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The Journal A + C is a publication edited by the School of Architecture of the Universidad de Santiago de Chile. A + C was born in 2001 with the purpose of accounting for the creation of new ideas, thus generating a pluridisciplinary scenario for the exchange of ideas and the promotion of highly specialized knowledge on the relationship between architecture and culture.La Revista A+C es una publicación editada por la Escuela de Arquitectura de la Universidad de Santiago de Chile. A+C nace en el año 2001 con el objetivo de dar cuenta de la creación de nuevas ideas, generando así un espacio pluridisciplinario para el intercambio de ideas y la difusión de conocimientos de alto nivel, en torno a la relación entre arquitectura y cultura

Elliptic flow of charged particles in Pb-Pb collisions at 2.76 TeV

We report the first measurement of charged particle elliptic flow in Pb-Pb collisions at 2.76 TeV with the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The measurement is performed in the central pseudorapidity region (|$\eta$|<0.8) and transverse momentum range 0.2< $p_{\rm T}$< 5.0 GeV/$c$. The elliptic flow signal v$_2$, measured using the 4-particle correlation method, averaged over transverse momentum and pseudorapidity is 0.087 $\pm$ 0.002 (stat) $\pm$ 0.004 (syst) in the 40-50% centrality class. The differential elliptic flow v$_2(p_{\rm T})$ reaches a maximum of 0.2 near $p_{\rm T}$ = 3 GeV/$c$. Compared to RHIC Au-Au collisions at 200 GeV, the elliptic flow increases by about 30%. Some hydrodynamic model predictions which include viscous corrections are in agreement with the observed increase.Comment: 10 pages, 4 captioned figures, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/389

Rischio sismico di Sistemi Urbani utilizzando l’analogia delle reti neuronali

L’obiettivo della ricerca è stata la messa a punto di un modello di rischio sismico per Sistemi Urbani con approccio multi-livello, utilizzando l’analogia con le reti neuronali, finalizzato sia ad una valutazione di confronto tra centri urbani, sulla base di indicatori di rischio, che ad una valutazione predittiva delle conseguenze di un evento sismico atteso. Lo studio dei Sistemi Urbani viene utilmente condotto per “livelli” di approfondimento del modello, con l’obiettivo di valutare dapprima sinteticamente (ad esempio attraverso le informazioni contenute in banche-dati esistenti) la propensione alla perdita di capacità di un numero elevato di centri urbani, da cui ricavare le situazioni di rischio più elevato, su cui occorra effettuare approfondimenti o stabilire priorità di ulteriori indagini (Livello 0). Qualora sia possibile effettuare studi di maggiore dettaglio sui centri urbani ad elevato rischio, si procederà con indagini e rilievi anche speditivi, valutando le perdite di capacità dei sistemi analizzati e rilevati, fino ad individuare parti dell’abitato a maggiore rischio (Livello 1). La ricerca è stata condotta nell’ambito del Task 5/7 del Progetto Reluis – Linea 10

Salinization dynamics in irrigated soils of the Svetloyarsk irrigation system, Volgograd oblast

On the basis of soil surveys performed by the Volgograd hydrogeological reclamation expedition in 1998 and 2006, published data, and original materials obtained by the authors, the dynamics of soil salinization within the Svetloyarsk irrigation system in Volgograd oblast during the irrigation and post-irrigation periods have been traced. It is found that high irrigation rates under conditions of poor drainage and closed drainage basins upon both shallow (within the Caspian Lowland) and relatively deep (on the Ergeni Upland) occurrence of saline groundwater and the presence of natural salts in the soils and subsoils lead to the rise in the groundwater level above the critical level and the development of secondary salinization in the previously surfacesaline, deeply saline, and even nonsaline soils. During the post-irrigation period (15-18 years) under modern climatic conditions, the groundwater level has been descending to a depth of more than 3 m, and the degree of salinity in the upper meter of light chestnut and meadow-chestnut soils has decreased owing to the leaching of salts with atmospheric precipitation

Diagnosis and Treatment of Pediatric Acquired Aplastic Anemia (AAA): An Initial Survey of the North American Pediatric Aplastic Anemia Consortium (NAPAAC)

BackgroundRandomized clinical trials in pediatric aplastic anemia (AA) are rare and data to guide standards of care are scarce. ProcedureEighteen pediatric institutions formed the North American Pediatric Aplastic Anemia Consortium to foster collaborative studies in AA. The initial goal of NAPAAC was to survey the diagnostic studies and therapies utilized in AA. ResultsOur survey indicates considerable variability among institutions in the diagnosis and treatment of AA. There were areas of general consensus, including the need for a bone marrow evaluation, cytogenetic and specific fluorescent in situ hybridization assays to establish diagnosis and exclude genetic etiologies with many institutions requiring results prior to initiation of immunosuppressive therapy (IST); uniform referral for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation as first line therapy if an HLA-identical sibling is identified; the use of first-line IST containing horse anti-thymocyte globulin and cyclosporine A (CSA) if an HLA-identical sibling donor is not identified; supportive care measures; and slow taper of CSA after response. Areas of controversy included the need for telomere length results prior to IST, the time after IST initiation defining a treatment failure; use of hematopoietic growth factors; the preferred rescue therapy after failure of IST; the use of specific hemoglobin and platelet levels as triggers for transfusion support; the use of prophylactic antibiotics; and follow-up monitoring after completion of treatment. ConclusionsThese initial survey results reflect heterogeneity in diagnosis and care amongst pediatric centers and emphasize the need to develop evidence-based diagnosis and treatment approaches in this rare disease. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2014;61:869-874. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

'International education : emergences and future possibilities'. Report on a University of Fribourg workshop, 4-7 May, 2015.

An exploratory workshop with the theme: ‘International Education: Emergences and Future Possibilities’, was held at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland from 4-7 May 2015. The workshop, organised by the university’s Department of Educational Sciences, was made possible when the head of department Professor Edgar Forster and lecturer/PhD candidate Ms. Rose Eder applied for and won a grant of 24,810 CHF (Swiss Francs) from the Swiss National Science Foundation. Participants in the workshop included a number of invited global scholars of international education from universities in Canada, the USA, Brazil, Australia, Singapore, Japan and Vietnam, as well as graduate students in Education and their supervisors from the University of Fribourg, some from the transdisciplinary postdoctoral program ‘Migration and Postcoloniality meet Switzerland’.peer-reviewe

Neutrinos in a vacuum dominated cosmology

We explore the dynamics of neutrinos in a vacuum dominated cosmology. First we show that such a geometry will induce a phase change in the eigenstates of a massive neutrino and we calculate the phase change. We also calculate the delay in the neutrino flight times in this geometry. Applying our results to the presently observed background vacuum energy density, we find that for neutrino sources further than $1.5 Gpc$ away both effects become non-trivial, being of the order of the standard relativistic corrections. Such sources are within the obsevable Hubble Deep Field. The results which are theoretically interesting are also potentially useful, in the future, as detection techniques improve. For example such effects on neutrinos from distant sources like supernovae could be used, in an independent method alternative to standard candles, to constrain the dark energy density and the deceleration parameter. The discussion is extended to investigate Caianiello's inertial or maximal acceleration (MA) effects of such a vacuum dominated spacetime on neutrino oscillations. Assuming that the MA phenomenon exists, we find that its form as generated by the presently observed vacuum energy density would still have little or no measurable effect on neutrino phase evolution.Comment: 10 pages, LaTeX, no figure

Propensity-matched analysis of patient-reported outcomes for neoadjuvant chemotherapy prior to radical cystectomy

© 2019, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. Purpose: To evaluate patient-reported outcomes (PROs) for bladder cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) prior to radical cystectomy (RC) using longitudinal data and propensity-matched scoring analyses. Methods: 155 patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer scheduled for RC completed the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer questionnaires, EORTC QLQ-C30, EORTC QLQ-BLM30, Fear of Recurrence Scale, Mental Health Inventory and Satisfaction with Life Scale within 4 weeks of surgery. A propensity-matched analysis was performed comparing pre-surgery PROs among 101 patients who completed NAC versus 54 patients who did not receive NAC. We also compared PROs pre- and post-chemotherapy for 16 patients who had data available for both time points. Results: In propensity-matched analysis, NAC-treated patients reported better emotional and sexual function, mental health, urinary function and fewer financial concerns compared to those that did not receive NAC. Longitudinal analysis showed increases in fatigue, nausea and appetite loss following chemotherapy. Conclusion: Propensity-matched analysis did not demonstrate a negative effect of NAC on PRO. Several positive associations of NAC were found in the propensity-matched analysis, possibly due to other confounding differences between the two groups or actual clinical benefit. Longitudinal analysis of a small number of patients found small to modest detrimental effects from NAC similar to toxicities previously reported. Our preliminary findings, along with known survival and toxicity data, should be considered in decision-making for NAC