Antartic/Scotia plate convergence off southernmost Chile

The southern tip of South America off Chile has suffered a long phase of ocean-continent convergence which has shaped the continental margin through different phases of accretion and tectonic erosion. The present accretionary wedge is a discontinuous geological record of plate convergence and records only part of the accretionary processes resumed after Chile ridge consumption (14 Ma). The structural style of the subduction complex, such as rates of sediment accretion and tectonic erosion, structural vergence, width of the accretionary wedge, taper angle and deformation in the forearc basin, varies along the margin. Large taper values are related to narrow wedges and seaward vergent structures. Low tapers occur where deformation at the toe of the accretionary complex is spread over wide areas and is related both to landward and seaward vergent thrust faults. Seismic data interpretation contributes to define more accurately frontal wedge morphology and geometry of subduction and suggests that different modes of accretion together with tectonic erosion may be active concurrently along the trench at different locations. In areas of subduction driven accretionary processes the majority of trench sediments are involved in accretionary processes and sediments are uplifted and piled up in the form of imbricate thrust sheets. In areas where the wedge is non-accretionary the continental margin shows steeper continental slopes associated with narrow accretionary wedges, more intense sediment disruption and very shallow décollement levels. Variation in structural style and in the geometry of the forearc region setting off Southernmost Chile, has been interpreted as related to the existence of different structural domains: the nature of their boundaries is still unclear mainly for the lack of high resolution bathymetric data. They have been tentatively related to tectonic lineaments belonging to the Magellan Fault system and/or to the character and morphology of the converging plates (lateral heterogeneities, sea-mounts and fracture zones), which produce a segmentation of the margin

Different approaches to integrate sustainability in corporate valuation

Against the increased attention to sustainability in corporate valuation, the scope of this paper is to compare alternative methods, both traditional and innovative, to gauge the role of sustainability when determining a company's fair value. A few main findings emerge from the empirical analysis on Eni S.p.A, a global Italian company operating in the utilities and energy sector. First, all corporate valuation methods accounting for sustainability (Sum of the Part (SOP) adjusted and Real Option Pricing Method) provide a stock price higher than the analysts’ and market one, pointing to sustainability not being valued (or being negatively valued) by the analysts and the market. Second, the quantification of the sustainability intangible, although different according to the approach taken, is positive. Third, such a difference may be reconnected to the rating used to adjust the SOP, whereby such a rating appears to be insufficient to fully capture Eni’s sustainability commitments. Our results suggests that the sustainability asset may drive-up stock prices once analysts factor it in in their valuations

Relationship between governance diversity and company growth: Evidence from the FT 1000 Europe's fastest growing companies

The issue of diversity within the boards of directors (BoD) of companies is a key topic; however, it is still highly focused on gender diversity. In this study, several elements of BoD diversity are related to economic variables other than profitability, namely corporate growth, by analysing the fifth annual Financial Times (FT) 1000 ranking based on the Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR). These results indicate that gender diversity does not affect corporate growth. Instead, the BoD's age and members' educational levels play a key role

Application of artificial dynamics to represent non-isolated single-input multiple-output DC-DC converters with averaged models

This paper presents for the first time the application of a method based on the transformation of the differential algebraic equations of non-isolated Single-Input Multiple Output (SIMO) DC-DC converters into a set of ordinary differential equations, by using artificial dynamics whose asymptotic convergence to the solution is guaranteed by the satisfaction of the relevant Lyapunov conditions. The mathematical formulation is simpler than in other formulations applied in the literature to study non-isolated SIMO DC-DC converters, and encompasses the use of sensitivity functions. The results show that the proposed solution represents in a fully accurate way the dynamics of the averaged models of Zeta Buck-Boost and Cúk Boost Combination converters

A goal programming methodology for multiobjective optimization of distributed energy hubs operation

This paper addresses the problem of optimal energy flow management in multicarrier energy networks in the presence of interconnected energy hubs. The overall problem is here formalized by a nonlinear constrained multiobjective optimization problem and solved by a goal attainment based methodology. The application of this solution approach allows the analyst to identify the optimal operation state of the distributed energy hubs which ensures an effective and reliable operation of the multicarrier energy network in spite of large variations of load demands and energy prices. Simulation results obtained on the 30 bus IEEE test network are presented and discussed in order to demonstrate the significance and the validity of the proposed method

The non-indigenous Paranthura japonica Richardson, 1909 in the Mediterranean Sea: travelling with shellfish?

An anthurid isopod new to the Mediterranean Sea has recently been observed in samples from three localities of the Italian coast: the Lagoon of Venice (North Adriatic Sea), La Spezia (Ligurian Sea) and Olbia (Sardinia, Tyrrhenian Sea). The specimens collected showed strong affinity to a species originally described from the NW Pacific Ocean: Paranthura japonica Richardson, 1909. The comparison with specimens collected from the Bay of Arcachon (Atlantic coast of France), where P. japonica had been recently reported as non-indigenous, confirmed the identity of the species. This paper reports the most relevant morphological details of the Italian specimens, data on the current distribution of the species and a discussion on the pathways responsible for its introduction. The available data suggest that the presence of this Pacific isopod in several regions of coastal Europe might be due to a series of aquaculture-mediated introduction events that occurred during the last decades of the 1900s. Since then, established populations of P. japonica, probably misidentified, remained unnoticed for a long time

The relationship between sulfur metabolism and tolerance of hexavalent chromium in Scenedesmus acutus (Spheropleales): Role of ATP sulfurylase

Sulfur availability and the end products of its metabolism, cysteine, glutathione and phytochelatins, play an important role in heavy metal tolerance, chromium included. Sulfate and chromate not only compete for the transporters but also for assimilation enzymes and chromium tolerance in various organisms has been associated to differences in this pathway. We investigated the mechanisms of Cr(VI)-tolerance increase induced by S-starvation focusing on the role of ATP sulfurylase (ATS) in two strains of Scenedesmus acutus with different chromium sensitivity. S-starvation enhances the defence potential by increasing sulfate uptake/assimilation and decreasing chromium uptake, thus suggesting a change in the transport system. We isolated two isoforms of the enzyme, SaATS1 and SaATS2, with different sensitivity to sulfur availability, and analysed them in S-sufficient and S-replete condition both in standard and in chromium supplemented medium. SaATS2 expression is different in the two strains and presumably marks a different sulfur perception/exploitation in the Cr-tolerant. Its induction and silencing are compatible with a role in the transient tolerance increase induced by S-starvation. This enzyme can however hardly be responsible for the large cysteine production of the Cr-tolerant strain after starvation, suggesting that cytosolic rather than chloroplastic cysteine production is differently regulated in the two strains

Enhanced Optical 13C Hyperpolarization in Diamond Treated by High-Temperature Rapid Thermal Annealing

Methods of optical dynamic nuclear polarization open the door to the replenishable hyperpolarization of nuclear spins, boosting their nuclear magnetic resonance/imaging signatures by orders of magnitude. Nanodiamond powder rich in negatively charged nitrogen vacancy defect centers has recently emerged as one such promising platform, wherein 13C nuclei can be hyperpolarized through the optically pumped defects completely at room temperature. Given the compelling possibility of relaying this 13C polarization to nuclei in external liquids, there is an urgent need for the engineered production of highly “hyperpolarizable” diamond particles. Here, a systematic study of various material dimensions affecting optical 13C hyperpolarization in diamond particles is reported on. It is discovered surprisingly that diamond annealing at elevated temperatures ∼1720 °C has remarkable effects on the hyperpolarization levels enhancing them by above an order of magnitude over materials annealed through conventional means. It is demonstrated these gains arise from a simultaneous improvement in NV− electron relaxation/coherence times, as well as the reduction of paramagnetic content, and an increase in 13C relaxation lifetimes. This work suggests methods for the guided materials production of fluorescent, 13C hyperpolarized, nanodiamonds and pathways for their use as multimodal (optical and magnetic resonance) imaging and hyperpolarization agents

Running towards amblyopia recovery

Amblyopia is a neurodevelopmental disorder of the visual cortex arising from abnormal visual experience early in life which is a major cause of impaired vision in infants and young children (prevalence around 3.5%). Current treatments such as eye patching are ineffective in a large number of patients, especially when applied after the juvenile critical period. Physical exercise has been recently shown to enhance adult visual cortical plasticity and to promote visual acuity recovery. With the aim to understand the potentialities for translational applications, we investigated the effects of voluntary physical activity on recovery of depth perception in adult amblyopic rats with unrestricted binocular vision; visual acuity recovery was also assessed. We report that three weeks of voluntary physical activity (free running) induced a marked and long-lasting recovery of both depth perception and visual acuity. In the primary visual cortex, ocular dominance recovered both for excitatory and inhibitory cells and was linked to activation of a specific intracortical GABAergic circuit