The international development environment is entering a chaotic and volatile period.The world economy remains sluggish,while geopolitical conflicts,climate change,food crisis and a multitude of other challenges become...The international development environment is entering a chaotic and volatile period.The world economy remains sluggish,while geopolitical conflicts,climate change,food crisis and a multitude of other challenges become more closely intertwined and mutually reinforcing.In this context,countries across the world have been prompted to look for healthy,feasible and sustainable solutions to keep their socioeconomic development momentum on track.展开更多
BACKGROUND A progressive decrease in exclusive breastfeeding(BF)is observed in Latin America and the Caribbean compared with global results.The possibility of being breastfed and continuing BF for>6 months is lower...BACKGROUND A progressive decrease in exclusive breastfeeding(BF)is observed in Latin America and the Caribbean compared with global results.The possibility of being breastfed and continuing BF for>6 months is lower in low birth weight than in healthy-weight infants.AIM To identify factors associated with BF maintenance and promotion,with particular attention to low-and middle-income countries,by studying geographic,socioeconomic,and individual or neonatal health factors.METHODS A scoping review was conducted in 2018 using the conceptual model of social determinants of health published by the Commission on Equity and Health Inequalities in the United States.The extracted data with common characteristics were synthesized and categorized into two main themes:(1)Sociodemographic factors and proximal determinants involved in the initiation and maintenance of BF in low-birth-weight term infants in Latin America;and(2)individual characteristics related to the self-efficacy capacity for BF maintenance and adherence in low-birth-weight term infants.RESULTS This study identified maternal age,educational level,maternal economic capacity,social stratum,exposure to BF substitutes,access to BF information,and quality of health services as mediators for maintaining BF.CONCLUSION Individual self-efficacy factors that enable BF adherence in at-risk populations should be analyzed for better health outcomes.展开更多
Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) arrived from China to Latin America and the Caribbean in the 1840s due to the massive migration of Chinese people to the region. In a few years, the press noticed the presence of Chin...Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) arrived from China to Latin America and the Caribbean in the 1840s due to the massive migration of Chinese people to the region. In a few years, the press noticed the presence of Chinese herbalists practicing in different cities and countries regardless of the demographic weight of the Chinese community. The fascination with Chinese doctors implicated not only the press but also the literature, a phenomenon particularly observed in Cuba. In the first decades of the 20th century, the reactivation of Chinese immigration to the region fostered an anti-Chinese climate that materialized in more significant migratory restrictions and control of their businesses, such as what happened with Chinese herbalists. These herbalists who practiced inside and outside the Chinese community started to object to criticism and persecution by the conservative press and professional doctors. Despite this, Chinese doctors will continue to maintain their support of a significant number of ill persons. This work seeks to illuminate the historical relevance of TCM in Latin America and the Caribbean, focusing on the cases of Peru, Chile, and Cuba. This last country was far from China culturally and geographically, but as in many other small towns in the region, Chinese medicine presented an alternative to the treatment of illnesses.展开更多
The increasing prevalence of technology in society has an impact on young people’s language use and development. Greeklish is the writing of Greek texts using the Latin instead of the Greek alphabet, a practice known...The increasing prevalence of technology in society has an impact on young people’s language use and development. Greeklish is the writing of Greek texts using the Latin instead of the Greek alphabet, a practice known as Latinization, also employed for many non-latin alphabet languages. The primary aim of this research is to evaluate the effect of Greeklish on reading time. A sample of 732 young Greeks were asked about their habits when communicating through e-mail and social media with their friends and they then participated in an experiment in which they were asked to read and understand two short texts, one written in Greek and the other in Greeklish. The findings of the research show that nearly one third of the participants use Greeklish. The results of the experiment conducted reveal that understanding is not affected by the alphabet used but reading Greeklish is significantly more time consuming than reading Greek independently of the sex and the familiarity of the participants with Greeklish. The findings suggest that amending social and communication media with software utilities related to Latinization such as language identifiers and converters may reduce reading time and thus facilitate written communication among the users.展开更多
A large-scale wave of mass protests broke out in fifteen Latin American countries during 2019.Some protests led to the resignation of the president and the collapse of the government.Others caused social unrest and bl...A large-scale wave of mass protests broke out in fifteen Latin American countries during 2019.Some protests led to the resignation of the president and the collapse of the government.Others caused social unrest and bloody conflicts.Some protests led to a national"curfew",and the government was forced to cancel major international conferences.For a time,over ten countries were engaged in turbulent and chaotic activities.Accordingly,the 2019 Latin American protests were also dubbed"Latin America’s Turmoil"by the international media.The scale,scope and impact of the protests have been rarely seen over the last forty years.They constituted part of the global chaos of 2019.The cause was not only the anxious response of the Latin American countries facing global changes not seen for a century,but also a concentrated outbreak of political,economic and social contradictions that has been accumulating in certain Latin American countries over a long period of time.Facing unprecedented global change over a century,the Latin American countries will be able to usher in the"Latin American Spring"only if they carry out profound reform with great courage,and achieve significant progress in their political systems,economic structures,and social security systems.展开更多
In this note, the author find an upper bound formula for the number of the p × p normalized Latin Square,the first row and column of which are both standard order 1, 2,…p.
This paper aims to review and analyze the literature on the expansion of Chinese firms to Latin America. In order to achieve this objective, it first reviews the literature on the internationalization of Chinese MNCs,...This paper aims to review and analyze the literature on the expansion of Chinese firms to Latin America. In order to achieve this objective, it first reviews the literature on the internationalization of Chinese MNCs, the theoretical frameworks discussed in the literature and the principal features of companies from China. Second, it describes the economic and political relations between the countries, specifically the threats and opportunities for Latin America and the trade and investment trends. The review shows that the majority of the current literature on Chinese MNCs has a focus on their expansion to developed countries, on the conceptual framework needed to understand this expansion, and on the competition for foreign investments from developed countries. As a result, the analysis makes evident that research gaps seem to exist in the following areas: (1) the relative value of Chinese companies' existing advantages, (2) the sustainability of these advantages once the lead, probably given by OEMs or JVs, had been exhausted, (3) research works based on quantitative and comparative data, (4) the motives for FDI, (5) the entry mode, configuration, control and strategy of Chinese companies investing in Latin America, and (6) the potential opportunities presented to European companies operating in Latin America.展开更多
The pandemic’s huge impact on all countries and regions is the biggest black swan event in 2020 and the biggest gray rhino event in 2021.Though Latin America was the last continent attacked by COVID-19,it became in 2...The pandemic’s huge impact on all countries and regions is the biggest black swan event in 2020 and the biggest gray rhino event in 2021.Though Latin America was the last continent attacked by COVID-19,it became in 2020 the designated epicenter of infection,surpassing Europe and catching up with the United States.The rapidity of spread in Latin America,the wide range and high incidence of infections,and the death toll were larger than in other places.The pandemic has resulted in the largest economic recession in Latin American history.It also has a significant impact on China-Latin America relations.When the pandemic in Latin American will end depends on large-scale,wide application of vaccines,strict prevention and control,and international cooperation.丁he pandemic reveals the fierce contradiction between society and nature.展开更多
Latin America shows one of the highest incidence rates of gastric cancer in the world,with variations in mortality rates among nations or even within countries belonging to this region.Gastric cancer is the result of ...Latin America shows one of the highest incidence rates of gastric cancer in the world,with variations in mortality rates among nations or even within countries belonging to this region.Gastric cancer is the result of a multifactorial complex process,for which a multistep model of carcinogenesis is currently accepted.Additionally to the infection with Helicobacter pylori,that plays a major role,environmental factors as well as genetic susceptibility factors are significant players at different stages in the gastric cancer process.The differences in population origin,demographic structure,socio-economic development,and the impact of globalization lifestyles experienced in Latin America in the last decades,all together offer opportunities for studying in this context the influence of genetic polymorphisms in the susceptibility to gastric cancer.The aim of this article is to discuss current trends on gastric cancer in Latin American countries and to review the available published information about studies of association of gene polymorphisms involved in gastric cancer susceptibility from this region of the world.A total of 40 genes or genomic regions and69 genetic variants,58%representing markers involved in inflammatory response,have been used in a number of studies in which predominates a low number of individuals(cases and controls)included.Polymorphisms of IL-1B(-511 C/T,14 studies;-31 T/C,10 studies)and IL-1RN(variable number of tandem repeats,17 studies)are the most represented ones in the reviewed studies.Other genetic variants recently evaluated in large metaanalyses and associated with gastric cancer risk were also analyzed in a few studies[e.g.,prostate stem cell antigen(PSCA),CDH1,Survivin].Further and better analysis centered in gene polymorphisms linked to other covariates,epidemiological studies and the information provided by meta-analyses and genome-wide association studies should help to improve our understanding of gastric cancer etiology in order to develop appropriate health programs in Latin America.展开更多
Latin America, a region with a population greater than 600000000 individuals, is well known due to its wide geographic, socio-cultural and economic heterogeneity. Access to health care remains as the main barrier that...Latin America, a region with a population greater than 600000000 individuals, is well known due to its wide geographic, socio-cultural and economic heterogeneity. Access to health care remains as the main barrier that challenges routine screening, early diagnosis and proper treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). Therefore, identification of population at risk, implementation of surveillance programs and access to curative treatments has been poorly obtained in the region. Different retrospective cohort studies from the region have shown flaws in the implementation process of routine surveillance and early HCC diagnosis. Furthermore, adherence to clinical practice guidelines recommendations assessed in two studies from Brazil and Argentina demonstrated that there is also room for improvement in this field, similarly than the one observed in Europe and the United States. In summary, Latin America shares difficulties in HCC decision-making processes similar to those from developed countries. However, a transversal limitation in the region is the poor access to health care with the consequent limitation to standard treatments for overall population. Specifically, universal health care access to the different World Health Organization levels is crucial, including improvement in research, education and continuous medical training in order to expand knowledge and generation of data promoting a continuous improvement in the care of HCC patients.展开更多
Improving the efficiency of ship optimization is crucial for modem ship design. Compared with traditional methods, multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) is a more promising approach. For this reason, Collabora...Improving the efficiency of ship optimization is crucial for modem ship design. Compared with traditional methods, multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) is a more promising approach. For this reason, Collaborative Optimization (CO) is discussed and analyzed in this paper. As one of the most frequently applied MDO methods, CO promotes autonomy of disciplines while providing a coordinating mechanism guaranteeing progress toward an optimum and maintaining interdisciplinary compatibility. However, there are some difficulties in applying the conventional CO method, such as difficulties in choosing an initial point and tremendous computational requirements. For the purpose of overcoming these problems, optimal Latin hypercube design and Radial basis function network were applied to CO. Optimal Latin hypercube design is a modified Latin Hypercube design. Radial basis function network approximates the optimization model, and is updated during the optimization process to improve accuracy. It is shown by examples that the computing efficiency and robustness of this CO method are higher than with the conventional CO method.展开更多
To estimate Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) recurrence rate in Latin America, a region with a significant H. pylori prevalence and gastric cancer burden. METHODSPubMed, LILACS, SciELO, Cochrane databases and abstracts...To estimate Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) recurrence rate in Latin America, a region with a significant H. pylori prevalence and gastric cancer burden. METHODSPubMed, LILACS, SciELO, Cochrane databases and abstracts from relevant meetings were reviewed. Information collected included: Participants’ characteristics, recruitment strategy, diagnostic modality, treatment arms, follow-up and recurrence rates. Recurrence was calculated using 100-patients-year rates, and data were pooled using a random effects model. The I<sup>2</sup> statistic assessed between study heterogeneity. Meta-regression analyses evaluated for effect modifying variables. RESULTSLiterature search yielded 163 articles. Twelve studies involving 4848 patients from 9 countries met inclusion criteria. Four hundred and thirty-two reinfections were recorded in 5487 person-years of follow-up. Pooled analysis showed a recurrence rate of 7.9 cases per 100 person-years (95%CI: 5.3-10.5). Meta-regression revealed that neither the antibiotic schema, a second antibiotic course, nor the diagnostic modality had an impact on the observed risk of recurrence. The recurrence rate in the first year after treatment, predominantly recrudescence, was 11.2 (6.1-16.4) per 100 patient years. Recurrence in subsequent years, was only 6.2 (3.8-8.7). CONCLUSIONH. pylori recurrence rates in Latin America are significant, and with geographic variability, yet are acceptable based upon the current literature for consideration of large scale intervention trials. Further research in Latin America is warranted to evaluate the efficacy, cost-effectiveness, and potential adverse outcomes of proposed eradication programs.展开更多
Hepatitis B virus(HBV)infection is the leading cause of severe chronic liver disease.This article provides a critical view of the importance of genomic medicine for the study of HBV infection and its clinical outcomes...Hepatitis B virus(HBV)infection is the leading cause of severe chronic liver disease.This article provides a critical view of the importance of genomic medicine for the study of HBV infection and its clinical outcomes in Latin America.Three levels of evolutionary adaptation may correlate with the clinical outcomes of HBV infection.Infections in Latin America are predominantly of genotype H in Mexico and genotype F in Central and South America;these strains have historically circulated among the indigenous population.Both genotypes appear to be linked to a benign course of disease among the native and mestizo Mexicans and native South Americans.In contrast,genotypes F,A and D are common in acute and chronic infections among mestizos with Caucasian ancestry.Hepatocellular carcinoma is rare in Mexicans,but it has been associated with genotype F1b among Argentineans.This observation illustrates the significance of ascertaining the genetic and environmental factors involved in the development of HBV-related liver disease in Latin America,which contrast with those reported in other regions of the world.展开更多
AIM: To optimize diagnosis and treatment guidelines for this geographic region, a panel of gastroenterologists, epidemiologists, and basic scientists carried out a structured evaluation of available literature.
In recent years,a lot of XOR-based coding schemes have been developed to tolerate double disk failures in Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) architectures,such as EVENODD-code,X-code,B-code and BG-HEDP. Despi...In recent years,a lot of XOR-based coding schemes have been developed to tolerate double disk failures in Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) architectures,such as EVENODD-code,X-code,B-code and BG-HEDP. Despite those researches,the decades-old strategy of Reed-Solomon (RS) code remains the only popular space-optimal Maximum Distance Separable (MDS) code for all but the smallest storage systems. The reason is that all those XOR-based schemes are too difficult to be implemented,it mainly because the coding-circle of those codes vary with the number of disks. By contrast,the coding-circle of RS code is a constant. In order to solve this problem,we develop a new MDS code named Latin code and a cascading scheme based on Latin code. The cascading Latin scheme is a nearly MDS code (with only one or two more parity disks compared with the MDS ones). Nev-ertheless,it keeps the coding-circle of the basic Latin code (i.e. a constant) and the low encod-ing/decoding complexity similar to other parity array codes.展开更多
This paper is part of a research into the Latin American thinking on international affairs and a continuation of a line of work on Latin American contributions to the environmental discussion installed in the global p...This paper is part of a research into the Latin American thinking on international affairs and a continuation of a line of work on Latin American contributions to the environmental discussion installed in the global political agenda in the early 70s. The premise was that Latin American contributions were initially made by professionals closely related to ECLAC, UNEP and the Bariloche Foundation. These professionals and agencies understood how poverty and backwardness were endured by the majority of the regional and world’s population was one of the main causes of environmental degradation;consequently, overcoming the environmental crisis meant that underdevelopment should be eradicated without delay. This view of the environmental problems was synthesized in the combined concept of “environment and development”, which was also understood in the region as “eco development”. Finally, the broad phenomenon they wanted to describe using the terms “environment and development” was summarized in the concept of sustainable development as defined in the 1987 World Commission on Environment and Development report “Our Common Future”.展开更多
文摘The international development environment is entering a chaotic and volatile period.The world economy remains sluggish,while geopolitical conflicts,climate change,food crisis and a multitude of other challenges become more closely intertwined and mutually reinforcing.In this context,countries across the world have been prompted to look for healthy,feasible and sustainable solutions to keep their socioeconomic development momentum on track.
文摘BACKGROUND A progressive decrease in exclusive breastfeeding(BF)is observed in Latin America and the Caribbean compared with global results.The possibility of being breastfed and continuing BF for>6 months is lower in low birth weight than in healthy-weight infants.AIM To identify factors associated with BF maintenance and promotion,with particular attention to low-and middle-income countries,by studying geographic,socioeconomic,and individual or neonatal health factors.METHODS A scoping review was conducted in 2018 using the conceptual model of social determinants of health published by the Commission on Equity and Health Inequalities in the United States.The extracted data with common characteristics were synthesized and categorized into two main themes:(1)Sociodemographic factors and proximal determinants involved in the initiation and maintenance of BF in low-birth-weight term infants in Latin America;and(2)individual characteristics related to the self-efficacy capacity for BF maintenance and adherence in low-birth-weight term infants.RESULTS This study identified maternal age,educational level,maternal economic capacity,social stratum,exposure to BF substitutes,access to BF information,and quality of health services as mediators for maintaining BF.CONCLUSION Individual self-efficacy factors that enable BF adherence in at-risk populations should be analyzed for better health outcomes.
基金funded by ANID—Millennium Science Initiative Program (No. NCS2022_053)。
文摘Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) arrived from China to Latin America and the Caribbean in the 1840s due to the massive migration of Chinese people to the region. In a few years, the press noticed the presence of Chinese herbalists practicing in different cities and countries regardless of the demographic weight of the Chinese community. The fascination with Chinese doctors implicated not only the press but also the literature, a phenomenon particularly observed in Cuba. In the first decades of the 20th century, the reactivation of Chinese immigration to the region fostered an anti-Chinese climate that materialized in more significant migratory restrictions and control of their businesses, such as what happened with Chinese herbalists. These herbalists who practiced inside and outside the Chinese community started to object to criticism and persecution by the conservative press and professional doctors. Despite this, Chinese doctors will continue to maintain their support of a significant number of ill persons. This work seeks to illuminate the historical relevance of TCM in Latin America and the Caribbean, focusing on the cases of Peru, Chile, and Cuba. This last country was far from China culturally and geographically, but as in many other small towns in the region, Chinese medicine presented an alternative to the treatment of illnesses.
文摘The increasing prevalence of technology in society has an impact on young people’s language use and development. Greeklish is the writing of Greek texts using the Latin instead of the Greek alphabet, a practice known as Latinization, also employed for many non-latin alphabet languages. The primary aim of this research is to evaluate the effect of Greeklish on reading time. A sample of 732 young Greeks were asked about their habits when communicating through e-mail and social media with their friends and they then participated in an experiment in which they were asked to read and understand two short texts, one written in Greek and the other in Greeklish. The findings of the research show that nearly one third of the participants use Greeklish. The results of the experiment conducted reveal that understanding is not affected by the alphabet used but reading Greeklish is significantly more time consuming than reading Greek independently of the sex and the familiarity of the participants with Greeklish. The findings suggest that amending social and communication media with software utilities related to Latinization such as language identifiers and converters may reduce reading time and thus facilitate written communication among the users.
文摘A large-scale wave of mass protests broke out in fifteen Latin American countries during 2019.Some protests led to the resignation of the president and the collapse of the government.Others caused social unrest and bloody conflicts.Some protests led to a national"curfew",and the government was forced to cancel major international conferences.For a time,over ten countries were engaged in turbulent and chaotic activities.Accordingly,the 2019 Latin American protests were also dubbed"Latin America’s Turmoil"by the international media.The scale,scope and impact of the protests have been rarely seen over the last forty years.They constituted part of the global chaos of 2019.The cause was not only the anxious response of the Latin American countries facing global changes not seen for a century,but also a concentrated outbreak of political,economic and social contradictions that has been accumulating in certain Latin American countries over a long period of time.Facing unprecedented global change over a century,the Latin American countries will be able to usher in the"Latin American Spring"only if they carry out profound reform with great courage,and achieve significant progress in their political systems,economic structures,and social security systems.
文摘In this note, the author find an upper bound formula for the number of the p × p normalized Latin Square,the first row and column of which are both standard order 1, 2,…p.
文摘This paper aims to review and analyze the literature on the expansion of Chinese firms to Latin America. In order to achieve this objective, it first reviews the literature on the internationalization of Chinese MNCs, the theoretical frameworks discussed in the literature and the principal features of companies from China. Second, it describes the economic and political relations between the countries, specifically the threats and opportunities for Latin America and the trade and investment trends. The review shows that the majority of the current literature on Chinese MNCs has a focus on their expansion to developed countries, on the conceptual framework needed to understand this expansion, and on the competition for foreign investments from developed countries. As a result, the analysis makes evident that research gaps seem to exist in the following areas: (1) the relative value of Chinese companies' existing advantages, (2) the sustainability of these advantages once the lead, probably given by OEMs or JVs, had been exhausted, (3) research works based on quantitative and comparative data, (4) the motives for FDI, (5) the entry mode, configuration, control and strategy of Chinese companies investing in Latin America, and (6) the potential opportunities presented to European companies operating in Latin America.
文摘The pandemic’s huge impact on all countries and regions is the biggest black swan event in 2020 and the biggest gray rhino event in 2021.Though Latin America was the last continent attacked by COVID-19,it became in 2020 the designated epicenter of infection,surpassing Europe and catching up with the United States.The rapidity of spread in Latin America,the wide range and high incidence of infections,and the death toll were larger than in other places.The pandemic has resulted in the largest economic recession in Latin American history.It also has a significant impact on China-Latin America relations.When the pandemic in Latin American will end depends on large-scale,wide application of vaccines,strict prevention and control,and international cooperation.丁he pandemic reveals the fierce contradiction between society and nature.
文摘Latin America shows one of the highest incidence rates of gastric cancer in the world,with variations in mortality rates among nations or even within countries belonging to this region.Gastric cancer is the result of a multifactorial complex process,for which a multistep model of carcinogenesis is currently accepted.Additionally to the infection with Helicobacter pylori,that plays a major role,environmental factors as well as genetic susceptibility factors are significant players at different stages in the gastric cancer process.The differences in population origin,demographic structure,socio-economic development,and the impact of globalization lifestyles experienced in Latin America in the last decades,all together offer opportunities for studying in this context the influence of genetic polymorphisms in the susceptibility to gastric cancer.The aim of this article is to discuss current trends on gastric cancer in Latin American countries and to review the available published information about studies of association of gene polymorphisms involved in gastric cancer susceptibility from this region of the world.A total of 40 genes or genomic regions and69 genetic variants,58%representing markers involved in inflammatory response,have been used in a number of studies in which predominates a low number of individuals(cases and controls)included.Polymorphisms of IL-1B(-511 C/T,14 studies;-31 T/C,10 studies)and IL-1RN(variable number of tandem repeats,17 studies)are the most represented ones in the reviewed studies.Other genetic variants recently evaluated in large metaanalyses and associated with gastric cancer risk were also analyzed in a few studies[e.g.,prostate stem cell antigen(PSCA),CDH1,Survivin].Further and better analysis centered in gene polymorphisms linked to other covariates,epidemiological studies and the information provided by meta-analyses and genome-wide association studies should help to improve our understanding of gastric cancer etiology in order to develop appropriate health programs in Latin America.
文摘Latin America, a region with a population greater than 600000000 individuals, is well known due to its wide geographic, socio-cultural and economic heterogeneity. Access to health care remains as the main barrier that challenges routine screening, early diagnosis and proper treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). Therefore, identification of population at risk, implementation of surveillance programs and access to curative treatments has been poorly obtained in the region. Different retrospective cohort studies from the region have shown flaws in the implementation process of routine surveillance and early HCC diagnosis. Furthermore, adherence to clinical practice guidelines recommendations assessed in two studies from Brazil and Argentina demonstrated that there is also room for improvement in this field, similarly than the one observed in Europe and the United States. In summary, Latin America shares difficulties in HCC decision-making processes similar to those from developed countries. However, a transversal limitation in the region is the poor access to health care with the consequent limitation to standard treatments for overall population. Specifically, universal health care access to the different World Health Organization levels is crucial, including improvement in research, education and continuous medical training in order to expand knowledge and generation of data promoting a continuous improvement in the care of HCC patients.
文摘Improving the efficiency of ship optimization is crucial for modem ship design. Compared with traditional methods, multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) is a more promising approach. For this reason, Collaborative Optimization (CO) is discussed and analyzed in this paper. As one of the most frequently applied MDO methods, CO promotes autonomy of disciplines while providing a coordinating mechanism guaranteeing progress toward an optimum and maintaining interdisciplinary compatibility. However, there are some difficulties in applying the conventional CO method, such as difficulties in choosing an initial point and tremendous computational requirements. For the purpose of overcoming these problems, optimal Latin hypercube design and Radial basis function network were applied to CO. Optimal Latin hypercube design is a modified Latin Hypercube design. Radial basis function network approximates the optimization model, and is updated during the optimization process to improve accuracy. It is shown by examples that the computing efficiency and robustness of this CO method are higher than with the conventional CO method.
基金Supported by In part grants from the United States National Institutes of Health,Nos.CA1255884,CA167773,CA028842(to Morgan DR)
文摘To estimate Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) recurrence rate in Latin America, a region with a significant H. pylori prevalence and gastric cancer burden. METHODSPubMed, LILACS, SciELO, Cochrane databases and abstracts from relevant meetings were reviewed. Information collected included: Participants’ characteristics, recruitment strategy, diagnostic modality, treatment arms, follow-up and recurrence rates. Recurrence was calculated using 100-patients-year rates, and data were pooled using a random effects model. The I<sup>2</sup> statistic assessed between study heterogeneity. Meta-regression analyses evaluated for effect modifying variables. RESULTSLiterature search yielded 163 articles. Twelve studies involving 4848 patients from 9 countries met inclusion criteria. Four hundred and thirty-two reinfections were recorded in 5487 person-years of follow-up. Pooled analysis showed a recurrence rate of 7.9 cases per 100 person-years (95%CI: 5.3-10.5). Meta-regression revealed that neither the antibiotic schema, a second antibiotic course, nor the diagnostic modality had an impact on the observed risk of recurrence. The recurrence rate in the first year after treatment, predominantly recrudescence, was 11.2 (6.1-16.4) per 100 patient years. Recurrence in subsequent years, was only 6.2 (3.8-8.7). CONCLUSIONH. pylori recurrence rates in Latin America are significant, and with geographic variability, yet are acceptable based upon the current literature for consideration of large scale intervention trials. Further research in Latin America is warranted to evaluate the efficacy, cost-effectiveness, and potential adverse outcomes of proposed eradication programs.
基金Supported by The National Council of Science and Technology,Fondo Sectorial Salud-2010-1-139085the Jalisco State Council of Science and Technology,COECYTJAL-Universidad de Guadalajara 5-2010-1-1041 to Roman S,Guadalajara,Jalisco,Mexico
文摘Hepatitis B virus(HBV)infection is the leading cause of severe chronic liver disease.This article provides a critical view of the importance of genomic medicine for the study of HBV infection and its clinical outcomes in Latin America.Three levels of evolutionary adaptation may correlate with the clinical outcomes of HBV infection.Infections in Latin America are predominantly of genotype H in Mexico and genotype F in Central and South America;these strains have historically circulated among the indigenous population.Both genotypes appear to be linked to a benign course of disease among the native and mestizo Mexicans and native South Americans.In contrast,genotypes F,A and D are common in acute and chronic infections among mestizos with Caucasian ancestry.Hepatocellular carcinoma is rare in Mexicans,but it has been associated with genotype F1b among Argentineans.This observation illustrates the significance of ascertaining the genetic and environmental factors involved in the development of HBV-related liver disease in Latin America,which contrast with those reported in other regions of the world.
文摘AIM: To optimize diagnosis and treatment guidelines for this geographic region, a panel of gastroenterologists, epidemiologists, and basic scientists carried out a structured evaluation of available literature.
基金Supported in part by the National High Technology Re-search and Development Program of China (2008 AA01Z-401)the National Science Foundation of China (No.60903028)+1 种基金Doctoral Fund of Ministry of Education of China (20070055054)Science and Technology De-velopment Plan of Tianjin (08JCYBJC13000)
文摘In recent years,a lot of XOR-based coding schemes have been developed to tolerate double disk failures in Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) architectures,such as EVENODD-code,X-code,B-code and BG-HEDP. Despite those researches,the decades-old strategy of Reed-Solomon (RS) code remains the only popular space-optimal Maximum Distance Separable (MDS) code for all but the smallest storage systems. The reason is that all those XOR-based schemes are too difficult to be implemented,it mainly because the coding-circle of those codes vary with the number of disks. By contrast,the coding-circle of RS code is a constant. In order to solve this problem,we develop a new MDS code named Latin code and a cascading scheme based on Latin code. The cascading Latin scheme is a nearly MDS code (with only one or two more parity disks compared with the MDS ones). Nev-ertheless,it keeps the coding-circle of the basic Latin code (i.e. a constant) and the low encod-ing/decoding complexity similar to other parity array codes.
文摘This paper is part of a research into the Latin American thinking on international affairs and a continuation of a line of work on Latin American contributions to the environmental discussion installed in the global political agenda in the early 70s. The premise was that Latin American contributions were initially made by professionals closely related to ECLAC, UNEP and the Bariloche Foundation. These professionals and agencies understood how poverty and backwardness were endured by the majority of the regional and world’s population was one of the main causes of environmental degradation;consequently, overcoming the environmental crisis meant that underdevelopment should be eradicated without delay. This view of the environmental problems was synthesized in the combined concept of “environment and development”, which was also understood in the region as “eco development”. Finally, the broad phenomenon they wanted to describe using the terms “environment and development” was summarized in the concept of sustainable development as defined in the 1987 World Commission on Environment and Development report “Our Common Future”.