Antimicrobial‐Resistant Enterococcus spp. in Wild Avifauna from Central Italy

Bacteria of the genus Enterococcus are opportunistic pathogens, part of the normal intestinal microflora of animals, able to acquire and transfer antimicrobial resistance genes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible role of wild avifauna as a source of antimicrobial‐resistant enterococci. To assess this purpose, 103 Enterococcus spp. strains were isolated from the feces of wild birds of different species; they were tested for antimicrobial resistance against 21 molecules, vancomycin resistance, and high‐level aminoglycosides resistance (HLAR). Furthermore, genes responsible for vancomycin, tetracycline, and HLAR were searched. E. faecium was the most frequently detected species (60.20% of isolates), followed by E. faecalis (34.95% of isolates). Overall, 99.02% of the isolated enterococci were classified as multidrug‐resistant, with 19.41% extensively drug‐resistant, and 2.91% possible pan drug-resistant strains. Most of the isolates were susceptible to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (77.67%) and ampicillin (75.73%), with only 5.83% of isolates showing an ampicillin MIC ≥ 64 mg/L. HLAR was detected in 35.92% of isolates, mainly associated with the genes ant(6)‐Ia and aac(6′)‐Ie‐aph(2′’)‐Ia. Few strains (4.85%) were resistant to vancomycin, and the genes vanA and vanB were not detected. A percentage of 54.37% of isolates showed resistance to tetracycline; tet(M) was the most frequently detected gene in these strains. Wild birds may contribute to the spreading of antimicrobial‐resistant enterococci, which can affect other animals and humans. Constant monitoring is essential to face up to the evolving antimicrobial resistance issue, and monitoring programs should include wild avifauna, to

Vino e Ambiente: sostenibilità e qualità primaria nel sottobacino Iudeo-Bucari (TP).

In questa raccolta di scritti, vengono riportati i risultati dell’attività di ricerca realizzata con la collaborazione della cantina UVAM e dell’Istituto Regionale Vino e Olio di Sicili

Spin-Peierls transitions in magnetic donor-acceptor compounds of tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) with bisdithiolene metal complexes

The spin-Peierls transition is considered as a progressive spin-lattice dimerization occurring below a transition temperature in a system of one-dimensional antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chains. In the simplest theories, the transition is second order and the ground state is a singlet with a magnetic gap. The historical origins and theoretical development of the concept are examined. Magnetic susceptibility and EPR measurements on the π-donor-acceptor compounds TTF·MS4C4(CF3)4 (M=Cu, Au; TTF is tetrathiafulvalene) are reported. These compounds exhibit clearly the characteristics of the spin-Peierls transition in reasonably good agreement with a mean-field theory. The susceptibility of each compound has a broad maximum near 50 K, while the transitions occur at 12 and 2.1 K for M=Cu and Au, respectively. EPR linewidth observations over a broad temperature range are examined. Areas for further experimental and theoretical work are indicated, and a critical comparison is made of related observations on other materials

Observation of a Spin-Peierls Transition in a Heisenberg Antiferromagnetic Linear-Chain System

Magnetic-susceptibility and EPR measurements are reported which provide the first unambiguous evidence for a spin-Peierls transition in a system of linear one-dimensional antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chains. The material studied is TTFCuS4C4(CF3)4 (TFF stands for tetrathiafulvalinium). At 12 K, the spin-lattice system undergoes a second-order phase transition to a singlet ground state

Le prove di vinificazione della cultivar grillo su tre vigneti sperimentali site nel sottobacino Iudeo - Bucari (TP).

Gli Autori, dopo aver descrittole caratteristiche ambientali del sottobacino Iudeo Bucari e l’attività agricola prevalentemente legataalla vitivinicoltura, descrivono alcune prove di vinificazione di uve Grillo provenienti da tre vignesite nel sottobacino Iudeo – Bucari gestite in modo ordinario, delle quali si è monitorata la maturazione delle uve. L'obiettivo è quello di caratterizzare il prodotto vino ottenuto attraverso una tecnica di vinificazione uniforme ed ordinaria nella zona, ma che mira a mettere in evidenza la diversa qualità tecnologica delle uve utilizzate espressione dicontesti eco-pedologici diversi

Thermal and magnetic study of exchange in the quasi-1-D molecular compound, TTF⋅PtS\u3csub\u3e4\u3c/sub\u3eC\u3csub\u3e4\u3c/sub\u3e(CF\u3csub\u3e3\u3c/sub\u3e)\u3csub\u3e4\u3c/sub\u3e

Single crystalmagnetic susceptibility results from 2.5 K to 270 K and specific heat results from 3 K to 16 K are reported for TTF⋅PtS4C4(CF3)4, (TTF=tetrathiafulvalene). The combined results are analyzed using a simple model which ignores differences between the two types of S=1/2 spin carriers and involves a system of ferromagnetic chains treated ’’exactly’’, with interchain antiferromagnetic interaction evaluated in a mean field approximation. Above an apparent ordering transition at 8 K, the susceptibility is well described by the model irrespective of whether the ferromagnetic exchange is Heisenberg, Ising or intermediate to these. The magnetic contribution to the specific heat is obtained using earlier results for the isostructural Au compound. Comparison with specific heat calculations for the Heisenberg, Ising and intermediate cases successfully narrows the ambiguity to an intermediate anisotropic exchange close to the Heisenberg limit

Gaze prediction using machine learning for dynamic stereo manipulation in games.

Comfortable, high-quality 3D stereo viewing is becoming a requirement for interactive applications today. Previous research shows that manipulating disparity can alleviate some of the discomfort caused by 3D stereo, but it is best to do this locally, around the object the user is gazing at. The main challenge is thus to develop a gaze predictor in the demanding context of real-time, heavily task-oriented applications such as games. Our key observation is that player actions are highly correlated with the present state of a game, encoded by game variables. Based on this, we train a classifier to learn these correlations using an eye-tracker which provides the ground-truth object being looked at. The classifier is used at runtime to predict object category - and thus gaze - during game play, based on the current state of game variables. We use this prediction to propose a dynamic disparity manipulation method, which provides rich and comfortable depth. We evaluate the quality of our gaze predictor numerically and experimentally, showing that it predicts gaze more accurately than previous approaches. A subjective rating study demonstrates that our localized disparity manipulation is preferred over previous methods

CAVE Size Matters: Effects of Screen Distance and Parallax on Distance Estimation in Large Immersive Display Setups

International audienceWhen walking within a CAVE-like system, accommodation distance, parallax and angular resolution vary according to the distance between the user and the projection walls which can alter spatial perception. As these systems get bigger, there is a need to assess the main factors influencing spatial perception in order to better design immersive projection systems and virtual reality applications. Such analysis is key for application domains which require the user to explore virtual environments by moving through the physical interaction space. In this article we present two experiments which analyze distance perception when considering the distance towards the projection screens and parallax as main factors. Both experiments were conducted in a large immersive projection system with up to ten meter interaction space. The first experiment showed that both the screen distance and parallax have a strong asymmetric effect on distance judgments. We observed increased underestimation for positive parallax conditions and slight distance overestimation for negative and zero parallax conditions. The second experiment further analyzed the factors contributing to these effects and confirmed the observed effects of the first experiment with a high-resolution projection setup providing twice the angular resolution and improved accommodative stimuli. In conclusion, our results suggest that space is the most important characteristic for distance perception, optimally requiring about 6 to 7-meter distance around the user, and virtual objects with high demands on accurate spatial perception should be displayed at zero or negative parallax