Currently, there are uncertainties regarding the impacts and (or) efficacy of biomass harvesting and silvicultural practices on stand production on coarse-textured boreal soils. Replicated factorial ...field experiments examining effects of complete vegetation control (repeated glyphosate application) following operational stem-only harvest with disc trenching (SO
T
), operational whole-tree harvest with (WT
T
) and without (WT) disc trenching, and whole-tree harvest with complete forest floor removal by blading (WT
B
) and blading followed by compaction (WT
BC
) were installed on four sandy northern Ontario jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) sites. Over 20 years, WT
B
improved planted-tree survival but decreased longer term stand productivity in comparison with other harvest intensity – soil disturbance treatments. Vegetation control improved tree growth and stand productivity initially, but over time, benefits declined substantially. SO
T
and WT
T
had similar impacts on stand production. Disc trenching improved initial planted-tree growth (WT
T
vs. WT), particularly without vegetation control. Jack pine natural regeneration was greatest with SO
T
, accounting for 25% of stand biomass at year 20. Stand structure effects included increased size inequality of naturals with WT
B
and reduced size inequality and asymmetry of naturals with vegetation control. Overall, impacts of forest floor removal and natural regeneration on stand development have become increasingly important over time compared with those of vegetation control.
Objective: To prospectively evaluate follicular fluid levels of vascular endothelial growth factor in women undergoing IVF cycles and to investigate the correlation of these levels with ovarian ...response to gonadotropins and with uterine or ovarian Doppler findings.
Design: Prospective study.
Setting: University hospital.
Patient(s): 41 patients undergoing ART were divided into two groups according to response to ovarian stimulation protocols: poor responders (n = 18) and normoresponders (n = 23).
Intervention(s): Doppler analysis of perifollicular arteries and assay of follicular fluid vascular endothelial growth factor.
Main Outcome Measure(s): During ovarian stimulation, patients underwent hormonal (E2), ultrasonographic (follicular number and diameter, endometrial thickness) and Doppler (uterine and perifollicular arteries) evaluation. Serum and follicular fluid concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor were assayed in each female patient.
Result(s): Compared with poor responders, more oocytes were collected and more embryos were transferred but follicular fluid levels of vascular endothelial growth factor levels were lower in normoresponders. Follicular fluid levels of vascular endothelial growth factor were inversely correlated with number of oocytes retrieved. Poor responders had significantly higher uterine and perifollicular Doppler flow resistances. The pregnancy rate per cycle was significantly higher in normoresponders (26%) than poor responders (6%).
Conclusion(s): Elevated follicular fluid levels of vascular endothelial growth factor concentrations are associated with poor ovarian response and a very low pregnancy rate.
Cryopreservation of human oocytes has been employed with little success in clinical practice, even though it may solve the legal and ethical problems linked to embryo freezing. Various attempts to ...cryopreserve human oocytes have mostly been unsuccessful, leading to low oocyte survival rates after thawing, and the search for an optimal protocol for oocyte cryopreservation remains elusive. A preliminary study was undertaken to evaluate some of the factors influencing the survival rate of human oocytes and the efficiency of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) as an insemination procedure. A total of 38 women with tubal infertility were enrolled in the study. The cryopreservation procedure consisted of a slow freeze–rapid thawing technique using 1,2 propanediol and sucrose as cryoprotectants. The overall oocyte survival rate was ∼60%. A better survival rate was obtained when the oocytes were cryopreserved in the presence of partially removed cumulus oophorus rather than in the presence of totally enzymatically removed cumulus oophorus. The cryoprotectant concentration and the equilibration time also appear to influence the oocyte survival rate. ICSI may be an efficient method of achieving a satisfactory outcome in terms of fertilization in cryopreserved human oocytes. Embryonic morphological quality does not seem to be compromised by cryopreservation. In conclusion, these data show that cryopreservation may ensure that the integrity of the human oocyte is adequate for normal fertilization and embryo development.
Abstract
Background
Postoperative arrhythmias (POA) are a common complication after cardiac surgical repairs for congenital heart disease (CHD), representing a substantial source of morbidity, ...mortality and prolonged total in-hospital stay, with an incidence of 7.5–48% in postoperative pediatric cardiac patients. The etiology is multifactorial, and it has been related to the direct surgical manipulation of the cardiac conduction system, to the local tissue inflammation in the myocardium adjacent to the conduction system and to the arrhythmogenic effects of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), inotropes and electrolyte disturbances. Recently, the prognostic role of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), a novel inflammation marker, has been evaluated in pediatric patients after CPB surgery.
Purpose
To evaluate the predictive role of NLR in POA in a population of pediatric CHD patients after CPB.
Methods
We retrospectively collected perioperative clinical and laboratory data of 146 patients (age 8.27±10.79 years; male gender: 60.8%) consecutively admitted to the cardiac surgery intensive care unit (ICU) of our institute after elective cardiac surgery with CPB in 2018. We grouped and analyzed our population over NLR tertiles evaluated at 24 hours from CPB and types of POA: supraventricular (SVT) and junctional (JET). The prognostic value of NLR and its association with POA was analyzed.
Results
Diagnoses of 146 patients included atrial septal defect (n=36), ventricular septal defect (n=20), pulmonary atresia/stenosis (n=10), tetralogy of Fallot (n=20), endocardial cushion defect (n=8), left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (n=14), anomalous origin of coronary artery (n=6), complex CHD (n=13), interrupted/hypoplastic aortic arch (n=12), anomalous pulmonary artery venous return (n=3). The mean CPB time was 121.6±84.6 minutes. The median ICU hospitalization was 48 hours Q1, Q3: 24, 96. Twelve patients experienced POA: 6 SVT and 6 JET. The frequency of POA incremented over NLR-tertiles (P-Trend 0.017), while SVT onset was associated with higher values of NLR and C-reactive protein (P=0.034 and P=0.011, respectively). Patients in the second and third tertiles of NLR had a prolonged hospitalization (Log-rank, P=0.029), especially when associated with POA (Log-rank, P=0.012). At the multivariable analysis, higher age and NLR values were independently associated with SVT OR per year 1.22; 95% CI (1.02, 1.25), P=0.043 and OR per point 1.91; 95% CI (1.29, 2.82), P=0.012, respectively, but not with JET.
Conclusions
24-h post-CPB NLR can predict postoperative SVT in a population of pediatric CHD patients. Our data suggest that the NLR could be a useful, easy-to-obtain marker for postoperative outcome in pediatric patients who had undergone elective CPB.
Funding Acknowledgement
Type of funding sources: None.
•Forest residue (“slash”) left after harvest affects soil environment for regenerating forest.•Retention of forest floor most important component in moderating soil environmental ...conditions.•One-third residue retention is sufficient over short term.
Forest residue left on the ground following harvesting (i.e., “slash”) plays an important role in moderating the physical and chemical environment of the soil for future forest growth. Leaving too little slash can leave the soil exposed to extreme fluctuations in soil conditions and fewer nutrients that may hinder future forest growth, while leaving too much slash makes it difficult for new trees to establish or increases fire hazard. This study investigated the impacts of blading and different loadings of slash (0, 15, 30 and 60 Mg ha−1 dry mass) on soil physical (temperature and moisture), chemical (soil solution) and biological (soil respiration and net ecosystem exchange) processes over 4 summers at a harvested jack pine stand within the Island Lake Biomass Harvest Experiment in northeastern Ontario. Soil temperature and moisture were highest in the bladed and lowest in the 60 Mg ha−1 slash loading. Soil solution chemistry was generally similar among the 0, 15 and 30 Mg ha−1 slash loadings. However, total organic carbon and potassium had higher concentrations at 60 Mg ha−1 treatment and lower concentrations in the bladed treatment, the opposite trend occurred for pH and nitrate. Over three years the concentrations of cations decreased and nitrogen species increased for bladed to 30 Mg ha−1 treatments. The 60 Mg ha−1 treatment had increases in some solutes over time suggesting there is a lag effect as needles and bark are incorporated into the soil. The soil respiration data showed that lowest rates of CO2 production occurred in the bladed treatment, but increased over time as the forest floor developed. CO2 production was highest in the 60 Mg ha−1 slash loading, with high rates of soil respiration in the first year, as fine debris from slash deposited onto the soil, however little photosynthesis occurred in these treatments. Thus retention of small to moderate amounts of slash seem to be sufficient for maintaining a suitable balance of soil conditions for a regenerating forest over the short term.
Since the successful development in the mouse, the oocyte cryopreservation has been applied with varying success to a number of different species including the human. The recently reported successes ...in terms of pregnancies obtained by human oocyte cryopreservation are encouraging. Several studies typically reported different rates of survival (20–80%), fertilization (30–60%) and cleavage (32–100%). This variability of results throws some doubts on the usefulness of oocyte cryopreservation in IVF treatment cycles. It remains to be determined whether the relatively different success rates reported in literature, mainly in terms of survival rate, are due to methodological differences. We tried to investigate the effect of some factors on the oocyte survival rate after thawing: the presence or absence of cumulus oophorus and the exposure time of the oocytes to cryoprotectant. We suggest that a combination of several factors including both morphological and biophisical ones can affect the oocyte survival rate.
The socio-cultural dynamics of the Bronze Age communities of Apulia (S-E Italy) during the 2nd millennium BC represent a crucial moment in the history of the relationship between humans and nature. ...Over the last few decades, several studies have highlighted the complex pattern of Late Holocene climate shifts across the Mediterranean region and the difficulties in distinguishing these changes from human impacts in many proxy records. This study consists of a regional-diachronic overview of Bronze Age archaeobotanical data, pertaining to south-eastern Italy, derived from charcoal and seed/fruit analysis performed on materials from several archaeological sites distributed across Apulia. The aim is to identify possible plant-related changes in subsistence strategies during a period of transformation in the environment as well as cultural systems. It follows an integrated approach in which the shifts in plant assemblages (seeds/fruits and charcoals) are considered in the light of high-resolution palaeoclimate proxies, available for the central Mediterranean area, and socio-cultural dynamics inferred from archaeological evidences.
The different lines of evidence explored provide the basis for a discussion of the possible reasons for changes in subsistence strategies during the course of the Bronze Age in the area. What emerges from our analysis are major transformations of annual crop husbandry, seasonal harvesting strategies and storage technologies, one in the Middle and one in the Late Bronze Age. Although the first transformation appears to be linked to climate forces, the latter seems to be the result of social and political “pressure”.
Cholesterol emboli (CE) to the brain are an important but often unrecognized cause of stroke. The authors reviewed 29 cases of brain CE identified on autopsy. Most patients were elderly (mean age, 74 ...years) and presented with encephalopathy and acute renal failure. Ten patients developed symptoms spontaneously, 19 after a procedure involving manipulation of the aorta. Brain imaging revealed multiple, small ischemic lesions and border zone infarcts in 11 of 17 patients. Pathology in most patients demonstrated multiple CE mixed with emboli of other types.
A 10−3 drift velocity monitoring chamber for the MEG II experiment Cuna, F.; Chiarello, G.; Miccoli, A. ...
Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment,
01/2023, Volume:
1046
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
The MEG-II experiment searches for the lepton-flavor-violating decay: μ⟶e+γ. The reconstruction of the positron trajectory uses a drift chamber operated with a mixture of He and iC4H10 gas. It is ...crucial to provide a stable performance of the detector in terms of its electron transport parameters, avalanche multiplication, composition and purity of the gas mixture. In order to have a continuous monitoring of the quality of the gas injected, we plan to install a small drift chamber, with a simple geometry that allows to measure very precisely the electron drift velocity in a prompt way. The chamber is a small box with cathode walls, that determine a highly uniform electric field inside two adjacent drift cells. Along the axis separating the two drift cells, four staggered sense wires alternated with five guard wires collect the drifting electrons. The trigger is provided by two 90Sr radioactive sources placed on top of a two thin scintillator tiles telescope. The whole system is designed to give a response in few minutes about drift velocity variations at the 10−3 level. In this paper the development of the drift chamber is presented, with a particular focus on the details of its construction.
The Central Tracker of the CMD3 detector Cuna, F.; Chiarello, G.; Miccoli, A. ...
Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment,
01/2023, Volume:
1045
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
The CMD-3 experiment has been operating at the VEPP-2000 electron–positron collider, at the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, since December 2010. Its main goal is to measure the hadronic cross ...sections necessary to evaluate the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon. The discrepancy between the theoretical calculations and the experimental results obtained at the Brookhaven experiments is approximately 3.7 σ. The comparison between the results of the new “g-2” experiment at Fermilab and the theoretical calculation thanks to the new experimental contributions from CMD3 would provide important contributions to this measurement, which could prove the existence of New Physics. A key element for the success the CMD3 experiment is the tracking detector, which is a drift chamber built in the year 2009 at INFN of Lecce. Because of aging effects, its replacement is necessary. This paper presents the innovative design for the new ultralight CMD3 drift chamber.
•CMD3 experiment studies the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon.•The CMD3 new drift chamber is an ultralight multiwire drift chamber.•The goal is to maximize the transparency and minimize the multiple Coulomb scattering.•The mechanical design separates the gas containment from the wire support function.•The chamber will be equipped with cluster counting/timing readout techniques.
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