Fuzzy community detection on the basis of similarities in structural/attribute in large-scale social networks

Artificial Intelligence Review - Community detection aims to partition a set of nodes with more similarities in the set than out of it based on different criteria like neighborhood similarity or...     

Residential energy supply market: Unmet promises and needed reforms

This article explores the market distortions and behaviors that have undercut the promise and performance of residential energy markets. Market trends are discussed, and possible paths forward are identified for reducing these market distortions. If policymakers are unwilling to eliminate residential energy markets, aggressive and extensive reforms of residential energy markets are warranted.     

A Role for TGFβ Signaling in Preclinical Osteolytic Estrogen Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer Bone Metastases Progression

While tumoral Smad-mediated transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) signaling drives osteolytic estrogen receptor α-negative (ER-) breast cancer bone metastases (BMETs) in preclinical models, its role in ER+ BMETs, representing the majority of clinical BMETs, has not been documented. Experiments were undertaken to examine Smad-mediated TGFβ signaling in human ER+ cells and bone-tropic behavior following intracardiac inoculation of estrogen (E₂)-supplemented female nude mice. While all ER+ tumor cells tested (ZR-75-1, T47D, and MCF-7-derived) expressed TGFβ receptors II and I, only cells with TGFβ-inducible Smad signaling (MCF-7) formed osteolytic BMETs in vivo. Regulated secretion of PTHrP, an osteolytic factor expressed in >90% of clinical BMETs, also tracked with osteolytic potential; TGFβ and E₂ each induced PTHrP in bone-tropic or BMET-derived MCF-7 cells, with the combination yielding additive effects, while in cells not forming BMETs, PTHrP was not induced. In vivo treatment with 1D11, a pan-TGFβ neutralizing antibody, significantly decreased osteolytic ER+ BMETs in association with a decrease in bone-resorbing osteoclasts at the tumor-bone interface. Thus, TGFβ may also be a driver of ER+ BMET osteolysis. Moreover, additive pro-osteolytic effects of tumoral E₂ and TGFβ signaling could at least partially explain the greater propensity for ER+ tumors to form BMETs, which are primarily osteolytic.     

Effect characterization in social impact assessment: a scan of current practice

Good-practice guidance for impact assessment (IA) consistently recommends that IA practitioners characterize impacts using parameters such as magnitude, likelihood and geographic extent. In practice, however, this guidance is not always followed. In order to identify the extent to which impacts are characterized for social topics, this paper reviewed of the social assessment sections of 57 environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports from 12 countries. The review found that 61% attempted to characterize impacts for social topics, while 39% did not. Of the 61% that characterized impacts, just over half (54%) provided transparent definitions for effect levels (e.g. low, medium and high). The research results shine a light on the lack of consistency in thoroughly, appropriately and transparently characterizing social effects. Advancing this discussion amongst SIA professionals is important, as it will benefit the quality of SIAs and mitigation approaches in the future. Finally, this paper puts forward a proposed model for social effect characterization parameters that can be used and adapted for future assessments.

Abbreviation: EIA: environmental impact assessment; IA: impact assessment; SIA: socio-economic impact assessment.     

Feeling safe and comfortable in the urban environment

Safety is recognised as an important goal of urban regeneration projects and implementing the principles of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) has been proposed as one way of enhancing community safety. Yet there are few critiques of how effective CPTED is in achieving this. This paper reports on a pilot study that explores the link between CPTED principles and people’s feelings of safety and comfort in an urban precinct of Adelaide, South Australia. The research combines a micro-scale analysis of the built environment and a series of interviews with people who live and/or work in the area. The research highlights the importance of some of the CPTED principles including activity, maintenance, sight lines but also reveals the importance of familiarity and personal safety strategies.