Linear and non-linear effects of goldenrod invasions on native pollinator and plant populations

The increased introduction of non-native species to habitats is a characteristic of globalisation. The impact of invading species on communities may be either linearly or non-linearly related to the invaders’ abundance in a habitat. However, non-linear relationships with a threshold point at which the community can no longer tolerate the invasive species without loss of ecosystem functions remains poorly studied. We selected 31 wet meadow sites that encompassed the entire coverage spectrum of invasive goldenrods, and surveyed the abundance and diversity of pollinating insects (bees, butterflies and hover flies) and native plants. The species richness of native plants decreased linearly with goldenrod cover, whereas the abundance and species richness of bees and butterflies decreased non-linearly with increasing goldenrod cover. However, no statistically significant changes across goldenrod cover were noted for the abundance and species richness of hover flies. Because of the non-linear response, goldenrod had no visible impact on bees and butterflies until it reached cover in a habitat of about 50% and 30–40%, respectively. Moreover, changes driven by goldenrod in the plant and pollinator communities were related to species loss rather than species replacement. We demonstrated that the impact of goldenrod cover on a habitat is not instantaneous. Habit management aimed at preventing the invasion process and alleviating its impact should take into account that, for the non-linear relationships, the negative impact can appear rapidly after crossing the threshold point

RECENT RESEARCH IN VLSI, MEMS AND POWER DEVICES WITH PRACTICAL APPLICATION TO THE ITER AND DREAM PROJECTS

Several MEMS (Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems) devices have been analysed and simulated. The new proposed model of SiC MPS (Merged PIN-Schottky) diodes is in full agreement with the real MPS devices. The real size DLL (Dynamic Lattice Liquid) simulator as well as the research on modelling and simulation of modern VLSI devices with practical applications have been presented. In the basis of experience in the field of ATCA (Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture) based systems a proof-of-concept DAQ (data acquisition) system for ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) have been proposed

The 42nd Symposium Chromatographic Methods of Investigating Organic Compounds : Book of abstracts

The 42nd Symposium Chromatographic Methods of Investigating Organic Compounds : Book of abstracts. June 4-7, 2019, Szczyrk, Polan

Semiautomated identification of a large number of hoverfly (Diptera: Syrphidae) species based on wing measurements

<p>Automated species identification is a promising new method of solving the problem of identification of insects. However, in most previous studies based on this method, the number of identified species was relatively low. In this study, we tested the possibility of the identification of more than 200 species of Syrphidae. The identification was based on wing measurements involving the indication of 13 landmarks. Either single-level linear discriminant analysis (LDA) or hierarchical LDA was used for classification. Identification success varied widely between species. In the case of a single level LDA, 40% of species were identified without error. Overall species classification success of a single level LDA was 89%. In the case of hierarchical LDA, overall classification success was lower; however, identification success at the lowest level of hierarchical classification was higher. Identification based on wing measurements proved to be helpful for the identification of a large number of hoverfly species. Even if the identification of some species was not effective, it allowed the identification of genera or groups of species.</p

The Clinical Utility of Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index Supporting Charlson Comorbidity Index and CAPRA-S Score in Determining Survival after Radical Prostatectomy&mdash;A Single Centre Study

The selection of candidates for the curative treatment of PCa requires a careful assessment of life expectancy. Recently, blood-count inflammatory markers have been introduced as prognosticators of oncological and non-oncological outcomes in different settings. This retrospective, monocentric study included 421 patients treated with radical prostatectomy (RP) for nonmetastatic PCa and aimed at determining the utility of a preoperative SII (neutrophil count &times; platelet count/lymphocyte count) in predicting survival after RP. Patients with high SIIs (&ge;900) presented significantly shorter survival (p = 0.02) and high SIIs constituted an independent predictor of overall survival [HR 2.54 (95%CI 1.24&ndash;5.21); p = 0.01] when adjusted for high (&ge;6) age-adjusted CCI (ACCI) [HR 2.75 (95%CI 1.27&ndash;5.95); p = 0.01] and high (&ge;6) CAPRA-S [HR 2.65 (95%CI 1.32&ndash;5.31); p = 0.006]. Patients with high scores (ACCI and/or CAPRA-S) and high SIIs were at the highest risk of death (p &lt; 0.0001) with approximately a one-year survival loss during the first seven years after surgery. In subgroup of high CAPRA-S (&ge;6), patients with high ACCIs and high SIIs were at the highest risk of death (p &lt;0.0001). Our study introduces the SII as a straightforward marker of mortality after RP that can be helpful in pre- and postoperative decision-making

The Impact of the Ongoing COVID-19 Epidemic on the Increasing Risk of Adverse Pathology in Prostate Cancer Patients Undergoing Radical Prostatectomy

We aimed to assess whether the ongoing course of the COVID-19 epidemic has been associated with an increased risk of adverse pathology (AP) findings in prostate cancer (PC) patients treated with radical prostatectomy (RP). We performed a retrospective data analysis which included 408 consecutive, non-metastatic, previously untreated PC patients who underwent RP in our institution between March 2020 and September 2021. Patients were divided into two equally numbered groups in regard to the median surgery date (Early Epidemic [EE] and Late Epidemic [LE]) and compared. Adverse pathology was defined as either grade group (GG) &ge; 4, pT &ge; 3a or pN+ at RP. Patients in the LE group demonstrated significantly higher rates of AP than in the EE group (61 vs. 43% overall and 50 vs. 27% in preoperative non-high-risk subgroup, both p &lt; 0.001), mainly due to higher rates of upgrading. On multivariable analysis, consecutive epidemic week (odds ratio: 1.02, 95% confidence interval: 1.00&ndash;1.03, p = 0.009) as well as biopsy GG &ge; 2 and a larger prostate volume (mL) were associated with AP in non-high-risk patients. The study serves as a warning call for increased awareness of risk underassessment in contemporarily treated PC patients

The Impact of the Ongoing COVID-19 Epidemic on the Increasing Risk of Adverse Pathology in Prostate Cancer Patients Undergoing Radical Prostatectomy

We aimed to assess whether the ongoing course of the COVID-19 epidemic has been associated with an increased risk of adverse pathology (AP) findings in prostate cancer (PC) patients treated with radical prostatectomy (RP). We performed a retrospective data analysis which included 408 consecutive, non-metastatic, previously untreated PC patients who underwent RP in our institution between March 2020 and September 2021. Patients were divided into two equally numbered groups in regard to the median surgery date (Early Epidemic [EE] and Late Epidemic [LE]) and compared. Adverse pathology was defined as either grade group (GG) ≥ 4, pT ≥ 3a or pN+ at RP. Patients in the LE group demonstrated significantly higher rates of AP than in the EE group (61 vs. 43% overall and 50 vs. 27% in preoperative non-high-risk subgroup, both p p = 0.009) as well as biopsy GG ≥ 2 and a larger prostate volume (mL) were associated with AP in non-high-risk patients. The study serves as a warning call for increased awareness of risk underassessment in contemporarily treated PC patients

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio predicts nodal involvement in unfavourable, clinically nonmetastatic prostate cancer patients and overall survival in pN1 patients

Abstract The aim of our study was to determine the clinical utility of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in predicting presence and prognosis of nodal involvement in patients treated with radical prostatectomy (RP) due to prostate cancer. This single-centre retrospective study included 205 patients treated with RP and lymphadenectomy between 2012 and 2018. Logistic regression and Kaplan–Meier analyses were performed to evaluate the prognostic value of preoperative NLR in terms of nodal spread and survival. Patients staged pN1 presented lower mean NLR (2.53 vs 3.86; p = 0.0025) compared to pN0 patients. On multivariable analysis of different haematological markers, only NLR exceeding the median (≥ 2.7) predicted pN1 (OR = 0.38; p = 0.0367) independently of biopsy grading and PSA. In internal validation (n = 31 pN1, n = 174 pN0) on the bootstrapped dataset using a spare cutoff of NLR ≥ 4.1 would allow sparing lymphadenectomy in 22.09% pN0 patients, missing 6.45% pN1 (NPV 92.66%; 95% CI 84.91–100%). Noticeably, in pN1 patients NLR ≥ 2.7 correlated with shorter overall survival (p = 0.0196), despite its association with reduced risk of pN1. High pre-prostatectomy NLR was negatively associated with pN1, yielding high NPV in internal validation. Simultaneously, high NLR in pN1 patients was associated with shorter survival

Thermal Diffusivity of Concrete Samples Assessment Using a Solar Simulator

The thermal properties of pavement layers made of concrete with varying bulk densities are a particularly interesting topic in the context of development road technologies. If a hybrid layer system is used as a starting point, with thin asphalt layers (from 1 cm to 4 cm) laid on top of a foam concrete layer, thermal properties begin to play a crucial role. The main research problem was to create a test method enabling the assessment of the influence of solar heating on the thermal parameters of the building material, especially cement concrete. For this reason, this paper is concerned specifically with the assessment of a new methodology for testing and calculating the value of the thermal diffusivity coefficient of samples made of concrete varying bulk densities. In this case, using the proprietary concept the authors built a solar simulator using a multi-source lighting system. The analysis of the results of laboratory tests and numerical analyses allowed the authors to observe that there is a strong correlation between the bulk density of samples heated and the thermal diffusivity parameter, which appears in the unidirectional heat transfer equation. The strength of this relationship has been expressed with the coefficient of determination and amounts to 99%. The calculated values of the coefficient of thermal diffusivity for samples made of foam concrete range from 0.16×10−6m2s to 0.52×10−6m2s and are lower (from 2.5 to 8 times) than the value determined for samples made of typical cement concrete