Tof ion spectra de convolution for lasergenerated plasmas

EnA study of different targets (Fe, Ti, Ni, Al2O3) ablation, in vacuum, by using a ns Nd:YAG laser radiation, 1064 nm and 532 nm (second harmonic) wavelengths, is reported. Laser pulse with high intensity generates a plasma at the target surface, with high non-isotropic emission of neutral and ion species, mainly emitted along the normal to the target surface. Time of flight (TOF) measurements are performed by using an ion collector consisting of a collimated Faraday cup placed along the normal to the target surface and an Ion Energy Analyzer (IEA) detector. The TOF spectra are converted as a function of the ions velocity and they are deconvolved for the various ion charge states by using the “Coulomb-Boltzmann shifted” function approach through the “Peakfit” mathematical code. The fit of the experimental distribution data permits to estimate the equivalent plasma temperature and the average energy shift of the distributions as a function of the ion charge state. This energy shift leads to the evaluation of the electric field producing the ion acceleration inside the plasma

Evaluation of drinking patterns and their impact on alcohol-related aggression: a national survey of adolescent behaviours

BACKGROUND: Although there have been a wide range of epidemiological studies examining the impact of patterns of alcohol consumption among adolescents, there remains considerable variability in both defining these patterns and the ability to comprehensively evaluate their relationship to behavioural patterns. This study explores a new procedure for defining and evaluating drinking patterns and integrating well-established indicators. The composite measure is then used to estimate the impact of these patterns on alcohol-related aggressive behaviour among Italian adolescents. METHODS: Data were collected as part of the 2011 European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs (ESPAD). A national sample of 14,199 students aged 15–19 years was collected using an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire completed in a classroom setting. Drinking patterns were established using principal component analysis. Alcohol-related aggression was analysed as to its relationship to patterns of drinking, behaviour of friends towards alcohol use, substance use/abuse, school performance, family relationships and leisure activities. RESULTS: Several specific drinking patterns were identified: “Drinking to Excess” (DE), “Drinking with Intoxication” (DI) and “Drinking but Not to Excess” (DNE). A higher percentage of males were involved in alcohol-related aggression compared with females. In males, the DE and DI patterns significantly increased the likelihood of alcohol-related aggression, whereas the DNE pattern was negatively associated. Similar results were found in females, although the DI pattern was not significantly associated with alcohol-related aggression. Overall, cigarette smoking, illegal drug use, truancy, limited parental monitoring, frequent evenings spent outside of the home and peer influence associated strongly with alcohol-related aggression. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that drinking patterns, as uniquely monitored with an integrated metric, can: 1) explain drinking habits better than commonly used indicators of alcohol use and 2) provide a better understanding of behavioural risks such as alcohol-related aggression. Environmental background also appears to strongly associate with this type of aggressive behaviour

Thermal stability landscape for Klenow DNA polymerase as a function of pH and salt concentration

The thermal denaturation of Klenow DNA polymerase has been characterized over a wide variety of solution conditions to obtain a relative stability landscape for the protein. Measurements were conducted utilizing a miniaturized fluorescence assay that measures Tm based on the increase in the fluorescence of 1,8-anilinonaphthalene sulfonate (ANS) when the protein denatures. The melting temperature (Tm) for Klenow increases as the salt concentration is increased and as the pH is decreased. Klenow\u27s Tm spans a range of over 20 °C, from 40 to 62 °C, depending upon the solution conditions. The landscape reconciles and extends previously measured Tm values for Klenow. Salt effects on the stability of Klenow show strong cation dependence overlaid onto a more typical Hofmeister anion type dependence. Cationic stabilization of proteins has been far less frequently documented than anionic stabilization. The monovalent cations tested stabilize Klenow with the following hierarchy: NH4+ \u3e Na+ \u3e Li+ \u3e K+. Of the divalent cations tested: Mg+2 and Mn+2 significantly stabilize the protein, while Ni+2 dramatically destabilizes the protein. Stability measurements performed in combined Mg+2 plus Na+ salts suggest that the stabilizing effects of these monovalent and divalent cations are synergistic. The cationic stabilization of Klenow can be well explained by a model postulating dampening of repulsion within surface anionic patches on the protein. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Evidence of lipofuscin accumulation in the deep-water red shrimp Aristaeomorpha foliacea (Risso, 1827)

Lipofuscin, a non-degradable, degenerative fluorescent pigment which accumulates in post-mitotic cells, represents a promising method for ageing marine crustaceans. The presence and accumulation of lipofuscin has been studied in the deep-water red shrimp Aristaeomorpha foliacea (Risso, 1827) to assess its use as a tool for ageing larger (i.e., older) specimens and thus improve knowledge of the growth and longevity of this species. Specimens, gathered during experimental trawl surveys carried out in the Strait of Sicily (Mediterranean Sea), were stored directly on-board in 10% buffered formaldehyde solution; their brain was thereafter removed, prepared with various current histological techniques and examined with a binocular microscope. Thin sections of the olfactory lobe cell mass were also analyzed using fluorescence microscopy, and the lipofuscin concentration was measured through image analysis. Various indices were computed for each individual by pooling data from many images: number and coverage of the lipofuscin granules per unit area, and mean individual area of the granules. Lipofuscin was detected in all specimens investigated with characteristics (grain typology and dimension) strictly resembling those already described in other crustacean species. The present preliminary results encourage further studies to develop and validate a methodology based on the use of lipofuscin for improving the relative ageing of large A. foliacea shrimps

A short-term comparison of wheat straw and poplar wood chips used as litter in tiestalls on hygiene, milk, and behavior of lactating dairy cows

A short-term study was conducted to compare the effect of using poplar wood chips (PWC) instead of wheat straw (WS) litter in dairy cows. A total of 38 lactating Holstein cows (204 ± 119 days in milk, 26.9 ± 6.5 kg of milk yield [MY]) were housed in a tiestall farm for a 10-d trial including 5 d of adaptation followed by 5 sampling days (from d 5 to 10). Cows were divided into 2 homogeneous groups: one group was bedded with WS, and the second with PWC. Both litter materials were provided in the amount of 7 kg/stall per d. Each group was composed of 3 subgroups of 6 or 7 cows; the subgroups were physically separated along the feeding line by wooden boards. During the sampling days, fecal composition, used litter composition, and bacterial count (Clostridium spp., Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, Lactobacillus, and total bacterial count) were analyzed by subgroup twice a day. On d 1 and from d 5 to 10, udder hygiene score and cow cleanliness score were also evaluated individually twice a day. Meanwhile MY, milk hygiene (total bacterial count [TBC], coliform bacterial count [CBC], and spore-forming unit [SFU]) and quality were measured and analyzed from 9 animals per group. Moreover, individual animal behavior (body position and behavioral traits) and subgroup dry matter intake were measured on d 9 and 10. Fecal dry matter did not differ between groups, PWC had the lowest used litter moisture and N content favoring the highest clean cow frequency, but also gave rise to the greatest used litter microbial contamination. The MY, milk quality, TBC, SFU, and CBC were similar. The lying behavior frequency was similar between groups. However, the PWC group showed the lowest sleeping frequency, the highest frequency of other behaviors (including discomfort signs), and the lowest dry matter intake. However, despite this apparent reduction in cow comfort, no biologically important differences were observed in this short-term study between cows on PWC and WS in milk production or hygiene

Nothing is as it seems: genetic analyses on stranded fin whales unveil the presence of a fin-blue whale hybrid in the Mediterranean Sea (Balaenopteridae)

The fin whale Balaenoptera physalus is a large rorqual species occurring worldwide, mainly in temperate and subpolar zones. In contrast to many baleen whales, not all the fin whale populations show the same model of migration. In fact, migratory behaviours of this latter species range from long seasonal migration between high and low latitudes to a complete nonmigratory behaviour. A resident fin whale population was described in the Mediterranean Sea, which is also frequented by North Atlantic individuals entering through the Strait of Gibraltar in winter to feed. Between 2020 and 2021 three individuals initially identified as fin whales died along the Tyrrhenian coasts (Mediterranean Sea, Italy). Their mitochondrial DNA control region (mtDNA CR) was analysed and compared to fin whale haplotypes previously described in North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea to identify their geographical origin. Our results show that two individuals most likely belong to the Mediterranean fin whale population, while an individual was recognised as a putative fin-blue whale hybrid (Balaenoptera physalus x Balaenoptera musculus) with a North Atlantic origin. The discovery of the first fin-blue whale hybrid in the Mediterranean Sea was confirmed by the analysis of a biparentally inherited marker, the α-lactalbumin (α-lac) nuclear gene, demonstrating that the morphological analysis alone does not allow to correctly identify hybrids, especially if intermediate characters of both parental species are not clearly distinguishable

Life History Traits of Sperm Whales Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758 Stranded along Italian Coasts (Cetartiodactyla: Physeteridae)

We investigated the relationship between age and body length, and age at sexual maturity of Physeter macrocephalus individuals stranded along the Italian coast. Our molecular analysis shows that all our samples belong to the C.001.002 haplotype, shared between Atlantic and Mediterranean populations. We show that males attain sexual maturity at 10 years, similar to those from other marine areas. However, considering the same body length class, Mediterranean males are older than Atlantic ones. Our finding of a Mediterranean pregnant female of only 6.5 m in length and an assessed age of 24–26 years is particularly noteworthy, considering that females reach sexual maturity at about 9 years and 9 m of total length in other regions. Comparing our results with the literature data, we highlight the positive correlation between lifespan, adult body length and weight of males from the Mediterranean and Atlantic Ocean. Regardless of whether the relatively small size of Mediterranean specimens is a consequence of an inbreeding depression or an adaptation to less favorable trophic conditions, we recommend to closely monitor this population from a conservation perspective. In fact, its low genetic diversity likely corresponds to a relatively limited ability to respond to environmental changes compared with other populations

DIAMOND DETECTORS FOR CHARACTERIZATION OF LASER-GENERATED PLASMA

Abstract -CVD mono-crystalline diamond films were employed as detectors of the Introduction -Laser-generated plasma is characterized by high temperature and density