Monumental snake engravings of the Orinoco River

Rock art of the Middle and Upper Orinoco River in South America is characterised by some of the largest and most enigmatic engravings in the world, including snakes exceeding 40m in length. Here, the authors map the geographic distribution of giant snake motifs and assess the visibility of this serpentine imagery within the Orinoco landscape and Indigenous myths. Occupying prominent outcrops that were visible from great distances, the authors argue that the rock art provided physical reference points for cosmogonic myths, acting as border agents that structured the environment and were central to Indigenous placemaking along the rivers of lowland South America

Solidarity (Solidarność) at Forty: Memories and Influences on Contemporary Poland - Does Solidarity Still Matter?

This paper is dedicated to the memory of Brother Leo V. Ryan, C.S.V., who passed away in 2016. Abstract Part I of the paper is a retrospective on the origins of the Solidarity Movement in Poland and the economic program it introduced after its assumption of power in 1989. Part II outlines various challenges faced by Polish society in light of current political configurations and discusses Solidarity’s contemporary relevance on the political and economic calculus of Poland. This retrospective is based on more than thirty-five years of research and analysis on the Polish economic and political scenes. Keywords: Poland, Polish Economy, Solidarity Movement, JUST REMEMBER: STALIN HIMSELF WAS REPORTED TO HAVE STATED THAT “SOCIALISM WOULD FIT POLAND LIKE A SADDLE WOULD FIT A COW.” DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/11-23-12 Publication date: August 31st 201

Master Franchising as an Entry Strategy: Marketing and Legal Implications

In this paper the authors investigate the establishment of franchise agreements as a viable alternative to enter a foreign market. Specifically, the spotlight is on the strategy called master franchising. The authors first review the concept of franchising and identify master franchising as a strategic option. Next, they focus on the mechanics of structuring the required agreements. Last, the authors explore strategies, trends, and current opportunities and limitations of international franchising

Breves considerações sobre o processo eletrônico e a democratização do acesso à justiça

O desenvolvimento tecnológico da informática trouxe inúmeras modificações no meio social, proporcionando também novos delineamentos no campo jurídico. No Brasil, esta evolução informática caminhava incólume até a Emenda Constitucional n.º45/2004, que instituiu a duração razoável do processo. Após este marco histórico, o surgimento do processo veiculado de forma eletrônica (Lei n.º 11.419/2006) viabilizou o exercício do acesso à justiça com maior respeito e igualdade entre os jurisdicionados sem o tapume emblemático da sua situação socioeconômica, evidenciando a busca pelo Judiciário com um verdadeiro exercício de cidadania

DNA Sexing of the Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi Ogilvie-Grant) in Captivity at the Philippine Eagle Center, Davao City, Philippines

The Philippine eagle is a sexually monomorphic raptor which lacks the sex-linked morphology determining the gender especially in the juveniles. Thus, a PCR amplification technique was used to determine the sex of 24 eagles at different stages of development (2 to 37 years old) in captivity at the Philippine Eagle Center, Malagos Davao City. Fractions of the sex-linked genes, CHD-W and CHD-Z of each individual were amplified. Ka Brianne (female) and Jag (male) having 9 offspring conceived through artificial insemination were used as positive controls for sex identification of 22 other individuals. Two individuals of Gallus domesticus with confirmed genders were also included and run through PCR amplification together with the Philippine eagles using primers CHDFORNEW and CHDREVNEW to test the method. Females revealed two distinct bands (290 bp and 280 bp in size) while the males revealed only a single band of 280 bp. Eleven eagles were  found to be females while 13 were found to be  males. DNA sexing gave a 100% confirmation of the assigned sexes of the eagles, which were obtained through morphometric analysis done by personnel at the captive breeding center. DNA sexing could be a practical technique in sexing newly hatched eaglet and juveniles, naming of eagles, establishing life history characteristics, and pairing attempt or assignment of partners in the threatened avian species such as the Philippine eagles

Peces al lado y lado del Medio Orinoco: biodiversidad en tres sitios arqueológicos de los llanos del Norte de Suramérica

Evaluar la biodiversidad de un ecosistema como el Medio Orinoco en el pasado precolonial constituye un reto, más aún si las evidencias osteológicas o fósiles que permiten reconstruir las poblaciones de animales, plantas y seres humanos del pasado son escasas por los limitados trabajos de campo en la zona y la poca preservación de los restos. Sin embargo, el arte rupestre con motivos figurativos encontrados en esta región -entre antropomorfos, zoomorfos y fitomorfos- podría ser usado como un proxy para reconstruir los ecosistemas pasados de este territorio y discutir aquellas poblaciones importantes en la supervivencia y formas de pensamiento de los antiguos pobladores de esta parte de uno de los ríos más grandes del mund

BIOTECNOLOGÍA APLICADA A LA DEGRADACIÓN DE COLORANTES DE LA INDUSTRIA TEXTIL

La presencia de colorantes en las aguas residuales representa un problema ambiental, ya que este tipo de compuestos no puede eliminarse con los métodos de tratamiento convencionales. Debido a que la mayoría de los sistemas de tratamiento basados en métodos químicos o físicos son costosos y requieren de gran cantidad de energía y reactivos, la biotecnología ofrece una alternativa de tratamiento. En este trabajo, además de mencionar algunas tecno-logías convencionales, se revisan los reportes donde se han logrado degradar colorantes utilizando métodos biológicos. Una de las ventajas de este tipo de tecnologías es que, además de la decoloración, se puede alcanzar la completa mineralización del colorante. Existe un gran número de microorganismos con la capacidad de eliminar el color de las aguas residuales mediante mecanismos como: la biosorción, la biodegradación aeróbica o anaeróbica y la producción de enzimas que catalizan la decoloración. Una de las aplicaciones de la biotecnología es la generación de nuevas cepas microbianas, éstas pueden constituir la base de tecnologías novedosas para la remediación de compuestos xenobióticos que no son fácilmente degradados con los métodos convencionales

African American patients with gout: efficacy and safety of febuxostat vs allopurinol

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>African Americans are twice as likely as Caucasians to develop gout, but they are less likely to be treated with urate-lowering therapy (ULT). Furthermore, African Americans typically present with more comorbidities associated with gout, such as hypertension, obesity, and renal impairment. We determined the efficacy and safety of ULT with febuxostat or allopurinol in African American subjects with gout and associated comorbidities and in comparison to Caucasian gout subjects.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This is a secondary analysis of the 6-month Phase 3 CONFIRMS trial. Eligible gouty subjects with baseline serum urate (sUA) ≥ 8.0 mg/dL were randomized 1:1:1 to receive febuxostat 40 mg, febuxostat 80 mg, or allopurinol (300 mg or 200 mg depending on renal function) daily. All subjects received gout flare prophylaxis. Primary efficacy endpoint was the proportion of subjects in each treatment group with sUA < 6.0 mg/dL at the final visit. Additional endpoints included the proportion of subjects with mild or with moderate renal impairment who achieved a target sUA < 6.0 mg/dL at final visit. Adverse events (AEs) were recorded throughout the study.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the 2,269 subjects enrolled, 10.0% were African American and 82.1% were Caucasian. African American subjects were mostly male (89.5%), obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²; 67.1%), with mean baseline sUA of 9.8 mg/dL and mean duration of gout of 10.4 years. The proportions of African American subjects with a baseline history of diabetes, renal impairment, or cardiovascular disease were significantly higher compared to Caucasians (<it>p </it>< 0.001). ULT with febuxostat 80 mg was superior to both febuxostat 40 mg (<it>p </it>< 0.001) and allopurinol (<it>p </it>= 0.004). Febuxostat 40 mg was comparable in efficacy to allopurinol. Significantly more African American subjects with mild or moderate renal impairment achieved sUA < 6.0 mg/dL in the febuxostat 80 group than in either the febuxostat 40 mg or allopurinol group (<it>p </it>< 0.05). Efficacy rates in all treatment groups regardless of renal function were comparable between African American and Caucasian subjects, as were AE rates.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In African American subjects with significant comorbidities, febuxostat 80 mg is significantly more efficacious than either febuxostat 40 mg or allopurinol 200/300 mg. Febuxostat was well tolerated in this African American population.</p> <p>Please see related article: <url>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/10/15</url></p