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Purpose: In case of soft tissue sarcomas (STS), an en-bloc resection with safe margins is recommended. To ensure safe removal without tumor rupture, STS of the groin area, retroperitoneal or pelvic mesenchymal tumors may require incision or resection of the inguinal ligament. Solid reconstruction is mandatory to prevent early and late postoperative femoral hernias. We present here a new technique of inguinal ligament reconstruction. Methods: Between September 2020 and September 2022, patients undergoing incision and/or resection of inguinal ligaments during a wide en-bloc resection of STS of the groin area in the Department of General Surgery in Strasbourg were included. All patients had an inguinal ligament reconstruction with biosynthetic slowly resorbable mesh shaped as a hammock, pre- or intraperitoneally, associated or not with loco-regional pedicled muscular flaps. Results: A total of 7 hammock mesh reconstructions were performed. One or several flaps were necessary in 57% of cases (4 patients): either for inguinal ligament reconstruction only (n = 1), for recovering of femoral vessels (n = 1), and for both ligament reconstruction and defect covering (n = 2). The major morbidity rate was 14.3% (n = 1), related to a thigh surgical site infection due to sartorius flap infarction. After a median follow-up of 17.8 months (range 7–31), there was neither early nor late occurrence of post-operative femoral hernia. Conclusions: This is a new surgical tool for inguinal ligament reconstruction with the implementation of a biosynthetic slowly resorbable mesh shaped as a hammock, which should be compared to other techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is a reflection on early colonial industries as caring labor rather than just commodity production or resistance. We draw on Indigenous philosophies of relations and Amazonian ontologies to foreground care and frame the Caribbean material record. We investigate how traditional things such as hammocks and cassava bread produced by a sixteenth‐century encomienda population on Mona Island, part of the Puerto Rican archipelago, quickly became part and parcel of free and unfree contexts, extending sensory environments and shaping conditions of interaction throughout the Caribbean. Consideration of traditional things and ways they are incorporated within new assemblages of people and places reveals alternative world‐making projects, a speculative rejoinder to singular narratives of exploitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parallel Coordinate Plots (PCP) are a valuable tool for exploratory data analysis of high-dimensional numerical data. The use of PCPs is limited when working with categorical variables or a mix of categorical and continuous variables. In this article, we propose Generalized Parallel Coordinate Plots (GPCP) to extend the ability of PCPs from just numeric variables to dealing seamlessly with a mix of categorical and numeric variables in a single plot. In this process we find that existing solutions for categorical values only, such as hammock plots or parsets become edge cases in the new framework. By focusing on individual observations rather than a marginal frequency we gain additional flexibility. The resulting approach is implemented in the R package ggpcp. for this article are available online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The establishment of a resistor network model has become a sharp edge to solve complex scientific problems. In this paper, we introduce Chebyshev polynomials to express the potential formula of the hammock resistor network and improve the general solution of the hammock resistor network. Moreover, through the change in different parameters, special potential formulas are proposed and displayed in 3D dynamic view. A fast algorithm of the calculating potential is given by using the matrix equation model, discrete cosine transform-II, and the fast matrix-vector multiplication. Finally, we show the advantages of our improved potential formula and fast algorithm by the calculation efficiency of the three methods. The modified potential formula and the presented fast algorithm provide a new tool for the field of science and engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many properties of a module can be expressed in terms of the dimension of the vector space obtained by applying a finitely presented functor to that module. For example, the dimension of the kernel, image or cokernel of the multiplication map given by an algebra element; or the number of summands of a certain type when the module is considered as a module over a subalgebra. When the indecomposable modules over the algebra are arranged in the Auslander-Reiten quiver, the support of the finitely presented functor typically has the shape of a hammock, spanned between sources and sinks. There may also be tangents which are meshes where the hammock function at the middle term exceeds the sum of the values at the start and end terms. We describe how sources, sinks and tangents of the hammock relate to the modules which define the projective resolution of the finitely presented functor. The key tool is the Cokernel Complex Lemma which links the values of the hammock function to the Auslander-Reiten structure of the category. We are also interested in exact subcategories of module categories which have Auslander-Reiten sequences. Our examples include quiver representations and invariant subspaces of nilpotent linear operators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hammock resembles a swing made of fabric, rope or net suspended between two points. It is used for resting, sleeping, swinging, and also for sporting and entertainment purposes in the circus arts and entertainment industry throughout the world. Sports hammock activities are a combination of gymnastic exercises, yoga poses, strength training elements, and relaxing body positions. Despite the diversity of application and purpose, hammocks are similar in shape but differ in the materials from which they are made. They are popular under different names: Aerial Yoga, Anti Gravity Yoga, Unnta ® aerial yoga, Anti Gravity® Fitness, Aerial Play & Fitness™, Fly Fitness, Fly Fitness Inspiration, exercise hammock, etc. Sports hammock exercises are entering the variety of sports activities in which both children and adults are interested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we develop a new method for evaluating the reliability polynomial of a hammock network. The method is based on a homogeneous absorbing Markov chain and provides the exact reliability for networks of width less than 5 and arbitrary length. Moreover, it produces a lower bound for the reliability polynomial for networks of width greater than or equal to 5. To investigate how sharp this lower bound is, we compare our method with other approximation methods and it proves to be the most accurate in terms of absolute as well as relative error. Using the fundamental matrix, we also calculate the average time to absorption, which provides the mean length of a network that is expected to work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Results after radical prostatectomy (RP) are generally judged by complete removal of the cancer, return of urinary control, and the ability to have intercourse. Given the complexity of the anatomy of the prostate and its relationship to the surrounding nerves, muscles, and fascia, RP is considered a challenging and technically demanding surgery. Here we propose multiple intraoperative strategies to optimize oncological and functional outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spider fauna of the Everglades National Park in southern Florida was surveyed over 2 widely separated time periods: 1966 to 1967 and 2008 to 2009. Samples were made in 4 of the typical Everglades habitats: sawgrass prairie, willowhead marsh, pineland, and tropical hardwood hammock, as well as several "disturbed" areas. A total of 201 spider species was identified. Twenty-three additional taxa were identified only to genus and included for general Everglades information. One species was documented as new and undescribed, and several others possibly may be new. The Everglades National Park is located at the northern border of the Neotropical ecozone and the southern border of the Nearctic ecozone. Forty-seven percent of the species were Nearctic, 37% Nearctic/Neotropical, 12% Cosmopolitan, and 3% Neotropical. The greatest number of species was collected in the hardwood hammock habitat. Life cycles of 10 common species are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We tend to give less attention to the process of assembling things when analysing their social life or biography. There is a preconception of things being relatively stable, fixed and inert entities. In this paper, I suggest exploring the ordinary life of things, accounting for the interweaving of the human life with nonhuman materials. The mutual becomings of various entities, both humans and nonhumans, create assemblages that emerge from the interaction between their parts. Assembling things works to conceptualize how mutual entanglements create new possible worldings among a contemporary indigenous group in low land Latin-America. Ethnographically I trace the production process of hammocks and other types of items among the Warao of the Orinoco Delta, Venezuela, and how it entangles different 'others' like traders, tourists, missionaries and anthropologists and how these encounters affect the process of assembling things. Assembling things draws attention to how heterogenic component parts construe temporary but stable configurations that partake in people's worldmaking efforts. I use ethnography from the Warao and how their crafts, especially hammocks, become differently as they entangle various assemblages. I investigate three fields of assemblages in order to discern how the human/nonhuman entanglements unfold, namely household, market and museum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low-lying Florida Everglades ecosystem maintains a delicate dynamic balance between freshwater and seawater. Hence, the Everglades is vulnerable to sharp salinity alterations induced by climate variations. The associated increase in surface seawater inundation and subsurface saltwater intrusion will reduce the availability of fresh groundwater. This would pose a risk to the Floridan surficial aquifer that provides potable water supply for millions of inhabitants in Florida. The increased salinity and decreased freshwater inputs will also alter coastal ecosystems by facilitating the establishment and encroachment of plants with higher salinity and flooding tolerance. In the Florida Everglades, coastal hardwood hammocks are particularly vulnerable to saltwater intrusion induced by sea level rise (SLR). This paper aims to project a possible change in the Coot Bay Hammock of Florida Everglades subject to gradually rising sea level. For this purpose, the simulation model MANTRA is enhanced to simulate the vegetation zonation pattern at a cross section of Coot Bay Hammock in this paper. MANTRA couples two USGS models MANHAM and SUTRA. Model simulation reveals SLR could cause a regime shift from the glycophytic hardwood hammocks to the halophytic mangroves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since July 2020, the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg public library has been offering a new outreach service: during the warmer months of the year, the BiboBike tours the green spaces of the Berlin district. Seven hammocks around a bookshelf invite visitors to read, play, and relax in the park. This vacation-like island is a mobile library station, which travels through the streets as an e-bike with trailer and can be set up at the desired location in no time at all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthesis, characterization, coordination, bonding and electronic behavior of an ONS pincer ligand with divalent iron, cobalt, copper and zinc are described. The ligand is synthesized by condensation of dihydroxybenzaldehyde with thiosemicarbazide. The reaction of the ligand with metal ions in 1:2 (M:L) stoichiometric in identical conditions resulted in two octahedral pincer type complexes with iron and cobalt in which two ligands extend a perpendicular shape-retaining the ligand's linearity, and one trigonal bipyramidal pincer complex with zinc. For copper, the ligand preferred a bidentate coordination mode forming a square planar geometry. The structure of the copper complex can be viewed as a molecular hammock. Quantum mechanical studies at DFT level were undertaken to confirm the geometry, spectroscopic and electronic properties of all the complexes. The ability of the compounds to possess biological activity is tested against various pathogenic bacterial strains. The results show that the copper complex displays higher antimicrobial activities as compared to the ligand and other complexes. A remarkable change in the electronic spectrum of the ligand in the presence of cobalt ion in highly aqueous medium demonstrates its use as a metal sensor among a wide range of biological important metal ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To review the effects of the hammock positioning on clinical parameters of preterm newborn infants (PTNB) admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Data sources: This was a systematic review performed by searching the Pubmed, Lilacs, SciELO and PEDro databases. Intervention studies in English, Portuguese and Spanish that evaluated the effects of hammock positioning on clinical parameters of PTNB admitted to the NICU were selected. Three search strategies were used: 1) hammock positioning OR patient positioning AND intensive care units AND infant, newborn; 2) hammock positioning OR patient positioning AND intensive care units; 3) hammock positioning OR patient positioning AND intensive care units, neonatal. There was no restriction on the year of publication of the articles. Methodological quality was assessed by the PEDro scale. Data synthesis: Among 597 articles, only six were included and 139 neonates with gestational ages between 26 and 37 weeks and an average gestational weight <2240g were analyzed. Four studies included patients without any associated pathology and most of them placed the PTNB supine in hammock positioning. The duration of the intervention ranged from 15 to 180 minutes and most applied it at just one moment. There was an improvement in heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR) and pain (3/4 studies), as well as gains in peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) (2/4 studies). Only one study reported worsening of SpO2 with the intervention. The methodological quality of the studies was classified as low. Conclusions: Although this review suggests improvement with hammock positioning in HR, RR and pain in PTNB, the low methodological quality makes the results inconsistent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To present a technical tip to be incorporated in the first stage of a 2-stage graft repair of proximal hypospadias associated with curvature, aiming at widening the graft bed and enhancing mobility of the lateral portions of the graft for subsequent urethroplasty.Methods: After penile straightening, the dorsal dartos layer, carefully preserved attached to the dorsal penile skin used for penile coverage, is anchored to the lateral edges of the denuded corpora cavernosa with 3 to 4 interrupted 6-0 resorbable stiches on each side. The dartos creates a sort of hammock in-between the corpora, on which the central portion of the graft is quilted as in standard staged graft repair, and the skin margins laterally. Therefore, it widens the graft bed by 3-4 mm on each side. The lateral portions of the graft, laying on dartos, also remain supple for subsequent tabularization.Results: Between 2017 and 2019, the technique was used in 16 cases (range 10-19 months). None of these patients required re-grafting because of severe longitudinal graft shrinkage.Conclusion: The described modification seems a simple tip to be incorporate in staged graft urethroplasty. Putative advantages include that a wider graft can compensate for some graft shrinkage occurring in-between stages; during the second stage, it can facilitate dissection and improve mobility of the lateral graft portions for tubularization, and make retrieval of a dartos flap for urethroplasty coverage easier. Prospective evaluation and comparative data are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feather-decorated hammocks from the Amazon have been documented in travel reports and incorporated into museum collections from the nineteenth up to the early twentieth century. Here we present an analysis of five of these hammocks, housed in European museums. Through an object-centered approach, combining data obtained by direct observation of museum objects and associated documentation, historic travel reports and ethnographic literature, new information was obtained on the hammocks, such as possible areas of origin and indigenous producer groups. Results show that the production of these hammocks occurred in an area larger than traditionally believed, and that indigenous peoples at times decorated these hammocks in such a way as to express elements of their culture, imprinting ethnic markers onto artifacts that were many times considered as non-indigenous due to their production in transcultural contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects on subjective and objective sleepiness of a stay above a large struck singing bowl compared to a relaxation period in a silent singing bowl. Methods: Fifty-eight healthy subjects were recruited for the study, 48 participated on two days, one week apart, during the same timeslot. The Karolinska sleepiness scale was used to evaluate current subjective sleepiness, and the relative pupillary unrest index to assess objective sleepiness. In this randomized cross-over study, the intervention consisted of a 20-minute stay in a hammock while the singing bowl, positioned beneath, was struck seven times. The controlled comparator was a 20-minute stay in the same hammock above the singing bowl, but without being struck. After these two interventions subjective and objective sleepiness were re-evaluated. Results: The mean relative pupillary unrest index values after relaxation in the struck and silent singing bowl groups were 0.74 and respectively 0.71 (p = 0.460). The median Karolinska sleepiness scale value after relaxation with the struck singing bowl was 3 compared with 4 (p = 0.041) for the silent singing bowl. Discussion: This study evaluated the influence of a struck singing bowl on sleepiness during daytime. Subjective sleepiness was significantly lower after relaxation above a struck singing bowl. After gender stratification, the difference was still significant in women. Objective sleepiness was not different in both groups. Finally, we can only speculate if women may be more susceptible to subjective improvements in case of sleepiness and show another perception of relaxation in a struck singing bowl compared to men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study revisits the previously described technique of inverted-T skin-reducing mastectomy and dermal-muscle pocket as a single-stage breast reconstruction using anatomical implants in large and ptotic breasts. Refinements have been added to enhance the quality of implant coverage, improve aesthetic outcome, and augment the implant volume than previously described in the literature. Subjects and methods: The study was performed in three centers in the UK, Egypt, and Libya. It included patients with large ptotic breasts with a breast cup size of D or larger. The areola-to-inframammary fold distance is of 8 cm or more, and a nipple-sternal notch distance is 25 cm or more. Modification of the dermal-muscle flap was made through dividing the medial and lateral ends of the de-epithelialized flap at a distance of one inch to create wings that could be sutured to the free edge of pectoralis major muscle to act as a hammock. Results: It included 42 patients, and the mean age of the patients was 44.4 years (range 28–62). The mean body mass index was 34.2 (range 24–42). The reconstruction was unilateral in 32 (76.2%) patients and bilateral in ten (23.8%) patients. The average implant volume was 498.5 CC (range 375–650). Seventeen (40.5%) patients had a symmetrizing breast reduction. The average follow-up time was 52 weeks. Major complications were noticed in four (7.7%) breasts: Three breasts had major skin necrosis and one breast had hematoma that necessitated surgical evacuation. There were no reported cases of implant extrusion. Minor complications were recorded in six (11.5%) breasts; two had wound infection, and three had minor skin necrosis. Conclusion: The hammock technique of dermal-muscle flap is safe and versatile in large and ptotic breasts. It also creates a natural-looking breast with bigger implants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the hammock networks were introduced more than sixty years ago, there is no general formula of the associated reliability polynomial. Using the full Hermite interpolation polynomial, we propose an approximation for the reliability polynomial of a hammock network of arbitrary size. In the second part of the paper, we provide combinatorial formulas for the first two non-zero coefficients of the reliability polynomial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As sea level rises in low-lying coastal islands, salt-tolerant (halophytic) coastal vegetation communities may be able to migrate inland, replacing the freshwater vegetation that is unable to tolerate salt stress. The pace of such shifts may be accelerated by a self-reinforcing feedback between the halophytic vegetation and salinity, as well as by frequent and intensified salinity pulses associated with the increasing impact of storm surges as a consequence of sea-level rise. We used a modification of a previously published spatially explicit individual-based model that simulates impacts on upland freshwater hammock communities from sea-level rise and storm surge to predict the interaction between three coastal communities: mangroves, hammocks, and pinelands. The model simulation predicted two qualitative characteristics regarding the interaction between these three different coastal communities: (1) mangroves and hammock communities tend to have ground water with high salinities, while at the same time pineland ground water salinity is low, and (2) pineland located at lower elevation relative to adjacent hammock will be negatively influenced by higher ground water salinities in hammocks, as it flows toward the lower elevation pineland. We tested these predictions using foliar δ13C of Conocarpus erectus collected from Big Pine Key as a proxy for ground water salinity. Measurements of ground water salinity via this proxy confirmed the two predictions of the model. Our approach provides an approximation of the impacts of sea-level rise on terrestrial vegetation communities, including threatened pineland communities, and can be used as a tool for management decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hammock-Poset Cover Problem is a variation of the Poset Cover Problem with the same input - set (...) of linear orders over the set {L1, L2, ...,L3}, but the solution is restricted to a set of simple hammock (...) posets. The problem is NP-Hard when K ≥ 3 but is in P when k = 1. The computational complexity of the problem when k = 2 is not yet known. In this paper, we determine the approximation complexity of the cases that have been shown to be NP-Hard. We show that the Hammock (...)-Poset Cover Problem is in APX and, in particular, (1 + 1/2k)-approximable, for k ≥ 3. On the other hand, we also explore the computational complexity for the case where k = 2 [Hammock(2,2)-Poset Cover Problem]. We show that it is in P when the transposition graph of the input set of linear orders is rectangular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hammock(2, 2 ,..., 2/k)-Poset Cover Problem is a variation of the Poset Cover Problem with the same input - set {L1, L2, ..., Lm} of linear orders over the set {1, 2, ..., n}, but the solution is restricted to a set of simple hammock(2, 2 ,..., 2/k) posets. The problem is NP-Hard when k = 3 but is in P when k = 1. The computational complexity of the problem when k = 2 is not yet known. In this paper, we determine the approximation complexity of the cases that have been shown to be NP-Hard. We show that the Hammock(2, 2 ,..., 2/k)-Poset Cover Problem is in APX and, in particular, (1 + 1/2K)-approximable, for k = 3. On the other hand, we also explore the computational complexity for the case where k = 2 [Hammock(2,2)-Poset Cover Problem]. We show that it is in P when the transposition graph of the input set of linear orders is rectangular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work from home is one of the traditional forms of textile production that is still present in diverse regions of the world. The new local expressions connected to tourism have been able to position their products at a global scale. Also, in countries with cultural diversity there are regional markets where the population uses traditional clothing in their day-to-day life. This article offers a conceptual understanding of the novohispano proto-industry and the work activities at home. The case of an area of Southern Mexico is presented, the type of work that has been produced through textile activity, as well as its geographical specialization. The point of view of weavers, embroiderers, and armadoras in 13 municipalities of Yucatan is examined. Through interviews it was possible to recompile the details of their activity, the commercial connections, the means and ways in which this work is developed. This research is complemented by analyzing the longitudinal data of surveys about work from home, narrowing down on the textile economic sector. The findings suggest there are a set of factors connected to the proto-industry theory, specifically the relationship between the urban and rural, the extraterritorial market that strengthens the labor relationship between works and the commercial capital in the economic expansion of the state of Yucatan, Mexico. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the interview held on July 29, 2016, under a broad shadow in which the floor was covered with babassu leaves and nuts. By the hammock that swayed in the lightness of the breeze lay a hatchet and a stump - the working tools of the babassu nut breaker Dona Francisca and her husband Expedito. This apparently peaceful life contrasts with the history - past and present - of those who welcome us: Serra Pelada, GETAT, INCRA, Matopiba. A land of conflicts, of the Guerrilha do Araguaia, of the Rural Workers' Unions, of the social movement of female babassu nut breakers. The contradictions between the colonization projects and the agricultural projects and hubs presented by the Brazilian State towards the livelihood of this peasant babassu nut breaker - one of several possible adjectives for Francisca - teaches us that "living is very dangerous", as Guimarães Rosa would say, but fundamental and inexorable for life itself to elapse and reproduce itself. The interview took place at Dona Francisca's plot, in Buriti do Tocantins, a municipality of Bico do Papagaio, which borders Pará and is located about 10 kilometers from Maranhão and was held by Mariana Leal Conceição Nóbrega and Débora Assumpção e Lima. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Landsmeer ligaments play a significant role in synchronizing the movements of the two distal phalanges of the fingers. However, there is considerable controversy in descriptions of its anatomy, function, presence, and clinical applications. Aim To ascertain and redefine the detailed anatomy of Oblique Retinacular (ORL) and Transverse Retinacular ligaments (TRL) and their applied features. Materials and Methods Anatomical dissection study was conducted in 100 cadaveric fingers in 42 cadavers (28 fresh specimens and remaining preserved specimens) under loupe magnification. The whole dorsal digital expansion with attached fibrous flexor sheath was dissected and specimen was examined after thorough saline wash. The dimensions, course, attachment, and configuration were noted in each specimen. The statistical mean was obtained for thickness of the ligaments. The measurements were made using a caliper at the level of the mid proximal phalanx, volar to the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint, and dorsal to the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint. Results By anatomical dissection we have found the following: • The ORL was deep to the TRL. • The ORL had got a check rein effect at the PIP joint, in such a way that extension of the PIP joint causes extension of the DIP joint. • The ORL criss-crossed volar to the A3 pulley of fibrous flexor sheath and formed a good hammock for the PIP joint. This criss-crossing anatomical feature was found in all dissected fingers as an additional normal anatomical feature complementing the classical description of Landsmeer. • Variations in configuration of the Landsmeer ligaments were observed among various fingers. • The Landsmeer ligament was never absent as reported by several studies. Conclusion Contrary to several studies, the ORL was omnipresent in all dissected fingers with considerable variations in dimensions. Complementing the classical description of Landsmeer, we found that there was an additional normal criss-cross anatomical feature of the ORL in all fingers volar to A3 pulley and deep to the TRL. Also, the TRL was present in all the fingers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a pressing need to assess resilience of coastal ecosystems against sea level rise. To develop appropriate response strategies against future climate disturbances, it is important to estimate the magnitude of disturbances that these ecosystems can absorb and to better understand their underlying processes. Hammocks (petenes) coastal ecosystems are highly vulnerable to sea level rise linked to climate change; their vulnerability is mainly due to its close relation with the sea through underground drainage in predominantly karstic soils. Hammocks are biologically important because of their high diversity and restricted distribution. This study proposes a strategy to assess resilience of this coastal ecosystem when high-precision data are scarce. Approaches and methods used to derive ecological resilience maps of hammocks are described and assessed. Resilience models were built by incorporating and weighting appropriate indicators of persistence to assess hammocks resilience against flooding due to climate change at “Los Petenes Biosphere Reserve”, in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. According to the analysis, 25% of the study area is highly resilient (hot spots), whereas 51% has low resilience (cold spots). The most significant hot spot clusters of resilience were located in areas distant to the coastal zone, with indirect tidal influence, and consisted mostly of hammocks surrounded by basin mangrove and floodplain forest. This study revealed that multi-criteria analysis and the use of GIS for qualitative, semi-quantitative and statistical spatial analyses constitute a powerful tool to develop ecological resilience maps of coastal ecosystems that are highly vulnerable to sea level rise, even when high-precision data are not available. This method can be applied in other sites to help develop resilience analyses and decision-making processes for management and conservation of coastal areas worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The representations of the Dynkin quivers and the corresponding Euclidean quivers are treated in many books. These notes provide three building blocks for dealing with representations of Dynkin (and Euclidean) quivers. They should be helpful as part of a direct approach to study represen-tations of quivers, and they shed some new light on properties of Dynkin and Euclidean quivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We herein report an unusual case of testicular torsion a decade after orchiopexy. An occurrence of postorchiopexy testicular torsion is an exceedingly rare event, infrequently reported in literature. Previously placed anchoring sutures in the inferior pole resulted in a "hammock" testicular torsion, resulting in twisting of cord with involvement of the sutures themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In children, strangulation is a fatal injury due to asphyxia, a terminal event of partial or complete hanging. Homemade hammocks are routinely used as a cradle which is potentially dangerous. We are hereby reporting a 12-year-old female with accidental strangulation occurring as a result of swinging on a hammock made of saree and also in a view to educate the public about the hazards of using homemade hammocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stirtonia byssoidea, S. coei and S. latispora, all from coastal hammocks within Everglades National Park, are described as new to science. Stirtonia byssoidea is characterized by a felty byssoid thallus, conspicuous immersed white pruinose-like lirelliform ascigerous zones, small ascospores and the presence of perlatolic acid. It is closest to S. alba but has a different thallus type and much smaller ascospores. Stirtonia coei is recognized by its lirellate ascigerous zones raised well above a greyish crystallate thallus, large ascospores and a lack of chemistry. It is closest to S. curvata but differs by its I+ blue thallus, strongly raised ascigerous zones and by having no lichen substances. Stirtonia latispora can be identified by its white lirelliform ascigerous areas immersed in a greyish green thallus, large, broad ascospores with a conspicuously enlarged mid cell and lack of substances. It would also key out close to S. curvata but differs by the aforementioned ascigerous zones, an I+ blue thallus, wider ascospores with a different locular configuration and its lack of chemistry. A key to the six species known from the Neotropics is also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Two reports of infants found dead after sleeping in baby hammocks have raised international concern about the safety of infant hammocks. We therefore tested whether hammock sleep affected oxygenation in infants, when they were at an age of high risk of sudden, unexpected infant death. Methods Healthy, full-term 4- to 8-week-old infants were randomised to sleep either in a commercially available hammock (n = 14) or a standard bassinet (n = 9), and sleep state, oxygen desaturation (a fall in peripheral haemoglobin oxygen saturation (SpO2) ≥ 4%, for ≥ 4 sec from baseline to nadir), apnoea and hypopnoea, and mean SpO2 were analysed. Results There was no significant difference in mean SpO2 (both 98.5%) or rate of oxygen desaturation events between the hammock and the bassinet cot (mean ± SD, 24 ± 20 vs. 28 ± 23 events per hour), but infants slept less in the hammock (59 ± 31 vs. 81 ± 34 min, p < 0.02). Conclusion When correctly used, the hammock sleep position did not compromise the upper airway of sleeping infants. The significance of shorter duration of sleep in the hammocks is unclear. These findings should not be applied to all baby hammocks, nor to older babies, particularly once the infant can roll. Given that it is not possible to predict when an infant will be able to roll, we strongly recommend that hammocks should not be used for unsupervised sleep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We compared the sleep quantity and quality of healthy subjects when sleeping in a bed or in a hammock using an actigraphy and questionnaires. The study was initiated as part of biology lessons at a high school. Participants in the study were five female and five male pupils of a high school with an average age of 18.0 ± 1.8 years and a body mass index of 21.3 ±3 kg/m. To exclude chronic sleep disturbances all participants completed the Pittsburgh sleep quality questionnaire and all had a value below 5 (3.4 ± 0.5). A significant restless legs syndrome was excluded by using a standardized questionnaire. The pupils slept in a random order in the usual bed or in a hammock which was installed in the bedroom. All measurements were done on week days. Sleep data were calculated using an actigraph (SOMNOwatch, SOMNOmedics, Randersacker, Germany) worn on the non-dominant arm. There were no significant differences in sleep data between a bed or a hammock. Total sleeping time in bed was 5:57 ± 1:04 (h:min) and in a hammock 6:01 ± 1:12 (h:min), the sleep efficiency in bed was 79.2% ± 10.5% in a hammock 80.7% ± 9.8%, sleep latency in bed 3:26 ± 7:56 (min:s) and in a hammock 6:47 ± 9:11 (min:s). There were no first night effects and the data were similar during both nights. Subjective sleep data were similar under both conditions. Sleep in a hammock was not worse than in the usual bed. Sleep efficiency was much lower than expected for this age group perhaps due to the fact that this was the first self-performed scientific investigation for the participants but as the measurements were done in a randomized order this should have no effect on the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In two previous papers we have presented partition formulas for the Fibonacci numbers motivated by the appearance of the Fibonacci numbers in the representation theory of the 3-Kronecker quiver and its universal cover, the 3-regular tree. Here we show that the basic information can be rearranged in two triangles. They are quite similar to the Pascal triangle of the binomial coefficients, but in contrast to the additivity rule for the Pascal triangle, we now deal with additivity along “hooks”, or, equivalently, with additive functions for valued translation quivers. As for the Pascal triangle, we see that the numbers in these Fibonacci partition triangles are given by evaluating polynomials. We show that the two triangles can be obtained from each other by looking at differences of numbers, it is sufficient to take differences along arrows and knight’s moves. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

TNFα stimulates both pro- and anti-apoptotic signalling in hepatocytes. Anti-apoptotic signalling depends on a cascade of ubiquitylation steps leading to NFκB activation. Using Sharpin-deficient mice, we show that the ubiquitin binding protein Sharpin interacts with Hoip, an E3 ligase which generates linear ubiquitin chains. Sharpin-deficiency sensitized hepatocytes to induction of apoptosis by TNFα even in the absence of transcriptional inhibition. TNFα induced activation of NFκB was strongly reduced in hepatocytes from Sharpin-deficient mice, due to reduced and delayed phosphorylation and degradation of IκBα. Injection of TNFα-inducing lipopolysaccharides led to strongly exacerbated liver damage and premature death in Sharpin-deficient mice. Our findings point to an essential role of Sharpin in linear ubiquitin chain formation, NFκB activation, and protection of the liver against inflammatory damaging signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Long-lasting insecticidal hammocks (LLIHs) are being evaluated as an additional malaria prevention tool in settings where standard control strategies have a limited impact. This is the case among the Ra-glai ethnic minority communities of Ninh Thuan, one of the forested and mountainous provinces of Central Vietnam where malaria morbidity persist due to the sylvatic nature of the main malaria vector An. dirus and the dependence of the population on the forest for subsistence - as is the case for many impoverished ethnic minorities in Southeast Asia. Methods: A social science study was carried out ancillary to a community-based cluster randomized trial on the effectiveness of LLIHs to control forest malaria. The social science research strategy consisted of a mixed methods study triangulating qualitative data from focused ethnography and quantitative data collected during a malariometric crosssectional survey on a random sample of 2,045 study participants. Results: To meet work requirements during the labor intensive malaria transmission and rainy season, Ra-glai slash and burn farmers combine living in government supported villages along the road with a second home at their fields located in the forest. LLIH use was evaluated in both locations. During daytime, LLIH use at village level was reported by 69.3% of all respondents, and in forest fields this was 73.2%. In the evening, 54.1% used the LLIHs in the villages, while at the fields this was 20.7%. At night, LLIH use was minimal, regardless of the location (village 4.4%; forest 6.4%). Discussion: Despite the free distribution of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and LLIHs, around half the local population remains largely unprotected when sleeping in their forest plot huts. In order to tackle forest malaria more effectively, control policies should explicitly target forest fields where ethnic minority farmers are more vulnerable to malaria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the intraoperative and immediate postoperative results achieved with the tension-free vaginal tape Secur (TVT-S) hammock procedure performed under local anesthesia (LA) versus general anesthesia (GA).Methods: Prospective randomized trial involving patients with symptomatic stress urinary incontinence grades 1 or 2 who underwent TVT-S under either LA or GA. Postoperative pain intensity, duration of hospitalization, rate of complications, duration of operating and recovery times, and number of additional procedures required were recorded.Results: Each group included 40 patients. The operative times were identical in the 2 groups, but the time spent in the recovery room was significantly longer in the GA group. Patients undergoing LA experienced less pain than did those undergoing GA. Most patients in the LA group had day surgery, whereas most patients in the GA group went home 1day after the surgery. No significant differences were observed for the rates of complications.Conclusion: Performing the TVT-S hammock technique under LA rather than GA reduces postoperative pain and shortens the duration of hospitalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: To assess the efficacy and complications associated with use of the TVT SECUR System device with placement of the tape in either a “hammock” or “U” position for management of stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Methods: A prospective study of patients with SUI allocated into one of two groups: “hammock” or “U” tape placement. Preoperative urodynamic results were compared with results at the 6-month and 1-year follow up. Outcome measures were objective cough test assessment and subjective patient responses to a questionnaire at follow up. Results: Of 82 patients included in the study, 43 comprised the “hammock” group and 39 comprised the “U” group. The objective cure rate at 1-year follow up was 62.8% (n=27) in the “hammock” group and 71.8% (n=28) in the “U” group. At 1-year follow up, the subjective cure, improvement, and failure rates for the “hammock” group were 60.5%, 13.9%, and 25.7% respectively, and 69.2%, 12.8%, and 17.9% respectively, for the “U” group. Conclusion: The efficacy of the TVT SECUR System was lower (<72%) than the cure rates reported for other TVT procedures; further studies are required. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) have undergone a dramatic range expansion within the last 150 years, yet few quantitative data are available describing their habitat selection patterns, and only a single population has received the vast majority of research attention in general. Because armadillos may negatively impact native fauna, improved knowledge of their habitat selection patterns is needed to better understand their ecology and improve estimates of their future distribution. We used radiotelemetry to monitor 31 armadillos at a site in southwestern Georgia during 2005-2006. Males and females selected habitats similarly. Armadillos were located farther than expected from mature pine habitats within their home ranges, but individual variation in this measure was high, which we suspect may be a fire-dependent response. Armadillos did not prefer hardwood hammocks, as has been reported for other populations, and we suspect this surprising result may have gone undetected had we not used radiotelemetry. Overall, armadillos did not exhibit much evidence of habitat selection at all. It therefore appears that factors other than habitat type, such as temperature and precipitation, may be more important in determining future armadillo distributions and negative impacts may be more widespread than previously thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the study that collects Anastrepha edentata Stone with McPhail traps in native hammock forest of Key Largo, Florida. It states that the phenology of the fly is illustrated and indicated that the fly is at least bivoltine and probably multivoltine. It shows that fruit obtained from 22 different potential host plants failed to produce adults of A. edentata. Moreover, it traps Anastrepha suspensa and Toxotrypana curvicauda Gerstaecker, while A. suspensa was reared from Ximenia americana L. for the first time.

Sharp boundaries typically separate the salinity tolerant mangroves from the salinity intolerant hardwood hammock species, which occupy the similar geographical areas of southern Florida. Evidence of strong feedback between tree community-type and the salinity of the unsaturated (vadose) zone of the soil suggests that a severe disturbance that significantly tilts the salinity in the vadose zone might cause a shift from one vegetation type to the other. In this study, a model based upon the feedback dynamics between vegetation and salinity of the vadose zone of the soil was used to take account of storm surge events to investigate the mechanisms that by which this large-scale disturbance could affect the spatial pattern of hardwood hammocks and mangroves. Model simulation results indicated that a heavy storm surge that completely saturated the vadose zone at 30ppt for 1 day could lead to a regime shift in which there is domination by mangroves of areas previously dominated by hardwood hammocks. Lighter storm surges that saturated the vadose zone at less than 7ppt did not cause vegetation shifts. Investigations of model sensitivity analysis indicated that the thickness of the vadose zone, coupled with precipitation, influenced the residence time of high salinity in the vadose zone and therefore determined the rate of mangrove domination. The model was developed for a southern Florida coastal ecosystem, but its applicability may be much broader. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Potential risk factors for lymphatic filariasis (LF), including the failure to use insecticide-treated bednets (ITN), were studied in four north–eastern provinces of Cambodia, using 43 cases of LF and 248 apparently healthy controls who were matched with the cases in terms of age (±5 years), gender and village. The results of a univariate matched analysis indicated that lack of ITN [odds ratio (OR)=20.1; 95% confidence interval (CI)=2.2–182.4; P=0.008] and frequent overnight stays in forests or paddy fields outside the village (OR=3.6; CI=1.3–10.0; P=0.012) were the most important risk factors. In a multivariate matched analysis, frequent overnight stays outside the village combined with bednet use showed a clear dose–response relationship, with untreated nets offering significant protection during such stays but ITN offering significantly better protection. Even if villagers used ITN during such stays, they were significantly more likely to develop LF than villagers who did not travel (OR=5.0; CI=1.5–16.3; P=0.008), and if they used untreated or no nets while away they were even more likely than the non-travellers to develop the disease (OR=1413; CI=28.0–71,189; P<0.001). Taken together, these results provide further evidence for the importance of bednet use and their impregnation in the prevention of LF. At least in north–eastern Cambodia, the use of bednets and, preferably, ITN is particularly important during overnight stays outside the home village. In areas where LF is endemic, the sustained distribution of insecticide-treated bednets or hammock nets appears to be a very good idea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The boundaries between mangroves and freshwater hammocks in coastal ecotones of South Florida are sharp. Further, previous studies indicate that there is a discontinuity in plant predawn water potentials, with woody plants either showing predawn water potentials reflecting exposure to saline water or exposure to freshwater. This abrupt concurrent change in community type and plant water status suggests that there might be feedback dynamics between vegetation and salinity. A model examining the salinity of the aerated zone of soil overlying a saline body of water, known as the vadose layer, as a function of precipitation, evaporation and plant water uptake is presented here. The model predicts that mixtures of saline and freshwater vegetative species represent unstable states. Depending on the initial vegetation composition, subsequent vegetative change will lead either to patches of mangrove coverage having a high salinity vadose zone or to freshwater hammock coverage having a low salinity vadose zone. Complete or nearly complete coverage by either freshwater or saltwater vegetation represents two stable steady-state points. This model can explain many of the previous observations of vegetation patterns in coastal South Florida as well as observations on the dynamics of vegetation shifts caused by sea level rise and climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose . To investigate the effects of the cushion covers on interface pressure measurements using pressure mapping technology. Methods . Sixty-one healthy participants were recruited for a laboratory-based study using a single group design. Participants were pressure mapped on a visco-elastic foam cushion and a foam and fluid pack cushion with their covers on and with their covers removed. An air-filled cushion was tested with two different types of covers, an incontinence cover and a ‘Comfair’ cover. Average and maximum pressures recorded at 6 mins by the Force Sensing Array pressure mapping system were used for statistical analysis. Results . There were no significant differences in maximum pressures for the three cushions tested with their covers on or with their covers removed. The cushion with the foam base and fluid pack did not demonstrate any significant differences in average pressure with the cover on or with the cover removed. However, the visco-elastic foam cushion showed significantly lower average pressures with the cover on ( p = 0.019). The air-filled cushion showed lower average pressures with the incontinence cover on, when compared to the Comfair cover ( p = 0.029). Conclusion . Contrary to the belief that the process of hammocking may create surface tension within the cushion covers, which in turn may adversely affect the cushions ability to reduce interface pressure, the cushions tested in the current study did not show significantly lower interface pressure measurements with the covers removed. Therefore the covers did not adversely affect the cushion's ability to reduce interface pressure. The findings of this study require verification with disabled clients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]