Properties of design-based estimation under stratified spatial sampling with application to canopy coverage estimation

The estimation of the total of an attribute defined over a continuous planar domain is required in many applied settings, such as the estimation of canopy coverage in the Monterano Nature Reserve in Italy. If the design-based approach is considered, the scheme for the placement of the sample sites over the domain is fundamental in order to implement the survey. In real situations, a commonly adopted scheme is based on partitioning the domain into suitable strata, in such a way that a single sample site is uniformly placed (i.e., selected with uniform probability density) in each stratum and sample sites are independently located. Under mild conditions on the function representing the target attribute, it is shown that this scheme gives rise to an unbiased spatial total estimator which is "superefficient" with respect to the estimator based on the uniform placement of independent sample sites over the domain. In addition, the large-sample normality of the estimator is proven and variance estimation issues are discussed.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/11-AOAS509 the Annals of Applied Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aoas/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

How are Statistical Journals linked? A Network Analysis

The exploratory analysis developed in this paper relies on the hypothesis that each editor possesses some power in the definition of the editorial policy of her journal. Consequently if the same scholar sits on the board of two journals, those journals could have some common elements in their editorial policies. The proximity of the editorial policies of two scientific journals can be assessed by the number of common editors sitting on their boards. A database of all editors of the journals classified as “Statistics & Probability” in the Journal of Citation Report by ISI-Thomson is used. The structure of the network generated by the interlocking editorship is explored applying the instruments of network analysis. Evidences are found of a very compact network. This is interpreted as the result of a common perspective about the appropriate methods for investigating the problems and constructing the theories in the domain of statisticsNetworks; Journals; Editorial boards; Interlocking editorship; Statisticians

Simulating Plasmon Enhancement of Optical Properties in Hybrid Metal-Organic Nanoparticles

Hybrid organic-inorganic Nanoparticles (HNPs) are very interesting and widely studied materials, for their versatile applications in biotechnology and medicine, with high potential in biomedical imaging, gene and drug delivery, and photothermal cancer therapy, making them one of the most promising materials for early and accurate cancer diagnosis and effective cancer therapy. However, computing their physico-chemical properties in details proves to be a challenge. While the nature of the organic component of the HNPs necessitates a full quantum chemical treatment, the size of the inorganic component renders this treatment computationally too expensive to be assessed with an homogeneous technique. For this reason hybrid models have been developed combining a QM level treatment and a classical electromagnetism approach, respectively, for molecules and the inorganic nano-structures upon which they are adsorbed. In particular, the inorganic component, usually a metal, is considered as a classical continuous body, characterized by its own frequency dependent dielectric function, for which the Maxwell equations are solved using the Boundary Element Method (BEM), while excitation energies due to the energy transfer from the molecule to the metal is evaluated exploiting Time Dependent Density Functional Theory (TDDFT). After proving that the polarization charges distribution, used in BEM, well describe the optical properties of bare inorganic Nanoparticles, reproducing experimental spectra of bare Gold Nanoparticles using BEM tools, we described the interactions of the organic molecular frame with the Nanoparticles. In order to reproduce the desired spectroscopic properties for the hybrid system we evaluated on one side the effects introduced by the presence of a Nanoparticle over the energies and the excited state dynamics of the isolated organic dyes (radiative and non radiative deactivation constants). On the other side we computed how the organic layer of dye and surfactant around the gold Nanoparticle affects the plasmonic excitation of the metallic subsystem adding this layer to the electrodynamic computations

Therapy-Related Myeloid Neoplasm in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Survivors

Relatively little data on secondary cancers is available regarding patients treated for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), compared with those treated for Hodgkin lymphoma. Evolving treatment regimens have improved survival outcomes for NHL patients. As a result of this improvement, secondary malignancies are becoming an important issue in NHL survivors. This review aims to report data on this topic previously published by our group, adding unpublished results from the Modena Cancer Registry (MCR). We recently performed four studies about secondary neoplasms in NHL survivors: two studies analysing the risk of secondary neoplasms in patients treated for indolent and aggressive NHL; a meta-analysis of 23 studies investigating the risk of secondary malignant neoplasm (SMN) after NHL treatment; and a still-unpublished study evaluating the incidence of therapy-related myeloid neoplasm (t-MN) in patients treated for NHL (from the MCR database). The first two studies analysed 563 patients with indolent NHL and 1280 patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) enrolled in the Gruppo Italiano Studio Linfomi (GISL) trials. Results showed that the cumulative incidence of secondary tumours was 10.5% at 12 years for indolent NHL and 8.2% at 15 years for DLBCL. Results of the meta-analysis indicated that NHL patients experienced a 1.88-fold increased risk for SMN compared with the general population; the standardized incidence risk (SIR) for secondary acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) was 11.07. Based on data from the MCR from 2000 through 2008, we found that the SIR was 1.63 for developing a secondary malignancy after NHL, and 1.99 for developing secondary haematological malignancies. Regarding myelodysplastic syndrome and/or AML incidence, nine NHL patients developed t-MN with a higher risk than expected (SIR 8.8, 95% CI: 4.0–16.6). In conclusion, patients treated for NHL are at increased risk of developing SMN. Regarding t-MN, data from the meta-analysis and the MCR demonstrate an excessive risk of developing AML (SIR 11.07 and 5.7, respectively) compared with solid SMN after treatment for NHL. Thus long-term monitoring should be considered for NHL survivors

Adherent diamond coatings on cemented tungsten carbide substrates with new Fe/Ni/Co binder phase

WC-Co hard metals continue to gain importance for cutting, mining and chipless forming tools. Cobalt metal currently dominates the market as a binder because of its unique properties. However, the use of cobalt as a binder has several drawbacks related to its hexagonal close-packed structure and market price fluctuations. These issues pushed the development of pre-alloyed binder powders which contain less than 40 wt.% cobalt. In this paper we first report the results of extensive investigations of WC-Fe/Ni/Co hard metal sintering, surface pretreating and deposition of adherent diamond films by using an industrial hot filament chemical vapour deposition (HFCVD) reactor. In particular, CVD diamond was deposited onto WC-Fe/Ni/Co grades which exhibited the best mechanical properties. Prior to deposition, the substrates were submitted to surface roughening by Murakami's etching and to surface binder removal by aqua regia. The adhesion was evaluated by Rockwell indentation tests (20, 40, 60 and 100 kg) conducted with a Brale indenter and compared to the adhesion of diamond films grown onto Co-cemented tungsten carbide substrates, which were submitted to similar etching pretreatments and identical deposition conditions. The results showed that diamond films on medium-grained WC-6 wt.% Fe/Ni/Co substrates exhibited good adhesion levels, comparable to those obtained for HFCVD diamond on Co-cemented carbides with similar microstructure

Risk of second primary malignancy in breast cancer survivors: A nested population-based case-control study

Purpose: Evolving therapies have improved the prognoses of patients with breast cancer; and currently, the number of long-term survivors is continuously increasing. However, these patients are at increased risk of developing a second cancer. Thus, late side effects are becoming an important issue. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether patient and tumor characteristics, and treatment type correlate with secondary tumor risk. Methods: This case-control study included 305 patients with a diagnosed second malignancy after almost 6 months after the diagnosis of primary breast cancer and 1,525 controls (ratio 1:5 of cases to controls) from a population-based cohort of 6,325 women. The control patients were randomly selected from the cohort and matched to the cases according to age at diagnosis, calendar period of diagnosis, disease stage, and time of follow-up. Results: BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)+ status, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy were related to increased risk of developing a second cancer, whereas hormonotherapy showed a protective effect. Chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and estrogenic receptor level <10% increased the risk of controlateral breast cancer. HER2+ status increased the risk of digestive system and thyroid tumors, while BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation increased the risk of cancer in the genital system. Conclusion: Breast cancer survivors are exposed to an excess of risk of developing a second primary cancer. The development of excess of malignancies may be related either to patient and tumor characteristics, such as BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation and HER2+ status, or to treatments factors

Safety and efficacy of alteplase in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke

After publication of the results of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke study, the application of intravenous thrombolysis for ischemic stroke was launched and has now been in use for more than 10 years. The approval of this drug represented only the first step of the therapeutic approach to this pathology. Despite proven efficacy, concerns remain regarding the safety of recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator for acute ischemic stroke used in routine clinical practice. As a result, a small proportion of patients are currently treated with thrombolytic drugs. Several factors explain this situation: a limited therapeutic window, insufficient public knowledge of the warning signs for stroke, the small number of centers able to administer thrombolysis on a 24-hour basis and an excessive fear of hemorrhagic complications. The aim of this review is to explore the clinical efficacy of treatment with alteplase and consider the hemorrhagic risks

Variaciones en la morfología de las hojas y brotes de yema de Ulmus minor en Italia y Francia

More than 40 Ulmus minor clones were characterised on the basis of 10 foliar morphological traits and budburst phenology in two successive years. Ramets, 4- and 5-years-old, were obtained by means of self-rooted cuttings from elms located in northern, central and southern Italy and in France. Measurements were taken in an open field in the vicinity of Florence (Italy). The morphological traits were found not to be appropriate for describing the variability between clones of different origins, even if some of these traits indicated a xeric adaptation in clones originating from southern Italy. On the contrary, the phenological traits were valid describers of the origin of the clones. Indeed, the southern-Italian clones flushed earlier than the others, while the French clones were more delated. A comparison of the results of the two years showed that the chilling requirements on the trial site were not satisfied. The actual state of knowledge regarding dormancy in the Ulmus genus does not enable to speculate further on the results of this research. Morphological characters seem to show a greater phenotypic plasticity with respect to phenological traits.M&aacute;s de 40 clones de Ulmus minor han sido caracterizados bas&aacute;ndose en 10 caracter&iacute;sticas morfol&oacute;gicas foliares y en la fenolog&iacute;a de la apertura de yemas foliares en dos a&ntilde;os sucesivos. Los ramets, de 4 y 5 a&ntilde;os de edad, se obtuvieron por medio de estaquillas procedentes de olmos localizados en Italia septentrional, central y meridional, y en Francia. Las mediciones se realizaron al aire libre en las cercan&iacute;as de Florencia (Italia). Se encontr&oacute; que las caracter&iacute;sticas morfol&oacute;gicas no fueron adecuadas para describir la variabilidad entre clones de distintos or&iacute;genes, incluso cuando estas caracter&iacute;sticas indicaban, en clones del sur de Italia, una adaptaci&oacute;n a condiciones x&eacute;ricas. Por el contrario, las caracter&iacute;sticas fenol&oacute;gicas sirvieron como descriptores v&aacute;lidos del origen de los clones. De hecho, los clones de Italia meridional brotaron antes que los otros, mientras que los clones franceses fueron m&aacute;s tard&iacute;os. La comparaci&oacute;n de los resultados de ambos a&ntilde;os mostr&oacute; que los requerimientos de fr&iacute;o no fueron satisfechos en la parcela de ensayo. El actual estado de conocimiento en relaci&oacute;n con la quiescencia en el g&eacute;nero Ulmus no permite realizar conjeturas con los resultados de este estudio. Las caracter&iacute;sticas morfol&oacute;gicas parecen mostrar una mayor plasticidad fenot&iacute;pica que las caracter&iacute;sticas fenol&oacute;gicas

L’architettura dell’Industria elettrica in Sardegna dal 1911 al 1961

At the beginning of the Twentieth Century, Sardinian industrial production was still strictly related to steam machines and only a few enlightened industries exploited electric power. The development of electrical industry in Sardinia has been an essential moment on a political, social and economic level; the design of artificial lakes has deeply changed the morphology and the hydrology of the Isle, and the modern electrical plants built along the coasts enlarged the industrial heritage which marks the Sardinian landscape. The studied time frame goes from 1911 and 1961, fifty years during which the Società Elettrica Sarda (S.E.S.) has been in charge of the design and construction of the hydroelectrical and thermic plants and power lines. The research focuses on the architectures related to Sardinian electrization: the S.E.S., along with its scientific committee led by Angelo Omodeo e Giulio Dolcetta, has built high quality architectures and high level factories. The dykes and the plants not only reached high technical performances, but are also the result of a fertile architectural research that has no equals in the hystory of Sardinia. Few of the plants have been demolished and some of them now are only ruins that still demand for a solution; two of the hydroelectrical plants are still productive and still provide for electrical power. The aim of the research is to create an archive that puts together all documents that are now stored in various archives in the whole country and also to deeply investigate the buildings to discover the constructive and design ideas; all architectures are studied trough drawing, that helps the understanding process throughrout all components of the architecture, its materials and its building techniques. The research will become an organic record that contains an accurate study of the buildings designed by S.E.S. during the most active years of electrical revolution in Sardinia; it also wants to become a solid means for a future design action