Electric-Field Gradient at Cd Impurities in In2o3. A FLAPW Study

We report an ab initio study of the electric-field gradient tensor (EFG) at Cd impurities located at both inequivalent cationic sites in the semiconductor In2O3. Calculations were performed with the FLAPW method, that allows us to treat the electronic structure of the doped system and the atomic relaxations introduced by the impurities in the host lattice in a fully self-consistent way. From our results for the EFG (in excellent agreement with the experiments), it is clear that the problem of the EFG at impurities in In2O3 cannot be described by the point-charge model and antishielding factors.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, and 2 table

RENDICONTO SULL’ATTIVITA’ DI SORVEGLIANZA SVOLTA NEL 2008 (1 Gennaio – 31 Dicembre 2008)MISURE GRAVIMETRICHE AI CAMPI FLEGREI

Nel 2008 sono state effettuate due campagne gravimetriche ai Campi Flegrei; la prima nel mese di febbraio, la seconda dal 20 ottobre al 11 novembre. In entrambre le campagne le misure sono state rilevate sull’intera rete che, nel corso della secondo rilevamento, è stata amplianta con l’istituzione di due nuovi vertici posizionati lungo la linea costiera, e precisamente tra le stazioni di Bagnoli e La Pietra

RENDICONTO SULL’ATTIVITA’ DI SORVEGLIANZA SVOLTA NEL 2008 (1 Gennaio – 31 Dicembre 2008) MISURE GRAVIMETRICHE AL VESUVIO

Nel corso del 2008 sono state eseguite due campagne gravimetriche nell’area vesuviana; la prima nel mese di aprile, la seconda a cavallo dei mesi di novembre e dicembre. In entrambe le campagne, i dati sono stati rilevati su 31 dei 32 vertici costituenti la rete in quanto la stazione “Baracche Forestali”, ubicata lungo la linea che corre all’interno della Forestale, è andata distrutta nel 2007 a causa di lavori di ripristino nell’area

Transcriptional regulation of ascorbic acid during fruit ripening in pepper (Capsicum annuum) varieties with low and high antioxidants content

Research on plant antioxidants, such as ascorbic acid (AsA) and polyphenols, is of increasing interest in plant science because of the health benefits and preventive role in chronic diseases of these natural compounds. Pepper (Capiscum annuum L.) is a major dietary source of antioxidants, especially AsA. Although considerable advance has been made, our understanding of AsA biosynthesis and its regulation in higher plants is not yet exhaustive. For instance, while it is accepted that AsA content in cells is regulated at different levels (e.g., transcriptional and post-transcriptional), their relative prominence is not fully understood. In this work, we identified and studied two pepper varieties with low and high levels of AsA to shed light on the transcriptional mechanisms that can account for the observed phenotypes. We quantified AsA and polyphenols in leaves and during fruit maturation, and concurrently, we analyzed the transcription of 14 genes involved in AsA biosynthesis, degradation, and recycling. The differential transcriptional analysis indicated that the higher expression of genes involved in AsA accumulation is a likely explanation for the observed differences in fruits. This was also supported by the identification of gene-metabolite relations, which deserve further investigation. Our results provide new insights into AsA differential accumulation in pepper varieties and highlight the phenotypic diversity in local germplasm, a knowledge that may ultimately contribute to the increased level of health-related phytochemicals

A new LC-MS/MS method for simultaneous and quantitative detection of bisphenol-a and steroids in target tissues: A power tool to characterize the interference of bisphenol-a exposure on steroid levels

Bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor, may affect in situ steroidogenesis and alter steroids levels. The present work proposes a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method to simultaneously quantify BPA, 17β-Estradiol and testosterone in two target tissues: testis and visceral fat mass. Analytes were isolated and lipophilic impurities removed by two serial steps: liquid-liquid and solid phase extraction. All compounds were separated in a single gradient run by Kinetex F5 column and detected via multiple reaction monitoring using a triple quadrupole with a TurboIon electrospray source in both negative and positive modes. The method is selective and very sensitive. In the investigated concentration range, the linearity of the detector response is verified in both tissues. The use of specific SPE cartridges for affinity chromatography purification allows obtaining high percentages of process efficiency (68.0-83.3% for testicular tissue; 63.7-70.7% for visceral fat mass). Good repeatability and reproducibility was observed. The validated method can be efficiently applied for direct biological monitoring in testis and visceral fat mass from mice exposed to BPA. The quantification of compounds in a single assay could be achieved without a loss of sensitivity

Inclusion of Linearized Moist Physics in Nasa's Goddard Earth Observing System Data Assimilation Tools

Inclusion of moist physics in the linearized version of a weather forecast model is beneficial in terms of variational data assimilation. Further, it improves the capability of important tools, such as adjoint-based observation impacts and sensitivity studies. A linearized version of the relaxed Arakawa-Schubert (RAS) convection scheme has been developed and tested in NASA's Goddard Earth Observing System data assimilation tools. A previous study of the RAS scheme showed it to exhibit reasonable linearity and stability. This motivates the development of a linearization of a near-exact version of the RAS scheme. Linearized large-scale condensation is included through simple conversion of supersaturation into precipitation. The linearization of moist physics is validated against the full nonlinear model for 6- and 24-h intervals, relevant to variational data assimilation and observation impacts, respectively. For a small number of profiles, sudden large growth in the perturbation trajectory is encountered. Efficient filtering of these profiles is achieved by diagnosis of steep gradients in a reduced version of the operator of the tangent linear model. With filtering turned on, the inclusion of linearized moist physics increases the correlation between the nonlinear perturbation trajectory and the linear approximation of the perturbation trajectory. A month-long observation impact experiment is performed and the effect of including moist physics on the impacts is discussed. Impacts from moist-sensitive instruments and channels are increased. The effect of including moist physics is examined for adjoint sensitivity studies. A case study examining an intensifying Northern Hemisphere Atlantic storm is presented. The results show a significant sensitivity with respect to moisture

Passive vibration control of tyres using embedded mechanical resonators

An investigation is carried out on structure-borne vibration and noise propagation of tyres’ models at low frequencies. The idea is to use embedded resonant meta-materials to damp the tyres’ vibrations and thus reduce the transferred energy to the main attached structures. A simplified tyre model is used, being the investigation of the effects of the embedded substructures the main target of the work; internal pressure and tyre rotation effects are neglected at this stage. Different configurations are tested targeting different natural modes of the tyre, while mechanical excitation is assumed on one section of the tyres. The results show how the proposed designs are a feasible solution for vibration control

Efecto de la gonadotrofina coriónica equina sobre el porcentaje de preñez y pérdidas embrionarias en vacas Braford

El objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar el efecto de la administración de gonadotrofina coriónica equina (eCG) en el momento de retirar un dispositivo intravaginal con progesterona (DISP) y/o 16 días posteriores a la inseminación artificial a tiempo fijo (IATF), sobre el porcentaje de preñez y la mortalidad embrionaria entre los días 30 y 55 post IATF en vacas Braford en pobre condición corporal (1,5 a 2, escala 1 a 5). Éstas (n=162) fueron distribuidas aleatoriamente a 4 grupos, grupo eCG0: El día -8 se colocó un DISP con 750 mg de progesterona más una inyección de 2 mg de benzoato de estradiol. El día 0 se retiró el DISP y se administraron 0,150 mg de cloprostenol sódico, 1 mg de cipionato de estradiol y 400 UI de eCG. Grupo eCG16: ídem tratamiento anterior excepto que las 400 UI de eCG se administraron el día 16. Grupo eCG0y16: ídem tratamiento eCG0, administrando además 400 UI de eCG en el día 16. Grupo control: ídem grupo eCG0 sin administrar eCG. La IATF se realizó a las 48-52 h post retiro del DISP. El diagnóstico de gestación se realizó a las 30 y 55 días post IATF. La administración de eCG en el día del retiro del DISP mejoró el porcentaje de preñez en los días 30 (49,4% vs. 28,8%) y 55 (48,1% vs. 26,3%) post IATF (p<0,05), independientemente si se utilizó o no eCG en el día 16. El porcentaje de mortalidad embrionaria no fue influenciado por la eCG. En conclusión, la administración de eCG en el momento de retirar un DISP en vacas con cría con pobre condición corporal (1,5 a 2) mejora el porcentaje de preñez a la IATF. El uso de la eCG en el día 16 post retiro del dispositivo no afecta la preñez. Las pérdidas embrionarias no se modifican al utilizar eCG.The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) at withdrawal of a progesterone intravaginal device (PID) and/or 16 days after fixed-time artificial insemination (FTAI) on pregnancy rate and embryo lost rate between days 30 and 55 after FTAI on suckled Braford beef cows of low corporal condition (1.5-2, scale 1-5). Cows (n=162) were randomly distributed to four treatments; group eCG0: on day -8 cows received a PID with 750 mg of progesterone (P4) plus 2 mg of estradiol benzoate (EB). On day 0 PID were removed and cows received 0.150 mg of cloprostenol, 1 mg of estradiol cypionate (ECP) and 400 IU of eCG. Group eCG16: cows received the same treatments than group eCG0, but eCG was administered on day 16. Group eCG0-16: cows received the same treatments than group eCG0, plus another injection of eCG on day 16. Control group: cows received the same treatments than group eCG0, without eCG. FTAI was performed 48-52 h after PID removal. Pregnancy diagnosis was performed by ultrasonography on days 30 and 55 after FTAI. The administration of eCG at PID removal enhanced pregnancy rate on days 30 (49.4% vs. 28.8%) and 55 (48.1% vs. 26.3%) (p<0.05) and have no effect on pregnancy loses. In conclusion, administration of eCG at the moment of PID removal in suckled beef cows of low corporal condition (1.5-2) increased pregnancy rate at FTAI. Administration of eCG 16 days after FTAI do not affect pregnancy rate; eCG do not affect pregnancy loses

Simulating the sound transmission loss of complex curved panels with attached noise control materials using periodic cell wavemodes

International audienceThe sound transmission loss of complex curved aircraft panels under diffuse acoustic field excitation is experimentally and numerically studied. Two different aircraft sidewall panels are considered: a thick composite sandwich panel and a thin aluminium panel with stiffening elements (stringers and frames). Both bare configuration and with attached soundproofing material are tested in laboratory conditions in coupled rooms. The numerical approach relies on a wave finite element method including modal order reduction at cell scale and an extension based on the transfer matrix method, for the inclusion of poroelastic treatments. The results obtained show that the proposed numerical scheme is efficient for predicting the sound transmission loss of such complex structures