Magnetic fields generated by r-modes in accreting millisecond pulsars

In millisecond pulsars the existence of the Coriolis force allows the development of the so-called Rossby oscillations (r-modes) which are know to be unstable to emission of gravitational waves. These instabilities are mainly damped by the viscosity of the star or by the existence of a strong magnetic field. A fraction of the observed millisecond pulsars are known to be inside Low Mass X-ray Binaries (LMXBs), systems in which a neutron star (or a black hole) is accreting from a donor whose mass is smaller than 1 $M_\odot$. Here we show that the r-mode instabilities can generate strong toroidal magnetic fields by inducing differential rotation. In this way we also provide an alternative scenario for the origin of the magnetars.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, Proceedings conference "Theoretical Nuclear Physics", Cortona October 200

Efficacy of Two Common Methods of Application of Residual Insecticide for Controlling the Asian Tiger Mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Skuse), in Urban Areas

After its first introduction in the 1980's the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Skuse), has spread throughout Southern Europe. Ae. albopictus is considered an epidemiologically important vector for the transmission of many viral pathogens such as the yellow fever virus, dengue fever and Chikungunya fever, as well as several filarial nematodes such as Dirofilaria immitis or D. repens. It is therefore crucial to develop measures to reduce the risks of disease transmission by controlling the vector populations. The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy of two application techniques (mist vs. stretcher sprayer) and two insecticides (Etox based on the nonester pyrethroid Etofenprox vs. Microsin based on the pyrethroid type II Cypermetrin) in controlling adult tiger mosquito populations in highly populated areas. To test the effect of the two treatments pre- and post-treatment human landing rate counts were conducted for two years. After one day from the treatment we observed a 100% population decrease in mosquito abundance with both application methods and both insecticides. However, seven and 14 days after the application the stretcher sprayer showed larger population reductions than the mist sprayer. No effect of insecticide type after one day and 14 days was found, while Etox caused slightly higher population reduction than Microsin after seven days. Emergency measures to locally reduce the vector populations should adopt adulticide treatments using stretcher sprayers. However, more research is still needed to evaluate the potential negative effects of adulticide applications on non-target organisms

WASTE PLASTICS MANAGEMENT IN MUNICIPALITIES: LOGISTICS AND PROCESSES IN LOMBARDIA (NORTHERN ITALY)

A partnership of 49 Municipalities lying in Lombardia (Northern Italy) and belonging to the District \u201cMonza and Brianza\u201d has entrusted the management of the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) to two Public Companies: \u201cC.E.M. Ambiente S.p.A.\u201d - which owns and operates a transfer station and a multi-material centre - and \u201cSERUSO S.p.A.\u201d, whose single facility is set up and equipped for a high performance factory sorting of the dry fraction of the urban waste. The catchment area is populated by 448 000, living in an area of 366 km2. The management system starts with household sorting for multi-bin curbside collection; followed by hauling to selection and physical treatment facilities; and last, transport of the selected fractions to final destinations. The yearly throughput of \u201cC.E.M. Ambiente\u201d is about 296 000 t, of which over 70% home-sorted. Extra-CEM customers add to this amount about 40 000 t/yr. When calculated on the partner municipalities, the waste generation rate is almost 1.8 kg/capita per day including waste from craftsmen and workshops. Less than 1% of the collected waste goes to landfill and about 8% to incineration with energy recovery (WTE). Since \u201cC.E.M. Ambiente\u201d operates mainly the logistics, however; and part of the materials recovery is actually made downstream its gate at \u201cSERUSO\u201d facility, where some by-products are unavoidably generated; the overall share of WTE will be slightly higher. Electric energy produced from the combustible by-products of \u201cC.E.M. Ambiente\u201d and \u201cSERUSO\u201d covers largely the energy needs of the recovery and cleaning processes. It is worthwhile stressing that in this district also waste from street sweeping \u2013 as much as 8 200 t/yr \u2013 is turned into sand, gravel and like for civil works. \u201cC.E.M. Ambiente\u201d uses also fuel energy, to operate collection and hauling vehicles and factory handling machines, all of them powered by Diesel engines. Fuel requirements for TS and MMC in 2011 were 78 405 and 14 605 litres, respectively. Regrettably, these needs cannot be satisfied in any way with recovered energy

Bifidobacteria and lactobacilli in the gut microbiome of children with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: which strains act as health players?

Introduction: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), considered the leading cause of chronic liver disease in children, can often progress from non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). It is clear that obesity is one of the main risk factors involved in NAFLD pathogenesis, even if specific mechanisms have yet to be elucidated. We investigated the distribution of intestinal bifidobacteria and lactobacilli in the stools of four groups of children: obese, obese with NAFL, obese with NASH, and healthy, age-matched controls (CTRLs). Material and methods: Sixty-one obese, NAFL and NASH children and 54 CTRLs were enrolled in the study. Anthropometric and metabolic parameters were measured for all subjects. All children with suspected NASH underwent liver biopsy. Bifidobacteria and lactobacilli were analysed in children’s faecal samples, during a broader, 16S rRNA-based pyrosequencing analysis of the gut microbiome. Results: Three Bifidobacterium spp. (Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium bifidum, and Bifidobacterium adolescentis) and five Lactobacillus spp. (L. zeae, L. vaginalis, L. brevis, L. ruminis, and L. mucosae) frequently recurred in metagenomic analyses. Lactobacillus spp. increased in NAFL, NASH, or obese children compared to CTRLs. Particularly, L. mucosae was significantly higher in obese (p = 0.02426), NAFLD (p = 0.01313) and NASH (p = 0.01079) than in CTRLs. In contrast, Bifidobacterium spp. were more abundant in CTRLs, suggesting a protective and beneficial role of these microorganisms against the aforementioned diseases. Conclusions: Bifidobacteria seem to have a protective role against the development of NAFLD and obesity, highlighting their possible use in developing novel, targeted and effective probiotics

Development of a Dynamic Model of a Palladium Membrane Reactor for Water Gas Shift

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Nonextensive statistical effects on the relativistic nuclear equation of state

Following the basic prescriptions of the Tsallis' nonextensive thermodynamics, we study the relativistic nonextensive thermodynamics and the equation of state for a perfect gas at the equilibrium. The obtained results are used to study the relativistic nuclear equation of state in the hadronic and in the quark-gluon plasma phase. We show that small deviations from the standard extensive statistics imply remarkable effects into the shape of the equation of state.Comment: Contribution to International Workshop on: Trends and Perspectives in Extensive and Non-Extensive Statistical Mechanics (in Honour to the q-60th Birthday of Constantino Tsallis) November 19-21, 2003, Angra dos Reis, Brazil. 8 pages including 2 figure

Luminosity of a quark star undergoing torsional oscillations and the problem of gamma ray bursts

We discuss whether the winding-up of the magnetic field by differential rotation in a new-born quark star can produce a sufficiently-high, energy, emission rate of sufficiently long duration to explain long gamma-ray bursts. In the context of magnetohydrodynamics, we study the torsional oscillations and energy extraction from a new-born, hot, differentially rotating quark star. The new-born compact star is a rapid rotator that produces a relativistic, leptonic wind. The star's torsional oscillation modulates this wind emission considerably when it is odd and of sufficient amplitude, which is relatively easy to reach. Odd oscillations may occur just after the formation of a quark star. Other asymmetries can cause similar effects. The buoyancy of wound-up magnetic fields is inhibited, or its effects are limited, by a variety of different mechanisms. Direct electromagnetic emission by the torsional oscillation in either an outside vacuum or the leptonic wind surrounding the compact object is found to be insignificant. In contrast, the twist given to the outer magnetic field by an odd torsional oscillation is generally sufficient to open the star's magnetosphere. The Poynting emission of the star in its leptonic environment is then radiated from all of its surface and is enhanced considerably during these open episodes, tapping at the bulk rotational energy of the star. This results in intense energy shedding in the first tens of minutes after the collapse of magnetized quark stars with an initial poloidal field of order of 10**14 Gauss, sufficient to explain long gamma-ray bursts.Comment: 16 pages, accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysic

Geomorphological control of fine sedimentation on the northern Portuguese shelf

Six cores sampled at two mud fields located on the northern Portuguese continental shelf have been studied in order to evaluate the control processes of fine sedimentation. The southern mud patch, offshore from the Douro River, is limited on the western side by some Cretaceous and Paleocene outcrops that constitute reliefs of 5-30 m in width; on the contrary, the northern mud patch, offshore from the Minho River, extends along a flat region. Granulometric distribution shows that the sediments from the Minho mud patch are coarser than those from the Douro mud patch, where the grain size diminishes towards the west. Carbonate content is also higher in the Minho mud field. The sediment organisation in fining-up sequences in the Minho mud patch and in the eastern part of the Douro mud patch indicates sediment remobilisation by storms. The Douro mud patch has higher sedimentation rates than the Minho mud patch. The highest values are probably related to the existence of reliefs, which may offer hydrodynamic protection or function as a fine sediment barrier. The elemental distribution for chemical elements was determined in different fractions of these cores. Geochemical patterns are generally quite similar for both mud fields, indicating a common continental origin for the sediments. The major differences in the chemical composition are mainly controlled by the grain-size distribution, either reflecting the presence of coarse quartz particles or a local enrichment in biogenic material.En este trabajo se han estudiado seis testigos de la zona norte de la plataforma continental portuguesa con el objetivo de evaluar los procesos que controlan la sedimentación de materiales finos en esta región. Los fangos acumulados más al sur, frente a la desembocadura del río Duero, están limitados al oeste por relieves cretácicos y paleocenos de 5 a 30 m de altura. Los fangos septentrionales, frente a la desembocadura del río Miño, se extienden sobre una región plana. La distribución granulométrica muestra que estos últimos son más gruesos que los depositados frente al Duero, en los que el tamaño de grano disminuye hacia el oeste. El contenido en carbonato es más elevado en la zona del Miño. Las secuencias granodecrecientes encontradas en los fangos del Miño y en los del sector oriental del Duero indican retrabajamiento del sedimento por tormentas. La tasa de sedimentación es mayor en los fangos situados frente al Duero, donde los valores más altos están relacionados probablemente con la existencia de relieves, los cuales ofrecerían una protección hidrodinámica o actuarían como una barrera para los sedimentos. La distribución de la concentración de diversos elementos químicos a lo largo de los testigos fue determinada para diferentes fracciones. El patrón geoquímico es bastante similar en ambas zonas y pone de manifiesto una procedencia continental de los sedimentos. Las principales diferencias en la composición química están fundamentalmente controladas por la distribución granulométrica, bien por la presencia de granos gruesos de cuarzo, bien por un enriquecimiento local en material biogénico.Instituto Español de Oceanografí