118 research outputs found
Fraction of clear skies above astronomical sites: a new analysis from the GOES12 satellite
Comparing the number of clear nights (cloud free) available for astronomical
observations is a critical task because it should be based on homogeneous
methodologies. Current data are mainly based on different judgements based on
observer logbooks or on different instruments. In this paper we present a new
homogeneous methodology on very different astronomical sites for modern optical
astronomy, in order to quantify the available night time fraction. The data are
extracted from night time GOES12 satellite infrared images and compared with
ground based conditions when available. In this analysis we introduce a wider
average matrix and 3-Bands correlation in order to reduce the noise and to
distinguish between clear and stable nights. Temporal data are used for the
classification. In the time interval 2007-2008 we found that the percentage of
the satellite clear nights is 88% at Paranal, 76% at La Silla, 72.5% at La
Palma, 59% at Mt. Graham and 86.5% at Tolonchar. The correlation analysis of
the three GOES12 infrared bands B3, B4 and B6 indicates that the fraction of
the stable nights is lower by 2% to 20% depending on the site
Analysis of the fraction of clear sky at the La Palma and Mt Graham sites
The fraction of available telescope time is one of the most important
requirements for selecting astronomical sites affecting the performance of
ground based telescopes. A quantitative survey of clouds coverage at La Palma
and Mt.Graham is presented using both ground and satellite based data. The aim
of this work is deriving clear nights for the satellite infrared channels and
verifying the results using ground based observations. At La Palma we found a
mean percentage of clear nights of 62.6% from ground and 71.9% from satellite.
Taking into account the fraction of common nights we found a concordance of
80.7% clear nights from ground and satellite.
At Mt.Graham we found a 97% of agreement between Columbine heliograph and
night time observing log. From Columbine heliograph and TOMS-OMI satellite we
found about 45% of clear nights, while satellite data (GOES, TOMS) are much
more dispersed than those ones of La Palma. Setting a statistical threshold we
retried a comparable seasonal trend between heliograph and satellite.Comment: 14 pages, 18 figures, 6 tables, MNRAS accepted on September 23 200
Prospective study to compare antibiosis versus the association of N-acetylcysteine, D-mannose and morinda citrifolia fruit extract in preventing urinary tract infections in patients submitted to urodynamic investigation
BACKGROUND:
The abuse of antimicrobical drugs has increased the resistance of microorganisms to treatments, thus to make urinary tract infections (UTIs) more difficult to eradicate. Among natural substances used to prevent UTI, literature has provided preliminary data of the beneficial effects of D-mannose, N-acetylcysteine, and Morinda citrifolia fruit extract, due to their complementary mechanism of action which contributes respectively to limit bacteria adhesion to the urothelium, to destroy bacterial pathogenic biofilm, and to the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity. The purpose of this study was to compare the administration of an association of D-mannose, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and Morinda citrifolia extract versus antibiotic therapy in the prophylaxis of UTIs potentially associated with urological mini-invasive diagnostics procedures, in clinical model of the urodynamic investigation.
METHODS:
80 patients eligible for urodynamic examination, 42 men and 38 women, have been prospectively enrolled in the study and randomised in two groups (A and B) of 40 individuals. Patients of group A followed antibiotic therapy with Prulifloxacine, by mouth 400 mg/day for 5 days, while patients of the group B followed the association of mannose and NAC therapy, two vials/day for 7 days. Ten days after the urodynamic study, the patients were submitted to urine examination and urine culture.
RESULTS:
The follow up assessment didn't show statistical significant difference between the two groups regarding the incidence of UTI.
CONCLUSIONS:
The association of mannose and NAC therapy resulted similar to the antibiotic therapy in preventing UTIs in patients submitted to urodynamic examination. This result leads to consider the possible use of these nutraceutical agents as a good alternative in the prophylaxis of the UTI afterwards urological procedures in urodynamics.BACKGROUND:
The abuse of antimicrobical drugs has increased the resistance of microorganisms to treatments, thus to make urinary tract infections (UTIs) more difficult to eradicate. Among natural substances used to prevent UTI, literature has provided preliminary data of the beneficial effects of D-mannose, N-acetylcysteine, and Morinda citrifolia fruit extract, due to their complementary mechanism of action which contributes respectively to limit bacteria adhesion to the urothelium, to destroy bacterial pathogenic biofilm, and to the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity. The purpose of this study was to compare the administration of an association of D-mannose, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and Morinda citrifolia extract versus antibiotic therapy in the prophylaxis of UTIs potentially associated with urological mini-invasive diagnostics procedures, in clinical model of the urodynamic investigation.
METHODS:
80 patients eligible for urodynamic examination, 42 men and 38 women, have been prospectively enrolled in the study and randomised in two groups (A and B) of 40 individuals. Patients of group A followed antibiotic therapy with Prulifloxacine, by mouth 400 mg/day for 5 days, while patients of the group B followed the association of mannose and NAC therapy, two vials/day for 7 days. Ten days after the urodynamic study, the patients were submitted to urine examination and urine culture.
RESULTS:
The follow up assessment didn't show statistical significant difference between the two groups regarding the incidence of UTI.
CONCLUSIONS:
The association of mannose and NAC therapy resulted similar to the antibiotic therapy in preventing UTIs in patients submitted to urodynamic examination. This result leads to consider the possible use of these nutraceutical agents as a good alternative in the prophylaxis of the UTI afterwards urological procedures in urodynamics
The impact of ventral oral graft bulbar urethroplasty on sexual life
Objective: To evaluate the pre- and postoperative aspects of sexual life (SL) in patients with bulbar urethral stricture who underwent ventral oral graft urethroplasty. Methods: Between 2009 and 2010, 52 men (mean age 36 years) were enrolled in our prospective study to ascertain sexual disorders before and after surgery. The validated Male Sexual Health Questionnaire-Long Form (MSHQ-LF) was completed pre- and postoperatively; the unvalidated but adapted Post-Urethroplasty Sexual Questionnaire (PUSQ) was completed postoperatively. Data were compared using the non parametric Wilcoxon test. Results: Before urethroplasty, most of the patients reported sexual disorders, in particular reduced ejaculatory stream (85%); many of them (35%) feared the risk of a postoperative worsening in the quality of SL. After urethroplasty, nobody reported a worsened erection, while most of the patients noticed a significant improvement in erection, ejaculation, relationship with their partner, sexual activity, and desire. Modifications in the scrotoperineal sensitivity were reported by 42% and 15% noticed esthetic changes without impact on SL. All patients reported an improvement in quality of life (QOL) and were satisfied with the outcome of urethroplasty. Conclusion: Urethral stricture disease may be responsible for sexual disorders that have a significant impact upon SL. Patients confessed a marked anxiety tackling urethroplasty and declared that one of their deepest fears regarded a potential further deterioration in the quality of SL. At short-term follow-up, the minimally invasive ventral graft urethroplasty does not cause sexual complications, apart from the post-ejaculation dribbling. On the contrary, this technique showed to restore SL in all its aspects
Pollen as a component of the diet of Doru luteipes (Scudder, 1876) (Dermaptera: Forficulidade).
The properties of maize pollen in the diet of Doru luteipes were determined by biological responses of the predator feeding on natural preys and artificial diet. The biological parameters of D. luteipes fed on Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith, 1797) eggs, maize pollen, Rhopalosiphum maidis (Fitch, 1856) + maize pollen and R. maidis were assessed. The effect of pollen on artificial diet on the biological variables of the predator nymphs and adults were also evaluated. Time span of nymphal development was greater for D. luteipes exclusively fed on earwigs, with the lowest rate of nymph survival. However, maize pollen plus earwigs in the diet provided the predator´s highest survival rate, whilst percentage of fertile females was double when fed on diets composed of S. frugiperda and R. maidis eggs. Development period decreased when D. luteipes nymphs consumed artificial diet plus pollen but there were high fecundity rates (number of laying/female and total egg/female) and a greater percentage of fertile females when they were fed on maize pollen
ITALIAN VALIDATION OF PELVIC PAIN AND URGENCY/FREQUENCY PATIENTS SYMPTOMS SCALE (PUF) QUESTIONNAIRE
The YSO Population in the Vela-D Molecular Cloud
We investigate the young stellar population in the Vela Molecular Ridge,
Cloud-D (VMR-D), a star forming (SF) region observed by both Spitzer/NASA and
Herschel/ESA space telescope. The point source, band-merged, Spitzer-IRAC
catalog complemented with MIPS photometry previously obtained is used to search
for candidate young stellar objects (YSO), also including sources detected in
less than four IRAC bands. Bona fide YSO are selected by using appropriate
color-color and color-magnitude criteria aimed to exclude both Galatic and
extragalactic contaminants. The derived star formation rate and efficiency are
compared with the same quantities characterizing other SF clouds. Additional
photometric data, spanning from the near-IR to the submillimeter, are used to
evaluate both bolometric luminosity and temperature for 33 YSOs located in a
region of the cloud observed by both Spitzer and Herschel. The
luminosity-temperature diagram suggests that some of these sources are
representative of Class 0 objects with bolometric temperatures below 70 K and
luminosities of the order of the solar luminosity. Far IR observations from the
Herschel/Hi-GAL key project for a survey of the Galactic plane are also used to
obtain a band-merged photometric catalog of Herschel sources aimed to
independently search for protostars. We find 122 Herschel cores located on the
molecular cloud, 30 of which are protostellar and 92 starless. The global
protostellar luminosity function is obtained by merging the Spitzer and
Herschel protostars. Considering that 10 protostars are found in both Spitzer
and Herschel list it follows that in the investigated region we find 53
protostars and that the Spitzer selected protostars account for approximately
two-thirds of the total.Comment: 40 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Characterizing the structure of diffuse emission in Hi-GAL maps
We present a study of the structure of the Galactic interstellar medium
through the Delta-variance technique, related to the power spectrum and the
fractal properties of infrared/sub-mm maps. Through this method, it is possible
to provide quantitative parameters which are useful to characterize different
morphological and physical conditions, and to better constrain the theoretical
models. In this respect, the Herschel Infrared Galactic Plane Survey carried
out at five photometric bands from 70 to 500 \mu m constitutes an unique
database for applying statistical tools to a variety of regions across the
Milky Way. In this paper, we derive a robust estimate of the power-law portion
of the power spectrum of four contiguous 2{\deg}x2{\deg} Hi-GAL tiles located
in the third Galactic quadrant (217{\deg} < l < 225{\deg}, -2{\deg} < b <
0{\deg}). The low level of confusion along the line of sight testified by CO
observations makes this region an ideal case. We find very different values of
the power spectrum slope from tile to tile but also from wavelength to
wavelength (2 < \beta < 3), with similarities between fields attributable to
components located at the same distance. Thanks to the comparison with models
of turbulence, an explanation of the determined slopes in terms of the fractal
geometry is also provided, and possible relations with the underlying physics
are investigated. In particular, an anti-correlation between ISM fractal
dimension and star formation efficiency is found for the two main distance
components observed in these fields. A possible link between the fractal
properties of the diffuse emission and the resulting clump mass function is
discussed.Comment: Accepted by Ap
Surgical Treatment with Locoregional Flap for the Nose
Nonmelanotic skin cancers (NMSCs) are the most frequent of all neoplasms and nasal pyramid represents the most common site for the presentation of such cutaneous malignancies, particularly in sun-exposed areas: ala, dorsum, and tip. Multiple options exist to restore functional and aesthetic integrity after skin loss for oncological reasons; nevertheless, the management of nasal defects can be often challenging and the best "reconstruction" is still to be found. In this study, we retrospectively reviewed a total of 310 patients who presented to our Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery for postoncological nasal reconstruction between January 2011 and January 2016. Nasal region was classified into 3 groups according to the anatomical zones affected by the lesion: proximal, middle, and distal third. We included an additional fourth group for complex defects involving more than one subunit. Reconstruction with loco regional flaps was performed in all cases. Radical tumor control and a satisfactory aesthetic and functional result are the primary goals for the reconstructive surgeon. Despite tremendous technical enhancements in nasal reconstruction techniques, optimal results are usually obtained when "like is used to repair like." Accurate evaluation of the patients clinical condition and local defect should be always considered in order to select the best surgical option
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