Hematocrit: another important factor in systemic neonatal cardiovascular adaptation

Background: Global cardiovascular adaptation of normal healthy term newborns is rarely studied from a multiorgan and hematological point of view. Aims: To evaluate comprehensive neonatal cardiovascular adaptation during the first days of life with echocardiography and renal-cerebral echo color-Doppler and to correlate it with hematocrit (Ht) changes. Study design: A prospective observational study was conducted on 35 healthy term neonates with a mean ± SD gestational age and birth weight of 39.5 ± 1.1 weeks and 3,400 ± 330 g, respectively. All infants underwent serial echocardiograms at 15 ± 4 hours (day 1) and 72 ± 4 hours (day 3) of age. At the same time, cerebral and renal Doppler parameters were acquired and Ht was sampled. Results: The weight and Ht declined by 220 g (189-251) and 8.1% (6.7-9.5), respectively. Systolic and diastolic diameters of the right ventricle and diastolic left ventricle posterior wall thickness showed a reduction, while the diastolic diameter of the left ventricle showed a small increase. The Doppler cardiac evaluation showed an increase in the mitral E/A ratio and pulmonary acceleration time, a reduction of late transmitral flow peak velocity, aortic peak systolic velocity (PSV), aortic peak systolic pressure gradient, aortic velocity-time integral, aortic mean pressure gradient and pulmonary mean acceleration. We also found a reduction of cerebral resistance parameters and an increase in PSV, end-diastolic velocity, and time-averaged velocity. Other measured parameters remained unchanged. Conclusion: Systemic cardiovascular evaluation about changes in Ht is an essential approach to study newborns, especially during the first days of life when Ht shows a significant decrease. Knowledge of the laws of physics related to the effect of Ht changes on vascular parameters is another important factor in understanding the pathophysiology of neonatal disease states. Further studies are useful to help physicians make evidence-based decisions in the management of newborns in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs)

Modern hardware technologies and software techniques for online database storage and access.

Computerized data processing applications have grown over the past thirty years to a point where they have now become a pervasive influence in our society. As the range of applications has grown, a continuing concern has been the cost and access time of data storage. A wide range of technologies have been investigated to address this problem. The purpose of this thesis is to examine high-volume, on-line storage media of current and emerging technologies and software techniques for supporting these on-line, high capacity storage media. In the first part, we analyze such media as vertical magnetic recording, thin film media, optical data disks, magneto-optic disks, bubble and Bernoulli-effect disks. Then, comparisons and evaluations of products and product categories are illustrated. In the second part, we review the modern software technologies for on-line database storage and access.http://archive.org/details/modernhardwarete00feudMajor, United States ArmyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Fenotipizzazione di varietà di olivo in relazione alla composizione acidica

Il germoplasma olivicolo è caratterizzato da ampia variabilità genetica. Di fatto, solo tra le varietà italiane, sono state descritte almeno 628 cultivar, comprendenti anche alcune varianti clonali, la cui esatta individuazione e descrizione vengono rese difficoltose dalla presenza di numerosi casi di sinonimia e omonimia. Alcuni autori ritengono che la caratterizzazione molecolare non sia esaustiva o completamente efficace e che pertanto, ai fini della discriminazione varietale, occorra associare la descrizione morfo bioagronomica. Essendo la maggior parte dei caratteri agronomici e di importanza economica in varia misura condizionati dall’ambiente e dalle tecniche di coltivazione, per poter valutarne la componente genotipica è necessario disporre di germoplasma allevato in condizioni pedoclimatiche e colturali uniformi. In questo studio sono state prese in considerazione 96 varietà di olivo presenti presso il campo collezione di Mirto Crosia (CS) del CRA- OLI per le quali è stata determinata la composizione acidica per i principali acidi grassi (Acido palmitico, Acido stearico, Acido Oleico, Acido linoleico, Acido α-linolenico) per un periodo di 3 anni. E’ stato calcolato il grado di correlazione tra gli acidi grassi e valutato l’effetto genotipico sulla composizione acidica utilizzando un’analisi della varianza multivariata (MANOVA 50-50). I risultati mostrano un livello di correlazione negativo statisticamente significativo tra acido palmitico e l’acido oleico e tra l’acido oleico e l’acido linoleico, mentre l’effetto genotipico sulla composizione acidica è risultato altamente significativo. I risultati ottenuti rappresentano uno strumento molto utile per integrare gli studi di genetica molecolare, quali studi di associazione, nonché, unitamente ad altri descrittori, per l’identificazione genetica delle varietà

Geochemical caper fingerprints as a tool for geographical origin identification

The identification of geographical origin of food products is important for both consumers and producers to ensure quality and avoid label falsifications. The caper plant (Capparis spinosa L., Brassicales Capparidaceae), a xerophytic shrub common in the Mediterranean area, produces buds and fruits that are commercialized in brine at high price. Those grown in Italy in the Aeolian Islands are renowned for their high quality. This study is aimed to establish a correlation between the geological and geochemical features of soil and the chemical composition of caper buds grown in two Aeolian Islands, Lipari and Salina. Major and trace elements were investigated by X-ray fluorescence and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry in soil and caper samples from three localities in Lipari and Salina, and data from the three sites were compared by a nonparametric test, a correlation test and multivariate statistics (principal component analysis). The results allowed to discriminate soils according to geolithological characteristics of each area and detect a statistically significant correspondence between soil and caper samples for the elements Co, Fe, Mg and Rb, identifying thus possible geochemical caper fingerprints of origin. These results may also be useful to protect the high quality of Aeolian caper products by a suitable ‘‘Made in Italy’’ trademark and avoid falsifications and frauds

Multielemental fingerprinting as a tool for authentication of organic wheat, barley, faba bean and potato

The multielemental composition of organic and conventional winter wheat, spring barley, faba bean, and potato was analyzed with inductively coupled plasma−optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and −mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The crops were cultivated in two years at three geographically different field locations, each accommodating one conventional and two organic cropping systems. The conventional system produced the highest harvest yields for all crops except the nitrogen-fixing faba bean, whereas the dry matter content of each crop was similar across systems. No systematic differences between organic and conventional crops were found in the content of essential plant nutrients when statistically analyzed individually. However, chemometric analysis of multielemental fingerprints comprising up to 14 elements allowed discrimination. The discrimination power was further enhanced by analysis of up to 25 elements derived from semiquantitative ICP-MS. It is concluded that multielemental fingerprinting with semiquantitative ICP-MS and chemometrics has the potential to enable authentication of organic crops

EARLINET instrument intercomparison campaigns: Overview on strategy and results

This paper introduces the recent European Aerosol Research Lidar Network (EARLINET) quality-assurance efforts at instrument level. Within two dedicated campaigns and five single-site intercomparison activities, 21 EARLINET systems from 18 EARLINET stations were intercompared between 2009 and 2013. A comprehensive strategy for campaign setup and data evaluation has been established. Eleven systems from nine EARLINET stations participated in the EARLINET Lidar Intercomparison 2009 (EARLI09). In this campaign, three reference systems were qualified which served as traveling standards thereafter. EARLINET systems from nine other stations have been compared against these reference systems since 2009.We present and discuss comparisons at signal and at product level from all campaigns for more than 100 individual measurement channels at the wavelengths of 355, 387, 532, and 607 nm. It is shown that in most cases, a very good agreement of the compared systems with the respective reference is obtained. Mean signal deviations in predefined height ranges are typically below +- 2 %. Particle backscatter and extinction coefficients agree within +-2x10-4 km-1 sr-1 and +-0.01 km-1, respectively, in most cases. For systems or channels that showed larger discrepancies, an in-depth analysis of deficiencies was performed and technical solutions and upgrades were proposed and realized. The intercomparisons have reinforced confidence in the EARLINET data quality and allowed us to draw conclusions on necessary system improvements for some instruments and to identify major challenges that need to be tackled in the future.Geoscience and Remote SensingCivil Engineering and Geoscience