Anhydrous Superprotonic Conductivity in the Zirconium Acid Triphosphate ZrH5(PO4)3**

Funding Information: S.F. gratefully acknowledges the Ramsay Memorial Trust and the University of Aberdeen's School of Natural and Computing Sciences for the provision of a Ramsay Memorial Fellowship. This paper benefited from the insights of Professor Giulio Alberti who was a pioneer and one of the most authoritative scientists of the chemistry of M phosphates and phosphonates. IVPeer reviewedPublisher PD

Fireside Corrosion of Applied and Modern Superheater-alloys Under Oxy-fuel Conditions

Abstract Operation of oxy-fuel power plants under ultra-supercritical parameters would help to overcome, to a certain extent, efficiency penalties from air separation and CO 2 -compression units. To improve the knowledge on material behavior under oxy-fuel combustion six candidate superheater alloys, varying from martensitic via iron-base austenitic to nickel-base were chosen and exposed at metal temperature of 580 °C and 650 °C to real oxy-fuel combustion conditions in 3MW combustion test rig of Enel and subsequently moved for further tests to laboratory corrosion test set-up at IFK. Exact definition of combustion conditions was based on measurements performed by IFRF

The silencing of TdIPK1 genes enhances micronutrient concentration in durum wheat grain

Phytic acid (PA) is the main storage form of phosphorus in kernel and is considered an anti-nutritional compound because of its ability to bind to essential minerals such as iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), potassium (K), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg), thus limiting their availability, especially for populations whose diet is largely based on staple crops. This study reports a promising nutrient biofortification approach of durum wheat. The approach was based on the silencing of the gene encoding the inositol pentakisphosphate 2- kinase 1 (IPK1), involved in the last step of the PA biosynthetic pathway, through a Targeting Induced Local Lesions IN Genomes (TILLING) approach. Single knockout mutants for the IPK1 homeoalleles were identified and crossed to pyramid the two mutations. Although an elevated number of plants (F2 and F3 progenies) were analysed, no genotypes lacking both the homeoalleles were recovered, suggesting that the expression of IPK1 is crucial for seed formation in the spike and/or for plant germination and development. The characterization of the single null genotypes highlighted that the partial TdIPK1-B1- mutants showed a lower accumulation of PA in the kernel along with a higher content of essential microelements (Fe, Mn, Zn) compared to the control wild-type. The pattern of mineral accumulation was different for the TdIPK1-A1- mutants which only presented a greater accumulation of K

The suppression of TdMRP3 genes reduces the phytic acid and increases the nutrient accumulation in durum wheat grain

Micronutrient malnutrition affects more than half of the world population. Reduced bioavailability of microelements in the raw materials is considered one of the main causes of mineral deficiency in populations whose diet is largely based on the consumption of staple crops. In this context, the production of low phytic acid (lpa) cereals is a main goal of the breeding programs, as phytic acid (PA) binds essential mineral cations such as iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), potassium (K), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) precipitating in the form of phytate salts poorly digested by monogastric animals, including humans, due to the lack of phytases in the digestive tract. Since PA limits the bioavailability of microelements, it is widely recognized as an anti-nutritional compound. A Targeting Induced Local Lesions IN Genomes (TILLING) approach has been undertaken to silence the genes encoding the TdABCC13 proteins, known as Multidrug-Resistance associated Proteins 3 (TdMRP3), transporters involved in the accumulation of PA inside the vacuole in durum wheat. The TdMRP3 complete null genotypes showed a significant reduction in the content of PA and were able to accumulate a higher amount of essential micronutrients (Fe, Zn, Mn) compared to the control. The number of spikelets and seeds per spike, traits associated with the agronomic performances, were reduced compared to the control, but the negative effect was in part balanced by the increased grain weight. The TdMRP3 mutant lines showed morphological differences in the root apparatus such as a significant decrease in the number of root tips, root length, volume and surface area and an increase in root average diameter compared to the control plants. These materials represent a promising basis for obtaining new commercial durum wheats with higher nutritional value

The role of the LISTANet Consortium in the European DEDIPAC-KH project

Aim:To improve understanding of the determinants of dietary, physical activity (PA), and sedentary behaviours, the European multi-disciplinary consortium on “Determinants of Diet and Physical Activity Knowledge Hub” (DEDIPAC-KH) includes 46 consortia and organisations supported by joint programming grants from 12 countries across Europe (Lakerveld et al., 2014). Six Italian Universities (e.g., Cassino, Chieti-Pescara, Palermo, Roma Foro Italico, Roma Sapienza, and UCSC) participating in the LISTANet consortium supported by MIUR (B84G14000040008) contributed to the Thematic Area2 “Determinants of dietary, PA, and sedentary behaviours across the life course and in vulnerable groups”. In particular, the coordinator of LISTANet Prof Capranica and Prof. MacDonncha from the Irish Physical Activity and Health Consortium act as Work Package (WP) Leaders of PA determinants (WP2.2). Methods: A mix of methods has been used in identifying PA determinants by developing PA taxonomy and a European framework (EU-PAD), seven umbrella systematic literature reviews (e.g., behavioural, biological, economic, physical, policy, psychological, and socio-cultural), and identifying ongoing/recently completed European-funded projects and data sets for secondary data analyses. Results: LISTANet participated in DEDIPAC-KH meetings/seminars/courses/conferences, and organized two workshops dedicated to the EU-PAD framework and umbrella SLRs. Outcomes included internal reports, presentations to international conferences, and scientific papers submitted for publications. Conclusions: The DEDIPAC-KH project represents an excellent start in setting up a complex, cross-country, organisational structure to: 1) guide a European strategic plan for novel and multi-disciplinary research addressing the complexity of determinants of PA behaviours across the life course; and 2) identify key aspects for potential strategies and intervention programmes to implement multi-sectoral European policies in PA. Finally, the cumulated experience of LISTANet could be valuable to fully exploit effective research and actions to increase PA levels of Italian citizens

Supplement: "Localization and broadband follow-up of the gravitational-wave transient GW150914" (2016, ApJL, 826, L13)

This Supplement provides supporting material for Abbott et al. (2016a). We briefly summarize past electromagnetic (EM) follow-up efforts as well as the organization and policy of the current EM follow-up program. We compare the four probability sky maps produced for the gravitational-wave transient GW150914, and provide additional details of the EM follow-up observations that were performed in the different bands

The Science Performance of JWST as Characterized in Commissioning

This paper characterizes the actual science performance of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), as determined from the six month commissioning period. We summarize the performance of the spacecraft, telescope, science instruments, and ground system, with an emphasis on differences from pre-launch expectations. Commissioning has made clear that JWST is fully capable of achieving the discoveries for which it was built. Moreover, almost across the board, the science performance of JWST is better than expected; in most cases, JWST will go deeper faster than expected. The telescope and instrument suite have demonstrated the sensitivity, stability, image quality, and spectral range that are necessary to transform our understanding of the cosmos through observations spanning from near-earth asteroids to the most distant galaxies.Comment: 5th version as accepted to PASP; 31 pages, 18 figures; https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1538-3873/acb29

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least $4m$. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the $6.5m$ James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure