The Mausoleum Architectural Project: Reinterpreting Palenque's temple of the inscriptions through 3D data-driven architectural analysis

The Temple of the Inscriptions at Palenque, Mexico, is an outstanding example of Classic Maya architecture erected in the seventh century as the funerary building for ruler K'inich Janab Pakal. For decades, scholars have speculated on its construction sequence and the potential existence of hidden rooms on either side of Pakal's mortuary chamber. This article aims to advance understanding of the Temple's architectural context in light of new 3D data. After reviewing the application of drone-based photogrammetry and terrestrial Light Detection and Ranging in the Maya area, we argue that these techniques are capable of enhancing the architectural analysis of the Temple of the Inscriptions and showing that this structure was part of a larger architectural project, encompassing the adjacent Temple XIII, and the connecting stepped building platform. Our findings demonstrate that the basal platforms for the Temple of the Inscriptions and Temple XIII were erected contemporaneously and that the design of their mortuary chambers follows a tripartite layout we identified in Palenque's elite funerary architecture and associated mortuary practices. We conclude that these three buildings were part of a mausoleum architectural project, the construction of which was initiated by Pakal to reshape Palenque's site-core and enshrine the ruling family's power and ancestors

Enhanced Optical Absorption of GaAs Near-Band-Edge Transitions in GaAs/AlGaAs Core–Shell Nanowires: Implications for Nanowire Solar Cells

Dense arrays of core–shell nanowires possess great potential as superabsorptive media for the fabrication of efficient solar cells. We report on GaAs near-band-edge absorption properties of free-standing GaAs–AlGaAs core–shell nanowires having different shell thicknesses, by detailed line-shape analyses of room-temperature photoreflectance (PR) spectra, employing first-derivative Gaussian and Lorentzian models of the GaAs complex dielectric function. Line-shape analyses of the nanowire PR spectra returned a doublet of resonance lines at energies between 1.410 and 1.422 eV, ascribed to strain-split heavy- and light-hole exciton absorption transitions in the GaAs nanowire cores. The optical oscillator strengths of exciton resonances evaluated by Lorentzian analyses of PR features showed a significant enhancement (up to 30×) of GaAs band-edge optical absorption in nanowires with respect to the reference planar structure. Additionally, values of integrated Lorentzian moduli were normalized to the total GaAs core volume fill fraction (estimated in the range 0.5–7.0% with respect to a planar layer of the same height) within each nanowire ensemble, achieving a first ever experimental estimate of the GaAs near band-edge absorption enhancement factor for GaAs–AlGaAs core–shell nanowires in the range 22–190, depending on the nanowire inner core–shell structure. Such strong absorption enhancement is ascribed to improved wave-guiding of incident light into the GaAs cores by the surrounding AlGaAs shell (its average thickness being estimated between ∼14 and 100 nm in the present nanostructures)

Inhibition of Virulence-Related Traits in Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae by Gunpowder Green Tea Extracts

Green tea is a widely-consumed healthy drink produced from the leaves of Camellia sinensis. It is renowned for its antioxidant and anticarcinogenic properties, but also displays significant antimicrobial activity against numerous human pathogens. Here we analyzed the antimicrobial activity of Gunpowder green tea against Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa), the agent that causes kiwifruit bacterial canker. At the phenotypic level, tea extracts strongly inhibited Psa growth and swimming motility, suggesting it could reduce Psa epiphytic survival during plant colonization. The loss of bacterial virulence-related traits following treatment with tea extracts was also investigated by large-scale transcriptome analysis, which confirmed the in vitro phenotypes and revealed the induction of adaptive responses in the treated bacteria allowing them to cope with iron deficiency and oxidative stress. Such molecular changes may account for the ability of Gunpowder green tea to protect kiwifruit against Psa infection

Non-permanent GPS data for regional-scale kinematics: reliable deformation rate before the 6 April, 2009, earthquake in the L'Aquila area

A GPS-based geodetic study at a regional scale requires the availability of a dense network that is characterized by 10 km to 30 km spacing, typically followed in a few continuous GPS stations (CGPSs) and several non-permanent GPS stations (NPSs). As short observation times do not allow adequate noise modeling, NPS data need specific processing where the main differences between NPSs and CGPSs are taken into account: primarily time-series length and antenna repositioning error. The GPS data collected in the 1999-2007 time-span from non-permanent measurement campaigns in the central Apennine area (Italy) that was recently hit by the Mw 6.3 L'Aquila earthquake (April 6, 2009) are here further analyzed to compute a reliable strain-rate field at a regional scale. Moreover, areas characterized by different kinematics are recognized, and a complete characterization of the regional-scale kinematics is attempted. These new data can be interpreted as indicators from the viewpoint of seismic risk assessment

Effect of microwaves on the in situ hydrodistillation of four different Lamiaceae

The development of alternative techniques to classic hydrodistillation (HD) has been prompted because of the drawbacks of the more traditional technique. These drawbacks include: partial thermal degradation, high energy consumption and the fact that it is a time-consuming process. In situ microwave-generated hydrodistillation (MGH) and microwave hydrodiffusion and gravity (MHG) are suitable methods which may improve the preparation of essential oils. In this work, we report a comparison study of HD, MGH and MHG used in the extraction of four plant species cultivated in Piedmont (Italy): lavender, oregano, basil and sage. Both microwave-assisted procedures gave excellent results; in particular the essential oils obtained under MHG were very similar to those obtained with HD. In MGH, the polarity and the physico-chemical properties of the extracted compounds caused bigger differences in essential oil composition

Yellow Plugs: An Additional Dermoscopic Criterion in the Diagnosis of Primary Cutaneous B-Cell Lymphoma

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Editorial: Acoustics in the Built Environment: A Challenge for Improving the Quality of Life

The acoustics of the environment in which we live influences our health, comfort, performance, and well-being. In this Research Topic, it is showcased that quality of life can be changed and improved by optimizing the acoustics of the built environment. This is done by addressing the complexity of the interactions between the occupants and the sonic environment. A variety of indoor and outdoor settings, in which either communication or perception are targeted, have been taken into consideration by the contributions in this special issue. In particular, the collected papers focused on four critical aspects: effects of noise in learning environments, communication in noise and reverberation, soundscape optimization for outdoor and indoor applications, and development of perception-based criteria in acoustical design

Dermoscopic Features of Foreign Body Cutaneous Granuloma: A Case Series

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