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THIS ARTICLE RECOUNTS THE EVENTS FOLLOWING THE DECEMBER 1989 U.S. INVASION OF PANAMA. IT EMPAHSIZES THE UNNECESSARY KILLING OF CIVILIANS AND DESTRUCTION OF CIVILIAN PROPERTY THAT TOOK PLACE. IT CONCLUDES THAT THE U.S. GOVERNMENT COMMITTED GENOCIDE AGAINST THE PANAMANIAN PEOPLE, A CRIME WHICH IS CODIFIED UNDER THE NORMS OF INTERNATIONAL LAW. THE EXTENT OF THE DEATH AND DAMAGE HAS BEEN SEVERELY UNDERSTATED BY U.S. MILITARY AUTHORITIES.

Context. The lack of high-precision long-term continuous photometric data for large samples of stars has impeded the large-scale exploration of pulsational variability in the OB star regime. As a result, the candidates for in-depth asteroseismic modelling have remained limited to a few dozen dwarfs. The TESS nominal space mission has surveyed the southern sky, including parts of the galactic plane, yielding continuous data across at least 27 d for hundreds of OB stars. Aims. We aim to couple TESS data in the southern sky with ground-based spectroscopy to study the variability in two dimensions, mass and evolution. We focus mainly on the presence of coherent pulsation modes that may or may not be present in the predicted theoretical instability domains and unravel all frequency behaviour in the amplitude spectra of the TESS data. Methods. We compose a sample of 98 OB-type stars observed by TESS in Sectors 1-13 and with available multi-epoch, high-resolution spectroscopy gathered by the IACOB and OWN surveys. We present the short-cadence 2 min light curves of dozens of OB-type stars, which have one or more spectra in the IACOB or OWN database. Based on these light curves and their Lomb-Scargle periodograms, we performed variability classification and frequency analysis. We placed the stars in the spectroscopic Hertzsprung-Russell diagram to interpret the variability in an evolutionary context. Results. We deduce the diverse origins of the mmag-level variability found in all of the 98 OB stars in the TESS data. We find among the sample several new variable stars, including three hybrid pulsators, three eclipsing binaries, high frequency modes in a Be star, and potential heat-driven pulsations in two Oe stars. Conclusions. We identify stars for which future asteroseismic modelling is possible, provided mode identification is achieved. By comparing the position of the variables to theoretical instability strips, we discuss the current shortcomings in non-adiabatic pulsation theory and the distribution of pulsators in the upper Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. ; With funding from the Spanish government through the "María de Maeztu Unit of Excellence" accreditation (MDM-2017-0737)

Context. The apparent lack of massive O-type stars near the zero-age main sequence, or ZAMS (at ages <2 Myr), is a topic that has been widely discussed in the past 40 yr. Different explanations for the elusive detection of these young massive stars have been proposed from the observational and theoretical side, but no firm conclusions have been reached yet. Aims. We reassess this empirical result here, benefiting from the high-quality spectroscopic observations of (more than 400) Galactic O-type stars gathered by the IACOB and OWN surveys. Methods. We used effective temperatures and surface gravities resulting from a homogeneous semi-automatized IACOB-GBAT/FASTWIND spectroscopic analysis to locate our sample of stars in the Kiel and spectroscopic Hertzsprung-Russell (sHR) diagrams. We evaluated the completeness of our magnitude-limited sample of stars as well as potential observational biases affecting the compiled sample using information from the Galactic O star catalog. We discuss limitations and possible systematics of our analysis method, and compare our results with other recent studies using smaller samples of Galactic O-type stars. We mainly base our discussion on the distribution of stars in the sHR diagram in order to avoid the use of still uncertain distances to most of the stars in our sample. However, we also performed a more detailed study of the young cluster Trumpler-14 as an illustrative example of how Gaia cluster distances can help to construct the associated classical HR diagram. Results. We find that the apparent lack of massive O-type stars near the ZAMS with initial evolutionary masses in the range between ≈30 and 70 M⊙ still persist even when spectroscopic results from a large non-biased sample of stars are used. We do not find any correlation between the dearth of stars close to the ZAMS and obvious observational biases, limitations of our analysis method, and/or the use of one example spectroscopic HR diagram instead of the classical HR diagram. Finally, by investigating the effect of the efficiency of mass accretion during the formation process of massive stars, we conclude that an adjustment of the mass accretion rate towards lower values than canonically assumed might reconcile the hotter boundary of the empirical distribution of optically detected O-type stars in the spectroscopic HR diagram and the theoretical birthline for stars with masses above ≈30 M⊙ . Last, we also discuss how the presence of a small sample of O2-O3.5 stars found much closer to the ZAMS than the main distribution of Galactic O-type star might be explained in the context of this scenario when the effect of nonstandard star evolution (e.g. binary interaction, mergers, and/or homogeneous evolution) is taken into account. ; With funding from the Spanish government through the "María de Maeztu Unit of Excellence" accreditation (MDM-2017-0737)

Different polycarbonate materials have been reinforced with carbon nanotubes to tune electrical conductivity and to induce piezoresistive self-sensing capabilities. Further, the composites were processed by solvent casting and fused deposition modelling (filament for 3D printing) methods. An electrical conductivity percolation threshold of ≈0.3 wt.% has been found for solvent casted films, whereas samples processed by 3D printing show higher thresholds, ≈2 wt.%, presenting all samples a similar maximum electrical conductivity (σ ≈ 1 × 10−3 S m−1), thermal and chemical properties. Overall mechanical properties are larger for the solvent cast films concerning the 3D printed ones, particularly the elongation at break. The piezoresistive sensitivity, obtained after four-point-bending and uniaxial strain experiments, shows gauge factors up to 1.7, independently of the processing method. The functionality of the materials has been demonstrated by the implementation of an airplane wing section model with self-sensing capabilities. Two implemented strategies showed the suitability of the developed materials for real-time monitoring of the wing mechanical deformation. ; Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the Strategic Funding UID/FIS/04650/2020 and projects UIDB/05549/2020 and TSSiPRO-NORTE-01-0145-FEDER000015. The authors thank the FCT for financial support under SFRH/BPD/110914/2015 (P. C.) and SFRH/BD/121780/2016 (B.F. G.) grants. Financial support from the Basque Government Industry and Education Departments under the ELKARTEK, HAZITEK and PIBA (PIBA-2018-06) ...

Purpose of the studyTo describe long‐term incidence trends and median age at diagnosis for the three AIDS‐defining cancers (ADC) in HIV‐1‐ infected (HIV1+) patients compared to general population. To study the risk of ADC in HIV1+patients with good immune status (CD4≥500/mm3 for at least 2 years).MethodsIncident ADC (Kaposi's sarcoma [KS], non‐Hodgkin's lymphomas [NHL] and cervix uteri cancer [CUC]) were retrieved in HIV1+adults followed in the French hospital database on HIV (FHDH) cohort between 1992 and 2009. Cancer incidence rates (IR) in general population were calculated using data from the French cancer registries (Francim network). IR among the HIV1+and the general population were standardized using the 5 years age and sex groups structure of the HIV1+population (1997–2009) and standardized incidence ratios (SIR) were estimated in HIV1+ patients vs. general population in 4 calendar periods (1992–1996, 1997–2000, 2001–2004, and 2005–2009). Median age at diagnosis was estimated after adjusting for the difference in age structure between HIV1+and general population.Summary of results5,935 incident ADC were diagnosed among 100,536 HIV1+ patients followed between 1992 and 2009. All ADC IRs were significantly reduced between pre‐ and post‐cART eras and continue to decline in the cART period (p<10−4). SIR are presented in the table.Median age at diagnosis was significantly younger among HIV1+ patients than the general population for KS (40.4 vs. 42.5; p<10−4), NHL (41.4 vs. 52.5; p<10−4) and CUC (39.3 vs. 42.5; p<10−4). For HIV1+ patients under treatment who maintained controlled viral load (<500 copies/µL) and CD4 ≥500/mm3 for at least 2 years, the risk for KS, NHL and CUC were respectively SIR=71.6 (28.7–147.5), 2.4 (0.9–4.8) and 1.6 (0.3–4.7) vs. general population.ConclusionsThe incidence rates of KS, NHL and CUC continued to decline through 2009 but the risk remained elevated as compared to general population in the most recent cART period. Despite the great reduction when compared to general population, the risk is still very high for KS in HIV1+patients who maintained CD4 ≥500/mm3 for at least 2 years. The risk was not significant for CUC and NHL.















Pre‐cART (1992–1996)
Early‐cART (1997–2000)
Intermediate‐cART (2001–2004)
Lte‐cART (2005–2009)



O/E
SIR (95% CI)
O/E
SIR (95% CI)
O/E
SIR (95% CI)
O/E
SIR (95% CI)




Kaposi's sarcoma
2177/0.9
2299.7 (2204.1–2398.4)
462/0.4
1080.1 (983.87–1183.3)
403/0.4
1130.1 (1022.5–1246.1)
354/0.4
817.7 (734.8–907.52)


Non– Hodgkins's lymphoma
1111/4.0
278.7 (262.5–295.6)
515/6.2
83.8 (76.7–91.4)
370/8.8
42.1 (37.9–46.6)
372/14.8
25.1 (22.6–27.8)


Cervix uteri
38/3.2
12.0 (8.5–16.5)
48/5.3
9.1 (6.7–12.1)
37/7.0
5.3 (3.7–7.3)
48/10.4
4.6 (3.4–6.1)





O/E: Observed cases / Expected cases.

The threat posed by invasive non-native species worldwide requires a global approach to identify which introduced species are likely to pose an elevated risk of impact to native species and ecosystems. To inform policy, stakeholders and management decisions on global threats to aquatic ecosystems, 195 assessors representing 120 risk assessment areas across all six inhabited continents screened 819 non-native species from 15 groups of aquatic organisms (freshwater, brackish, marine plants and animals) using the Aquatic Species Invasiveness Screening Kit. This multi-lingual decision-support tool for the risk screening of aquatic organisms provides assessors with risk scores for a species under current and future climate change conditions that, following a statistically based calibration, permits the accurate classification of species into high-, medium- and low-risk categories under current and predicted climate conditions. The 1730 screenings undertaken encompassed wide geographical areas (regions, political entities, parts thereof, water bodies, river basins, lake drainage basins, and marine regions), which permitted thresholds to be identified for almost all aquatic organismal groups screened as well as for tropical, temperate and continental climate classes, and for tropical and temperate marine ecoregions. In total, 33 species were identified as posing a 'very high risk' of being or becoming invasive, and the scores of several of these species under current climate increased under future climate conditions, primarily due to their wide thermal tolerances. The risk thresholds determined for taxonomic groups and climate zones provide a basis against which area-specific or climate-based calibrated thresholds may be interpreted. In turn, the risk rankings help decision-makers identify which species require an immediate 'rapid' management action (e.g. eradication, control) to avoid or mitigate adverse impacts, which require a full risk assessment, and which are to be restricted or banned with regard to importation ...

EU ; Fonds zur Forderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung (FWF) of Austria ; Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR) ; Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) ; FCT ; MEC ; FEDER ; DURSI ; European Union ; Spanish MCYT ; Junta de Andaluc a ; CICYT ; APART ; European Community through a Marie Curie Fellowship ; MEC Ramon y Cajal ; Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) ; Fermi Research Alliance ; LLC ; Belgian Federal Science Policy ; RFFI ; Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) ; EU: MRTN-CT2004-503369 ; EU: MRTN-CT-2006-035505 ; EU: HPRN-CT-2000149 ; EU: HPRN-CT-2000-00152 ; EU: MRTN-CT-2006-035482 ; Fonds zur Forderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung (FWF) of Austria: P18959-N16 ; RFBR: 07-02-00256 ; Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT): SFRH/BD/13936/2003 ; Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT): SFRH/BD/18762/2004 ; FCT: POCI/FIS/59741/2004 ; FCT: SFRH/BPD/5575/2001 ; FCT: SFRH/BPD/23427/2005 ; FEDER: 2004-04582-C02-01 ; DURSI: 2005SGR00564 ; DURSI: 2001SGR-00188 ; European Union: MEIF-CT2003-500030 ; Spanish MCYT: FPA2003-09298-C02-01 ; Junta de Andaluc a: FQM-101 ; CICYT: FPA2002- 00648 ; LLC: DE-AC0207CH11359 ; Belgian Federal Science Policy: IAP 6/11 ; RFFI: N 07-02-00256 ; German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF): 05HT6WWA ; This chapter of the "Flavor in the era of LHC" workshop report discusses flavor-related issues in the production and decays of heavy states at the LHC at high momentum transfer Q, both from the experimental and the theoretical perspective. We review top quark physics, and discuss the flavor aspects of several extensions of the standard model, such as supersymmetry, little Higgs models or models with extra dimensions. This includes discovery aspects, as well as the measurement of several properties of these heavy states. We also present publicly available computational tools related to this topic.

Estimates of extinction risk for Amazonian plant and animal species are rare and not often incorporated into land-use policy and conservation planning. We overlay spatial distribution models with historical and projected deforestation to show that at least 36% and up to 57% of all Amazonian tree species are likely to qualify as globally threatened under International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List criteria. If confirmed, these results would increase the number of threatened plant species on Earth by 22%. We show that the trends observed in Amazonia apply to trees throughout the tropics, and we predict that most of the world's >40,000 tropical tree species now qualify as globally threatened. A gap analysis suggests that existing Amazonian protected areas and indigenous territories will protect viable populations of most threatened species if these areas suffer no further degradation, highlighting the key roles that protected areas, indigenous peoples, and improved governance can play in preventing large-scale extinctions in the tropics in this century. ; Alberta Mennega Stichting ; ALCOA Suriname ; Amazon Conservation Association ; Banco de la República ; CELOS Suriname ; CAPES (PNPG) ; Conselho Nacional de Desenvovimento Científico e Tecnológico of Brazil (CNPq) Projects CENBAM, PELD (558069/2009-6), PRONEX-FAPEAM (1600/2006), Áreas Úmidas, MAUA; PELD (403792/2012-6), PPBio, PVE 004/2012, Universal (479599/2008-4), and Universal 307807- 2009-6 ; FAPEAM projects DCR/2006, Hidroveg with FAPESP, and PRONEX with CNPq ; FAPESP ; Colciencias ; CONICIT ; Duke University ; Ecopetrol ; FEPIM 044/2003 ; The Field Museum ; Conservation International/DC (TEAM/Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia Manaus ; Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation ; Guyana Forestry Commission ; Investissement d'Avenir grant of the French ANR (CEBA: ANR-10-LABX-0025 ; IVIC ; Margaret Mee Amazon Trust ; Miquel fonds ; MCTI–Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi–Proc. 407232/2013-3–PVE-MEC/MCTI/CAPES/CNPq; National Geographic Society (7754-04 and 8047-06 to P.M.J.; 6679-99, 7435-03, and 8481-08 to T.W.H.); NSF-0726797 to K.R.Y ; NSF Dissertation Improvement ; Netherlands Foundation for the Advancement of Tropical Research WOTRO (grants WB85-335 and W84-581) ; Primate Conservation Inc. ; Programme Ecosystèmes Tropicaux (French Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Development) ; Shell Prospecting and Development Peru ; Smithsonian Institution's Biological Diversity of the Guiana Shield Program ; Stichting het van Eeden-fonds ; The Body Shop ; The Ministry of the Environment of Ecuador ; TROBIT ; Tropenbos International ; U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF-0743457 and NSF-0101775 to P.M.J.; NSF-0918591 to T.W.H.) ; USAID ; Variety Woods Guyana ; Wenner-Gren Foundation ; WWF-Brazi ; WWF-Guianas ; XIIéme Contrat de Plan Etat Région-Guyane (French Government and European Union) ; European Union ; UK Natural Environment Research Counci ; European Research Council ; Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted routine hospital services globally. This study estimated the total number of adult elective operations that would be cancelled worldwide during the 12 weeks of peak disruption due to COVID-19. Methods: A global expert response study was conducted to elicit projections for the proportion of elective surgery that would be cancelled or postponed during the 12 weeks of peak disruption. A Bayesian β-regression model was used to estimate 12-week cancellation rates for 190 countries. Elective surgical case-mix data, stratified by specialty and indication (surgery for cancer versus benign disease), were determined. This case mix was applied to country-level surgical volumes. The 12-week cancellation rates were then applied to these figures to calculate the total number of cancelled operations. Results: The best estimate was that 28 404 603 operations would be cancelled or postponed during the peak 12 weeks of disruption due to COVID-19 (2 367 050 operations per week). Most would be operations for benign disease (90·2 per cent, 25 638 922 of 28 404 603). The overall 12-week cancellation rate would be 72·3 per cent. Globally, 81·7 per cent of operations for benign conditions (25 638 922 of 31 378 062), 37·7 per cent of cancer operations (2 324 070 of 6 162 311) and 25·4 per cent of elective caesarean sections (441 611 of 1 735 483) would be cancelled or postponed. If countries increased their normal surgical volume by 20 per cent after the pandemic, it would take a median of 45 weeks to clear the backlog of operations resulting from COVID-19 disruption. Conclusion: A very large number of operations will be cancelled or postponed owing to disruption caused by COVID-19. Governments should mitigate against this major burden on patients by developing recovery plans and implementing strategies to restore surgical activity safely.