How the physical landscape of the urban environment affects drug dealing

Many illegal drugs are sold in open air markets on the street. But what determines where drug transactions take place? In new research, Jeremy D. Barnum, Walter L. Campbell, Sarah Trocchio, Joel M. Caplan, and Leslie W. Kennedy examine how drug dealers and buyers can take advantage of features of the urban environment in Chicago to find more effective places to make drug deals. Assessing 28 of these environmental features, they find that drug deals were much more likely to take place near to foreclosures, problem landlords and broken street lighting. They write that their findings could be used to inform more place-based policing strategies aimed at tackling drug markets

Measurement results and improvements on an open EPR system

Electron spin resonance (ESR) is a spectroscopic method that allows to measure stable radicals induced by ionizing radiation. The EPR measurements can help to estimate the dose absorbed by people exposed during a nuclear disaster, detecting the number of radicals induced in their mobile phones due to the exposition [1]. Using conventional closed microwave cavities, the phone display must be fragmented in order to be introduced inside the resonator, becoming no more usable. The aim of this work is to develop a system, compatible with the spectrometer Bruker Elexys E500, able to preserve the sample integrity. The system uses an X-band resonant metallic cavity with a slit, realized on one side, for the leak of the excitation magnetic field and a Helmotz coil pair. The resonator allows measuring a sample lodged outside the cavity, while the coils produce a 100 kHz modulated field that encodes the output signal at a particular frequency and increases the SNR

From Mendel’s discovery on pea to today’s plant genetics and breeding

In 2015, we celebrated the 150th anniversary of the presentation of the seminal work of Gregor Johann Mendel. While Darwin’s theory of evolution was based on differential survival and differential reproductive success, Mendel’s theory of heredity relies on equality and stability throughout all stages of the life cycle. Darwin’s concepts were continuous variation and “soft” heredity; Mendel espoused discontinuous variation and “hard” heredity. Thus, the combination of Mendelian genetics with Darwin’s theory of natural selection was the process that resulted in the modern synthesis of evolutionary biology. Although biology, genetics, and genomics have been revolutionized in recent years, modern genetics will forever rely on simple principles founded on pea breeding using seven single gene characters. Purposeful use of mutants to study gene function is one of the essential tools of modern genetics. Today, over 100 plant species genomes have been sequenced. Mapping populations and their use in segregation of molecular markers and marker–trait association to map and isolate genes, were developed on the basis of Mendel's work. Genome-wide or genomic selection is a recent approach for the development of improved breeding lines. The analysis of complex traits has been enhanced by high-throughput phenotyping and developments in statistical and modeling methods for the analysis of phenotypic data. Introgression of novel alleles from landraces and wild relatives widens genetic diversity and improves traits; transgenic methodologies allow for the introduction of novel genes from diverse sources, and gene editing approaches offer possibilities to manipulate gene in a precise manner

Cardiovascular MRI assessment of pectus excavatum in pediatric patients and postoperative simulation using vacuum bell

Background: The sternal lift by Vacuum Bell (VB) is effective, as largely demonstrated by its intraoperative use during surgical procedure to elevate the sternum during the Nuss procedure routinely. Indeed, the thoracic remodelling during VB application is comparable to post-surgical scenario, and suitable to compare cardiovascular parameters of the two different thoracic configurations immediately. Objective: We would quantify and correlate preoperative parameters which determine the severity of the pectus excavatum (PE), and the cardiovascular effects at the baseline. Than we would assess the cardiovascular changes during VB positioning, mimicking the immediate, temporary effect of Pectus-correction. Materials and Methods: We included 26 consecutive patients (mean age is 13,3 +/- 2,2 years) symptomatic and non, with a previous clinical diagnosis of PE. CMR was performed before and during application of VB, using the same imaging protocol. In both conditions, we measured thoracic indexes, and cardiac function as well as flow through main vessels. Results: Mean expiratory Haller Index (HI) was 5,4 (+/-1,4 SD; normal <3). During VB application, all patients showed improvement in the main morphologic parameters of the thorax (mean expiratory HI = 4,7 (+/-1,6 SD, delta -13%, P = 0,01). During VB application, a minimal but not significant increase of Right Ventricle End Diastolic Volume (RVEDVi) (delta +4,6%, P = 0,12), and Right Ventricle Ejection Fraction (RVEF) (delta +1,2%, P = 0,2) was observed. Conclusion: In adolescents affected by PE, cardiacMRI (CMR) demonstrates normal values of biventricular volume and systolic function. During VB application, beside significative improvements in chest wall anatomy, CMR shows a minimal positive variation in right ventricle volume and function. A minority of patients showed some degree of diastolic dysfunction at baseline, unchanged after VB application, with possible correlation between valve inflow and sternal impingement

Seismic risk assessment for masonry buildings typologies from L’Aquila 2009 earthquake damage data

In this study a seismic risk analysis of masonry buildings based on damage data of L’Aquila 2009 earthquake is presented. Typological loss curves and Expected Annualized Losses (EAL) values are presented, starting from the data collected into AeDES forms available in the Da.D.O. database. A completion is proposed for improving the sample statistical significance, and correctly including undamaged and not surveyed buildings that suffered low shaking values. Finally, the loss curves proposed permits to economically assess the effectiveness of some local and very frequent interventions (such as chains/ring beams), and their consequent impact in seismic risk mitigation

Fragility Curves and Economic Loss Assessment of RC Buildings after L’Aquila 2009 Earthquake

A buildings stock of 12,016 Reinforced Concrete (RC) buildings is investigated to propose vulnerability, fragility, and loss curves, as well as an Expected Annual Loss (EAL) assessment. The buildings data are collected within Da.D.O. database, considering the observed damage due to L’Aquila earthquake (2009). The adopted methodology allows us to add undamaged and not-surveyed buildings, not included within the database, by considering the typological distribution of two different reference municipalities. The obtained results highlight that the completed database allows a more reliable seismic risk assessment, even if resulting EAL is poorly influenced by reference municipality assumed for undamaged buildings estimation