The Evolution of Protoplanetary Disks: Probing the Inner Disk of Very Low Accretors

We report FUV, optical, and NIR observations of three T Tauri stars in the Orion OB1b subassociation with H$\alpha$ equivalent widths consistent with low or absent accretion and various degrees of excess flux in the mid-infrared. We aim to search for evidence of gas in the inner disk in HST ACS/SBC spectra, and to probe the accretion flows onto the star using H$\alpha$ and He I $\lambda$10830 in spectra obtained at the Magellan and SOAR telescopes. At the critical age of 5 Myr, the targets are at different stages of disk evolution. One of our targets is clearly accreting, as shown by redshifted absorption at free-fall velocities in the He I line and wide wings in H$\alpha$; however, a marginal detection of FUV H$_2$ suggests that little gas is present in the inner disk, although the spectral energy distribution indicates that small dust still remains close to the star. Another target is surrounded by a transitional disk, with an inner cavity in which little sub-micron dust remains. Still, the inner disk shows substantial amounts of gas, accreting onto the star at a probably low, but uncertain rate. The third target lacks both a He I line or FUV emission, consistent with no accretion or inner gas disk; its very weak IR excess is consistent with a debris disk. Different processes occurring in targets with ages close to the disk dispersal time suggest that the end of accretion phase is reached in diverse ways.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa

Challenges in assessing and managing multi-hazard risks: a European stakeholders perspective

The latest evidence suggests that multi-hazards and their interrelationships (e.g., triggering, compound, and consecutive hazards) are becoming more frequent across Europe, underlying a need for resilience building by moving from single-hazard-focused to multi-hazard risk assessment and management. Although significant advancements were made in our understanding of these events, mainstream practice is still focused on risks due to single hazards (e.g., flooding, earthquakes, droughts), with a limited understanding of the stakeholder needs on the ground. To overcome this limitation, this paper sets out to understand the challenges for moving towards multi-hazard risk management through the perspective of European stakeholders. Based on five workshops across different European pilots (Danube Region, Veneto Region, Scandinavia, North Sea, and Canary Islands) and an expert workshop, we identify five prime challenges: i) governance, ii) knowledge of multi-hazards and multi-risks, iii) existing approaches to disaster risk management, iv) translation of science to policy and practice, and v) lack of data. These challenges are inherently linked and cannot be tackled in isolation with path dependency posing a significant hurdle in transitioning from single- to multi-hazard risk management. Going forward, we identify promising approaches for overcoming some of the challenges, including emerging approaches for multi-hazard characterisation, a common understanding of terminology, and a comprehensive framework for guiding multi-hazard risk assessment and management. We argue for a need to think beyond natural hazards and include other threats in creating a comprehensive overview of multi-hazard risks, as well as promoting thinking of multi-hazard risk reduction in the context of larger development goals

Plasma lipid profiles discriminate bacterial from viral infection in febrile children

Fever is the most common reason that children present to Emergency Departments. Clinical signs and symptoms suggestive of bacterial infection are often non-specific, and there is no definitive test for the accurate diagnosis of infection. The 'omics' approaches to identifying biomarkers from the host-response to bacterial infection are promising. In this study, lipidomic analysis was carried out with plasma samples obtained from febrile children with confirmed bacterial infection (n = 20) and confirmed viral infection (n = 20). We show for the first time that bacterial and viral infection produces distinct profile in the host lipidome. Some species of glycerophosphoinositol, sphingomyelin, lysophosphatidylcholine and cholesterol sulfate were higher in the confirmed virus infected group, while some species of fatty acids, glycerophosphocholine, glycerophosphoserine, lactosylceramide and bilirubin were lower in the confirmed virus infected group when compared with confirmed bacterial infected group. A combination of three lipids achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.911 (95% CI 0.81 to 0.98). This pilot study demonstrates the potential of metabolic biomarkers to assist clinicians in distinguishing bacterial from viral infection in febrile children, to facilitate effective clinical management and to the limit inappropriate use of antibiotics

Challenges of instruments that should tackle multi-hazard and multi-risk situations: an assessment of the recent reforms of the European Solidarity Fund and the Solidarity and Emergency Aid Reserve

The European Union has some dedicated tools and mechanisms available to respond to natural hazard events including the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF). It follows the objective of granting financial assistance to Member States in the event of a major disaster with serious consequences. In the latest EU long-term budget plan—the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021–2027—the EUSF was merged with the Emergency Aid Reserve (EAR) to form the new Solidarity and Emergency Aid Reserve (SEAR). One additional significant change was made in 2020 which saw an extension of the scope of the EUSF. This extension allowed the EUSF to cover losses incurred due to major public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic. It is therefore now a multi-hazard and multi-risk financing instrument designed to financially assist during the emergency phase in case of an emergency event. We assess the consequences of these changes in the light of potential advantages as well as disadvantages compared to the prior EUSF structure. The results will be used to provide some policy recommendations as to how to move forward with the identified challenges. We especially recommend separating the EUSF from the coverage of large-scale public health emergencies and the emergencies covered by the EAR. Instead, we suggest establishing a new flexibility instrument that covers emergencies such as public health related ones as well as the ones within the EAR. The analysis gives some important insights, scientific as well as policy wise, about advantages as well as limitations of financial instruments that simultaneously should tackle different types of hazards and risks.ISSN:1381-2386ISSN:1573-159

DETERMINAÇÃO DO POLIPEPTÍDEO RICO EM PROLINA (PRP): PESQUISA DE METODOLOGIA EM LATICÍNIOS PARA FUTURA UTILIZAÇÃO EM LEITE HUMANO

Vários estudos identificaram a presença de um polipeptídeo rico em prolina (PRP) no leite de ovelha e de vaca e estudos subsequentes comprovaram o seu efeito positivo no tratamento do Alzheimer. Este trabalho teve como objetivo investigar uma metodologia viável para determinar a presença do aminoácido prolina em produtos lácteos como leite, queijo e iogurte, para futura utilização em leite humano

Toward a framework for systemic multi-hazard and multi-risk assessment and management

Summary: In our increasingly interconnected world, natural hazards and their impacts spread across geographical, administrative, and sectoral boundaries. Owing to the interrelationships between multi-hazards and socio-economic dimensions, the impacts of these types of events can surmount those of multiple single hazards. The complexities involved in tackling multi-hazards and multi-risks hinder a more holistic and integrative perspective and make it difficult to identify overarching dimensions important for assessment and management purposes. We contribute to this discussion by building on systemic risk research, especially the focus on interconnectedness, and suggest ways forward for an integrated multi-hazard and multi-risk framework that should be beneficial in real-world applications. In this article, we propose a six-step framework for analyzing and managing risk across a spectrum ranging from single-to multi- and systemic risk

Human appropriation of net primary production as driver of change in landscape‐scale vertebrate richness

International audienceAim: Land use is the most pervasive driver of biodiversity loss. Predicting its impact on species richness (SR) is often based on indicators of habitat loss. However, the degradation of habitats, especially through land-use intensification, also affects species. Here, we evaluate whether an integrative metric of land-use intensity, the human appropriation of net primary production, is correlated with the decline of SR in used landscapes across the globe. Location Global. Time period Present. Major taxa studied Birds, mammals and amphibians. Methods: Based on species range maps (spatial resolution: 20 km × 20 km) and an area-of-habitat approach, we calibrated a “species–energy model” by correlating the SR of three groups of vertebrates with net primary production and biogeographical covariables in “wilderness” areas (i.e., those where available energy is assumed to be still at pristine levels). We used this model to project the difference between pristine SR and the SR corresponding to the energy remaining in used landscapes (i.e., SR loss expected owing to human energy extraction outside wilderness areas). We validated the projected species loss by comparison with the realized and impending loss reconstructed from habitat conversion and documented by national Red Lists. Results Species–energy models largely explained landscape-scale variation of mapped SR in wilderness areas (adjusted R2-values: 0.79–0.93). Model-based projections of SR loss were lower, on average, than reconstructed and documented ones, but the spatial patterns were correlated significantly, with stronger correlation in mammals (Pearson's r = 0.68) than in amphibians (r = 0.60) and birds (r = 0.57). Main conclusions: Our results suggest that the human appropriation of net primary production is a useful indicator of heterotrophic species loss in used landscapes, hence we recommend its inclusion in models based on species–area relationships to improve predictions of land-use-driven biodiversity loss