222 research outputs found
Control of Penicillium expansum by an epiphytic basidiomycetous yeast
Postharvest biocontrol agents are considered a viable alternative to the use of synthetic chemicals as demonstrated by extensive research conducted by scientists and companies worldwide. In the present investigation, the biocontrol potential of a carotenoid-producing basidiomycetous yeast isolated from table grape flowers was analyzed. The strain RY1 proved to be Sporobolomyces roseus. In vitro and in vivo tests were conducted to assess its efficacy against Penicillium expansum, one of the most important postharvest pathogens and producer of the mycotoxin patulin. The yeast proved to control both fungal growth and patulin production, and, in addition, to greatly affect disease incidence and severity on apples. Its mode of action is presumably related both to the competition for nutrients and the production of antifungal volatiles. As such, although further large-scale trials are needed, our S. roseus strain represents a potential interesting biocontrol agent to be applied after harvest
Prognostic and therapeutic role of angiogenic microenvironment in thyroid cancer
Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy, with a typically favorable prognosis following standard treatments, such as surgical resection and radioiodine therapy. A subset of thyroid cancers progress to refractory/metastatic disease. Understanding how the tumor microenvironment is transformed into an angiogenic microenvironment has a role of primary importance in the aggressive behavior of these neoplasms. During tumor growth and progression, angiogenesis represents a deregulated biological process, and the angiogenic switch, characterized by the formation of new vessels, induces tumor cell proliferation, local invasion, and hematogenous metastases. This evidence has propelled the scientific community’s effort to study a number of molecular pathways (proliferation, cell cycle control, and angiogenic processes), identifying mediators that may represent viable targets for new anticancer treatments. Herein, we sought to review angiogenesis in thyroid cancer and the potential role of proangiogenic cytokines for risk stratification of patients. We also present the current status of treatment of advanced differentiated, medullary, and poorly differentiated thyroid cancers with multiple tyrosine kinase inhibitors, based on the rationale of angiogenesis as a potential therapeutic target
Novel Machine Learning and Differentiable Programming Techniques applied to the VIP-2 Underground Experiment
In this work, we present novel Machine Learning and Differentiable
Programming enhanced calibration techniques used to improve the energy
resolution of the Silicon Drift Detectors (SDDs) of the VIP-2 underground
experiment at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS). We achieve for the
first time a Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) in VIP-2 below 180 eV at 8 keV,
improving around 10 eV on the previous state-of-the-art. SDDs energy resolution
is a key parameter in the VIP-2 experiment, which is dedicated to searches for
physics beyond the standard quantum theory, targeting Pauli Exclusion Principle
(PEP) violating atomic transitions. Additionally, we show that this method can
correct for potential miscalibrations, requiring less fine-tuning with respect
to standard methods.Comment: Submitted to Measurement Science and Technolog
The critical view of safety during laparoscopic cholecystectomy: Strasberg Yes or No? An Italian Multicentre study
Background: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is considered the gold standard for the treatment of gallbladder lithiasis; nevertheless, the incidence of bile duct injuries (BDI) is still high (0.3–0.8%) compared to open cholecystectomy (0.2%). In 1995, Strasberg introduced the "Critical View of Safety" (CVS) to reduce the risk of BDI. Despite its widespread use, the scientific evidence supporting this technique to prevent BDI is controversial. Methods: Between March 2017 and March 2019, the data of patients submitted to laparoscopic cholecystectomy in 30 Italian surgical departments were collected on a national database. A survey was submitted to all members of Italian Digestive Pathology Society to obtain data on the preoperative workup, the surgical and postoperative management of patients and to judge, at the end of the procedure, if the isolation of the elements was performed according to the CVS. In the case of a declared critical view, iconographic documentation was obtained, finally reviewed by an external auditor. Results: Data from 604 patients were analysed. The study population was divided into two groups according to the evidence (Group A; n = 11) or absence (Group B; N = 593) of BDI and perioperative bleeding. The non-use of CVS was found in 54.6% of procedures in the Group A, and 25.8% in the Group B, and evaluating the operator-related variables the execution of CVS was associated with a significantly lower incidence of BDI and intraoperative bleeding. Conclusions: The CVS confirmed to be the safest technique to recognize the elements of the Calot triangle and, if correctly performed, it significantly impacted on preventing intraoperative complications. Additional educational programs on the correct application of CVS in clinical practice would be desirable to avoid extreme conditions that may require additional procedures
Towards the first kaonic deuterium measurement with the SIDDHARTA-2 experiment at DAΦNE
The SIDDHARTA-2 experiment is going to perform the longawaited high precision X-ray measurement of kaonic deuterium, obtaining for the first time the values of the shift and the width induced by the strong interaction on the fundamental level. By combining this unprecedented result with the analogous kaonic hydrogen measurement performed by the SIDDHARTA experiment, it will be possible to extract the isospin-dependent antikaon-nucleon scattering lengths, providing direct information on the Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) in the non-perturbative Chromodynamics (QCD) in the non-perturbative regime in the strangeness sector. This paper describes the SIDDHARTA-2 experiment, presently installed at the DAΦNE collider of Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare-Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, and the results obtained during the kaonic helium run, preparatory for the kaonic deuterium data taking campaign planned for 2022
Characterization of the SIDDHARTA-2 luminosity monitor
A luminosity monitor, based on plastic scintillator detectors, has been
developed for the SIDDHARTA-2 experiment aiming to perform high precision
measurements of kaonic atoms and was installed in 2020 on the DAFNE
collider at LNF (Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, INFN). The main goal of this
system is to provide the~instantaneous and integrated luminosity of the DAFNE
facility by measuring the rate of correlated pairs emitted by the phi
meson decay. This task requires an accurate timing of the DAQ signals, as well
as timing resolution below 1ns, in order to disentangle the signals
from the background minimum ionizing particles (MIPs) produced during the
collisions at DAFNE. In this paper the luminosity monitor concept as
well as its laboratory characterization and the first results inside DAFNE are
presented.Comment: Published in JINS
Status and perspectives for low energy kaon-nucleon interaction studies at DAΦNE : from SIDDHARTA to SIDDHARTA-2
The study of the antikaon nucleon system at very low energies plays a key role for the understanding of the strong interaction between hadrons in the strangeness sector. The information provided by the low energy kaon- nucleon interaction is accessible through the study of kaonic atoms. The lightest atomic systems, namely the kaonic hydrogen and the kaonic deuterium, provide the isospin dependent kaon-nucleon scattering lengths by measuring the X-rays emitted during their de-excitation to the 1s level. Until now, the most precise kaonic hydrogen measurement and an exploratory measurement of kaonic deuterium were carried out at the DAΦNE collider by the SIDDHARTA collaboration, combining the excellent quality kaon beam delivered by the collider with new experimental techniques, as fast and very precise X-ray detectors, like the Silicon Drift Detectors. Today, the most important experimental information missing in the field of the low-energy antikaon-nucleon interactions is the experimental determination of the hadronic energy shift and width of kaonic deuterium, and will be measured by the new SIDDHARTA-2 experiment, which is installed in DAΦNE and is ready to start the data taking campaign
A new kaonic helium measurement in gas by SIDDHARTINO at the DAFNE collider*
The SIDDHARTINO experiment at the DA{\Phi}NE Collider of INFN-LNF, the pilot
run for the SIDDHARTA-2 experiment which aims to perform the measurement of
kaonic deuterium transitions to the fundamental level, has successfully been
concluded. The paper reports the main results of this run, including the
optimization of various components of the apparatus, among which the degrader
needed to maximize the fraction of kaons stopped inside the target, through
measurements of kaonic helium transitions to the 2p level. The obtained shift
and width values are {\epsilon}_2p = E_exp-E_e.m = 0.2 {\pm} 2.5(stat) {\pm}
2(syst) eV and {\Gamma}_2p = 8 {\pm} 10 eV (stat), respectively. This new
measurement of the shift, in particular, represents the most precise one for a
gaseous target and is expected to contribute to a better understanding of the
kaon-nuclei interaction at low energy
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