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The dynamics of the transitions from regular basic education to higher education are analyzed in order to measure and characterize the degree of disconnection between the two training stages. Survival methods were used to predict higher education entry rates for recent high school graduates, addressing the issue of data censorship. It has been found that about 30% of young people transition to higher education in the second year after completing high school, then the rate of admission grows over the years until reaching 67.1% at the end of the process. The risk of dropping out of full secondary status and moving on to tertiary education is higher if moving on to university education and privately run institutions. In addition, there is evidence of a continuous process with respect to educational management, since graduating from private schools offers greater probabilities of transition to HE of the same management. On the other hand, the greater human capital of the parents translates into greater human capital for the children, this is invariant to the type of higher education that the young people go through. Instead, the role of socioeconomic conditions turns out to be significant only for the transition to universities and private institutions, while cognitive skills fail to explain entry into private management. Additionally, gender gaps are favorable for women, a consistent result across the different models evaluated, while labor participation turns out to be less restrictive for entry to non-university education and private institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We give a description of a class of numerical semigroups with embedding dimension equal to 4, defined by four pairwise relatively prime nonnegative integers n , x , y 1 and y 2 such that y 1 + y 2 = t n , for t ≥ 2 and t ∈ ℕ. Such description provides a mode to determine the characteristics of the corresponding numerical semigroups: the Frobenius number, gaps, genus, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent policy reforms to the national assessment system in England have altered the way in which teachers undertake assessment. Through an analysis of data from a small-scale interview study with eleven primary teachers in the south and east of England, we examine the ways in which teachers work with assessment software to monitor and track attainment. By employing a theoretical lens focusing on power and implementing an analytics of government, we illuminate the visualising effects of whole-class digital assessment grids. A prominent feature across the data set is the use of the language of 'gaps' in relation to the teaching and assessment of mathematics. We argue that digital assessment tools act as technologies of power and of the self which shape teachers' practices, their identities, how they position children as learners, but also shape the nature of the subject of mathematics itself. It is important to better understand assessment software in education and the discourses in which it operates in order to recognise what is at stake for teaching, learning and curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ensaio: Avaliação e Políticas Públicas em Educação is the property of Ensaio: Avaliacao e Politicas Publicas em Educacao and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The intrinsic importance and value of geographical indications and their special characteristics, which, if protected, would have far-reaching economic, cultural and even political benefits, would justify the need to protect them. The present study descriptively-analytically examined the legal protection of geographical indications nationally and internationally and identified gaps in the protection of signs in Iranian law. The results showed that recognizing a geographical indication, whether through registration, court, administrative decision or other means, is not sufficient to realize the potential benefits of protecting a geographical indication. Also, although protecting a geographical indication is essential, it is not the only condition for its success. Also, although there are several ways to protect a geographical indication in theory, even ancillary laws such as the "Fight against Unfair Competition" and the "Consumer Protection Act" and other similar rules and regulations are among these valuable intellectual assets. They protect. However, there are limitations to their protection in practice, largely due to the wide variety of protection systems associated with these symptoms. It was also observed that despite special rules in some countries and territories with geographical indications, including Iran, there is still no global consensus and a single legal authority to support these indications at the international level fully. Therefore, it is necessary to create a comprehensive geographical indication design for a geographical indication to effectively create brand equity for a product or positively impact rural development or the preservation of traditional knowledge, traditional cultural expressions, or biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fisheries resources face a confluence of socio‐ecological challenges, the resolution of which requires interdisciplinary scientific information for sustainable utilization and management. The present study assessed gaps and challenges in Lake Victoria fisheries resources management for better research focus, policy formulation and improved governance of the fishery towards sustainability. Using key informant interviews and a plenary discussion with trans‐disciplinary experts regarding Lake Victoria fisheries research, management and policy sectors, the present study identified current management challenges, gaps and priorities. The present study results indicate a constantly increasing fishing effort, poor enforcement of existing regulations and pollution and invasive weeds pose the greatest threats to the sustainability of Lake Victoria's fisheries resources. Policy gaps include a lack of regulations on emerging technologies (e.g. cage culture) and an absence of implementation guidelines and framework for some existing policies. The aspects and gaps of each challenge are discussed, using available literature for the lake, with policy and capacity interventions recommended under each section for sustainable management of Lake Victoria fisheries resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) spread rapidly from China to most other countries around the world in early 2020 killing millions of people. To prevent virus spread, world governments implemented a variety of response measures. This paper's objectives were to discuss the country's adopted measures to combat the virus through June 2020, identify gaps in the measures' effectiveness, and offer possible mitigations to those gaps. The measures taken included screening device deployment across international air and land ports, flight suspensions and closures from COVID-19 affected countries, and declaration and extension of a national public holiday (equivalent to lockdowns in other countries). Identified gaps were test kit, PPE, ICU beds, and ventilator shortages, limited public awareness, and insufficient coordination and collaboration among national and international partners. Proper and timely risk mapping, preparedness, communication, coordination, and collaboration among governments and organizations, and public awareness and engagement would have provided sufficient COVID-19 mitigation in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the conventional treatment in evolutionary inference of alignment gaps as missing data, we propose a simple nonparametric test of the null hypothesis that the locations of alignment gaps are independent of the nucleotide substitution or amino acid replacement process. When we apply the test to 1,390 protein alignments that are informed by protein tertiary structure and use a 5% significance level, the null hypothesis of independence between amino acid replacement and gap location is rejected for ~65% of datasets. Via simulations that include substitution and insertion-deletion, we show that the test performs well with true alignments. When we simulate according to the null hypothesis and then apply the test to optimal alignments that are inferred by each of four widely used software packages, the null hypothesis is rejected too frequently. Via further simulations and analyses, we show that the overly frequent rejections of the null hypothesis are not solely due to weaknesses of widely used software for finding optimal alignments. Instead, our evidence suggests that optimal alignments are unrepresentative of true alignments and that biased evolutionary inferences may result from relying upon individual optimal alignments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children from certain racial and ethnic minority backgrounds, in poverty, and/or with a disability, often face distinct challenges in attending school, leading them to miss more school relative to their non-minority, more socio-economically advantaged and non-disabled peers. This brief describes these disparities in absenteeism in the US, discusses the challenge of explaining these disparities, and considers the implications that disparities have for addressing absenteeism. Finally, it closes with advice on how schools can make headway in reducing disparities in absenteeism. As this brief argues, while schools can readily document absenteeism gaps, diagnosing the root causes of these gaps remains much more elusive. Further, schools seeking to reduce disparities in absenteeism will not only need to intentionally establish explicit targets to reduce such gaps, but they will need to develop individualized strategies to remove barriers to attendance thereby getting children—especially those facing disproportionate challenges—back into the classroom.

Background: Managers in companies often do not know about modern techniques and design tools for creating technological and innovation processes, and about the possibility of their usage for effective management and decision-making. Aim: This study seeks to establish if there are eminent gaps in managing sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) through technology and innovation systems, and its impacts on service delivery in influencing business survival in an unprecedented and unavoidable competitive business world environment, and to build up the impact of these gaps on business performance. Setting: It is essential to have a realistic vision and practical approaches to the management of technology and innovation for SCA and goal-oriented objectives for city governments. Methods: This study examines applicable and accessible literature whilst using a secondary research analysis methodology to examine the objectives and research issues of the investigation. Results: It is concluded that managing technology and innovation for SCA is not a means to an end, but a set of tools and strategies to ensure proper service delivery to the people and communities. Conclusion: This research study endeavours to provide a significant positive impact to business success and additionally, for the improvement of technology and innovation of an organisation. A fundamental issue for industrialisation and governments is the need to support innovation and change amongst industry individuals with a specific end goal to build efficiency and upgrade the business’ competitive position.

This article aims to research the major changes in the Conceptual Framework of Financial Reporting; to find out the new gaps in the current document; to group the changes into categories; to analyze the current difficulties and consequences of these changes for a consistent understanding between standard-setters and practitioners. The Onion research model based on the quantitative data collection with elements of descriptive analysis was considered as important contributions to the research methodology of the Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting investigation. As a result, a comparative analysis of the financial reporting concepts was made between July 1989, September 2010, and March 2018. The implications of results are two-fold. On the one hand, the revised Conceptual Framework is a more comprehensive set of concepts that enhance the understanding between practitioners and standard-setters. On the other hand, it consists of the new gaps most of them in the ―Updating” category. It is concluded that this innovation complicates the reporting process for practitioners because it requires using of additional judgments. Besides, the investigation shows some IFRS are not justified within only the Conceptual Framework that might be the subject for further research.

speciesLink is a large-scale biodiversity information portal that exists thanks to a broad collaborative network of people and institutions. CRIA's involvement with the scientific community of Brazil and other countries is responsible for the significant results achieved, currently reaching more than 15 million primary biodiversity data records, 95% of which are associated with preserved specimens and about 25% with high-quality digital images. The network provides data on over 200,000 species, of which over 110,000 occur in Brazil. This article describes thematic networks within speciesLink, as well as some of the most useful tools developed. The importance and contributions of speciesLink are outlined, as are concerns about securing stable budgetary support for such biodiversity data e-infrastructures. Here we review the value of speciesLink as a major source of biodiversity information for research, education, informed decision-making, policy development, and bioeconomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identification of post pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) gaps by activation and voltage maps is time-consuming. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics, efficiency and accuracy of LiveView dynamic display module (EnSite™ Dynamic Display; Abbott, Abbott Park, IL, USA) in unmasking post PVI gaps and conduction block line. Twenty four patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) who failed to achieve first-pass PVI or with recurrent PAF were enrolled. Ninety-six pulmonary veins (PVs) were evaluated, and gaps were identified in 25 (26.0%) PVs. The gap location was confirmed by activation and propagation maps; 110 frames on gaps and 118 frames on block lines were analyzed by using LiveView module. We defined isochronal crowding in the local activation time (LAT) mode as three colors between two adjacent electrodes. Each frame was classified as with or without isochronal crowding in LAT mode and one/continuous color or isochronal discontinuity in reentrant mode. The gray color inside the PVs was considered to represent conduction block. The isochronal crowding could be found on both gap and block line in LAT mode, whereas isochronal discontinuity only presented on the block line in reentrant mode. The sensitivity and specificity of isochronal discontinuity or gray color in reentrant mode to identify block line were 61.0% and 100%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of isochronal crowding or gray color in LAT mode to identify block line were 71.2% and 71.8%, respectively. Reentrant mode in LiveView module is very specific in identifying block lines. We proposed an efficient, practical algorithm to differentiate the block line from PV gaps. [Display omitted] • Pulmonary vein gaps and block lines present different dynamic activation patterns. • The electrogram is usually fractionated on gaps but not on block lines. • Using dynamic mapping and electrogram can identify pulmonary vein gaps efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research's aim was to comparatively evaluate regional development in Peru in the period 2015-2019, through the multidimensional elaboration of a Regional Development Index (RDI) that involves the four interdependent components of sustainable development (economic, social, environmental and institutional). For this, it has been rigorously followed the Principal Component Analysis (PCA), the Jenks Natural Breaks method, the sigma convergence and the Cronbach's Alpha coefficient. The results show that certain regions (Callao, Ica, Moquegua, Lima) triple the development of others (Cajamarca, Huancavelica, Puno, Loreto), despite the fact that the latter have large sources of development; one reason is due to the low progress in the institutional dimension. In hierarchical order, the dimensions with the greatest contribution to the RDI (degree of association of the dimensions with respect to the RDI) are social (95.20%), environmental (95.98%), economic (84.78%) and institutional (49.42%). In addition, the results show the existence of a regional sigma convergence, which indicates that regional disparities decreased in the 2015-2019 period. Likewise, Cronbach's Alpha Coefficient (0.90) reports the existence of internal reliability in the methodology used. Finally, the design of a web platform prototype that iteratively shows Peru regional development is included, using intelligent algorithms, big data, web scraping and geospatial information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Big data and data analysis methods and models are important tools in food security (FS) studies for gap analysis and preparation of appropriate analytical frameworks. These innovations necessitate the development of novel methods for col- lecting, storing, processing, and extracting data. Methodology. The primary goal of this study was to conduct a critical review of agricultural big data and methods and models used for FS studies published in peer-reviewed journals since 2010. Approximately 130 articles were selected for full content review after the pre-screening process. Results. There are different sources of data collection, including but not limited to online databases, the internet, omics, Internet of Things, social media, survey rounds, remote sensing, and the Food and Agriculture Organization Corporate Statistical Database. The collected data require analysis (i.e., mining, neural networks, Bayesian networks, and other ML algorithms) before data visualization using Python, R, Circos, Gephi, Tableau, or Cytoscape. Approximately 122 models, all of which were used in FS studies worldwide, were selected from 130 articles. However, most of these models addressed only one or two dimensions of FS (i.e., availability and access) and ignored the other dimensions (i.e., stability and utilization), creating a gap in the global context. Conclusions. There are certain FS gaps both worldwide and in the United Arab Emi- rates that need to be addressed by scientists and policymakers. Following the identifi- cation of the drivers, policies, and indicators, the findings of this review could be used to develop an appropriate analytical framework for FS and nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regarding the effects of outsourcing in the Brazilian labor market, this article aims to understand the causes of the effects, in labor relations involving outsourced employees in public administration, something that has been shown to be a significant and frequent problem in Brazilian society. Therefore, the logic was to explore materials elaborated on the subject, scientific articles, websites, books, statistical indicators, and legislation, in order to find a believable solution, capable of solving the setbacks found in the current law of outsourcing (Law No. 13,429/2017) and contribute to put the worker in a situation of vulnerability. That said, it is imperative to find a solution to the problems encountered, to assert the dignity of the human person where it is one of the basic principles in the Federal Constitution of 1988. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For N ∈ N ≥ 2 and α ∈ R such that 0 < α ≤ N - 1 , we define I α : = [ α , α + 1 ] and I α - : = [ α , α + 1) and investigate the continued fraction map T α : I α → I α - , which is defined as T α (x) : = N x - d (x) , where d : I α → N is defined by d (x) : = N x - α . For N ∈ N ≥ 7 , for certain values of α , open intervals (a , b) ⊂ I α exist such that for almost every x ∈ I α there is an n 0 ∈ N for which T α n (x) ∉ (a , b) for all n ≥ n 0 . These gaps (a, b) are investigated using the square Υ α : = I α × I α - , where the orbits T α k (x) , k = 0 , 1 , 2 , ... of numbers x ∈ I α are represented as cobwebs. The squares Υ α are the union of fundamental regions, which are related to the cylinder sets of the map T α , according to the finitely many values of d in T α . In this paper some clear conditions are found under which I α is gapless. If I α consists of at least five cylinder sets, it is always gapless. In the case of four cylinder sets there are usually no gaps, except for the rare cases that there is one, very wide gap. Gaplessness in the case of two or three cylinder sets depends on the position of the endpoints of I α with regard to the fixed points of I α under T α . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background An inverted repeat is a DNA sequence followed downstream by its reverse complement, potentially with a gap in the centre. Inverted repeats are found in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes and they have been linked with countless possible functions. Many international consortia provide a comprehensive description of common genetic variation making alternative sequence representations, such as IUPAC encoding, necessary for leveraging the full potential of such broad variation datasets. Results We present IUPACpal, an exact tool for efficient identification of inverted repeats in IUPAC-encoded DNA sequences allowing also for potential mismatches and gaps in the inverted repeats. Conclusion Within the parameters that were tested, our experimental results show that IUPACpal compares favourably to a similar application packaged with EMBOSS. We show that IUPACpal identifies many previously unidentified inverted repeats when compared with EMBOSS, and that this is also performed with orders of magnitude improved speed.

Background Big data and data analysis methods and models are important tools in food security (FS) studies for gap analysis and preparation of appropriate analytical frameworks. These innovations necessitate the development of novel methods for collecting, storing, processing, and extracting data. Methodology The primary goal of this study was to conduct a critical review of agricultural big data and methods and models used for FS studies published in peer-reviewed journals since 2010. Approximately 130 articles were selected for full content review after the pre-screening process. Results There are different sources of data collection, including but not limited to online databases, the internet, omics, Internet of Things, social media, survey rounds, remote sensing, and the Food and Agriculture Organization Corporate Statistical Database. The collected data require analysis (i.e., mining, neural networks, Bayesian networks, and other ML algorithms) before data visualization using Python, R, Circos, Gephi, Tableau, or Cytoscape. Approximately 122 models, all of which were used in FS studies worldwide, were selected from 130 articles. However, most of these models addressed only one or two dimensions of FS (i.e., availability and access) and ignored the other dimensions (i.e., stability and utilization), creating a gap in the global context. Conclusions There are certain FS gaps both worldwide and in the United Arab Emirates that need to be addressed by scientists and policymakers. Following the identification of the drivers, policies, and indicators, the findings of this review could be used to develop an appropriate analytical framework for FS and nutrition.

Copyright of Al-Bahith Journal is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In the early stage of business, which is where most new ventures fail, many entrepreneurs experience discrepancies between their entrepreneurial expectations and business realities. These discrepancies referred to by this paper as an entrepreneurial gap (EG) are, therefore, among other factors, professed to be responsible for the high attrition rate of emerging ventures in South Africa. An oversight in this area of EG, despite the provision of most required resources, may still lead to business failure. This paper argues that there is more yet to be comprehended regarding early-stage business success, concerning the entrepreneur component. The purpose of this paper was to recognize and classify factors responsible for establishing entrepreneurial gaps with the intent to improve the level of preparedness among emerging entrepreneurs. A qualitative approach with in-depth interviews was employed in the data collection. ATLAS ti 8 was used to unpack factors that instigate entrepreneurial gaps while posing challenges to emerging entrepreneurs in the early stage of business. The groups identified were: entrepreneur management, familism and personal management. The findings provide information that is credible to improving the level of preparedness among emerging entrepreneurs, and could be used by mentors, coaches and relevant support structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Agronomy Science is the property of University of Life Sciences in Lublin and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Literary texts differ from informative works because of their being reconstructed in the reader's imagination. The uncertainty areas and gaps created by the author in the text allow a reading process that makes the reader active. In proportion of the multiplicity of these ambiguous areas, the creation of large areas that the reader can complete in his mind also appears as an element that enriches the text. This issue, which is interpreted philosophically by Roman İngarden and Wolfgang Iser, constitutes the starting point of our study. In addition, Peter Mendelsund's writings on the reader's effort to complete the text in the mind in the act of reading and Elaine Scarry's words on the imagination during reading the literary text are also included in our study. Sait Faik Abasıyanık is an important name in Turkish storytelling. These ambiguities and gaps are an important feature in the background of the resistance of his stories against time being. Sait Faik Abasıyanık's "Meserret Oteli" story, as a sample, is quite remarkable in terms of showing the areas of ambiguity in the text and left to the reader by the author. In our study, it is aimed to identify these areas that are left to the imagination of the reader in Sait Faik Abasıyanık's work called "Meserret Oteli" and to reveal their contributions to the enrichment of the text. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed at evaluating volumetrically gaps and voids of calcium-silicate based materials of different generations and handling properties (BC—Endosequence BC RRM-Fast Set Condensable Putty, MTA—ProRoot MTA, and BIO—Biodentine) in simulated furcal perforations in an ex vivo setup by microcomputed tomography (Micro-CT) analysis. Thirty-six extracted human mandibular molars with sound furcation areas were selected. Standardized perforations were created in the furcation area of the pulp chamber using #4 diamond burs. The specimens were randomly assigned to three groups (BC, MTA and BIO; n = 12). Samples were then scanned (SkyScan 1172; Bruker-microCT, Kontich, Belgium), and three-dimensional (3D) images reconstructed. The relative volume of gaps (VG%) and voids (VV%) present on each material was calculated. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's HSD test (p < 0.05). Mean VG% for BC, MTA, and BIO groups were, respectively, 0.513%, 1.128%, 1.460%, with BC presenting statistically (p < 0.05) fewer gaps formation than the other groups. Mean VV% were, respectively, 0.018%, 0.037%, and 0.065%. The was no statistical difference regarding VV%. There were no gap-free and void-free samples. BC group had the lowest VG% among the groups with a significant statistical difference (p < 0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distribution of canopy heights in tropical rain forests directly affects carbon storage and the maintenance of biodiversity. We report results from a unique 20‐yr record of annual monitoring of canopy‐height distributions across an old‐growth tropical rain forest landscape at the La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica. Canopy heights to 15 m were measured annually in 18 0.50‐ha plots at 231 points on a 5 × 5 m grid from 1999–2018 (nine plots in 1999), and heights >15 m were classified as "high canopy." During the study two major disturbance events (one immediately prior to the study) dominated the landscape‐scale distribution of canopy heights. Height recovery from the 1997–1998 strong El Niño disturbance took approximately 15 yr. Frequency of canopy gaps varied an order of magnitude among years and 96% disappeared in ≤2 yr. High‐canopy coverage and gap frequency varied substantially across the local gradients of soil nutrients and topography, and plot‐level conditions and trends frequently differed from the landscape‐level patterns. In contrast to the two major landscape‐level disturbances, significant plot‐level disturbances were common throughout two decades. Including a similar data set taken in 1992, canopy‐height distributions for the last three decades over this old‐growth tropical rain forest landscape are most parsimoniously interpreted as showing local disturbance and recovery and no unidirectional trends over time. Together these results suggest that understanding the landscape‐ and plot‐level dynamics of tropical rain forest canopy‐height distributions will require repeat sampling for multiple decades, while accurately measuring gap frequency and recovery will require sample intervals of ≤2 yr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Influenza and pertussis infections are disproportionately higher among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and their infants compared to other Australians. These infections are potentially preventable through vaccination in pregnancy; however, there is a lack of systematic monitoring and therefore knowledge of vaccine uptake, safety and effectiveness in Australia, and specifically among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. The limited data available suggest there is a lower uptake of maternal vaccination among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women compared to non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, and this review seeks to explore potential reasons and the knowledge gaps in this regard. Other key gaps include the equitable access to quality antenatal care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women; and pregnancy loss

Recent studies have suggested that extended duration oral contraceptive pills (OCP), such as the 12-month duration, have a positive impact on pregnancy rates but negative impact on pill wastage. Several states have since been mandating health plans to offer extended duration OCP as an option for women. The objective of the study was to evaluate the impact of these mandates on utilization of extended duration OCPs. Using claims data of a large pharmacy benefit manager for commercially insured women from 2018 to 2019, use, adherence, continuity, and wastage of OCPs by women dispensed one-month only, three-months only, 6 or 12-months only, and other months (which includes other months and mixed duration OCP) was retrospectively analyzed. OCP dispensed by year, and adherence, continuity, wastage over a 15-month period were summarized using Chi square and ANOVA. There were 874,420 and 875,914 women in this study in 2018 and 2019 respectively. Of these, 34% were from states with the mandate (SWM). Most women filled the one-month and three-month duration, with very low overall 6 or 12-month duration claims. Proportion of utilizers of 6 or 12- month duration was higher in SWM than in those without, although differences in absolute rates were very low. Patients with OCP discontinuation, gaps ≥7 and 14 days, were fewer among those filling 6 or 12-month duration but conversely, wastage was higher in this group compared to those filling one or three-month duration. Our findings suggest that, among commercially insured women, extended duration OCP mandates have so far not had much influence on use of 6 or 12-month duration OCP prescriptions.

Oceanographic parameters, such as sea surface temperature, surface chlorophyll-a concentration, sea surface ice concentration, sea surface height, etc., are listed as Essential Climate Variables. Therefore, there is a crucial need for persistent and accurate measurements on a global scale. While in situ methods tend to be accurate and continuous, these qualities are difficult to scale spatially, leaving a significant portion of Earth’s oceans and seas unmonitored. To tackle this, various remote sensing techniques have been developed. One of the more prominent ways to measure the aforementioned parameters is via satellite spacecraft-mounted remote sensors. This way, spatial coverage is considerably increased while retaining significant accuracy and resolution. Unfortunately, due to the nature of electromagnetic signals, the atmosphere itself and its content (such as clouds, rain, etc.) frequently obstruct the signals, preventing the satellite-mounted sensors from measuring, resulting in gaps—missing data—in satellite recordings. One way to deal with these gaps is via various reconstruction methods developed through the past two decades. However, there seems to be a lack of review papers on reconstruction methods for satellite-derived oceanographic variables. To rectify the lack, this paper surveyed more than 130 articles dealing with the issue of data reconstruction. Articles were chosen according to two criteria: (a) the article has to feature satellite-derived oceanographic data (b) gaps in satellite data have to be reconstructed. As an additional result of the survey, a novel categorising system based on the type of input data and the usage of time series in reconstruction efforts is proposed.

In recent years, various poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors (PARPis) have been approved for the treatment of several cancers to target the vulnerability of homologous recombination (HR) deficiency (e.g., due to BRCA1/2 dysfunction). In this review we analyze the ongoing debates and recent breakthroughs in the use of PARPis for BRCA1/2-deficient cancers, juxtaposing the 'double-strand break (DSB)' and 'single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) gap' models of synthetic lethality induced by PARPis. We spotlight the complexity of this interaction, highlighting emerging research on the role of DNA polymerase theta (POLθ) and ssDNA gaps in shaping therapy responses. We scrutinize the clinical ramifications of these findings, especially concerning PARPi efficacy and resistance mechanisms, underscoring the heterogeneity of BRCA-mutated tumors and the urgent need for advanced research to bridge the gap between laboratory models and patient outcomes., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Gender equality has been widely explored, but there is limited research investigating its variability at regional level. This paper aims to fill this gap by developing and validating a new, regional gender gaps index, compatible with previous indices used to compare gender equality across nations but now fit for the purpose of measuring gender equality across regions, within nations. To this end, we (i) reviewed existing indicators of gender equality; (ii) assessed the contribution of the indicators most frequently used in previous research to measure gender equality; (iii) developed an extended, regional version of the gender gaps index (eRGGI), by extending it to include new indicators able to capture female empowerment in developed countries, like Italy; and, (iv) explored the variability of gender equality across Italian regions. In developing our eRGGI, some indicators traditionally used to measure gender equality were removed and others were introduced to capture new dimensions of gender equality to suit modern conditions regarding contexts where equality is considered important, in contemporary Europe. Results showed that gender equality varies dramatically across regions, also confirming the relevance of the new indicators we proposed to add. Such results call for more caution in interpreting results based on nationally aggregated data to inform policy and practice, arguing for regional comparisons to become more prominent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]