A large stellar evolution database for population synthesis studies. II. Stellar models and isochrones for an alpha-enhanced metal distribution

[Abridged] We present a large, new set of stellar evolution models and isochrones for an alpha-enhanced metal distribution typical of Galactic halo and bulge stars; it represents a homogeneous extension of our stellar model library for a distribution already presented in Pietrinferni et al.(2004). The effect of the alpha-element enhancement has been properly taken into account in the nuclear network, opacity, equation of state and, for the first time, the bolometric corrections, and color transformations. This allows us to avoid the inconsistent use - common to all alpha-enhanced model libraries currently available - of scaled-solar bolometric corrections and color transformations for alpha-enhanced models and isochrones. We show how bolometric corrections to magnitudes obtained for the U,B portion of stellar spectra for T_{eff}<=6500K, are significantly affected by the metal mixture, especially at the higher metallicities. We also provide complete sets of evolutionary models for low-mass, He-burning stellar structures covering the whole metallicity range, to enable synthetic horizontal branch simulations. We compare our database with several widely used stellar model libraries from different authors, as well as with various observed color magnitude and color-color diagrams (Johnson-Cousins BVI and near infrared magnitudes, Stromgren colors) of Galactic field stars and globular clusters. We also test our isochrones comparing integrated optical colors and Surface Brightness Fluctuation magnitudes with selected globular cluster data. We find a general satisfactory agreement with the empirical constraints.Comment: 46 pages, 20 figures, ApJ in press, the whole database presented in this paper can be foud at http://www.te.astro.it/BASTI/index.ph

A critical comparison of technologies for a plant genome sequencing project

BACKGROUND: A high-quality genome sequence of any model organism is an essential starting point for genetic and other studies. Older clone-based methods are slow and expensive, whereas faster, cheaper short-read-only assemblies can be incomplete and highly fragmented, which minimizes their usefulness. The last few years have seen the introduction of many new technologies for genome assembly. These new technologies and associated new algorithms are typically benchmarked on microbial genomes or, if they scale appropriately, on larger (e.g., human) genomes. However, plant genomes can be much more repetitive and larger than the human genome, and plant biochemistry often makes obtaining high-quality DNA that is free from contaminants difficult. Reflecting their challenging nature, we observe that plant genome assembly statistics are typically poorer than for vertebrates. RESULTS: Here, we compare Illumina short read, Pacific Biosciences long read, 10x Genomics linked reads, Dovetail Hi-C, and BioNano Genomics optical maps, singly and combined, in producing high-quality long-range genome assemblies of the potato species Solanum verrucosum. We benchmark the assemblies for completeness and accuracy, as well as DNA compute requirements and sequencing costs. CONCLUSIONS: The field of genome sequencing and assembly is reaching maturity, and the differences we observe between assemblies are surprisingly small. We expect that our results will be helpful to other genome projects, and that these datasets will be used in benchmarking by assembly algorithm developers.</p

The unruptured intracranial aneurysm treatment score A multidisciplinary consensus

Objective: We endeavored to develop an unruptured intracranial aneurysm (UIA) treatment score (UIATS) model that includes and quantifies key factors involved in clinical decision-making in the management of UIAs and to assess agreement for this model among specialists in UIA management and research. Methods: An international multidisciplinary (neurosurgery, neuroradiology, neurology, clinical epidemiology) group of 69 specialists was convened to develop and validate the UIATS model using a Delphi consensus. For internal (39 panel members involved in identification of relevant features) and external validation (30 independent external reviewers), 30 selected UIA cases were used to analyze agreement with UIATS management recommendations based on a 5-point Likert scale (5 indicating strong agreement). Interrater agreement (IRA) was assessed with standardized coefficients of dispersion (v(r)*) (v(r)* 5 0 indicating excellent agreement and v(r)* = 1 indicating poor agreement). Results: The UIATS accounts for 29 key factors in UIA management. Agreement with UIATS (mean Likert scores) was 4.2 (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.1-4.3) per reviewer for both reviewer cohorts; agreement per case was 4.3 (95% CI 4.1-4.4) for panel members and 4.5 (95% CI 4.3-4.6) for external reviewers (p = 0.017). Mean Likert scores were 4.2 (95% CI 4.1-4.3) for interventional reviewers (n = 56) and 4.1 (95% CI 3.9-4.4) for noninterventional reviewers (n = 12) (p = 0.290). Overall IRA (v(r)*) for both cohorts was 0.026 (95% CI 0.019-0.033). Conclusions: This novel UIA decision guidance study captures an excellent consensus among highly informed individuals on UIA management, irrespective of their underlying specialty. Clinicians can use the UIATS as a comprehensive mechanism for indicating how a large group of specialists might manage an individual patient with a UIA.Peer reviewe

Computer-aided design of polymeric materials: Computational study for characterization of databases for prediction of mechanical properties under polydispersity

In Polymer Informatics, quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) modeling is an emerging approach for predicting relevant properties of polymers in the context of computer-aided design of industrial materials. Nevertheless, most QSPR models available in the literature use simplistic computational representations of polymers based on their structural repetitive unit. The aim of this work is to evaluate the effect of this simplification and to analyze new strategies to achieve alternative characterizations that capture the phenomenon of polydispersity. In particular, the experiments reported in this work are focused on three mechanical properties derived from the tensile test. The reported results revealed the disadvantages of using these simplified representations. Besides, we contributed with alternative representations for the databases of polymer molecular descriptors that achieved more realistic and accurate QSPR models.Fil: Cravero, Fiorella. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química; ArgentinaFil: Schustik, Santiago. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química; Argentina. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas; ArgentinaFil: Martínez, María Jimena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación. Instituto de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación; ArgentinaFil: Barranco, Carlos D.. Universidad Pablo de Olavide; EspañaFil: Diaz, Monica Fatima. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Ingeniería Química; ArgentinaFil: Ponzoni, Ignacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación. Instituto de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación; Argentin

Differences in the carcinogenic evaluation of glyphosate between the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Monographs Programme identifies chemicals, drugs, mixtures, occupational exposures, lifestyles and personal habits, and physical and biological agents that cause cancer in humans and has evaluated about 1000 agents since 1971. Monographs are written by ad hoc Working Groups (WGs) of international scientific experts over a period of about 12 months ending in an eight-day meeting. The WG evaluates all of the publicly available scientific information on each substance and, through a transparent and rigorous process,1 decides on the degree to which the scientific evidence supports that substance's potential to cause or not cause cancer in humans. For Monograph 112,2 17 expert scientists evaluated the carcinogenic hazard for four insecticides and the herbicide glyphosate.3 The WG concluded that the data for glyphosate meet the criteria for classification as a probable human carcinogen. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is the primary agency of the European Union for risk assessments regarding food safety. In October 2015, EFSA reported4 on their evaluation of the Renewal Assessment Report5 (RAR) for glyphosate that was prepared by the Rapporteur Member State, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR). EFSA concluded that ?glyphosate is unlikely to pose a carcinogenic hazard to humans and the evidence does not support classification with regard to its carcinogenic potential?. Addendum 1 (the BfR Addendum) of the RAR5 discusses the scientific rationale for differing from the IARC WG conclusion. Serious flaws in the scientific evaluation in the RAR incorrectly characterise the potential for a carcinogenic hazard from exposure to glyphosate. Since the RAR is the basis for the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) conclusion,4 it is critical that these shortcomings are corrected

Hilos convergentes : del arte al diseño de vestuario

Fil: D´Agostino, Fiorella. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Artes. Departamento Académico de Artes Visuales; Argentina.Fil: Leithold Berni, María del Milagro. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Artes. Departamento Académico de Artes Visuales; Argentina.Hilos Convergentes es una investigación que explora la intersección entre el arte y la moda a través del estudio del vestido. En este escrito, reflexionaremos sobre el significado del vestido como una expresión de nuestra identidad, así como su papel como catalizador de reflexiones más amplias. A lo largo de este trabajo, utilizaremos el término "vestido" como sinónimo de ropa, vestimenta, indumentaria o atuendo, y no nos referiremos a una prenda específica. Nuestro objetivo es analizar cómo los límites entre el arte y la moda se difuminan, y cómo la industria textil puede incorporar elementos artísticos para llevar la creatividad de las pasarelas a las calles a través de productos funcionales. Nos plantearemos preguntas como: ¿Qué sucede con aquello que no encaja en las categorías tradicionales del arte, como el dibujo, la pintura, la escultura y el grabado? ¿Es posible que la industria textil adopte aspectos del arte para crear prendas que fusionen funcionalidad y expresión artística? En nuestro enfoque interdisciplinario, exploraremos la relación entre lo artístico del diseño y lo diseñil del arte, cuestionando si este intercambio diluye la especificidad de la producción artística. Abordaremos la problemática ambiental al trabajar con materiales reciclados en nuestra producción artística, en particular en el ámbito de la moda. Conscientes de que la industria textil es una de las más contaminantes, tomaremos el vestido como un modelo para generar una crítica reflexiva en nuestra práctica, sumergiéndonos en la sustentabilidad y el reciclaje. A través de una instalación performativa, lúdica y participativa, buscamos involucrar al público en nuestras reflexiones y a explorar nuevas formas de abordar el vestido como una manifestación artística y socialmente responsable.Fil: D´Agostino, Fiorella. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Artes. Departamento Académico de Artes Visuales; Argentina.Fil: Leithold Berni, María del Milagro. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Artes. Departamento Académico de Artes Visuales; Argentina