Homodyne detection as a near-optimum receiver for phase-shift keyed binary communication in the presence of phase diffusion

We address binary optical communication channels based on phase-shift keyed coherent signals in the presence of phase diffusion. We prove theoretically and demonstrate experimentally that a discrimination strategy based on homodyne detection is robust against this kind of noise for any value of the channel energy. Moreover, we find that homodyne receiver beats the performance of Kennedy receiver as the signal energy increases, and achieves the Helstrom bound in the limit of large noise

Matter-wave interferometry: towards antimatter interferometers

Starting from an elementary model and refining it to take into account more realistic effects, we discuss the limitations and advantages of matter-wave interferometry in different configurations. We focus on the possibility to apply this approach to scenarios involving antimatter, such as positrons and positronium atoms. In particular, we investigate the Talbot-Lau interferometer with material gratings and discuss in details the results in view of the possible experimental verification.Comment: 18 pages; 8 figure

Apparent superluminal advancement of a single photon far beyond its coherence length

We present experimental results relative to superluminal propagation based on a single photon traversing an optical system, called 4f-system, which acts singularly on the photon's spectral component phases. A single photon is created by a CW laser light down{conversion process. The introduction of a linear spectral phase function will lead to the shift of the photon peak far beyond the coherence length of the photon itself (an apparent superluminal propagation of the photon). Superluminal group velocity detection is done by interferometric measurement of the temporal shifted photon with its correlated untouched reference. The observed superluminal photon propagation complies with causality. The operation of the optical system allows to enlighten the origin of the apparent superluminal photon velocity. The experiment foresees a superluminal effect with single photon wavepackets.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figure

Microbiological Evaluation of Carcasses of Wild Boar Hunted in a Hill Area of Northern Italy

This study evaluated the prevalence of potential pathogenic bacteria (mainly Campylobacter spp., but also Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella) in wild boar (S us scrofa) and the hygiene of carcasses of wild boar hunted in a hill area of northern Italy during a hunting season (October to December). In total, 62 animals were submitted to microbiological analyses of the tonsils (detection of Listeria spp. and Listeria monocytogenes), caecal content (detection of Salmonella and Campylobacter spp.), mesenteric lymph glands (detection of Salmonella), and carcasses. In addition to analyzing pathogen prevalence and carcass hygiene of these animals, we performed an enumeration of total viable count (TVC), Enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia coli, coagulase-positive staphylococci, and spores of sulfite-reducing clostridia. Influencing factors considered were sex, weight, and age of the animals and environmental temperature on the day of hunting. A high prevalence was observed for L. monocytogenes in tonsils (35.3%) and for Campylobacter spp. in caecal content (51.8%), whereas Salmonella enterica strains (mainly serovar Thompson) were only occasionally isolated (7% in caecal content and 3.5% in lymph glands). The prevalence of L. monocytogenes was influenced by animal age and environmental temperature. Campylobacter spp. were the only pathogens detected on the carcasses (16.7%). Carcasses were characterized by low levels of contamination: TVC, 3.21 ± 0.80 log CFU/cm2, Enterobacteriaceae, 1.32 ± 0.89 log CFU/cm2; E. coli, 1.31 ± 0.93 log CFU/cm2; and occasional detection of low counts of staphylococci and clostridia. TVC was positively influenced only by high environmental temperature, and higher Enterobacteriaceae counts were detected on heavy male carcasses than on females. The results confirmed the potential role of wild boars as reservoirs for the most important foodborne pathogens. But a low carcass contamination level is achievable if hunters are properly trained about hygienic carcass management and slaughtering procedures

Effect of high oxygen deficiency in nano-confined bismuth sesquioxide

Bismuth sesquioxidein its cubic form, i.e.delta-Bi2O3,is the fastest oxygen ionic conductor knownwith important applications in energy technologies.However, the material is unstable asit undergoes to high-density polymorphic transitionsand degradation. In this work, we show that delta-Bi2O3can be stabilized both at high and low temperatures (T < 775°C) under low oxygen partial pressure (pO2< 10-5atm), where the material is nanostructured in multi-layered thin film coherent heterostructures with yttriumstabilized zirconia(YSZ).DFT calculation confirms sucha form of metastability, also showingthat highoxygen defect concentration favorsthe cubic phase.Moreover, high oxygen deficiencyin the nanoionics leadsto an unexpected“two-regime” conductivitywith high values(sigma> 1 S cm-1at 600 °C)at high pO2and lowerionic conductivity (sigma~0.1 S cm-1at 600 °C) at low pO2.Ionic conductivity at low pO2occurs with high activation energy (Ea > 1.5 eV), suggestingthusa drastic decrease in mobility for high concentration of defects

EVALUATION OF RPMI-PY MEDIUM FOR TRYPANOSOMA CRUZI AND DIFFERENT LEISHMANIA SPECIES

Trypanosoma spp. and Leishmania spp. are causal agents of a number of parasitic diseases. Culture media can be divided into 3 main categories: semisolid, biphasic, and liquid. While biphasic and semisolid culture media need blood, an important factor for the reproduction of parasites, most liquid media require fetal calf serum or erythrocyte lysate. A culture media RPMI-PY demonstrated a good performance in terms of time and parasitic load of L. infantum compared to other culture media. The aim of the work was to evaluate the performance of RPMI-PY medium in different Leishmania species and also to evaluate in T. cruzi culture. RPMI-PY is likely to be valuable additions to laboratory practice in light of the relatively simple recipes, general availability of the components, and in terms of suitability because rabbit breeding is not necessary and the costs are lowered and can be used for all Leishmania species and to cultivate T. cruzi

Response to COVID-19: was Italy (un)prepared?

On 31st January 2020, the Italian cabinet declared a 6-month national emergency after the detection of the first two COVID-19 positive cases in Rome, two Chinese tourists travelling from Wuhan. Between then and the total lockdown introduced on 22nd March 2020 Italy was hit by an unprecedented crisis. In addition to being the first European country to be heavily swept by the COVID-19 pandemic, Italy was the first to introduce stringent lockdown measures. The SARS-CoV-2 outbreak and related COVID-19 pandemic have been the worst public health challenge endured in recent history by Italy. Two months since the beginning of the first wave, the estimated excess deaths in Lombardy, the hardest hit region in the country, reached a peak of more than 23,000 deaths. The extraordinary pressures exerted on the Italian Servizio Sanitario Nazionale (SSN) inevitably leads to questions about its preparedness and the appropriateness and effectiveness of responses implemented at both national and regional levels. The aim of the paper is to critically review the Italian response to the COVID-19 crisis spanning from the first early acute phases of the emergency (March-May 2020) to the relative stability of the epidemiological situation just before the second outbreak in October 2020

STILBENE ST18 AND TERFENYL TR4: IN VITRO ACTIVITY AGAINST TRYPANOSOMA CRUZI

Chagas disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which is transmitted to animals and people by insect vectors that are found only in the Americas. Chagas disease and Leishmaniasis are life-threatening illnesses caused by the protozoan parasites Leishmania spp. and Trypanosoma cruzi, respectively. They are known as “neglected diseases” due to the lack of effective drug treatments and the scarcity of research work devoted to them. Therefore, the development of novel and effective drugs is an important and urgent need. Natural products are an important source of bioactive molecules for the development of new drugs. Recently, studies showed an interesting cytotoxic action of Stilbene ST18 and the Terphenyl TR4 compounds in Leishmania. In this study, we evaluated the in vitro trypanocidal activity of ST18 and TR4 and Nifurtimox, drug used for the treatment of Chagas disease. In addition, we evaluated the compounds action in infected macrophages with Trypanosoma cruzi. Results showed that three compounds exhibited significant activity against Trypanosoma compared to Nifurtimox. ST18 and TR4 compounds inhibited Trypanosoma growth with IC50 values of 4.5 and 32 μM, respectively. The treatment of infected macrophages with trypanosomes with the IC90 compounds showed a reduction of infection compared to control: ST18 reduced the infected cells to 52 %, TR4 reduced the infected cells to 63%. In conclusion, these news compounds could be considered as promising lead drugs for the development of new therapies for the treatment of Chagas disease

Symptoms and quality of life in HIV-infected patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia are improved by the consumption of a newly developed whole tomato-based food supplement. A phase II prospective, randomized double-blinded, placebo-controlled study

Abstract Carotenoid rich diets have proven to be beneficial in decreasing urinary symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BHP) and cardiovascular risk factors, especially following the consumption of whole tomato, the major source of dietary lycopene. Here, we describe the results of a phase II prospective, randomized double-blinded, placebo-controlled study undertaken to determine the efficacy and safety of a novel whole tomato-based food supplement (WTFS) containing lycopene in highly bioavailable form in 31 HIV+ patients with proved BPH. The consecutive enrolled patients received daily, for 12 weeks, 5 g of WTFS or placebo. The study demonstrates that WTFS consumption is associated with a statistically significant improvement of all BPH symptoms and quality of life, free/total prostate specific antigen ratio, and diastolic blood pressure, with a trend in interleukin 6 level reduction. WTFS may offer a side effect-free food supplement for the management of BPH in HIV+ patients

An Enkf-Based Scheme for Snow Multivariable Data Assimilation at an Alpine Site

Abstract The knowledge of snowpack dynamics is of critical importance to several real-time applications especially in mountain basins, such as agricultural production, water resource management, flood prevention, hydropower generation. Since simulations are affected by model biases and forcing data uncertainty, an increasing interest focuses on the assimilation of snow-related observations with the purpose of enhancing predictions on snowpack state. The study aims at investigating the effectiveness of snow multivariable data assimilation (DA) at an Alpine site. The system consists of a snow energy-balance model strengthened by a multivariable DA system. An Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) scheme allows assimilating ground-based and remotely sensed snow observations in order to improve the model simulations. This research aims to investigate and discuss: (1) the limitations and constraints in implementing a multivariate EnKF scheme in the framework of snow modelling, and (2) its performance in consistently updating the snowpack state. The performance of the multivariable DA is shown for the study case of Torgnon station (Aosta Valley, Italy) in the period June 2012 - December 2013. The results of several experiments are discussed with the aim of analyzing system sensitivity to the DA frequency, the ensemble size, and the impact of assimilating different observations