Formation of light exotic nuclei in low-energy multinucleon transfer reactions

Low-energy multinucleon transfer reactions are shown to be very effective tool for the production and spectroscopic study of light exotic nuclei. The corresponding cross sections are found to be significantly larger as compared with high energy fragmentation reactions. Several optimal reactions for the production of extremely neutron rich isotopes of elements with Z=6-14 are proposed.Comment: 8 figure

Alpine pioneer plants in soil bioengineering for slope stabilization and restoration : results of a preliminary analysis of seed germination and future perspectives

Stabilization of slopes subject to landslide by measures with low impact, such as those of bioengineering, is a topic of interest. The use of scarcely studied alpine pioneer plants could contribute to innovation in soil bioengineering and restoration ecology but to use them, knowledge of the ex situ germinability of their seeds is fundamental. This research analysed the germinability of seeds of nine alpine pioneer species (Papaver aurantiacum, Rumex scutatus, Tofieldia calyculata, Pulsatilla alpina, Silene glareosa, Adenostyles alpina, Dryas octopetala, Laserpitium peucedanoides and Laserpitium krapfii) treated with water, gibberellic acid (GA3) and/or calcium carbonate at room temperature. The seeds had different responses to the treatments: Laserpitium peucedanoides, L. krapfii and Silene glareosa showed difficulty in germinating (germination < 2.5%), while Dryas octopetala had good germination (39\u201361%) regardless of treatment. GA3 significantly increased the seed germination rate of Papaver aurantiacum, Pulsatilla alpina, Rumex scutatus and Tofieldia calyculata, while the addition of calcium carbonate made the seeds of Rumex scutatus and Tofieldia calyculata germinate more quickly. Results are discussed focusing on the perspectives of using alpine pioneer species in future soil bioengineering work for slopes stabilization and restoration, and on the actions that stakeholders should take to make this happen

Orbital-spin order and the origin of structural distortion in MgTi2_2O4_4

We analyze electronic, magnetic, and structural properties of the spinel compound MgTi$_2$O$_4$ using the local density approximation+U method. We show how MgTi$_2$O$_4$ undergoes to a canted orbital-spin ordered state, where charge, spin and orbital degrees of freedom are frozen in a geometrically frustrated network by electron interactions. In our picture orbital order stabilize the magnetic ground state and controls the degree of structural distortions. The latter is dynamically derived from the cubic structure in the correlated LDA+U potential. Our ground-state theory provides a consistent picture for the dimerized phase of MgTi$_2$O$_4$, and might be applicable to frustrated materials in general.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure

High tide, low price? Flooding alerts and hotel prices in Venice

This research explores the effects of High Tide alerts on hotel prices in Venice, a city that is vulnerable to the impacts of extreme climate events due to its fragile ecosystem and a long history of floods in the city center. By analyzing and combining price data from Booking.com with publicly available information on tides and weather, this study uses regression discontinuity design to test for changes in hotel prices when tide levels reach a critical threshold. The results offer insights into the sensitivity of hotel prices to weather alerts and provide valuable information on the potential impact of climate change on Venice’s tourism-driven economy, with implications for the cost–benefit analysis of activating protective barriers for lagoon protection

On the Complexity of {k}-domination for Chordal Graphs

In this work we obtain a new graph class where {k}-DOM is NP-complete: the class of chordal graphs. We also identify some maximal subclasses for which it is polynomial time solvable. By relating this problem with k-DOM, we prove that {k}-DOM is polynomial time solvable for strongly chordal graphs. Besides, by expressing the property involved in k-DOM in Counting Monadic Second- order Logic, we obtain that both problems are linear time solvable for bounded tree-width graphs. In this way we enlarge the family of graphs for which k-DOM is polynomial time solvable.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativ

On the Complexity of {k}-domination for Chordal Graphs

In this work we obtain a new graph class where {k}-DOM is NP-complete: the class of chordal graphs. We also identify some maximal subclasses for which it is polynomial time solvable. By relating this problem with k-DOM, we prove that {k}-DOM is polynomial time solvable for strongly chordal graphs. Besides, by expressing the property involved in k-DOM in Counting Monadic Second- order Logic, we obtain that both problems are linear time solvable for bounded tree-width graphs. In this way we enlarge the family of graphs for which k-DOM is polynomial time solvable.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativ

On the Complexity of {k}-domination for Chordal Graphs

In this work we obtain a new graph class where {k}-DOM is NP-complete: the class of chordal graphs. We also identify some maximal subclasses for which it is polynomial time solvable. By relating this problem with k-DOM, we prove that {k}-DOM is polynomial time solvable for strongly chordal graphs. Besides, by expressing the property involved in k-DOM in Counting Monadic Second- order Logic, we obtain that both problems are linear time solvable for bounded tree-width graphs. In this way we enlarge the family of graphs for which k-DOM is polynomial time solvable.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativ

Low field magnetotransport in strained Si/SiGe cavities

Low field magnetotransport revealing signatures of ballistic transport effects in strained Si/SiGe cavities is investigated. We fabricated strained Si/SiGe cavities by confining a high mobility Si/SiGe 2DEG in a bended nanowire geometry defined by electron-beam lithography and reactive ion etching. The main features observed in the low temperature magnetoresistance curves are the presence of a zero-field magnetoresistance peak and of an oscillatory structure at low fields. By adopting a simple geometrical model we explain the oscillatory structure in terms of electron magnetic focusing. A detailed examination of the zero-field peak lineshape clearly shows deviations from the predictions of ballistic weak localization theory.Comment: Submitted to Physical Review B, 25 pages, 7 figure

Influence of Altitude on Phytochemical Composition of Hemp Inflorescence: A Metabolomic Approach

The phytochemical profiling of hemp inflorescences of clonal plants growing in different conditions related to altitude was investigated. Four strains of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L., family Cannabaceae) of Kompolti variety were selected and cloned to provide genetically uniform material for analyses of secondary metabolites (terpenes, cannabinoids, and flavonoids) at two different elevations: mountain (Alagna Valsesia 1200 m ASL) and plains (Vercelli Province 130 m ASL). Environmental conditions influenced by elevation have proven to be important factors inducing variations in hemp inflorescences\u2019 secondary metabolite composition. In fact, all plants grown at altitude exhibited a higher total amount of terpenes when compared with plains counterparts, with \u3b2-Myrcene, trans-Caryophyllene and \u3b1-Humulene as the main contributors. A metabolomic, un-targeted approach performed by HPLC-Q-Exactive-Orbitrap\uae-MS platform with subsequent data processing performed by Compound DiscovererTM software, was crucial for the appropriate recognition of many metabolites, clearly distinguishing mountain from plains specimens. Cannabidiolic acid CBDA was the most abundant phytocannabinoid, with significantly higher concentrations in the mountain samples. The metabolic pathway of CBGA (considered as the progenitor/precursor of all cannabinoids) was also activated towards the production of CBCA, which occurs in considerably 3 times higher quantities than in the clones grown at high altitude. Isoprenoid flavones (Cannaflavins A, B, and C) were correspondingly upregulated in mountain samples, while apigenin turned out to be more abundant in plains samples. The possibility to use hemp inflorescences in pharmaceutical/nutraceutical applications opens new challenges to understand how hemp crops respond in terms of secondary metabolite production in various environments. In this regard, our results with the applied analytical strategy may constitute an effective way of phytochemical profiling hemp inflorescences

HIRESSS: a physically based slope stability simulator for HPC applications

HIRESSS (<b>HI</b>gh <b>RE</b>solution <b>S</b>lope <b>S</b>tability <b>S</b>imulator) is a physically based distributed slope stability simulator for analyzing shallow landslide triggering conditions in real time and on large areas using parallel computational techniques. The physical model proposed is composed of two parts: hydrological and geotechnical. The hydrological model receives the rainfall data as dynamical input and provides the pressure head as perturbation to the geotechnical stability model that computes the factor of safety (FS) in probabilistic terms. The hydrological model is based on an analytical solution of an approximated form of the Richards equation under the wet condition hypothesis and it is introduced as a modeled form of hydraulic diffusivity to improve the hydrological response. The geotechnical stability model is based on an infinite slope model that takes into account the unsaturated soil condition. During the slope stability analysis the proposed model takes into account the increase in strength and cohesion due to matric suction in unsaturated soil, where the pressure head is negative. Moreover, the soil mass variation on partially saturated soil caused by water infiltration is modeled. <br><br> The model is then inserted into a Monte Carlo simulation, to manage the typical uncertainty in the values of the input geotechnical and hydrological parameters, which is a common weak point of deterministic models. The Monte Carlo simulation manages a probability distribution of input parameters providing results in terms of slope failure probability. The developed software uses the computational power offered by multicore and multiprocessor hardware, from modern workstations to supercomputing facilities (HPC), to achieve the simulation in reasonable runtimes, compatible with civil protection real time monitoring. <br><br> A first test of HIRESSS in three different areas is presented to evaluate the reliability of the results and the runtime performance on large areas