Fungal environment in different rabbit intensive farms

Many environmental factors (for example, temperature, relative humidity, ventilation, NH3 concentration) can influence the health and welfare of rabbits reared in intensive farms. Among these elements, microorganisms and, in particular, fungi play a pivotal role in the spreading of potential pathogenic and zoonotic diseases. Aim of our work was to evaluate the fungal contamination in two different rabbit rearing (A and B). SAS System® (PBI International, Italy) and opened plates, filled with cultural media for fungal growth (environmental and dermatophytes) have been used. The data collected in both the farms showed that, for environmental fungi, Aspergillus, Alternaria and Penicillium were the most spread. On the contrary, for dermatophytes, there was a difference between farm A and B. In fact, in the first one Microsporum canis (a known zoonotic agent) has been recovered in high concentration, while in the second rearing we have isolated Microsporum gypseum a geophilic fungus with a very low pathogenic potential

Investigations on nucleophilic layers made with a novel plasma jet technique

In this work a novel plasma jet technique is used for the deposition of nucleophilic films based on (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane at atmospheric pressure. Film deposition was varied with regard to duty cycles and working distance. Spectral ellipsometry and chemical derivatization with 4-(trifluoromethyl)benzaldehyde using ATR- FTIR spectroscopy measurements were used to characterize the films. It was found that the layer thickness and the film composition are mainly influenced by the duty cycle

Menometrorrhagia in magnetic resonance imaging operators with copper intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUDS): a case report

The paper describes the cases of 3 female health operators with implanted copper IUDs, developing menometrorrhagia some months after an increase of the working time in a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Unit (1.5 T), that progressively disappeared when the previous organization, involving discontinuous work shifts at MRI, was re-established. No known factors possibly related to menometrorrhagia were evidenced in the 3 operators, supporting the hypothesis of a role of the exposure to the electromagnetic fields (EMF) induced by the MRI system in symptoms induction. The possible mechanism remains unsettled, but menometrorrhagia might be triggered by a phlogistic stimulus caused by EMF, possibly the low-frequency currents induced in the wires of the IUD during the movements of the operator inside the static magnetic field generated by the MRI permanent magnet. Until now, the problem of possible interactions between copper IUDs and EMF induced by MRI has been considered in patients undergoing imaging, but the possible risk in MRI Units operators has been largely neglected. To our knowledge, the occurrence of menometrorrhagia is not routinely checked in health surveillance of MRI operators, so these symptoms can pass unnoticed, especially if they are transitory. Therefore, underreporting is rather possible. The cases described here support the need for further research on this topic, especially considering the progressive diffusion of more powerful MRI scanners (3 T and more), and of the interventional magnetic resonance imaging, both potentially involving higher EMF exposures, and a large number of MRI female operators, possibly using IUDs. The possibility that MRI operators with implanted metallic IUDs can be included in the group of "workers at particular risk" according to the EU Directive 2004/40/EC should be considered

Use of a probe for the putative sex determining gene, Zinc finger Y, in the study of patients with ambiguous genitalia and XY gonadal dysgenesis

Using reverse genetics, a candidate for the sex determining gene from the Y chromosome has recently been cloned. We have used a DNA probe from this gene to assess the presence of this crucial region of the Y chromosome in patients with sexual ambiguity or gonadal dysgenesis. The DNA from 3 cases of gonadal dysgenesis, one complicated by somatic anomalies and mental retardation, reacted normally with this putative sex determining gene. A patient having a small phallus and pseudovaginal, perineoscrotal hypospadias (PPSH) also had normal Y chromosomal DNA. We hypothesize that the defect in sex determination in all 4 cases is most probably subsequent to the primary sex determining switch.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/38251/1/1320360218_ftp.pd

Understanding Uncertainty

A way to assess the information decrease uncertainty and project risk was described. Incorporating the method into real-time evaluation programs allowed continual updating of prognoses, such as the distance to a drilling target. Three case studies showed uncertainty analysis for geosteering into a thin pay section, a shaly-sand petrophysical analysis and a walkaway vertical seismic profile (VSP)

Harmonic Pulse Testing for Well Monitoring: application to a fractured geothermal reservoir

Harmonic Pulse Testing (HPT) has been developed as a type of well testing applicable during ongoing field operations because a pulsed signal is superimposed on background pressure trend. Its purpose is to determine well and formation parameters such as wellbore storage, skin, permeability and boundaries within the investigated volume. Compared to conventional well testing, HPT requires more time to investigate the same reservoir volume. The advantage is that it does not require the interruption of well and reservoir injection/production before and/or during the test because it allows the extraction of an interpretable periodic signal from measured pressure potentially affected by interference. This makes it an ideal monitoring tool. Interpretation is streamlined through diagnostic plots mimicking conventional well test interpretation methods. To this end, analytical solutions in the frequency domain are available. The methodology was applied to monitor stimulation operations performed at an Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) site in Pohang, Korea. The activities were divided into two steps: first a preliminary sequence of tests, injection/fall‐off and two HPTs, characterized by low injection rates and dedicated to estimate permeability prior to stimulation operations; then stimulation sequence characterized by higher injection rate. During the stimulation operations other HPTs were performed to monitor formation properties behavior. The interpretation of HPT data through the derivative approach implemented in the frequency domain provided reliable results in agreement with the injection test. Moreover, it provided an estimation of hydraulic properties without cessation of stimulation operations, thus confirming the effectiveness of HPT application for monitoring purposes

Hamiltonian Dynamics and the Phase Transition of the XY Model

A Hamiltonian dynamics is defined for the XY model by adding a kinetic energy term. Thermodynamical properties (total energy, magnetization, vorticity) derived from microcanonical simulations of this model are found to be in agreement with canonical Monte-Carlo results in the explored temperature region. The behavior of the magnetization and the energy as functions of the temperature are thoroughly investigated, taking into account finite size effects. By representing the spin field as a superposition of random phased waves, we derive a nonlinear dispersion relation whose solutions allow the computation of thermodynamical quantities, which agree quantitatively with those obtained in numerical experiments, up to temperatures close to the transition. At low temperatures the propagation of phonons is the dominant phenomenon, while above the phase transition the system splits into ordered domains separated by interfaces populated by topological defects. In the high temperature phase, spins rotate, and an analogy with an Ising-like system can be established, leading to a theoretical prediction of the critical temperature $T_{KT}\approx 0.855$.Comment: 10 figures, Revte

Thyroid Hormone T3 Counteracts STZ Induced Diabetes in Mouse

This study intended to demonstrate that the thyroid hormone T3 counteracts the onset of a Streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetes in wild type mice. To test our hypothesis diabetes has been induced in Balb/c male mice by multiple low dose Streptozotocin injection; and a group of mice was contemporaneously injected with T3. After 48 h mice were tested for glucose tolerance test, insulin serum levels and then sacrified. Whole pancreata were utilized for morphological and biochemical analyses, while protein extracts and RNA were utilized for expression analyses of specific molecules. The results showed that islets from T3 treated mice were comparable to age- and sex-matched control, untreated mice in number, shape, dimension, consistency, ultrastructure, insulin and glucagon levels, Tunel positivity and caspases activation, while all the cited parameters and molecules were altered by STZ alone. The T3-induced pro survival effect was associated with a strong increase in phosphorylated Akt. Moreover, T3 administration prevented the STZ-dependent alterations in glucose blood level, both during fasting and after glucose challenge, as well as in insulin serum level. In conclusion we demonstrated that T3 could act as a protective factor against STZ induced diabetes