Uptake and distribution of lead in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.)

Six Nicotiana tabacum varieties were in vitro cultured and experimentally exposed to lead in order to estimate lead uptake and distribution in tobacco plantlets and to observe possible differences depending on variety. Fifty-day-old plantlets were exposed to four Pb rates ranging from 0 to 200 mg dm-3. No statistically significant effect of lead on dry matter weight was observed for any variety or plant part. Tissue lead concentration was determined on upper leaves, lower leaves, stems and roots. Lead accumulation in the plant positively correlated with lead exposure level. Lead concentration in the different plant parts decreased as follows: root, lower leaves, stem and upper leaves. All tobacco varieties showed similar behaviour with respect to lead treatment level and revealed the same distribution pattern of lead concentration in the different plant part. The highest values of tissue lead concentration were found in tobacco variety Pr61, while the lowest in G94-2

Gamma-ray observations of Cygnus X-1 above 100 MeV in the hard and soft states

We present the results of multi-year gamma-ray observations by the AGILE satellite of the black hole binary system Cygnus X-1. In a previous investigation we focused on gamma-ray observations of Cygnus X-1 in the hard state during the period mid-2007/2009. Here we present the results of the gamma-ray monitoring of Cygnus X-1 during the period 2010/mid-2012 carried out for which includes a remarkably prolonged `soft state' phase (June 2010 -- May 2011). Previous 1--10 MeV observations of Cyg X-1 in this state hinted at a possible existence of a non-thermal particle component with substantial modifications of the Comptonized emission from the inner accretion disk. Our AGILE data, averaged over the mid-2010/mid-2011 soft state of Cygnus X-1, provide a significant upper limit for gamma-ray emission above 100 MeV of F_soft < 20 x 10^{-8} ph/cm^2/s, excluding the existence of prominent non-thermal emission above 100 MeV during the soft state of Cygnus X-1. We discuss theoretical implications of our findings in the context of high-energy emission models of black hole accretion. We also discuss possible gamma-ray flares detected by AGILE. In addition to a previously reported episode observed by AGILE in October 2009 during the hard state, we report a weak but important candidate for enhanced emission which occurred at the end of June 2010 (2010-06-30 10:00 - 2010-07-02 10:00 UT) exactly in coincidence with a hard-to-soft state transition and before an anomalous radio flare. An appendix summarizes all previous high-energy observations and possible detections of Cygnus X-1 above 1 MeV.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in Ap

Il contenimento del consumo di suolo a scala europea: il Programma ESPON

La pianificazione e lo sviluppo territoriale hanno informato l’agenda europea negli ultimi 10 anni soprattutto attraverso l’European Spatial Planning and Development Perspective (ESDP) formalizzatosi attraverso gli studi dell’European Spatial Planning Observatory Network (ESPON) e le Guidelines for the Sustainable Development of the European Continent del Council of Ministers of the Wider Europe with responsibility for Regional Planning (CEMAT)). Pur inizialmente lontani da quella concezione pienamente territoriale propria del pensiero geografico ed urbanistico italiano, che si è manifestata solo nel 2007, questi contributi rappresentano un forte incentivo a rinnovare l’atteggiamento politico, economico, culturale nei confronti del valore che il territorio, la sua utilizzazione e la sua identità hanno per lo sviluppo. Di fronte a queste sollecitazioni, nell’ultimo quinquennio il Programma ESPON si è aperto alla revisione dei paradigmi e dei contenuti operativi disciplinari, affrontando e sviluppando temi quali: i cambiamenti strutturali e le grandi tendenze del territorio europeo tra il 1998 e il 2007 (la coesione, sostenibilità e il cambiamento climatico, il policentrismo, l’urbano-rurale, la dimensione competitiva delle città anche medio-piccole, la governance, il cambiamento demografico, ecc.); l’integrazione tra i principi della ricerca geoeconomica e della pianificazione attraverso la creazione di modelli multidisciplinari applicabili a differenti scale - NUTs 2, 3, 4 - per l’individuazione delle capacità competitive endogene entro i limiti di sostenibilità; le procedure e gli strumenti di valutazione comuni per la scelta di politiche e piani/programmi in applicazione delle direttive europee (Territorial Impact Assessment – TIA); lo sviluppo di GIS e database dedicati alla conoscenza e alla gestione di processi cooperativi comparabili trasparenti, sussidiari, integrati; la definizione e l’applicazione di un protocollo di indicatori statistico-economico-geografici condivisi e certificati a sostegno dei processi decisionali; lo sviluppo di case study transnazionali sui temi principali della politica UE. In Italia, molti di questi cambiamenti sono stati introdotti e sperimentati attraverso i progetti speciali, tematici, strategici ESPON, confermando il valore di nuovi orientamenti geografici e della pianificazione, che coinvolgono direttamente i policy makers. I risultati dei progetti di ricerca transnazionale ESPON promossi tra il 2000-2006 e il 2007-2010 , ed in particolare quelli più legati alla dimensione territoriale ed urbana delle strategie europee in applicazione della Territorial Agenda 2007, hanno consentito di misurare e sperimentare anche in Italia indicatori, metodi, criteri di ricerca comuni, rivelatisi utili alla discussione internazionale e nazionale che accompagnano la revisione di molti temi, tra cui l’uso del suolo, la città e il suo rapporto con con l’area vasta di più stretta pertinenza, la provincia come luogo centrale della sussidiarietà europea (Prezioso, 2009)

Prevalence of IgG antibodies against Borrelia Burgdorferi s.l. and Ehrlichia Phagocytophila in sera of patients presenting symptoms of Lyme disease in a central region of Italy.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence (seroprevalence) of antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi and Ehrlichia phagocytophila among patients resident in Lazio, a region of central Italy. Of a sample of 1,050 patients, which presented clinical manifestations related to Lyme disease, 34 (3.2%) were Borrelia-seropositive (Lyme index value ≥ 1.2). The sera of 25 out of the 34 patients that were Borrelia-positive were also analysed for the presence of antibodies against E. phagocytophila and 3 (12%) were found Ehrlichia-positive (titres >1:64). No Ehrlichia-positive samples were found among sera of 250 Borrelia-negative patients. Since both B. burgdorferi s.l. and Ehrlichia species share the same tick vector ( Ixodes ricinus), our results indicate that concurrent transmission of these microbial pathogens might have been occurred among the patients included in this study

Chlamydia pneumoniae in asymptomatic carotid atherosclerosis.

We evaluated, in 415 patients with asymptomatic carotid atherosclerosis: (i) the prevalence of C. pneumoniae DNA in atherosclerotic carotid plaques and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC); (i..

Implementación de receta digital en Swiss Medical, Argentina

La prescripción de un fármaco es un acto médico y administrativo. La prescripción electrónica genera menor riesgo de errores de legibilidad en la dispensación, administración de medicamentos, y permitiendo utilizar sistemas de soporte a toma de decisiones. Asimismo, evitan problemas de facturación y posibles fraudes. En marzo de 2016 Swiss Medical y DXC.technology se implementó la Historia Clínica Electrónica, donde se puede acceder al historial del paciente y contar con sistemas de alertas de duplicidad de principio activo y dosis máxima. En agosto de 2018 se inició el proyecto de telemedicina y receta digital, con atención a pacientes pediátricos y adultos afiliados. En la cual se genera la receta por nombre genérico (Ley 25.649), con firma digital (Ley 25.506), enviando la receta y las indicaciones médicas al paciente, para que accedan a cualquier farmacia de la red de Farmalink para adquirir el fármaco prescrito.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativ

AGILE Observations of the Gravitational Wave Event GW150914

We report the results of an extensive search in the AGILE data for a gamma-ray counterpart of the LIGO gravitational wave event GW150914. Currently in spinning mode, AGILE has the potential of covering with its gamma-ray instrument 80 % of the sky more than 100 times a day. It turns out that AGILE came within a minute from the event time of observing the accessible GW150914 localization region. Interestingly, the gamma-ray detector exposed about 65 % of this region during the 100 s time intervals centered at -100 s and +300 s from the event time. We determine a 2-sigma flux upper limit in the band 50 MeV - 10 GeV, $UL = 1.9 \times 10^{-8} \rm \, erg \, cm^{-2} \, s^{-1}$ obtained about 300 s after the event. The timing of this measurement is the fastest ever obtained for GW150914, and significantly constrains the electromagnetic emission of a possible high-energy counterpart. We also carried out a search for a gamma-ray precursor and delayed emission over timescales ranging from minutes to days: in particular, we obtained an optimal exposure during the interval -150 / -30 s. In all these observations, we do not detect a significant signal associated with GW150914. We do not reveal the weak transient source reported by Fermi-GBM 0.4 s after the event time. However, even though a gamma-ray counterpart of the GW150914 event was not detected, the prospects for future AGILE observations of gravitational wave sources are decidedly promising.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures. Submitted to the Astrophysical Journal Letters on April 1, 201