Drift velocity and gain in argon- and xenon-based mixtures

We present measurements of drift velocities and gains in gas mixtures based on Ar and Xe, with CO2, CH4, and N2 as quenchers, and compare them with calculations. In particular, we show the dependence of Ar- and Xe-CO2 drift velocities and gains on the amount of nitrogen contamination in the gas, which in real experiments may build up through leaks. A quantification of the Penning mechanism which contributes to the Townsend coefficients of a given gas mixture is proposed.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in Nucl.Instrum.Meth. A. Data files available at http://www-alice.gsi.de/tr

Influence of seismic activity on the atmospheric electric field in Lisbon (Portugal) from 1955 to 1991

In the present study, we considered the influence of seismic activity on the atmospheric electric field recorded at Portela meteorological station (Lisbon, Portugal) for the period from 1955 to 1991. To this end, an exploratory method was developed, which involved the selection of events for which the distance from the atmospheric electrical field sensor to the earthquake epicenter is smaller than the preparation radius of the event. This enabled the correlation of the atmospheric electric field variations with a quantity S, defined basically as the ratio of the earthquake preparation radius to the distance between the sensor and the event epicenter. The first results show promising perspectives, but clearly a more profound study is required, in which a careful analysis of the weather conditions and other variables, like atmospheric radon levels, must be considered

5G Positioning: An Analysis of Early Datasets

: Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSSs) are nowadays the prevailing technology for positioning and navigation. However, with the roll-out of 5G technology, there is a shift towards 'hybrid positioning': indeed, 5G time-of-arrival (ToA) measurements can provide additional ranging for positioning, especially in environments where few GNSS satellites are visible. This work reports a preliminary analysis, the processing, and the results of field measurements collected as part of the GINTO5G project funded by ESA's EGEP programme. The data used in this project were shared by the European Space Agency (ESA) with the DICA of Politecnico di Milano as part of a collaboration within the ESALab@PoliMi research framework established in 2022 between the two organizations. The ToA data were collected during a real-world measurement campaign and they cover a wide range of user environments, such as indoor areas, outdoor open sky, and outdoor obstructed scenarios. Within the test area, eleven self-made replica 5G base stations were set up. A trolley, carrying a self-made 5G receiver and a data storage unit, was moved along predefined trajectories; the trolley's accurate trajectories were determined by a total station, which provided benchmark positions. In the present work, the 5G data are processed using the least squares method, testing and comparing different strategies. Therefore, the primary goal is to evaluate algorithms for position determination of a user based on 5G observations, and to empirically assess their accuracy. The results obtained are promising, with positional accuracy ranging from decimeters to a few meters in the worst cases

The Utilization of Prebiotics, Probiotics, Organic Acids and Antibiotics in Monogastric Animals

The gastrointestinal microbiota is a complex ecosystem made up of a multitude of bacterial species, some of which are potentially pathogenic, while others are considered good for the host. The beneficial microorganisms that live in the hindgut influence gastrointestinal functionality and the host’s health in general.  Nowadays, many dietary supplements are available to be fed to young farm animals such as broilers, turkeys, piglets and calves in order to improve their intestinal health and growth performance. Despite the fact that non-pharmacological feed additives in general do not reach the efficacy of antibiotics as growth promoters, the proper choice and use of a dietary supplement may improve livestock productivity. Nevertheless, it has to be considered that dietary supplements usually increase the feed price, which means that the cost-benefit ratio of feed additives should always be determined. Keywords: gastrointestinal microbiota; dietary supplements; livestock productivit

Obesity and the Mediterranean Diet: A Review of Evidence of the Role and Sustainability of the Mediterranean Diet

Several different socio-economic factors have caused a large portion of the population to adopt unhealthy eating habits that can undermine healthcare systems, unless current trends are inverted towards more sustainable lifestyle models. Even though a dietary plan inspired by the principles of the Mediterranean Diet is associated with numerous health benefits and has been demonstrated to exert a preventive effect towards numerous pathologies, including obesity, its use is decreasing and it is now being supplanted by different nutritional models that are often generated by cultural and social changes. Directing governments' political actions towards spreading adherence to the Mediterranean Diet's principles as much as possible among the population could help to tackle the obesity epidemic, especially in childhood. This document intends to reiterate the importance of acting in certain age groups to stop the spread of obesity and proceeds with a critical review of the regulatory instruments used so far, bearing in mind the importance of the scientific evidence that led to the consideration of the Mediterranean Diet as not just a food model, but also as the most appropriate regime for disease prevention, a sort of complete lifestyle plan for the pursuit of healthcare sustainability

On the variability of microbial populations and bacterial metabolites within the canine stool. An in-depth analysis

Canine faecal microbial populations and metabolome are being increasingly studied to understand the interplay between host and gut microbiome. However, the distribution of bacterial taxa and microbial metabolites throughout the canine stool is understudied and currently no guidelines for the collection, storage and preparation of canine faecal samples have been proposed. Here, we assessed the effects that different sampling points have on the abundance of selected microbial populations and bacterial metabolites within the canine stool. Whole fresh faecal samples were obtained from five healthy adult dogs. Stool subsamples were collected from the surface to the inner part and from three equally sized areas (cranial, central, caudal) along the length axis of the stool log. All samples were finally homogenised and compared before and after homogenisation. Firmic-utes, Bacteroidetes, Clostridium cluster I, Lactobacillus spp., Bifidobacterium spp. and Enterococcus spp. populations were analysed, as well as pH, ammonia and short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) concentra-tions. Compared to the surface of the stool, inner subsamples resulted in greater concentrations of SCFA and ammonia, and lower pH values. qPCR assay of microbial taxa did not show any differ-ences between subsamples. Homogenisation of faeces does not affect the variability of microbial and metabolome data. Although the distribution patterns of bacterial populations and metabolites are still unclear, we found that stool subsampling yielded contradictory result and biases that can affect the final outcome when investigating the canine microbiome. Complete homogenisation of the whole stool is therefore recommended

Meson-Baryon s-wave Resonances with Strangeness -3

Starting from a consistent SU(6) extension of the Weinberg-Tomozawa (WT) meson-baryon chiral Lagrangian (Phys. Rev. D74 (2006) 034025), we study the s-wave meson-baryon resonances in the strangeness S=-3 and negative parity sector. Those resonances are generated by solving the Bethe-Salpeter equation with the WT interaction used as kernel. The considered mesons are those of the 35-SU(6)-plet, which includes the pseudoscalar (PS) octet of pions and the vector (V) nonet of the rho meson. For baryons we consider the 56-SU(6)-plet, made of the 1/2+ octet of the nucleon and the 3/2+ decuplet of the Delta. Quantum numbers I(J^P)=0(3/2^-) are suggested for the experimental resonances Omega*(2250)- and Omega*(2380)-. Among other, resonances with I=1 are found, with minimal quark content sss\bar{l}l', being s the strange quark and l, l' any of the the light up or down quarks. A clear signal for such a pentaquark would be a baryonic resonance with strangeness -3 and electric charge of -2 or 0, in proton charge units. We suggest looking for K- Xi- resonances with masses around 2100 and 2240 MeV in the sector 1(1/2^-), and for pi Omega- and K- Xi*- resonances with masses around 2260 MeV in the sector 1(3/2^-).Comment: 3 pages, 1 Postscript figure, 7 table

Impact of rhinovirus infections in children

Rhinovirus (RV) is an RNA virus that causes more than 50% of upper respiratory tract infections in humans worldwide. Together with Respiratory Syncytial Virus, RV is one of the leading causes of viral bronchiolitis in infants and the most common virus associated with wheezing in children aged between one and two years. Because of its tremendous genetic diversity (>150 serotypes), the recurrence of RV infections each year is quite typical. Furthermore, because of its broad clinical spectrum, the clinical variability as well as the pathogenesis of RV infection are nowadays the subjects of an in-depth examination and have been the subject of several studies in the literature. In fact, the virus is responsible for direct cell cytotoxicity in only a small way, and it is now clearer than ever that it may act indirectly by triggering the release of active mediators by structural and inflammatory airway cells, causing the onset and/or the acute exacerbation of asthmatic events in predisposed children. In the present review, we aim to summarize the RV infection’s epidemiology, pathogenetic hypotheses, and available treatment options as well as its correlation with respiratory morbidity and mortality in the pediatric population