New Prospective on Sentinel Animal Systems: Experiences in Southern Italy Polluted Areas

The aim of the present work is to provide a picture of the current knowledge on Animal Biomonitoring Systems and highlight the link between environmental pollution and Public Health concerns. In this paper are showed the results of three studies performed during the PhD scholarship focused on environmental monitoring using domestic animals as sentinel animal systems. Environmental biomonitoring through domestic animals appears to be more feasible and effective compared to other research models, because animals share with humans the same risks of exposure to pollutants; the growing need of an early detection of industrial pollutants in the environment, especially micropollutants which have adverse effects at very low concentrations, is at the basis of Public and Environment Health surveillance programs. Furthermore, it’s important to disclose the presence of these compounds directly or through certain molecular biomarkers in living organisms rather than in the natural environment, where they are often present below the detection threshold. Here we report the preliminary data of a project developed in Basilicata region (Southern Italy): Project S.E.BIO.VET. (Environmental Epidemiology Study and VETerinary BIOmonitoring in Basilicata) using sheep as animal sentinel to verify the impact of gas drilling on the environment. Furthermore we investigated the utility of necropsy on pets to evaluate environmental pollution by heavy metals, through a research project performed on the entire Campania Region, leaded by the Regional Referal Center of Veterinary Urban Hygene (CRIUV). Laslty, we provide new insights for the use of dairy cattle as early warning for environmental pollution by nitrate and nitrite, highlighting new aspects of nitrate toxicosis which may occur both in animals and humans. Results of this work confirmed that dog is a good sentinel animal system in urban and rural areas, and can be used for epidemiological and comparative pathology studies for tumors in humans. Dairy cattle are one of the most sensible specie to nitrate and nitrite toxicosis, compounds which can be released even in milk which can be a dangerous source of exposure for humans. In this study, the preliminary data of SEBIOVET project confirm the crucial role of small ruminants to monitor environmental pollution on large scale, to have indications on the presence of unknown polluted site, or to monitor already known contaminated areas

Applications of Jarzynski's relation in lattice gauge theories

Jarzynski's equality is a well-known result in statistical mechanics, relating free-energy differences between equilibrium ensembles with fluctuations in the work performed during non-equilibrium transformations from one ensemble to the other. In this work, an extension of this relation to lattice gauge theory will be presented, along with numerical results for the $\mathbb{Z}_2$ gauge model in three dimensions and for the equation of state in $\mathrm{SU}(2)$ Yang-Mills theory in four dimensions. Then, further applications will be discussed, in particular for the Schr\"odinger functional and for the study of QCD in strong magnetic fields.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, presented at the 34th International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory (Lattice 2016), 24-30 July 2016, Southampton, U

Jarzynski’s theorem for lattice gauge theory

Jarzynski's theorem is a well-known equality in statistical mechanics, which relates fluctuations in the work performed during a non-equilibrium transformation of a system, to the free-energy difference between two equilibrium ensembles. In this article, we apply Jarzynski's theorem in lattice gauge theory, for two examples of challenging computational problems, namely the calculation of interface free energies and the determination of the equation of state. We conclude with a discussion of further applications of interest in QCD and in other strongly coupled gauge theories, in particular for the Schroedinger functional and for simulations at finite density using reweighting techniques.Comment: 1+29 pages, 2 pdf figures1+29 pages, 2 pdf figures; v2: 1+34 pages, 2 pdf figures: presentation of the theorem proof in section 2 improved with additional details, discussion in sections 3 and 4 expanded, misprints corrected; matches the journal versio

Erosion Prediction of Gas Turbine Compressor Blades Subjected to Water Washing Process

Technical BriefsBlade fouling is a relevant problem in turbomachinery applications. It affects both compressors and turbines. In the first case, fouling can be generated by the presence of dust, ashes or brackish air (in offshore applications). In turbines, fouling is mainly generated by residual of combustion process. Blade fouling generally leads to a reduction of the performance due to an increase on profile losses. Here we focus on the fouling due to salt deposition on naval/off-shore applications referring to machines that are part of the fleet of gas turbines manufacturers. In such applications, it is common to introduce on-line washing devices aiming at removing fouling from the early stages of the compressors. The water is sprayed upstream of the first rotor, it impacts on the rotor blades and thus dissolving the deposited salt. However, this procedure possibly leads to blade erosion and/or corrosion. A clear comprehension of the erosion mechanism is the main objective of the present work. To this end, we propose an integrated multi-phase CFD tool. The multi-phase flow is analyzed by adopting a one-way coupling, thus assuming water droplets to be drag by the carrier flow without influencing the main flow. The droplets are dispersed and tracked singularly by adopting a Lagrangian approach. As for the erosion, well-known and widely accepted models are used. The capability of a Lagrangian code, P-Track, developed and validated at the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Sapienza University in Rome, is presented. The code is able to predict the droplets trajectories, as well as to simulate the impact on the solid walls and the erosion mechanism. Simulations were performed using 25 and 100 ?m droplet size. Results, expressed in terms of normalized erosion rate, show the erosion patterns and erosive effect of the two size classes. Erosive capacity is proportional to droplet size, and the most eroded part of the blade is the leading edge, which is in qualitative agreement with measurements

Good Epidemiologic Practice in Retinitis Pigmentosa: From Phenotyping to Biobanking

Inherited retinal dystrophies, such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP), include a group of relatively rare hereditary diseases caused by mutations in genes that code for proteins involved in the maintenance and function of the photoreceptor cells (cones and rods). The different forms of RP consist of progressive neurodegenerative disorders which are generally related to various and severe limitations of visual performances. In the course of typical RP (rod-cone dystrophy), the affected individuals first experience night-blindness and/or visual field constriction (secondary to rod dysfunctions), followed by variable alterations of the central vision (due to cone damages). On the other hand, during the atypical form of RP (cone-rod dystrophy), the cone’s functionalities are prevalently disrupted in comparison with the rod’s ones. The basic diagnosis of RP relies upon the documentation of unremitting loss in photoreceptor activity by electroretinogram and/or visual field testing. The prevalence of all RP typologies is variably reported in about one case for each 3000-5000 individuals, with a total of about two millions of affected persons worldwide. The inherited retinal dystrophies are sometimes the epiphenomenon of a complex framework (syndromic RP), but more often they represent an isolated disorder (about 85-90 % of cases). Although 200 causative RP mutations have been hitherto detected in more than 100 different genes, the molecular defect is identifiable in just about the 50% of the analyzed patients with RP. Not only the RP genotypes are very heterogeneous, but also the patients with the same mutation can be affected by different phenotypic manifestations. RP can be inherited as autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive or X-linked trait, and many sporadic forms are diagnosed in patients with no affected relatives. Dissecting the clinico-genetic complexity of RP has become an attainable objective by means of large-scale research projects, in which the collaboration between ophthalmologists, geneticists, and epidemiologists becomes a crucial aspect. In the present review, the main issues regarding clinical phenotyping and epidemiologic criticisms of RP are focused, especially highlighting the importance of both standardization of the diagnostic protocols and appropriateness of the disease’s registration systems

The brain–heart interaction in epilepsy: implications fordiagnosis, therapy, and SUDEP prevention

Epilèpsia; Malalties cardiaques; Mort sobtadaEpilepsia; Enfermedades cardiacas; Muerte súbitaEpilepsy; Heart disease; Sudden deathThe influence of the central nervous system and autonomic system on cardiac activity is being intensively studied, as it contributes to the high rate of cardiologic comorbidities observed in people with epilepsy. Indeed, neuroanatomic connections between the brain and the heart provide links that allow cardiac arrhythmias to occur in response to brain activation, have been shown to produce arrhythmia both experimentally and clinically. Moreover, seizures may induce a variety of transient cardiac effects, which include changes in heart rate, heart rate variability, arrhythmias, asystole, and other ECG abnormalities, and can trigger the development of Takotsubo syndrome. People with epilepsy are at a higher risk of death than the general population, and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is the most important direct epilepsy-related cause of death. Although the cause of SUDEP is still unknown, cardiac abnormalities during and between seizures could play a significant role in its pathogenesis, as highlighted by studies on animal models of SUDEP and registration of SUDEP events. Recently, genetic mutations in genes co-expressed in the heart and brain, which may result in epilepsy and cardiac comorbidity/increased risk for SUDEP, have been described. Recognition and a better understanding of brain-heart interactions, together with new advances in sequencing techniques, may provide new insights into future novel therapies and help in the prevention of cardiac dysfunction and sudden death in epileptic individuals

A Software System in Support of Quality of Degree Programmes

We present a software system aimed at providing support to the management of processes for the self evaluation of the quality of degree programmes. The system was developed for quality management at the University of Salerno, Italy. Its main functionalities include: monitoring of the process status, scheduling of meetings, document management, support for working groups. With the help of some screenshots, the main features will be described in the context of scenarios that commonly arise in the management of processes of self-assessment of quality