Fermi Large Area Telescope Performance after 10 Years of Operation

The Large Area Telescope (LAT), the primary instrument for the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (Fermi) mission, is an imaging, wide field-of-view, high-energy gamma-ray telescope, covering the energy range from 30 MeV to more than 300 GeV. We describe the performance of the instrument at the 10 yr milestone. LAT performance remains well within the specifications defined during the planning phase, validating the design choices and supporting the compelling case to extend the duration of the Fermi mission. The details provided here will be useful when designing the next generation of high-energy gamma-ray observatories

Terebralia palustris (Gastropoda; Potamididae) in a Kenyan mangal: Size structure, distribution and impact on the consumption of leaf litter

Although the role of macroinvertebrates in the nutrient cycling of the Indo-Pacific mangrove ecosystems is now a paradigm of ecological research, most of the research and scientific assumptions deal with decapod crustaceans alone. However, decapods are not the only representatives of mangrove macrobenthos and in certain mangals they are surely outnumbered by gastropods, especially by potamidids of the genus Terebralia. This paper aims at bridging the gap in the knowledge of the ecological role of the largest and most abundant potamidid species of the Indo-Pacific mangals, the semiterrestrial T. palustris. In particular we studied size structure and distribution in relation to micro-environmental factors and feeding ecology, both in terms of diet composition and grazing rate, of two populations of this gastropod colonising a Kenyan mangrove creek. In contrast to what has been described by various authors concerning other mangals, in our study site juveniles and adults of T. palustris were present throughout the whole forest, from the landward belt to the seaward fringe, locally reaching very high densities at various levels. Both life stages showed a preference for patches characterised by soil with high organic content; thus the habitat of juveniles largely overlapped with that of the adults, although they are known to occupy different ecological niches. Indeed, gut-content analysis confirmed that juveniles are detritivorous and adults are mainly leaf-litter consumers. In situ experiments on the grazing activity of the adult snails showed that, in contrast to the litter-consuming crabs, they feed in every light and tidal condition, for an hourly consumption rate of ∼0.65 g per snail. Considering an average density of about 10.5 adults m-2, it is estimated that a total of 10.5 leaves m -2 are removed by adult snails in each tidal cycle (i.e. about every 6 h). T. palustris is the only leaf consumer capable of searching for food under water during high tide and is responsible for the removal of a great quantity of mangrove litter. The results of the present study strongly suggest that T. palustris plays a major role in the food web, mangrove litter degradation and nutrient cycling of the Kenyan mangal. © Springer-Verlag 2004.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Piperazine-and piperidine-containing thiazolo[5,4-d]pyrimidine derivatives as new potent and selective adenosine a2a receptor inverse agonists

The therapeutic use of A2A adenosine receptor (AR) antagonists for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson and Alzheimer diseases, is a very promising approach. Moreover, the potential therapeutic role of A2A AR antagonists to avoid both immunoescaping of tumor cells and tumor development is well documented. Herein, we report on the synthesis and biological evaluation of a new set of piperazine-and piperidine-containing 7-amino-2-(furan-2-yl)thiazolo[5,4-d]pyrimidine derivatives designed as human A2A AR antagonists/inverse agonists. Binding and potency data indicated that a good number of potent and selective hA2A AR inverse agonists were found. Amongst them, the 2-(furan-2-yl)-N5-(2-(4-phenylpiperazin-1-yl)ethyl)thiazolo[5,4-d]pyrimidine-5,7-diamine 11 exhibited the highest A2A AR binding affinity (Ki = 8.62 nM) as well as inverse agonist potency (IC50 = 7.42 nM). In addition, bioinformatics prediction using the web tool SwissADME revealed that 8, 11, and 19 possessed good drug-likeness profiles

Penurunan Kadar Besi dan Kromium Limbah Cair Laboratorium Teknik Lingkungan dengan Pengenceran, Koagulasi dan Adsobsi

The purposes of this study is to examine the effect of flowrate and operating time on decreasing Fe and Cr, assessing the quality of wastewater after being treated with dilution, neutralization, coagulation and adsorption especially for the parameters Cr, Fe and pH. The variables in this study are the flow of waste water that is 100 mL / min and 140 mL / min, operating time for 60 minutes. The adsorption process is carried out continuously with down flow. Adsorbents in the form of activated zeolite and activated carbon are arranged in stages in a PVC reactor. The results of this study are 100 ml/min discharge can reduce total Fe by 99.9% from 1,767 mg/L to 0,971 mg/L and total chromium 99.2% from 48.7 mg/L to 0,39 mg/L. 140 ml/minute discharge can reduce total Fe 99.9% from 1,767 mg/L to 0.99 mg/L and total chrome 99% from 48.7 mg/L to 0.45 mg/L. Waste water quality, especially for the parameters of Cr, Fe and pH, after the treatment process have met the quality standard in accordance with Minister of Environment Regulation No. 5 of 2014 concerning Wastewater Quality Standards

4-Heteroaryl Substituted Amino-3,5-Dicyanopyridines as New Adenosine Receptor Ligands: Novel Insights on Structure-Activity Relationships and Perspectives

A new set of amino-3,5-dicyanopyridines was synthesized and biologically evaluated at the adenosine receptors (ARs). This chemical class is particularly versatile, as small structural modifications can influence not only affinity and selectivity, but also the pharmacological profile. Thus, in order to deepen the structure–activity relationships (SARs) of this series, different substituents were evaluated at the diverse positions on the dicyanopyridine scaffold. In general, the herein reported compounds show nanomolar binding affinity and interact better with both the human (h) A1 and A2A ARs than with the other subtypes. Docking studies at hAR structure were performed to rationalize the observed affinity data. Of interest are compounds 1 and 5, which can be considered as pan ligands as binding all the ARs with comparable nanomolar binding affinity (A1AR: 1, Ki = 9.63 nM; 5, Ki = 2.50 nM; A2AAR: 1, Ki = 21 nM; 5, Ki = 24 nM; A3AR: 1, Ki = 52 nM; 5, Ki = 25 nM; A2BAR: 1, EC50 = 1.4 nM; 5, EC50 = 1.12 nM). Moreover, these compounds showed a partial agonist profile at all the ARs. This combined AR partial agonist activity could lead us to hypothesize a potential effect in the repair process of damaged tissue that would be beneficial in both wound healing and remodeling

Towards an adaptive e-framework for teacher education

Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - Biblioteca Centrale - P.le Aldo Moro, 7 Rome / CNR - Consiglio Nazionale delle RichercheSIGLEITItal

Tra scelte e opportunit\ue0: intervista biografica ai neospecialisti di Igiene e Sanit\ue0 Pubblica

INTRODUZIONE: Nell\u2019ambito del progetto di ricerca condotto dalla Consulta degli Specializzandi SItI riguardante un\u2019indagine conoscitiva tra i neospecialisti in Igiene e Sanit\ue0 Pubblica si \ue8 deciso di associare al questionario uno studio di tipo qualitativo utilizzando la tecnica dell\u2019intervista biografica. OBIETTIVO: Costruire una guida per la conduzione di un\u2019intervista biografica che raccolga le storie personali e professionali dei neospecialisti in Igiene e Medicina Preventiva, al fine di far emergere le motivazioni che hanno influito sulle scelte e la percezione della coerenza del loro percorso formativo rispetto alla realt\ue0 lavorativa e del loro grado di soddisfazione. MATERIALI E METODI: \uc8 stato organizzato un seminario di tre giorni presso il Dipartimento di Medicina e Sanit\ue0 Pubblica di Verona, durante il quale \ue8 stato sviluppato un processo teorico-pratico per l\u2019apprendimento della tecnica dell\u2019intervista biografica anche attraverso simulazioni. Hanno partecipato 13 Scuole di Specializzazione. La traccia di intervista \ue8 stata costruita, dividendo gli specializzandi in due gruppi, tramite sessioni di brain-storming. RISULTATI: La guida all\u2019intervista comprende 3 Macroaree: percorso formativo (scelta dell\u2019ambito specialistico, della sede, organizzazione della propria Scuola, clima della Scuola e relazioni, contenuti del percorso.); passaggio al mondo del lavoro (modalit\ue0, sensazioni, opportunit\ue0, ruolo della Scuola, relazioni con altre professioni.); attuale attivit\ue0 lavorativa (tipologia, competenze, soddisfazione, motivazioni della scelta, clima lavorativo, relazioni, percezione di se stesso come medico, riconoscimento da parte delle altre professioni). CONCLUSIONE: L\u2019intervista biografica, rilevando sottoforma di racconto il vissuto personale e professionale del neospecialista, permetter\ue0 di far emergere in modo contestualizzato le motivazioni relative alle scelte sottese durante il percorso, il grado di soddisfazione relativo alla coerenza dei suoi studi con la realt\ue0 lavorativa ed eventuali proposte di modifica dell\u2019assetto delle Scuole. Inoltre faciliter\ue0 l\u2019interpretazione dei risultati ottenuti con la somministrazione del questionario

THE UPPER VALDARNO CONTINENTAL BASIN (CENTRAL ITALY): A RESOURCEFUL “GYMNASIUM” FOR STRATIGRAPHICAL AND APPLIED GEOLOGICAL STUDIES

The present contribution follows a field trip at the Upper Valdarno basin (UV; Tuscany) in the frame of the Master course in Stratigraphic Geology (Scienze e Tecnologie Geologiche - Florence University). The UV is one of the largest and famous Plio-Pleistocene intermontane continental basins of the Northern Apennines, documented by more twenty years of stratigraphical researches on sedimentology, palaeomagnetism, palynology and mammal fauna (e.g. Napoleone et al., 2003; Bertini, 2013; Fidolini et al., 2013 and references therein). Its infill, recently organized in four synthems (named as Castelnuovo dei Sabbioni, Montevarchi, Fosso Salceto and Torrente Ciuffenna), is made of sediments accumulated in a wide range of depositional environments spanning from alluvial, aeolian to lacustrine, since the Late Pliocene. During the field trip we had the possibility to observe the main outcrops of the UV, and to discuss different stratigraphical key issues for the study of continental deposits (e.g. the use of litho - vs unconformity bounded stratigraphic units and the facies analysis as well as the application of the biochronologic principles