％)","乳腺增生(51.72％)、甲状腺结节(48.28％)、子宫肌瘤(34.48％)","甲状腺结节(62.50％)、乳腺增生(51.67％)、乳腺增生并发甲状腺结节(39.17％)";具有强关联规则的前三项分别为"高脂血症=>脂肪肝(87.50％)、骨量匮乏=>脂肪肝(87.50％)、颈动脉硬化并斑块形成=>脂肪肝(83.33％)","肥胖=>脂肪肝(89.19％)、高脂血症=>脂肪肝(87.32％)、高尿酸血症=>脂肪肝(80.26％)","颈动脉硬化并斑块形成=>甲状腺结节(100％)、肾囊肿=>甲状腺结节(100％)、结肠息肉=>甲状腺结节(100％)","高尿酸血症=>甲状腺结节(92.86％)、肺结节=>甲状腺结节(86.36％)、宫颈囊肿=>乳腺增生(85.71％)".结论:男、女,慢性萎缩性及非萎缩性胃炎患者其他体检结果存在差别,可为胃炎预防、治疗等相关研究提供参考,具有重要研究意义.

关键词： HIsarna   in-situ   fluxing   calcination   ironmaking   reaction kinetics   high-temperature reactions  

摘要： This work investigates the melting behaviour of iron ore with calcium-based fluxes, including lime, limestone and basic oxygen furnace (BOF) steelmaking slag. With an aim to explore the potential kinetic benefits that can be obtained through the formation of a liquid medium on the overall productivity of HIsarna. A HT-CLSM was used to rapidly heat and observation the interface between a given pair of chosen materials in-situ. Through this method, the rate at which the reaction progressed and the possible disruptive phenomenon that may occur was observed directly. The molten interface of fluxed materials is compared against each other offering insight into relative dissolution rate. Each flux shows promise of increasing ore fluidity to a varying degree with limestone generating above a 60% liquid fraction in the 1400 degrees C reaction temperature.

关键词： Paper sludge   biodiesel   Pichia kudriavzevii   pre-treatment  

摘要： This study comprises the production and characterization of biodiesel, synthesized from the microbial oil of oleaginous yeast Pichia kudriavzevii NCIM 3653 which was cultivated using paper mill sludge extract as a substrate. The paper mill sludge subjected to sonication pre-treatment released the highest amounts of carbohydrates and sugars. Optimization of various parameters such as fermentation time and C/N ratio was carried out to increase the lipid yield. Pichia kudriavzevii cultivated in a medium with a C/N ratio of 200 for 120h gave the highest lipid yield of 2.35g/L. The effect of the addition of glycerol and yeast extract as additional carbon and nitrogen sources in the medium was studied. The extracted microbial oil was subjected to different analytical techniques such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to test its practicability in biodiesel synthesis. The principal fatty acid methyl esters in the oil were found to be palmitic acid, oleic acid, and stearic acid methyl esters. The percentage of saturated fatty acids in the oil was found to be high, thus indicating its suitability in biodiesel production. The properties of the potential biodiesel complied with the standards laid out by American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) and European Nations (EN).