Concept of a laser-plasma based electron source for sub-10 fs electron diffraction

We propose a new concept of an electron source for ultrafast electron diffraction with sub-10~fs temporal resolution. Electrons are generated in a laser-plasma accelerator, able to deliver femtosecond electron bunches at 5 MeV energy with kHz repetition rate. The possibility of producing this electron source is demonstrated using Particle-In-Cell simulations. We then use particle tracking simulations to show that this electron beam can be transported and manipulated in a realistic beamline, in order to reach parameters suitable for electron diffraction. The beamline consists of realistic static magnetic optics and introduces no temporal jitter. We demonstrate numerically that electron bunches with 5~fs duration and containing 1.5~fC per bunch can be produced, with a transverse coherence length exceeding 2~nm, as required for electron diffraction

Secondary habitats are important in biodiversity conservation: a case study on orthopterans along ditch banks

Los hábitats secundarios son importantes en la conservación de la biodiversidad: un estudio práctico sobre los ortópteros en orillas de acequias Se ha demostrado que la biota autóctona puede sobrevivir en hábitats secundarios como cunetas, diques y setos. La finalidad de este estudio es evaluar el valor de las orillas de acequias para la conservación de los ortópteros en un paisaje agrícola en Hungría, a partir del análisis de los datos relativos a la riqueza y la abundancia de especies utilizando modelos mixtos. No encontramos ninguna diferencia en cuanto a la riqueza de especies entre las orillas de acequias aisladas, semiaisladas y en praderas de control. Sin embargo, el grado de aislamiento tuvo un efecto negativo significativo en la abundancia de especies sedentarias. Constatamos que la densidad de vegetación leñosa junto a las orillas de las acequias tenía un efecto negativo en la abundancia total y la abundancia de especies móviles. Se observó la existencia de una relación positiva entre la anchura de las orillas de acequias que estaba cubierta por vegetación y la abundancia de especies del suborden Caelifera y de especies móviles, xerófilas y mesófilas. Nuestros resultados sugieren que la densidad de ortópteros puede ser una medida más sensible de la calidad del hábitat que la riqueza de especies. Concluimos que las orillas de las acequias son un hábitat adecuado para la mayoría de ortópteros, incluidas las especies raras o en peligro de extinción, lo que pone de relieve que debería prestarse más atención a estos y otros hábitats lineales parecidos y que se les debería dar más importancia en la conservación de invertebrados.It has been shown that native biota can survive in secondary habitats such as road verges, dikes and hedges. We aimed to assess the conservation value of ditch banks for orthopterans in an agricultural landscape in Hungary, based on the analyses of species richness and abundance data using mixed–models. We did not find any differences in the species richness between isolated ditch banks, semi–isolated ditch banks and control meadows. The extent of isolation had a significantly negative effect, however, on the abundance of sedentary species. We found that the density of woody vegetation along ditch banks had a negative effect on the total abundance and the abundance of mobile species. Positive relationships were found between the width of ditch bank vegetation and the abundance of Caelifera, mobile, xerophilous and mesophilous species. Our results suggest that the density of orthopterans may be a more sensitive measure for habitat quality than their species richness. We concluded that ditch banks are a suitable habitat for the majority of orthopterans, including rare and endangered species, emphasizing that ditch banks and similar linear habitats should receive more attention and should be given a more prominent role in invertebrate conservation.Los hábitats secundarios son importantes en la conservación de la biodiversidad: un estudio práctico sobre los ortópteros en orillas de acequias Se ha demostrado que la biota autóctona puede sobrevivir en hábitats secundarios como cunetas, diques y setos. La finalidad de este estudio es evaluar el valor de las orillas de acequias para la conservación de los ortópteros en un paisaje agrícola en Hungría, a partir del análisis de los datos relativos a la riqueza y la abundancia de especies utilizando modelos mixtos. No encontramos ninguna diferencia en cuanto a la riqueza de especies entre las orillas de acequias aisladas, semiaisladas y en praderas de control. Sin embargo, el grado de aislamiento tuvo un efecto negativo significativo en la abundancia de especies sedentarias. Constatamos que la densidad de vegetación leñosa junto a las orillas de las acequias tenía un efecto negativo en la abundancia total y la abundancia de especies móviles. Se observó la existencia de una relación positiva entre la anchura de las orillas de acequias que estaba cubierta por vegetación y la abundancia de especies del suborden Caelifera y de especies móviles, xerófilas y mesófilas. Nuestros resultados sugieren que la densidad de ortópteros puede ser una medida más sensible de la calidad del hábitat que la riqueza de especies. Concluimos que las orillas de las acequias son un hábitat adecuado para la mayoría de ortópteros, incluidas las especies raras o en peligro de extinción, lo que pone de relieve que debería prestarse más atención a estos y otros hábitats lineales parecidos y que se les debería dar más importancia en la conservación de invertebrados

Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): extended intragroup light in a group at <i>z</i> = 0.2 from deep Hyper Suprime-Cam images

We present a pilot study to assess the potential of Hyper Suprime-Cam Public Data Release 2 (HSC-PDR2) images for the analysis of extended faint structures within groups of galaxies. We examine the intragroup light (IGL) of the group 400138 (Mdyn = 1.3 ± 0.5 × 1013 M⊙, z ∼ 0.2) from the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey using Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program Public Data Release 2 (HSC-SSP PDR2) images in g, r, and i bands. We present the most extended IGL measurement to date, reaching down to μlimg=30.76 mag arcsec−2 (3σ; 10 × 10 arcsec2) at a semimajor axis of 275 kpc. The IGL shows mean colour values of g − i = 0.92, g − r = 0.60, and r − i = 0.32 (±0.01). The IGL stellar populations are younger (2–2.5 Gyr) and less metal rich ([Fe/H] ∼ −0.4) than those of the host group galaxies. We find a range of IGL fractions as a function of total group luminosity of ∼2−36 per cent depending on the definition of IGL, with larger fractions the bluer the observation wavelength. The early-type to late-type galaxy ratio suggests that 400138 is a more evolved group, dominated by early-type galaxies, and the IGL fraction agrees with that of other similarly evolved groups. These results are consistent with tidal stripping of the outer parts of Milky Way-like galaxies as the main driver of the IGL build-up. This is supported by the detection of substructure in the IGL towards the galaxy member 1660615 suggesting a recent interaction (<1 Gyr ago) of that galaxy with the core of the group

Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): extended intragroup light in a group at z = 0.2 from deep Hyper Suprime-Cam images

We present a pilot study to assess the potential of Hyper Suprime-Cam Public Data Release 2 (HSC-PDR2) images for the analysis of extended faint structures within groups of galaxies. We examine the intragroup light (IGL) of the group 400138 (Mdyn = 1.3 ± 0.5 × 1013 M⊙, z ∼ 0.2) from the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey using Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program Public Data Release 2 (HSC-SSP PDR2) images in g, r, and i bands. We present the most extended IGL measurement to date, reaching down to μglim=30.76 role= presentation style= box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: normal; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: inline; word-spacing: normal; overflow-wrap: normal; white-space: nowrap; float: none; direction: ltr; max-width: none; max-height: none; min-width: 0px; min-height: 0px; position: relative; \u3eμlimg=30.76μglim=30.76 mag arcsec−2 (3σ; 10 × 10 arcsec2) at a semimajor axis of 275 kpc. The IGL shows mean colour values of g − i = 0.92, g − r = 0.60, and r − i = 0.32 (±0.01). The IGL stellar populations are younger (2–2.5 Gyr) and less metal rich ([Fe/H] ∼ −0.4) than those of the host group galaxies. We find a range of IGL fractions as a function of total group luminosity of ∼2−36 per cent role= presentation style= box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: normal; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: inline; word-spacing: normal; overflow-wrap: normal; white-space: nowrap; float: none; direction: ltr; max-width: none; max-height: none; min-width: 0px; min-height: 0px; position: relative; \u3e∼2−36 per cent∼2−36 per cent depending on the definition of IGL, with larger fractions the bluer the observation wavelength. The early-type to late-type galaxy ratio suggests that 400138 is a more evolved group, dominated by early-type galaxies, and the IGL fraction agrees with that of other similarly evolved groups. These results are consistent with tidal stripping of the outer parts of Milky Way-like galaxies as the main driver of the IGL build-up. This is supported by the detection of substructure in the IGL towards the galaxy member 1660615 suggesting a recent interaction (\u3c1 Gyr ago) of that galaxy with the core of the group

Landscape configuration, organic management, and within-field position drive functional diversity of spiders and carabids

Abstract Agricultural management intensity and landscape heterogeneity act as the main drivers of biodiversity loss in agricultural landscapes while also determining ecosystem services. The trait-based functional diversity approach offers a way to assess changes in community functionality across agroecosystems. We focused on carabids and spiders, because they are an important component of crop field biodiversity and have significant biological control potential. We assessed the effect of small- vs. large-scale agricultural landscapes, organic farming, and within-field position on functional diversity of spiders and carabids. We sampled pairs of organic and conventional winter wheat fields in small-scale agricultural landscapes (former West Germany) and in neighbouring large-scale agricultural landscapes (former East Germany). We sampled arthropods with funnel traps in transects at field edges, field interiors (15 m from edge), and field centres. The gradient from field edges towards the centres played an important role: spider body size decreased; ballooning ability increased, and hunting strategy switched from active hunters to more web-builders?presumably, due to higher microhabitat stability in the field centre. Higher trait diversity of spiders in field edges suggested higher biocontrol potential in small-scale agriculture. In contrast, carabid feeding switched from herbivores to carnivores, presumably due to higher pest densities inside crop fields. Furthermore, small-scale agricultural landscapes and organic management supported larger, i.e., less dispersive carabids. Synthesis and applications. In our research, spiders were more sensitive to edge effects and less sensitive to management and landscape composition than carabids. Smaller fields and longer edges, as well as organic management increase carabid functional diversity, which may increase resilience to environmental change. Since many spider species are confined to field edges, the effect of within-field position on functional diversity is more important in small-scale agricultural landscapes with more edge habitat than in large-scale agricultural landscapes. Our findings suggest that European Union policy should acknowledge the high benefits of small-scale agriculture for the functional role of major predators such as spiders and carabid beetles, as the benefits are equal to those from a conversion to organic agriculture

Hypoxia increases membrane metallo-endopeptidase expression in a novel lung cancer ex vivo model - role of tumor stroma cells

Background: Hypoxia-induced genes are potential targets in cancer therapy. Responses to hypoxia have been extensively studied in vitro, however, they may differ in vivo due to the specific tumor microenvironment. In this study gene expression profiles were obtained from fresh human lung cancer tissue fragments cultured ex vivo under different oxygen concentrations in order to study responses to hypoxia in a model that mimics human lung cancer in vivo.Methods: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) fragments from altogether 70 patients were maintained ex vivo in normoxia or hypoxia in short-term culture. Viability, apoptosis rates and tissue hypoxia were assessed. Gene expression profiles were studied using Affymetrix GeneChip 1.0 ST microarrays.Results: Apoptosis rates were comparable in normoxia and hypoxia despite different oxygenation levels, suggesting adaptation of tumor cells to hypoxia. Gene expression profiles in hypoxic compared to normoxic fragments largely overlapped with published hypoxia-signatures. While most of these genes were up-regulated by hypoxia also in NSCLC cell lines, membrane metallo-endopeptidase (MME, neprilysin, CD10) expression was not increased in hypoxia in NSCLC cell lines, but in carcinoma-associated fibroblasts isolated from non-small cell lung cancers. High MME expression was significantly associated with poor overall survival in 342 NSCLC patients in a meta-analysis of published microarray datasets.Conclusions: The novel ex vivo model allowed for the first time to analyze hypoxia-regulated gene expression in preserved human lung cancer tissue. Gene expression profiles in human hypoxic lung cancer tissue overlapped with hypoxia-signatures from cancer cell lines, however, the elastase MME was identified as a novel hypoxia-induced gene in lung cancer. Due to the lack of hypoxia effects on MME expression in NSCLC cell lines in contrast to carcinoma-associated fibroblasts, a direct up-regulation of stroma fibroblast MME expression under hypoxia might contribute to enhanced aggressiveness of hypoxic cancers

Malignancy after heart transplantation: incidence, prognosis and risk factors

[Abstract] The Spanish Post-Heart-Transplant Tumour Registry comprises data on neoplasia following heart transplantation (HT) for all Spanish HT patients (1984–2003). This retrospective analysis of 3393 patients investigated the incidence and prognosis of neoplasia, and the influence of antiviral prophylaxis. About 50% of post-HT neoplasias were cutaneous, and 10% lymphomas. The cumulative incidence of skin cancers and other nonlymphoma cancers increased with age at HT and with time post-HT (from respectively 5.2 and 8.9 per 1000 person-years in the first year to 14.8 and 12.6 after 10 years), and was greater among men than women. None of these trends held for lymphomas. Induction therapy other than with IL2R-blockers generally increased the risk of neoplasia except when acyclovir was administered prophylactically during the first 3 months post-HT; prophylactic acyclovir halved the risk of lymphoma, regardless of other therapies. Institution of MMF during the first 3 months post-HT reduced the incidence of skin cancer independently of the effects of sex, age group, pre-HT smoking, use of tacrolimus in the first 3 months, induction treatment and antiviral treatment. Five-year survival rates after first tumor diagnosis were 74% for skin cancer, 20% for lymphoma and 32% for other tumors