The Sensitivity of Thermohaline Groundwater Circulation to Flow and Transport Parameters: A Numerical Study Based on Double-Diffusive Convection above a Salt Dome

This article explores double-diffusive convective fluid motion in an aquifer above a salt dome. Aside from the ambient regional flow regime, the hydraulic conditions in an aquifer connected with a salt formation are determined by differences in salinity. Whereas density-driven flow patterns induced by the effect of salt have been studied before we focus on the additional effect of temperature. For the model setup, we select typical parameter values that are characteristic of not only the lowlands in Germany and Poland. For the computation of flow in a vertical cross-section, we use numerical modeling with COMSOL Multiphysics. The size and strength of eddies in the high salinity region above the aquifer base are strongly influenced by thermal effects. A sensitivity study shows a wide range of convection phenomena, ranging from the absence of convective motions via steady and oscillating circulation to unsteady fluctuating patterns. The flow and transport parameters show the highest sensitivity to the thermal Rayleigh number

Usage patterns and 2-year outcomes with the TAXUS express stent: results of the US ARRIVE 1 registry.

BACKGROUND: It is unclear how well the long-term safety and effectiveness of drug-eluting stents observed in tightly defined randomized controlled trials (RCT) translates to expanded use in routine practice. METHODS: The FDA-mandated TAXUS Express(2) ARRIVE 1 postmarket registry was designed to consecutively enroll patients receiving \u3e or = 1 TAXUS stent in low-, medium-, and high-volume US sites (n = 50). All cardiac events plus an additional 20% sample of records were monitored and all endpoints were independently adjudicated. RESULTS: Detailed follow-up data through 2 years were compiled for 2,487 patients (95%). Simple-use (on-label) ARRIVE 1 patients (35%) had outcomes similar to 4 pooled TAXUS RCTs for death (3.5% vs. 3.4%, respectively, P = 0.78), Q-wave myocardial infarction (QWMI, 0.7% vs. 0.9%, P = 0.72), and stent thrombosis (ST, 2.2% vs. 1.2%, P = 0.12), but lower target vessel revascularization (7.8% vs. 13.4%, P \u3c 0.0001). Compared with simple-use, cases representing expanded use to treat broader patient/lesion characteristics showed higher 2-year rates for death (7.4% vs. 3.5%, respectively, P = 0.0003), target lesion revascularization (9.4% vs. 5.8%, P = 0.0031), and ST (3.4% vs. 2.2%, P = 0.061, concentrated early in the first year). CONCLUSIONS: By including methods usually found in RCT, ARRIVE 1 captured a broad spectrum of disease treated in standard practice with high levels of ascertainment of clinical outcomes. In the more complicated cases, expectedly higher adverse event rates were seen compared to that found in the simple-use cases or pivotal RCT. These results have now been included in the Directions for Use, to aid in physician and patient decision-making

Nematode community shifts in response to experimental warming and canopy conditions are associated with plant community changes in the temperate-boreal forest ecotone

Global climate warming is one of the key forces driving plant community shifts, such as range shifts of temperate species into boreal forests. As plant community shifts are slow to observe, ecotones, boundaries between two ecosystems, are target areas for providing early evidence of ecological responses to warming. The role of soil fauna is poorly explored in ecotones, although their positive and negative effects on plant species can influence plant community structure. We studied nematode communities in response to experimental warming (ambient, +1.7, +3.4 °C) in soils of closed and open canopy forest in the temperate-boreal ecotone of Minnesota, USA and calculated various established nematode indices. We estimated species-specific coverage of understory herbaceous and shrub plant species from the same experimental plots and tested if changes in the nematode community are associated with plant cover and composition. Individual nematode trophic groups did not differ among warming treatments, but the ratio between microbial-feeding and plant-feeding nematodes increased significantly and consistently with warming in both closed and open canopy areas and at both experimental field sites. The increase in this ratio was positively correlated with total cover of understory plant species, perhaps due to increased predation pressure on soil microorganisms causing higher nutrient availability for plants. Multivariate analyses revealed that temperature treatment, canopy conditions and nematode density consistently shaped understory plant communities across experimental sites. Our findings suggest that warming-induced changes in nematode community structure are associated with shifts in plant community composition and productivity in the temperate-boreal forest ecotones

Biodiversity of Balcan pine (Pinus peuce Griseb.) experimental stands in the Rogów Arboretum (Poland)

The Balkan pine (Pinus peuce) is a Balkan Peninsula endemic tree species, growing in high mountains of Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Albania, and Greece and forming pure and mixed stands in subalpine forests. The paper gives a survey of biodiversity of Balkan pine stands in the Rogów Arboretum in reference to environmental data. In the plots examined, 29 taxa of vascular plants, 29 taxa of macrofungi and 127 taxa of invertebrates were recorded. The revealed diversity is discussed with regard to the data from Pinus peuce natural habitats

Feasibility and Utility of a Cardiovascular Risk Screening Tool in Women Undergoing Routine Gynecology Evaluation

Background: The goals of this multicenter survey were to examine the prevalence and patient awareness of cardiovascular risk factors, and the association between history of adverse pregnancy outcomes (APO-including gestational hypertension, gestational diabetes, and preeclampsia) and prevalence of cardiovascular risks among women presenting to outpatient obstetrics/gynecology (OB/GYN) clinics. Materials and Methods: We surveyed 2,946 female patients attending 16 outpatient OB/GYN clinics across the United States between January 2010 and January 2012. Main outcome measures were self-reported cardiovascular risk factors and symptoms such as angina and dyspnea. Results: Mean age of the patients was 51 ± 13.6 years. Cardiovascular risks and symptoms were highly prevalent (86.0% and 40.1%, respectively). Many patients did not know if they had common risk factors such as hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, or diabetes (18.4%, 32.0%, and 17.9%, respectively). Women with a history of APO were slightly more likely to be aware of common risk factors, including abnormal blood pressure (17% vs. 18.6%), high cholesterol (31.7% vs. 32%), and obesity/elevated body mass index (43.9% vs. 49.7%). Compared with patients with no history of APO, patients with APO (n = 380, 12.9%) were more likely to have risk factors (89.5% vs. 83.9%, p = 0.002) and symptoms (45.5% vs. 39.3%, p = 0.02). Conclusions: Awareness of cardiovascular risk factors and symptoms among all women surveyed in this study was poor, although awareness for some risk factors was relatively higher among patients with APO. This study demonstrates the feasibility of cardiovascular assessment in OB/GYN clinics using a simple questionnaire and its potential role for early recognition and timely intervention