Diaphragmatic hernia following oesophagectomy for oesophageal cancer – Are we too radical?

Background: Diaphragmatic herniation (DH) of abdominal contents into the thorax after oesophageal resection is a recognised and serious complication of surgery. While differences in pressure between the abdominal and thoracic cavities are important, the size of the hiatal defect is something that can be influenced surgically. As with all oncological surgery, safe resection margins are essential without adversely affecting necessary anatomical structure and function. However very little has been published looking at the extent of the hiatal resection. We aim to present a case series of patients who developed DH herniation post operatively in order to raise discussion about the ideal extent of surgical resection required. Methods: We present a series of cases of two male and one female who had oesophagectomies for moderately and poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas of the lower oesophagus who developed post-operative DH. We then conducted a detailed literature review using Medline, Pubmed and Google Scholar to identify existing guidance to avoid this complication with particular emphasis on the extent of hiatal resection. Discussion: Extended incision and partial resection of the diaphragm are associated with an increased risk of postoperative DH formation. However, these more extensive excisions can ensure clear surgical margins. Post-operative herniation can be an early or late complication of surgery and despite the clear importance of hiatal resection only one paper has been published on this subject which recommends a more limited resection than was carried out in our cases. Conclusion: This case series investigated the recommended extent of hiatal dissection in oesophageal surgery. Currently there is no clear guidance available on this subject and further studies are needed to ascertain the optimum resection margin that results in the best balance of oncological parameters vs. post operative morbidity

Use of Annual Self-Reseeding Legumes in an Oak Forest in Central Italy

A trial has been carried out for three years in an oak coppice geometrically thinned out of Mediterranean Central Italy, about the functioning of a pastoral system made by four different resources: native pasture, subterranean clover (Trifolium brachycalycinum Katzn. et Morley) in pure stand, strips thinned out and firebreaks improved with oversown subclover, all grazed by sheep. Subclover increased the forage yield and improved the palatabilty of the pasture and the regularity of grazing; the higher biomass intake by animals reduced the quantity of dried biomass in summer and contributed to keep low either fire hazards or flame diffusion speed. Data underlined the importance of deferred grazing and of the combination of different native or improved resources on the seasonal distribution of production and animal intake

Attosecond electron spectroscopy using a novel interferometric pump-probe technique

We present an interferometric pump-probe technique for the characterization of attosecond electron wave packets (WPs) that uses a free WP as a reference to measure a bound WP. We demonstrate our method by exciting helium atoms using an attosecond pulse with a bandwidth centered near the ionization threshold, thus creating both a bound and a free WP simultaneously. After a variable delay, the bound WP is ionized by a few-cycle infrared laser precisely synchronized to the original attosecond pulse. By measuring the delay-dependent photoelectron spectrum we obtain an interferogram that contains both quantum beats as well as multi-path interference. Analysis of the interferogram allows us to determine the bound WP components with a spectral resolution much better than the inverse of the attosecond pulse duration.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Caracterização do perfil sorológico de nulíparas suínas e da progênie frente ao parvovírus suíno.

Projeto: 03.09.00.046

Exploring rationales for branding a university: Should we be seeking to measure branding in UK universities?

Although branding is now widespread among UK universities, the application of branding principles in the higher education sector is comparatively recent and may be controversial for internal audiences who question its suitability and efficiency. This paper seeks to investigate how and whether the effectiveness of branding activity in the higher education sector should be evaluated and measured, through exploratory interviews with those who often drive it; UK University marketing professionals. Conclusions suggest that university branding is inherently complex and therefore application of commercial approaches may be over simplistic. Whilst marketing professionals discuss challenges they do not necessarily have a consistent view of the objectives of branding activity although all were able to clearly articulate branding objectives for their university, including both qualitative and, to some extent, quantitative metrics. Some measures of the real value of branding activity are therefore suggested but a key debate is perhaps whether the objectives and role of branding in higher education needs to be clarified, and a more consistent view of appropriate metrics reached? Various challenges in implementing branding approaches are also highlighted

Attosecond dynamics through a Fano resonance: Monitoring the birth of a photoelectron

This is the author’s version of the work. It is posted here by permission of the AAAS for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Science on 354, 11 november 2016, DOI: 10.1126/science.aah5188The dynamics of quantum systems are encoded in the amplitude and phase of wave packets. However, the rapidity of electron dynamics on the attosecond scale has precluded the complete characterization of electron wave packets in the time domain. Using spectrally resolved electron interferometry, we were able to measure the amplitude and phase of a photoelectron wave packet created through a Fano autoionizing resonance in helium. In our setup, replicas obtained by two-photon transitions interfere with reference wave packets that are formed through smooth continua, allowing the full temporal reconstruction, purely from experimental data, of the resonant wave packet released in the continuum. In turn, this resolves the buildup of the autoionizing resonance on an attosecond time scale. Our results, in excellent agreement with ab initio time-dependent calculations, raise prospects for detailed investigations of ultrafast photoemission dynamics governed by electron correlation, as well as coherent control over structured electron wave packetsWe thank S. Weber for crucial contributions to the PLFA attosecond beamline, D. Cubaynes, M. Meyer, F. Penent, J. Palaudoux, for setup and test of the electron spectrometer, and O. Smirnova, for fruitful discussions. Supported by ITN-MEDEA 641789, ANR-15-CE30-0001-01-CIMBAAD, ANR11-EQPX0005-ATTOLAB, the European Research Council Advanced Grant XCHEM no. 290853, the European COST Action XLIC CM1204, and the MINECO Project no. FIS2013-42002-R. We acknowledge allocation of computer time from CCC-UAM and Mare Nostrum BS

Reconstruction and control of a time-dependent two-electron wave packet

The concerted motion of two or more bound electrons governs atomic1 and molecular2,3 non-equilibrium processes including chemical reactions, and hence there is much interest in developing a detailed understanding of such electron dynamics in the quantum regime. However, there is no exact solution for the quantumthree-body problem, and as a result even the minimal system of two active electrons and a nucleus is analytically intractable4. This makes experimental measurements of the dynamics of two bound and correlated electrons, as found in the helium atom, an attractive prospect.However, although the motion of single active electrons and holes has been observed with attosecond time resolution5-7, comparable experiments on two-electron motion have so far remained out of reach. Here we showthat a correlated two-electron wave packet can be reconstructed froma 1.2-femtosecondquantumbeatamong low-lying doubly excited states in helium.The beat appears in attosecond transient-absorption spectra5,7-9 measured with unprecedentedly high spectral resolution and in the presence of an intensity-tunable visible laser field.Wetune the coupling10-12 between the two low-lying quantum states by adjusting the visible laser intensity, and use the Fano resonance as a phase-sensitive quantum interferometer13 to achieve coherent control of the two correlated electrons. Given the excellent agreement with large-scalequantum-mechanical calculations for thehelium atom, we anticipate thatmultidimensional spectroscopy experiments of the type we report here will provide benchmark data for testing fundamental few-body quantumdynamics theory in more complex systems. Theymight also provide a route to the site-specificmeasurement and control of metastable electronic transition states that are at the heart of fundamental chemical reactionsWe thank E. Lindroth for calculating the dipole moment (2p2|r|sp2,3+), and also A. Voitkiv, Z.-H. Loh, and R. Moshammer for helpful discussions. We acknowledge financial support by the Max-Planck Research Group Program of the Max-Planck Gesellschaft (MPG) and the European COST Action CM1204 XLIC. L. A. and F. M. acknowledge computer time from the CCC-UAM and Mare Nostrum supercomputer centers and financial support by the European Research Council under the ERC Advanced Grant no. 290853 XCHEM, the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad projects FIS2010-15127, FIS2013-42002-R and ERA-Chemistry PIM2010EEC-00751, and the European grant MC-ITN CORIN

Time–frequency representation of autoionization dynamics in helium

Autoionization, which results from the interference between direct photoionization and photoexcitation to a discrete state decaying to the continuum by configuration interaction, is a well known example of the important role of electron correlation in light–matter interaction. Information on this process can be obtained by studying the spectral, or equivalently, temporal complex amplitude of the ionized electron wave packet. Using an energy-resolved interferometric technique, we measure the spectral amplitude and phase of autoionized wave packets emitted via the sp2+ and sp3+ resonances in helium. These measurements allow us to reconstruct the corresponding temporal profiles by Fourier transform. In addition, applying various time–frequency representations, we observe the build-up of the wave packets in the continuum, monitor the instantaneous frequencies emitted at any time and disentangle the dynamics of the direct and resonant ionization channels