The future of bioethanol

Yeasts have been domesticated by mankind before horses. After the mastering of alcoholic fermentation for centuries, yeasts have become the protagonist of one of the most important biotechnological industries worldwide: the production of bioethanol. This chapter will initially present some important challenges to be overcome in this industry, both in first and second generation biofuel production. Then, it will briefly revisit some advances obtained in recent years. Finally, it will present and discuss some opportunities, in the scope of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology, that will likely be present in the future of bioethanol

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy associated with severe left ventricular involvement in a cat.

An 8-year-old, 4 kg, intact female, domestic shorthaired cat was referred for tachypnea and pleural effusion. A 24-h Holter recording showed numerous polymorphic ventricular premature complexes with left and right bundle branch block morphology. Echocardiographic examination revealed right atrial and ventricular dilation. The right ventricular free wall was thin and aneurysmal. The cat died 10 days after initiation of antiarrhythmic therapy. Gross and histopathological findings were consistent with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) associated with severe left ventricular involvement

Phenomenology of the minimal B-L extension of the Standard Model

We present the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) discovery potential in the $Z'$ and heavy neutrino sectors of a $U(1)_{B-L}$ enlarged Standard Model also encompassing three heavy Majorana neutrinos. This model exhibits novel signatures at the LHC, the most interesting arising from a $Z'$ decay chain involving heavy neutrinos, eventually decaying into leptons and jets. In particular, this signature allows one to measure the $Z'$ and heavy neutrino masses involved. In addition, over a large region of parameter space, the heavy neutrinos are rather long-lived particles producing distinctive displaced vertices that can be seen in the detectors. Lastly, the simultaneous measurement of both the heavy neutrino mass and decay length enables an estimate of the absolute mass of the parent light neutrino. For completeness, we will also compare the LHC and a future Linear Collider (LC) discovery potentials.Comment: 4 pages, no figures. LaTeX. Talk given at "The 2009 Europhysics Conference on High Energy Physics", Krakow, Poland, July 16-22, 200

GEOMATICS AS A SURVEY TOOL TO DOCUMENT AND ENHANCE THE CULTURALAND LANDSCAPED HERITAGE OF THE MONUMENTAL COMPLEXES IN THEMOUNTAINS OF ABRUZZO

Abstract. The themes of the conference provide an opportunity to exchange views on topics of study in which multidisciplinary contributions of geomatics and restoration contribute to the cognitive process aimed at the conservation of cultural Heritage. In this regard, the contribution exposes research aimed at understanding the documentation and the enhancement of unique architectural – landscape patrimony kept in the Abruzzo mountains. It is about the numerous spiritual retreats established by Pietro da Morrone, Pope Celestino V, mounted among unpassable rocky walls, where the architecture blends with its natural environment camouflaging with it. The analysis refers, specifically to the aspects of survey conducted during the years with the aid of integrated methodologies, able to allow the acquisition, management and comparison of the data. The analysis refers, specifically, to recent digital acquisitions involving the development of San Bartolomeo in Legio, on the slopes of Majella near Roccamorice detected with the use of comparative Agisoft Photoscan and Pix4d software, with shots taken with drones of different sizes, able to mount professional photographic cameras and associate to each picture the coordinates Gps of the point of shooting. Follows a confrontation between a survey carried out with 3d laser scanner, Faro Ls1105, and described acquisitions, obtained from ground and from drone with Photoscan, in order to compare the two scans and the metric differences obtained with the two methods

Unified model of voltage/current mode control to predict saddle-node bifurcation

A unified model of voltage mode control (VMC) and current mode control (CMC) is proposed to predict the saddle-node bifurcation (SNB). Exact SNB boundary conditions are derived, and can be further simplified in various forms for design purpose. Many approaches, including steady-state, sampled-data, average, harmonic balance, and loop gain analyses are applied to predict SNB. Each approach has its own merits and complement the other approaches.Comment: Submitted to International Journal of Circuit Theory and Applications on December 23, 2010; Manuscript ID: CTA-10-025

Direct calorimetric measurements of isothermal entropy change on single crystal W-type hexaferrites at the spin reorientation transition

We report on the magnetic field induced isothermal entropy change, \Delta s(Ha, T), of W-type ferrite with CoZn substitution. Entropy measurements are performed by direct calorimetry. Single crystals of the composition BaCo$_0.62$Zn$_1.38$Fe$_16$O$_27$, prepared by the flux method, are measured at different fixed temperatures under an applied field perpendicular and parallel to the c axis. At 296 K one deduces a value of K$_1$ = 8.7 \times 10^{4} J m$^-3$ for the first anisotropy constant, which is in good agreement with the literature. The spin reorientation transition temperature is estimated to take place between 200 and 220 K

INTEGRATED PHOTOGRAMMETRIC SURVEY AND BIM MODELLING FOR THE PROTECTION OF SCHOOL HERITAGE, APPLICATIONS ON A CASE STUDY

The contribution, considering the use of low-cost photogrammetric detection methodologies and the use of asset Historical-BIM, has as its aim the theme of knowledge and the adaptation of safety in school buildings, a topic brought to attention by the many situations of seismic risk that have interested the central Apennines in Italy. The specific investigation is referred to the Abruzzo region, hit by the recent earthquakes of 2016 and 2009 that have highlighted the vulnerability of the building structures involved in a large seismic crater covering large areas of the territory. The need to consider in advance the performance standards of building components, especially concerning the strategic ways of the functions contained in them, starts here. In this sense, the school buildings have emerged among the types on which to pay attention, a study theme to be promptly considered, considering the functions performed within them and the possible criticality of such constructions, often dated, enlarged or readjusted without appropriate seismic adaptation plans. From here derives the purpose of the research that is directed towards a systematic recognition of the scholastic heritage, deriving from objective and rapid surveys at low cost, taking into consideration the as-built and the different formal and structural aspects that define the architectural organisms to analyse and manage through three-dimensional models that can be interrogated using HBIM connected to databases containing information of a structural and functional nature. In summary, through the implementation of information in the BIM model, it will be possible to query and obtain in real time all the necessary information to optimize, in terms of efficiency, costs, and future maintenance operations

ZB−L′Z^{\prime}_{B-L} phenomenology at LHC

We study the $Z^\prime$ phenomenology for two extensions of the Electroweak Standard Model (SM) which have an extra $U(1)_{B-L}$ gauge factor. We show the capabilities of the LHC in distinguishing the signals coming from these two extensions and both of them from the Standard Model background. In order to compare the behavior of these $B-L$ models we consider the reaction $p + p\longrightarrow \mu^+ + \mu^- + X$ and compute some observables as the total cross sections, number of events, forward-backward asymmetry, final particle distributions like rapidity, transverse momentum, and dimuon invariant mass, for two LHC regimes: $\sqrt{s}\,({\cal L})=7$ TeV ($1\, \textrm{fb}^{-1}$) and $14$ TeV ($100\, \textrm{fb}^{-1}$) for $M_{Z^{\prime}}$ = 1000 GeV and 1500 GeV. We show that by using appropriate kinematic cuts some of the observables considered here are able to extract different properties of the $Z^\prime$ boson, and hence providing information about to which $B-L$ model it belongs to.Comment: 21 pages, 17 figures, 4 table

Effect of Hyperbaric Storage at Room Temperature on the Activity of Polyphenoloxidase in Model Systems and Fresh Apple Juice

The effect of hyperbaric storage (HS) on polyphenoloxidase activity (PPO) was studied in model solutions and apple juice. Model solutions containing increasing amounts of mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) PPO (up to 26 U) were stored at room temperature at pressure up to 200 MPa. During HS, samples were assessed for residual PPO activity. The enzyme was completely inactivated according to a first-order kinetic model that was used to calculate PPO decimal reduction time (Dp) and pressure sensitivity (zp = 140.8 MPa) in diluted model solutions (2 U PPO). The increase in enzyme concentration (6–26 U) nullified the effect of HS, probably due to protein structure stabilization by self-crowding. The application of HS at 100 and 200 MPa to apple juice promoted a decrease in total bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, and molds. These changes occurred in concomitance with the inactivation of PPO (zp = 227.3 MPa). At 200 MPa, PPO inactivation followed a biphasic first-order kinetic, suggesting the presence of PPO isozymes with different pressure sensitivity. The inactivation of PPO was observed to occur more rapidly with increasing storage pressure and led to the maintenance of the original bright juice color. This study proves the capability of HS to control enzyme-related quality decay in fruit juices and, potentially, in many other food matrices suffering enzymatic alteration