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The amount and composition of organic carbon are major controls on water quality and ecological processes in streams. In this study we explored the fate of the quantity of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and the composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in an agricultural hillslope - stream network system. We conducted our study in the 66 ha HOAL (Hydrological Open Air Laboratory) in Lower Austria. We measured DOC of the soil eluates from different land use units, water samples from the stream and from seven tributaries, and estimated DOM components by fluorescent spectrophotometry and PARAFAC analyses. Soil DOC shows the highest concentrations in summer, but DOC concentrations in the tributaries are lower in summer than in winter by between 19% and 31%. DOM composition of the soil eluate differs between land use units. The forest site exhibits the largest fractions of humic-like fluorophores and less labile DOM. DOM composition in the tributaries is, in addition to DOC, controlled by soil moisture. We estimated the DOC import from the tributaries into the stream as 125 kg during base flow conditions in the period February to December 2017 and the instream DOC production as 38 kg, considering mass balance and exchange with groundwater. Six out of seven DOM components have a positive net production along the stream, only aliphatic DOM with low molecular weight is consumed (65 % of its input). These findings suggest that agricultural land use increases DOC input into streams and alters their DOM quality. Instream processes modify DOM quality over short distances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study sought to assess the safety and efficacy of transcatheter valve annuloplasty in patients with mitral regurgitation (MR). Background: Mitral regurgitation is associated with a worsened prognosis in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. Surgical mitral annuloplasty reduces the septal-lateral dimension of the mitral annulus resulting in improved leaflet coaptation with a reduction in regurgitation. Percutaneous annuloplasty with the MONARC device (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, California) implanted within the coronary sinus is designed to reduce mitral regurgitation through a similar mechanism. Methods: A total of 72 patients with MR grade ≥2 were enrolled at 8 participating centers in 4 countries. Clinical evaluation and transthoracic echocardiography were performed at baseline and at 3, 6, and 12 months. Multislice cardiac computed tomography and coronary angiography were performed at baseline and 3 months. Results: The MONARC device was implanted in 59 of 72 patients (82%). The primary safety end point (freedom from death, tamponade, or myocardial infarction at 30 days) was met in 91% of patients at 30 days and in 82% at 1 year. Computed tomography imaging documented passage of the great cardiac vein over an obtuse marginal artery in 55% of patients and was associated with angiographic coronary artery compression in 15 patients and myocardial infarction in 2 patients (3.4%). At 12 months, a reduction in MR by ≥1 grade was observed in 50.0% of 22 implanted patients with matched echocardiograms and in 85.7% of 7 patients with baseline MR grade ≥3. Conclusions: Implantation of the MONARC device in the coronary sinus is feasible and may reduce MR. However, coronary artery compression may occur in patients in whom the great cardiac vein passes over a coronary artery, necessitating strategies in future studies to avoid this occurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A short enantioselective and protecting group free access to the novel antibiotic platensimycin is reported. The crucial stereogenic information is provided by iridium catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To determine the frequency and volume of seroma after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) with or without intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT). Methods and Materials: Seventy-one patients with 73 breast cancers (IORT group) treated with IORT (20 Gy Intrabeam) as a boost during BCS were compared with 86 patients with 88 breast tumors (NO-IORT group) treated without IORT. Clinical examination and measurement of seroma volume on treatment-planning CT (CT-seroma) was done at median interval of 35 days after BCS. Results: Seroma were found on palpation in 37 patients (23%) and on CT in 105 patients (65%; median volume, 26.3 mL). Interval between BCS and CT was significantly shorter in patients with palpable seroma (median, 33 days) or CT-seroma (33 days) compared with those with no palpable seroma (36.5 days; p = 0.027) or CT-seroma (52 days, p < 0.001). The rate of palpable seroma was not different (IORT n = 17, 23%; NO-IORT n = 20, 23%; p = 0.933), whereas fewer patients required puncture in the IORT group [3 (4%) vs. 10 (11%)]. In contrast, more patients showed CT-seroma after IORT (IORT n = 59, 81%; NO-IORT n = 46, 52%; p < 0.001). The interval between BCS and CT was significantly shorter in patients with IORT as compared with the NO-IORT patients (median, 33 days vs. 41.5 days; p = 0.036). Conclusion: Intraoperative radiotherapy with low-kilovoltage X-rays during BCS is not associated with an increased rate of palpable seroma or seroma requiring treatment. The rate of seroma formation on CT was higher after IORT compared with the NO-IORT group, which might be because of the shorter interval between BCS and CT. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess mammographic and sonographic findings in a long-term follow-up (≥3 years) after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) and IORT, either applied as boost or exclusively. Follow-up-findings of 54 patients were retrospectively evaluated and compared to a control group of 48 patients, treated with BCS and whole-breast radiotherapy. After IORT patients had a higher incidence of fat necroses manifesting as oil cysts in the late follow-up mammograms (n = 31 vs n = 8); furthermore, oil cysts were larger in the IORT group (median 4.5 vs 1.4 cm2). In 25 IORT patients the oil cysts arose from partially organized hematomas/seromas, which in this group were generally more frequent (n = 38 vs n = 9) and larger (median 3.6 vs 1.8 cm2). After IORT a decreasing incidence of hematomas/seromas was reciprocal to an increasing incidence of oil cysts, and the size of both entities correlated with each other. Liquid lesions with polypoid inner wall thickening on ultrasound, attributed to organized hematomas/seromas or fat necroses, appear more frequently after IORT (n = 15 vs n = 1). In conclusion, IORT is associated with a high incidence of large oil cysts, which arise from likewise large partially organized wound cavities. On ultrasound pronounced partial organization with polypoid inner wall thickening is a frequent finding in those cavities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: More than 200 people have died in automobiles that have encountered flooded roadways in Texas from 1950 to 2004. This study examines the geographical processes that create flood hazards associated with automobile travel to discern the most important factors in their genesis. A database of drowning cases caused by motorists'' interactions with flooded roadways in Texas was compiled for the study period. We examine the circumstances and spatial patterns of these events by addressing the following questions: where have motorists drowned? How did rates and spatial patterns of accidents change over the study period? To the extent that we can determine, what were the characteristics of the roads, the drivers, and the landscapes when and where deaths occurred? What factors appear to explain the temporal and spatial distributions of hazard? We conclude that roadway familiarity might have emboldened drivers to attempt to surmount water rushing across a road, that time of day was clearly an important characteristic of the accidents, and that roadway characteristics and sex and age of the drivers seem not to be key contributing factors. The most important factors, however, are associated with growth: increases in population and increased automobile registrations drive the propensity for increased automobile-flood hazards. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: Intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) during breast-conserving surgery is increasingly used. We analyzed the influence of the interval between an IORT boost and external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) on late toxicity. Methods: Forty-eight patients received 20Gy IORT (50kV X-rays (Intrabeam, Carl Zeiss, Oberkochen, Germany) followed by 46–50Gy EBRT with a median interval of 36days (14-197). Late toxicity was assessed with the modified LENT SOMA score after a median of 36months. Results: Twelve patients developed a higher grade fibrosis (°II–III), three teleangiectases, one a breast edema grade °II, six retractions, four hyperpigmentations and five pain (°II–III). The median interval between IORT and EBRT was significantly shorter in these patients (n =18) compared to the 30 patients without higher grade toxicity (29.5days vs. 39.5days, p =0.023, Mann–Whitney U-test). Conclusion: Starting EBRT about 5–6weeks after IORT appears to be associated with a decreased risk of chronic late toxicity compared with a shorter interval. The impact on local recurrence of prolonged gaps between IORT and EBRT is not known. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Choosing Selecting suitable sites for afforestation is a complex process that is influenced by various factors that require the use of new models and methods in order to create better results. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the use of a machine learning framework to map the best sites for afforestation with J. excelsa , an important species for soil and water conservation in Firuzkuh County, Tehran Province, Iran. Existing stands of J. excelsa were located. Measures of 14 environmental variables were compiled at each site. Three machine learning algorithms–Fuzzy ARTMAP (FAM), Multi-layers perceptron (MLP), and Classification tree analysis (CTA) – were used to model ideal locations for growing the tree. They were compared in terms of success rate. The best performance was achieved by CTA (area under curve (AUC) = 0.899). MLP (AUC = 0.892) was second best, and FAM (AUC = 0.835) had the lowest success. All three models achieved very good to excellent results; however, the CTA model was the most effective. Locations of high and very high favorability for J. excelsa comprise between 8% and 18% of the study area. The factors that are most important for the locations of replanting are those with bedrock of the Cl geological group and where rainfall ranges from 350 mm/year and 450 mm/year. This study offers support to decision makers for improving (lower cost and less time) selection of planting sites that are more likely to support tree survival to achieve natural restoration. • Identify suitable places for afforestation project using machine learning methods. • Mapping habitat suitability for Juniperus excelca using machine learning models. • Selection of key environmental predictors influencing on J. excelca. • Our results opened a door for afforestation projects site selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) as a boost for breast cancer delivers a high single dose of radiation to a late-reacting tissue; therefore late toxicity is of particular interest, and long-term follow-up is warranted. To date there are only limited data available on breast cancer patients treated with IORT using low energy X-rays. We analyzed toxicity and cosmesis after IORT as a boost with a minimum follow-up of 18 months. Methods and Materials: A total of 73 patients treated with IORT (20 Gy/50 kV X-rays; INTRABEAM [Carl Zeiss Surgical, Oberkochen, Germany]) to the tumor bed during breast-conserving surgery as a boost followed by whole-breast radiotherapy (WBRT, 46 Gy) underwent a prospective, predefined follow-up (median, 25 months; range 18–44 months), including clinical examination and breast ultrasound at 6-months and mammographies at 1-year intervals. Toxicities were documented using the common toxicity criteria (CTC)/European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer and the LENT-SOMA score. Cosmesis was evaluated with a score from 1 to 4. Results: The IORT in combination with WBRT was well tolerated, with no Grade 3 or 4 skin toxicities and no telangiectasias. Fibrosis of the entire breast was observed in 5% of the patients. A circumscribed fibrosis around the tumor bed was palpable in up to 27% with a peak around 18 months after therapy and a decline thereafter. The observed toxicitiy rates were not influenced by age, tumor stage, or systemic therapy. The cosmetic outcome was good to excellent in ≥90% of cases. Conclusions: After IORT of the breast using low-energy X-rays, no unexpected toxicity rates were observed during long-term-follow-up. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Individually housed rhesus monkeys sometimes spontaneously develop self-injurious behavior (SIB) in the form of self-directed biting that, on occasion, results in severe tissue damage and mutilation. We previously demonstrated lower levels of plasma cortisol in rhesus monkeys with a history of self-wounding (SW) when compared to non-wounders (NW). Furthermore, cortisol levels were negatively correlated with rates of self-directed biting. The present study was designed to further characterize the relationships between hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenocortical (HPA) activity, self-wounding, and self-directed biting. Basal 24-h urinary free cortisol excretion, the urinary free cortisol response to a low dose of dexamethasone, and the plasma cortisol response to ACTH were examined in 24 individually housed rhesus monkeys, based on wounding history, i.e. the presence/absence of a veterinary record of self-wounding, and current rates of self-directed biting, i.e. the median split of self-directed biting frequency (independent of wounding status). There were no reliable group differences on any of the physiological measures when analyzed by wounding history. However, the plasma cortisol response 30 min post-ACTH stimulation was significantly correlated with wounding recency, such that lower responsivity was associated with more recent wounding episodes. When the results were analyzed on the basis of biting frequency, high frequency biters (HFB) compared to low frequency biters (LFB) showed decreased HPA negative feedback sensitivity to dexamethasone and a trend towards an attenuated plasma cortisol response to ACTH stimulation. These findings suggest that SIB in socially reared monkeys is associated with complex changes in HPA axis function that are related to the expression of the pathology, i.e. self-directed biting, and to the recency of a wounding episode. It remains to be determined whether humans who exhibit SIB show similar alterations in HPA function. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Self-injurious behavior (SIB) and aggression have been linked to reduced serotonergic (5-HT) functioning in both humans and nonhuman primates. The present study examined serum prolactin and cortisol responses to the 5-HT releasing agent d,l-fenfluramine (FEN) in 24 individually housed rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta), 15 of which carried a veterinary record of self-wounding (SW). Subjects received two doses of FEN, 4 and 2 mg/kg, separated by an interval of at least 2 months. For control purposes, monkeys were given an intramuscular saline injection 1 week prior to each FEN challenge. The relationship between the hormonal responses to FEN, wounding history, the rates of self-directed biting and aggression were determined for each animal based on 100 five-minute observations conducted over a period of 12 months surrounding the challenge procedures. Prolactin and cortisol responses to FEN were unrelated either to wounding history or to rates of self-directed biting. However, there were significant inverse correlations between levels of aggression and the prolactin response to both doses of FEN. The present findings provide no evidence for reduced 5-HT system function in rhesus monkeys with SIB under the present challenge conditions. However, the results are consistent with a previously reported inverse relationship between serotonergic activity and aggression. Moreover, a dose-dependent response to FEN was observed only for prolactin, suggesting that this variable is more appropriate than cortisol as an endpoint for FEN challenge in monkeys. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] • Indoor rainfall simulation with undisturbed soil monoliths. • Rain intensity and antecedent moisture affect transport pathways for organic carbon. • Rain intensity and antecedent moisture affect organic carbon losses. • Rain intensity and antecedent moisture affect quality of organic carbon losses. Under conditions of climate change, the severity and probability of storm events and droughts are expected to increase, this may affect the partitioning into surface and subsurface runoff. However, there is still a debate on how such extreme weather conditions affect the leaching of soil organic carbon. The aim of this study was to ascertain the impact of rainfall intensity (63 vs 79 mm h−1) and antecedent soil moisture (Matric potential: −10 hPa vs −450 hPa) on flow partitioning in the transportation (fluxes and timing) of dissolved (DOC) and particulate organic carbon (POC). Rainfall simulation experiments using undisturbed soil monoliths (1 m × 0.5 m × 0.3 m) allowed to monitor the transport of water, sediments, DOC, and POC via surface and shallow subsurface runoff. In addition, the composition of the leached organic matter was analysed using photometric and fluorometric methods. Most of the organic carbon was transported as POC via surface runoff. In the surface runoff, the influence of antecedent soil moisture on POC loss was larger than rainfall intensity, while rainfall intensity had a greater influence on DOC losses. Under initially unsaturated conditions, surface sealing reduced the infiltration rate, thus fuelling the total surface runoff, which, in turn, enhanced the transported total sediment and POC load of the surface runoff. While POC dominated surface runoff, DOC played a crucial role in the subsurface runoff with higher DOC concentrations under unsaturated conditions. In contrast to other treatments, DOC exported from unsaturated soils rained with high intensity had a unique composition with the highest proportion of humic-like peaks (A, M, C), protein-like peaks (T) and components (C4), suggesting a concentrating effect on DOC at those soils. Altogether, this research acquires new insights into how flow partitioning under extreme weather conditions affects organic carbon losses and which transport mechanism might pose a risk for aquatic systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• ML algorithm, showed a good efficiency for land cover mapping of central Koohdasht. • Distance from roads was the most important factor in fire susceptibility modeling. • FDA and GLM were the most accurate techniques for fire susceptibility mapping. In recent years, land uses have been changing and aridity has been increasing in the forests and rangelands of central Koohdasht which is a region in the forests of the Zagros Mountains in western Iran. Consequently, the number of fires has also increased. This study employs data-mining techniques to model fire danger using information regarding land cover, climate, topography, and other fire-danger influencing factors. A land cover map was prepared using Sentinel-2A satellite images and a maximum likelihood (ML) algorithm. Digital data describing other factors that influence fire danger (slope angle, aspect, elevation, climate, topographic wetness index, and distances from rivers and roads) were compiled from several sources and imported into a GIS. The locations of past fires in the study area were also determined from MODIS satellite images and data acquired from the region's fire service. The quantitative and qualitative spatial relationships between effective factors and patterns of fires were investigated to model fire danger. A new machine-learning algorithm (the Boruta algorithm) was used to assess the relative importance of the fire-danger factors. Fire danger maps were created using several new data-mining algorithms including support vector machine (SVM), generalized linear model (GLM), functional data analysis (FDA), and random forest (RF). All were run in R 3.3.3 software. Finally, the fire danger maps were validated with several indices to determine the model that best predicts the fire danger in Koohdasht County. The results reveal that fire locations were determined mostly by elevation (low), aspect (south and southwest facing slopes), and aridity (semi-arid regions). Most fires occurred in non-natural landscapes: residential areas (46.74% of fires), agricultural lands (25.77%), and gardens (5.42%). In total, 77.93% of fires occurred in non-natural landscapes and within 500 m of roads. Only 22.07% of fires occurred on rangelands and forests. Three factors (distance from roads, climate, and aspect) were the strongest predictors of fire locations in the study area. Furthermore, area-under-the-curve (AUC) values indicate that the FDA (0.777) and GLM (0.772) algorithms generated the most accurate fire danger maps. These results have practical implications for fire danger management in the Zagros forests and provide baseline information for forest managers about the most important factors affecting fire danger in the similar regions. This methodology can be used by forest managers to predict the areas with greatest fire danger to prevent future fires through land use management, planning, and strategic decision-making. The results enable forest managers to find the best methods to monitor, manage, and control fire occurrence based on fire danger maps in the forests of western Iran, or in forests of other regions with similar conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]