Factor analysis of the long gamma-ray bursts

We study statistically 197 long gamma-ray bursts, detected and measured in detail by the BATSE instrument of the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory. In the sample 10 variables, describing for any burst the time behavior of the spectra and other quantities, are collected. The factor analysis method is used to find the latent random variables describing the temporal and spectral properties of GRBs. The application of this particular method to this sample indicates that five factors and the \REpk spectral variable (the ratio of peak energies in the spectrum) describe the sample satisfactorily. Both the pseudo-redshifts inferred from the variability, and the Amati-relation in its original form, are disfavored.Comment: 5 pages, acceptod to A&

On the Origin of the Dark Gamma-Ray Bursts

The origin of dark bursts - i.e. that have no observed afterglows in X-ray, optical/NIR and radio ranges - is unclear yet. Different possibilities - instrumental biases, very high redshifts, extinction in the host galaxies - are discussed and shown to be important. On the other hand, the dark bursts should not form a new subgroup of long gamma-ray bursts themselves.Comment: published in Nuovo Ciment

A trip in voice phytotheraphy: TRPA1 ion channel as a target for bioactive compounds in herbal remedies for voice care

Voice is the sound we produce to communicate meanings and ideas and has a capital importance in human social development. Herbs have been used for voice care since ancient times and many herbal remedies are still in use, both as folk medicine and as sources of botanicals used in commercial products. In Europe Sisymbrium officinale (L.) Scop (the "singers'plant\u201d) is the most popular herbal remedy for voice care, but many other plants are employed in phytopreparations. The mechanisms of action of these botanicals include anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, mucolytic, antinociceptive and other general activities; nevertheless, mechanisms that could be specifically referred to voice are often unknown. We collected information on plants used worldwide for voice care; the plants have been organized in a database (Herbs for Voice Database) and classified according to the bioactive compounds, their molecular targets and the pathologies they are recommended for. The data were analyzed with the aim to identify some possible common mechanism of action and the molecular targets involved. The analysis of data shows that an important pathway involves the somatosensory TRPA1 (Transient Receptor Potential Ankyrin type 1) ion channel, a well-known mediator of irritation, inflammatory and neurogenic pain. Agonists of this ion channel have been identified in 27 over 44 plants, corresponding to 61,3% of the plants in the database. Also TRPM8 (Transient Receptor Potential Melastatin type 8), involved in the perception of coolness, was identified among the molecular targets. This finding reinforces the hypothesis that these somatosensory ion channels could be involved in relevant mechanisms of action of these traditional remedies and open new perspectives in the rational study of voice phytopharmacology and therapy. This research was funded by FONDAZIONE CARIPLO (Milano, I), University of Milano (I) and Conservatorio di Musica G. Verdi (Milano, I), grant number 2017-1653

Herbs for voice database : developing a rational approach to the study of herbal remedies used in voice care

Herbs have been used for voice care since ancient times and many herbal remedies are still in use in every geographical areas and cultures, both as traditional medicine and as sources of botanicals used in commercial products. Many of these plants are used as extracts and other phytopreparates, and a full phytochemical analysis is sometimes incomplete or lacking. The mechanisms of action of these botanicals include antibacterial, antiinflammatory, mucolytic, and other general activities; nevertheless, mechanisms that could be specifically referred to voice are often unknown, as well as the corresponding molecular targets and therefore a rational approach in the use of these remedies is hard to be applied by phoniatricians. To address this problem, we collected information on plants used for voice care from several different geographical areas, using both literature data and a pool of contributors from an international network of artistic phoniatrics and vocologists. The plants have been organized in a database (Herbs for Voice Database) and classified according to the natural compounds contained in them, their molecular targets and the pathologies they are recommended for. This first database contains 44 plants, 101 phytocompounds, and 32 recognized molecular targets. The distribution of herbs and phytocompounds according to the botanical families, their known biological activity, traditional uses, and molecular targets were analyzed. In particular, data analysis shows that the somatosensory and pain receptor Transient Receptor Potential Ankyrin 1 ion channel is targeted by a large number of different phytochemicals contained in the herbs for voice, and could therefore be involved in a mechanism of action common to many plants

Effects of temperature on flood forecasting: analysis of an operative case study in Alpine basins

Abstract. In recent years the interest in the forecast and prevention of natural hazards related to hydro-meteorological events has increased the challenge for numerical weather modelling, in particular for limited area models, to improve the quantitative precipitation forecasts (QPF) for hydrological purposes. After the encouraging results obtained in the MAP D-PHASE Project, we decided to devote further analyses to show recent improvements in the operational use of hydro-meteorological chains, and above all to better investigate the key role played by temperature during snowy precipitation. In this study we present a reanalysis simulation of one meteorological event, which occurred in November 2008 in the Piedmont Region. The attention is focused on the key role of air temperature, which is a crucial feature in determining the partitioning of precipitation in solid and liquid phase, influencing the quantitative discharge forecast (QDF) into the Alpine region. This is linked to the basin ipsographic curve and therefore by the total contributing area related to the snow line of the event. In order to assess hydrological predictions affected by meteorological forcing, a sensitivity analysis of the model output was carried out to evaluate different simulation scenarios, considering the forecast effects which can radically modify the discharge forecast. Results show how in real-time systems hydrological forecasters have to consider also the temperature uncertainty in forecasts in order to better understand the snow dynamics and its effect on runoff during a meteorological warning with a crucial snow line over the basin. The hydrological ensemble forecasts are based on the 16 members of the meteorological ensemble system COSMO-LEPS (developed by ARPA-SIMC) based on the non-hydrostatic model COSMO, while the hydrological model used to generate the runoff simulations is the rainfall–runoff distributed FEST-WB model, developed at Politecnico di Milano

Effectiveness of Different Analytical Methods for the Characterization of Propolis : a Case of Study in Northern Italy

Propolis is used as folk medicine due to its spectrum of alleged biological and pharmaceutical properties and it is a complex matrix not still totally characterized. Two batches of propolis coming from two different environments (plains of Po Valley and the hilly Ligurian\u2013 Piedmont Apennines) of Northern Italy were characterized using different analytical methods: Spectrophotometric analysis of phenols, flavones and flavonols, and DPPH radical scavenging activity, HPLC, NMR, HSPME and GC\u2013MS and HPLC\u2013MS Orbitrap. Balsam and moisture content were also considered. No statistical differences were found at the spectrophotometric analysis; balsam content did not vary significantly. The most interesting findings were in the VOCs composition, with the Po Valley samples containing compounds of the resins from leaf buds of Populus nigra L. The hills (Appennines) samples were indeed characterize by the presence of phenolic glycerides already found in mountain environments. HPLC\u2013Q-Exactive-Orbitrap\uae\u2013MS analysis is crucial in appropriate recognition of evaluate number of metabolites, but also NMR itself could give more detailed information especially when isomeric compounds should be identified. It is necessary a standardized evaluation to protect and valorize this production and more research on propolis characterization using different analytical techniques

Principal-Component Analysis of Gamma-Ray Bursts’ Spectra

The principal-component analysis is a statistical method, which lowers the number of important variables in a data set. The use of this method for the bursts’ spectra and afterglows is discussed in this paper. The analysis indicates that three principal components are enough among the eight ones to describe the variablity of the data. The correlation between the spectral index α and the redshift suggests that the thermal emission component becomes more dominant at larger redshifts

Application of an early warning to detect enteropathies in intensive broiler farming

Remote and wearable sensors can be combined with smart algorithms to continuously monitor a wide range of animal responses linked with stress, health status and welfare. The idea of real time monitoring assumes a simple way to measure variable that can give an early warning for the farmer providing clear and suitable alerts to help them in their routine. The prompt reaction to any change in health, welfare and productive status is the key for the reduction in drugs usage and for the improvement of animal wellbeing. In intensive poultry farms, enteric disorders represent a major health issue; these pathologies could be multifactorial and are a major cause of performances reduction. Monitoring poultry health status takes a key role for management to reduce chemicals/drugs and their costs. Nowadays, the preventive use of antibiotics in intensive farming system is common and this practice could lead to the spreading of drugs in the environment, contributing to the phenomenon of antibiotic resistance. Due to the high priority of this issue, it is of great importance the early detection of any health problem in intensive farming. Precision Livestock Farming, through the combination of cheap technologies and specific algorithms, can provide valuable information for farmers starting from the huge amount of data collected in real time at farm level. This study was aimed to the application of a PLF diagnostic tool, sensible to the variation of volatile organic compounds, to promptly recognize enteric problems in intensive farming, supporting veterinarians and enabling specific treatments in case of disease