A reassessment of Asterolasia correifolia (Rutaceae) with descriptions of the newly recognised A. exasperata and A. sola

Asterolasia correifolia (A.Juss.) Benth. (Rutaceae) is revised and a narrower circumscription adopted; it is now considered to be endemic to New South Wales (NSW). Plants from the Northern Tablelands (NSW) and the Carnarvon Range (Queensland) represent distinct species and A. exasperata P.R.Alvarez & Duretto and A. sola Duretto & P.R.Alvarez are newly described for them. These species are distinguished from A. correifolia by leaf shape, the size of the hairs on the stems and leaves, and by having smaller inflorescences. Descriptions, illustrations, ecological and conservation notes are provided for A. correifolia, A. exasperata, and A. sola. A key to Asterolasia for eastern Australia is also provided

Anomalous couplings for D-branes and O-planes

We study anomalous Wess-Zumino couplings of D-branes and O-planes in a general background and derive them from a direct string computation by factorizing in the RR channel various one-loop amplitudes. In particular, we find that Op-planes present gravitational anomalous couplings involving the Hirzebruch polynomial L, similarly to the roof genus A encoding Dp-brane anomalous couplings. We determine, in each case, the precise dependence of these couplings on the curvature of the tangent and normal bundles.Comment: 24 pages, LaTex, 5 figure

Cross-correlating Carbon Monoxide Line-intensity Maps with Spectroscopic and Photometric Galaxy Surveys

Line-intensity mapping (LIM or IM) is an emerging field of observational work, with strong potential to fit into a larger effort to probe large-scale structure and small-scale astrophysical phenomena using multiple complementary tracers. Taking full advantage of such complementarity means, in part, undertaking line-intensity surveys with galaxy surveys in mind. We consider the potential for detection of a cross-correlation signal between COMAP and blind surveys based on photometric redshifts (as in COSMOS) or based on spectroscopic data (as with the HETDEX survey of Lyman-$\alpha$ emitters). We find that obtaining $\sigma_z/(1+z)\lesssim0.003$ accuracy in redshifts and $\gtrsim10^{-4}$ sources per Mpc$^3$ with spectroscopic redshift determination should enable a CO-galaxy cross spectrum detection significance at least twice that of the CO auto spectrum. Either a future targeted spectroscopic survey or a blind survey like HETDEX may be able to meet both of these requirements.Comment: 19 pages + appendix (31 pages total), 16 figures, 6 tables; accepted for publication in Ap

Direct Integration and Non-Perturbative Effects in Matrix Models

We show how direct integration can be used to solve the closed amplitudes of multi-cut matrix models with polynomial potentials. In the case of the cubic matrix model, we give explicit expressions for the ring of non-holomorphic modular objects that are needed to express all closed matrix model amplitudes. This allows us to integrate the holomorphic anomaly equation up to holomorphic modular terms that we fix by the gap condition up to genus four. There is an one-dimensional submanifold of the moduli space in which the spectral curve becomes the Seiberg--Witten curve and the ring reduces to the non-holomorphic modular ring of the group $\Gamma(2)$. On that submanifold, the gap conditions completely fix the holomorphic ambiguity and the model can be solved explicitly to very high genus. We use these results to make precision tests of the connection between the large order behavior of the 1/N expansion and non-perturbative effects due to instantons. Finally, we argue that a full understanding of the large genus asymptotics in the multi-cut case requires a new class of non-perturbative sectors in the matrix model.Comment: 51 pages, 8 figure

Reverse Engineering Gene Networks with ANN: Variability in Network Inference Algorithms

Motivation :Reconstructing the topology of a gene regulatory network is one of the key tasks in systems biology. Despite of the wide variety of proposed methods, very little work has been dedicated to the assessment of their stability properties. Here we present a methodical comparison of the performance of a novel method (RegnANN) for gene network inference based on multilayer perceptrons with three reference algorithms (ARACNE, CLR, KELLER), focussing our analysis on the prediction variability induced by both the network intrinsic structure and the available data. Results: The extensive evaluation on both synthetic data and a selection of gene modules of "Escherichia coli" indicates that all the algorithms suffer of instability and variability issues with regards to the reconstruction of the topology of the network. This instability makes objectively very hard the task of establishing which method performs best. Nevertheless, RegnANN shows MCC scores that compare very favorably with all the other inference methods tested. Availability: The software for the RegnANN inference algorithm is distributed under GPL3 and it is available at the corresponding author home page (http://mpba.fbk.eu/grimaldi/regnann-supmat

Matrices of Native and Oxidized Pectin and Ferrous Bisglycinate and Their In Vitro Behavior through Gastrointestinal Conditions

Colloidal matrices of native and oxidized pectin were developed to improve iron bioavailability through the digestive tract. Ferrous bisglycinate (Gly-Fe), obtained by precipitation of glycine chelation to Fe2+, was mixed with native and peroxide-oxidized citrus pectin, and subsequently lyophilized. Controls included matrices with iron and glycine without chelation. The resulting samples were characterized through FTIR, SEM, and TGA/DSC before and after in vitro digestion, which was performed in simulated salivary, gastric, and intestinal fluids. During these digestions, swelling capacity and iron release were assessed. All matrix formulations were porous, and while pectin oxidation did not alter architecture, it changed their properties, increasing thermal stability, likely due to greater number of interaction possibilities through carbonyl groups generated during oxidation. This also resulted in lower swelling capacity, with greater stability observed when using the chelated complex. Higher swelling was found in gastric and intestinal fluids. Pectin oxidation also increased retention of the chelated form, contrary to what was observed with unchelated iron. Thus, there is an important effect of pectin oxidation combined with iron in the form of ferrous biglyscinate on matrix stability and iron release through the digestive tract. These matrices could potentially improve iron bioavailability, diminishing organoleptic changes in fortified iron foods

Archaeological research in the middle Uruguay River basin. Contributions for the characterization of the paleoenvironmental scenarios during the Late Holocene

El presente trabajo se centra en la discusión de los recientes resultados arqueológicos alcanzados en ambas márgenes del litoral (oriental y occidental) de la cuenca media del río Uruguay. Mediante la realización de trabajos sistemáticos de campo y del análisis de múltiples líneas de evidencias se ha generado información novedosa sobre la distribución de los vestigios arqueológicos en el paisaje, las tecnologías líticas y alfareras prehispánicas, la cronología de las ocupaciones y la evolución del paisaje durante el Cuaternario reciente. El objetivo principal de las investigaciones llevadas a cabo en el área es actualizar y contribuir al conocimiento de la evolución sociocultural de las poblaciones que ocuparon los litorales fluviales del sur de Sudamérica. Los restos culturales recuperados en las recientes investigaciones desarrolladas en el sector, nos permiten consolidar la caracterización del área como área-soporte de distribución de materiales e ideas, circulación y consumo de materiales culturales durante el Holoceno tardío. En tanto que a partir de nuevos análisis estratigráficos, sedimentológicos, microbiológicos y cronológicos implementados en diferentes secuencias depositacionales fluviales, aportamos resultados para caracterizar la dinámica paleoambiental y paleoclimática dominante durante ese lapso en la cuenca Paraná-Uruguay.This paper focuses on the assessment of recent data recovered in both margins of the middle Uruguay River basin. The new information was generated from fieldwork and laboratory analyses concerning the spatial distribution of lithic, pottery and other archaeological remains, chronological data, and fluvial landform evolution. This research aims to update our knowledge of fluvial human adaptations in Southern South America. The recovered cultural materials allowed us to support the characterization of the area as a node of distribution of objects and ideas, and of circulation and consumption of cultural materials during Late Holocene. We also contribute to the characterization of the paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic dynamics in the Paraná-Uruguay basin through the interpretation of sedimentological, microbiological, and chronological data from the fluvial sedimentary sequences developed during the Late Holocene

Cosmic Physics: The High Energy Frontier

Cosmic rays have been observed up to energies $10^8$ times larger than those of the best particle accelerators. Studies of astrophysical particles (hadrons, neutrinos and photons) at their highest observed energies have implications for fundamental physics as well as astrophysics. Thus, the cosmic high energy frontier is the nexus to new particle physics. This overview discusses recent advances being made in the physics and astrophysics of cosmic rays and cosmic gamma-rays at the highest observed energies as well as the related physics and astrophysics of very high energy cosmic neutrinos. These topics touch on questions of grand unification, violation of Lorentz invariance, as well as Planck scale physics and quantum gravity.Comment: Topical Review Paper to be published in the Journal of Physics G, 50 page

Epidemiology, patterns of care, and mortality for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome in intensive care units in 50 countries

IMPORTANCE: Limited information exists about the epidemiology, recognition, management, and outcomes of patients with the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). OBJECTIVES: To evaluate intensive care unit (ICU) incidence and outcome of ARDS and to assess clinician recognition, ventilation management, and use of adjuncts-for example prone positioning-in routine clinical practice for patients fulfilling the ARDS Berlin Definition. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS:The Large Observational Study to Understand the Global Impact of Severe Acute Respiratory Failure (LUNG SAFE) was an international, multicenter, prospective cohort study of patients undergoing invasive or noninvasive ventilation, conducted during 4 consecutive weeks in the winter of 2014 in a convenience sample of 459 ICUs from 50 countries across 5 continents. EXPOSURES:Acute respiratory distress syndrome. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was ICU incidence of ARDS. Secondary outcomes included assessment of clinician recognition of ARDS, the application of ventilatory management, the use of adjunctive interventions in routine clinical practice, and clinical outcomes from ARDS. RESULTS: Of 29,144 patients admitted to participating ICUs, 3022 (10.4%) fulfilled ARDS criteria. Of these, 2377 patients developed ARDS in the first 48 hours and whose respiratory failure was managed with invasive mechanical ventilation. The period prevalence of mild ARDS was 30.0% (95% CI, 28.2%-31.9%); of moderate ARDS, 46.6% (95% CI, 44.5%-48.6%); and of severe ARDS, 23.4% (95% CI, 21.7%-25.2%). ARDS represented 0.42 cases per ICU bed over 4 weeks and represented 10.4% (95% CI, 10.0%-10.7%) of ICU admissions and 23.4% of patients requiring mechanical ventilation. Clinical recognition of ARDS ranged from 51.3% (95% CI, 47.5%-55.0%) in mild to 78.5% (95% CI, 74.8%-81.8%) in severe ARDS. Less than two-thirds of patients with ARDS received a tidal volume 8 of mL/kg or less of predicted body weight. Plateau pressure was measured in 40.1% (95% CI, 38.2-42.1), whereas 82.6% (95% CI, 81.0%-84.1%) received a positive end-expository pressure (PEEP) of less than 12 cm H2O. Prone positioning was used in 16.3% (95% CI, 13.7%-19.2%) of patients with severe ARDS. Clinician recognition of ARDS was associated with higher PEEP, greater use of neuromuscular blockade, and prone positioning. Hospital mortality was 34.9% (95% CI, 31.4%-38.5%) for those with mild, 40.3% (95% CI, 37.4%-43.3%) for those with moderate, and 46.1% (95% CI, 41.9%-50.4%) for those with severe ARDS. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Among ICUs in 50 countries, the period prevalence of ARDS was 10.4% of ICU admissions. This syndrome appeared to be underrecognized and undertreated and associated with a high mortality rate. These findings indicate the potential for improvement in the management of patients with ARDS

Prospective, randomized trial comparing fluids and dobutamine optimization of oxygen delivery in high-risk surgical patients [ISRCTN42445141]

INTRODUCTION: Preventing perioperative tissue oxygen debt contributes to a better postoperative recovery. Whether the beneficial effects of fluids and inotropes during optimization of the oxygen delivery index (DO(2)I) in high-risk patients submitted to major surgeries are due to fluids, to inotropes, or to the combination of the two is not known. We aimed to investigate the effect of DO(2)I optimization with fluids or with fluids and dobutamine on the 60-day hospital mortality and incidence of complications. METHODS: A randomized and controlled trial was performed in 50 high-risk patients (elderly with coexistent pathologies) undergoing major elective surgery. Therapy consisted of pulmonary artery catheter-guided hemodynamic optimization during the operation and 24 hours postoperatively using either fluids alone (n = 25) or fluids and dobutamine (n = 25), aiming to achieve supranormal values (DO(2)I > 600 ml/minute/m(2)). RESULTS: The cardiovascular depression was an important component in the perioperative period in this group of patients. Cardiovascular complications in the postoperative period occurred significantly more frequently in the volume group (13/25, 52%) than in the dobutamine group (4/25, 16%) (relative risk, 3.25; 95% confidence interval, 1.22–8.60; P < 0.05). The 60-day mortality rates were 28% in the volume group and 8% in the dobutamine group (relative risk, 3.00; 95% confidence interval, 0.67–13.46; not significant). CONCLUSION: In patients with high risk of perioperative death, pulmonary artery catheter-guided hemodynamic optimization using dobutamine determines better outcomes, whereas fluids alone increase the incidence of postoperative complications