efficiency and safety of human reproductive cell tissue vitrification

Vitrification is a cryopreservation technique increasingly applied in clinical practice for cells and tissue. This review article focuses mainly on the efficiency of vitrification of human reproductive cells and tissue, by analysing the clinical results reported in the literature. The second aspect discussed is safety of vitrification procedure. Different procedures and different types of carriers can be used, and in some cases vitrification requires a direct contact between cell/tissue/carrier and liquid nitrogen; this causes concern regarding the safety of this cryopreservation technique. Although the risk of contamination during cryopreservation remains negligible, this article explains how to overcome the hypothetical risk of contamination when using different types of vitrification carriers, in order to satisfy all existing directives

A study on the risk of subaortic and pulmonic stenosis and on genetic aspects of echocardiography measurements in the Italian Boxer dog

Subaortic and pulmonic stenosis are congenital cardiac defects affecting several dog breeds (Jacobs, 1990; Buchanan, 1992; Tidholm, 1997). Subaortic stenosis (SAS) is characterized by a fibrous ring of tissue placed immediately below the aortic valve

The application of the Boolean Stochastic Generation Method to model seepage under levees in heterogeneous soils

Soil heterogeneity plays an important role in incrementing the uncertainty about the reliability of geotechnical engineering works, especially levees. The presence of thin layers of soils more permeable than the surrounding matrix significantly changes the seepage flow net below and within the dike. However, the detection of these layers is extremely difficult. Consequently, to evaluate the overall safety of dikes it may be useful to adopt stochastic computation methods. The paper presents the calibration of a seepage model of an operational river embankment subject to sand boils. The levee, located along the Adige River (South Tyrol, Italy), has been monitored since 2016. Piezometers and spot temperature sensors are installed in the lateral banks while a distributed fiber optic sensors (FOS), buried in a 350 m long trench at the toe of the levee, is used to check temperature distribution in the subground. The Boolean Stochastic Generation (BoSG) method addresses the influence of layers of material with different properties with respect of the surrounding soil. 360 soil configurations were generated for a two-dimensional groundwater flow model of the levee and confronted with the monitoring data of two piezometers. This analysis permits to identify the configuration that has effects more congruent with piezometers data, which in this case is a configuration with a major presence of lenses on the waterside respect the field-side. This evidence could guide strategies for remedial works

A new FSA approach for in situ γ\gamma-ray spectroscopy

An increasing demand of environmental radioactivity monitoring comes both from the scientific community and from the society. This requires accurate, reliable and fast response preferably from portable radiation detectors. Thanks to recent improvements in the technology, $\gamma$-spectroscopy with sodium iodide scintillators has been proved to be an excellent tool for in-situ measurements for the identification and quantitative determination of $\gamma$-ray emitting radioisotopes, reducing time and costs. Both for geological and civil purposes not only $^{40}$K, $^{238}$U, and $^{232}$Th have to be measured, but there is also a growing interest to determine the abundances of anthropic elements, like $^{137}$Cs and $^{131}$I, which are used to monitor the effect of nuclear accidents or other human activities. The Full Spectrum Analysis (FSA) approach has been chosen to analyze the $\gamma$-spectra. The Non Negative Least Square (NNLS) and the energy calibration adjustment have been implemented in this method for the first time in order to correct the intrinsic problem related with the $\chi ^2$ minimization which could lead to artifacts and non physical results in the analysis. A new calibration procedure has been developed for the FSA method by using in situ $\gamma$-spectra instead of calibration pad spectra. Finally, the new method has been validated by acquiring $\gamma$-spectra with a 10.16 cm x 10.16 cm sodium iodide detector in 80 different sites in the Ombrone basin, in Tuscany. The results from the FSA method have been compared with the laboratory measurements by using HPGe detectors on soil samples collected in the different sites, showing a satisfactory agreement between them. In particular, the $^{137}$Cs isotopes has been implemented in the analysis since it has been found not negligible during the in-situ measurements.Comment: accepted by Science of Total Environment: 8 pages, 10 figures, 3 table

On Sylow normalizers of finite groups

Electronic version of an article published as Journal of Algebra and Its Applications Vol. 13, No. 3 (2014) 1350116 (20 pages). DOI 10.1142/S0219498813501168. © [copyright World Scientific Publishing Company] http://www.worldscientific.com/[EN] The paper considers the influence of Sylow normalizers, i.e. normalizers of Sylow subgroups, on the structure of finite groups. In the universe of finite soluble groups it is known that classes of groups with nilpotent Hall subgroups for given sets of primes are exactly the subgroup- closed saturated formations satisfying the following property: a group belongs to the class if and only if its Sylow normalizers do so. The paper analyzes the extension of this research to the universe of all finite groups.The second and third authors have been supported by Proyecto MTM2010-19938C03-02, Ministerio de Econom ia y Competitividad, Spain. The first author would like to thank the Universitat de Valencia and the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia for their warm hospitality during the preparation of this paper. He has been also supported by RFBR Project 13-01-00469.Kazarin, L.; Martínez Pastor, A.; Perez Ramos, MD. (2014). On Sylow normalizers of finite groups. Journal of Algebra and Its Applications. 13(3):1-20. https://doi.org/10.1142/S0219498813501168S12013

49Cr: Towards full spectroscopy up to 4 MeV

The nucleus 49Cr has been studied analysing gamma-gamma coincidences in the reaction 46Ti(alpha,n)49Cr at the bombarding energy of 12 MeV. The level scheme has been greatly extended at low excitation energy and several new lifetimes have been determined by means of the Doppler Shift Attenuation Method. Shell model calculations in the full pf configuration space reproduce well negative-parity levels. Satisfactory agreement is obtained for positive parity levels by extending the configuration space to include a nucleon-hole either in the 1d3/2 or in the 2s1/2 orbitals. A nearly one-to-one correspondence is found between experimental and theoretical levels up to an excitation energy of 4 MeV. Experimental data and shell model calculations are interpreted in terms of the Nilsson diagram and the particle-rotor model, showing the strongly coupled nature of the bands in this prolate nucleus. Nine values of K(pi) are proposed for the levels observed in this experiment. As a by-result it is shown that the values of the experimental magnetic moments in 1f7/2 nuclei are well reproduced without quenching the nucleon g-factors.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figure

Corn and grass integrated system fertilized with multiple nutrients source.

Providing an adequate nutrients supply is important for high yields in crop-livestock integrated systems (CLIS). This research aims to evaluate K sources fertilizer's effect on corn Piatã grass yield and nutritional status in the CLFIS. A two-growing season field experiment was carried out in a Typic Hapludox. The CLFIS was sown with corn together with Piatã grass. Treatments comprised two K sources: polyhalite (14%-K2O, 19%-S, 3.6%-Mg, and 12.1%-Ca), and KCl (60% K2O) and five ratios of polyhalite: KCl (0:100%; 12.5:87.5%; 50:50%; 87.5:12.5%; 100%) and a control. The treatments were applied in the sowing and topdressing fertilization of corn. Piatã grass used residual soil fertilization for growth. The best results of corn dry matter yield and Piatã grass were obtained with polyhalite ratios. These values were significantly (p<0.05) higher than the best yield obtained in control (without fertilization). The treatments were also efficient in increasing S in soil and exporting K, Mg, and S by corn. This study showed polyhalite as an alternative source of K, Ca, Mg, and S and can meet the nutritional requirements of annual crops and pastures in a CLIFS.WCCLF. Evento online