Observing Supermassive Black Holes across cosmic time: from phenomenology to physics

In the last decade, a combination of high sensitivity, high spatial resolution observations and of coordinated multi-wavelength surveys has revolutionized our view of extra-galactic black hole (BH) astrophysics. We now know that supermassive black holes reside in the nuclei of almost every galaxy, grow over cosmological times by accreting matter, interact and merge with each other, and in the process liberate enormous amounts of energy that influence dramatically the evolution of the surrounding gas and stars, providing a powerful self-regulatory mechanism for galaxy formation. The different energetic phenomena associated to growing black holes and Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), their cosmological evolution and the observational techniques used to unveil them, are the subject of this chapter. In particular, I will focus my attention on the connection between the theory of high-energy astrophysical processes giving rise to the observed emission in AGN, the observable imprints they leave at different wavelengths, and the methods used to uncover them in a statistically robust way. I will show how such a combined effort of theorists and observers have led us to unveil most of the SMBH growth over a large fraction of the age of the Universe, but that nagging uncertainties remain, preventing us from fully understating the exact role of black holes in the complex process of galaxy and large-scale structure formation, assembly and evolution.Comment: 46 pages, 21 figures. This review article appears as a chapter in the book: "Astrophysical Black Holes", Haardt, F., Gorini, V., Moschella, U and Treves A. (Eds), 2015, Springer International Publishing AG, Cha

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Chromosome numbers for Anthurium and Philodendron spp. (Araceae) occurring in Bahia, Brazil

Chromosome numbers for four species of Anthurium and four species of Philodendron from Bahia, Brazil, were determined. New counts 2n = 30 for A. longipes and A. affine, 2n = 32 for P. pedatum and 2n = 34 P. blanchetianum and P. pachyphyllum represent the first reports for these species. The 2n = 32 found for P. imbe and 2n = 90 for A. bellum differ from earlier reports, whereas 2n = 30 and 60 for A. pentaphyllum var. pentaphyllum confirms previous counts. A. affine had one to four B-chromosomes. We suggest secondary base numbers x = 15 for Anthurium and x = 16, 17 and 18 for Philodendron, produced by hybridizations and duplications involving the primary base numbers x = 7, 8 and 9.<br>O número de cromossomos de quatro espécies de Anthurium e quatro espécies de Philodendron coletadas no Estado da Bahia, Brasil, foi determinado. As contagens 2n = 30 para A. longipes e A. affine, 2n = 32 para P. pedatum e 2n = 34 para P. blanchetianum e P. pachyphyllum representam o primeiro registro para estas espécies. Os números diplóides 2n = 32 encontrado para P. imbe e 2n = 90 para A. bellum diferem de registros anteriores, enquanto 2n = 30 e 60 para A. pentaphyllum var. pentaphyllum confirmam determinações anteriores. A. affine tem um a quatro cromossomos B. Nós sugerimos o número básico secundário x = 15 para Anthurium e x = 16, 17 e 18 para Philodendron, produzidos por hibridações e duplicações envolvendo os números básicos primários x = 7, 8 e 9