Laser cutting of basalt fibre reinforced polymers by QCW fiber laser: interaction mechanisms and effect of laser parameters

In the paper, laser cutting of basalt fibre reinforced polymer laminate using a 450 W QCW fiber laser, working in a pulsed regime is presented. Preliminary tests were performed on a basalt laminate, 1.3 mm in thickness, changing the pulse power (Pp) and pulse duration (D) to find the maximum cutting speed. Then a 33 experimental plan was carried out changing the pulse power, the pulse duration, and the cutting speed. The kerf width and the heat-affected zone were measured in the section and on the external surfaces. ANOVA analysis was adopted to assess the process parameters’ influence. The interaction mechanisms were found and discussed. From the results, the BFRP laminate appears easy to cut at maximum cutting speeds up to 3500 mm/min. However, thermal damages occur. Kerf geometry and HAZ are mainly affected by the cutting speed, while the Pp and D seem to have a minor role

A multi analytical characterization of a small bronze figurine from Gran Carro site (Bolsena Lake, Italy)

This paper presents the results of an archaeometric analysis carried out on an early Iron Age anthropomorphic figurine discovered in the area of the Gran Carro on Bolsena Lake (Latium, Italy) site, currently interpreted as a place of worship. This statuette is considered a unicum, both because of the context in which it was found and because of its stylistic characteristics similar to those of bronzes from the Nuragic civilization (Sardinia, Italy). Its discovery and the data obtained from this work provide further evidence in support of numerous previous studies suggesting the presence of trade and direct exchanges between Sardinia and southern Etruria. The research was performed through some non-destructive investigations such as Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) combined with Monte Carlo Simulation (MC) and micro-invasive investigations such as Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled by Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM–EDS) and by Electron Probe Micro-Analysis (EPMA), metallography and lead isotope analyses (LIA), performed on a selected micro-fragment. The combination of non-destructive techniques (EDXRF-MCS) for the characterization of the artefact allowed us to obtain data similar to those obtained with micro-invasive surveys, further demonstrating the effectiveness of the method. The results indicate that the statuette is made of a bronze alloy and that the copper metal was extracted from Sardinian deposits

Donne uccise e donne maltrattate. Stesso passato ma anche stesso destino?

“Femicide” is an overspread phenomenon: in Italy every three days a woman is killed by her partner or ex partner. Trying to understand what underlies such crimes is so of great interest for criminologists. Femicide is very often preceded by domestic violence. In this study we considered a sample of women killed by their partner or ex partner and a sample of women ‘only’ abused and we compared the specific risk factors of femicide and of abuse. The results show that the most common risk factor is the presence of physical violence and threats, which are more severe in femicide. We discussed the possibility of preventive measures and action strategies (to be carried out by the police too) against the so-called “family disputes”.L’uccisione delle donne da parte di partner o ex partner (il c.d. femminicidio) assume dimensioni spropositate. In Italia, una donna viene uccisa ogni tre giorni, ed è interesse sempre maggiore da parte dei criminologi e degli studiosi del comportamento umano comprendere cosa sottende questi reati e come poterli prevenire. La letteratura scientifica e le indagini investigative e gli esiti giudiziari hanno messo in relazione il maltrattamento all’interno della coppia e il successivo omicidio. Con il presente studio condotto con un campione di donne uccise e donne ‘solo’ maltrattate si è voluto confrontare i così detti fattori di rischio del maltrattamento con i fattori di rischio del femminicidio. I risultati hanno dimostrato che le caratteristiche delle vittime, dell’autore sono simili, ma nei casi in cui c’è stato l’omicidio, esiste una quantità maggiore di violenza fisica, di minacce e di escalation della violenza. La prevenzione anche dell’attività da parte delle forze dell’ordine è nella direzione di mettere a punto strategie di intervento più mirate ed efficaci per contrastare le così dette ‘liti in famiglia’

A neurally-interfaced hand prosthesis tuned inter-hemispheric communication

Purpose: This work investigates how a direct bidirectional connection between brain and hand prosthesis modifies the bi-hemispheric sensorimotor system devoted to the movement control of the lost limb. Hand prostheses are often unable to satisfy users' expectations, mostly due to the poor performance of their interfacing system. Neural Interfaces implanted inside nerves of the stump offer the advantage of using the bidirectional neural pathways 'naturally' dispatching signals to control proper hand actions and feed-back sensations. Learning to control a neurally-interfaced hand prosthesis and decode sensory information was previously observed to reduce the inter-hemispheric asymmetry of cortical motor maps and the clinical symptoms of phantom limb syndrome. Methods: Electroencephalographic (EEG) data was analysed using Functional Source Separation (FSS), a semi-blind method that incorporates prior knowledge about the signal of interest into data decomposition to give access to cortical patch activities. Results: Bi-hemispheric cortices showed normalization of their activity (topographical and spectral patterns) and of functional connectivity between homologous hand controlling areas, during the delivery of the motor command to the cybernetic prosthesis. Conclusions: The re-establishment of central-peripheral communication with the lost limb induced by a neurally-interfaced hand prosthesis produces beneficial plastic reorganization, not only restructuring contralateral directly-connected control areas, but also their functional balance within the bi-hemispheric system necessary for motor control

A QUALITATIVE CHARACTERIZATION OF THE CFTR GENE BY mRNA ANALYSIS

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Zinc inhibits calcium-mediated and nitric oxide-mediated ion secretion in human enterocytes

Zn2+ is effective in the treatment of acute diarrhea, but its mechanisms are not completely understood. We previously demonstrated that Zn2+ inhibits the secretory effect of cyclic adenosine monophosphate but not of cyclic guanosine monophosphate in human enterocytes. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether Zn2+ inhibits intestinal ion secretion mediated by the Ca2+ or nitric oxide pathways. To investigate ion transport we evaluated the effect of Zn2+ (35 μM) on electrical parameters of human intestinal epithelial cell monolayers (Caco2 cells) mounted in Ussing chambers and exposed to ligands that selectively increased intracellular Ca2+ (carbachol 10− 6 M) or nitric oxide (interferon-γ 300 UI/ml) concentrations. We also measured intracellular Ca2+ and nitric oxide concentrations. Zn2+ significantly reduced ion secretion elicited by carbachol (− 87%) or by interferon-γ (− 100%), and inhibited the increase of intracellular Ca2+ and nitric oxide concentrations. These data indicate that Zn2+ inhibits ion secretion elicited by Ca2+ and nitric oxide by directly interacting with the enterocyte. They also suggest that Zn2+ interferes with three of the four main intracellular pathways of intestinal ion secretion that are involved in acute diarrhe

EEG-fMRI Based Information Theoretic Characterization of the Human Perceptual Decision System

The modern metaphor of the brain is that of a dynamic information processing device. In the current study we investigate how a core cognitive network of the human brain, the perceptual decision system, can be characterized regarding its spatiotemporal representation of task-relevant information. We capitalize on a recently developed information theoretic framework for the analysis of simultaneously acquired electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging data (fMRI) (Ostwald et al. (2010), NeuroImage 49: 498–516). We show how this framework naturally extends from previous validations in the sensory to the cognitive domain and how it enables the economic description of neural spatiotemporal information encoding. Specifically, based on simultaneous EEG-fMRI data features from n = 13 observers performing a visual perceptual decision task, we demonstrate how the information theoretic framework is able to reproduce earlier findings on the neurobiological underpinnings of perceptual decisions from the response signal features' marginal distributions. Furthermore, using the joint EEG-fMRI feature distribution, we provide novel evidence for a highly distributed and dynamic encoding of task-relevant information in the human brain

Contradictory reasoning network:an EEG and FMRI study

Contradiction is a cornerstone of human rationality, essential for everyday life and communication. We investigated electroencephalographic (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in separate recording sessions during contradictory judgments, using a logical structure based on categorical propositions of the Aristotelian Square of Opposition (ASoO). The use of ASoO propositions, while controlling for potential linguistic or semantic confounds, enabled us to observe the spatial temporal unfolding of this contradictory reasoning. The processing started with the inversion of the logical operators corresponding to right middle frontal gyrus (rMFG-BA11) activation, followed by identification of contradictory statement associated with in the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG-BA47) activation. Right medial frontal gyrus (rMeFG, BA10) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC, BA32) contributed to the later stages of process. We observed a correlation between the delayed latency of rBA11 response and the reaction time delay during inductive vs. deductive reasoning. This supports the notion that rBA11 is crucial for manipulating the logical operators. Slower processing time and stronger brain responses for inductive logic suggested that examples are easier to process than general principles and are more likely to simplify communication. © 2014 Porcaro et al