Nevada Experiments and Operations Program (N Program) Management Plan

This plan briefly describes the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) institutional structure and how Nevada Experiments and Operations Program (N Program's) organization fits within this structure, roles and responsibilities, and management processes that govern N Program activities. This plan also serves as the Integrated Safety Management (ISM) Implementation Plan for N Program work. This plan applies to all work performed by and for LLNL that falls under the oversight of DOE/NV except LLNL activities in support of the Yucca Mountain Project Office (YMPO)

Effect of beetroot (Beta vul-garis) extract on black angus burgers shelf life

Beef burgers are meat preparations with easy perishability. To ensure a longer shelf-life, the Regulation EU 1129/11 allows the use of some additives. However, health-conscious consumers prefer products which do not contain synthetic substances. Aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of Red Beetroot (Beta vulgaris) integration on Black Angus made burgers shelf life. Red beet was prepared as powder and added to meat mixture as the same or in water solution. The study was split into 2 trials to assess the extract activity also in burgers vacuum-packaged stored. Burgers were analysed (up to 9 days at 4°C) in terms of sensory properties, microbiological profile, pH, aw and lipid oxidation (TBARS). At the end of storage, treated samples showed the highest values of redness and the lowest content of malondialdehyde, probably due to antioxidant properties of red beet towards myoglobin and lipid oxidation processes. Moreover, results highlighted that Red Beetroot activities were dose-dependent and intensified if dissolved in water. The aw values did not appear to be conditioned by extract integrations, unlike the pH that was lower in treated samples than control ones. Microbiological analyses identified beet-root as a potential antimicrobial substance, especially in high concentration. In conclusion, Beta vulgaris extract could be pro-posed as natural compound exploitable in beef burgers to preserve qualities and extend their shelf-life

Microbiological, rheological and physical-chemical characteristics of bovine meat subjected to a prolonged ageing period

he aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a long ageing period on the microbiological, rheological and physical-chemical characteristics of bovine beef. For the trial n. 3 Marchigiana bovine breed (live weight of 760 kg approximately), slaughtered at 34 months were chosen and the loin muscles were undergone to a prolonged ageing process. The analytical determinations performed were: pH and aw values, texture profile analysis, Warner-Bratzler shear force, colour (CIE L*a*b*), centesimal analysis, total bacterial count, Enterobacteriaceae, Listeria monocytogenes, yeasts and moulds. The results indicate that extended ageing has a negative effect on weight loss but, by the means of the standardization of dry aging parameters, reduce lipid oxidation and improve tendernes

The influence of broilers’ body weight on the efficiency of electrical stunning and meat quality under field conditions

Water-bath stunning represents the most-applied stunning system in poultry slaughtering, but within the European Union, specific indications on electric parameters that should be used, such as voltage, are missing. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of two commercially available types of electrical equipment (A and B) on broilers with different live body weights and the influence of the tested parameters on meat quality. Experimental trials in a European Union-approved slaughterhouse were carried out using two different stunners. 6600 broilers, divided into three weight groups, were stunned applying different protocols based on the same current frequencies and intensity but different voltages. The state of unconsciousness (presence of corneal reflex and wings flapping) and post-mortem defects (pectoral hemorrhages and dark meat) were evaluated by blinded trained operators. The presence of corneal reflex and petechiae were the most reported consciousness signs and post-mortem injuries, respectively. Different weights played an important role within stunner A, registering statistical differences (p < 0.01) among groups. Considering injuries, an inverse relationship between body weight and lesions was found. The results highlighted the effectiveness of both stunning systems applying the best combination of electrical parameters considering the weight of the animal and ensuring its well-being

Relativistic Structure of the Nucleon Self-Energy in Asymmetric Nuclei

The Dirac structure of the nucleon self-energy in asymmetric nuclear matter cannot reliably be deduced from the momentum dependence of the single-particle energies. It is demonstrated that such attempts yield an isospin dependence with even a wrong sign. Relativistic studies of finite nuclei have been based on such studies of asymmetric nuclear matter. The effects of these isospin components on the results for finite nuclei are investigated.Comment: 9 pages, Latex 4 figures include

Fate of eprinomectin in goat milk and cheeses with different ripening times following pour-on administration

The distribution of eprinomectin in goat milk and cheeses (cacioricotta, caciotta, caprilisco) with different ripening times following a pour-on administration at a single dose rate (500 microg/kg of body weight) and a double dose rate (1,000 microg/kg of body weight) to goats with naturally occurring infections of gastrointestinal nematodes was studied. Milk residues of eprinomectin reached a maximum of 0.55+/-0.18 microg/kg and 1.70+/-0.31 microg/kg at the single and double doses, respectively. The drug concentrations decreased progressively until the fifth day after treatment, when they were less than the detection limit at both dose rates. The eprinomectin levels measured in all cheese types (both treatments) were higher than those recovered in milk at all the sampling times. In caciotta cheeses, the eprinomectin residues levels were constantly higher than other cheeses. With the exception of cheeses made with milk the first day after treatment, eprinomectin concentrations were nearly constant up to the fourth day then decreased by the fifth and sixth days after treatment. In all cases, at both the single and double dosages, the maximum level of eprinomectin residues in goat milk and cheeses remained below the maximum residual level of 20 microg/liter permitted for lactating cattle

Monitoring cyanobacterial blooms during the COVID-19 pandemic in Campania, Italy: The case of lake avernus

Cyanobacteria are ubiquitous photosynthetic microorganisms considered as important contributors to the formation of Earth’s atmosphere and to the process of nitrogen fixation. However, they are also frequently associated with toxic blooms, named cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs). This paper reports on an unusual out-of-season cyanoHAB and its dynamics during the COVID-19 pandemic, in Lake Avernus, South Italy. Fast detection strategy (FDS) was used to assess this phenomenon, through the integration of satellite imagery and biomolecular investigation of the environmental samples. Data obtained unveiled a widespread Microcystis sp. bloom in February 2020 (i.e., winter season in Italy), which completely disappeared at the end of the following COVID-19 lockdown, when almost all urban activities were suspended. Due to potential harmfulness of cyanoHABs, crude extracts from the “winter bloom” were evaluated for their cytotoxicity in two different human cell lines, namely normal dermal fibroblasts (NHDF) and breast adenocarcinoma cells (MCF-7). The chloroform extract was shown to exert the highest cytotoxic activity, which has been correlated to the presence of cyanotoxins, i.e., microcystins, micropeptins, anabaenopeptins, and aeruginopeptins, detected by molecular networking analysis of liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) data

The Church of S. Maria Delle Palate in Tusa (Messina, Italy): Digitization and Diagnostics for a New Model of Enjoyment

Cultural places represent the tangible part of the identity and historical heritage of a civilization as well as an extraordinary driving force for the economic development of a country. Within its huge asset, Italy counts a wide number of archaeological sites and monuments which, despite their cultural value, are totally cut off from the most important cultural routes. This paper aims to demonstrate how specific actions of digitization can contribute to valorize (restoring a cultural value) ‘marginal’ landmarks, promoting their knowledge and inclusion. The case study described is represented by the Church of “Santa Maria delle Palate”, located inside the well-known Archaeological Park of Halaesa Arconidea (Tusa, ME). The church, built in 1551 and subject to several renovations throughout the centuries, has been investigated as part of an interdisciplinary training and skill transfer project carried out by a CNR-IPCF research team. During the activities, the group of trainees approached a multi-analytic method for the study of many Sicilian places using different techniques such as laser scanning, photogrammetry, thermography and spectroscopy and collecting a large amount of information and data. In 2019, the building in question was the object of a complete architectural survey in order to obtain an accurate digital replica; moreover, the wall painting representing St. Francis, preserved in the southern nave, was investigated through non-invasive investigations (IR-imaging, XRF and Raman spectrometry) with the intention of collecting information about its state of preservation and nature of pigments used and help the restoration work, which would have been carried out in the following months. The result of the work is a combined “digital archive” useful not only for the purposes of conservation, monitoring and dissemination, but as a container of information enjoyable at different levels of depth. In addition to the scientific outcomes achieved for the study of the painting, relevant from the historical and artistic point of view, we must underline the importance of the work for the implementation of a web-based platform where expert and inexpert users can virtually access the church virtual tour and search for specialized contents (e.g., measures, analyzes results). Media such as this are finally demonstrated to be able to promote the inclusion (e.g., for people unable to reach the place or with reducing mobility) and accessibility to cultural places during ordinary (maintenance, closure) or extraordinary events (pandemic)

Aqueous reactions of organic triplet excited states with atmospheric alkenes

Triplet excited states of organic matter are formed when colored organic matter (i.e., brown carbon) absorbs light. While these “triplets” can be important photooxidants in atmospheric drops and particles (e.g., they rapidly oxidize phenols), very little is known about their reactivity toward many classes of organic compounds in the atmosphere. Here we measure the bimolecular rate constants of the triplet excited state of benzophenone (3BP∗), a model species, with 17 water-soluble C3–C6 alkenes that have either been found in the atmosphere or are reasonable surrogates for identified species. Measured rate constants (kALK+3BP∗) vary by a factor of 30 and are in the range of (0.24–7.5)&thinsp;×109&thinsp;M−1&thinsp;s−1. Biogenic alkenes found in the atmosphere – e.g., cis-3-hexen-1-ol, cis-3-hexenyl acetate, and methyl jasmonate – react rapidly, with rate constants above 1×109&thinsp;M−1&thinsp;s−1. Rate constants depend on alkene characteristics such as the location of the double bond, stereochemistry, and alkyl substitution on the double bond. There is a reasonable correlation between kALK+3BP∗ and the calculated one-electron oxidation potential (OP) of the alkenes (R2=0.58); in contrast, rate constants are not correlated with bond dissociation enthalpies, bond dissociation free energies, or computed energy barriers for hydrogen abstraction. Using the OP relationship, we estimate aqueous rate constants for a number of unsaturated isoprene and limonene oxidation products with 3BP∗: values are in the range of (0.080–1.7)&thinsp;×109&thinsp;M−1&thinsp;s−1, with generally faster values for limonene products. Rate constants with less reactive triplets, which are probably more environmentally relevant, are likely roughly 25 times slower. Using our predicted rate constants, along with values for other reactions from the literature, we conclude that triplets are probably minor oxidants for isoprene- and limonene-related compounds in cloudy or foggy atmospheres, except in cases in which the triplets are very reactive.</p