181 research outputs found
Real-Time Continuous Acoustic Monitoring of Marine Mammals in the Mediterranean Sea
The passive acoustic monitoring of cetaceans is a research method that can provide unique information on the animal's behaviour since the animals can be studied at great depths and at a long-range without interference. Nevertheless, the real-time data collection, transfer, and analysis using these techniques are difficult to implement and maintain. In this paper, a review of several experiments that have used this approach will be provided. The first class of detectors consists of hydrophone systems housed under buoys on the sea surface with wireless data transmission, while the second type comprises several acoustic detector networks integrated within submarine neutrino telescopes cabled to the shore
Modelling soil water conent in a tomato field: proximal gamma ray spectroscopy and soil-crop system models
Proximal soil sensors are taking hold in the understanding of soil
hydrogeological processes involved in precision agriculture. In this context,
permanently installed gamma ray spectroscopy stations represent one of the best
space-time trade off methods at field scale. This study proved the feasibility
and reliability of soil water content monitoring through a seven-month
continuous acquisition of terrestrial gamma radiation in a tomato test field.
By employing a 1 L sodium iodide detector placed at a height of 2.25 m, we
investigated the gamma signal coming from an area having a ~25 m radius and
from a depth of approximately 30 cm. Experimental values, inferred after a
calibration measurement and corrected for the presence of biomass, were
corroborated with gravimetric data acquired under different soil moisture
conditions, giving an average absolute discrepancy of about 2%. A quantitative
comparison was carried out with data simulated by AquaCrop, CRITeRIA, and
IRRINET soil-crop system models. The different goodness of fit obtained in bare
soil condition and during the vegetated period highlighted that CRITeRIA showed
the best agreement with the experimental data over the entire data-taking
period while, in presence of the tomato crop, IRRINET provided the best
results.Comment: 18 pages, 9 Figures, 3 Table
Synchronous anal canal cancer and cervical cancer: report of a case and management implication
Background: This is the case report of a synchronous anal canal cancer and cervical cancer in a patient who underwent definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and radical surgery for anal canal and cervical carcinoma, respectively. Case Report: A 55-year-old woman was diagnosed with cT4a cN1 Mx anal canal squamous cell carcinoma and stage IA2 cervical squamous cell carcinoma, based on biopsy and imaging. Definitive CRT consisted of radiotherapy (total dose of 59.4 Gy) and concomitant mitomycin (10 mg/m(2)) and 5-fluorouracil (750 mg/m(2)/5 daily continuous infusion) during the first and last week of radiation. The patient exhibited a complete clinical and radiological response. A radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy was then performed. At the last follow-up (30 months), the patient is still disease-free without any treatment-associated complications. Conclusion: There is limited information in the literature regarding treatment strategy and outcome of patients with synchronous anal canal and cervical cancer. A two-step treatment, including CRT and radical hysterectomy, is likely to be accepted as valid option
Selection of Biomarkers from Differentially Expressed Genes in Leukocytes of Buffalos Treated with Recombinant Bovine Somatotropin: The Importance of Sample Size for Reliable Discriminating Systems
The research on biomarkers to detect livestock treated with recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) is still an open issue. In fact, beyond undertaking confirmation methods, there is the need to develop simple and inexpensive screening tests. In this direction, some proposals have been forwarded, mostly involving the measurement of circulating molecules, whereas the possibility of using biomarkers related to gene expression is a field under investigation. The present study was carried out on sixteen buffalos, eight of which treated with rbST. Blood samples were collected six times during the treatment to investigate on the presence of differentially expressed genes in leukocytes. Analysis with the microarray technique was performed on two sampling moments, in order to obtain a first selection of genes. Further analysis was carried out by real time RT-PCR, in order to create a discriminating linear system. A study on the variation of the error related to the number of samples included in statistics was also performed. Results showed that, including an increasing number of samples to build the discriminating algorithm, the b-error grows and tends to stabilize on 6.5%. This study clearly shows the paramount importance of including a proper number of samples to obtain reliable algorithms
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Proximity array device: a novel photon detector working in long wavelengths
We present here an innovative photon detector based on the proximity junction array device (PAD) working at long wavelengths. We show that the vortex dynamics in PAD undergoes a transition from a Mott insulator to a vortex metal state by application of an external magnetic field. The PAD also evidences a Josephson I-V characteristic with the external field dependent tunneling current. At high applied currents, we observe a dissipative regime in which the vortex dynamics is dominated by the quasi-particle contribution from the normal metal. The PAD has a relatively high photo-response even at frequencies below the expected characteristic frequency while, its superconducting properties such as the order parameter and the Josephson characteristic frequency can be modulated via external fields to widen the detection band. This device represents a promising and reliable candidate for new high-sensitivity long-wavelength detectors. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland
Aging: a portrait from gene expression profile in blood cells
The availability of reliable biomarkers of aging is important not only to monitor the effect of interventions and predict the timing of pathologies associated with aging but also to understand the mechanisms and devise appropriate countermeasures. Blood cells provide an easily available tissue and gene expression profiles from whole blood samples appear to mirror disease states and some aspects of the aging process itself. We report here a microarray analysis of whole blood samples from two cohorts of healthy adult and elderly subjects, aged 43 +/- 3 and 68 +/- 4 years, respectively, to monitor gene expression changes in the initial phase of the senescence process. A number of significant changes were found in the elderly compared to the adult group, including decreased levels of transcripts coding for components of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, which correlate with a parallel decline in the maximum rate of oxygen consumption (VO2max), as monitored in the same subjects. In addition, blood cells show age-related changes in the expression of several markers of immunosenescence, inflammation and oxidative stress. These findings support the notion that the immune system has a major role in tissue homeostasis and repair, which appears to be impaired since early stages of the aging process
Eco-Friendly Engineered Nanomaterials Coupled with Filtering Fine-Mesh Net as a Promising Tool to Remediate Contaminated Freshwater Sludges: An Ecotoxicity Investigation
The use of eco-friendly engineered nanomaterials represents a recent solution for an effective and safe treatment of contaminated dredging sludge. In this study, an eco-designed engineered material based on cross-linked nanocellulose (CNS) was applied for the first time to decontaminate a real matrix from heavy metals (namely Zn, Ni, Cu, and Fe) and other undesired elements (mainly Ba and As) in a lab-scale study, with the aim to design a safe solution for the remediation of contaminated matrices. Contaminated freshwater sludge was treated with CNS coupled with a filtering fine-mesh net, and the obtained waters were tested for acute and sublethal toxicity. In order to check the safety of the proposed treatment system, toxicity tests were conducted by exposing the bacterium Aliivibrio fischeri and the crustacean Heterocypris incongruens, while subtoxicity biomarkers such as lysosomal membrane stability, genetic, and chromosomal damage assessment were performed on the freshwater bivalve Dreissena polymorpha. Dredging sludge was found to be genotoxic, and such genotoxicity was mitigated by the combined use of CNS and a filtering fine-mesh net. Chemical analyses confirmed the results by highlighting the abetment of target contaminants, indicating the present model as a promising tool in freshwater sludge nanoremediation
The first ALMA survey of protoplanetary discs at 3 mm: demographics of grain growth in the Lupus region
We present the first ALMA survey of protoplanetary discs at 3 mm, targeting
36 young stellar objects in the Lupus star-forming region with deep
observations (sensitivity 20-50 microJy/beam) at ~0.35" resolution (~50 au).
Building on previous ALMA surveys at 0.89 and 1.3 mm that observed the complete
sample of Class II discs in Lupus at a comparable resolution, we aim to assess
the level of grain growth in the relatively young Lupus region. We measure 3 mm
integrated fluxes, from which we derive disc-averaged 1-3 mm spectral indices.
We find that the mean spectral index of the observed Lupus discs is
, in all cases , with a tendency for larger spectral indices in the brightest discs
and in transition discs. Furthermore, we find that the distribution of spectral
indices in Lupus discs is statistically indistinguishable from that of the
Taurus and Ophiuchus star-forming regions. Assuming the emission is optically
thin, the low values measured for most discs
can be interpreted with the presence of grains larger than 1 mm. The
observations of the faint discs in the sample can be explained without invoking
the presence of large grains, namely through a mixture of optically thin and
optically thick emission from small grains. However, the bright (and typically
large) discs do inescapably require the presence of millimeter-sized grains in
order to have realistic masses. Based on a disc mass argument, our results
challenge previous claims that the presence of optically thick sub-structures
may be a universal explanation for the empirical millimeter size-luminosity
correlation observed at 0.89 mm.Comment: MNRAS Accepted; 12 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables. Machine-readable
tables available at https://zenodo.org/record/475628
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