Memory efficient solution of the primitive equations for numerical weather prediction on the CYBER 205

Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP), for both operational and research purposes, requires only fast computational speed but also large memory. A technique for solving the Primitive Equations for atmospheric motion on the CYBER 205, as implemented in the Mesoscale Atmospheric Simulation System, which is fully vectorized and requires substantially less memory than other techniques such as the Leapfrog or Adams-Bashforth Schemes is discussed. The technique presented uses the Euler-Backard time marching scheme. Also discussed are several techniques for reducing computational time of the model by replacing slow intrinsic routines by faster algorithms which use only hardware vector instructions

Neural-network selection of high-redshift radio quasars, and the luminosity function at z~4

We obtain a sample of 87 radio-loud QSOs in the redshift range 3.6<z<4.4 by cross-correlating sources in the FIRST radio survey S{1.4GHz} > 1 mJy with star-like objects having r <20.2 in SDSS Data Release 7. Of these 87 QSOs, 80 are spectroscopically classified in previous work (mainly SDSS), and form the training set for a search for additional such sources. We apply our selection to 2,916 FIRST-DR7 pairs and find 15 likely candidates. Seven of these are confirmed as high-redshift quasars, bringing the total to 87. The candidates were selected using a neural-network, which yields 97% completeness (fraction of actual high-z QSOs selected as such) and an efficiency (fraction of candidates which are high-z QSOs) in the range of 47 to 60%. We use this sample to estimate the binned optical luminosity function of radio-loud QSOs at $z\sim 4$, and also the LF of the total QSO population and its comoving density. Our results suggest that the radio-loud fraction (RLF) at high z is similar to that at low-z and that other authors may be underestimating the fraction at high-z. Finally, we determine the slope of the optical luminosity function and obtain results consistent with previous studies of radio-loud QSOs and of the whole population of QSOs. The evolution of the luminosity function with redshift was for many years interpreted as a flattening of the bright end slope, but has recently been re-interpreted as strong evolution of the break luminosity for high-z QSOs, and our results, for the radio-loud population, are consistent with this.Comment: 20 pages. Accepted for publication in MNRAS on 3 March 201

Women and Domestic violence in the professional experience of Italian General Practitioners

A number of studies have investigated the roots of the destructive power acting within the couple (Welzer Lang, 1991; Walker, 1979, 2000). Danis and Lockhart (2003) highlighted how social workers’ best practices, are not frequently used, especially in regards to contact with the victims of intimate-partner violence. We investigated how Italian general practitioners (IGPs) deal with this issue within their professional practice. A snowball sample of 268 IGPs was taken, in order to collect their beliefs concerning the victim, the aggressor and the violent couple’s relationship. Furthermore the experience in coping with both suspected and actual cases of domestic violence, as well as the GP’s needs and expectations was taken in consideration

New silibinin glyco-conjugates: Synthesis and evaluation of antioxidant properties

New silibinin glyco-conjugates have been synthesized by efficient method and in short time. Exploiting our solution phase strategy, several structurally diverse silibinin glyco-conjugates (gluco, manno, galacto, and lacto-) were successfully realized in very good yields and in short time. In preliminary study to evaluate their antioxidant and neuroprotective activities new derivatives were subjected to DPPH free radical scavenging assay and the Xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibition models assay. Irrespective of the sugar moiety examined, new glyco-conjugates are more than 50 times water-soluble of silibinin. In the other hand they exhibit a radical scavenging activities slightly higher than to silibinin and XO inhibition at least as silibinin. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Healthcare Professionals’ Perceptions and Concerns towards Domestic Violence during Pregnancy in Southern Italy

Background: Literature on pregnancy highlighted a large number of women abused by their partners, especially among low-income teenagers attending hospital for pregnancy check-ups. Pregnancy represents a key moment for diagnosing domestic violence. Method: This study explores health professionals’ perceptions and concerns about domestic violence against women in services dealing with pregnant women. The twenty-four interviewees were from an Obstetrical-Gynecological walk-in Clinic in the south of Italy. The textual data has been complementarily analyzed by means of two dierent procedures: Symbolic-structural semiotic analysis and Thematic content analysis. Results: What emerges is that the interviewees of the clinic do not regard the issue of domestic violence as a matter of direct interest for the health service. The clinic is seen as a place for urgent contact, but one where there is not enough time to dedicate to this kind of patient, nor an adequate space to care for and listen to them. Obstetricians and health personnel expressed a negative attitude when it comes to including questions regarding violence and abuse in pre-natal reports. Training for health and social professionals and the empowering of institutional support and networking practices are needed to increase awareness of the phenomenon among the gynecological personnel

Partial purification and MALDI-TOF MS analysis of UN1, a tumor antigen membrane glycoprotein.

UN1 is a membrane glycoprotein that is expressed in immature human thymocytes, a subpopulation of peripheral T lymphocytes, the HPB acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) T-cell line and fetal thymus. We previously reported the isolation of a monoclonal antibody (UN1 mAb) recognizing the UN1 protein that was classified as "unclustered" at the 5th and 6th International Workshop and Conference on Human Leukocyte Differentiation Antigens. UN1 was highly expressed in breast cancer tissues and was undetected in non-proliferative lesions and in normal breast tissues, indicating a role for UN1 in the development of a tumorigenic phenotype of breast cancer cells. In this study, we report a partial purification of the UN1 protein from HPB-ALL T cells by anion-exchange chromatography followed by immunoprecipitation with the UN1 mAb and MALDI-TOF MS analysis. This analysis should assist in identifying the amino acid sequence of UN

2D continuous spectrum of shear Alfven waves in the presence of a magnetic island

The radial structure of the continuous spectrum of shear Alfven modes is calculated in the presence of a magnetic island in tokamak plasmas. Modes with the same helicity of the magnetic island are considered in a slab model approximation. In this framework, with an appropriate rotation of the coordinates the problem reduces to 2 dimensions. Geometrical effects due to the shape of the flux surface's cross section are retained to all orders. On the other hand, we keep only curvature effects responsible of the beta induced gap in the low-frequency part of the continuous spectrum. New continuum accumulation points are found at the O-point of the magnetic island. The beta-induced Alfven Eigenmodes (BAE) continuum accumulation point is found to be positioned at the separatrix flux surface. The most remarkable result is the nonlinear modification of the BAE continuum accumulation point frequency

Diagnostic contribution of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in an atypical presentation of Motor Neuron Disease

Motor neuron disease (MND) is a neurodegenerative disease determining progressive and relentless motor deterioration involving both upper and lower motor neurons (UMN and LMN); several variants at onset are described. Here we describe a case of MND presenting as pure spastic monoparesis in which magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) gave a substantial contribution in confirming the diagnosis and assessing the severity of UMN involvement. An isolated pyramidal syndrome, with complete absence of LMN signs, is a rare phenotype in the context of MND (less than 4% of total cases), especially if restricted to only one limb. Several other elements made this case an unusual presentation of MND: the late age of onset (8th decade), the subacute evolution of symptoms (raising the suspicion of an ischemic or inflammatory, rather than degenerative, etiology), the patient’s past medical history (achalasia, erythema nodosum), the increase of inflammatory indices. Conventional MRI showed no focal lesions that could explain the clinical features; therefore, we used advanced MR sequences. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) evaluation evidenced bilateral impairment of corticospinal tract (CST) diffusion metrics, with clear right-left asymmetry, pointing to a neurodegenerative etiology, which clinically appeared less likely at that time. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) showed a significant reduction of NAA/Cho + Cr ratio in the motor cortex (MC), further supporting the hypothesis of UMN degeneration. In conclusion, in this particular case of MND, whose nosographic framing has not been fully defined, advanced MRI techniques with DTI and MRS proved to be of great usefulness in confirming a diffuse UMN involvement, possibly at a more advanced stage than its clinical expression

A multichannel reflectometer for edge density profile measurements at the ICRF antenna in ASDEX upgrade

A multichannel reflectometer will be built for the new three-straps ICRF antenna of ASDEX Upgrade (AUG), to study the density behavior in front of it. Ten different accesses to the plasma are available for the three reflectometer channels that can be interchanged without breaking the machine vacuum. Frequency is scanned from 40 GHz to 68 GHz, in 10 mu s, which corresponds to a cut-off density ranging from 10(18) divided by 10(19)m(-3) in the Right cut-off of the X-mode propagation, for standard toroidal magnetic field values of AUG