A lidar for water vapour measurements in daytime at Lampedusa, Italy

ENEA is planning to develop a lidar system for measurement of the vertical profi le of water vapour mixing ratio in daytime at a remote site, the Station for Climate Observations located in Lampedusa, Italy. The Raman lidar technique has been retained because of its experimental simplicity with respect to DIAL, and the UV spectral range has been chosen because Raman cross-sections and detector effi ciencies are larger. For a wavelength larger than ~ 300 nm the signal is limited in daytime by sky background, but extinction is acceptable, and the aims of the system can be reached with a strong laser source. The 355 nm wavelength of a frequency-tripled Nd:YAG laser has been retained as this laser source permits to reach a large pulse energy while keeping the system simple to operate. Geometrical form factor calculations need to be performed to evaluate the near-range overlap between the laser beam and the fi eld-of-view of the receiver. Among several options, a dual-receiver system has been retained to account for the several orders of magnitude expected in the backscattered signal intensity: a smaller receiver, with a primary mirror of 200 mm diameter for the 0.2-1 km range, and a larger 500 mm receiver for the 1-3 km range

Bioremediation of Mercury (II) Contaminated Seawater Using the Diatom Skeletonema costatum

The mercury contaminated seawater can pollute fish pond. Bioremediation is an effective process for the removal and recovery of mercury (II) from seawater using organism as an agent of biological degradation. The aim of this study was to know the optimum contact time and concentrations of the Skeletonema costatum cell inoculation on the bioremediation in mercury (II) contaminated seawater. This study has used the concentrations of the cell inoculation (5000; 10000; and 15000 cells/mL), the mercury (II) (0; 0.5; 1; and 2 mg/L), the contact time (24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 hours), and its replicated five times. The maximum bioremediation capacity of mercury (II) was 2 mg/L at 15 000 cells/mL and contact time 96 hours, with bioremediation efficiency 86.83%. Diatom Skeletonema costatum was efficient at removing 2 mg/L mercury (II) 79.5% for 5 000 cells/L at 72 hours, 83.3 % for 10 000 cells/L at 72 hours and 85% for 15 000 cells/L at 72 hours. The optimum contact time and concentrations of the Skeletonema costatum cell inoculation on the bioremediation in mercury (II) contaminated seawater for 2 mg/L, i.e. 5 000 cells/L for 72 hours (79.5%) Keywords: bioremediation; mercury (II); seawater; Skeletonema costatum

Guidelines for the monitoring of Lucanus cervus

Lucanus cervus is one of the most charismatic saproxylic beetles, widely distributed in Europe. The species is typical of mature deciduous forests, especially oak woodlands. Loss and fragmentation of suitable habitats is one of the major threats for this species which is included in Annex II of the Habitats Directive. Despite several studies carried out in the last years for the monitoring methods of the species, an analytical comparison between them is still lacking. The aims of this paper are (i) to review the current knowledge about systematics, ecology and conservation practices on L. cervus and (ii) to present the research carried out during the Life MIPP project, in order to define a standard monitoring method with a suitable protocol to be used for addressing the obligations of the Habitats Directive. Overall, five methods were tested during three years in two different study areas. Based on these results, a suitable standard method for L. cervus is proposed in this paper and, in order to assess the conservation status of populations and to compare them over time, a simple method for the calculation of a reference value is provided

Characterisation of wine yeasts isolated at different temperatures using the enrichment technique

Research NoteSaccharomyces cerevisiae strains isolated from fermenting grape must incubated at extreme fermentation temperatures (40 and 5 degrees C) were oenologically characterised. These cultures compared with S. cerevisiae wine strains, show a wider optimum temperature for growth and can ferment vigorously in a wider temperature range (27 to 35 degrees C)

A lidar for water vapour measurements in daytime at Lampedusa, Italy

ENEA is planning to develop a lidar system for measurement of the vertical profi le of water vapour mixing ratio in daytime at a remote site, the Station for Climate Observations located in Lampedusa, Italy. The Raman lidar technique has been retained because of its experimental simplicity with respect to DIAL, and the UV spectral range has been chosen because Raman cross-sections and detector effi ciencies are larger. For a wavelength larger than ~ 300 nm the signal is limited in daytime by sky background, but extinction is acceptable, and the aims of the system can be reached with a strong laser source. The 355 nm wavelength of a frequency-tripled Nd:YAG laser has been retained as this laser source permits to reach a large pulse energy while keeping the system simple to operate. Geometrical form factor calculations need to be performed to evaluate the near-range overlap between the laser beam and the fi eld-of-view of the receiver. Among several options, a dual-receiver system has been retained to account for the several orders of magnitude expected in the backscattered signal intensity: a smaller receiver, with a primary mirror of 200 mm diameter for the 0.2-1 km range, and a larger 500 mm receiver for the 1-3 km range

Sudden death after valve-in-valve procedure due to delayed coronary obstruction. A case report

Background: Valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve implantation for degenerated aortic bioprostheses is an effective option for patients at high risk for redo surgery, even if it may be burdened by complications more common in specific settings, such as, coronary artery obstruction. Case presentation: We present the case of a Caucasic 84-year-old woman with degeneration of a previously implanted aortic Mitroflow bioprosthesis. She underwent a valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve implantation with a CoreValve® bioprosthesis. End-procedure coronary angiography demonstrated maintained perfusion of both coronary arteries. However, few hours later, she experienced sudden cardiac death. An autopsy showed that Mitroflow prosthesis leaflets were higher than the left main coronary ostium, and no other possible cause for the sudden death. Fatality was thus ascribed to left main coronary ostium obstruction due to apposition of the Mitroflow leaflet pushed upward by the late expansion of CoreValve®. Conclusions: Coronary artery obstruction is a frequently fatal complication which usually presents just after valve implantation, but, as reported in our case, it may also have a delayed presentation. Accurate patient's selection and intraoperative preventive measures can reduce this eventuality

Anterior mitral valve aneurysm is an uncommon complication of aortic valve infective endocarditis. A case report

Objective: Rare disease Background: Mitral valve aneurysms (MVAs) are uncommon conditions frequently associated with aortic valve endocarditis. They may be complicated by perforation and severe mitral regurgitation (MR). Optimal treatment of MVA, and in particular the best timing for surgery, are uncertain. Case Report: A 62-year-old man with a recent history of dental surgery presented to the Emergency Department complaining relapsing fever. A first echocardiogram demonstrated infective endocarditis of the aortic valve. The patient was primarily managed with specific antibiotic therapy. Despite this, a few days later he suffered from splen-ic embolization and an MVA with MR was detected. Surgical replacement of the mitral and aortic valves was therefore performed. Conclusions: MVAs are infrequent but potentially severe complications of AV endocarditis. In the absence of definite treatment indication, the correct time for surgery should depend on concomitant clinical and infective features

The Motions of Clusters of Galaxies and the Dipoles of the Peculiar Velocity Field

In preceding papers of this series, TF relations for galaxies in 24 clusters with radial velocities between 1000 and 9200 km/s (SCI sample) were obtained, a Tully-Fisher (TF) template relation was constructed and mean offsets of each cluster with respect to the template obtained. Here, an estimate of the line-of-sight peculiar velocities of the clusters and their associated errors are given. It is found that cluster peculiar velocities in the Cosmic Microwave Background reference frame do not exceed 600 k/ms and that their distribution has a line-of-sight dispersion of 300 k/ms, suggesting a more quiescent cluster peculiar velocity field than previously reported. When measured in a reference frame in which the Local Group is at rest, the set of clusters at cz > 3000 km/s exhibits a dipole moment in agreement with that of the CMB, both in amplitude and apex direction. It is estimated that the bulk flow of a sphere of 6000 km/s radius in the CMB reference frame is between 140 and 320 km/s. These results are in agreement with those obtained from an independent sample of field galaxies (Giovanelli et al. 1998; see astro-ph/9807274)Comment: 9 pages, 2 tables, 7 figures, uses AAS LaTex; to appear in A

Sulodexide counteracts endothelial dysfunction induced by metabolic or non-metabolic stresses through activation of the autophagic program

OBJECTIVE: Endothelial dysfunction (ED) predisposes to venous thrombosis (VT) and post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS), a long-term VT-related complication. Sulodexide (SDX) is a highly purified glycosaminoglycan with antithrombotic, pro-fibrinolytic and anti-inflammatory activity used in the treatment of chronic venous disease (CVD), including patients with PTS. SDX has recently obtained clinical evidence in the “extension therapy” after initial-standard anticoagulant treatment for the secondary prevention of recurrent deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Herein, we investigated how SDX counteracts ED. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were used. Metabolic and non metabolic-induced ED was induced by treating with methylglyoxal (MGO) or irradiation (IR), respectively. Bafilomycin A1 was used to inhibit autophagy. The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay for cell viability, terminal de-oxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay for cell apoptosis, Real-time PCR and Western blot analysis for gene and protein expression were used. RESULTS: SDX protected HUVEC from MGO- or IR-induced apoptosis by counteracting the activation of the intrinsic and extrinsic caspase cascades. The cytoprotective effects of SDX resulted from a reduction in a) ROS production, b) neo-synthesis and release of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNFα, IL1, IL6, IL8), c) DNA damage induced by MGO or IR. These effects were reduced when autophagy was inhibited. CONCLUSIONS: Data herein collected indicate the ability of SDX to counteract ED induced by metabolic or non-metabolic stresses by involving the intracellular autophagy pathway. Our experience significantly increases the knowledge of the mechanisms of action of SDX against ED and supports the use of SDX in the treatment of CVD, PTS and in the secondary prevention of recurrent DVT