Assessing ozone impacts on arable crops in South Asia : identification of suitable risk assessment methods to improve crop biotechnology

This study has applied a number of different O3 risk assessment methods in South Asia to assess the extent and magnitude of O3 risk to crops and investigate how appropriate different methods are in identifying local environmental conditions and crop physiological traits that might alter crop sensitivity to O3. Concentration based methods are used in combination with tools and datasets tailored for South Asian conditions to investigate O3 impacts on wheat, rice, soybean and potato. Relative yield losses are substantially smaller (0.1 to 11.5 %) than those found in previously conducted global modelling studies (3 to 30 %) which is attributed to the improved resolution of the O3 photochemical model and crop distribution datasets used in this South Asian analysis. For the first time O3 flux based risk assessment methods are also applied for wheat in India. The stomatal conductance component of this flux method has been parameterised for Indian wheat based on available crop physiology data. Comparisons show that flux based methods tend to estimate larger relative yield losses than concentration based methods (16 % compared to 0.6 to 11.5 % for India). There are also differences in the spatial pattern of estimated risk though both methods clearly identify the Indo-Gangetic Plains as a high O3 risk region. The co-variation in O3 concentrations, crop distribution (both growth periods and geographical location), local meteorology (especially temperature and VPD) and crop physiology are all important in determining flux estimated O3 sensitivity. Finally, the flux based method is used to assess phenological traits (sowing times and maturing periods) introduced in new Indian wheat cultivars. This highlights the importance of crop phenology in determining O3 sensitivity as a function of both O3 concentration and environmental conditions and emphasises the potential application of flux based approaches as a tool capable of informing future crop biotechnology efforts.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Preoperative prism adaptation test in normosensoric strabismus

In 19 patients with normosensoric esotropia, the squint angles measured with the alternate cover test were compared with those after prolonged prismatic correction of the squint angle and with those after prolonged occlusion of one eye. All patients showed an increase of the squint angle after prism adaptation. The angle was generally smaller after diagnostic occlusion of one eye than after prism adaptation. We assume that the increase in the squint angle after prism adaptation is caused by an anomalous sensorial relationship between the two eyes that was not detected with the usual psychophysical tests. Surgery tailored to the squint angle after prism adaptation seems advisable in patients with normosensoric esotropia

Prototype ATLAS IBL Modules using the FE-I4A Front-End Readout Chip

The ATLAS Collaboration will upgrade its semiconductor pixel tracking detector with a new Insertable B-layer (IBL) between the existing pixel detector and the vacuum pipe of the Large Hadron Collider. The extreme operating conditions at this location have necessitated the development of new radiation hard pixel sensor technologies and a new front-end readout chip, called the FE-I4. Planar pixel sensors and 3D pixel sensors have been investigated to equip this new pixel layer, and prototype modules using the FE-I4A have been fabricated and characterized using 120 GeV pions at the CERN SPS and 4 GeV positrons at DESY, before and after module irradiation. Beam test results are presented, including charge collection efficiency, tracking efficiency and charge sharing.Comment: 45 pages, 30 figures, submitted to JINS

Laparoscopic right hemicolectomy: a SICE (Società Italiana di Chirurgia Endoscopica e Nuove tecnologie) network prospective study on the approach to right colon lymphadenectomy in Italy: is there a standard?—CoDIG 2 (ColonDx Italian Group)

Background: Colon cancer is a disease with a worldwide spread. Surgery is the best option for the treatment of advanced colon cancer, but some aspects are still debated, such as the extent of lymphadenectomy. In Japanese guidelines, the gold standard was D3 dissection to remove the central lymph nodes (203, 213, and 223), but in 2009, Hoenberger et al. introduced the concept of complete mesocolic excision, in which surgical dissection follows the embryological planes to remove the mesentery entirely to prevent leakage of cancer cells and collect more lymph nodes. Our study describes how lymphadenectomy is currently performed in major Italian centers with an unclear indication on the type of lymphadenectomy that should be performed during right hemicolectomy (RH). Methods: CoDIG 2 is an observational multicenter national study that involves 76 Italian general surgery wards highly specialized in colorectal surgery. Each center was asked not to modify their usual surgical and clinical practices. The aim of the study was to assess the preference of Italian surgeons on the type of lymphadenectomy to perform during RH and the rise of any new trends or modifications in habits compared to the findings of the CoDIG 1 study conducted 4 years ago. Results: A total of 788 patients were enrolled. The most commonly used surgical technique was laparoscopic (82.1%) with intracorporeal (73.4%), side-to-side (98.7%), or isoperistaltic (96.0%) anastomosis. The lymph nodes at the origin of the vessels were harvested in an inferior number of cases (203, 213, and 223: 42.4%, 31.1%, and 20.3%, respectively). A comparison between CoDIG 1 and CoDIG 2 showed a stable trend in surgical techniques and complications, with an increase in the robotic approach (7.7% vs. 12.3%). Conclusions: This analysis shows how lymphadenectomy is performed in Italy to achieve oncological outcomes in RH, although the technique to achieve a higher lymph node count has not yet been standardized. Trial registration (ClinicalTrials.gov) ID: NCT05943951

Holocene demographic fluctuations, climate and erosion in the Mediterranean: A meta data-analysis

As part of the Changing the Face of the Mediterranean Project, we consider how human pressure and concomitant erosion has affected a range of Mediterranean landscapes between the Neolithic and, in some cases, the post-medieval period. Part of this assessment comprises an investigation of relationships among palaeodemographic data, evidence for vegetation change and some consideration of rapid climate change events. The erosion data include recent or hitherto unpublished work from the authors. Where possible, we consider summed probabilities of 14C dates as well as the first published synthesis of all known optically stimulated luminescence dated sequences. The results suggest that while there were some periods when erosion took place contemporaneously across a number of regions, possibly induced by climate changes, more often than not, we see a complex and heterogeneous interplay of demographic and environmental changes that result in a mixed pattern of erosional activity across the Mediterranean