Strangeness enhancement at mid-rapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at 158 GeV/c

$K^{0}_{s}$, $\Lambda$, $\Xi$, $\Omega$ and negative particle yields and transverse mass spectra have been measured at central rapidity in Pb-Pb and p-Pb collisions at 158 $A$ GeV/$c$. The yields in Pb-Pb interactions % are presented as a function of the collision centrality and compared with those obtained from p-Pb collisions. Strangeness enhancement in Pb-Pb relative to p-Pb collisions increases with the strangeness content of the particle. Going from p-Pb to Pb-Pb, the strange particle yields increase faster than linearly with the number of participants $N_{part}$ up to $N_{part} \approx 100$, thereafter the increase becomes %linear with $N_{part}$. Yields are studied as a function of the number of nucleons participating in the collision $N_{part}$, which is estimated with the Glauber model. From p-Pb to Pb-Pb collisions the particle yields per participant increase substantially. The enhancement is more pronounced for multistrange particles, and exceeds an order of magnitude for the $\Omega$. For a number of participants, $N_{part}$, greater than $100$, however, all yields per participant appear to be constant

Beneficial effects on water management of simple hydraulic structures in wetland systems: the Vallevecchia case study, Italy

Conflicting water uses in coastal zones demand integrated approaches to achieve sustainable water resources management, protecting water quality while allowing those human activities which rely upon aquatic ecosystem services to thrive. This case study shows that the creation and simple management of hydraulic structures within constructed wetlands can markedly reduce the nonpoint pollution from agriculture and, simultaneously, benefit agricultural activities, particularly during hot and dry periods. The Vallevecchia wetland system is based on a reclaimed 900 ha-large drainage basin in Northern Italy, where droughts recently impacted agriculture causing water scarcity and saltwater intrusion. Rainwater and drained water are recirculated inside the system to limit saltwater intrusion, provide irrigation water during dry periods and reduce the agricultural nutrient loads discharged into the bordering, eutrophic Adriatic Sea. Monitoring (2003\u20132009) of water quality and flows highlights that the construction (ended in 2005) of a gated spillway to control the outflow, and of a 200,000 m3 basin for water storage, dramatically increased the removal of nutrients within the system. Strikingly, this improvement was achieved with a minimal management effort, e.g. each year the storage basin was filled once: a simple management of the hydraulic structures would greatly enhance the system efficiency, and store more water to irrigate and limit saltwater intrusion

Improved Survival of Ischemic Cutaneous and Musculocutaneous Flaps after Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Gene Transfer Using Adeno-Associated Virus Vectors

A major challenge in reconstructive surgery is flap ischemia, which might benefit from induction of therapeutic angiogenesis. Here we demonstrate the effect of an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector delivering vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)165 in two widely recognized in vivo flap models. For the epigastric flap model, animals were injected subcutaneously with 1.5 × 10(11) particles of AAV-VEGF at day 0, 7, or 14 before flap dissection. In the transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous flap model, AAV-VEGF was injected intramuscularly. The delivery of AAV-VEGF significantly improved flap survival in both models, reducing necrosis in all treatment groups compared to controls. The most notable results were obtained by administering the vector 14 days before flap dissection. In the transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous flap model, AAV-VEGF reduced the necrotic area by >50% at 1 week after surgery, with a highly significant improvement in the healing process throughout the following 2 weeks. The therapeutic effect of AAV-VEGF on flap survival was confirmed by histological evidence of neoangiogenesis in the formation of large numbers of CD31-positive capillaries and α-smooth muscle actin-positive arteriolae, particularly evident at the border between viable and necrotic tissue. These results underscore the efficacy of VEGF-induced neovascularization for the prevention of tissue ischemia and the improvement of flap survival in reconstructive surgery

Improved survival of ischemic cutaneous and musculocutaneous flaps after vascular endothelial growth factor gene transfer using adeno-associated virus vectors

A major challenge in reconstructive surgery is flap ischemia, which might benefit from induction of therapeutic angiogenesis. Here we demonstrate the effect of an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector delivering vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)165 in two widely recognized in vivo flap models. For the epigastric flap model, animals were injected subcutaneously with 1.5 X 10(11) particles of AAV-VEGF at day 0, 7, or 14 before flap dissection. In the transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous flap model, AAV-VEGF was injected intramuscularly. The delivery of AAV-VEGF significantly improved flap survival in both models, reducing necrosis in all treatment groups compared to controls. The most notable results were obtained by administering the vector 14 days before flap dissection. In the transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous flap model, AAV-VEGF reduced the necrotic area by > 50% at 1 week after surgery, with a highly significant improvement in the healing process throughout the following 2 weeks. The therapeutic effect of AAV-VEGF on flap survival was confirmed by histological evidence of neoangiogenesis in the formation of large numbers of CD31-positive capillaries and alpha-smooth muscle actin-positive arteriolae, particularly evident at the border between viable and necrotic tissue. These results underscore the efficacy of VEGF-induced neovascularization for the prevention of tissue ischemia and the improvement of flap survival in reconstructive surgery

Non-stationary responses of tree-ring chronologies and glacier mass balance to climate in the European Alps

Tree-ring width and glacier mass balance are two highly sensitive climatic proxies which are often used as indicators of biological and geophysical changes in high- altitude ecosystems. Tree-ring data have been widely used to reconstruct past temperatures and also to reconstruct past glacier mass balance. Here we show that tree-ring chronologies from a high-altitude Pinus cembra L. dendroclimatic network and glaciers from the same region in the European Alps have non-stationary responses to air temperature, and have also been responding non-proportionally to temperature extremes in recent decades. Both ring-width chronologies and the mass-balance series of some glaciers from the same region have shown an increasing sensitivity to summer (JJA) temperatures. Our results demonstrate that the sensitivity to climate of tree-ring chronologies and glacier mass balance may change over time and has been increasing in recent decades, posing some limitations to tree-ring-based glacier mass-balance reconstruction. Moreover, we found these reconstructions in the European Alps are more reliable for large rather than for small glaciers, and may not be able to reveal years of extreme ablation that could have occurred in the past

SINPHONIE (Schools Indoor Pollution and Health Observatory Network in Europe): Executive Summary of the Final Report

This report is the executive summary of the final report of the SINPHONIE (Schools Indoor Pollution and Health: Observatory Network in Europe) project. SINPHONIE was funded by the European Parliament and carried out under a contract with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Consumers (DG SANCO) (SANCO/2009/C4/04, contract SI2.570742). The SINPHONIE project established a scientific/technical network to act at the EU level with the long-term perspective of improving air quality in schools and kindergartens, thereby reducing the risk and burden of respiratory diseases among children and teachers potentially due to outdoor and indoor air pollution. At the same time, the project supports future policy actions by formulating guidelines, recommendations and risk management options for better air quality and associated health effects in schools.JRC.I.1-Chemical Assessment and Testin

Use of Statistical Analyses in the Ophthalmic Literature

Purpose: To identify the most commonly used statistical analyses in the ophthalmic literature and to determine the likely gain in comprehension of the literature that readers could expect if they were to add knowledge of more advanced techniques sequentially to their statistical repertoire.Design: Cross-sectional study.Methods: All articles published from January 2012 through December 2012 in Ophthalmology, the American Journal of Ophthalmology, and Archives of Ophthalmology were reviewed. A total of 780 peer-reviewed articles were included. Two reviewers examined each article and assigned categories to each one depending on the type of statistical analyses used. Discrepancies between reviewers were resolved by consensus.Main Outcome Measures: Total number and percentage of articles containing each category of statistical analysis were obtained. Additionally, we estimated the accumulated number and percentage of articles that a reader would be expected to be able to interpret depending on their statistical repertoire.Results: Readers with little or no statistical knowledge would be expected to be able to interpret the statistical methods presented in only 20.8% of articles. To understand more than half (51.4%) of the articles published, readers would be expected to be familiar with at least 15 different statistical methods. Knowledge of 21 categories of statistical methods was necessary to comprehend 70.9% of articles, whereas knowledge of more than 29 categories was necessary to comprehend more than 90% of articles. Articles related to retina and glaucoma subspecialties showed a tendency for using more complex analysis when compared with articles from the cornea subspecialty.Conclusions: Readers of clinical journals in ophthalmology need to have substantial knowledge of statistical methodology to understand the results of studies published in the literature. the frequency of the use of complex statistical analyses also indicates that those involved in the editorial peer-review process must have sound statistical knowledge to appraise critically the articles submitted for publication. the results of this study could provide guidance to direct the statistical learning of clinical ophthalmologists, researchers, and educators involved in the design of courses for residents and medical students. (C) 2014 by the American Academy of Ophthalmology.National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MarylandBrazilian National Research CouncilCarl-Zeiss Meditec, Inc (Jena, Germany)Heidelberg Engineering, GmBH (Dosseinheim, Germany)Alcon (Hunenberg, Switzerland)Allergan (Irvine, California)Topcon (Itabashi, Tokyo, Japan)Reichert, Inc (Depew, New York)Univ Calif San Diego, Hamilton Glaucoma Ctr, La Jolla, CA 92093 USAUniv Calif San Diego, Dept Ophthalmol, La Jolla, CA 92093 USAUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Ophthalmol, São Paulo, BrazilBoston Univ, Sch Med, Boston, MA 02118 USAUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Ophthalmol, São Paulo, BrazilNational Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland: EY021818National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland: P30EY022589Brazilian National Research Council: 200178/2012-1Web of Scienc