Finite Temperature Effective Potential for Gauge Models in de Sitter Space

The one-loop effective potential for gauge models in static de Sitter space at finite temperatures is computed by means of the $\zeta$--function method. We found a simple relation which links the effective potentials of gauge and scalar fields at all temperatures. In the de Sitter invariant and zero-temperature states the potential for the scalar electrodynamics is explicitly obtained, and its properties in these two vacua are compared. In this theory the two states are shown to behave similarly in the regimes of very large and very small radii a of the background space. For the gauge symmetry broken in the flat limit ($a \to \infty$) there is a critical value of a for which the symmetry is restored in both quantum states. Moreover, the phase transitions which occur at large or at small a are of the first or of the second order, respectively, regardless the vacuum considered. The analytical and numerical analysis of the critical parameters of the above theory is performed. We also established a class of models for which the kind of phase transition occurring depends on the choice of the vacuum.Comment: 23 pages, LaTeX, 5 figure.ep

Chemometric tools to point out benchmarks and chromophores in pigments through spectroscopic data analyses

Spectral preprocessing data and chemometric tools are analytical methods widely applied in several scientific contexts i.e., in archaeometric applications. A systematic classification of natural powdered pigments of organic and inorganic nature through Principal Component Analysis with a multi-instruments spectroscopic study is presented here. The methodology allows the access to elementary and molecular unique benchmarks to guide and speed up the identification of an unknown pigment and its recipe. This study is conducted on a set of 48 powdered pigments and tested on a real-case sample from the wall painting in S. Maria Delle Palate di Tusa (Messina, Italy). Four spectroscopic techniques (X-ray Fluorescence, Raman, Attenuated Total Reflectance and Total Reflectance Infrared Spectroscopies) and six different spectrometers are tested to evaluate the impact of different setups. The novelty of the work is to use a systematic approach on this initial dataset using the entire spectroscopic energy range without any windows selection to solve problems linked with the manipulation of large analytes/materials to find an indistinct property of one or more spectral bands opening new frontiers in the dataset spectroscopic analyses

Recovery of viral RNA and infectious foot-and-mouth disease virus from positive lateral-flow devices

Foot-and-mouth disease Virus (FMDV) is an economically important, highly contagious picornavirus that affects both wild and domesticated cloven hooved animals. In developing countries, the effective laboratory diagnosis of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is often hindered by inadequate sample preservation due to difficulties in the transportation and storage of clinical material. These factors can compromise the ability to detect and characterise FMD virus in countries where the disease is endemic. Furthermore, the high cost of sending infectious virus material and the biosecurity risk it presents emphasises the need for a thermo-stable, non-infectious mode of transporting diagnostic samples. This paper investigates the potential of using FMDV lateral-flow devices (LFDs) for dry transportation of clinical samples for subsequent nucleic acid amplification, sequencing and recovery of infectious virus by electroporation. FMDV positive samples (epithelial suspensions and cell culture isolates) representing four FMDV serotypes were applied to antigen LFDs: after which it was possible to recover viral RNA that could be detected using real-time RT-PCR. Using this nucleic acid, it was also possible to recover VP1 sequences and also successfully utilise protocols for amplification of complete FMD virus genomes. It was not possible to recover infectious FMDV directly from the LFDs, however following electroporation into BHK-21 cells and subsequent cell passage, infectious virus could be recovered. Therefore, these results support the use of the antigen LFD for the dry, non-hazardous transportation of samples from FMD endemic countries to international reference laboratories

Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress caused by cryopreservation in reproductive cells

Mitochondria, fundamental organelles in cell metabolism, and ATP synthesis are respon-sible for generating reactive oxygen species (ROS), calcium homeostasis, and cell death. Mitochon-dria produce most ROS, and when levels exceed the antioxidant defenses, oxidative stress (OS) is generated. These changes may eventually impair the electron transport chain, resulting in decreased ATP synthesis, increased ROS production, altered mitochondrial membrane permeability, and dis-ruption of calcium homeostasis. Mitochondria play a key role in the gamete competence to facilitate normal embryo development. However, iatrogenic factors in assisted reproductive technologies (ART) may affect their functional competence, leading to an abnormal reproductive outcome. Cry-opreservation, a fundamental technology in ART, may compromise mitochondrial function leading to elevated intracellular OS that decreases sperm and oocytes’ competence and the dynamics of fertilization and embryo development. This article aims to review the role played by mitochondria and ROS in sperm and oocyte function and the close, biunivocal relationships between mitochon-drial damage and ROS generation during cryopreservation of gametes and gonadal tissues in different species. Based on current literature, we propose tentative hypothesis of mechanisms involved in cryopreservation-associated mitochondrial dysfunction in gametes, and discuss the role played by antioxidants and other agents to retain the competence of cryopreserved reproductive cells and tissues

Heat-kernel Coefficients and Spectra of the Vector Laplacians on Spherical Domains with Conical Singularities

The spherical domains $S^d_\beta$ with conical singularities are a convenient arena for studying the properties of tensor Laplacians on arbitrary manifolds with such a kind of singular points. In this paper the vector Laplacian on $S^d_\beta$ is considered and its spectrum is calculated exactly for any dimension $d$. This enables one to find the Schwinger-DeWitt coefficients of this operator by using the residues of the $\zeta$-function. In particular, the second coefficient, defining the conformal anomaly, is explicitly calculated on $S^d_\beta$ and its generalization to arbitrary manifolds is found. As an application of this result, the standard renormalization of the one-loop effective action of gauge fields is demonstrated to be sufficient to remove the ultraviolet divergences up to the first order in the conical deficit angle.Comment: plain LaTeX, 23 pp., revised version, a misprint in expressions (1.8) and (4.38) of the second heat coefficient for the vector Laplacian is corrected. No other change

Digital design of minimally invasive endodontic access cavity

New minimally invasive endodontic cavities have been described and proposed to preserve dentin (and enamel) through strategic access, including point endodontic access cavity (PEAC). There is no consensus to what extent PEAC contributes to tooth's resistance to fracture, because there is no agreement on how PEAC should be performed. The purpose of the present study is to describe and classify four different types of PEACs and to examine if a dynamic navigation system /DNS) could allow planning and precisely executing these cavities in vitro. Forty TrueTooth TM Replica # 3-001 models, were randomly divided into four identical groups of ten and scanned using a cone bean computed tomography (OP-Maxio 300, Instrumentarium-Kavo, Finland). Then, four different access cavities were planned and performed by using DNS (Navident dynamic navigation system, ClaroNav, Toronto, ON, Canada). For each tooth, a different PEAC was designed to obtain endodontic access to the main mesio-buccal canal (MB1), resulting in a different location of the entry point on the occlusal surface of the tooth. Precision was evaluated by comparing deviation in the inclinations between the planned and real cavity. Data were recorded and statistically analyzed. DNS allowed preparation of minimally invasive "straight line" cavities, with some differences in the accuracy

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)

Changes in high-intensity precipitation on the northern Apennines (Italy) as revealed by multidisciplinary data over the last 9000 years

Several record-breaking precipitation events have struck the mountainous area of the Emilia-Romagna region (northern Apennines, Italy) over the last 10 years. As a consequence, severe geomorphological processes such as debris avalanches and debris flows, shallow landslides, and overbank flooding have affected the territory, causing severe damage to human-made structures. The unusual intensity of these phenomena prompted an investigation into their frequency in the past, beyond instrumental time. In the quest for an understanding of whether these phenomena are unprecedented in the region, peat bog and lake deposits were analyzed to infer the frequency of extreme precipitation events that may have occurred in the past. We present the results of a dedicated field campaign performed in summer 2017 at Lake Moo in the northern Apennines, a 0.15 km2peat bog located at an altitude of 1130ma.s.l. During the extreme precipitation event of 13-14 September 2015, several debris flows generated by small streams affected the Lake Moo plain. In such a small drainage basin (<2 km2), high-density floods can be triggered only by high-intensity precipitation events. The sedimentary succession (ca. 13m thick) was studied through the drilling of two cores and one trench. The sequence, characterized by clusters of coarse-grained alluvial deposits interbedded with organic-rich silty clays and peat layers, was analyzed by combining sedimentological, pollen, microanthracological and pedological data with radiocarbon dating (AMS 14C) in an innovative multidisciplinary approach for this area. Original data acquired during the field campaign were also correlated with other specific paleoclimatic proxies available in the literature for the northern Apennines area. We discover that the increase in extreme paleoflooding, associated with coarse-grained deposits similar to the ones observed recently, correlates well with the warm phases of the Holocene Thermal Maximum and with the ongoing warming trend observed that started at the beginning of the last century