Photoelectron diffraction: from phenomenological demonstration to practical tool

The potential of photoelectron diffraction—exploiting the coherent interference of directly-emitted and elastically scattered components of the photoelectron wavefield emitted from a core level of a surface atom to obtain structural information—was first appreciated in the 1970s. The first demonstrations of the effect were published towards the end of that decade, but the method has now entered the mainstream armoury of surface structure determination. This short review has two objectives: First, to outline the way that the idea emerged and the way this evolved in my own collaboration with Neville Smith and his colleagues at Bell Labs in the early years: Second, to provide some insight into the current state-of-the art in application of (scanned-energy mode) photoelectron diffraction to address two key issue in quantitative surface structure determination, namely, complexity and precision. In this regard a particularly powerful aspect of photoelectron diffraction is its elemental and chemical-state specificity

An operative X-band mini-radar network to monitor rainfall events with high time and space resolution

The increasing frequency of extreme and very localized precipitation events have been causing landslides, floods and casualties, especially in Sicily, due to its complex orography, and to the presence of densely inhabited areas just at the mouth of small basins. In order to monitor such phenomena with the needed high resolution in time and space, an experimental network of X-band mini-radars, exclusively devoted to monitor rain, has been installed in some parts of Sicily since November 2010. The network is made up by 4 mini weather radars able to acquire a rain map every minute (or even at shorter intervals) with a radial space resolution better than 100 m within a range of up to 30 km. Their low cost and the easiness of installation make such radars ideal for monitoring small areas or even just limited angular sectors, since it is more convenient to install more than one instrument instead of choosing special site locations or spending for installation support. The raw data are immediately processed in real time by the software installed on each radar unit, Cartesian maps are locally produced, compressed and transmitted via GPRS to a server where ad hoc products for the users are prepared and made available on a web site. A few examples of final products and some comparisons with rain gauges are presented

RFID technology applied to the glacial environment: MALATRA electronic system design and experimental data

The higher mountains of the Alps focus in the western part of Europe and favor a high concentration of glaciers in this area. The Aosta Valley region is surrounded by mountains, more than the 50% of its territory lying above 2000 m a.s.l. In the summer, most of the water supply of the region relies on the contribution given by snowmelt and, partially, by ice melt. Study of glacial processes is thus very important in this region. In this context the MALATRÀ project (led by Fondazione Montagna Sicura and Envisens Technologies) is created to develop a low-cost instrumentation capable of measuring with continuity the physical parameters of snow and ice. The instrumentation consists of a miniaturized electronic device (tag) equipped with sensors and placed inside an ovoidal small-dimension (48 mm diameter and 180 mm length) plastic capsule. Moreover, the implementation of radio frequency identification technology (RFID) allows remote communication from the surface with the tags placed deep into the glacier, thus saving time, effort and cost in collecting data. Tags allow communication at long distance working at 315 MHz frequency. At this step, the goal is to use such devices during the annual glaciological campaigns to measure the weight of the snowpack above the tag (with a pressure sensor), in order to derive the snow water equivalent (SWE) and temperature inside the ice. As a first step, the capsules will be coupled with ablation stakes installed in the ice, placed at the bottom of boreholes. Each capsule is uniquely identified by a code and can be located in a 3-D local system via radio using a localization algorithm under development. It is then, during the installation, georeferenced absolutely using a GNSS receiver. This functionality also allows for the glacier displacement measurements. Once the device has been identified, all the data stored in the internal memory can be remotely downloaded from the reader. At the current development stage the board is equipped with a precise thermometer (PT1000) and a pressure sensor to catch ice data, a magnetometer and a tri-axial accelerometer sensor to study the movement of the capsule within the ice. The performance of the system has been tested in the glacial environment with excellent results

Avaliaçao Clínica do Desempenho de um Novo Eletrodo Bipolar Endocárdico de Fixaçao Passiva Revestido com Esteróide(*)

O propósito deste estudo clínico é demonstrar a segurança e eficácia do cabo-eletrodo bipolar modelo 5092 (Medtronic, Inc.), quando usado para estimulaçao e sensibilidade cardíaca. O estudo verificará também que o cabo-eletrodo modelo 5092 pode ser implantado com sucesso usando as técnicas de manuseio dos cabos-eletrodos padrao. As informaçoes para a manipulaçao do cabo-eletrodo serao usadas para recomendar procedimentos de implante e para instruçoes de novos usos ao colocá-lo no mercado. Uma revisao dos métodos de estudo e uma apresentaçao abrangente dos resultados estao incluídas neste relato. Realizou-se uma avaliaçao prospectiva do cabo-eletrodo modelo 5092 usando os resultados de estudos clínicos do modelo 5024M como um controle. A semelhança do modelo 5092, o modelo 5024M é também de silicone, bipolar, coaxial, transvenoso, de fixaçao passiva, e revestido com esteróide. Os dados dos pacientes para o modelo 5092 neste relato foram coletados no implante, na pré-alta hospitalar, e duas semanas, um mês e três meses após o implante. Os dados dos pacientes continuarao sendo coletados até seis meses após o implante e a partir daí a cada seis meses até o final do estudo

Avaliaçao Clínica do Desempenho de um Novo Eletrodo Bipolar Endocárdico de Fixaçao Passiva Revestido com Esteróide(*)

O propósito deste estudo clínico é demonstrar a segurança e eficácia do cabo-eletrodo bipolar modelo 5092 (Medtronic, Inc.), quando usado para estimulaçao e sensibilidade cardíaca. O estudo verificará também que o cabo-eletrodo modelo 5092 pode ser implantado com sucesso usando as técnicas de manuseio dos cabos-eletrodos padrao. As informaçoes para a manipulaçao do cabo-eletrodo serao usadas para recomendar procedimentos de implante e para instruçoes de novos usos ao colocá-lo no mercado. Uma revisao dos métodos de estudo e uma apresentaçao abrangente dos resultados estao incluídas neste relato. Realizou-se uma avaliaçao prospectiva do cabo-eletrodo modelo 5092 usando os resultados de estudos clínicos do modelo 5024M como um controle. A semelhança do modelo 5092, o modelo 5024M é também de silicone, bipolar, coaxial, transvenoso, de fixaçao passiva, e revestido com esteróide. Os dados dos pacientes para o modelo 5092 neste relato foram coletados no implante, na pré-alta hospitalar, e duas semanas, um mês e três meses após o implante. Os dados dos pacientes continuarao sendo coletados até seis meses após o implante e a partir daí a cada seis meses até o final do estudo

Ergogenic effect of bcaas and l-alanine supplementation: Proof-of-concept study in a murine model of physiological exercise

Background: Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs: leucine, isoleucine, valine) account for 35% of skeletal muscle essential amino acids (AAs). As such, they must be provided in the diet to support peptide synthesis and inhibit protein breakdown. Although substantial evidence has been collected about the potential usefulness of BCAAs in supporting muscle function and structure, dietary supplements containing BCAAs alone may not be effective in controlling muscle protein turnover, due to the rate-limiting bioavailability of other AAs involved in BCAAs metabolism. Methods: We aimed to evaluate the in vivo/ex vivo effects of a 4-week treatment with an oral formulation containing BCAAs alone (2:1:1) on muscle function, structure, and metabolism in a murine model of physiological exercise, which was compared to three modified formulations combining BCAAs with increasing concentrations of L-Alanine (ALA), an AA controlling BCAAs catabolism. Results: A preliminary pharmacokinetic study confirmed the ability of ALA to boost up BCAAs bioavailability. After 4 weeks, mix 2 (BCAAs + 2ALA) had the best protective effect on mice force and fatigability, as well as on muscle morphology and metabolic indices. Conclusion: Our study corroborates the use of BCAAs + ALA to support muscle health during physiological exercise, underlining how the relative BCAAs/ALA ratio is important to control BCAAs distribution

A Block-Based Union-Find Algorithm to Label Connected Components on GPUs

In this paper, we introduce a novel GPU-based Connected Components Labeling algorithm: the Block-based Union Find. The proposed strategy significantly improves an existing GPU algorithm, taking advantage of a block-based approach. Experimental results on real cases and synthetically generated datasets demonstrate the superiority of the new proposal with respect to state-of-the-art