Deposition of thick and thin nanocrystalline diamond films by microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Thick (around 3 μm) and thin (48-310 nm) nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films have been produced from Ar-rich CH4/Ar/H2 (1/89/10 %) and H2-rich CH4/H2 (1/99 %) microwave plasmas, respectively. The thick NCD films were obtained with and without an initial buffer layer (BL). The BL is easily obtained under typical microcrystalline diamond growth conditions (CH4/H2 mixtures). The effect of the deposition temperature (TD, 630-900°C) was investigated on the morphology, the surface roughness and the bonding characteristics of the films grown with and without BL. The thin NCD films were grown on Si substrates treated by two different methods, i.e. ultrasonic agitation in a suspension of diamond powders of 40-60 μm or combinatorial approach in a suspension of mixed diamond powders of 250 nm and 40-60 μm. The present experimental results show that the buffer layer procedure allows a good preservation of the surface of treated Si substrate and the combinatorial approach promotes effectively the seeding of the Si surface

Electron beams produced by innovative photocathodes based on nanodiamond layers

The investigation of two different photocathodes (PCs) based on nanodiamond (ND) layers, irradiated by a KrF nanosecond excimer laser (wavelength, \ensuremath{\lambda}=248\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{nm}; photon energy, ${E}_{\mathrm{Ph}}=5\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{eV}$) is reported. The ND layers were deposited by means of a pulsed spray technique. Specifically, the active layer of each PC consisted of untreated (as-received) and hydrogenated ND particles, 250 nm in size, sprayed on a $p$-doped silicon substrate. The ND-based photocathodes were tested in a vacuum chamber at {10}^{\ensuremath{-}6}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{mbar} and compared to a Cu-based one, used as reference. All the photocathodes were irradiated at normal incidence. The quantum efficiency (QE) of the photocathodes was assessed. QE values of the ND-based photocathodes were higher than that of the reference one. In particular, the hydrogenated ND-based PC exhibited the highest QE due to the negative electron affinity that results from the surface terminated by hydrogen. Additionally, the photocathode surface/local temperature and the multiphoton process contribution to the electron emission were studied

A sensor aided H.264 encoder tested on aerial imagery for SFM

Email Print Request Permissions Standard video coding systems currently employed in UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) and aerial drone applications do not rely on some peculiarities in terms of scene 3D model and correlation among successive frames. In particular, the observed scene is static, i.e. the camera movement is dominant, and it can often be well approximated with a plane. Moreover, camera position and orientation can be obtained from the navigation system. Therefore, correspondent points on two video frames are linked by a simple homography. This paper presents novel results obtained by a low-complexity sensor aided H.264 encoder, recently developed at CIRA and yet tested on simulated data. The proposed encoder employs a new motion estimation scheme which make use of the global motion information provided by the onboard navigation system. The homography is used in order to initialize the block matching algorithm allowing a more robust motion estimation and a smaller search window, and hence reducing the complexity. The tests are made coding real aerial imagery, captured to be used for 3D scene reconstruction. The images are acquired by an high resolution camera mounted on a small drone, flying at low altitude

Autism spectrum disorder in Italy: demand for an integrated epidemiological surveillance system.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental syndrome of emerging public health concern, according to a documented significant increase of diagnosed cases of ASD in Europe and USA. In Italy, actually, it is not possible to estimate at national level a reliable ASD occurrence by using existing health and scholastic data flows. The lack of information has implications on social and healthcare services dedicated to subjects affected by ADS. The database of the Italian institute in charge of social and security assistance was accessed at the provincial level to investigate the ASD cases occurred in the Palermo province. The official reports of all subjects visited in 2013 by INPS physicians were analyzed by using an automatic software and diagnosis consistent with ASD were ex- tracted and flagged. Our findings support the choice of alternative use of INPS administrative database in order to define a reliable ASD occurrence estimate as first step to develop an integrated epidemiological surveillance system on AS

Study of n-photon emission processes in nanodiamond photocathodes

EnIn this work we investigate on the characteristics of electron beams generated by three photocathodes (PC), one based on Cu sample and two on different nanodiamond (ND) layers. Specifically, the active layers of the ND-based PCs consisted of untreated and hydrogenated ND particles, 250 nm in size, sprayed on p-doped silicon substrates. We show photoemission measurements, carried out by a KrF nanosecond excimer laser (λ=248 nm; photon energy 5 eV) in a vacuum chamber at 10-6 mbar. We also make a study of the n-photon emission processes for all the PCs. The obtained results showed QE values of the ND-based photocathodes higher than that of the reference Cu one. In particular, the hydrogenated ND-based PC showed the highest QE thanks to the negative electron affinity of its surface.ItIn questo lavoro viene eseguito uno studio sulle proprietà di fotoemissione di tre fotocatodi (F), due basati su strati di nanodiamanti (ND) ed uno su rame. Nello specifico, gli strati attivi dei due PC con ND consistono di nanoparticelle di diamante tal quale ed idrogenate, della dimensione di 250 nm. Questi strati sono stati depositati su silicio drogato di tipo p, con la tecnica spray pulsata. Si presentano misure di fotoemissione, eseguite con un laser ad eccimeri KrF (λ=248 nm, t=25 ns) in una camera da vuoto (10-6 mbar) e si valuta il contributo di emissione multifotonica per tutti i catodi. I risultati ottenuti hanno mostrato valori di efficienza quantica più alta per i fotocatodi basati su ND; in particolare quelli idrogenati sono stati i più efficienti grazie all'affinità elettronica negativa della loro superficie

First evidence for an anxiolitic effect of a diterpenoid from Salvia cinnabarina

The potential anxiolytic and anti-depressive activity of CMP1 was studied in the elevated plus-maze test and in the forced swimming test. Furthermore, CMP1 sedative activity was evaluated in pentobarbital treated animals; the effect of CMP1 on spontaneous motor activity (total locomotion) was also evaluated. Our data show that CMP1, at doses that did not affect locomotion, was able to induce anxiolytic and sedative, but not anti-depressive effects. In conclusion, our results represent first evidence for an anxiolytic activity of this diterpenoid from Salvia cinnabarina

Safety and tolerability of antipsychotic drugs in pediatric patients: data from a 1-year naturalistic study

Background: Antipsychotic drugs (APs) are increasingly used to treat a variety of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents. However, their safety and tolerability profiles, when used in a developmental age context, show different characteristics from the ones observed in adult patients. Treatment with APs in pediatric patients is often long-term. However, the tolerability data regarding these patients mostly derive from short-term studies. Methods: Starting from April 2017, for a 1-year period, patients between 4 and 18 years of age followed by five units of developmental age neuropsychiatry, who initiated a treatment with at least an AP (ATC class N05A) were included into the study. Patient-related data have been collected at baseline and regularly thereafter, as allowed by the clinical routine. Changes to continuous variables over time have been analyzed using a linear mixed model in subsamples of our population treated with risperidone or aripiprazole. Results: During the observation period, 158 patients were initially enrolled, but only 116 completed 12 months of therapy with an AP. Risperidone was the most used AP (n = 52) followed by aripiprazole (n = 44) and olanzapine (n = 7). For both the aripiprazole and risperidone groups, the mean body mass index (BMI) (P < 0.001 for both groups) and heart rate (P = 0.026 for aripiprazole group and P < 0.001 for the risperidone one) values significantly increased over time. The mean prolactin concentration value significantly increased over time only in the risperidone group (P = 0.04). Eighty-six patients experienced at least one adverse drug reaction (ADR), accounting for a total of 238 specific reactions, with the most frequent being weight gain (n = 34), increased serum prolactin levels (n = 21), hyperphagia (n = 20), and hypercholesterolemia (n = 14). Among these, only 24 ADRs were classifiable as serious. Conclusions: The results of this study confirm that risperidone and aripiprazole are relatively well-tolerated therapeutic options for the treatment of a variety of psychiatric disorders in pediatric patients. However, in findings such as statistically significant increments of BMI and heart rate mean values, the variations over time in prolactin levels observed with risperidone and the differences between the two drugs remark the necessity of systematic monitoring

Guidelines and Recommendations on the Use of Higher OrderFinite Elements for Bending Analysis of Plates

This paper compares and evaluates various plate finite elements to analyse the static response of thick and thin plates subjected to different loading and boundary conditions. Plate elements are based on different assumptions for the displacement distribution along the thickness direction. Classical (Kirchhoff and Reissner-Mindlin), refined (Reddy and Kant), and other higher-order displacement fields are implemented up to fourth-order expansion. The Unified Formulation UF by the first author is used to derive finite element matrices in terms of fundamental nuclei which consist of 3 × 3 arrays. The MITC4 shear-locking free type formulation is used for the FE approximation. Accuracy of a given plate element is established in terms of the error vs. thickness-to-length parameter. A significant number of finite elements for plates are implemented and compared using displacement and stress variables for various plate problems. Reduced models that are able to detect the 3D solution are built and a Best Plate Diagram (BPD) is introduced to give guidelines for the construction of plate theories based on a given accuracy and number of terms. It is concluded that the UF is a valuable tool to establish, for a given plate problem, the most accurate FE able to furnish results within a certain accuracy range. This allows us to obtain guidelines and recommendations in building refined elements in the bending analysis of plates for various geometries, loadings, and boundary conditions

Murge and Pre-murge in southern Italy: the last piece of Adria, the (almost) lost continent, attempting to became an aUGGp candidate (MurGEOpark)

In 2019, the executive of the Alta Murgia National Park (southeastern Italy) decided to propose its territory as possible inclusion in the network of the UNESCO Global Geoparks. Since then, in cooperation with the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (Aldo Moro University of Bari) and SIGEA, it is working to candidate the area as an aUGGp (called “MurGEOpark”). The MurGEOpark comprises the Alta Murgia area, where a Cretaceous sector of the Apulia Carbonate Platform crops out, and the adjacent Pre-Murge area, where the southwestward lateral continuation of the same platform, being flexed toward the southern Apennines mountain chain, is thinly covered by Plio-Quaternary foredeep deposits. The worldwide geological uniqueness is that the area is the only in situ remnant of the AdriaPlate, the old continent almost entirely squeezed between Africa and Europe. In such a contest, AltaMurgia is a virtually undeformed sector of Adria (the Apulia Foreland), while other territories of theplate are, and/or were, involved in the subduction/collision processes. In the MurGEOpark, the crustof Adria is still rooted to its mantle, and the Cretaceous evolution of the continent is spectacularlyrecorded in Alta Murgia thanks to the limestone succession of one of the largest peri-Tethyancarbonate platform (the Apulia Carbonate Platform). The MurGEOpark comprises also the Pre-Murge area, which represents the outer south-Apennines foredeep, whose Plio-Quaternaryevolution is spectacularly exposed thanks to an “anomalous” regional middle-late Quaternary uplift.The international value of the proposal is enriched by the presence of several geological singularities such as two paleontological jewels of very different age: a Neanderthal skeletonpreserved in speleothems within a karst cave, and one of the largest surfaces in the world withupper Cretaceous dinosaur tracks (about 25.000 footprints). Moreover, the close relationships between man and geology are spectacularly documented in the MurGEOpark: among the others, the use and conservation of water in a karst area, the prehistoric and ancestral choices ofurbanization, karst caves traditionally used as religious sites, etc. All these examples demonstratehow the MurGEOpark could offer a good opportunity to spread the geological culture to a wide and diverse audienc