Aids and surgery

HIV constitutes one of the most difficult challenges facing the healthcare profession today. It is estimated that HIV infects over 40 million people in the world and 14 million have died from the disease so far. The objective of the study was to evaluate the outcome of treatment of HIV-related surgical conditions, estimating the morbidity and mortality of surgical intervention cross infection risks to surgical equipes and analysing preventive strategies to HIV perioperative transmission

Il ruolo degli effetti di sito sulla risposta strutturale degli edifici nella conca aquilana

Il terremoto de L’Aquila del 6 aprile 2009 è stato significativamente caratterizzato dagli effetti di sito, evidenziati sia dalla variabilità delle registrazioni accelerometriche in zona near fault che dalla disuniforme distribuzione del danno rilevato. In particolare, nel quartiere aquilano di Pettino, in corrispondenza di un complesso residenziale composto da sette edifici della stessa tipologia strutturale, è stato osservato un danneggiamento molto diversificato. La nota riporta i risultati di una serie di analisi di risposta sismica locale 1D, condotte in corrispondenza di alcuni degli edifici del quartiere, per i quali si disponeva di indagini geotecniche di dettaglio, finalizzate a valutare l’influenza degli effetti di sito sulla risposta delle strutture. I risultati delle analisi condotte in condizioni di campo libero hanno mostrato significative amplificazioni del moto proprio in corrispondenza delle frequenze fondamentali del moto di input. Le analisi del sistema sottosuolo-edificio, condotte mediante l’utilizzo di un codice con formulazione a masse concentrate hanno inoltre consentito di verificare l’incidenza dell’interazione inerziale sul moto in superficie, nonché di riprodurre in forma semplificata il meccanismo di piano soffice osservato

Spatio-temporal Bounded Noises, and transitions induced by them in solutions of real Ginzburg-Landau model

In this work, we introduce two spatio-temporal colored bounded noises, based on the zero-dimensional Cai-Lin and Tsallis-Borland noises. We then study and characterize the dependence of the defined bounded noises on both a temporal correlation parameter $\tau$ and on a spatial coupling parameter $\lambda$. The boundedness of these noises has some consequences on their equilibrium distributions. Indeed in some cases varying $\lambda$ may induce a transition of the distribution of the noise from bimodality to unimodality. With the aim to study the role played by bounded noises on nonlinear dynamical systems, we investigate the behavior of the real Ginzburg-Landau time-varying model additively perturbed by such noises. The observed phase transitions phenomenology is quite different from the one observed when the perturbations are unbounded. In particular, we observed an inverse "order-to-disorder" transition, and a re-entrant transition, with dependence on the specific type of bounded noise.Comment: 12 (main text)+5 (supplementary) page

Using flaming as an alternative method to vine suckering.

Suckering is the process of removing the suckers that grapevine trunks put out in the spring. Suckering by hand is costly and time consuming and requires constant bending down, getting up and making repetitive motions. The mechanical removal of suckers with rotating scourges can damage the vine plants. Chemical suckering is a limiting factor for wine grape growers interested in sustainable and/or organic agriculture. The aim of this research was to test flaming as an alternative method to vine suckering. A three-year experiment was conducted on a 10-year-old Sangiovese vine (775 Paulsen rootstock). The treatments consisted of flame suckering at different phenological stages, hand-suckering and a no-suckered control. Data on the number of suckers, grape yield components, and grape composition were collected and analysed. The results showed that flaming significantly reduced the initial number of suckers. This effect on the suckers was highest when the main productive shoots of the vines were at the 18-19 BBCH growth stage. Flame-suckering did not affect grape yield components and grape composition. Future studies could investigate the simultaneous use of flaming for both suckering and weed control

A log-quadratic relation for predicting supermassive black hole masses from the host bulge Sersic index

We reinvestigate the correlation between black hole mass and bulge concentration. With an increased galaxy sample, updated estimates of galaxy distances, black hole masses, and Sersic indices `n' - a measure of concentration - we perform a least-squares regression analysis to obtain a relation suitable for the purpose of predicting black hole masses in other galaxies. In addition to the linear relation, log(M_bh) = 7.81(+/-0.08) + 2.69(+/-0.28)[log(n/3)] with epsilon_(intrin)=0.31 dex, we investigated the possibility of a higher order M_bh-n relation, finding the second order term in the best-fitting quadratic relation to be inconsistent with a value of zero at greater than the 99.99% confidence level. The optimal relation is given by log(M_bh) = 7.98(+/-0.09) + 3.70(+/-0.46)[log(n/3)] - 3.10(+/-0.84)[log(n/3)]^2, with epsilon_(intrin)=0.18 dex and a total absolute scatter of 0.31 dex. Extrapolating the quadratic relation, it predicts black holes with masses of ~10^3 M_sun in n=0.5 dwarf elliptical galaxies, compared to ~10^5 M_sun from the linear relation, and an upper bound on the largest black hole masses in the local universe, equal to 1.2^{+2.6}_{-0.4}x10^9 M_sun}. In addition, we show that the nuclear star clusters at the centers of low-luminosity elliptical galaxies follow an extrapolation of the same quadratic relation. Moreover, we speculate that the merger of two such nucleated galaxies, accompanied by the merger and runaway collision of their central star clusters, may result in the late-time formation of some supermassive black holes. Finally, we predict the existence of, and provide equations for, a relation between M_bh and the central surface brightness of the host bulge

Empirical Models for Dark Matter Halos. III. The Kormendy relation and the log(rho_e)-log(R_e) relation

We have recently shown that the 3-parameter density-profile model from Prugniel & Simien provides a better fit to simulated, galaxy- and cluster-sized, dark matter halos than an NFW-like model with arbitrary inner profile slope gamma (Paper I). By construction, the parameters of the Prugniel-Simien model equate to those of the Sersic R^{1/n} function fitted to the projected distribution. Using the Prugniel-Simien model, we are therefore able to show that the location of simulated (10^{12} M_sun) galaxy-sized dark matter halos in the _e-log(R_e) diagram coincides with that of brightest cluster galaxies, i.e., the dark matter halos appear consistent with the Kormendy relation defined by luminous elliptical galaxies. These objects are also seen to define the new, and equally strong, relation log(rho_e) = 0.5 - 2.5log(R_e), in which rho_e is the internal density at r=R_e. Simulated (10^{14.5} M_sun) cluster-sized dark matter halos and the gas component of real galaxy clusters follow the relation log(rho_e) = 2.5[1 - log(R_e)]. Given the shapes of the various density profiles, we are able to conclude that while dwarf elliptical galaxies and galaxy clusters can have dark matter halos with effective radii of comparable size to the effective radii of their baryonic component, luminous elliptical galaxies can not. For increasingly large elliptical galaxies, with increasingly large profile shapes `n', to be dark matter dominated at large radii requires dark matter halos with increasingly large effective radii compared to the effective radii of their stellar component.Comment: AJ, in press. (Paper I can be found at astro-ph/0509417

The globular cluster system of NGC 1316. II - The extraordinary object SH2

SH2 has been described as an isolated HII-region, located about 6.5 arcmin south of the nucleus of NGC 1316 (Fornax A), a merger remnant in the the outskirts of the Fornax cluster of galaxies. We give a first, preliminary description of the stellar content and environment of this remarkable object. We used photometric data in the Washington system and HST photometry from the Hubble Legacy Archive for a morphological description and preliminary aperture photometry. Low-resolution spectroscopy provides radial velocities of the brightest star cluster in SH2 and a nearby intermediate-age cluster. SH2 is not a normal HII-region, ionized by very young stars. It contains a multitude of star clusters with ages of approximately 0.1 Gyr. A ring-like morphology is striking. SH2 seems to be connected to an intermediate-age massive globular cluster with a similar radial velocity, which itself is the main object of a group of fainter clusters. Metallicity estimates from emission lines remain ambiguous. The present data do not yet allow firm conclusions about the nature or origin of SH2. It might be a dwarf galaxy that has experienced a burst of extremely clustered star formation. We may witness how globular clusters are donated to a parent galaxy.Comment: 5 pages, to appear in A&A, format slightly different from the printed versio

Milk Metabolomics Reveals Potential Biomarkers for Early Prediction of Pregnancy in Buffaloes Having Undergone Artificial Insemination.

This study aimed to identify potential biomarkers for early pregnancy diagnosis in buffaloes subjected to artificial insemination (AI). The study was carried out on 10 pregnant and 10 non-pregnant buffaloes that were synchronized by Ovsynch-Timed Artificial Insemination Program and have undergone the first AI. Furthermore, milk samples were individually collected ten days before AI (the start of the synchronization treatment), on the day of AI, day 7 and 18 after AI, and were analyzed by LC–MS. Statistical analysis was carried out by using Mass Profile Professional (Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, CA, USA). Metabolomic analysis revealed the presence of several metabolites differentially expressed between pregnant and non-pregnant buffaloes. Among these, a total of five metabolites were identified by comparison with an online database and a standard compound as acetylcarnitine (3-Acetoxy-4-(trimethylammonio)butanoate), argininesuccinic acid hydrate, 5’-O-{[3-({4-[(3aminopropyl)amino]butyl}amino)propyl]carbamoyl}-2’deoxyadenosine, N-(1-Hydroxy-2-hexadecanyl)pentadecanamide, and N-[2,3Bis(dodecyloxy)propyl]-L-lysinamide). Interestingly, acetylcarnitine was dominant in milk samples collected from non-pregnant buffaloes. The results obtained from milk metabolic profile and hierarchical clustering analysis revealed significant differences between pregnant and non-pregnant buffaloes, as well as in the metabolite expression. Overall, the findings indicate the potential of milk metabolomics as a powerful tool to identify biomarkers of early pregnancy in buffalo undergoing AI

Redshift-Distance Survey of Early-type Galaxies. I. Sample Selection, Properties and Completeness

This is the first in a series of papers describing the recently completed all-sky redshift-distance survey of nearby early-type galaxies (ENEAR) carried out for peculiar velocity analysis. The sample is divided into two parts and consists of 1607 elliptical and lenticular galaxies with cz < 7000 km/s and with blue magnitudes brighter than m_B=14.5 (ENEARm), and of galaxies in clusters (ENEARc). Galaxy distances based on the Dn-sigma and Fundamental Plane (FP) relations are now available for 1359 and 1107 ENEARm galaxies, respectively, with roughly 80% based on new data gathered by our group. The Dn-sigma and FP template distance relations are derived by combining 569 and 431 galaxies in 28 clusters, respectively, of which about 60% are based on our new measurements. The ENEARm redshift-distance survey extends the earlier work of the 7S and the recent Tully-Fisher surveys sampling a comparable volume. In subsequent papers of this series we intend to use the ENEAR sample by itself or in combination with the SFI Tully-Fisher survey to analyze the properties of the local peculiar velocity field and to test how sensitive the results are to different sampling and to the distance indicators. We also anticipate that the homogeneous database assembled will be used for a variety of other applications and serve as a benchmark for similar studies at high-redshift.Comment: 43 pages, 15 figures, submitted to the Astronomical Journa