A measurement is presented of the phi x BR(phi -> K+ K-) production cross section at root s = 7 TeV using pp collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 383 mu b(-1), collected ...with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. Selection of phi(1020) mesons is based on the identification of charged kaons by their energy loss in the pixel detector. The differential cross section is measured as a function of the transverse momentum, pT, phi, and rapidity, y(phi), of the phi(1020) meson in the fiducial region 500 < pT,phi < 1200MeV, vertical bar y phi| < 0.8, kaon p(T), (K) > 230 MeV and kaon momentum p(K) < 800 MeV. The integrated phi(1020)-meson production cross section in this fiducial range is measured to be sigma(phi) x BR(phi -> K+ K-) = 570 +/- 8 (stat) +/- 66 (syst) +/- 20 (lumi) mu b.
•We compare six areas representative of Mediterranean landscapes.•We use indicators of landscape fragmentation and connectivity dynamics.•Coastal areas show the most fragmented landscapes.•Interior ...areas are less fragmented but show the highest changes.•The variations in landscape fragmentation and connectivity are independent.
Maintaining ecosystem continuity has become a central element in spatial planning policies. Several authors acknowledge the environmental, also known as landscape, fragmentation due to human action as one of the main causes which have negative effects on biodiversity. The phenomenon consists of the transformation of larger patches of habitat in smaller ones, or fragments, which tend to be more isolated than in the original condition. It is extremely evident in urban areas, including settlements and various transport and mobility infrastructures, whose main ecological effects include loss of habitat, increased mortality of plants, and isolation of animal and vegetal species. In this paper, we assess landscape fragmentation dynamics of six landscape units belonging to two European regions, i.e. Sardinia in Italy (from 2003 to 2008), and Andalusia in Spain (from 2005 to 2009). We developed on three indices: the Infrastructural Fragmentation Index (IFI), the Urban Fragmentation Index (UFI), and the Connectivity Index (CI). We found that coastal areas generally suffer from an higher pressure due to the demand of longer or faster transport infrastructures and new settlements and less fragmented areas tend to show the most relevant dynamics in a sort of convergent pattern. Even though landscape fragmentation and connectivity are intuitively complementary phenomena, in this paper we did not found any statistical evidence of this associative property.
The title compound, trans-PtCl sub(2(NCNMe) sub(2))(Me sub(2SO), is the first example of the structurally characterized Pt) super(I)I species having the nitrile and the sulfoxide ligands in the ...trans-position to each other. The most significant feature of this structure is the non-linear arrangement of the Ptinline imageN1inline imageC1 fragment providing the rare case of the bent form of the dialkylcyanamide ligand.
Opportunities to conduct large-scale field experiments are rare, but provide a unique opportunity to reveal the complex processes that operate within natural ecosystems. Here, we review the design of ...existing, large-scale forest fragmentation experiments. Based on this review, we develop a design for the Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystems (SAFE) Project, a new forest fragmentation experiment to be located in the lowland tropical forests of Borneo (Sabah, Malaysia). The SAFE Project represents an advance on existing experiments in that it: (i) allows discrimination of the effects of landscape-level forest cover from patch-level processes; (ii) is designed to facilitate the unification of a wide range of data types on ecological patterns and processes that operate over a wide range of spatial scales; (iii) has greater replication than existing experiments; (iv) incorporates an experimental manipulation of riparian corridors; and (v) embeds the experimentally fragmented landscape within a wider gradient of land-use intensity than do existing projects. The SAFE Project represents an opportunity for ecologists across disciplines to participate in a large initiative designed to generate a broad understanding of the ecological impacts of tropical forest modification.
We present a determination of fragmentation functions (FFs) for the octet baryon Ξ−/Ξ¯+ from data for single inclusive electron-positron annihilation. Our parametrization in this QCD analysis is ...provided in terms of a Neural Network (NN). We determine fragmentation functions for Ξ−/Ξ¯+ at next-to-leading order and for the first time at next-to-next-to-leading order in perturbative QCD. We discuss the improvement of higher-order QCD corrections, the quality of fit, and the comparison of our theoretical results with the fitted datasets. As an application of our new set of fragmentation functions, named SHKS22, we present predictions for Ξ−/Ξ¯+ baryon production in proton-proton collisions at the LHC experiments.
Fragmentation is a design technique widely used in multimedia databases, because it produces substantial benefits in reducing response times, causing lower execution costs in each operation ...performed. Multimedia databases include data whose main characteristic is their large size, therefore, database administrators face a challenge of great importance, since they must contemplate the different qualities of non-trivial data. These databases over time undergo changes in their access patterns. Different fragmentation techniques presented in related studies show adequate workflows, however, some do not contemplate changes in access patterns. This paper aims to provide an in-depth review of the literature related to dynamic fragmentation of multimedia databases, to identify the main challenges, technologies employed, types of fragmentation used, and characteristics of the cost model. This review provides valuable information for database administrators by showing essential characteristics to perform proper fragmentation and to improve the performance of fragmentation schemes. The reduction of costs in fragmentation methods is one of the most desired main properties. To fulfill this objective, the works include cost models, covering different qualities. In this analysis, a set of characteristics used in the cost models of each work is presented to facilitate the creation of a new cost model including the most used qualities. In addition, different data sets or reference points used in the testing stage of each work analyzed are presented.
Positive effects of habitat patch size on biodiversity are often extrapolated to infer negative effects of habitat fragmentation on biodiversity at landscape scales. However, such cross‐scale ...extrapolations typically fail. A recent, landmark, patch‐scale analysis (Chase et al., 2020, Nature 584, 238–243) demonstrates positive patch size effects on biodiversity, that is, ‘ecosystem decay’ in small patches. Other authors have already extrapolated this result to infer negative fragmentation effects, that is, higher biodiversity in a few large than many small patches of the same cumulative habitat area. We test whether this extrapolation is valid. We find that landscape‐scale patterns are opposite to their analogous patch‐scale patterns: for sets of patches with equal total habitat area, species richness and evenness decrease with increasing mean size of the patches comprising that area, even when considering only species of conservation concern. Preserving small habitat patches will, therefore, be key to sustain biodiversity amidst ongoing environmental crises.
A recent, landmark analysis demonstrates positive patch size effects on biodiversity, that is, ‘ecosystem decay’ in small patches. Some authors have extrapolated this result to infer negative fragmentation effects, that is, higher biodiversity in a few large than many small patches of the same cumulative habitat area. We tested this extrapolation, finding that it is fallacious. We conclude that protecting and managing small patches of habitat will play an important role in halting ongoing biodiversity loss.
Dietary supplements marketed for male fertility commonly contain folic acid and zinc based on limited prior evidence for improving semen quality. However, no large-scale trial has examined the ...efficacy of this therapy for improving semen quality or live birth.
To determine the effect of daily folic acid and zinc supplementation on semen quality and live birth.
The Folic Acid and Zinc Supplementation Trial was a multicenter randomized clinical trial. Couples (n = 2370; men aged ≥18 years and women aged 18-45 years) planning infertility treatment were enrolled at 4 US reproductive endocrinology and infertility care study centers between June 2013 and December 2017. The last 6-month study visit for semen collection occurred during August 2018, with chart abstraction of live birth and pregnancy information completed during April 2019.
Men were block randomized by study center and planned infertility treatment (in vitro fertilization, other treatment at a study site, and other treatment at an outside clinic) to receive either 5 mg of folic acid and 30 mg of elemental zinc (n = 1185) or placebo (n = 1185) daily for 6 months.
The co-primary outcomes were live birth (resulting from pregnancies occurring within 9 months of randomization) and semen quality parameters (sperm concentration, motility, morphology, volume, DNA fragmentation, and total motile sperm count) at 6 months after randomization.
Among 2370 men who were randomized (mean age, 33 years), 1773 (75%) attended the final 6-month study visit. Live birth outcomes were available for all couples, and 1629 men (69%) had semen available for analysis at 6 months after randomization. Live birth was not significantly different between treatment groups (404 34% in the folic acid and zinc group and 416 35% in the placebo group; risk difference, -0.9% 95% CI, -4.7% to 2.8%). Most of the semen quality parameters (sperm concentration, motility, morphology, volume, and total motile sperm count) were not significantly different between treatment groups at 6 months after randomization. A statistically significant increase in DNA fragmentation was observed with folic acid and zinc supplementation (mean of 29.7% for percentage of DNA fragmentation in the folic acid and zinc group and 27.2% in the placebo group; mean difference, 2.4% 95% CI, 0.5% to 4.4%). Gastrointestinal symptoms were more common with folic acid and zinc supplementation compared with placebo (abdominal discomfort or pain: 66 6% vs 40 3%, respectively; nausea: 50 4% vs 24 2%; and vomiting: 32 3% vs 17 1%).
Among a general population of couples seeking infertility treatment, the use of folic acid and zinc supplementation by male partners, compared with placebo, did not significantly improve semen quality or couples' live birth rates. These findings do not support the use of folic acid and zinc supplementation by male partners in the treatment of infertility.
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01857310.
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