3,351 research outputs found
Experimental Determination of Momentum-Resolved Electron-Phonon Coupling
We provide a novel experimental method to quantitatively estimate the
electron-phonon coupling and its momentum dependence from resonant inelastic
x-ray scattering (RIXS) spectra based on the detuning of the incident photon
energy away from an absorption resonance. We apply it to the cuprate parent
compound NdBaCuO and find that the electronic coupling to the
oxygen half-breathing phonon mode is strongest at the Brillouin zone boundary,
where it amounts to eV, in agreement with previous studies. In
principle, this method is applicable to any absorption resonance suitable for
RIXS measurements and will help to define the contribution of lattice
vibrations to the peculiar properties of quantum materials.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
Draft genome sequence of Burkholderia ambifaria RZ2MS16, a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium isolated from guarana, a tropical plant
Burkholderia ambifaria strain RZ2MS16 was isolated from the rhizosphere of Amazon guarana in Brazil. This bacterium exhibits a remarkable capacity to promote the growth of corn and soybean. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of RZ2MS16 and some genes related to multiple traits involved in plant growth promotion
B-Pol: Detecting Primordial Gravitational Waves Generated During Inflation
B-Pol is a medium-class space mission aimed at detecting the primordial
gravitational waves generated during inflation through high accuracy
measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) polarization. We discuss
the scientific background, feasibility of the experiment, and implementation
developed in response to the ESA Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 Call for Proposals.Comment: Experimental Astronomy - The original publication is available at
http://www.springerlink.co
Paradoxos da “identidade nacional” nos discursos arquitetônicos de Lucio Costa e Sylvio de Vasconcellos
n the debate about the period and the architectural style that represented the national identity in the historiography of Brazilian architecture, in the first decades of the twentieth century, different agents took place in the consolidation of the architectural heritage idea. Important characters in cultural preservation policies, such as Rodrigo Melo Franco de Andrade and Mário de Andrade, integrated the public space emphasizing their positions of organic intellectuals in cultural policies. Given this fact, this article focuses on the consolidation in the social imaginary of eighteenth-century architecture as an effective representation of national architecture, consolidating itself as a style/period with the largest number of buildings listed until 1970. Understanding the different subjects involved in this process, this article focuses on the effective political action of Lucio Costa and Sylvio Vasconcellos on the defense of colonial heritage, based on texts and interventions in the overturned cities throughout Brazil, shaping and consolidating their strategies around an ideology of heritage and nation. In addition, we seek to understand the direct relationship established by both agents between the “elected” national heritage architecture and the precepts of the new architectural practice linked to the Modern Movement, to which they were adherents. Justifying the new from the primitive, in a perfect relationship where everything can be explained and fitted, the eclectic architecture was treated as a copy of styles, exacerbation of ornaments and link to foreignism, in opposition at the claimed nation project. We should always review concepts and guidelines, dealing more truthfully and fairly with our eclectic heritage, and consequently with our architectural historiography.No debate em torno do período e do estilo arquitetônico que representassem a identidade nacional na historiografia da arquitetura brasileira, nas primeiras décadas do século XX, diferentes agentes tomaram lugar na consolidação do ideário patrimonial arquitetônico. Figuras marcantes às políticas de preservação cultural, tais como Rodrigo Melo Franco de Andrade e Mário de Andrade, integraram o espaço público ressaltando suas posições de intelectuais inerentes às políticas culturais. Tendo em vista tal fato, este artigo se debruça sobre a consolidação no imaginário social da arquitetura setecentista enquanto efetiva representação da arquitetura nacional, concretizando-se enquanto estilo/período com o maior número de edificações tombadas até 1970. Compreendendo os diferentes sujeitos envolvidos nesse processo, centra-se, assim, na efetiva ação política de Lucio Costa e Sylvio Vasconcellos na defesa em torno do patrimônio colonial, a partir de textos e intervenções nas cidades tombadas Brasil afora, conformandoe consolidando suas estratégias em torno de um ideário de patrimônio e nação. Além disso, busca-se compreender a relação direta estabelecida por ambos os agentes entre a arquitetura “eleita” patrimônio nacional e os preceitos do novo fazer arquitetônico vinculado ao Movimento Moderno, ao qual eram adeptos. Justificando o novo a partir do primitivo, numa relação perfeita em que tudo se explica e se encaixa, a arquitetura eclética foi tratada como cópia de estilos, exacerbação de ornamentos e vinculação ao estrangeirismo, se opondo assim ao projeto de nação pleiteado. Devemos sempre rever conceitos e diretrizes, tratando de forma mais verdadeira e justa o nosso patrimônio eclético, e em consequência, nossa historiografia arquitetônica
Superpulsed low-level laser therapy protects skeletal muscle of mdx mice against damage, inflammation and morphological changes delaying dystrophy progression.
Aim: To evaluate the effects of preventive treatment with low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on progression of dystrophy in mdx mice. Methods: Ten animals were randomly divided into 2 experimental groups treated with superpulsed LLLT (904 nm, 15 mW, 700 Hz, 1 J) or placebo-LLLT at one point overlying the tibialis anterior muscle (bilaterally) 5 times per week for 14 weeks (from 6th to 20th week of age). Morphological changes, creatine kinase (CK) activity and mRNA gene expression were assessed in animals at 20th week of age. Results: Animals treated with LLLT showed very few morphological changes in skeletal muscle, with less atrophy and fibrosis than animals treated with placebo-LLLT. CK was significantly lower (p = 0.0203) in animals treated with LLLT (864.70 U.l−1, SEM 226.10) than placebo (1708.00 U.l−1, SEM 184.60). mRNA gene expression of inflammatory markers was significantly decreased by treatment with LLLT (p<0.05): TNF-α (placebo-control = 0.51 µg/µl [SEM 0.12], - LLLT = 0.048 µg/µl [SEM 0.01]), IL-1β (placebo-control = 2.292 µg/µl [SEM 0.74], - LLLT = 0.12 µg/µl [SEM 0.03]), IL-6 (placebo-control = 3.946 µg/µl [SEM 0.98], - LLLT = 0.854 µg/µl [SEM 0.33]), IL-10 (placebo-control = 1.116 µg/µl [SEM 0.22], - LLLT = 0.352 µg/µl [SEM 0.15]), and COX-2 (placebo-control = 4.984 µg/µl [SEM 1.18], LLLT = 1.470 µg/µl [SEM 0.73]). Conclusion: Irradiation of superpulsed LLLT on successive days five times per week for 14 weeks decreased morphological changes, skeletal muscle damage and inflammation in mdx mice. This indicates that LLLT has potential to decrease progression of Duchenne muscular dystrophy
The Metamorphosis of Tidally Stirred Dwarf Galaxies
We present results from high-resolution N-Body/SPH simulations of
rotationally supported dwarf irregular galaxies moving on bound orbits in the
massive dark matter halo of the Milky Way.The dwarf models span a range in disk
surface density and the masses and sizes of their dark halos are consistent
with the predictions of cold dark matter cosmogonies. We show that the strong
tidal field of the Milky Way determines severe mass loss in their halos and
disks and induces bar and bending instabilities that transform low surface
brightness dwarfs (LSBs) into dwarf spheroidals (dSphs) and high surface
brightness dwarfs (HSBs) into dwarf ellipticals (dEs) in less than 10 Gyr. The
final central velocity dispersions of the remnants are in the range 8-30 km/s
and their final falls to values , matching well the
kinematics of early-type dwarfs. The transformation requires the orbital time
of the dwarf to be \simlt 3-4 Gyr, which implies a halo as massive and
extended as predicted by hierarchical models of galaxy formation to explain the
origin of even the farthest dSph satellites of the Milky Way, Leo I and Leo II.
Only dwarfs with central dark matter densities as high as those of Draco and
Ursa Minor can survive for 10 Gyr in the proximity of the Milky Way: this is
naturally achieved within hierarchical models, where the densest objects should
have small orbital times due to their early formation epochs. Part of the gas
is stripped and part is funneled to the center due to the bar, generating one
strong burst of star formation in HSBs and smaller, multiple bursts in LSBs.
Extended low-surface brightness stellar and gaseous streams originate from LSBs
and, when projected along the line of sight, can lead to overestimate the
mass-to-light ratio of the bound remnant by a factor \simlt 2,Comment: 29 pages, 34 figures, submitted to ApJ. Figures 5,11 and 32 are given
as separate GIF files. Other figures and the movies of the simulations can be
found at http://pcblu.mib.infn.it/~lucio/LG/LG.htm
Muon identification for LHCb Run 3
Muon identification is of paramount importance for the physics programme of
LHCb. In the upgrade phase, starting from Run 3 of the LHC, the trigger of the
experiment will be solely based on software. The luminosity increase to
cms will require an improvement of the muon
identification criteria, aiming at performances equal or better than those of
Run 2, but in a much more challenging environment. In this paper, two new muon
identification algorithms developed in view of the LHCb upgrade are presented,
and their performance in terms of signal efficiency versus background reduction
is shown
Clinical validation of 13-Gene DNA methylation analysis from oral brushing: a non invasive sampling procedure for early detection of oral squamous cell carcinoma. A multicentric study
1. Introduction
In a recent study our research group described a non-invasive sampling procedure based on
DNA methylation analysis of a set of 13 genes with a high level of accuracy (sensitivity 96.6%,
specificity 100%) in the detection of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity (OSCC) [1].
The purpose of the present study was to test the diagnostic performance of this non invasive
sampling procedure in an italian multicentric study.
2. Materials and Methods
Oral brushing specimens were collected in ten different italian units of oral medicine. Each oral
medicine unit collected blindly 10 brushing specimens from patients affected by OSCC and an equal
number of age and sex-matched healthy controls. 13-gene DNA methylation analysis was performed
and each sample was considered positive or negative in relation to a predefined cut-off value.
3. Results
181 out of 200 planned specimens were analyzed. DNA could not be amplified in 4 cases (2.2%).
86/93 (92.5%) specimens derived from OSCC patients were detected as positive and 70/84 (83.3%)
specimens derived from healthy donors showed a negative score.
4. Conclusions
Data from multicentric study confirmed a high level of sensitivity of our procedure whereas
level of specificity is slightly lower if compared to our previous study. These data suggest that our
procedure may be proposed as a first level diagnostic test with the aim to avoid a diagnostic delay in
Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
Conflicts of Interest: As a possible conflict of interest, L. Morandi and D.B.G. submitted a patent (the applicant
is the University of Bologna) in November 2016 to the National Institute of 398 Industrial Property; however, we
believe that this is a natural step of translational research (bench-to-bedside) 399 and guarantee that the scientific
results are true. The remaining authors declare that they have no competing 400 interest
Engineering polycotton fiber surfaces, with an timicrobial activity against S. aureus, E. Coli, C. albicans and SARS-CoV-2
Pathogenic microorganisms are becoming a potential threat to the health of human beings and the environment worldwide. In this present study, we
have developed a polycotton fiber, in which by incorporation and functionalization of aggregated Ag NPs are achieved by using the pad-dry-cure meth- od. Upon contact, this coating shows antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, E. Coli, C. albicans and SARS-CoV-2. The polycotton AgNP, inhibiting
nearly of the virus was able to prevent cross-infections, and does not causes allergies or photoirritation, proving the safety of its use. To the best of our
knowledge, this is the first report of an antimicrobial coating that could rapidly reduce the infective load of bacteria, fungi, and inhibit SARS--CoV-2.
Taken together, the antimicrobial coating reported herein holds great promise to be developed for further application in healthcare settings
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