550 research outputs found

    Evaluating The Effects Of Different Vegetation Types On Necrophagous Fly Communities (diptera: Calliphoridae; Sarcophagidae): Implications For Conservation

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    The present study was conducted in five different phytogeographic zones of the Brazilian state of Maranhão, three of which (the Amazon Forest, Cerrado, and Palm Groves) are more heterogeneous, whereas the other two (Marshlands and Mangroves) are more homogeneous. In each zone, nine sites were visited for the collection of necrophagous flies using bait traps in 2010, 2011, and 2012. The calliphorid and sarcophagid communities observed at each site were compared in terms of species richness, composition, and abundance. The more heterogeneous zones had higher species richness, except in the case of the sarcophagids in the forest habitats. The calliphorids Chloroprocta idioidea (Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830), Mesembrinella bicolor (Fabricius, 1805), Hemilucilia semi-diaphana (Rondani, 1850) and Lucilia eximia (Wiedemann, 1819) were more closely associated with the Cerrado, Palm Grove and Amazon Forest zones, and Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius, 194) with the Mangrove. In the sarcophagids, Peckia (Euboettcheria) subducta (Lopes, 1935) and P. (Pattonella) palidipilosa (Curran & Walley, 1934) were associated with the Amazon Forest, and P. (Sarcodexia) lambens (Wiede-mann, 1830) and Tricharaea (Sarcophagula) occidua (Fabricius, 1794) with the Palm Grove and Cerrado zones. In the calliphorids, the greatest dissimilarity was recorded between the Amazon Forest and the Mangrove and Lowland grassland zones. In the sar-cophagids, by contrast, the greatest dissimilarities were recorded between the Amazon Forest and all the other four zones. In general, then, the phytogeographic zones with the highest environmental heterogeneity were characterized by the greatest species richness and abundance of necrophagous flies. © 2016 Pereira de Sousa et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.111

    Preliminary evaluation of SensHand V1 in assessing motor skills performance in Parkinson Disease

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    Nowadays, the increasing old population 65+ as well as the pace imposed by work activities lead to a high number of people that have particular injuries for limbs. In addition to persistent or temporary disabilities related to accidental injuries we must take into account that part of the population suffers from motor deficits of the hands due to stroke or diseases of various clinical nature. The most recurrent technological solutions to measure the rehabilitation or skill motor performance of the hand are glove-based devices, able to faithfully capture the movements of the hand and fingers. This paper presents a system for hand motion analysis based on 9-axis complete inertial modules and dedicated microcontroller which are fixed on fingers and forearm. The technological solution presented is able to track the patients' hand motions in real-time and then to send data through wireless communication reducing the clutter and the disadvantages of a glove equipped with sensors through a different technological structure. The device proposed has been tested in the study of Parkinson's disease

    Multiband study of RX J0838-2827 and XMM J083850.4-282759: A new asynchronous magnetic cataclysmic variable and a candidate transitional millisecond pulsar

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    Indexación: Scopus.In a search for the counterpart to the Fermi-LAT source 3FGL J0838.8-2829, we performed a multiwavelength campaign: in the X-ray band with Swift and XMM-Newton; in the infrared and optical with OAGH, ESO-NTT and IAC80; and in the radio with ATCA observations. We also used archival hard X-ray data obtained by INTEGRAL. We report on three X-ray sources consistent with the position of the Fermi-LAT source.We confirm the identification of the brightest object, RX J0838-2827, as a magnetic cataclysmic variable that we recognize as an asynchronous system (not associated with the Fermi-LAT source). RX J0838-2827 is extremely variable in the X-ray and optical bands, and timing analysis reveals the presence of several periodicities modulating its X-ray and optical emission. The most evident modulations are interpreted as being caused by the binary system orbital period of ~1.64 h and the white dwarf spin period of ~1.47 h. A strong flux modulation at ~15 h is observed at all energy bands, consistent with the beat frequency between spin and orbital periods. Optical spectra show prominent Hß, He I and He II emission lines that are Doppler-modulated at the orbital period and at the beat period. Therefore, RX J0838-2827 accretes through a disc-less configuration and could be either a strongly asynchronous polar or a rare example of a pre-polar system on its way to reaching synchronism. Regarding the other two X-ray sources, XMM J083850.4-282759 showed a variable X-ray emission, with a powerful flare lasting for ~600 s, similar to what is observed in transitional millisecond pulsars during the subluminous disc state: this observation possibly means that this source can be associated with the Fermi-LAT source. © 2017 The Authors.https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/471/3/2902/408195

    Exact solution of Schrodinger equation for Pseudoharmonic potential

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    Exact solution of Schrodinger equation for the pseudoharmonic potential is obtained for an arbitrary angular momentum. The energy eigenvalues and corresponding eigenfunctions are calculated by Nikiforov-Uvarov method. Wavefunctions are expressed in terms of Jacobi polynomials. The energy eigenvalues are calculated numerically for some values of l and n with n<5 for some diatomic molecules.Comment: 10 page

    Origin and Evolution of Saturn's Ring System

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    The origin and long-term evolution of Saturn's rings is still an unsolved problem in modern planetary science. In this chapter we review the current state of our knowledge on this long-standing question for the main rings (A, Cassini Division, B, C), the F Ring, and the diffuse rings (E and G). During the Voyager era, models of evolutionary processes affecting the rings on long time scales (erosion, viscous spreading, accretion, ballistic transport, etc.) had suggested that Saturn's rings are not older than 100 My. In addition, Saturn's large system of diffuse rings has been thought to be the result of material loss from one or more of Saturn's satellites. In the Cassini era, high spatial and spectral resolution data have allowed progress to be made on some of these questions. Discoveries such as the ''propellers'' in the A ring, the shape of ring-embedded moonlets, the clumps in the F Ring, and Enceladus' plume provide new constraints on evolutionary processes in Saturn's rings. At the same time, advances in numerical simulations over the last 20 years have opened the way to realistic models of the rings's fine scale structure, and progress in our understanding of the formation of the Solar System provides a better-defined historical context in which to understand ring formation. All these elements have important implications for the origin and long-term evolution of Saturn's rings. They strengthen the idea that Saturn's rings are very dynamical and rapidly evolving, while new arguments suggest that the rings could be older than previously believed, provided that they are regularly renewed. Key evolutionary processes, timescales and possible scenarios for the rings's origin are reviewed in the light of tComment: Chapter 17 of the book ''Saturn After Cassini-Huygens'' Saturn from Cassini-Huygens, Dougherty, M.K.; Esposito, L.W.; Krimigis, S.M. (Ed.) (2009) 537-57

    L&#8217;iperuricemia cronica con e senza deposito di urato

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    Background L\u2019iperuricemia cronica con e senza deposito di urato monosodico nei tessuti \ue8 una malattia sistemica e pu\uf2 essere considerata un fattore di rischio indipendente per lo sviluppo di molteplici complicanze quali sindrome metabolica, ipertensione, malattia cardiovascolare e malattia renale. In Italia, si calcola che le persone affette da iperuricemia cronica con e senza deposito di urato siano circa 1 milione, ma il dato \ue8 probabilmente sottovalutato. L\u2019impatto economico della patologia non \ue8 quindi trascurabile e la sua valutazione assume sempre pi\uf9 importanza sia in termini di costi diretti che di costi indiretti dovuti alle complicanze dell\u2019iperuricemia cronica. Queste brevi premesse sono sufficienti per comprendere come la gestione del paziente con iperuricemia meriti un approfondimento e riflessione multidisciplinare al fine di migliorare il processo clinico-assistenziale nelle diverse realt\ue0 regionali e a livello nazionale. Con questo obiettivo \ue8 stato sviluppato il progetto ARTU - Appraisal board Round Table for Uricemia, una tavola di lavoro multidisciplinare che si propone di valutare il quadro attuale e le prospettive future in ambito della gestione del paziente con iperuricemia, integrando, nel processo di miglioramento, le competenze di tutti i professionisti coinvolti. La tavola rotonda a livello lombardo ha unito i pareri e le competenze provenienti da clinici dalla medicina specialistica (cardiologia, nefrologia, geriatria), dalla medicina generale e dal mondo farmacoeconomico. La discussione \ue8 stata incentrata sull\u2019approfondimento e condivisione di contenuti di fondamentale importanza per la conoscenza e gestione della patologia, ed indirizzata a segnalare i punti pi\uf9 critici e quelli ancora interrogativi a cui trovare una risposta. In tal senso la redazione di un documento di consensus firmato da un team di Key Opinion Leader potrebbe essere un primo step significativo a livello nazionale. La tavola rotonda ha avuto quali temi cardine: gli aspetti epidemiologici della patologia, l\u2019analisi della letteratura scientifica a disposizione in merito all\u2019impatto clinico ed economico della patologia, la valutazione delle linee guida e raccomandazioni di riferimento disponibili, la diagnosi e terapia, gli aspetti pratici, organizzativi e farmacoeconomici

    Field Measurements of Terrestrial and Martian Dust Devils

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    Surface-based measurements of terrestrial and martian dust devils/convective vortices provided from mobile and stationary platforms are discussed. Imaging of terrestrial dust devils has quantified their rotational and vertical wind speeds, translation speeds, dimensions, dust load, and frequency of occurrence. Imaging of martian dust devils has provided translation speeds and constraints on dimensions, but only limited constraints on vertical motion within a vortex. The longer mission durations on Mars afforded by long operating robotic landers and rovers have provided statistical quantification of vortex occurrence (time-of-sol, and recently seasonal) that has until recently not been a primary outcome of more temporally limited terrestrial dust devil measurement campaigns. Terrestrial measurement campaigns have included a more extensive range of measured vortex parameters (pressure, wind, morphology, etc.) than have martian opportunities, with electric field and direct measure of dust abundance not yet obtained on Mars. No martian robotic mission has yet provided contemporaneous high frequency wind and pressure measurements. Comparison of measured terrestrial and martian dust devil characteristics suggests that martian dust devils are larger and possess faster maximum rotational wind speeds, that the absolute magnitude of the pressure deficit within a terrestrial dust devil is an order of magnitude greater than a martian dust devil, and that the time-of-day variation in vortex frequency is similar. Recent terrestrial investigations have demonstrated the presence of diagnostic dust devil signals within seismic and infrasound measurements; an upcoming Mars robotic mission will obtain similar measurement types
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