Preliminary Water Assessment Reports of The Test Basins of The Watch Project

This report presents the initial plans of the case studies how they link to rest of the Watch project and on which water resources they will focus. This report will function as the basis for further discussions on how to improve the integration of the case studies within the project and to develop a more general protocol for each of the case studies. Currently 5 catchments are used within the Watch project, they differ in climatic and hydro-geological features and expected climate changes: the Glomma River basin (Eastern Norway), the upper Guadiana basin (Central Spanish Plateau), the Nitra River basin (central Slovakia), the Upper-Elbe basin (part of the Elbe River) and the island of Crete. Also the water resources issues vary over these cases. Agricultural (and domestic) water use is under pressure in the Mediterranean catchments probably aggravating with the expected increase in drought frequency under future climate. The Norwegian catchment provides hydropower services under threat of precipitation increase rather than decrease. The central European catchments are threatened mainly by increased variability, i.e. increased frequencies of extremes in a densely populated environment, and river flow may need additional buffers (reservoirs) to reduce floodrisk and store water for dry period

Burst statistics in Alcator C-Mod SOL turbulence

Bursty fluctuations in the scrape-off layer (SOL) of Alcator C-Mod have been analyzed using gas puff imaging data. This reveals many of the same fluctuation properties as Langmuir probe measurements, including normal distributed fluctuations in the near SOL region while the far SOL plasma is dominated by large amplitude bursts due to radial motion of blob-like structures. Conditional averaging reveals burst wave forms with a fast rise and slow decay and exponentially distributed waiting times. Based on this, a stochastic model of burst dynamics is constructed. The model predicts that fluctuation amplitudes should follow a Gamma distribution. This is shown to be a good description of the gas puff imaging data, validating this aspect of the model.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure

Experimental estimation of tungsten impurity sputtering due to Type I ELMs in JET-ITER-like wall using pedestal electron cyclotron emission and target Langmuir probe measurements

The ITER baseline scenario, with 500 MW of DT fusion power and Q = 10, will rely on a Type I ELMy H-mode and will be achieved with a tungsten (W) divertor. W atoms sputtered from divertor targets during mitigated ELMs are expected to be the dominant source in ITER. W impurity concentration in the plasma core can dramatically degrade its performance and lead to potentially damaging disruptions. Understanding the physics of the target W source due to sputtering during ELMs and inter-ELMs is important and can be helped by experimental measurements with improved precision. It has been established that the ELMy target ion impact energy has a simple linear dependence with the pedestal electron temperature measured by Electron Cyclotron Emission (ECE). It has also been shown that Langmuir Probes (LP) ion flux measurements are reliable during ELMs due to the surprisingly low electron temperature. Therefore, in this paper, LP and ECE measurements in JET-ITER-Like-Wall (ILW) unseeded Type I ELMy H-mode experiments have been used to estimate the W sputtering flux from divertor targets in ELM and inter-ELM conditions. Comparison with similar estimates using W I spectroscopy measurements shows a reasonable agreement for the ELM and inter-ELM W source. The main advantage of the method involving LP measurements is the very high time resolution of the diagnostic (∼10 μs) allowing very precise description of the W sputtering source during ELMs.EURATOM 633053MSMT INGO LG14002Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia UID/FIS/50010/201

IN SEARCH OF NEURAL MECHANISMS OF MIRROR NEURON DYSFUNCTION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA: RESTING STATE FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY APPROACH

It has been repeatedly shown that schizophrenia patients have immense alterations in goal-directed behaviour, social cognition, and social interactions, cognitive abilities that are presumably driven by the mirror neurons system (MNS). However, the neural bases of these deficits still remain unclear. Along with the task-related fMRI and EEG research tapping into the mirror neuron system, the characteristics of the resting state activity in the particular areas that encompass mirror neurons might be of interest as they obviously determine the baseline of the neuronal activity. Using resting state fMRI, we investigated resting state functional connectivity (FC) in four predefined brain structures, ROIs (inferior frontal gyrus, superior parietal lobule, premotor cortex and superior temporal gyrus), known for their mirror neurons activity, in 12 patients with first psychotic episode and 12 matched healthy individuals. As a specific hypothesis, based on the knowledge of the anatomical inputs of thalamus to all preselected ROIs, we have investigated the FC between thalamus and the ROIs. Of all ROIs included, seed-to-voxel connectivity analysis revealed significantly decreased FC only in left posterior superior temporal gyrus (STG) and the areas in visual cortex and cerebellum in patients as compared to controls. Using ROI-to-ROI analysis (thalamus and selected ROIs), we have found an increased FC of STG and bilateral thalamus whereas the FC of these areas was decreased in controls. Our results suggest that: (1) schizophrenia patients exhibit FC of STG which corresponds to the previously reported changes of superior temporal gyrus in schizophrenia and might contribute to the disturbances of specific functions, such as emotional processing or spatial awareness; (2) as the thalamus plays a pivotal role in the sensory gating, providing the filtering of the redundant stimulation, the observed hyperconnectivity between the thalami and the STGs in patients with schizophrenia might explain the sequential overload with sensory inputs that leads to the abnormal cognitive processing

The first detailed δ¹³С<inf>оrg</inf>record in Permo-Triassic boundary deposits in the Kolyma–Omolon region (Northeast Asia)

© 2017, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd. We have obtained the first detailed δ 13 С org record in Permian-Triassic boundary sediments in deepwater facies in Northeast Asia (Kolyma–Omolon region, Balygychan Basin). Our data show good convergence both with the Setorym River section (South Verkoyansk region), where the Permian-Triassic boundary has been determined approximately, and with a number of other sections of Permian-Triassic boundary sediments in the Boreal and Tethyan Superrealms, in particular, in the Buchanan Lake section in Arctic Canada, the Festningen section on Spitsbergen, the Wadi Shahha section on the Arabian Peninsula, and published sections in the Dolomites

Baseline serum levels of multiple cytokines and adhesion molecules in patients with acute myeloid leukemia: results of a pivotal trial

Aim: Evaluation of serum levels of 17 cytokines and 5 adhesion molecules in patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) using biochip array technology. We searched for links between baseline levels and age, hyperleukocytosis, secondary origin of AML, resistance to induction therapy with cytarabine and daunorubicin and standard risk stratification according to cytogenetics and molecular genetics. Methods: We evaluated the sera of 51 consecutive patients. Serum samples were analyzed by biochip based immunoassays on the Evidence Investigator analyzer. T-tests were used for statistical analysis. Results: We found that higher age is associated with lower levels of interleukin (IL)-12. Patients with secondary disease were older, had higher levels of EGF and IL-7, and lower levels of E-selectin, IL-12 and IL-13. In hyperleukocytosis, the levels of IL-1β, IL-2, TNF-α, VCAM-1, ICAM-1, ­E-selectin and L-selectin were increased, whereas levels of IFN-γ and MCP-1 were decreased. In patients who failed to achieve complete remission after induction therapy, we found lower E-selectin and P-selectin levels. High risk patients had lower levels of IFN-γ. Conclusion: Some leukemic cell subpopulations have the ability to produce cytokines that modulate the microenvironment by inducing inflammation. This causes endothelial cells to be activated and overexpress adhesion molecules. Hyperleukocytosis and secondary origin of the disease are the major factors influencing the cytokine and adhesion molecule profile in newly diagnosed AML patients. Key Words: cytokines, adhesion molecules, biochip array, acute myeloid leukemia

Cave deposits as a sedimentary trap for the Marine Isotope Stage 3 environmental record: The case study of Pod Hradem, Czech Republic

Pod Hradem Cave, located in the Moravian Karst, Czech Republic, offers an excellent opportunity for environmental reconstructions of Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3) in Central Europe due to its detailed sedimentary record dated 50,000 to 28,000 cal BP. Identifying the natural environments of the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic (MUP) transition is necessary to understand the settlement strategies and related behaviour of both Neanderthals and Anatomically Modern Humans, both of whom may have occupied the region at the same time. A multidisciplinary excavation was carried out between 2011 and 2016. Detailed analyses of the sediments, vertebrate microfauna, pollen and charcoal revealed minor but observable fluctuations in climate, with little change in the surrounding vegetation. The Pod Hradem palaeoenvironmental dataset is complex, but generally reflects a predominantly glacial climate with a range of vegetation types and habitats during the Late Pleistocene, followed by the warmer and more humid Holocene. The MUP transition as recorded in Pod Hradem Cave was a glacial environment interrupted by two relatively warmer periods. Central Europe experienced extreme climate fluctuations during MIS3, as recorded from different sedimentary archives, but it seems that the Pod Hradem Cave environment may have acted as a buffer zone, ameliorating those extremes, and providing a suitable refuge for both bears seeking winter hibernation dens and occasionally visiting humans.Thisproject was funded from the SoMoPro programme. Research leading tothese results has received a financial contribution from the EuropeanCommunity within the Seventh Framework Programme (FP/2007–2013) under Grant Agreement No. 229603. The research was alsoco-financed by the South Moravian Region and the Department ofAnthropology & Department of Geological Sciences (departmentalfunding - Masaryk University) and the internal programme of theInstitute of Geology CAS in Prague No. RVO 67985831

Statistical properties of electrostatic turbulence in toroidal magnetized plasmas (Invited paper)

A unique parabolic relation is observed to link skewness and kurtosis of density fluctuation signals, measured over the whole cross-section of the simple toroidal device TORPEX for a broad range of experimental conditions. This relationship is also valid for density fluctuation signals measured in the scrape-off layer of the TCV tokamak. All the probability density functions (PDFs) of the measured signals, including those characterized by a negative skewness, are universally described by a special case of the beta distribution. In TORPEX, fluctuations in the drift-interchange frequency range are necessary and sufficient to assure that PDFs can be described by this specific beta distribution. For a more detailed plasma scenario, it is shown that electron temperature and plasma potential fluctuations have different statistical properties compared with the density

New insights regarding the incidence, presentation and treatment options of aorto-oesophageal fistulation after thoracic endovascular aortic repair: the European Registry of Endovascular Aortic Repair Complications

OBJECTIVES: To review the incidence, clinical presentation, definite management and 1-year outcome in patients with aorto-oesophageal fistulation (AOF) following thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR). METHODS: International multicentre registry (European Registry of Endovascular Aortic Repair Complications) between 2001 and 2011 with a total caseload of 2387 TEVAR procedures (17 centres). RESULTS: Thirty-six patients with a median age of 69 years (IQR 56-75), 25% females and 9 patients (19%) following previous aortic surgery were identified. The incidence of AOF in the entire cohort after TEVAR in the study period was 1.5%. The primary underlying aortic pathology for TEVAR was atherosclerotic aneurysm formation in 53% of patients and the median time to development of AOF was 90 days (IQR 30-150). Leading clinical symptoms were fever of unknown origin in 29 (81%), haematemesis in 19 (53%) and shock in 8 (22%) patients. Diagnosis could be confirmed via computed tomography in 92% of the cases with the leading sign of a new mediastinal mass in 28 (78%) patients. A conservative approach resulted in a 100% 1-year mortality, and 1-year survival for an oesophageal stenting-only approach was 17%. Survival after isolated oesophagectomy was 43%. The highest 1-year survival rate (46%) could be achieved via an aggressive treatment including radical oesophagectomy and aortic replacement [relative risk increase 1.73 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03-2.92]. The survival advantage of this aggressive treatment modality could be confirmed in bootstrap analysis (95% CI 1.11-3.33). CONCLUSIONS: The development of AOF is a rare but lethal complication after TEVAR, being associated with the need for emergency TEVAR as well as mediastinal haematoma formation. The only durable and successful approach to cure the disease is radical oesophagectomy and extensive aortic reconstruction. These findings may serve as a decision-making tool for physicians treating these complex patients