Numerical control matrix rotation for the LINC-NIRVANA Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics system

LINC-NIRVANA will realize the interferometric imaging focal station of the Large Binocular Telescope. A double Layer Oriented multi-conjugate adaptive optics system assists the two arms of the interferometer, supplying high order wave-front correction. In order to counterbalance the field rotation, mechanical derotation for the two ground wave-front sensors, and optical derotators for the mid-high layers sensors fix the positions of the focal planes with respect to the pyramids aboard the wave-front sensors. The derotation introduces pupil images rotation on the wavefront sensors: the projection of the deformable mirrors on the sensor consequently change. The proper adjustment of the control matrix will be applied in real-time through numerical computation of the new matrix. In this paper we investigate the temporal and computational aspects related to the pupils rotation, explicitly computing the wave-front errors that may be generated.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, presented at SPIE Symposium "Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation'' conference "Adaptive Optics Systems II'',Sunday 27 June 2010, San Diego, California, US

The symbolic forms of a sacred power: A comparative perspective of charisms and aesthetics

Este artículo presenta una discusión sobre la mediación simbólica del poder sagrado, al indagar en dos dimensiones entrelazadas: la producción del carisma y las configuraciones estéticas. Desde una narrativa antropológica, se problematizan comparativamente dos escenarios cristianos altamente heterogéneos de la diversidad religiosa argentina contemporánea: el culto a las reliquias del santo católico Cura Brochero en la provincia de Córdoba y las danzas ceremoniales en las iglesias evangélicas indígenas del Gran Chaco.Tres ejes de comparación definen la arquitectura del artículo: la potencia numinosa que otorgan las reliquias y las danzas; los lazos comunales que articulan ambos fenómenos religiosos en sus particulares contextos socioculturales e históricos; y las configuraciones estéticas del relicario del santo y de las vestimentas de las danzas evangélicas indígenas. Al abordar la cuestión simbólica del poder sagrado en la dirección señalada, el trabajo destaca teóricamente la fuerte imbricación de las dos dimensiones tratadas, proponiendo en la discusión final la noción de “estéticas carismáticas”. Sobre esta noción, finalmente, se discute la dialéctica entre “carisma flotante”/“carisma menguante” y entre “encarnadura”/“envoltura” de lo sagrado.This article offers a discussion regarding the symbolic mediation of sacred power, investigating two intertwined dimensions: the production of charisma and aesthetic configurations. From an anthropological narrative, two highly heterogeneous Christian scenarios of contemporary Argentine religious diversity are comparatively problematised: the cult of the relics of the Catholic saint Father Brochero in the province of Córdoba and the ceremonial dances in the indigenous evangelical churches of the Gran Chaco. Three focal points of comparison define the structure of the article: the numinous power granted by relics and dances; the communal ties that articulate both religious phenomena in their particular sociocultural and historical contexts; and the aesthetic configurations of the reliquary of the saint and the clothing used in indigenous evangelical dances. By approaching the symbolic issue of sacred power in the indicated direction, the work theoretically highlights the strong imbrication of the two dimensions discussed, proposing in the final discussion the notion of "charismatic aesthetics". Finally and with respect to this notion, a discussion is made of the dialectic between "floating charisma"/"waning charisma" and between "incarnation"/"encasing" of the sacred.Fil: Ceriani Cernadas, Cesar Roberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Saavedra 15. Instituto de Investigaciones Sociales de América Latina. - Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales. Instituto de Investigaciones Sociales de América Latina; ArgentinaFil: Puglisi, Rodolfo Salvador. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación. Instituto de Investigaciones en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales; Argentin

In Vitro Assessment of the Antioxidant Properties of Aqueous Byproduct Extracts of Vitis vinifera

Tekući ekstrakti stabljika vinove loze (sorte Merlot), komine (sorata Merlot i Cabernet Sauvignon) i lišća (sorte Merlot), uobičajenih nusproizvoda proizvodnje vina, dobiveni su pri niskoj temperaturi pomoću ekstraktora Naviglio. Njihova su svojstva ispitana metodom protočne citometrije na humanim kožnim fibroblastima. Ekstrakti lišća imali su najveći udjel ukupnih fenola ((47,6±3,5) mg/g) i proantocijanidina ((24,2±0,1) mg/g). U preliminarnom su kolorimetrijskom ispitivanju bojanjem pomoću 3-[4,5-dimetiltiazol-2-il]-2,5-difeniltetrazolijevog bromida (tzv. MTT test) izdvojena dva volumna udjela svakog od ekstrakata (u rasponu od 0,8 do 1 2,8 %) koja nisu imala toksični učinak, a ti su ekstrakti zatim korišteni u tri citometrijska testa. U prvom testu nije zamijećen štetni učinak ekstrakata na citoplazmatsku membranu. U drugom je testu utvrđen manji (p<0,01) postotak stanica s aktivnom polariziranom mitohondrijskom membranom ((15,7±8,3) % u usporedbi s (32,5±1,3) % u kontrolnom uzorku) nakon njihovog izlaganja ekstraktima komine sorte Cabernet Sauvignon uz dodatak 4,5 mM H202. Također je utvrđen manji (p<0,05) postotak stanica s aktivnom polariziranom mitohondrijskom membranom nakon njihovog izlaganja ekstraktima stabljika vinove loze sorte Merlot, i to (49,3±6,1) % u prisutnosti 1,5 mM H202 u usporedbi s (64,6±2,4) % u kontrolnom uzorku, te (89,7±2,4) % bez dodatka 1-1202 u usporedbi s % u kontrolnom uzorku. Nasuprot tome, mitohondrijska je aktivnost znatno (p<0,05) porasla (na (96,3±1,8) odnosno (6,4±1,4) %) nakon tretiranja s oba volumna udjela ekstrakta lišća sorte Merlot uz dodatak 0,5 mM 1-1202, u usporedbi s kontrolom ((88,2±1,1) %). Naposlijetku, u trećem je testu dokazano da ekstrakti stabljike vinove loze nisu bitno utjecali na oksidativni status stanica, dok su ekstrakti komine imali djelomičan (p<0,05), a ekstrakti lišća znatan (p<0,001) pozitivni učinak na oksidativni status nakon izlaganja stanica koncentracijama H202 od 0,5 do 4,5 mM, u usporedbi s kontrolnim uzorkom.Aqueous extracts were obtained at low temperature with the Naviglio technology from grapevine stalks (Merlot), marc (Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon) and leaves (Merlot) as typical byproducts of winemaking industry, and their properties were evaluated cytofluorometrically on human dermal fibroblasts. Leaf extracts had the greatest total phenolic ((47.6±3.5) mg/g) and proanthocyanidin ((24.2±0.1) mg/g) contents compared to the others. The preliminary colorimetric MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay individuated two consecutive non-toxic volume fractions of each extract (from 0.8 to 12.8 %) that were adopted for three cytofluorometric tests. The first cell membrane test did not evidence any harmful effects against plasma membranes at the two non-toxic volume fractions. The second mitochondrial membrane test showed a decreased (p<0.01) percentage of cells ((15.7±8.3) vs (32.5±1.3) %) with active polarized mitochondrial membranes at the higher non-cytotoxic volume fractions of extracts from Cabernet Sauvignon marc in response to 4.5 mM H2O2, and from Merlot stalks (p<0.05) at 1.5 mM H2O2 ((49.3±6.1) vs (64.6±2.4) %) and without H2O2 ((89.7±2.4) vs (96.9±1.8) %), compared to the controls submitted to the same H2O2 concentration. Conversely, mitochondrial activity of leaf extracts significantly (p<0.05) increased ((96.3±1.8) and (96.4±1.4) %) after treatment with 0.5 mM H2O2 at both non-cytotoxic volume fractions compared to control (88.2±1.1) %). Finally, as evidenced by the third oxidative status test, stalk extracts did not evidence relevant effects on the cellular oxidative state, while the extracts of marc and leaves demonstrated significantly medium (p<0.05) to highly (p<0.001) positive effects following exposure to H2O2 ranging from 0.5 to 4.5 mM, compared to controls

A microfluidic method for passive trapping of sperms in microstructures

Sperm motility is a prerequisite for male fertility. Enhancing the concentration of motile sperms in assisted reproductive technologies - for human and animal reproduction - is typically achieved through aggressive methods such as centrifugation. Here we propose a passive technique for the amplification of motile sperm concentration, with no externally imposed forces or flows. The technique is based upon the disparity between probability rates, for motile cells, of entering in and escaping from complex structures. The effectiveness of the technique is demonstrated in microfluidic experiments with microstructured devices, comparing the trapping power in different geometries. In these micro-traps we observe an enhancement of cells concentration close to 10, with a contrast between motile and non-motile increased by a similar factor. Simulations of suitable interacting model sperms in realistic geometries reproduce quantitatively the experimental results, extend the range of observations and highlight the ingredients that are key to optimal trap design

Traditional farmers’ varieties: a valuable source of genetic variability for biofortification programs

Several studies underlined the superiority from a nutritional point of view of ancient varieties. In the last years the interest for landraces has been growing, for this reason preservation and valorisation of these genetic sources is very important. In particular these varieties are source of precious genetic variability interesting from a scientific point of view to preserve biodiversity but also for biofortification programs aimed to support small rural communities, where the particular maize germplasm has been developed. In this work we characterized from the nutritional point of view 13 ancient Italian varieties and one coming from Spain (Millo Corvo). In this pre-breeding work we demonstrate the nutritional superiority of ancient varieties if compared with modern hybrids. In particular Spinato di Gandino is the best variety for milling properties and for oil, protein, and total phosphorus content; Storo is the best variety for calorific value and for carotenoids and free phosphorus content. Using these varieties in the next future we will start a bio-fortification program aimed to obtain new populations with improved yields and high nutritional value

Assessment of telomere length during post-natal period in offspring produced by a bull and its fibroblast derived clone

Objective: To investigate the telomere length in bovine offspring produced by a cloned and control bull, and the telomerase activity in embryos produced with the same technology. Methods: Five daughters of a control and five daughters of a bull cloned using a fibroblast of the control were produced by IVF using sperm of the two bulls. Blood samples of the offspring were collected at 2, 6, and 12 months of age and the relative telomere length (RTL) was assessed by flow cytometry. At same time the body growth, hematological profile, and clinical biochemistry of the same progeny was extensively surveyed, and results have been reported in a previous work. Thereafter, the telomerase activity was assessed using a real time PCR quantitative assay in groups of embryos produced with the same technology. Results: The offspring of the clone exhibited a modest, but significant (P<0.05), shortening of the telomeres (21.36%, 20.56% and 20.56%) compared to that of the control (23.78%, 23.53% and 22.43%) as mean values determined at 2, 6 and 12 months, respectively. Shortening of telomeres in respect to the age was not significant. No statistical difference was reported between telomerase activity assessed in 144 cloned (3.4−03 ± 2.4−03 amoles/μL) and 80 control (2.1−03 ± 1.8−03 amoles/μL) embryos. Conclusions: The results have revealed a moderate shortening of telomeres in the offspring of the clone with respect to control. However, this study did not evidence differences in the two progenies that suggest welfare problems during the first year of life

Evaluation of Italian Simplified Matrix Test for Speech-Recognition Measurements in Noise

This study aimed at the evaluation of a simplified Italian matrix test (SiIMax) for speech-recognition measurements in noise for adults and children. Speech-recognition measurements with adults and children were conducted to examine the training effect and to establish reference speech-recognition thresholds of 50% (SRT50) and 80% (SRT80) correct responses. Test-list equivalency was evaluated only with adults. Twenty adults and 96 children—aged between 5 and 10 years—participated. Evaluation measurements with the adults confirmed the equivalence of the test lists, with a mean SRT50 of −8.0 dB and a standard deviation of 0.2 dB across the test lists. The test-specific slope (the average of the list-specific slopes) was 11.3%/dB, with a standard deviation of 0.6%/dB. For both adults and children, only one test list of 14 phrases needs to be presented to account for the training effect. For the adults, adaptive measurements of the SRT50 and SRT80 showed mean values of −7.0 ± 0.6 and −4.5 ± 1.1 dB, respectively. For children, a slight influence of age on the SRT was observed. The mean SRT50s were −5.6 ± 1.2, −5.8 ± 1.2 and −6.6 ± 1.3 dB for the children aged 5–6, 7–8 and 9–10 years, respectively. The corresponding SRT80s were −1.5 ± 2.7, −3.0 ± 1.7 and −3.7 ± 1.4 dB. High test–retest reliabilities of 1.0 and 1.1 dB for the SRT80 were obtained for the adults and children, respectively. This makes the test suitable for accurate and reliable speech-recognition measurements

Effect of Lipoic Acid on the Biochemical Mechanisms of Resistance to Bortezomib in SH-SY5Y Neuroblastoma Cells

Neuroblastoma (NB) is an extracranial solid cancer and the most common cancer in infancy. Despite the standard treatment for NB is based on the combination of chemotherapeutic drugs such as doxorubicin, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, and cisplatin, chemoresistance occurs over the time. The aim of the present research was to evaluate the effect of bortezomib (BTZ) (50 nM) on NB cell viability and how lipoic acid (ALA) (100 μM) modifies pharmacological response to this chemotherapeutic agent. Cell viability was assessed by ATP luminescence assay whereas expression of oxidative stress marker (i.e., heme oxygenase-1) and endoplasmic reticulum stress proteins was performed by real-time PCR, western blot, and immunofluorescence. Our data showed that BTZ treatment significantly reduced cell viability when compared to untreated cultures (about 40%). Interestingly, ALA significantly reduced the efficacy of BTZ (about 30%). Furthermore, BTZ significantly induced heme oxygenase-1 as a result of increased oxidative stress and such overexpression was prevented by concomitant treatment with ALA. Similarly, ALA significantly reduced BTZ-mediated endoplasmic reticulum stress as measured by reduction in BiP1 and IRE1α, ERO1α, and PDI expression. In conclusion, our data suggest that BTZ efficacy is dependent on cellular redox status and such mechanisms may be responsible of chemoresistance to this chemotherapeutic agent