1,512 research outputs found
Current issues relating to artificial reefs in European seas
European artificial reef research has now been active for about three decades. For much of that time research has been conducted within national programmes, focussing on national or local issues, and has taken place predominately in the Mediterranean Sea. Over the past ten years or so interest in artificial reef technology and science has spread into the NE Atlantic and Baltic Sea with an associated variation in aims and ideas. Reef scientists working in European seas have run projects to assess artificial reefs as tools to protect habitat from destruction from trawling (Spain, Italy and France), promote nature conservation (Monaco, Italy and France), aid fisheries (Italy, Spain, Portugal and France), assess novel materials for reef construction (Italy and UK), investigate habitat use for lobsters (UK, Italy and Israel), for aquaculture (Italy), as experimental sites where habitat parameters are known (UK, Holland and Italy) and as biofiltration structures (Finland, Russia, Poland and Romania). This variety of investigation is one of the strengths of artificial reef research in Europe, the community is diverse and there is great scientific value in establishing collaboration and dialogue with colleagues.
The majority of artificial reef investigations have been, and still are, experimental with Italy dominating the research effort and Spain currently leading the way in the tonnage of reef material deployed, primarily for seagrass habitat protection. Problems associated with old descriptive, qualitative research have led to developments in quantification and comparative studies which have allowed a scientific perspective to be put on artificial reef deployments across Europe. Currently, as part of the EARRN (European Artificial Reef Research Network) initiative, there is an acceptance of the need to standardise some of the ecological methods used. If this is not practicable in some cases then at least the reporting of results will be done in such a way to allow comparison with data gathered elsewhere
Indirect determination of the Kugo-Ojima function from lattice data
We study the structure and non-perturbative properties of a special Green's
function, u(q), whose infrared behavior has traditionally served as the
standard criterion for the realization of the Kugo-Ojima confinement mechanism.
It turns out that, in the Landau gauge, u(q) can be determined from a dynamical
equation, whose main ingredients are the gluon propagator and the ghost
dressing function, integrated over all physical momenta. Using as input for
these two (infrared finite) quantities recent lattice data, we obtain an
indirect determination of u(q). The results of this mixed procedure are in
excellent agreement with those found previously on the lattice, through a
direct simulation of this function. Most importantly, in the deep infrared the
function deviates considerably from the value associated with the realization
of the aforementioned confinement scenario. In addition, the dependence of
u(q), and especially of its value at the origin, on the renormalization point
is clearly established. Some of the possible implications of these results are
briefly discussed.Comment: 25 pages, 10 figures; v2: typos corrected, expanded version that
matches the published articl
Bivariate analysis of basal serum anti-Müllerian hormone measurements and human blastocyst development after IVF
Background
To report on relationships among baseline serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) measurements, blastocyst development and other selected embryology parameters observed in non-donor oocyte IVF cycles.
Methods
Pre-treatment AMH was measured in patients undergoing IVF (n = 79) and retrospectively correlated to in vitro embryo development noted during culture.
Results
Mean (+/- SD) age for study patients in this study group was 36.3 ± 4.0 (range = 28-45) yrs, and mean (+/- SD) terminal serum estradiol during IVF was 5929 +/- 4056 pmol/l. A moderate positive correlation (0.49; 95% CI 0.31 to 0.65) was noted between basal serum AMH and number of MII oocytes retrieved. Similarly, a moderate positive correlation (0.44) was observed between serum AMH and number of early cleavage-stage embryos (95% CI 0.24 to 0.61), suggesting a relationship between serum AMH and embryo development in IVF. Of note, serum AMH levels at baseline were significantly different for patients who did and did not undergo blastocyst transfer (15.6 vs. 10.9 pmol/l; p = 0.029).
Conclusions
While serum AMH has found increasing application as a predictor of ovarian reserve for patients prior to IVF, its roles to estimate in vitro embryo morphology and potential to advance to blastocyst stage have not been extensively investigated. These data suggest that baseline serum AMH determinations can help forecast blastocyst developmental during IVF. Serum AMH measured before treatment may assist patients, clinicians and embryologists as scheduling of embryo transfer is outlined. Additional studies are needed to confirm these correlations and to better define the role of baseline serum AMH level in the prediction of blastocyst formation
Balancing selected medication costs with total number of daily injections: a preference analysis of GnRH-agonist and antagonist protocols by IVF patients
BACKGROUND:
During in vitro fertilization (IVF), fertility patients are expected to self-administer many injections as part of this treatment. While newer medications have been developed to substantially reduce the number of these injections, such agents are typically much more expensive. Considering these differences in both cost and number of injections, this study compared patient preferences between GnRH-agonist and GnRH-antagonist based protocols in IVF.
METHODS:
Data were collected by voluntary, anonymous questionnaire at first consultation appointment. Patient opinion concerning total number of s.c. injections as a function of non-reimbursed patient cost associated with GnRH-agonist [A] and GnRH-antagonist [B] protocols in IVF was studied.
RESULTS:
Completed questionnaires (n = 71) revealed a mean +/- SD patient age of 34 +/- 4.1 yrs. Most (83.1%) had no prior IVF experience; 2.8% reported another medical condition requiring self-administration of subcutaneous medication(s). When out-of-pocket cost for [A] and [B] were identical, preference for [B] was registered by 50.7% patients. The tendency to favor protocol [B] was weaker among patients with a health occupation. Estimated patient costs for [A] and [B] were 654.55 +/- 106.34, respectively (p < 0.005). Measured patient preference for [B] diminished as the cost difference increased.
CONCLUSIONS:
This investigation found consistently higher non-reimbursed direct medication costs for GnRH-antagonist IVF vs. GnRH-agonist IVF protocols. A conditional preference to minimize downregulation (using GnRH-antagonist) was noted among some, but not all, IVF patient sub-groups. Compared to IVF patients with a health occupation, the preference for GnRH-antagonist was weaker than for other patients. While reducing total number of injections by using GnRH-antagonist is a desirable goal, it appears this advantage is not perceived equally by all IVF patients and its utility is likely discounted heavily by patients when nonreimbursed medication costs reach a critical level
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Stratospheric water vapour and high climate sensitivity in a version of the HadSM3 climate model
It has been shown previously that one member of the Met Office Hadley Centre single-parameter perturbed physics ensemble – the so-called "low entrainment parameter" member – has a much higher climate sensitivity than other individual parameter perturbations. Here we show that the concentration of stratospheric water vapour in this member is over three times higher than observations, and, more importantly for climate sensitivity, increases significantly when climate warms. The large surface temperature response of this ensemble member is more consistent with stratospheric humidity change, rather than upper tropospheric clouds as has been previously suggested. The direct relationship between the bias in the control state (elevated stratospheric humidity) and the cause of the high climate sensitivity (a further increase in stratospheric humidity) lends further doubt as to the realism of this particular integration. This, together with other evidence, lowers the likelihood that the climate system's physical sensitivity is significantly higher than the likely upper range quoted in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Fourth Assessment Report
Non-perturbative momentum dependence of the coupling constant and hadronic models
Models of hadron structure are associated with a hadronic scale which allows
by perturbative evolution to calculate observables in the deep inelastic
region. The resolution of Dyson-Schwinger equations leads to the freezing of
the QCD running coupling (effective charge) in the infrared, which is best
understood as a dynamical generation of a gluon mass function, giving rise to a
momentum dependence which is free from infrared divergences. We use this new
development to understand why perturbative treatments are working reasonably
well despite the smallness of the hadronic scale.Comment: Changes in Acknowledgments and PACS number
Selection of single blastocysts for fresh transfer via standard morphology assessment alone and with array CGH for good prognosis IVF patients: results from a randomized pilot study
Background
Single embryo transfer (SET) remains underutilized as a strategy to reduce multiple gestation risk in IVF, and its overall lower pregnancy rate underscores the need for improved techniques to select one embryo for fresh transfer. This study explored use of comprehensive chromosomal screening by array CGH (aCGH) to provide this advantage and improve pregnancy rate from SET.
Methods
First-time IVF patients with a good prognosis (age <35, no prior miscarriage) and normal karyotype seeking elective SET were prospectively randomized into two groups: In Group A, embryos were selected on the basis of morphology and comprehensive chromosomal screening via aCGH (from d5 trophectoderm biopsy) while Group B embryos were assessed by morphology only. All patients had a single fresh blastocyst transferred on d6. Laboratory parameters and clinical pregnancy rates were compared between the two groups.
Results
For patients in Group A (n=55), 425 blastocysts were biopsied and analyzed via aCGH (7.7 blastocysts/patient). Aneuploidy was detected in 191/425 (44.9%) of blastocysts in this group. For patients in Group B (n=48), 389 blastocysts were microscopically examined (8.1 blastocysts/patient). Clinical pregnancy rate was significantly higher in the morphology+aCGH group compared to the morphology-only group (70.9 and 45.8%, respectively; p=0.017); ongoing pregnancy rate for Groups A and B were 69.1 vs. 41.7%, respectively (p=0.009). There were no twin pregnancies.
Conclusion
Although aCGH followed by frozen embryo transfer has been used to screen at risk embryos (e.g., known parental chromosomal translocation or history of recurrent pregnancy loss), this is the first description of aCGH fully integrated with a clinical IVF program to select single blastocysts for fresh SET in good prognosis patients. The observed aneuploidy rate (44.9%) among biopsied blastocysts highlights the inherent imprecision of SET when conventional morphology is used alone. Embryos randomized to the aCGH group implanted with greater efficiency, resulted in clinical pregnancy more often, and yielded a lower miscarriage rate than those selected without aCGH. Additional studies are needed to verify our pilot data and confirm a role for on-site, rapid aCGH for IVF patients contemplating fresh SET
The myth of agency and the misattribution of blame in collective imaginaries of the future
Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149565/1/bjos12662_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149565/2/bjos12662.pd
Suppression factors in diffractive photoproduction of dijets
After new publications of H1 data for the diffractive photoproduction of
dijets, which overlap with the earlier published H1 data and the recently
published data of the ZEUS collaboration, have appeared, we have recalculated
the cross sections for this process in next-to-leading order (NLO) of
perturbative QCD to see whether they can be interpreted consistently. The
results of these calculations are compared to the data of both collaborations.
We find that the NLO cross sections disagree with the data, showing that
factorization breaking occurs at that order. If direct and resolved
contributions are both suppressed by the same amount, the global suppression
factor depends on the transverse-energy cut. However, by suppressing only the
resolved contribution, also reasonably good agreement with all the data is
found with a suppression factor independent of the transverse-energy cut.Comment: 28 pages, 11 figures, 3 table
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