The merger rate of black hole binaries inferred from the detections in the first Advanced LIGO science run implies that a stochastic background produced by a cosmological population of mergers will ...likely mask the primordial gravitational wave background. Here we demonstrate that the next generation of ground-based detectors, such as the Einstein Telescope and Cosmic Explorer, will be able to observe binary black hole mergers throughout the Universe with sufficient efficiency that the confusion background can potentially be subtracted to observe the primordial background at the level of Ω_{GW}≃10^{-13} after 5 years of observation.
Signal extraction out of background noise is a common challenge in high-precision physics experiments, where the measurement output is often a continuous data stream. To improve the signal-to-noise ...ratio of the detection, witness sensors are often used to independently measure background noises and subtract them from the main signal. If the noise coupling is linear and stationary, optimal techniques already exist and are routinely implemented in many experiments. However, when the noise coupling is nonstationary, linear techniques often fail or are suboptimal. Inspired by the properties of the background noise in gravitational wave detectors, this work develops a novel algorithm to efficiently characterize and remove nonstationary noise couplings, provided there exist witnesses of the noise source and of the modulation. In this work, the algorithm is described in its most general formulation, and its efficiency is demonstrated with examples from the data of the Advanced LIGO gravitational-wave observatory, where we could obtain an improvement of the detector gravitational-wave reach without introducing any bias on the source parameter estimation.
This paper deals with updated results coming from hydrogeological studies carried on the framework of the SECOSUD Phase II, called “Conservation and equitable use of biological diversity in the SADC ...region (Southern African Development Community), a project supported by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the SADC, whose focus area includes South Africa Development Countries. The main goal of the SECOSUD Phase II Project is the definition and implementation of scenarios for sustainable development, aimed at an equitable conservation of biodiversity resources and, as a consequence of this target, the hydrogeological characterization, with the groundwater recharge assessment, of this area and its buffer zone. Limpopo National Park is one of the jewels in the crown of Mozambique’s protected areas. As a matter of fact, sustaining the conservation of biodiversity, due to its complexity and multiple drivers, which stress it, is on first a matter of water environment assessment, as most ecosystems are highly dependent on the hydrological cycle and groundwater availability. After gathering regional and local geological data, which let us set up a detailed geological map of the area under study, pointing out the main outcropping geological units, with their main hydrogeological properties, the methodological approach adopted has been to assess the potential infiltration, applying the Inverse Hydrogeological Budget Technique, performed for the focus area. Because of the lack of meteorological data referred to Limpopo National Park, it has been applied a spatial distribution of precipitation measurements, collected in many gauge stations, located in the Kruger National Park during the last 54 years, which represent an interesting rainfall historical series. The target of the study has been to assess a trend of meteorological data with the aim of understanding how precipitations could affect groundwater recharge, and their influence on groundwater availability. The estimation of groundwater recharge is the tool for suggesting better water management in the area, aimed to preserve as much biodiversity as people living in the buffer zone.
2009 Association of American University Presses Award for Jacket Design
In the 1990s, improving the quality of life became a primary focus and a popular catchphrase of the governments of New York and ...many other American cities. Faced with high levels of homelessness and other disorders associated with a growing disenfranchised population, then mayor Rudolph Giuliani led New York's zero tolerance campaign against what was perceived to be an increase in disorder that directly threatened social and economic stability. In a traditionally liberal city, the focus had shifted dramatically from improving the lives of the needy to protecting the welfare of the middle and upper classes—a decidedly neoconservative move.
In City of Disorder , Alex S. Vitale analyzes this drive to restore moral order which resulted in an overhaul of the way New York views such social problems as prostitution, graffiti, homelessness, and panhandling. Through several fascinating case studies of New York neighborhoods and an in-depth look at the dynamics of the NYPD and of the city's administration itself, Vitale explains why Republicans have won the last four New York mayoral elections and what the long-term impact Giuliani's zero tolerance method has been on a city historically known for its liberalism.
Abstract
We report the discovery and analysis of new Mesolithic human remains—dated to ca. 10,200–9000 cal. BP—from Arma di Nasino in Liguria, northwestern Italy, an area rich in Upper Paleolithic ...and Neolithic attestations, but for which little information on Early Holocene occupation was available. The multi-proxy isotopic profile of the two individuals reveals that—despite the proximity of the site to the Mediterranean seashore and the use of shellfish as decorative elements in burials—the ecology of these foragers was based on the exploitation of high-altitude resources, presumably in the nearby western Alps. This constitutes the first direct evidence in northwestern Italy of a significant ecological shift towards higher altitudes following deglaciation, especially when compared to isotopic data of the Late Pleistocene hunter-gatherers from the nearby site of Arene Candide Cave, who exploited terrestrial resources nearer to the coast and at lower altitudes. While the biochemistry of Nasino’s skeletal assemblage revealed new details on Early Holocene lifeways in the area, the osteobiography of one individual offers glimpses into the life experience of a specific female forager, depicting a scenario of early skeletal trauma, developmental disturbances, long-term impairments, and resilience amongst the last European hunter-gatherers.
This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of in-office hysteroscopic ablation of submucous uterine fibroids using a diode laser.
A pilot study was conducted between January 2018 and ...January 2019 in a tertiary care university hospital. Patients with at least one symptomatic, class 0-2 FIGO classification, uterine fibroid ≤7 cm in size were eligible for inclusion. Evaluation of the changes in fibroid size and vascularity was performed using three-dimensional Doppler ultrasonography. Vaporization of the fibroid core was conducted using a 980-1470 nm wavelength diode laser inserted through the hysteroscope's working channel. The primary outcome was evaluation of the fibroid volume before and at 2 months after the procedure.
Twenty women were enrolled in the study. At 2-month follow-up, the volume of the fibroids was significantly reduced (51.6 ± 22.5 vs. 33.4 ± 17.1 mm
3
; p < 0.001). A major reduction of three-dimensional sonographic color Doppler vascularity (observed by the same operator and confirmed by four blind reviewers) was also achieved in 12/20 patients (60%; p = 0.03) while a reported symptom of heavy menstrual bleeding decreased from 18/20 (90%) to 2/18 (10%; p < 0.01).
Hysteroscopic laser ablation represents a feasible and effective alternative for treating women with symptomatic submucous fibroids in the office setting. Further studies with larger sample size and longer follow-up periods are needed to validate this promising technique.
Key message
This pilot study shows that in-office hysteroscopic laser ablation (HLA) could be a feasible alternative to treat symptomatic submucous uterine fibroids by coagulating their core, reducing their size and vascularization.
Uterine fibroids are a common finding in premenopausal women. They considerably reduce the quality of life by provoking abnormal uterine bleeding and consequent anemia and pelvic pain. Over the past ...20 years, radical surgery (hysterectomy) for symptomatic fibroids has been partially replaced with minimally invasive surgical procedures that spare the uterus, with lower costs and reduced morbidity. Outpatient and inpatient operative hysteroscopy have been validated as safe and effective minimally invasive treatment options for both submucosal and intramural fibroids. In such a scenario, several technological innovations and the possibility of pharmacological pretreatment have enhanced the hysteroscopic approach. However, the counseling and treatment of perimenopausal women remain a challenge for the gynecologist. The main purpose of this review is to provide an updated guide to the management of submucosal fibroids in perimenopausal women, depicting how, when, and why hysteroscopic treatment is a valuable choice to eliminate symptoms and satisfy the patient's wish to improve their overall quality of life.