Cerebral complexity preceded enlarged brain size and reduced olfactory bulbs in Old World monkeys

Analysis of the only complete early cercopithecoid (Old World monkey) endocast currently known, that of 15-million-year (Myr)-old Victoriapithecus, reveals an unexpectedly small endocranial volume (ECV) relative to body size and a large olfactory bulb volume relative to ECV, similar to extant lemurs and Oligocene anthropoids. However, the Victoriapithecus brain has principal and arcuate sulci of the frontal lobe not seen in the stem catarrhine Aegyptopithecus, as well as a distinctive cercopithecoid pattern of gyrification, indicating that cerebral complexity preceded encephalization in cercopithecoids. Since larger ECVs, expanded frontal lobes, and reduced olfactory bulbs are already present in the 17- to 18-Myr-old ape Proconsul these features evolved independently in hominoids (apes) and cercopithecoids and much earlier in the former. Moreover, the order of encephalization and brain reorganization was apparently different in hominoids and cercopithecoids, showing that brain size and cerebral organization evolve independently

Analisis Kajian Resiko Investasi Proyek Pengembangan Aplikasi Dan Mobile Apps UNSRAT Dengan Pendekatan Kerangka Kerja OBRiM

Rencana investasi dan implementasi proyek Sistim Informasi Terpadu ( SIT ) dengan maksud untuk meningkatkan pelayanan organisasi non profit seperti universitas, seringkali dapat menjadi sangat beresiko. Resiko tersebut muncul seiring dengan jalannya proyek. Untuk mencegah resiko kegagalan proyek, maka keputusan investasi dan implementasi proyek SIT harus direncakan dan diputuskan dengan hati-hati. Salah satu cara untuk mengetahui, menghitung dan mengatasi resiko dan memaksimalkan nilai dari investasi proyek SIT adalah dengan menerapkan kerangka kerja OBRiM (Options-based Risk Management). Kerangka kerja OBRiM memberikan cara yang mudah dan sistematis untuk mengidentifikasi risiko yang menjadi penghalang keberhasilan proyek, dan menerapkan berbagai macam respon atau options untuk meminimalkan risiko tersebut dan mendistribusikannya sepanjang proyek itu ada.Options tersebut dapat berupa strategi keluar yang mengizinkan pihak manajemen untuk menilai ulang pendekatan terhadap rencana investasi proyek SIT tersebut dan memindahkan resiko dengan melakukan alih daya ke pihak ketiga. Dalam investasi pryek SIT yang melibatkan banyak risiko akan ditemukan banyak cara untuk mengkonfigurasi rencana investasi proyek SIT dengan menggunakan beberapa rangkaian options. Skenario investasi proyek TIK dibuat dengan mengkonfigurasi beberapa rangkaian options yang menawarkan fleksibilitas pada manajemen. Meski demikian, kerangka kerja OBRim masih dapat dimaksimalkan dengan mengintegrasikan penggunakan Tabel Ranti IT Business Value guna mengidentifikasi manfaat yang dapat dihasilkan dari investasi proyek SIT tersebut, sehingga identifikasi resiko dan identifikasi manfaat proyek dapat digali secara seimbang. Intisari dari penelitian ini adalah bagaimana caranya mengevaluasi resiko dari investasi proyek SIT ( Pengembangan Aplikasi dan Mobile Apps ) di Universitas Sam Ratulangi Manado. Konfigurasi rencana options yang ditemukan adalah terdiri dari dua jalur scenario options pengelolaan resiko, yakni options membangun proyek percontohan (atau pilot project) yang kemudian dilanjutkan dengan pembangunan proyek secara keseluruhan; dan options untuk menunda investasi proyek sambil mempelajari kemunculan risiko. Berdasarkan valuasi Real Options (ROV) dari masing-masing jalur scenario, maka jalur scenario untuk membangun proyek percontohan yang diikuti pembangunan proyek keseluruhan memberikannilai investasi yang paling maksimal atau resiko yang paling minimal (ditandai dengan nilai RO tertinggi)

(Correcting) misdiagnoses of asthma: A cost effectiveness analysis

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Background: The prevalence of physician-diagnosed-asthma has risen over the past three decades and misdiagnosis of asthma is potentially common. Objective: to determine whether a secondary-screening-program to establish a correct diagnosis of asthma in those who report a physician diagnosis of asthma is cost effective.Method: Randomly selected physician-diagnosed-asthmatic subjects from 8 Canadian cities were studied with an extensive diagnostic algorithm to rule-in, or rule-out, a correct diagnosis of asthma. Subjects in whom the diagnosis of asthma was excluded were followed up for 6-months and data on asthma medications and heath care utilization was obtained. Economic analysis was performed to estimate the incremental lifetime costs associated with secondary screening of previously diagnosed asthmatic subjects. Analysis was from the perspective of the Canadian healthcare system and is reported in Canadian dollars.Results: Of 540 randomly selected patients with physician diagnosed asthma 150 (28%; 95%CI 19-37%) did not have asthma when objectively studied. 71% of these misdiagnosed patients were on some asthma medications. Incorporating the incremental cost of secondary-screening for the diagnosis of asthma, we found that the average cost savings per 100 individuals screened was $35,141 (95$4,588-$69,278).Conclusion: Cost savings primarily resulted from lifetime costs of medication use averted in those who had been misdiagnosed.This work was funded by the Canadian Institute of Health Research, Canada and the University Of Ottawa Division Of Respiratory Medicine

Effects of Fungi on The Spoilage and Nutritional Composition of Coconuts (Cocus nucifera) Harvested in Yenagoa Local Government Area and Its Relative Health Implications

Background and Objective: Fungal inversion of coconut endosperm is a factor that grossly reduces the economic, consumption value and the proximate composition of the coconut meat. The proximate composition of fresh and spoilt coconut endosperm and the most pathogenic fungi associated with the spoilage of coconut endosperm were evaluated in this study. Materials: Three mature fresh Coconut fruits were harvested from a subsistence coconut farm in Yenagoa city. Result: This study revealed that the proximate content of protein (9.80±0.02), lipids (38.75±0.02) and dry matter (92.72±0.02) in the fresh coconut are higher than the proximate content of protein (8.75±0.02), lipids (36.84±1.16) and dry matter (92.18±0.02) of the spoilt coconut endosperm. Minerals such as Ca (2.74±0.01), Mg (3.68±0.02), Na (3.75±0.02), K (6.76±0.02), Mn (0.250±0.002), Cu (0.58±0.02), Zn (5.85±0.02) and PO4 (2.56 ±0.02) in the fresh coconut endosperm are higher than Ca (2.72±0.02), Mg (3.66±0.02), Na (3.57±0.02), K (6.72±0.02), Mn (0.244±0.002), Cu (0.54±0.02), Zn (5.77±0.03) and PO4 (2.48±0.02) of the spoiled coconut endosperm. A significant difference between the proximate composition of fresh and spoiled coconut endosperm was observed. The endosperm (meat) of the coconuts were heavily invaded and decayed by a variety of fungi within 24 hours after cracking the shell and exposing the meats to open air. Fungal growth observed after exposure to open air are: Mucor, Rhizopus, Aspergillus and Penicillium. Conclusion: With the present of Aspergillus and penicillium in the samples evaluated in the laboratory, it implies that there are health implications associated with the consumption of spoilt coconut meat

Pension Insurance Data Book 2002

[Excerpt] The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) was established by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to ensure that participants in defined benefit pension plans receive their pensions if their plans terminate without sufficient assets to pay promised benefits. PBGC administers separate insurance programs to protect participants in single-employer and multiemployer plans. PBGC has published the Pension Insurance Data Book annually since 1996 to present detailed statistics on PBGC program operations and benefit protection. In addition to tabular presentations of current and historical data on PBGC’s single-employer and multiemployer pension insurance programs, this edition features two brief discussions. The first describes how the terminations of the plans of two large steel companies after the end of PBGC’s 2002 fiscal year will impact the size and distribution of claims against PBGC. The second describes the current distribution of PBGC-insured hybrid pension plans. This edition also contains graphs illustrating selected current data and trends in PBGC operations and in the U.S. private pension universe insured by PBGC. The publication date for this edition was advanced by several months. As a consequence, data for several tables (S-18, S-20, S-21, S-22, and M-6) whose source is PBGC’s premium filings are not yet available. This edition contains updated 2001 data for these tables. Once the 2002 data are available, we will revise these tables on PBGC’s Web site: www.pbgc.gov/publications/databook

Pension Insurance Data Book 1998

[Excerpt] The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) was established by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to ensure that participants in defined benefit plans receive their pensions even if their plans terminate without sufficient assets to pay promised benefits. Separate insurance programs protect participants in single-employer and multiemployer plans. PBGC has published the Pension Insurance Data Book annually since 1996 to present detailed statistics on PBGC operations and benefit protection. For the first time, the Data Book 1998 includes data on the PBGC multiemployer pension insurance program as well as updates of the single-employer data presented previously. In addition to tabular presentations of current and historical data, this edition features two articles on critical topics for the future of PBGC. The first article focuses on trends in retirement plan choice in the private sector, particularly the shift away from defined benefit plans, which are insured by PBGC, and the reasons behind this change. The second article describes the Pension Insurance Modeling System (PIMS), an advanced simulation model designed to improve the accuracy of PBGC’s estimation of its risk and exposure. We have included in Appendix S all the tables from last year’s edition relating to PBGC’s single-employer program, but rearranged them into subject categories to make it easier for the reader. Because this represents a change in the ordering of tables from previous years, we have provided an index relating each table to its respective table number in prior editions at the back of the book. We have also, for the first time, included tables of multiemployer data in Appendix M

Pension Insurance Data Book 2003

[Excerpt] The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) was established by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to ensure that participants in defined benefit pension plans receive their pensions if their plans terminate without sufficient assets to pay promised benefits. PBGC administers separate insurance programs to protect participants in single-employer and multiemployer plans. PBGC has published the Pension Insurance Data Book annually since 1996 to present detailed statistics on PBGC program operations and benefit protection. This edition of the Pension Insurance Data Book has been expanded and the order of the tables has been revised. Tables related to PBGC’s claims experience have been added to provide more historical data on the number and size of claims by the year the plans terminated, the funding levels in the plans at termination, and the size of the plans at termination. Tables related to people receiving benefits from PBGC have also been added to provide payment data separately for retired participants and beneficiaries of deceased participants. A “table listing key” at the end of this book will assist those familiar with the table numbers in older editions of the Pension Insurance Data Book in finding the relevant table(s) in this edition. The Data Book tables are available in electronic form on PBGC’s Web site at www.pbgc.gov/publications/databook