KROME - a package to embed chemistry in astrophysical simulations

Chemistry plays a key role in many astrophysical situations regulating the cooling and the thermal properties of the gas, which are relevant during gravitational collapse, the evolution of disks and the fragmentation process. In order to simplify the usage of chemical networks in large numerical simulations, we present the chemistry package KROME, consisting of a Python pre-processor which generates a subroutine for the solution of chemical networks which can be embedded in any numerical code. For the solution of the rate equations, we make use of the high-order solver DLSODES, which was shown to be both accurate and efficient for sparse networks, which are typical in astrophysical applications. KROME also provides a large set of physical processes connected to chemistry, including photochemistry, cooling, heating, dust treatment, and reverse kinetics. The package presented here already contains a network for primordial chemistry, a small metal network appropriate for the modelling of low metallicities environments, a detailed network for the modelling of molecular clouds, a network for planetary atmospheres, as well as a framework for the modelling of the dust grain population. In this paper, we present an extended test suite ranging from one-zone and 1D-models to first applications including cosmological simulations with ENZO and RAMSES and 3D collapse simulations with the FLASH code. The package presented here is publicly available at http://kromepackage.org/ and https://bitbucket.org/krome/krome_stableComment: accepted for publication in MNRA

Measuring societal awareness of the rural agrarian landscape: indicators and scale issues

The work presented in this report is part of the effort to define the landscape state and diversity indicator in the frame of COM (2006) 508 “Development of agri-environmental indicators for monitoring the integration of environmental concerns into the common agricultural policy”. The Communication classifies the indicators according to their level of development, which, for the landscape indicator is “in need of substantial improvements in order to become fully operational”. For this reason a full re-definition of the indicator has been carried out, following the initial proposal presented in the frame of the IRENA operation (“Indicator Reporting on the Integration of Environmental Concerns into Agricultural Policy”). The new proposal for the landscape state and diversity indicator is structured in three components: the first concerns the degree of naturalness, the second landscape structure, the third the societal appreciation of the rural landscape. While the first two components rely on a strong bulk of existing literature, the development of the methodology has made evident the need for further analysis of the third component, which is based on a newly proposed top-down approach. This report presents an in-depth analysis of such component of the indicator, and the effort to include a social dimension in large scale landscape assessment

The nuclear receptors of Biomphalaria glabrata and Lottia gigantea: Implications for developing new model organisms

© 2015 Kaur et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are creditedNuclear receptors (NRs) are transcription regulators involved in an array of diverse physiological functions including key roles in endocrine and metabolic function. The aim of this study was to identify nuclear receptors in the fully sequenced genome of the gastropod snail, Biomphalaria glabrata, intermediate host for Schistosoma mansoni and compare these to known vertebrate NRs, with a view to assessing the snail's potential as a invertebrate model organism for endocrine function, both as a prospective new test organism and to elucidate the fundamental genetic and mechanistic causes of disease. For comparative purposes, the genome of a second gastropod, the owl limpet, Lottia gigantea was also investigated for nuclear receptors. Thirty-nine and thirty-three putative NRs were identified from the B. glabrata and L. gigantea genomes respectively, based on the presence of a conserved DNA-binding domain and/or ligand-binding domain. Nuclear receptor transcript expression was confirmed and sequences were subjected to a comparative phylogenetic analysis, which demonstrated that these molluscs have representatives of all the major NR subfamilies (1-6). Many of the identified NRs are conserved between vertebrates and invertebrates, however differences exist, most notably, the absence of receptors of Group 3C, which includes some of the vertebrate endocrine hormone targets. The mollusc genomes also contain NR homologues that are present in insects and nematodes but not in vertebrates, such as Group 1J (HR48/DAF12/HR96). The identification of many shared receptors between humans and molluscs indicates the potential for molluscs as model organisms; however the absence of several steroid hormone receptors indicates snail endocrine systems are fundamentally different.The National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research, Grant Ref:G0900802 to CSJ, LRN, SJ & EJR [www.nc3rs.org.uk]

Inositol supplementation in women with polycystic ovary syndrome undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex and heterogeneous disease that involves menstrual dysfunction and reproductive difficulty, as well as metabolic problems. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of myo-inositol (MYO) and d-chiro-inositol (DCI) on improving oocyte or embryo quality and pregnancy rates for women with PCOS undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). We searched the Web of Knowledge, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Pubmed, Scopus and Cochrane databases for all articles published in any language up to March 2017. The selection criteria were as follows: (population) patients with PCOS; (intervention) treatment with inositol (MYO, DCI, or both, with any dose and any duration) in conjunction with an ovulation-inducing agent versus the ovulation-inducing agent alone; (outcome) oocyte and embryo quality; (study design) randomized controlled trials. Of 76 identified studies, eight RCTs were included for analysis comprising 1019 women with PCOS. MYO supplementation was insufficient to improve oocyte quality (OR 2.2051; 95% CI 0.8260 to 5.8868), embryo quality (OR 1.6231, 95% CI 0.3926 to 6.7097), or pregnancy rate (OR 1.2832, 95% CI 0.8692 to 1.8944). Future studies of appropriate dose, size and duration of DCI are vital to clarify its the role in the management of PCOS

Development and Life Cycle Analyses of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer Tubular Parts for Metal Replacement in Aerospace Applications

Reducing the weight of aircraft components is a key strategy to improve fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Innovative materials such as carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRPs) and manufacturing techniques represent a possible solution for improved sustainability in the aerospace sector. In this context, this paper presents the design and the evaluation of the environmental and economic impacts of a CFRP tubular structural component, employed for supporting passenger seats of commercial aircraft, realized with the innovative FW process. At first, a simulation of the winding process was conducted to define the component layers, and then a FEM analysis was performed to identify the optimal layering of the tubular structure to support the defined loads. Subsequently, environmental and economic impacts were evaluated by means of life cycle assessment and life cycle costing methodologies. The comparison between the CFRP tubular structure and traditional aluminum alternative was conducted to identify the most sustainable solution. The analysis showed that the CFRP tubular component resulted in lower environmental impacts than the traditional alternative (i.e., about 70% lower considering the whole life cycle) mainly due to the reduced weight. However, the cost evaluation identified the CFRP alternative as the most expensive solution, with production cost 40% higher than the aluminum alternative

Robotic automated fiber placement of carbon fiber towpregs

Robotic Automated Fiber Placement (R-AFP) technology was developed to manufacture composite laminates by placing carbon fiber thermoset towpregs, obtained by impregnating 12 K high-strength grade carbon fibers in an epoxy resin system. In order to avoid placement induced defects, a thermographic scanning technique was implemented for on-line quality monitoring of the R-AFP process. The thermal analysis proved to be an effective and quick approach for the real-time detection of deposition defects generated during. The R-AFP process was performed by applying a constant pressure through the compaction roller; different pressure values were investigated. The effect of the resin weight fraction and compaction pressure on the mechanical properties applied by the deposition head during R-AFP of cross-ply laminates was studied. The reduction of the tensile strength and the increase of the elastic modulus with decreasing pressure of the compaction roller was observed. Furthermore, the values of ultimate tensile strength and elastic modulus decrease as the resin content increases. Finally, the three-dimensional topography of surface fracture of tensile samples was investigated by means of the optical and scanning electron microscopy

Sustainability and economic assessment of an innovative automated filament winding process

The present paper aims at studying the environmental and economic impacts of an innovative Filament Winding (FW) process used to realize a tubular shape structural component in Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP). To this purpose, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) methodologies were applied using a "from cradle to grave" approach. Specifically, a towbar used for aircraft pushback was considered as case study. All phases of the life cycle of the analyzed component were included (from the raw materials extraction to the disposal phase). The comparison between the CFRP towbar investigated and a traditional one in aluminum alloy was performed. The LCC analysis was conducted by considering all costs associated with the automated filament winding process, from the initial investment costs. For all the considered impact categories, the CFRP towbar showed the lowest environmental impacts, mainly due to both the reduced weight and service life fuel consumption. The cost and carbon footprint of the innovative component were associated with raw materials use

Diagnosis and laparoscopic management of a 5-week ectopic pregnancy in a rudimentary uterine horn: A case report

Uterine anomalies result from the failure of complete fusion of the Müllerian ducts during embryogenesis. A unicornuate uterus with a rudimentary horn is the rarest anomaly and results from the failure of one of the Müllerian ducts to develop completely and an incomplete fusion with the contralateral side. Diagnosis and surgical management of a 5-week ectopic pregnancy in a non-communicating rudimentary horn in an 18-year-old nulliparous woman in whom this congenital uterine anomaly was previously unknown are described

Comparative actions of progesterone, medroxyprogesterone acetate, drospirenone and nestorone on breast cancer cell migration and invasion

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Limited information is available on the effects of progestins on breast cancer progression and metastasis. Cell migration and invasion are central for these processes, and require dynamic cytoskeletal and cell membrane rearrangements for cell motility to be enacted.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We investigated the effects of progesterone (P), medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), drospirenone (DRSP) and nestorone (NES) alone or with 17β-estradiol (E2) on T47-D breast cancer cell migration and invasion and we linked some of these actions to the regulation of the actin-regulatory protein, moesin and to cytoskeletal remodeling.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Breast cancer cell horizontal migration and invasion of three-dimensional matrices are enhanced by all the progestins, but differences are found in terms of potency, with MPA being the most effective and DRSP being the least. This is related to the differential ability of the progestins to activate the actin-binding protein moesin, leading to distinct effects on actin cytoskeleton remodeling and on the formation of cell membrane structures that mediate cell movement. E2 also induces actin remodeling through moesin activation. However, the addition of some progestins partially offsets the action of estradiol on cell migration and invasion of breast cancer cells.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results imply that P, MPA, DRSP and NES alone or in combination with E2 enhance the ability of breast cancer cells to move in the surrounding environment. However, these progestins show different potencies and to some extent use distinct intracellular intermediates to drive moesin activation and actin remodeling. These findings support the concept that each progestin acts differently on breast cancer cells, which may have relevant clinical implications.</p

The EU societal awareness of landscape indicator: a review of its meaning, utility and performance across different scales

There is increasing recognition that agricultural landscapes meet multiple societal needs and demands beyond provision of economic and environmental goods and services. Accordingly, there have been significant calls for the inclusion of societal, amenity and cultural values in agri-environmental landscape indicators to assist policy makers in monitoring the wider impacts of land-based policies. However, capturing the amenity and cultural values that rural agrarian areas provide, by use of such indicators, presents significant challenges. The EU social awareness of landscape indicator represents a new class of generalized social indicator using a top-down methodology to capture the social dimensions of landscape without reference to the specific structural and cultural characteristics of individual landscapes. This paper reviews this indicator in the context of existing agri-environmental indicators and their differing design concepts. Using a stakeholder consultation approach in five case study regions, the potential and limitations of the indicator are evaluated, with a particular focus on its perceived meaning, utility and performance in the context of different user groups and at different geographical scales. This analysis supplements previous EU-wide assessments, through regional scale assessment of the limitations and potentialities of the indicator and the need for further data collection. The evaluation finds that the perceived meaning of the indicator does not vary with scale, but in common with all mapped indicators, the usefulness of the indicator, to different user groups, does change with scale of presentation. This indicator is viewed as most useful when presented at the scale of governance at which end users operate. The relevance of the different sub-components of the indicator are also found to vary across regions