Constraining proximal grainsize distribution of tephra from paroxysmal eruptions at Etna volcano

This study examines proximal deposits associated with 17 lava fountains occurring at the South-East Crater between 16/02 and 1/04, 2021. This eruptive crisis gave rise to some of the most intense eruptions at Etna in the last decade. We studied products deposited from 1 to 3.2 km to the south of the vent. Tephra was preserved within and at the top of the snowpack and layers were correlated based on eruption chronology, remote sensing data on the plume dispersal, and precipitation chronology. The grainsize distribution of these proximal and ultra-proximal deposits is multimodal, with Mdɸ ranging from −2.79 and − 1.84, and σɸ 1.34 and 1.80. Refined data (50% of the main population range between Mdɸ −2.63 and − 1.63ɸ, and σɸ 1.01 and 1.41) were used in a comparative study with existing datasets for selected eruptions to assess the representativity of our data and define a Mdɸ/distance correlation along the dispersal axis. Finally, the contribution of proximal data on the total grainsize distribution suggest that they significantly affect the median grainsize values. A complete sampling could decrease it by up to 2 phi units when compared to distribution based only on medial to distal sampling. Results from this study reinforce the importance of collecting samples in proximal areas

A Fourier transform for sheaves on Lagrangian families of real tori

We systematically develop a transform of the Fourier-Mukai type for sheaves on symplectic manifolds $X$ of any dimension fibred in Lagrangian tori. One obtains a bijective correspondence between unitary local systems supported on Lagrangian submanifolds of $X$ and holomorphic vector bundles with compatible unitary connections supported on complex submanifolds of the relative Jacobian of $X$ (suitable conditions being verified on both sides).Comment: Latex, 30 pages (in a4wide format), no figures. v2: Minor expository changes, typos corrected. v3: Final version to appear in two parts in J. Geom. Phy

Complex Lagrangian embeddings of moduli spaces of vector bundles

By means of a Fourier-Mukai transform we embed moduli spaces of stable bundles on an algebraic curve C as isotropic subvarieties of moduli spaces of mu-stable bundles on the Jacobian variety J(C). When g(C)=2 this provides new examples of special Lagrangian submanifolds.Comment: 9 pages, no figures, to appear in Diff. Geom. App

Mechanochemical Preparation of Dipyridyl-Naphthalenediimide Cocrystals: Relative Role of Halogen-Bond and π-πInteractions

Naphthalenediimide derivates are a class of π-conjugated molecules largely investigated in the literature and used as building blocks for metal-organic frameworks or coformers for hydrogen-bond-based cocrystals. However, their tendency to establish halogen-bond interactions remains unexplored. By using a crystalline engineering approach, we report here four new cocrystals with N,N′-di(4-pyrydyl)-naphthalene-1,4,5,8-tetracarboxidiimide and diiodo-substituted coformers, easily obtained via a mechanochemical protocol. Cocrystals were characterized via NMR, electron ionization mass spectrometry, thermogravimetric analysis, powder X-ray diffraction, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Crystallographic structures were then finely examined and correlated with energy framework calculations to understand the relative contribution of halogen-bond and π-πinteractions toward framework stabilization

Sisters in structure but different in character, some benzaldehyde and cinnamaldehyde derivatives differentially tune Aspergillus flavus secondary metabolism

Great are the expectations for a new generation of antimicrobials, and strenuous are the research efforts towards the exploration of diverse molecular scaffolds—possibly of natural origin – aimed at the synthesis of new compounds against the spread of hazardous fungi. Also high but winding are the paths leading to the definition of biological targets specifically fitting the drug’s structural characteristics. The present study is addressed to inspect differential biological behaviours of cinnamaldehyde and benzaldehyde thiosemicarbazone scaffolds, exploiting the secondary metabolism of the mycotoxigenic phytopathogen Aspergillus flavus. Interestingly, owing to modifications on the parent chemical scaffold, some thiosemicarbazones displayed an increased specificity against one or more developmental processes (conidia germination, aflatoxin biosynthesis, sclerotia production) of A. flavus biology. Through the comparative analysis of results, the ligand-based screening strategy here described has allowed us to delineate which modifications are more promising for distinct purposes: from the control of mycotoxins contamination in food and feed commodities, to the environmental management of microbial pathogens, to the investigation of specific structure–activity features for new generation drug discovery

Effects of PARP-1 Deficiency on Th1 and Th2 Cell Differentiation

T cell differentiation to effector Th cells such as Th1 and Th2 requires the integration of multiple synergic and antagonist signals. Poly(ADP-ribosy)lation is a posttranslational modification of proteins catalyzed by Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs). Recently, many reports showed that PARP-1, the prototypical member of the PARP family, plays a role in immune/inflammatory responses. Consistently, its enzymatic inhibition confers protection in several models of immune-mediated diseases, mainly through an inhibitory effect on NF-κB (and NFAT) activation. PARP-1 regulates cell functions in many types of immune cells, including dendritic cells, macrophages, and T and B lymphocytes. Our results show that PARP-1KO cells displayed a reduced ability to differentiate in Th2 cells. Under both nonskewing and Th2-polarizing conditions, naïve CD4 cells from PARP-1KO mice generated a reduced frequency of IL-4+ cells, produced less IL-5, and expressed GATA-3 at lower levels compared with cells from wild type mice. Conversely, PARP-1 deficiency did not substantially affect differentiation to Th1 cells. Indeed, the frequency of IFN-γ+ cells as well as IFN-γ production, in nonskewing and Th1-polarizing conditions, was not affected by PARP-1 gene ablation. These findings demonstrate that PARP-1 plays a relevant role in Th2 cell differentiation and it might be a target to be exploited for the modulation of Th2-dependent immune-mediated diseases

The machine protection system for the ELI-NP gamma beam system

The new Gamma Beam System (GBS) of the ELI-NPproject [1], currently under installation in Magurele (RO)by INFN, as part of EuroGammas consortium, can providegamma rays that open new possibilities for nuclear photonicsand nuclear physics.ELI-NP gamma rays are produced by Compton back-scattering to get monochromaticity (0,1% bandwidth), highflux (1013photons), tunable direction and energy up to19.5 MeV. Such gamma beam is obtained when a high-intensity laser collides a high-brightness electron beam withenergies up to740 MeV, a repetition rate of100 Hz, withtrains of 32 bunches within the same RF bucket.An advanced Machine Protection System (MPS) has beendeveloped, in order to ensure proper operation for this chal-lenging facility. The MPS operates on different layers of thecontrol system and is interfaced with all its sub-systems. Forinstance, it comprises different kind of beam loss monitors(based on Cherenkov optical fiber), hall probes, fast currenttransformer together with BPMs, and an embedded systembased on FPGA with distributed I/O over EtherCAT, to mon-itor vacuum and RF systems [2], which require fast responseto be interlocked within one RF pulse

Beam manipulation for resonant plasma wakefield acceleration

Plasma-based acceleration has already proved the ability to reach ultra-high accelerating gradients. However the step towards the realization of a plasma-based accelerator still requires some e ff ort to guarantee high brightness beams, stability and reliability. A significant improvement in the efficiency of PWFA has been demonstrated so far accelerating a witness bunch in the wake of a higher charge driver bunch. The transformer ratio, therefore the energy transfer from the driver to the witness beam, can be increased by resonantly exciting the plasma with a properly pre-shaped drive electron beam. Theoretical and experimental studies of beam manipulation for resonant PWFA will be presented her