6,506 research outputs found
Time trend occurrence of duodenal intraepithelial lymphocytosis and celiac disease in an open access endoscopic population
Background: Duodenal intraepithelial lymphocytosis (DIL) is a histological finding characterized by the increase of intraepithelial CD3T-lymphocytes over the normal value without villous atrophy, mostly associated to coeliac disease (CD), Helicobacter pylori (Hp) gastritis and autoimmune diseases. Objective: To assess the occurrence of DIL, CD and Hp gastritis in an endoscopic population over a 13 year period. Methods: From 2003 to 2015 we included adult patients who consecutively underwent oesophago-gastro-duodenoscopy (OGD) with duodenal biopsies assessing the overall and annual occurrence of DIL and CD and the prevalence of Hp gastritis. Results: 160 (2.3%) patients with DIL and 275 (3.9%) with CD were detected among 7001 patients. CD occurrence was higher from 2003 to 2011, while since 2012 DIL occurrence gradually increased significantly compared to CD (p = 0.03). DIL patients were more frequently female (p = 0.0006) and underwent OGD more frequently for dyspepsia (p = 0.002) and for indications not related to gastrointestinal symptoms than CD patients (p = 0.0003). Hp gastritis occurred similarly in CD and DIL patients but the latter had higher frequency of atrophic body gastritis (p = 0.005). Conclusions: DIL is a condition increasing in the general endoscopic population mainly diagnosed by chance. Concomitant gastric histological evaluation is able in one third of DIL patients to identify associated possible causes of DIL, such as Hp and atrophic gastritis
Ultrafast Molecular Transport on Carbon Surfaces: The Diffusion of Ammonia on Graphite
We present a combined experimental and theoretical study of the
self-diffusion of ammonia on exfoliated graphite. Using neutron time-of-flight
spectroscopy we are able to resolve the ultrafast diffusion process of adsorbed
ammonia, NH, on graphite. Together with van der Waals corrected density
functional theory calculations we show that the diffusion of NH follows a
hopping motion on a weakly corrugated potential energy surface with an
activation energy of about 4 meV which is particularly low for this type of
diffusive motion. The hopping motion includes further a significant number of
long jumps and the diffusion constant of ammonia adsorbed on graphite is
determined with D=3.9 \cdot 10^{-8}~\mbox{m}^2 /\mbox{s} at 94 K
Information-disturbance tradeoff in estimating a maximally entangled state
We derive the amount of information retrieved by a quantum measurement in
estimating an unknown maximally entangled state, along with the pertaining
disturbance on the state itself. The optimal tradeoff between information and
disturbance is obtained, and a corresponding optimal measurement is provided.Comment: 4 pages. Accepted for publication on Physical Review Letter
Flood Historical Data for Flood Risk Estimation in Coastal Areas, Eastern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy
A reconstruction of historical floods occurred along the Amalfi coast, during the last five
7 centuries is presented. The analysis of historical sources allowed to achieve a chronological
8 reconstruction of more than 100 floods, four of which classified as catastrophic events. In this
9 task, the level of information was decisive to carry out space–time identification, estimate the
10 affected area and define the type of damage to the structures, and the environment (e.g. mud
11 flow, debris flow, rock falls, shoreline progradation, fan deltas), which may be relevant for the
12 recognition of similar events within the geologic record. The magnitude of the events was
13 finally estimated, taking into account the size of the areas affected by flooding as well as the
14 type of effects induced on the urban and physical environment and the recurrence intervals
The use of documentary sources for reconstructing flood chronologies on the Amalfi rocky coast (southern Italy)
Documentary source materials are essential for retrospective reconstruction of flood events occurring in past centuries. This paper presents methods of research and archiving of historical data from the 16th century to the present. The quality and completeness of the various original sources were evaluated and carefully analysed in their historical context, to avoid serious mistakes. Systematic investigation of about 3000 documents, mainly found in national State Archives and libraries, allows us to identify and localize at least 106 flood events occurring along the Amalfi coast (southern Italy) for five centuries between the years 1500 and 2000. The collected data provide useful details on flood dynamics, size of flooded areas, flood duration, damage level, number of victims and induced geological effects. When available in sufficient quantity, the flood data allow determination of very useful parameters such as the severity class, to identify large floods and their recurrence interval
Tracing groundwater circulation in a valuable mineral water basin with geochemical and isotopic tools: the case of FERRARELLE, Riardo basin, Southern Italy
The Riardo basin hosts groundwater exploited for the production of high quality, naturally sparkling, bottled water (e.g., Ferrarelle water), and circulating in a system constituted by highly fractured Mesozoic carbonates, overlain by more impervious volcanic rocks of the Roccamonfina complex. The two formations are locally in hydraulic connection and dislocated by deep-rooted faults. The study aimed at elucidating groundwater origin and circulation, using isotopic tracers (δ18O, δ2H, δ11B and 87Sr/86Sr) coupled to groundwater dating (Tritium, CFCs and SF6). Besides recharge by local precipitation over the Riardo hydrogeological basin, stable isotope ratios in water indicated an extra-basin recharge, likely from the elevated surrounding carbonate reliefs (e.g., Maggiore and Matese Mts.). The mineralization process, promoted by the deep CO2 flux, controls the B and Sr contents. However, their isotopic ratios did not allow discriminating between circulation in the volcanic and in the carbonate aquifers, as in the latter the isotopic composition differed from the original marine signature. Groundwater model ages ranged from ~ 30 years for the volcanic endmember to > 70 years for the deep, mineralized end-member, with longer circuits recharged at higher elevations. Overall, the results of this study were particularly relevant for mineral water exploitation. A recharge from outside the hydrogeological basin could be evidenced, especially for the more mineralized and valuable groundwater, and an active recent recharge was detected for the whole Riardo system. Both findings will contribute to the refinement of the hydrogeological model and water budget, and to a sustainable development of the resource
Chemical abundances and radial velocities in the extremely metal-poor galaxy DDO 68
We present chemical abundances and radial velocities of six HII regions in
the extremely metal-poor star-forming dwarf galaxy DDO 68. They are derived
from deep spectra in the wavelength range 3500 - 10,000 {\AA}, acquired with
the Multi Object Double Spectrograph (MODS) at the Large Binocular Telescope
(LBT). In the three regions where the [O III]4363 {\AA} line was
detected, we inferred the abundance of He, N, O, Ne, Ar, and S through the
"direct" method. We also derived the oxygen abundances of all the six regions
adopting indirect method calibrations. We confirm that DDO 68 is an extremely
metal-poor galaxy, and a strong outlier in the luminosity - metallicity
relation defined by star-forming galaxies. With the direct-method we find
indeed an oxygen abundance of 12+log(O/H)=7.140.07 in the northernmost
region of the galaxy and, although with large uncertainties, an even lower
12+log(O/H)=6.960.09 in the "tail". This is, at face value, the most
metal-poor direct abundance detection of any galaxy known. We derive a radial
oxygen gradient of -0.060.03 dex/kpc (or -0.30 dex ) with the
direct method, and a steeper gradient of -0.120.03 dex/kpc (or -0.59 dex
) from the indirect method. For the -element to oxygen
ratios we obtain values in agreement with those found in other metal-poor
star-forming dwarfs. For nitrogen, instead, we infer much higher values,
leading to log(N/O), at variance with the suggested existence of a
tight plateau at in extremely metal poor dwarfs. The derived helium mass
fraction ranges from Y=0.2400.005 to Y=0.250.02, compatible with
standard big bang nucleosynthesis. Finally, we measured HII region radial
velocities in the range 479522 km/s from the tail to the head of the
"comet", consistent with the rotation derived in the HI.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA
Rice Responses to Water Limiting Conditions: Improving Stress Management by Exploiting Genetics and Physiological Processes
Water-limiting conditions can severely affect rice yield. Therefore, increasing plant tolerance
to water stress is a priority for many rice breeding programs. However, improving rice tolerance
to this abiotic stress comes with several complications related to the seeding practices, the adopted
water management system and the growth stage where water stress occurs. For this reason, it is
challenging to outline single ideotypes showing traits suitable for overcoming drought at different
times during the life cycle of rice in diverse cropping ecosystems. The current knowledge of genomics
and biochemicals can contribute to drawing rice ideotypes flexible towards diverse water availability
conditions. Traits identified in accessions of the wild ancestor of cultivated rice, as well as other wild
rice species, in Oryza glaberrima and weedy rice were demonstrated to confer enhanced tolerance to
water stress, while screenings of cultivated rice germplasms identified several genes/loci improving
water stress resistance. New frontiers are represented by the dissection of the epigenetic control of
stress tolerance and the implementation of the contribution of favorable microbiota. Innovative breeding
technologies, whose feasibility is related to advancements in genomic analyses, are contributing
to enhancing the knowledge-based development of water stress-tolerant rice varieties
HST resolves stars in a tiny body falling on the dwarf galaxy DDO 68
We present new Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging of a stream-like system
associated with the dwarf galaxy DDO 68, located in the Lynx-Cancer Void at a
distance of D12.65 Mpc from us. The stream, previously identified in deep
Large Binocular Telescope images as a diffuse low surface brightness structure,
is resolved into individual stars in the F606W (broad V) and F814W (I)
images acquired with the Wide Field Camera 3. The resulting V, I
color-magnitude diagram (CMD) of the resolved stars is dominated by old
(age1-2 Gyr) red giant branch (RGB) stars. From the observed RGB tip,
we conclude that the stream is at the same distance as DDO 68, confirming the
physical association with it. A synthetic CMD analysis indicates that the large
majority of the star formation activity in the stream occurred at epochs
earlier than 1 Gyr ago, and that the star formation at epochs more recent
than 500 Myr ago is compatible with zero. The total stellar mass of the
stream is , about 1/100 of that of DDO~68. This is a
striking example of hierarchical merging in action at the dwarf galaxy scales.Comment: ApJ in pres
Minimum error discrimination of Pauli channels
We solve the problem of discriminating with minimum error probability two
given Pauli channels. We show that, differently from the case of discrimination
between unitary transformations, the use of entanglement with an ancillary
system can strictly improve the discrimination, and any maximally entangled
state allows to achieve the optimal discrimination. We also provide a simple
necessary and sufficient condition in terms of the structure of the channels
for which the ultimate minimum error probability can be achieved without
entanglement assistance. When such a condition is satisfied, the optimal input
state is simply an eigenstate of one of the Pauli matrices.Comment: 8 pages, no figure
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