Photocatalytic activity for exposed building materials

Photocatalysis is a very promising method to face most of the problems connected with the increasing environmental pollution. Titanium dioxide in its anatase crystallographic phase is the most investigated photocatalytic material and results to be perfectly compatible with silicate body mixes. The possibility to obtain photocatalytic heavy clays materials, to be used for outdoor applications, such as roof tiles, floor tile and outdoor covering tiles, could represent an important goal. In the present work, several titania powders and a titania nanosuspension were added to a body mix used for heavy clay products and the influence of their morphological characteristics on the photoactivity of the fired materials was studied. The titania powders, characterised by the aid of SEM, X-ray diffraction analysis and surface area measurements, BET, presented particles with different aspect ratio and size, ranging from micrometric to nanoparticles. Besides, the nanosuspension was characterised by FEG, TEM, DLS and XRD on the dried suspension. The photocatalytic activity was assessed in aqueous mixtures, by analysing the degradation of an organic dye with a spectrophotometer. The results were explained taking into account the anatase to rutile phase transformation and its possible reaction, during sintering, with the starting raw materials

Simulation of the ELIGANT-GN array performances at ELI-NP for gamma beam energies larger than neutron threshold

Performance of the ELIGANT-GN array being developed at ELI-NP was evaluated using dedicated GEANT4 simulation code. The array is designed to consist of 17 LaBr3:Ce and 17 CeBr3 detectors as well as 33 BC501A and 29 6Li-glass detectors. The energy and time responses of the detectors were studied giving information on gamma and neutron absolute detection efficiencies of the array. A planned day-one experiment regarding the gamma and neutron decay from GDR in 208Pb is discussed and, based on simulations, the data analysis procedure is proposed. The detection efficiencies as well as the count rates estimations are presented

Skeletal Muscle Adaptive Responses to Different Types of Short-Term Exercise Training and Detraining in Middle-Age Men

Introduction Whether short-term, single-mode exercise training can improve physical fitness prior to a period of reduced physical activity (e.g. post-surgery recovery) is not well characterized in clinical populations nor middle-age adults. We investigated skeletal muscle adaptive responses following endurance exercise training (ENT), high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or resistance exercise training (RET), and a subsequent period of detraining, in sedentary, middle-age men. Methods Thirty-five sedentary, males (39±3 yr) were randomized to parallel groups and undertook six weeks of either ENT (n=12), HIIT (n=12) or RET (n=11) followed by 2.5 weeks of detraining. Skeletal muscle fiber characteristics, body composition, muscle thickness, muscle strength, aerobic capacity, resting energy expenditure and glucose homeostasis were assessed at baseline, and after exercise training and detraining. Results Lean mass increased after RET and HIIT (+3.2±1.6% and +1.6±2.1%, P<0.05). Muscle strength (sum of leg press, leg extension and bench press 1RMs) increased after all training interventions (RET: +25±5%; HIIT: +10±5%; ENT: +7±7%, P<0.05). Aerobic capacity increased only after HIIT and ENT (+14±7% and +11±11%, P<0.05). Type I and II muscle fiber size increased for all groups post-training (main effect of time, P<0.05). Following a period of detraining, the gains in lean mass and maximal muscle strength were maintained in RET and HIIT groups, but maximal aerobic capacity declined below post-training levels in HIIT and ENT (P<0.05). Conclusion Six weeks of HIIT induced widespread adaptations prior to detraining in middle-age men. Exercise training-induced increases in aerobic capacity declined during 2.5 weeks of detraining but gains in lean mass and muscle strength were maintained

On the giant dipole resonance excitation in very hot nuclei

We discuss some of the ingredients necessary in the study of the excitation of the Giant Dipole Resonance in very hot nuclei

Extraterrestrial gynecology: could spaceflight increase the risk of developing cancer in female astronauts? An updated review

Outer space is an extremely hostile environment for human life, with ionizing radiation from galactic cosmic rays and microgravity posing the most significant hazards to the health of astronauts. Spaceflight has also been shown to have an impact on established cancer hallmarks, possibly increasing carcinogenic risk. Terrestrially, women have a higher incidence of radiation-induced cancers, largely driven by lung, thyroid, breast, and ovarian cancers, and therefore, historically, they have been permitted to spend significantly less time in space than men. In the present review, we focus on the effects of microgravity and radiation on the female reproductive system, particularly gynecological cancer. The aim is to provide a summary of the research that has been carried out related to the risk of gynecological cancer, highlighting what further studies are needed to pave the way for safer exploration class missions, as well as postflight screening and management of women astronauts following long-duration spaceflight

Low-lying electric dipole γ-continuum for the unstable 62,64Fe nuclei: Strength evolution with neutron number

6 pags., 4 figs.The γ-ray emission from the nuclei Fe following Coulomb excitation at bombarding energy of 400-440 AMeV was measured with special focus on E1 transitions in the energy region 4-8 MeV. The unstable neutron-rich nuclei Fe were produced at the FAIR-GSI laboratories and selected with the FRS spectrometer. The γ decay was detected with AGATA. From the measured γ-ray spectra the summed E1 strength is extracted and compared to microscopic quasi-particle phonon model calculations. The trend of the E1 strength with increasing neutron number is found to be fairly well reproduced with calculations that assume a rather complex structure of the 1 states (three-phonon states) inducing a strong fragmentation of the E1 nuclear response below the neutron binding energy.This work was partially supported by INFN (Italy) and STFC (UK), the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet, VR 2010-147, 2011-5253, and 2016-3969), BMBF NuSTAR-AGATA 05P18RDFN9 and BMBF NuSTAR 05P18RDFN1. The project was co-funded by the European Commission under the 7th Framework Program for RTD (2007-2013) under the Capacities Program (Contract Number 262010, ENSAR). This work was par-tially supported by the Ministry of Science, and Generalitat Valenciana, Spain, under the Grants SEV-2014-0398, FPA2017-84756-C4, PROMETEO/2019/005 and by the EU FEDER funds