Risk factors for race-day fatality in flat racing Thoroughbreds in Great Britain (2000 to 2013)

A key focus of the racing industry is to reduce the number of race-day events where horses die suddenly or are euthanased due to catastrophic injury. The objective of this study was therefore to determine risk factors for race-day fatalities in Thoroughbred racehorses, using a cohort of all horses participating in flat racing in Great Britain between 2000 and 2013. Horse-, race- and course-level data were collected and combined with all race-day fatalities, recorded by racecourse veterinarians in a central database. Associations between exposure variables and fatality were assessed using logistic regression analyses for (1) all starts in the dataset and (2) starts made on turf surfaces only. There were 806,764 starts in total, of which 548,571 were on turf surfaces. A total of 610 fatalities were recorded; 377 (61.8%) on turf. In both regression models, increased firmness of the going, increasing racing distance, increasing average horse performance, first year of racing and wearing eye cover for the first time all increased the odds of fatality. Generally, the odds of fatality also increased with increasing horse age whereas increasing number of previous starts reduced fatality odds. In the ‘all starts’ model, horses racing in an auction race were at 1.46 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.06–2.01) times the odds of fatality compared with horses not racing in this race type. In the turf starts model, horses racing in Group 1 races were at 3.19 (95% CI 1.71–5.93) times the odds of fatality compared with horses not racing in this race type. Identification of novel risk factors including wearing eye cover and race type will help to inform strategies to further reduce the rate of fatality in flat racing horses, enhancing horse and jockey welfare and safety

Terminal uranium(V/VI) nitride activation of carbon dioxide and carbon disulfide: factors governing diverse and well-defined cleavage and redox reactions

The reactivity of terminal uranium(V/VI) nitrides with CE2 (E=O, S) is presented. Well-defined C=E cleavage followed by zero-, one-, and two-electron redox events is observed. The uranium(V) nitride [U(TrenTIPS)(N)][K(B15C5)2] (1, TrenTIPS=N(CH2CH2NSiiPr3)3; B15C5=benzo-15-crown-5) reacts with CO2 to give [U(TrenTIPS)(O)(NCO)][K(B15C5)2] (3), whereas the uranium(VI) nitride [U(TrenTIPS)(N)] (2) reacts with CO2 to give isolable [U(TrenTIPS)(O)(NCO)] (4); complex 4 rapidly decomposes to known [U(TrenTIPS)(O)] (5) with concomitant formation of N2 and CO proposed, with the latter trapped as a vanadocene adduct. In contrast, 1 reacts with CS2 to give [U(TrenTIPS)(κ2-CS3)][K(B15C5)2] (6), 2, and [K(B15C5)2][NCS] (7), whereas 2 reacts with CS2 to give [U(TrenTIPS)(NCS)] (8) and “S”, with the latter trapped as Ph3PS. Calculated reaction profiles reveal outer-sphere reactivity for uranium(V) but inner-sphere mechanisms for uranium(VI); despite the wide divergence of products the initial activation of CE2 follows mechanistically related pathways, providing insight into the factors of uranium oxidation state, chalcogen, and NCE groups that govern the subsequent divergent redox reactions that include common one-electron reactions and a less-common two-electron redox event. Caution, we suggest, is warranted when utilising CS2 as a reactivity surrogate for CO2

Pangea : creació d'un mitjà multiplataforma de viatges i elaboració d'un monogràfic multiplataforma

El sector dels viatges ha experimentat un creixement exponencial en els últims anys i la tendència segueix a l'alça. Per aquest motiu, cada cop calen més visions i maneres de tractar aquest àmbit. Així sorgeix Pangea, un nou concepte de mitjà de comunicació sobre viatges present a diverses plataformes: web, revista, vídeo en línia i xarxes socials. Aquest nou mitjà busca descobrir a la seva audiència nous indrets d'Europa poc coneguts turísticament.El sector de los viajes ha experimentado un crecimiento exponencial en los últimos años y la tendencia sigue al alza. Por este motivo, cada vez son necesarias más visiones y maneras de tratar este ámbito. Así surge Pangea, un nuevo concepto de medio de comunicación sobre viajes presente en diversas plataformas: web, revista, vídeo en línea i redes sociales. Este nuevo medio busca descubrir a su audiencia nuevos lugares de Europa poco conocidos turísticamente.The travel sector has experienced an exponential growth in the last years and the trend is still increasing. For this reason, more and more visions and ways of dealing with these field are needed. In this way rises up Pangea, a new concept of travel media, which is present in different platforms: web, magazine, online video and social networks. This new media wants to show to its audience new european places not touristically known

Mid-term effects on ecosystem services of quarry restoration with Technosols under Mediterranean conditions : 10-year impacts on soil organic carbon and vegetation development

Ajuts : This study was funded by the Department of Territory and Sus-tainability of the Government of Catalonia through the project"Research and innovation on the control and the restoration ofextractive activities.The use of Technosols for the restoration of limestone quarries overcomes the usual "in situ" scarcity of soil and/or its poor quality. The use of mine spoils, improved with mineral and/or organic amendments, could be an efficient and environmentally friendly option. Properly treated sewage sludge from urban wastewater treatment plants could be a suitable organic amendment and fertilizer (rich in N and P) whenever its pollutant burden is low (heavy metals and/or organic pollutants). Its appropriate use could improve essential soil physical and chemical properties and, therefore, promote key ecosystem services of restored areas, such as biomass production and carbon sequestration, as well as biodiversity and landscape recovery. However, the mid-term impacts of these restoration practices on soil functioning and their services have rarely been reported in the available literature. In this study we assess the mid-term effects (10 years) of the use of sewage sludge as a Technosol amendment on soil organic carbon (SOC), nutrient status, and plant development in several restored quarries. Soils restored using sewage sludge showed a threefold increase in SOC compared to the corresponding unamended ones, despite the moderate sludge dosage applied (below 50 tonnes/ha). Plant cover was also higher in amended soils, and recruitment was not affected by sludge amendment at these doses. This study demonstrates that, used at an appropriate rate, sewage sludge is a good alternative for the valorization of mine spoils in quarry restoration, improving some important regulatory ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, without compromising woody plant encroachment

Multiple enhancers located in a 1-Mb region upstream of POU3F4 promote expression during inner ear development and may be required for hearing

POU3F4 encodes a POU-domain transcription factor required for inner ear development. Defects in POU3F4 function are associated with X-linked deafness type 3 (DFN3). Multiple deletions affecting up to ~900-kb upstream of POU3F4 are found in DFN3 patients, suggesting the presence of essential POU3F4 enhancers in this region. Recently, an inner ear enhancer was reported that is absent in most DFN3 patients with upstream deletions. However, two indications suggest that additional enhancers in the POU3F4 upstream region are required for POU3F4 function during inner ear development. First, there is at least one DFN3 deletion that does not eliminate the reported enhancer. Second, the expression pattern driven by this enhancer does not fully recapitulate Pou3f4 expression in the inner ear. Here, we screened a 1-Mb region upstream of the POU3F4 gene for additional cis-regulatory elements and searched for novel DFN3 mutations in the identified POU3F4 enhancers. We found several novel enhancers for otic vesicle expression. Some of these also drive expression in kidney, pancreas and brain, tissues that are known to express Pou3f4. In addition, we report a new and smallest deletion identified so far in a DFN3 family which eliminates 3.9 kb, comprising almost exclusively the previous reported inner ear enhancer. We suggest that multiple enhancers control the expression of Pou3f4 in the inner ear and these may contribute to the phenotype observed in DFN3 patients. In addition, the novel deletion demonstrates that the previous reported enhancer, although not sufficient, is essential for POU3F4 function during inner ear development

Recovery of thicket in a revegetated limestone mine

The opencast extraction of limestone at the PPC Cement (Pty) Ltd Loerie quarry in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, has led to disturbance of the immediate environment. Large tracts of thicket have been removed during mining and exhausted quarry areas had to be revegetated. Revegetation commenced 16 years ago and as a result of progressive revegetation efforts since then, five seral stages were available for study. This presented an opportunity to describe the successional progression that occurs where thicket topsoil was used for revegetation. The quarry lies near the Gamtoos fault and both thicket and mountain fynbos is found in proximity to the mine. Before mining, the area was covered by thicket and quarry floors were revegetated by covering landscaped areas with thicket topsoil. The vegetation that developed in the quarry had a very low floristic relationship to fynbos. After 16 years, the vegetation also had a low similarity to thicket, even though the soils used for revegetation contained thicket propagules. The oldest seral stage (16years) was a Rhus incisa-Panicum deustum thicket in which only 46% of the species were mature thicket species. In order to develop thicket more rapidly, active intervention will be required. This could take the form of planting of saplings of key thicket species. A trial planting of such saplings showed high survival success of most species. Long-term (50year) monitoring will be required to determine whether this approach was successful

Mixed sandwich imido complexes of Uranium(V) and Uranium(IV): Synthesis, structure and redox behaviour

The mixed sandwich U(III) complex {U[η ^8 -C8H6(1,4-Si( iPr)3)2](Cp*)(THF)} reacts with the organic azides RN3 (R = SiMe3, 1-Ad, BMes2) to afford the corresponding, structurally characterised U(V) imido complexes {U[η ^8 -C8H6(1,4-Si( iPr)3)2](Cp*)(NR)}. In the case of R=SiMe3, the reducing power of the U(III) complex leads to reductive coupling as a parallel minor reaction pathway, forming R-R and the U(IV) azide-bridged complex{[U]}2(µ-N3)2, along with the expected [U]=NR complex. All three [U] =NR complexes show a quasi-reversible one electron reduction between -1.6 to -1.75 V, and for R= SiMe3, chemical reduction using K/Hg affords the anionic U(IV) complex K+ {U[η ^8 -C8H6(1,4-Si( iPr)3)2](Cp*)=NSiMe3} - . The molecular structure of the latter shows an extended structure in the solid state in which the K counter cations are successively sandwiched between the Cp* ligand of one [U] anion and the COTtips2 ligand of the next

The importance of time-varying forcing for QBO modulation of the atmospheric 11 year solar cycle signal

We present results from three multidecadal sensitivity experiments with time-varying solar cycle and quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) forcings using National Center for Atmospheric Research's Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM3.1). The model experiments are unique compared to earlier studies as they use time-varying forcings for the solar cycle only and the QBO, both individually and combined. The results show that the annual mean solar response in the tropical upper stratosphere is independent of the presence of the QBO. The response in the middle to lower stratosphere differs depending on the presence of the QBO and the solar cycle but is statistically indistinguishable in the three experiments. The seasonal evolution of the solar and the combined solar-QBO signals reveals a reasonable agreement with observations only for the experiment in which both the solar cycle and the QBO forcing are present, suggesting that both forcings are important to generate the observed response. More stratospheric warmings occur during solar maximum and QBO west conditions. This appears to be the result of a QBO modulation of the background zonal mean wind climatology, which modifies the solar signal. Depending on the background wind, the small initial early winter solar signal in the subtropical upper stratosphere/lower mesosphere is enhanced during QBO east and diminished during QBO west conditions. This consequently influences the transfer of the solar-QBO signal during winter and results in the observed differences during late winte

Influence of routine computed tomography on predicted survival from blunt thoracoabdominal trauma

Item does not contain fulltextINTRODUCTION: Many scoring systems have been proposed to predict the survival of trauma patients. This study was performed to evaluate the influence of routine thoracoabdominal computed tomography (CT) on the predicted survival according to the trauma injury severity score (TRISS). PATIENTS AND METHODS: 1,047 patients who had sustained a high-energy blunt trauma over a 3-year period were prospectively included in the study. All patients underwent physical examination, conventional radiography of the chest, thoracolumbar spine and pelvis, abdominal sonography, and routine thoracoabdominal CT. From this group with routine CT, we prospectively defined a selective CT (sub)group for cases with abnormal physical examination and/or conventional radiography and/or sonography. Type and extent of injuries were recorded for both the selective and the routine CT groups. Based on the injuries found by the two different CT algorithms, we calculated the injury severity scores (ISS) and predicted survivals according to the TRISS methodology for the routine and the selective CT algorithms. RESULTS: Based on injuries detected by the selective CT algorithm, the mean ISS was 14.6, resulting in a predicted mortality of 12.5%. Because additional injuries were found by the routine CT algorithm, the mean ISS increased to 16.9, resulting in a predicted mortality of 13.7%. The actual observed mortality was 5.4%. CONCLUSION: Routine thoracoabdominal CT in high-energy blunt trauma patients reveals more injuries than a selective CT algorithm, resulting in a higher ISS. According to the TRISS, this results in higher predicted mortalities. Observed mortality, however, was significantly lower than predicted. The predicted survival according to MTOS seems to underestimate the actual survival when routine CT is used