Wild red deer [Cervus elaphus L.) grazing may seriously reduce forage production in mountain meadows

This study aimed at estimating the impact of red deer grazing on the productivity of meadows located in Pian Cansiglio, north-eastern Italian Pre-Alps. These meadows (383 ha; average elevation 1000 m asl are managed for hay/silage production (1-2 cuts per season) and are included in a protected area that hosts a high density of deer (around 30 heads/100 ha). In 2008 and 2010, dry matter (DM) production and loss due to deer grazing were estimated with exclusion cages (1 m2; 48 exclusion cages in 2008 and 52 in 2010). Night counts with spotlights were conducted to index deer use of meadows plots. DM production inside the cages was fairly good for the area (first and second cut: 5079 - 2193 Kg DM/ha in 2008, and 4200 - 2615 Kg DM/ha in 2010). DM production outside the cages was significantly lower (first and second cut in 2008: 4314-1389 Kg DM/ha, and in 2010: 3376-2052 Kg DM/ha). Therefore, the magnitude of losses was of 15-20% in the first and 25-40% in the second cut. DM losses in the different meadow plots were positively correlated with index of deer use, which in some plots was as high as 7-8 heads/ha. Deer grazing reduced also crude protein (CP) content of forage (15.6±4.4% DM inside exclusion cages and 13.8±3.5% DM outside), with losses being greater where CP content was higher. This study demonstrates that high densities of grazing deer may seriously impact on forage production and quality

Independent e-learning offers in Tourism and Hospitality. In search of a map and possible quality indicators

E-learning offers in the tourism and hospitality sector have been investigated, recently and four main types of courses have been identified, according to their provider: Academic,Destination Management Organizations, Corporate, and Independent. While for other types several studies are available, there is a lack of research when it comes to the online independent courses. This study focuses on e-learning courses issued by independent providers: they include training offers of very different nature, e.g.: language trainings for waiters, food and wine matching courses, sustainability communication training, cookingfor celiac people, etc. The results of this exploratory study provide an initial map of such educational offers; it discusses also some inferential indicators of satisfaction expressed by the users on social media, which may provideuseful insights for the identification of possible quality indicators of tourism-related online independent courses

Factors influencing gastrointestinal parasites in a colony of Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) interacting with domestic ruminants

Parasitic infections in populations of wild herbivores can affect the individual fitness and population dynamics of their hosts. In this study, the ecology of gastrointestinal (GI) parasites was investigated in an Alpine ibex colony of the Marmolada massif, eastern Alps. Both individual and environmental factors were studied to reveal their relationship with parasite prevalence and burden. In a four-year period, 414 individual faecal samples of ibex were collected on a monthly basis during summer and autumn and were subjected to quali-quantitative examinations for the identification and quantification of oocysts and eggs. Domestic ungulates grazing in the same area were also sampled to investigate the risk of GI parasite transmission. Negative binomial regression models were developed to study the influence of physiological and environmental factors on parasite burdens. The results of the qualitative examination were in agreement with the few data already present in the literature for Alpine ibex, showing high prevalence values for Coccidia and GI strongyles, low values for Cestoda and sporadic presence of whipworms. Higher burdens in kids were found for Coccidia and Cestoda. Analysis of the GI endoparasite community of cattle and sheep suggested a negligible risk of parasite transmission to the Alpine ibex population. The sanitary risk represented by Coccidia and Cestoda in ibex kids and some peculiarities of the endoparasite distribution patterns in the Marmolada ibex population call for future in-depth ecological studies to investigate their influence on the limited growth rate shown by the ibex colony during the last decade

Laryngeal tuberculosis: an often forgotten diagnosis

n/

The Italian version of the LARS score: cross-cultural adaptation and validation. An Italian Society of Surgical Oncology-Colorectal Cancer Network (SICO-CCN) collaborative study

Purpose: The LARS score is an internationally well-accepted questionnaire to assess low anterior resection syndrome, but currently there is no formally validated Italian version. The purpose of this study was to test the reliability and validity of the Italian version among Italian patients submitted to sphincter-sparing surgery for rectal cancer. Methods: The English version of the LARS score was translated into Italian following the forward-and-back translation process. A total of 147 patients filled out our version. Among them, 40 patients answered the questionnaire twice for the test-retest reliability phase. The validity of the LARS score was tested using convergent and discriminant validity indicators by correlating the EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-CR29 questionnaires. The LARS score capability to differentiate groups of patients with different demographic or clinical features was also assessed. Results: The test-retest reliability was excellent in 87.5% of patients, remained in the same LARS category in both tests. The convergent validity phase showed a relevant relationship of the LARS score with the EORTC domains, which was significant for 7 of 15 EORTC QLQ-C30 subscales, and for 14 of 29 EORTC QLQ-CR29 subscales. The LARS score was able to discriminate patients who received radiotherapy (p = 0.0026), TME vs. PME (p = 0.0060), tumour site at < 10 cm from the anal verge (p = 0.0030) and history of protective stoma (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: The Italian version of the LARS score is a valid and reliable tool for measuring LARS in Italian patients after SSS for rectal cancer

Standalone vertex finding in the ATLAS muon spectrometer

A dedicated reconstruction algorithm to find decay vertices in the ATLAS muon spectrometer is presented. The algorithm searches the region just upstream of or inside the muon spectrometer volume for multi-particle vertices that originate from the decay of particles with long decay paths. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated using both a sample of simulated Higgs boson events, in which the Higgs boson decays to long-lived neutral particles that in turn decay to bbar b final states, and pp collision data at √s = 7 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC during 2011

Measurements of Higgs boson production and couplings in diboson final states with the ATLAS detector at the LHC

Measurements are presented of production properties and couplings of the recently discovered Higgs boson using the decays into boson pairs, H →γ γ, H → Z Z∗ →4l and H →W W∗ →lνlν. The results are based on the complete pp collision data sample recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider at centre-of-mass energies of √s = 7 TeV and √s = 8 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 25 fb−1. Evidence for Higgs boson production through vector-boson fusion is reported. Results of combined fits probing Higgs boson couplings to fermions and bosons, as well as anomalous contributions to loop-induced production and decay modes, are presented. All measurements are consistent with expectations for the Standard Model Higgs boson

Measurement of the top quark-pair production cross section with ATLAS in pp collisions at \sqrt{s}=7\TeV

A measurement of the production cross-section for top quark pairs(\ttbar) in $pp$ collisions at \sqrt{s}=7 \TeV is presented using data recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Events are selected in two different topologies: single lepton (electron $e$ or muon $\mu$) with large missing transverse energy and at least four jets, and dilepton ($ee$, $\mu\mu$ or $e\mu$) with large missing transverse energy and at least two jets. In a data sample of 2.9 pb-1, 37 candidate events are observed in the single-lepton topology and 9 events in the dilepton topology. The corresponding expected backgrounds from non-\ttbar Standard Model processes are estimated using data-driven methods and determined to be $12.2 \pm 3.9$ events and $2.5 \pm 0.6$ events, respectively. The kinematic properties of the selected events are consistent with SM \ttbar production. The inclusive top quark pair production cross-section is measured to be \sigmattbar=145 \pm 31 ^{+42}_{-27} pb where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. The measurement agrees with perturbative QCD calculations.Comment: 30 pages plus author list (50 pages total), 9 figures, 11 tables, CERN-PH number and final journal adde

Measurement of the top quark pair cross section with ATLAS in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV using final states with an electron or a muon and a hadronically decaying τ lepton

A measurement of the cross section of top quark pair production in proton-proton collisions recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV is reported. The data sample used corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 2.05 fb -1. Events with an isolated electron or muon and a τ lepton decaying hadronically are used. In addition, a large missing transverse momentum and two or more energetic jets are required. At least one of the jets must be identified as originating from a b quark. The measured cross section, σtt-=186±13(stat.)±20(syst.)±7(lumi.) pb, is in good agreement with the Standard Model prediction

Hunt for new phenomena using large jet multiplicities and missing transverse momentum with ATLAS in 4.7 fb−1 of √s=7 TeV proton-proton collisions

Results are presented of a search for new particles decaying to large numbers of jets in association with missing transverse momentum, using 4.7 fb−1 of pp collision data at s√=7TeV collected by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider in 2011. The event selection requires missing transverse momentum, no isolated electrons or muons, and from ≥6 to ≥9 jets. No evidence is found for physics beyond the Standard Model. The results are interpreted in the context of a MSUGRA/CMSSM supersymmetric model, where, for large universal scalar mass m 0, gluino masses smaller than 840 GeV are excluded at the 95% confidence level, extending previously published limits. Within a simplified model containing only a gluino octet and a neutralino, gluino masses smaller than 870 GeV are similarly excluded for neutralino masses below 100 GeV