Distribution of Caulerpa taxifolia var. distichophylla (Sonder) Verlaque, Huisman & Procaccini in the Mediterranean Sea

The Non-Indigenous Species (NIS) Caulerpa taxifolia var. distichophylla (Sonder) Verlaque, Huisman & Procaccini has been reported for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea along the coast of South Turkey. This NIS is actively expanding into the Eastern and Western Mediterranean Sea. In this paper, we present an overview of the current distribution of this alga in the Mediterranean Sea, based on relevant scientific publications, grey literature and personal observations. New records from the Sicilian coast (Italy) are also reported. Caulerpa taxifolia var. distichophylla was found over a wide range of environmental conditions (depth, light and substratum), suggesting a broad ecological plasticity of this alga which makes it a poten- tial threat for the Mediterranean benthic communities. In this respect, artificial structures, often linked to harbours and maritime traffic, seem to provide suitable habitats for this NIS. Since maritime traffic is intense in the Mediterranean Sea, further expansion of C. taxifolia var. distichophylla in this region is to be expected. For this reason, it is very important to build up an overview on the current distribution of the species and its possible pattern of colonisation in relation to environmental conditions, as well as in view of future climate change scenarios

Advanced optical microscopies for materials: new trends

Podeu consultar el llibre complet a: http://hdl.handle.net/2445/32166This article summarizes the new trends of Optical Microscopy applied to Materials, with examples of applications that illustrate the capabilities of the technique

Mechanisms of electric-field-induced alignment of block copolymer lamellae

We demonstrate that two mechanisms of lamellae reorientation observed experimentally under applied electric field [A. Böker H. Elbs, H. Hänsel, A. Knoll, S. Ludwigs, H. Zettl, V. Urban, V. Abetz, A. H. E. Müller and G. Krausch, Phys. Rev. Lett., 2002, 89, 135502] which have been previously described within dynamic self consistent field theory [A. V. Zvelindovsky and G. J. A. Sevink, Phys. Rev. Lett., 2003, 90, 049601] can be fully explained within a much more simple model using the Ginzburg–Landau Hamiltonian. A third alignment mechanism has been identified which was not previously reported. A more complete picture of reorientation under electric field emerges that clarifies the crucial role of structural defects

Valorizzazione tecnologica di cultivar locali di susine

Italian prune consumption is almost entirely satisfied by imported product, due mainly to lack of proper cultivars. A research has been carried out on five plums cultivars in order to check their adaptability to drying. Process was made with a pilot plant. Results showed that mild drying temperature led to slow drying kinetics, although a de-waxing treatment reduced drying time. Sensorial assessment was excellent, although two cultivars were judged negatively for their brown peel colour. II consumo italiano di prugne e soddisfatto quasi esclusivamente da prodotto importato, a causa, principalmente, della mancanza di varietà idonee. L'impulso per una valorizzazione delle risorse genetiche locali ha stimolato una sperimentazione mirata a verificare l'attitudine di cinque varietà del germoplasma italiane all'essiccazione, utilizzando un impianto pilota a flusso tangenziale. I risultati mostrano che le basse temperature adottate portano a durate di processo elevate, sebbene un pretrattamento di deceratura riduca drasticamente i tempi. Il giudizio sensoriale è stato eccellente, tranne che nel caso di due varietà, in quanto i frutti essiccati avevano un colore non conforme agli standard richiesti

Numerical control matrix rotation for the LINC-NIRVANA Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics system

LINC-NIRVANA will realize the interferometric imaging focal station of the Large Binocular Telescope. A double Layer Oriented multi-conjugate adaptive optics system assists the two arms of the interferometer, supplying high order wave-front correction. In order to counterbalance the field rotation, mechanical derotation for the two ground wave-front sensors, and optical derotators for the mid-high layers sensors fix the positions of the focal planes with respect to the pyramids aboard the wave-front sensors. The derotation introduces pupil images rotation on the wavefront sensors: the projection of the deformable mirrors on the sensor consequently change. The proper adjustment of the control matrix will be applied in real-time through numerical computation of the new matrix. In this paper we investigate the temporal and computational aspects related to the pupils rotation, explicitly computing the wave-front errors that may be generated.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, presented at SPIE Symposium "Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation'' conference "Adaptive Optics Systems II'',Sunday 27 June 2010, San Diego, California, US

Speckle statistics in adaptive optics images at visible wavelengths

Residual speckles in adaptive optics (AO) images represent a well-known limitation on the achievement of the contrast needed for faint source detection. Speckles in AO imagery can be the result of either residual atmospheric aberrations, not corrected by the AO, or slowly evolving aberrations induced by the optical system. We take advantage of the high temporal cadence (1 ms) of the data acquired by the System for Coronagraphy with High-order Adaptive Optics from R to K bands-VIS forerunner experiment at the Large Binocular Telescope to characterize the AO residual speckles at visible wavelengths. An accurate knowledge of the speckle pattern and its dynamics is of paramount importance for the application of methods aimed at their mitigation. By means of both an automatic identification software and information theory, we study the main statistical properties of AO residuals and their dynamics. We therefore provide a speckle characterization that can be incorporated into numerical simulations to increase their realism and to optimize the performances of both real-time and postprocessing techniques aimed at the reduction of the speckle noise

Additive Manufacturing applications within food industry: An actual overview and future opportunities

The food sector is one of the major economic sectors in Europe and beyond and produces nutrition for the world population. Food industry has a unique role in all countries economy as it is essential to people lives. In Europe it is the largest manufacturing sector in terms of value added, turnover and employment. On the other hand, several worldwide economic-social-technological trends are pushing organizations to embrace innovation as an integrated part of their corporate strategy, and to offer customized products tailored to market targets need. Embracing innovation became strategic in order to create a sustainable competitive advantage and to stay ahead of the competition in every industry, even in food one. Today, among all the most cutting-edge technologies, Additive Manufacturing (AM) has the potential to develop business paradigms to face an ever changing demand. AM comprises a group of technologies whose initial inception occurred over thirty years, characterized by a layer upon layer production directly from Computer-Aided Design (CAD) data. Over the past few years AM development has increased exponentially and has expanded to include new areas of research. Within all the innovative applications, one of the most promising under respect of social impacts and progress, has proved to be the technological application in the food industry. This scientific work aims at finding out potential touching points between additive manufacturing technologies and food market, either consumer and industrial, focusing on the actual and future applications

The First Circumstellar Disk Imaged in Silhouette with Adaptive Optics: MagAO Imaging of Orion 218-354

We present high resolution adaptive optics (AO) corrected images of the silhouette disk Orion 218-354 taken with Magellan AO (MagAO) and its visible light camera, VisAO, in simultaneous differential imaging (SDI) mode at H-alpha. This is the first image of a circumstellar disk seen in silhouette with adaptive optics and is among the first visible light adaptive optics results in the literature. We derive the disk extent, geometry, intensity and extinction profiles and find, in contrast with previous work, that the disk is likely optically-thin at H-alpha. Our data provide an estimate of the column density in primitive, ISM-like grains as a function of radius in the disk. We estimate that only ~10% of the total sub-mm derived disk mass lies in primitive, unprocessed grains. We use our data, Monte Carlo radiative transfer modeling and previous results from the literature to make the first self-consistent multiwavelength model of Orion 218-354. We find that we are able to reproduce the 1-1000micron SED with a ~2-540AU disk of the size, geometry, small vs. large grain proportion and radial mass profile indicated by our data. This inner radius is a factor of ~15 larger than the sublimation radius of the disk, suggesting that it is likely cleared in the very interior.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, ApJL accepte

Improvement in Hemodynamic Responses to Metaboreflex Activation after One Year of Training in Spinal Cord Injured Humans

Spinal cord injured (SCI) individuals show an altered hemodynamic response to metaboreflex activation due to a reduced capacity to vasoconstrict the venous and arterial vessels below the level of the lesion. Exercise training was found to enhance circulating catecholamines and to improve cardiac preload and venous tone in response to exercise in SCI subjects. Therefore, training would result in enhanced diastolic function and capacity to vasoconstrict circulation. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that one year of training improves hemodynamic response to metaboreflex activation in these subjects. Nine SCI individuals were enrolled and underwent a metaboreflex activation test at the beginning of the study (T0) and after one year of training (T1). Hemodynamics were assessed by impedance cardiography and echocardiography at both T0 and T1. Results show that there was an increment in cardiac output response due to metaboreflex activity at T1 as compared to T0 (545.4 ± 683.9 mL · min(-1) versus 220.5 ± 745.4 mL · min(-1), P < 0.05). Moreover, ventricular filling rate response was higher at T1 than at T0. Similarly, end-diastolic volume response was increased after training. We concluded that a period of training can successfully improve hemodynamic response to muscle metaboreflex activation in SCI subjects