The aim of this paper is to analyze why ozone can be medically useful when it dissolves in blood or in other biological fluids. In reviewing a number of clinical studies performed in Peripheral ...Arterial Diseases (PAD) during the last decades, it has been possible to confirm the long-held view that the inverted U-shaped curve, typical of the hormesis concept, is suitable to represent the therapeutic activity exerted by the so-called ozonated autohemotherapy. The quantitative and qualitative aspects of human blood ozonation have been also critically reviewed in regard to the biological, therapeutic and safety of ozone. It is hoped that this gas, although toxic for the pulmonary system during prolonged inhalation, will be soon recognized as a useful agent in oxidative-stress related diseases, joining other medical gases recently thought to be of therapeutic importance. Finally, the elucidation of the mechanisms of action of ozone as well as the obtained results in PAD may encourage clinical scientists to evaluate ozone therapy in vascular diseases in comparison to the current therapies.
The High-Luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will see the accelerator reach an instantaneous luminosity of 7 × 10
cm
s
with an average pileup of 200 proton-proton collisions. These ...conditions will pose an unprecedented challenge to the online and offline reconstruction software developed by the experiments. The computational complexity will exceed by far the expected increase in processing power for conventional CPUs, demanding an alternative approach. Industry and High-Performance Computing (HPC) centers are successfully using heterogeneous computing platforms to achieve higher throughput and better energy efficiency by matching each job to the most appropriate architecture. In this paper we will describe the results of a heterogeneous implementation of pixel tracks and vertices reconstruction chain on Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). The framework has been designed and developed to be integrated in the CMS reconstruction software, CMSSW. The speed up achieved by leveraging GPUs allows for more complex algorithms to be executed, obtaining better physics output and a higher throughput.
The chamois Rupicapra rupicapra has been termed a highly polygynous species, with a great male competition for mating. If so, a lower survival should be expected for the male sex. From 1986 to 2000, ...1801 carcasses of chamois were collected in the Maritime Alps Regional Park, Italy, where a protected, healthy, stable population of chamois occurred (c. 12 individuals 100 ha⁻¹). Each year, population structure from carcasses was consistent with that from the count carried out on the preceding year on live individuals. Demographic features (assessed from mortality data, as well as from live counts) showed a balanced age structure and a good adult survival (10% individuals older than 11 years). Mortality peaks showed a cyclic pattern of 3-4 years. Winter severity and local density affected survival, with no significant difference between sexes. The number of carcasses was dependent on the combination of snow depth and mean temperature, in winter. Both sexes showed nearly the same survivorship curves, with a quite similar life expectancy in the first year (males=6.8 years, females=7.0 years), and the same maximum age at death (16 years), as it may be expected in a monomorphic, monogamous species. This is, however, a rare event among polygynous species, with a high male competition for females and male juvenile dispersion, which normally affect male survival. The similar adult survival of the two sexes could be explained by comparable energetic costs and risks for reproduction, or through greater fat reserves put on by males, before the rut, which may lower their winter mortality.
A necessary step in the application of animal communication studies to population ecology involves quantitative descriptions of acoustic variation within individuals. Stereotypy is in fact ...fundamental to allow individual recognition based on call structure and, in turn, to establish the number of different calling individuals in a population (complementing censuses), or to track individuals through years by the acoustic characteristics of their signals (complementing monitoring). Here we centred on the acoustic behaviour of red deer stags during reproduction to analyze its ecological determinants and to test whether calls are individual specific. Scanty information is available on how day time and weather may affect red deer acoustic activity, and whether spectrotemporal analyses of calls could permit to discriminate among different individuals. We centred on roars, the loud repeated calls given by stags throughout the rut, in a mountainous forest habitat, over two rutting seasons. Significant inter-annual differences were found in the duration of the roaring period and in the magnitude of roaring rates. Roaring rate dropped in the wettest days, suggesting that counts by ear may be biased by changeable environmental conditions within and among breeding seasons. By analysing the spectrotemporal features of roars, we found that several spectro-temporal variables varied more among than within individuals. Discriminant analysis classified a posteriori the 72% of the calls to the individuals that uttered them, and the fundamental frequency was the acoustic parameter that best discriminated individuals. Therefore, in areas in which visual information is limited by habitat characteristics, surveys by ear should be performed in dry weather and over several nights to well cover the roaring period. This count method could be complemented by spectrografic analysis of stag call bouts to assist in censusing populations and reduce the probability of double counts when stags are moving.
Sixteen Apennine chamois Rupicapra pyrenaica ornata (10 females, 6 males) were released into a protected area, the Sibillini Mountains National Park, Central Apennines, Italy, and monitored using ...global positioning system radio tags during 2008–2010. Founders caught in the wild (n = 8) and those reared in large enclosures (n = 8) differed in movement frequency (inter-fix distance per hour) and maximum distance covered (from the release site) in the first 5 months after release: both were significantly greater in wild individuals, males moved significantly more than females, wild individuals shifted their home ranges significantly more often than captive ones, and no differences were observed between the sexes or age classes. A mixed strategy of selection of wild and captive founders has proven successful in preventing large movements in the initial stages of release yet still providing sufficient opportunity to avoid inbreeding depression.
•Excursion behaviour of does is significantly and negatively associated to population density.•Mating opportunities change with density, which may be matched by changes in female ...behaviour.•Alternative mating strategies of does occur when differences in direct/indirect benefits are large or the local male(s) cannot service all available partners in oestrus.
The excursion behaviour of roe does was studied for two years in a low density population (ca. 6.5 ind./100ha), in an Apennine-continental forest of Southern Italy, through satellite radiotracking. During the rutting period, our radiotagged does (N=6) moved well outside their summer ranges, with an average exploration area eight times greater than summer ranges. The median duration of excursions was 51h (range: 10–99h). One female stayed away for a total of 11 days. In order further to understand this behaviour, we reviewed all studies (N=6) dealing with excursion behaviour of roe does and carried out in areas where population density was assessed through the same method (i.e. drive counts). Out of five ecological parameters included in the analysis, excursion behaviour of roe does was found significantly and negatively associated only to population density: when density was low, the proportion of roaming does increased, probably because of the lower availability of “free” bucks during the short time of female oestrous.
The ranging behaviour of Italian roe deer Capreolus capreolus italicus was studied for 2 years in a low density, “vulnerable” population (ca. 6 ind./100 ha), in an Apennine-continental forest of ...Southern Italy (Gargano National Park), through satellite radiotracking. The seasonal median home range size of does ranged significantly between 16 ha, in spring, and 43 ha, in the cold months. Monthly home range size of does did not change significantly in daylight, night and twilight. The reproductive success (fawns:female) of our radiotagged does was very low (0.8–1.3 vs the expected 2) in both years of study, contrasting with the normal productivity of roe does, especially when density is low.
The aim of this work is to characterize a silicon strip detector and its associated data acquisition system, based on discrete electronics, to obtain in a near future absorbed dose maps in axial ...planes for complex radiotherapy treatments, using a novel technique. The experimental setup is based on two phantom prototypes: the first one is a polyethylene slab phantom used to characterize the detector in terms of linearity, percent depth dose, reproducibility, uniformity and penumbra. The second one is a cylindrical phantom, specifically designed and built to recreate conditions close to those normally found in clinical environments, for treatment planning assessment. This system has been used to study the dosimetric response of the detector, in the axial plane of the phantom, as a function of its angle with respect to the irradiation beam. A software has been developed to operate the rotation of this phantom and to acquire signals from the silicon strip detector. As an innovation, the detector was positioned inside the cylindrical phantom parallel to the beam axis. Irradiation experiments were carried out with a Siemens PRIMUS linac operating in the 6MV photon mode at the Virgen Macarena Hospital. Monte Carlo simulations were performed using Geant4 toolkit and results were compared to Treatment Planning System (TPS) calculations for the absorbed dose-to-water case. Geant4 simulations were used to estimate the sensitivity of the detector in different experimental configurations, in relation to the absorbed dose in each strip. A final calibration of the detector in this clinical setup was obtained by comparing experimental data with TPS calculations.
In this work we present the output factor measurements of a clinical linear accelerator using a silicon strip detector coupled to a new system for complex radiation therapy treatment verification. ...The objective of these measurements is to validate the system we built for treatment verification. The measurements were performed at the Virgin Macarena University Hospital in Seville. Irradiations were carried out with a Siemens ONCOR™ linac used to deliver radiotherapy treatment for cancer patients. The linac was operating in 6 MV photon mode; the different sizes of the fields were defined with the collimation system provided within the accelerator head. The output factor was measured with the silicon strip detector in two different layouts using two phantoms. In the first, the active area of the detector was placed perpendicular to the beam axis. In the second, the innovation consisted of a cylindrical phantom where the detector was placed in an axial plane with respect to the beam. The measured data were compared with data given by a commercial treatment planning system. Results were shown to be in a very good agreement between the compared set of data.
PDF
