Combined observations of meteors by image-orthicon television camera and multi-station radar

Observations from multiple sites of a radar network and by television of 29 individual meteors from February 1969 through June 1970 are reported. Only 12 of the meteors did not appear to fragment over all the observed portion of their trajectories. From these 12, the relation for the radar magnitude to the panchromatic absolute magnitude was found in terms of velocity of the meteor. A very tentative fit to the data on the duration of long enduring echoes versus visual absolute magnitude is made. The exponential decay characteristics of the later parts of several of the light curves are pointed out as possible evidence of mutual coalescence of droplets into which the meteoroid has completely broken

Asymptotic stability of the Cauchy and Jensen functional equations

The aim of this note is to investigate the asymptotic stability behaviour of the Cauchy and Jensen functional equations. Our main results show that if these equations hold for large arguments with small error, then they are also valid everywhere with a new error term which is a constant multiple of the original error term. As consequences, we also obtain results of hyperstability character for these two functional equations

Intercalation of graphene on SiC(0001) via ion-implantation

Electronic devices based on graphene technology are catching on rapidly and the ability to engineer graphene properties at the nanoscale is becoming, more than ever, indispensable. Here, we present a new procedure of graphene functionalization on SiC(0001) that paves the way towards the fabrication of complex graphene electronic chips. The procedure resides on the well-known ion-implantation technique. The efficiency of the working principle is demonstrated by the intercalation of the epitaxial graphene layer on SiC(0001) with Bi atoms, which was not possible following standard procedures. Our results put forward the ion-beam lithography to nanostructure and functionalize desired graphene chips

Grid services for the MAGIC experiment

Exploring signals from the outer space has become an observational science under fast expansion. On the basis of its advanced technology the MAGIC telescope is the natural building block for the first large scale ground based high energy gamma-ray observatory. The low energy threshold for gamma-rays together with different background sources leads to a considerable amount of data. The analysis will be done in different institutes spread over Europe. Therefore MAGIC offers the opportunity to use the Grid technology to setup a distributed computational and data intensive analysis system with the nowadays available technology. Benefits of Grid computing for the MAGIC telescope are presented.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figures, to be published in the Proceedings of the 6th International Symposium ''Frontiers of Fundamental and Computational Physics'' (FFP6), Udine (Italy), Sep. 26-29, 200

A defective ABC transporter of the MRP family, responsible for the bean lpa1 mutation, affects the regulation of the phytic acid pathway, reduces seed myo-inositol and alters ABA sensitivity

We previously identified the lpa1 (low phytic acid) 280-10 line that carries a mutation conferring a 90% reduction in phytic acid (InsP6) content. In contrast to other lpa mutants, lpa1(280-10) does not display negative pleiotropic effects. In the present paper, we have identified the mutated gene and analysed its impact on the phytic acid pathway. Here, we mapped the lpa1(280-10) mutation by bulk analysis on a segregating F2 population, an then, by comparison with the soybean genome, we identified and sequenced a candidate gene. The InsP6 pathway was analysed by gene expression and quantification of metabolites. The mutated Pvmrp1(280-10) cosegregates with the lpa1(280-10) mutation, and the expression level of several genes of the InsP6 pathway are reduced in the lpa1(280-10) mutant as well as the inositol and raffinosaccharide content. PvMrp2, a very similar paralogue of PvMrp1 was also mapped and sequenced. The lpa1 mutation in beans is likely the result of a defective Mrp1 gene (orthologous to the lpa genes AtMRP5 and ZmMRP4), while its Mrp2 paralog is not able to complement the mutant phenotype in the seed. This mutation appears to down-regulate the InsP6 pathway at the transcriptional level, as well as altering inositol-related metabolism and affecting ABA sensitivity

Direct evidence for efficient ultrafast charge separation in epitaxial WS2_2/graphene heterostructure

We use time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (tr-ARPES) to investigate ultrafast charge transfer in an epitaxial heterostructure made of monolayer WS$_2$ and graphene. This heterostructure combines the benefits of a direct gap semiconductor with strong spin-orbit coupling and strong light-matter interaction with those of a semimetal hosting massless carriers with extremely high mobility and long spin lifetimes. We find that, after photoexcitation at resonance to the A-exciton in WS$_2$, the photoexcited holes rapidly transfer into the graphene layer while the photoexcited electrons remain in the WS$_2$ layer. The resulting charge transfer state is found to have a lifetime of $\sim1$\,ps. We attribute our findings to differences in scattering phase space caused by the relative alignment of WS$_2$ and graphene bands as revealed by high resolution ARPES. In combination with spin-selective excitation using circularly polarized light the investigated WS$_2$/graphene heterostructure might provide a new platform for efficient optical spin injection into graphene.Comment: 28 pages, 14 figure

INCIDENCE OF PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS IN PALERMO: PRELIMINARY DATA

Background: The incidence of psychotic disorders varies in different geographical areas (McGrath 2004). Recent data suggest that the incidence is higher in males, migrant minorities and in urban areas. There aren\u2019t many available epidemiological data on the incidence of psychotic disorders in Italy. This is the first incidence study on psychotic disorders carried out in Palermo, the capital of Sicily. Methods: we screened all patients presenting with their first episode of psychosis to the mental health services of our catchment area (5 inpatient, 5 outpatient units and 3 private psychiatric hospitals) over a period of three years (2008-2011). The diagnosis of psychosis was defined using the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN Wing, J. K., et al., 1990).The main socio-demographic data were collected using the MRC Social Data Schedule. When subjects were not available (did not consent) for interview, information was collected from clinical notes. The population at risk referred to the people aged from 18-65 who were resident in the same catchment area (Palermo Municipality) in the period considered, according to the data of the Statistic Office of Palermo Municipality). Results: we identified 216 patients affected by a first episode of psychosis (FEP): 135 M (62.5%) and 81 F (37.5%), mean age 31.42 years (SD: 11.44). 77.1% of FEP had a diagnosis of non affective psychosis, 12.8% of affective psychosis and 10.1% received a diagnosis of other psychosis. 204 subjects were Caucasian, 12 non Caucasian belonging to various ethnicities and they were all first generation migrants (4 Indian, 3 African, 2 Bangladeshi, and 3 Mixed). Population at risk is 425.194 people. The mean age of onset was lower in men than women M: 29.98 years (SD: 10.41) vs. F: 34.28 (SD:12.64) (p=0.013)The incidence of psychotic disorders in our catchment area is 16,9 per 100.000 person years. It was higher in men 21,9 per 100.000 than women 12,2 per 100.000. Discussion: Our study is the first epidemiological study in Sicily investigating the incidence of psychotic disorders. In our population men have a higher incidence of psychotic disorders than women and an earlier age of onset