Differences in the macrozoobenthic fauna colonising empty bivalve shells before and after invasion by Corbicula fluminea

Bivalve shells can potentially alter the structure of aquatic benthic communities. However, little is known about the effect that different shell morphologies have on their associated fauna. This study aimed to understand how empty shells, from four different freshwater bivalve species, affect macrozoobenthic communities, using the River Minho (Iberian Peninsula) as a study area. Three native (Anodonta anatina, Potomida littoralis, Unio delphinus) and one non-indigenous (Corbicula fluminea) species were used for this research. Comparisons among species and between scenarios (i.e. before and after invasion by C. fluminea) were performed. Our results suggest that macrozoobenthic community structure did not vary among treatments, with the exception of species richness, which was higher on shells of native species. Furthermore, little difference was detected when comparing scenarios with and without C. fluminea shells, despite dissimilarities in size and morphology between species. The empty shells of C. fluminea partially (in terms of density and biomass, but not in species richness) replaced the role of empty shells of native species as a physical substratum for the associated macrozoobenthic community.Martina Ilarri is supported by a Post-doc grant (SFRH/BPD/90088/2012) from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology – FCT through POPH/FSE funds. This study was conducted within the scope of the project ECO-IAS: Ecosystem-level impacts of an invasive alien species, supported by FCT and COMPETE funds (contract: PTDC/AAC-AMB/116685/2010) and was also partially supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through COMPETE funds (PEst-C/MAR/LA0015/2011) and by FCT/MEC through Portuguese funds (PIDDAC – PEst-OE/BIA/UI4050/2014).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

On the Estimation Stability of Efficiency and Economies of Scale in Microfinance Institutions

This paper uses a panel data set of microfinance institutions (MFI) across the world to compare several identification strategies of cost efficiency and economies of scale. Concretely, we contrast the non-parametric Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) with the Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) and a distribution-free identification based on time-invariant heterogeneity estimates. Furthermore, we analyze differences of production functions across regions and investigate the relevance of accounting for unobserved heterogeneity across countries. The results suggest that efficiency rankings of MFIs are robust across identification strategies, but highlight the relevance of accounting for unobserved heterogeneity. We further find substantial economies of scale for a pure financial production process. However, accounting for the multi-dimensional production process of MFIs by including a measure of outreach lowers the estimated extent of economies of scale for the parametric estimations, suggesting that producing outreach creates high transaction costs and requires exploitation of local knowledge

TP53, ATRX alterations, and low tumor mutation load feature IDH-wildtype giant cell glioblastoma despite exceptional ultra-mutated tumors

Background: Giant cell glioblastoma (gcGBM) is a rare morphological variant of IDH-wildtype (IDHwt) GBM that occurs in young adults and have a slightly better prognosis than "classic" IDHwt GBM. Methods: We studied 36 GBMs, 14 with a histopathological diagnosis of gcGBM and 22 with a giant cell component. We analyzed the genetic profile of the most frequently mutated genes in gliomas and assessed the tumor mutation load (TML) by gene-targeted next-generation sequencing. We validated our findings using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data. Results: p53 was altered by gene mutation or protein overexpression in all cases, while driver IDH1, IDH2, BRAF, or H3F3A mutations were infrequent or absent. Compared to IDHwt GBMs, gcGBMs had a significant higher frequency of TP53, ATRX, RB1, and NF1 mutations, while lower frequency of EGFR amplification, CDKN2A deletion, and TERT promoter mutation. Almost all tumors had low TML values. The high TML observed in only 2 tumors was consistent with POLE and MSH2 mutations. In the histopathological review of TCGA IDHwt, TP53-mutant tumors identified giant cells in 37% of the cases. Considering our series and that of the TCGA, patients with TP53-mutant gcGBMs had better overall survival than those with TP53wt GBMs (log-rank test, P < .002). Conclusions: gcGBMs have molecular features that contrast to "classic" IDHwt GBMs: unusually frequent ATRX mutations and few EGFR amplifications and CDKN2A deletions, especially in tumors with a high number of giant cells. TML is frequently low, although exceptional high TML suggests a potential for immune checkpoint therapy in some cases, which may be relevant for personalized medicine

Optimization of worm-bed leachate for culturing of tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) inoculated with Glomus fasciculatum and Pseudomonas fluorescens

A response surface technique was used to analyze the effect of Glomus fasciculatum , Pseudomonas fluorescens and worm-bed leachate (WBL) on growth, yield and characteristics of tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum Mill). The treatments combined inoculation with or without P. fluorescens or G. fasciculatum and the application of WBL at 20% (v/v) each day or every three days. Plant height, number of leaves and yield of tomato fruits was not affected by the factors studied. However, plants with foliar application of WBL each day developed wider stems than those with an application every three days. The pH of the fruits was lower when WBL was applied every three days compared to a daily application. The soluble solids content of the fruits was higher when WBL was applied daily compared to those sprayed every three days. Plant development was not affected by addition of P. fluorescens, G. fasciculatum or WBL, but WBL changed fruit characteristics

Can Parents Afford to Work? Childcare Costs, Tax-Benefit Policies and Work Incentives

Childcare policies play a crucial role in helping parents reconcile care and employment-related tasks. This paper quantifies the net cost of purchasing full-time centre-based childcare in OECD countries taking into account a wide range of influences on household budgets, including fees charged by childcare providers as well as childcare-related tax concessions and cash benefits available to parents. Building on these calculations, family resources are evaluated for different employment situations in order to assess the financial trade-offs between work and staying at home. Results are disaggregated to identify the policy features that present barriers to work for parents whose employment decisions are known to be particularly responsive to financial work incentives: lone parents and second earners with young children requiring care. The results indicate that the cost of purchasing childcare services should be analysed in conjunction with other social and fiscal policies that affect family incomes. While childcare fees can be very high, high prices may not impede employment if tax-benefit systems incorporate well-balanced provisions that help parents pay for these services. Conversely, even highly subsidised childcare markets can leave parents with little financial gain from employment if high tax burdens or benefit claw-back rates give rise to adverse work incentives

Comparison of Predictors and Mortality Between Bloodstream Infections Caused by ESBL-Producing Escherichia coli and ESBL-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Comparison of the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and mortality of patients with bloodstream infections (BSI) caused by extended-spectrum \u3b2-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-EC) versus ESBL-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (ESBL-KP

Geographical variation in therapy for bloodstream infections due to multidrug-resistant enterobacteriaceae: a post hoc analysis of the INCREMENT study

We aimed to describe regional differences in therapy for bloodstream infection (BSI) caused by extended-spectrum ?-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E) or carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE). 1,482 patients in 12 countries were included from an observational study of BSI caused by ESBL-E or CPE. Multivariate logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios (aORs) for the influence of country of recruitment on empirical use of ?-lactam/?-lactamase inhibitors (BLBLI) or carbapenems, targeted use of BLBLI for ESBL-E and use of targeted combination therapy for CPE. The use of BLBLI for empirical therapy was least likely in sites from Israel (aOR 0.34, 95% CI 0.14-0.81), Greece (aOR 0.49, 95% CI 0.26-0.94) and Canada (aOR 0.31, 95% CI 0.11-0.88) but more likely in Italy (aOR 1.58, 95% CI 1.11-2.2) and Turkey (aOR 2.09, 95% CI 1.14-3.81), compared to Spain as a reference. Empirical carbapenems were more likely to be used in sites from Taiwan (aOR 1.73, 95% CI 1.03-2.92) and USA (aOR 1.89; 95% CI 1.05-3.39), and less likely in Italy (aOR 0.44, 95% CI 0.28-0.69) and Canada (aOR 0.10, 95% CI 0.01-0.74). Targeted BLBLI for ESBL-E was more likely in sites from Italy. Treatment at sites within Israel, Taiwan, Turkey and Brazil was associated with less combination therapy for CPE. Although this study does not provide precise data on the relative prevalence of ESBL-E or CPE, significant variation in therapy exists across countries even after adjustment for patient factors. A better understanding of what influences therapeutic choices for these infections will aid antimicrobial stewardship efforts.PH is supported by an Australian Postgraduate Award from the University of Queensland. The study was funded by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Instituto de Salud Carlos III - co-financed by European Development Regional Fund "A way to achieve Europe" ERDF, Spanish Network for the Research in Infectious Diseases (REIPI RD12/0015). BGG, JRB, APH and YC also received funds from the COMBACTE-CARE project (grant agreement 115620), Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI), the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) and in-kind contributions from EFPIA companies