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We forecast the number of galaxy clusters that can be detected via the thermal Sunyaev–Zel'dovich (tSZ) signals by future cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiments, primarily the wide area survey of the CMB-S4 experiment but also CMB-S4's smaller de-lensing survey and the proposed CMB-HD experiment. We predict that CMB-S4 will detect 75,000 clusters with its wide survey of fsky = 50% and 14,000 clusters with its deep survey of fsky = 3%. Of these, approximately 1350 clusters will be at z ≥ 2, a regime that is difficult to probe by optical or X-ray surveys. We assume CMB-HD will survey the same sky as the S4-Wide, and find that CMB-HD will detect three times more overall and an order of magnitude more z ≥ 2 clusters than CMB-S4. These results include galactic and extragalactic foregrounds along with atmospheric and instrumental noise. Using CMB-cluster lensing to calibrate the cluster tSZ–mass scaling relation, we combine cluster counts with primary CMB to obtain cosmological constraints for a two-parameter extension of the standard model (ΛCDM + ∑mν + w0). In addition to constraining σ(w0) to ≲1%, we find that both surveys can enable a ∼2.5–4.5σ detection of ∑mν, substantially strengthening CMB-only constraints. We also study the evolution of the intracluster medium by modeling the cluster virialization v(z) and find tight constraints from CMB-S4, with further factors of three to four improvement for CMB-HD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the signal-to-noise of Sunyaev–Zeldovich (SZ) cross-correlation measurements of galaxies improves our ability to infer properties about the circumgalactic medium (CGM), we will transition from being limited by statistical uncertainties to systematic uncertainties. Using thermodynamic profiles of the CGM created from the IllustrisTNG (The Next Generation) simulations we investigate the importance of specific choices in modeling the galaxy sample. These choices include different sample selections in the simulation (stellar versus halo mass, color selections) and different fitting models (matching by the shape of the mass distribution, inclusion of a two-halo term). We forward model a mock galaxy sample into projected SZ observable profiles and fit these profiles to a generalized Navarro–Frenk–White profile using forecasted errors of the upcoming Simons Observatory experiment. We test the number of free parameters in the fits and show that this is another modeling choice that yields different results. Finally, we show how different fitting models can reproduce parameters of a fiducial profile, and show that the addition of a two-halo term and matching by the mass distribution of the sample are extremely important modeling choices to consider. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the science case for a sensitive spectro-polarimetric survey of the microwave sky. Such a survey would provide a tomographic and dynamic census of the three-dimensional distribution of hot gas, velocity flows, early metals, dust, and mass distribution in the entire Hubble volume, exploit CMB temperature and polarisation anisotropies down to fundamental limits, and track energy injection and absorption into the radiation background across cosmic times by measuring spectral distortions of the CMB blackbody emission. In addition to its exceptional capability for cosmology and fundamental physics, such a survey would provide an unprecedented view of microwave emissions at sub-arcminute to few-arcminute angular resolution in hundreds of frequency channels, a data set that would be of immense legacy value for many branches of astrophysics. We propose that this survey be carried out with a large space mission featuring a broad-band polarised imager and a moderate resolution spectro-imager at the focus of a 3.5 m aperture telescope actively cooled to about 8K, complemented with absolutely-calibrated Fourier Transform Spectrometer modules observing at degree-scale angular resolution in the 10–2000 GHz frequency range. We propose two observing modes: a survey mode to map the entire sky as well as a few selected wide fields, and an observatory mode for deeper observations of regions of specific interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the accuracy of several approximate methods for gravitational dynamics in terms of halo power spectrum multipoles and their estimated covariance matrix. We propagate the differences in covariances into parameter constraints related to growth rate of structure, Alcock–Paczynski distortions, and biasing. We consider seven methods in three broad categories: algorithms that solve for halo density evolution deterministically using Lagrangian trajectories (ICE–COLA, pinocchio, and peakpatch), methods that rely on halo assignment schemes on to dark matter overdensities calibrated with a target N-body run (halogen, patchy), and two standard assumptions about the full density probability distribution function (Gaussian and lognormal). We benchmark their performance against a set of three hundred N-body simulations, running similar sets of approximate simulations with matched initial conditions, for each method. We find that most methods reproduce the monopole to within |$5{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$|⁠, while residuals for the quadrupole are sometimes larger and scale dependent. The variance of the multipoles is typically reproduced within |$10{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$|⁠. Overall, we find that covariances built from approximate simulations yield errors on model parameters within |$10{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| of those from the N-body-based covariance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a detailed description and validation of our massively parallel update to the mass-Peak Patch method, a fully predictive initial-space algorithm to quickly generate dark matter halo catalogues in very large cosmological volumes. We perform an extensive systematic comparison to a suite of N -body simulations covering a broad range of redshifts and simulation resolutions, and find that, without any parameter fitting, our method is able to generally reproduce N -body results while typically using over 3 orders of magnitude less CPU time, and a fraction of the memory cost. Instead of calculating the full non-linear gravitational collapse determined by an N -body simulation, the mass-Peak Patch method finds an overcomplete set of just-collapsed structures around a hierarchy of density-peak points by coarse-grained (homogeneous) ellipsoidal dynamics. A complete set of mass peaks, or haloes, is then determined by exclusion of overlapping patches, and second-order Lagrangian displacements are used to move the haloes to their final positions and to give their flow velocities. Our results show that the mass-Peak Patch method is well suited for creating large ensembles of halo catalogues to mock cosmological surveys, and to aid in complex statistical interpretations of cosmological models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We compare the measurements of the bispectrum and the estimate of its covariance obtained from a set of different methods for the efficient generation of approximate dark matter halo catalogues to the same quantities obtained from full N -body simulations. To this purpose we employ a large set of 300 realizations of the same cosmology for each method, run with matching initial conditions in order to reduce the contribution of cosmic variance to the comparison. In addition, we compare how the error on cosmological parameters such as linear and non-linear bias parameters depends on the approximate method used for the determination of the bispectrum variance. As general result, most methods provide errors within 10 per cent of the errors estimated from N -body simulations. Exceptions are those methods requiring calibration of the clustering amplitude but restrict this to 2-point statistics. Finally we test how our results are affected by being limited to a few hundreds measurements from N -body simulation by comparing with a larger set of several thousands of realizations performed with one approximate method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is the first in a set that analyses the covariance matrices of clustering statistics obtained from several approximate methods for gravitational structure formation. We focus here on the covariance matrices of anisotropic two-point correlation function measurements. Our comparison includes seven approximate methods, which can be divided into three categories: predictive methods that follow the evolution of the linear density field deterministically (ice-cola, peak patch, and pinocchio), methods that require a calibration with N -body simulations (patchy and halogen), and simpler recipes based on assumptions regarding the shape of the probability distribution function (PDF) of density fluctuations (lognormal and Gaussian density fields). We analyse the impact of using covariance estimates obtained from these approximate methods on cosmological analyses of galaxy clustering measurements, using as a reference the covariances inferred from a set of full N -body simulations. We find that all approximate methods can accurately recover the mean parameter values inferred using the N -body covariances. The obtained parameter uncertainties typically agree with the corresponding N -body results within 5 per cent for our lower mass threshold and 10 per cent for our higher mass threshold. Furthermore, we find that the constraints for some methods can differ by up to 20 per cent depending on whether the halo samples used to define the covariance matrices are defined by matching the mass, number density, or clustering amplitude of the parent N -body samples. The results of our configuration-space analysis indicate that most approximate methods provide similar results, with no single method clearly outperforming the others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Latin-American Journal of Physics Education is the property of Latin-American Physics Education Network and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We investigate the connection between the reionization era and the present-day universe by examining the mass reionization histories of z = 0 dark matter halos. In a 6003 Mpc3 volume, we combine a dark matter N-body simulation with a three-dimensional seminumerical reionization model. This tags each particle with a reionization redshift, so that individual present-day halos can be connected to their reionization histories and environments. We find that the vast majority of present-day halos with masses larger than ∼ few × 1011M☼ reionize earlier than the rest of the universe. We also find significant halo-to-halo diversity in mass reionization histories, and find that in realistic inhomogeneous models, the material within a given halo is not expected to reionize at the same time. In particular, the scatter in reionization times within individual halos is typically larger than the scatter among halos. From our fiducial reionization model, we find that the typical 68% scatter in reionization times within halos is ∼115 Myr for 1012 ± 0.25M☼ halos, decreasing slightly to ∼95 Myr for 1015 ± 0.25M☼ halos. We find a mild correlation between reionization history and environment: halos with shorter reionization histories are typically in more clustered environments, with the strongest trend on a scale of ∼20 Mpc. Material in Milky Way mass halos with short reionization histories is preferentially reionized in relatively large H II regions, implying reionization mostly by sources external to the progenitors of the present-day halo. We investigate the impact on our results of varying the reionization model parameters, which span a range of reionization scenarios with varying timing and morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use large-scale simulations to investigate the morphology of reionization during the final, overlap phase. Our method uses an efficient three-dimensional smoothing technique that takes into account the finite mean free path due to absorption systems, λabs, by only smoothing over scales Rs < λabs. The large dynamic range of our calculations is necessary to resolve the neutral patches left at the end of reionization within a representative volume; we find that simulation volumes exceeding several hundred Mpc on a side are necessary in order to properly model reionization when the neutral fraction is ⋍0.01-0.3. Our results indicate a strong dependence of percolation morphology on a large and uncertain region of model parameter space. The single most important parameter is the mean free path to absorption systems, which serve as opaque barriers to ionizing radiation. If these absorption systems were as abundant as some realistic estimates indicate, the spatial structure of the overlap phase is considerablymore complex than previously predicted. In view of the lack of constraints on the mean free path at the highest redshifts, current theories that do not include absorption by Lyman-limit systems, and in particular three-dimensional simulations, may underestimate the abundance of neutral clouds at the end of reionization. This affects predictions for the 21 cm signal associated with reionization, interpretation of absorption features in quasar spectra at z ~ 5-6, the connection between reionization and the local universe, and constraints on the patchiness and duration of reionization from temperature fluctuations measured in the cosmic microwave background arising from the kinetic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is mounting evidence for the coevolution of galaxies and their embedded massive black holes (MBHs) in a hierarchical structure formation paradigm. To tackle the nonlinear processes of galaxy--MBH interaction, we describe a self-consistent numerical framework which incorporates both galaxies and MBHs. The high-resolution adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) code Enzo is modified to model the formation and feedback of molecular clouds at their characteristic scale of 15.2 pc and the accretion of gas onto an MBH. Two major channels of MBH feedback, radiative feedback (X-ray photons followed through full three-dimensional adaptive ray tracing) and mechanical feedback (bipolar jets resolved in high-resolution AMR), are employed. We investigate the coevolution of a 9.2 x 1011 M⊙ galactic halo and its 105 M⊙ embedded MBH at redshift 3 in a cosmological ACDM simulation. The MBH feedback heats the surrounding interstellar medium (ISM) up to 106 K through photoionization and Compton heating and locally suppresses star formation in the galactic inner core. The feedback considerably changes the stellar distribution there. This new channel of feedback from a slowly growing MBH is particularly interesting because it is only locally dominant and does not require the heating of gas globally on the disk. The MBH also self-regulates its growth by keeping the surrounding ISM hot for an extended period of time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use the results of large-scale simulations of reionization to explore methods for characterizing the topology and sizes of H regions during reionization. We use four independent methods for characterizing the sizes of ionized regions. Three of them give us a full size distribution: the friends-of-friends (FoF) method, the spherical average (SPA) method and the power spectrum (PS) of the ionized fraction. The latter three methods are complementary: while the FoF method captures the size distribution of the small-scale H regions, which contribute only a small amount to the total ionization fraction, the SPA method provides a smoothed measure for the average size of the H regions constituting the main contribution to the ionized fraction, and the PS does the same while retaining more details on the size distribution. Our fourth method for characterizing the sizes of the H regions is the average size which results if we divide the total volume of the H regions by their total surface area (i.e. ), computed in terms of the ratio of the corresponding Minkowski functionals of the ionized fraction field. To characterize the topology of the ionized regions, we calculate the evolution of the Euler characteristic. We find that the evolution of the topology during the first half of reionization is consistent with inside-out reionization of a Gaussian density field. We use these techniques to investigate the dependence of the size and topology on some basic source properties, such as the halo mass-to-light ratio, susceptibility of haloes to negative feedback from reionization and the minimum halo mass for sources to form. We find that the suppression of ionizing sources within ionized regions slows the growth of H regions and also changes their size distribution. Additionally, the topology of simulations including suppression is more complex, as indicated by the evolution of the Euler characteristic of the ionized regions. We find the density and ionized fraction to be correlated on large scales, in agreement with the inside-out picture of reionization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

College students' conceptions about probability and accuracy were explored. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses were done by means of two tests applied at two different moments. We show the results referring to the beliefs and conceptions about probability, margin for error, accuracy, certainty, truth and validity. Previous misconceptions about science may cause difficulties in the interpretation of scientific models. So, to find out students' beliefs about science and technology, a Likert scale type test was made and presented to part of the sample. Although most of the people who answered the survey accredited the incidence of probability in the results of a physical experiment, they also gave it accuracy and truth values which are not inherent. It is also remarkable that only a very low percentage has a posture that is coherent with the scientific vision of the terms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) in biomedical applications requires the quantitative knowledge of their quantitative distribution within the body. AC Biosusceptometry (ACB) is a biomagnetic technique recently employed to detect MNPs in vivo by measuring the MNPs response when exposed to an alternate magnetic field. The ACB technique presents some interesting characteristics: non-invasiveness, low operational cost, high portability, and no need for magnetic shielding. ACB conventional methods until now provided only qualitative information about the MNPs' mapping in small animals. We present a theoretical model and experimentally demonstrate the feasibility of ACB reconstructing 2D quantitative images of MNPs' distributions. We employed an ACB single-channel scanning approach, measuring at 361 sensor positions, to reconstruct MNPs' spatial distributions. For this, we established a discrete forward problem and solved the ACB system's inverse problem. Thus, we were able to determine the positions and quantities of MNPs in a field of view of 5 × 5 × 1   cm 3 with good precision and accuracy. The results show the ACB system's capabilities to reconstruct the quantitative spatial distribution of MNPs with a spatial resolution better than 1   cm , and a sensitivity of 1.17   mg of MNPs fixed in gypsum. These results show the system's potential for biomedical application of MNPs in several studies, for example, electrochemical-functionalized MNPs for cancer cell targeting, quantitative sensing, and possibly in vivo imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently the numerical simulations of the process of reionization of the universe at z>6 have made a qualitative leap forward, reaching sufficient sizes and dynamic range to determine the characteristic scales of this process. This allowed making the first realistic predictions for a variety of observational signatures. We discuss recent results from large-scale radiative transfer and structure formation simulations on the observability of high-redshift Ly- α sources. We also briefly discuss the dependence of the characteristic scales and topology of the ionized and neutral patches on the reionization parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiative transfer (RT) simulations are now at the forefront of numerical astrophysics. They are becoming crucial for an increasing number of astrophysical and cosmological problems; at the same time their computational cost has come within reach of currently available computational power. Further progress is retarded by the considerable number of different algorithms (including various flavours of ray tracing and moment schemes) developed, which makes the selection of the most suitable technique for a given problem a non-trivial task. Assessing the validity ranges, accuracy and performances of these schemes is the main aim of this paper, for which we have compared 11 independent RT codes on five test problems: (0) basic physics; (1) isothermal H ii region expansion; (2) H ii region expansion with evolving temperature; (3) I-front trapping and shadowing by a dense clump and (4) multiple sources in a cosmological density field. The outputs of these tests have been compared and differences analysed. The agreement between the various codes is satisfactory although not perfect. The main source of discrepancy appears to reside in the multifrequency treatment approach, resulting in different thicknesses of the ionized-neutral transition regions and the temperature structure. The present results and tests represent the most complete benchmark available for the development of new codes and improvement of existing ones. To further this aim all test inputs and outputs are made publicly available in digital form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2014, Brazil has experienced an unprecedented epidemic caused by chikungunya virus (CHIKV), with several waves of East-Central-South-African (ECSA) lineage transmission reported across the country. In 2018, Rio de Janeiro state, the third most populous state in Brazil, reported 41% of all chikungunya cases in the country. Here we use evolutionary and epidemiological analysis to estimate the timescale of CHIKV-ECSA-American lineage and its epidemiological patterns in Rio de Janeiro. We show that the CHIKV-ECSA outbreak in Rio de Janeiro derived from two distinct clades introduced from the Northeast region in mid-2015 (clade RJ1, n = 63/67 genomes from Rio de Janeiro) and mid-2017 (clade RJ2, n = 4/67). We detected evidence for positive selection in non-structural proteins linked with viral replication in the RJ1 clade (clade-defining: nsP4-A481D) and the RJ2 clade (nsP1-D531G). Finally, we estimate the CHIKV-ECSA's basic reproduction number (R0) to be between 1.2 to 1.6 and show that its instantaneous reproduction number (Rt) displays a strong seasonal pattern with peaks in transmission coinciding with periods of high Aedes aegypti transmission potential. Our results highlight the need for continued genomic and epidemiological surveillance of CHIKV in Brazil, particularly during periods of high ecological suitability, and show that selective pressures underline the emergence and evolution of the large urban CHIKV-ECSA outbreak in Rio de Janeiro. Author summary: Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne viral disease that has emerged as a significant public health concern in many regions worldwide. The state of Rio de Janeiro, a key economic and tourism hub in Brazil, has experienced multiple outbreaks of chikungunya in recent years, resulting in significant morbidity and economic burden. However, our understanding of the establishment and epidemiology of chikungunya in Rio de Janeiro remains limited. We conducted an analysis of chikungunya epidemiology in Rio de Janeiro, focusing on the first four years of virus circulation in the state. We estimated the magnitude of chikungunya transmission during this period, providing evidence that the trends of incidence and transmissibility can be influenced by climatic fluctuations, which impact vector abundance. Through analysis of novel genetic data, we inferred the evolutionary history of the virus, providing evidence of molecular adaptation in the lineage circulating in Rio de Janeiro. These findings highlight the need for designing effective vector control strategies to prevent and mitigate chikungunya in Rio de Janeiro and similar settings. Further research is needed to continue monitoring viral epidemiological trends and to better understand the complex interactions between climatic factors, vector dynamics, and viral evolution in shaping the transmission of this emerging disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) and other epoxy fatty acids (EpFA) are lipid mediators that are rapidly inactivated by soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH). Uncontrolled and chronic inflammatory disorders fail to sufficiently activate endogenous regulatory pathways, including the production of specialized pro‐resolving mediators (SPMs). Here, we addressed the relationship between SPMs and the EET/sEH axis and explored the effects of sEH inhibition on resolving macrophage phenotype. Experimental Approach: Mice were treated with a sEH inhibitor, EETs, or sEH inhibitor + EETs (combination) before ligature placement to induce experimental periodontitis. Using RT‐qPCR, gingival samples were used to examine SPM receptors and osteolytic and inflammatory biomarkers. Maxillary alveolar bone loss was quantified by micro‐CT and methylene blue staining. SPM levels were analysed by salivary metabolo‐lipidomics. Gingival macrophage phenotype plasticity was determined by RT‐qPCR and flow cytometry. Effects of sEH inhibition on macrophage polarization and SPM production were assessed with bone marrow‐derived macrophages (BMDMs). Key Results: Pharmacological inhibition of sEH suppressed bone resorption and the inflammatory cytokine storm in experimental periodontitis. Lipidomic analysis revealed that sEH inhibition augmented levels of LXA4, RvE1, RvE2, and 4‐HDoHE, concomitant with up‐regulation of LTB4R1, CMKLR1/ChemR23, and ALX/FPR2 SPM receptors. Notably, there is an impact on gingival macrophage plasticity was affected suggesting an inflammation resolving phenotype with sEH inhibition. In BMDMs, sEH inhibition reduced inflammatory macrophage activation, and resolving macrophages were triggered to produce SPMs. Conclusion and Implications: Pharmacological sEH inhibition increased SPM synthesis associated with resolving macrophages, suggesting a potential target to control osteolytic inflammatory disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cosmic reionization progresses as H ii regions form around sources of ionizing radiation. Their average size grows continuously until they percolate and complete reionization. We demonstrate how this typical growth can be calculated around the largest, biased sources of UV emission, such as quasars, by further developing an analytical model based on the excursion set formalism. This approach allows us to calculate the sizes and growth of the H ii regions created by the progenitors of any dark matter halo of given mass and redshift with a minimum of free parameters. Statistical variations in the size of these pre-existing H ii regions are an additional source of uncertainty in the determination of very high redshift quasar properties from their observed H ii region sizes. We use this model to demonstrate that the transmission gaps seen in very high redshift quasars can be understood from the radiation of only their progenitors and associated clustered small galaxies. The fit sets a lower limit [Correction added after online publication 16 July 2007: the term ‘sets an upper limit’ has been corrected to ‘sets a lower limit’] on the redshift of overlap at . This interpretation makes the transmission gaps independent of the age of the quasars observed. If this interpretation were correct it would raise the prospects of using radio interferometers currently under construction to detect the epoch of reionization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Tempo Psicanalítico is the property of Sociedade de Psicanalise Iracy Doyle and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Influenza D virus (IDV) is considered a new agent involved in bovine respiratory disease (BRD). Based on seroprevalence studies or isolation from clinical samples, this virus has been detected on several continents and in several animal species, including cattle, pigs, camel, horses, and goats. We used an indirect in-house ELISA to detect anti-IDV antibodies in 165 serum samples from bulls on 116 farms in the province of La Pampa, Argentina. Eighty-five of 116 (73%) farms had at least 1 positive animal, and 112 of 165 (68%) of the analyzed samples were positive. There were no significant differences in the proportion of seropositive samples depending on the geographic region in which the samples were taken. Our results suggest that IDV infection is endemic in La Pampa; the clinical importance of IDV in Argentina remains to be investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neurocritical care is devoted to the care of critically ill patients with acute neurological or neurosurgical emergencies. There is limited information regarding epidemiological data, disease characteristics, variability of clinical care, and in-hospital mortality of neurocritically ill patients worldwide. We addressed these issues in the Point PRevalence In Neurocritical CarE (PRINCE) study, a prospective, cross-sectional, observational study.Methods: We recruited patients from various intensive care units (ICUs) admitted on a pre-specified date, and the investigators recorded specific clinical care activities they performed on the subjects during their first 7 days of admission or discharge (whichever came first) from their ICUs and at hospital discharge. In this manuscript, we analyzed the final data set of the study that included patient admission characteristics, disease type and severity, ICU resources, ICU and hospital length of stay, and in-hospital mortality. We present descriptive statistics to summarize data from the case report form. We tested differences between geographically grouped data using parametric and nonparametric testing as appropriate. We used a multivariable logistic regression model to evaluate factors associated with in-hospital mortality.Results: We analyzed data from 1545 patients admitted to 147 participating sites from 31 countries of which most were from North America (69%, N = 1063). Globally, there was variability in patient characteristics, admission diagnosis, ICU treatment team and resource allocation, and in-hospital mortality. Seventy-three percent of the participating centers were academic, and the most common admitting diagnosis was subarachnoid hemorrhage (13%). The majority of patients were male (59%), a half of whom had at least two comorbidities, and median Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) of 13. Factors associated with in-hospital mortality included age (OR 1.03; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.04); lower GCS (OR 1.20; 95% CI, 1.14 to 1.16 for every point reduction in GCS); pupillary reactivity (OR 1.8; 95% CI, 1.09 to 3.23 for bilateral unreactive pupils); admission source (emergency room versus direct admission [OR 2.2; 95% CI, 1.3 to 3.75]; admission from a general ward versus direct admission [OR 5.85; 95% CI, 2.75 to 12.45; and admission from another ICU versus direct admission [OR 3.34; 95% CI, 1.27 to 8.8]); and the absence of a dedicated neurocritical care unit (NCCU) (OR 1.7; 95% CI, 1.04 to 2.47).Conclusion: PRINCE is the first study to evaluate care patterns of neurocritical patients worldwide. The data suggest that there is a wide variability in clinical care resources and patient characteristics. Neurological severity of illness and the absence of a dedicated NCCU are independent predictors of in-patient mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the practices of two Peruvian restaurant owners in Turin in relation to the process of capitalization of the gastronomic culture of their country of origin. This complex mechanism of social engineering aligned with the process of valorisation of the contemporary culinary phenomenon involves a wide network of actors both in the politic and socio-economic field. Their work as ambassadors of the gastronomic culture in Italy proves to be a mission of personal emancipation that gives them the possibility to form an alternative identity within the migration discourse. Questo testo analizza le pratiche di una coppia di ristoratori peruviani a Torino in relazione al processo di patrimonializzazione della cultura gastronomica del loro paese d'origine. Questo meccanismo di complessa ingegneria sociale, in linea con il processo di valorizzazione del fenomeno culinario contemporaneo, coinvolge una vasta rete attoriale in ambito politico e socio-economico. Il loro lavoro di ambasciatori culturali gastronomici in Italia si rivela una missione di emancipazione personale che dà loro la possibilità di costruirsi un'identità alternativa positiva nella migrazione. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tachinid flies are well known as being parasitoids of arthropods, mostly insects. Because of this, there is great economic interest in the biological control of pests using tachinids. Host records for Tachinidae, however, are still scarce, especially in the Neotropical region. A new species of the Neotropical genus Leptostylum Macquart was reared from Automeris naranja Schaus (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae), a new host record, in Jundiaí, São Paulo, Brazil. Leptostylum oligothrix Gudin and Messas sp. nov. is herein described, including diagnosis and the first illustration of female terminalia for the genus. Additionally, illustrations and remarks on type material of Leptostylum deposited at Museu de Zoologia de São Paulo (MZSP) are made, a taxonomic catalogue of Leptostylum is provided, and a host record is detailed, including a host catalogue for the genus. www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C54E5F46-B9D5-49CE-A0C9-D260F2896662 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of the servitization process of typical manufacturing companies that already provide after-sales services, by identifying the phases and organizational elements that enable the delivery of more services. Design/methodology/approach – A servitization maturity model for consumer durables companies is proposed. Servitization is an evolutionary process based on customer profiling, company profiling, the nature of the service, maturity of the process and process characteristics. The capacity of maintaining organizational relationships among players in the value chain describes the organizational maturity needed to advance towards the next phase. The research has been conducted as an exploratory study, in which four different case studies of consumer durables companies were performed to validate the proposed maturity model and detail each phase and the critical resources needed to become servitized. Findings – Four category levels of organizational relationships were identified: first, company and customers; second, company and production network; third, company and market, in addition to; fourth, the internal relations of the company. Practical implications – The means to evaluate companies that undergo servitization are also presented to provide a better understanding of their placement in the process and guide managers through the next necessary steps of action. Originality/value – The development and application of this model allowed exploring the levels of servitization as an evolutionary process based on the relationships among players in the value chain by gathering, structuring, organizing several critical requirements and highlighting important attributes that must be examined by companies during the servitization process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superfetation is the ability of females to simultaneously carry multiple broods of embryos, with each brood at a different developmental stage. Matrotrophy is the post-fertilization maternal provisioning of nutrients to developing embryos throughout gestation. Several studies have demonstrated that, in viviparous fishes, superfetation and matrotrophy have evolved in a correlated way, such that species capable of bearing several simultaneous broods also exhibit advanced degrees of post-fertilization provisioning. The adaptive value of the concurrent presence of both reproductive modes may be associated with the production of larger newborns, which in turn may result in enhanced offspring fitness. In this study, we tested two hypotheses: (1) species with superfetation and moderate or extensive matrotrophy give birth to larger offspring compared with species without superfetation or matrotrophy; (2) species with higher degrees of superfetation and matrotrophy (i.e. more simultaneous broods and increased amounts of post-fertilization provisioning) give birth to larger offspring compared with species with relatively low degrees of superfetation and matrotrophy (i.e. fewer simultaneous broods and lesser amounts of post-fertilization provisioning). Using different phylogenetic comparative methods and data on 44 species of viviparous fishes of the family Poeciliidae, we found a lack of association between offspring size and the combination of superfetation and matrotrophy. Therefore, the concurrent presence of superfetation and moderate or extensive matrotrophy has not facilitated the evolution of larger offspring. In fact, these traits have evolved differently. Superfetation and matrotrophy have accumulated gradual changes that largely can be explained by Brownian motion, whereas offspring size has evolved fluidly, experiencing changes that probably resulted from selective responses to the local conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]