Clock spectroscopy of interacting bosons in deep optical lattices

We report on high-resolution optical spectroscopy of interacting bosonic $^{174}$Yb atoms in deep optical lattices with negligible tunneling. We prepare Mott insulator phases with singly- and doubly-occupied isolated sites and probe the atoms using an ultra-narrow "clock" transition. Atoms in singly-occupied sites undergo long-lived Rabi oscillations. Atoms in doubly-occupied sites are strongly affected by interatomic interactions, and we measure their inelastic decay rates and energy shifts. We deduce from these measurements all relevant collisional parameters involving both clock states, in particular the intra- and inter-state scattering lengths

A new monoclinic polymorph of 3-diethyl­amino-4-(4-meth­oxy­phen­yl)-1,1-dioxo-4H-1λ6,2-thia­zete-4-carbonitrile

A new monoclinic form of the title compound, C14H17N3O3S, has been found upon slow crystallization from water. Another monoclinic form of the compound was obtained previously from a mixture of dichloro­methane and diethyl ether [Clerici et al. (2002 ▶). Tetra­hedron, 58, 5173–5178]. Both phases crystallize in space group P21/n with one mol­ecule in the asymmetric unit. The formally single exocyclic C—N bond that connects the –NEt2 unit with the thia­zete ring is considerably shorter than the adjacent, formally double, endocyclic C=N bond. This is likely to be due to the extended conjugated system between the electron-donor diethyl­ammine fragment and the electron-withdrawing sulfonyl group. In the newly discovered polymorph, the meth­oxy group is rotated by almost 180° around the phen­yl–OCH3 bond, resulting in a different mol­ecular conformation

SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in the Vatican city state

The results of this seroprevalence analysis showed a positivity rate among individuals assisted by the internal healthcare system of the Vatican City State lower than that found in other studies on similar samples. This may be due to the small sample size and to the low number of COVID-19 cases tracked in the Vatican City State thanks to the control and prevention measures taken by the Directorate of Health and Hygiene. These measures were applied uninterruptedly through the first and second waves and included preventive measures such as hand disinfection, social distancing, use of face masks, body temperature measurement and symptom screening, as well as clinical surveillance, isolation protocols for symptomatic individuals and careful evaluation of all potential contacts

The Influence of a Total Body Resistance Training Program on Autonomic Modulation and Strength Variables in Young Adults

International Journal of Exercise Science 14(2): 802-814, 2021. The purpose of this study was to examine autonomic modulation using multiple quantitative measures before and after a resistance training (RT) intervention. Seventeen young adults (age 18-35 years) were tested for body composition, muscular strength, and autonomic activity. The RT protocol targeted total-body large muscle groups, which were performed three days a week for eight-weeks. Autonomic assessments included respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), static handgrip exercise, Valsalva maneuver, heart rate variability (HRV), and tilt-table testing. The main finding was that tilt-table duration increased by 68 seconds (p = 0.05) after RT. Upper body strength increased by 11.2 kg (p = 0.001) and lower body strength increased by 68.3 kg (p \u3c 0.001) following completion of the RT intervention. The average total lean mass increased by 1.5 kg (p \u3c 0.01), while total fat mass was unchanged (∆ = 0.5 kg, p = 0.23). RSA (∆ = 0.4, p = 0.89), Valsalva ratio (∆= -0.09, p = 0.48), static handgrip (∆ = 8 mm Hg, p = 0.07), and HRV (∆ = -0.4, p = 0.53) were not affected by RT. The results from this study suggest that RT improves tilt-table tolerance in a young healthy population as evidence by improved tilt-table duration. However, RT seemed to have no effect on cardio-vagal or adrenergic function

Removal of metallic elements from real wastewater using zebra mussel bio-filtration process

The metallic element pollution is a serious environmental problem but still unsolved since these contaminants are released mainly by human activity, reaching all the environmental compartments. Traditional wastewater treatment plants are very efficient in removing metallic elements only when their concentration is in the order of mg/L, but are not able to remove them until \u3bcg/L, as it would be needed to cope with the water quality standards in low flow receptors. Therefore, the aim of our study was to evaluate the potential removal of some recalcitrant metallic elements to the classical treatments, by the natural process of bio-filtration performed by the invasive zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha). For this purpose we built a pilot-plant at the Milano-Nosedo wastewater treatment plant, where we placed about 40,000 D. polymorpha specimens appointed to the wastewater bio-filtration. The metallic element removal due to zebra mussel activity was evaluated in the treated wastewater with a plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Data obtained in these experiments showed an encouraging metallic element removal due to D. polymorpha activity; in particular, the total abatement (100%) of Cr after one day of bio-filtration exposure is remarkable. Therefore, this study encourages further research related with the use of bivalves as a new tool for the wastewater depuration process; in this regard, the contaminated mollusks used in the bio-filtration could be incinerated or stored in special landfills, as is also the case of traditional sewage sludge

Antisense reduction of thylakoidal ascorbate peroxidase in Arabidopsis enhances Paraquat-induced photooxidative stress and Nitric Oxide-induced cell death

The production and characterization of Arabidopsis plants containing a transgene in which the Arabidopsis tAPX is inserted in antisense orientation, is described. tAPX activity in these transgenic tAPX plants is around 50% of control level. The tAPX antisense plants are phenotypically indistinguishable from control plants under normal growth conditions; they show, however, enhanced sensitivity to the O 2- -generating herbicide, Paraquat. Interestingly, the tAPX antisense plants show enhanced symptoms of damage when cell death is triggered through treatment with the nitric oxide-donor, SNP. These results are in accordance with the ones recently obtained with transgenic plants overexpressing tAPX; altogether, they suggest that tAPX, besides the known ROS scavenging role, is also involved in the fine changes of H 2O2 concentration during signaling events

A Mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana with a Reduced Response to Fusicoccin. I

Because fusicoccin (FC) has the the capacity to promote solute uptake, a selective procedure for isolating mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana with a reduced response to the toxin has been developed. The procedure is based on the incubation of A. thaliana seedlings in a solution containing the cation Paraquat (Pq) at a concentration that per se does not produce bleaching of the leaves upon illumination but does in the presence of FC because of the increased uptake of the toxic cation. Using this procedure, we identified, among the progenies of 2010 M1 ethyl methanesulfonate-mutagenized plants, two mutants that stay green after exposure to FC and Pq. Some properties and inheritance of one of the two mutants (5\u20132) are described. Morphology of mutant plants is almost indistinguishable from that of the wild type. However, 5\u20132 seeds germinate and produce viable seedlings in the presence of FC plus the aminoglycoside antibiotic hygromycin B: plants of the mutant do not wilt when exposed to FC and stomata do not open or open only partially. In the presence of FC, the mutant appears less responsive than the wild type as far as the increment in fresh weight, the enlargement of leaf disc area, or the stimulation of H+ extrusion is concerned. Inheritance of the trait is monogenic dominant or semidominant, depending on the test used

Optically trapped Feshbach molecules of fermionic 161Dy and 40K

We report on the preparation of a pure ultracold sample of bosonic DyK Feshbach molecules, which are composed of the fermionic isotopes 161Dy and 40K. Employing a magnetic sweep across a resonance located near 7.3 G, we produce up to 5000 molecules at a temperature of about 50 nK. For purification from the remaining atoms, we apply a Stern-Gerlach technique based on magnetic levitation of the molecules in a very weak optical dipole trap. With the trapped molecules we finally reach a high phase-space density of about 0.1. We measure the magnetic field dependence of the molecular binding energy and the magnetic moment, refining our knowledge of the resonance parameters. We also demonstrate a peculiar anisotropic expansion effect observed when the molecules are released from the trap and expand freely in the magnetic levitation field. Moreover, we identify an important lifetime limitation that is imposed by the 1064-nm infrared trap light itself and not by inelastic collisions. The light-induced decay rate is found to be proportional to the trap light intensity and the closed-channel fraction of the Feshbach molecule. These observations suggest a one-photon coupling to electronically excited states to limit the lifetime and point to the prospect of loss suppression by optimizing the wavelength of the trapping light. Our results represent important insights and experimental steps on the way to achieve quantum-degenerate samples of DyK molecules and novel superfluids based on mass-imbalanced fermion mixtures