Heat fluctuations in Ising models coupled with two different heat baths

Monte Carlo simulations of Ising models coupled to heat baths at two different temperatures are used to study a fluctuation relation for the heat exchanged between the two thermostats in a time $\tau$. Different kinetics (single--spin--flip or spin--exchange Kawasaki dynamics), transition rates (Glauber or Metropolis), and couplings between the system and the thermostats have been considered. In every case the fluctuation relation is verified in the large $\tau$ limit, both in the disordered and in the low temperature phase. Finite-$\tau$ corrections are shown to obey a scaling behavior.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures. To be published in Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical as fast track communicatio

Energy and Heat Fluctuations in a Temperature Quench

Fluctuations of energy and heat are investigated during the relaxation following the instantaneous temperature quench of an extended system. Results are obtained analytically for the Gaussian model and for the large $N$ model quenched below the critical temperature $T_C$. The main finding is that fluctuations exceeding a critical threshold do condense. Though driven by a mechanism similar to that of Bose-Einstein condensation, this phenomenon is an out-of-equilibrium feature produced by the breaking of energy equipartition occurring in the transient regime. The dynamical nature of the transition is illustrated by phase diagrams extending in the time direction.Comment: To be published in the Proceedings of the Research Program "Small system non equilibrium fluctuations, dynamics and stochastics, and anomalous behavior", Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics China, July 2013. 40 pages, 9 figure

Repurposing designed mutants: a valuable strategy for computer-aided laccase engineering – the case of POXA1b

The broad specificity of laccases, a direct consequence of their shallow binding site, makes this class of enzymes a suitable template to build specificity toward putative substrates. In this work, a computational methodology that accumulates beneficial interactions between the enzyme and the substrate in productive conformations is applied to oxidize 2,4-diamino-benzenesulfonic acid with POXA1b laccase. Although the experimental validation of two designed variants yielded negative results, most likely due to the hard oxidizability of the target substrate, molecular simulations suggest that a novel polar binding scaffold was designed to anchor negatively charged groups. Consequently, the oxidation of three such molecules, selected as representative of different classes of substances with different industrial applications, significantly improved. According to molecular simulations, the reason behind such an improvement lies in the more productive enzyme–substrate binding achieved thanks to the designed polar scaffold. In the future, mutant repurposing toward other substrates could be first carried out computationally, as done here, testing molecules that share some similarity with the initial target. In this way, repurposing would not be a mere safety net (as it is in the laboratory and as it was here) but rather a powerful approach to transform laccases into more efficient multitasking enzymes.This work was funded by INDOX (KBBE-2013-7-613549) European project and CTQ2013-48287-R Spanish National Project. V. G. and E. M. acknowledge Università degli Studi di Napoli and Generalitat de Catalunya for their respective predoctoral fellowships.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Quale qualità del lavoro per le donne nella meccanica modenese? Una ricerca sul campo

The concept of “Quality of Work” (in Italian, QdL) has a central role in the analysis of the working conditions. It becomes even more actual and important when the economy is going through an extended crisis and the analysis concernes the conditions of working life of women employed in a sector considered typically male as the engineering one. The paper analyzes, through the methodologies of automatic text analysis, twelve interviews realized in 2012 in the context of the project “SONIA. The mechanics of women”, a research project developed by Officina Emilia initiative of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. The three firms (BD Torneria, WAM, TetraPak) are located in the engineering district of the province of Modena, but they are extremely different for dimension, typology and for the policies reserved to female workers. The aim of the paper is to identify which words are used by interviewees to describe the different dimensions of the Quality of Work that can be found in literature and to verify if and how these words change depending on the variables linked to size of the firm, its typology and to gender policies

characterization and manufacturing of a paraffin wax as fuel for hybrid rockets

The hybrid propulsion performed with paraffin waxes exhibits most attractive capabilities compared to solid or liquid engines, e.g., throttleability and re-ignition, alongside higher regression rates compared to the conventional hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) hybrid fuel. This is because the paraffin wax forms a thin and hydro-dynamically unstable liquid layer, and then enhances the regression rate with the entrainment of droplets from the liquid-gas interface. Nevertheless, some critical open points on the manufacturing of the paraffin fuel grains still persist, because the paraffin wax exhibits high shrinkage during the solidification phase, leading to the formation of cavities, cracks and internal rips, which may be detrimental to the mechanical properties and the structural integrity of the fuel grain. In this context, this paper deals with a wide calorimetric, thermo-mechanical and physical characterization of the paraffin wax selected to manufacture the hybrid rocket engines (HRE) fuel grain, in order to gain a thorough knowledge of the material necessary to avoid the formation of critical defects. Several manufacturing methods were investigated, and it was found that only laboratory scale processes, based on the use of a heated circular mould-piston apparatus, are able to avoid the formation of critical defects, with the application of both high temperature and pressure. Keywords: Paraffin wax, Hybrid rockets, Manufacturing, SASOL® 0907, Regression rat

Phase separation of binary fluids with dynamic temperature

Phase separation of binary fluids quenched by contact with cold external walls is considered. Navier-Stokes, convection-diffusion, and energy equations are solved by lattice Boltzmann method coupled with finite-difference schemes. At high viscosity, different morphologies are observed by varying the thermal diffusivity. In the range of thermal diffusivities with domains growing parallel to the walls, temperature and phase separation fronts propagate towards the inner of the system with power-law behavior. At low viscosity hydrodynamics favors rounded shapes, and complex patterns with different lengthscales appear. Off-symmetrical systems behave similarly but with more ordered configurations.Comment: Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. E, 11 figures, best quality figures available on reques

Trichoderma harzianum cerato-platanin enhances hydrolysis of lignocellulosic materials

Considering its worldwide abundance, cellulose can be a suitable candidate to replace the fossil oil-based materials, even if its potential is still untapped, due to some scientific and technical gaps. This work offers new possibilities demonstrating for the first time the ability of a cerato-platanin, a small fungal protein, to valorize lignocellulosic Agri-food Wastes. Indeed, cerato-platanins can loosen cellulose rendering it more accessible to hydrolytic attack. The cerato-platanin ThCP from a marine strain of Trichoderma harzianum, characterized as an efficient biosurfactant protein, has proven able to efficiently pre-treat apple pomace, obtaining a sugar conversion yield of 65%. Moreover, when used in combination with a laccase enzyme, a notable increase in the sugar conversion yield was measured. Similar results were also obtained when other wastes, coffee silverskin and potato peel, were pre-treated. With respect to the widespread laccase pre-treatments, this new pre-treatment approach minimizes process time, increasing energy efficiency

Hepatocellular Carcinoma Metastasis to the Orbit in a Coinfected HIV+ HBV+ Patient Previously Treated with Orthotopic Liver Transplantation: A Case Report

Hepatocellular carcinoma rarely metastasizes to the orbit. We report a 45-year-old male, HBV+, HIV+, with a past history of a liver transplant for ELSD (end-stage liver disease) with hepatocellular carcinoma and recurrent HCC, who presented with proptosis and diplopia of the left eye. CT scans of the head revealed a large, irregular mass in the left orbit causing superior and lateral destruction of the orbital bone. Biopsy specimens of the orbital tumor showed features of metastatic foci of hepatocellular carcinoma. Only 16 other cases of HCC metastasis to the orbit have been described in literature, and this is the first case in a previously transplanted HIV+, HBV+ patient

Analisi del campo di deformazione superficiale della Regione Campania da dati SAR (PS-InSAR)

Il lavoro presenta un’applicazione della tecnica dei diffusori permanenti (Permanent Scatterers) finalizzata alla caratterizzazione del campo di deformazione superficiale della Regione Campania. Per effettuare l’analisi sono state processate, tramite la tecnica PS-InSARTM, 1078 scene SAR ERS1 ed ERS2 relative al periodo giugno 1992 - gennaio 2001. Sulla base della velocità media annua di spostamento di 1.691.740 PS con coerenza maggiore di 0.65 sono state prodotte mappe di velocità media di deformazione mediante l’utilizzo di una procedura articolata nei seguenti punti: a) filtraggio dei dati effettuato sulla base dei valori di coerenza; b) produzione di mappe di velocità media di deformazione in coordinate SAR; c) generazione di mappe di velocità media di deformazione secondo le componenti verticale ed Est-Ovest; d) validazione di risultati mediante confronto con dati prodotti con differenti metodiche d’indagine. L’analisi dei risultati ottenuti ha consentito di identificare aree caratterizzate da distinti stili deformativi. Aree in subsidenza sono risultate essere, per il periodo di interesse, oltre all’area vulcanica dei Campi Flegrei, le aree costiere dei bacini dei fiumi Volturno e Sele ed il settore centrale dell’isola d’Ischia. Aree con significativi valori di sollevamento sono localizzate nel settore settentrionale del Monte Somma, nel settore centrale della Piana Campana, nel Sannio e nel Cilento. Significativi valori di velocità di spostamento in direzione EW si riscontrano, oltre che nell’area dei Campi Flegrei, nel settore appenninico del bacino del Sele e nell’area interposta tra il Somma-Vesuvio e la catena appenninica. Il quadro deformativo globale risulta essere caratterizzato da un andamento complesso, governato da una molteplicità di processi di differente natura (tettonici, vulcano-tettonici, esogeni ed antropici)

Ultrasound Evaluation of Tendinopathy in Hemophiliac Patients for the Purpose of Rehabilitation Indications

Background: Hemophilia is a inherited bleeding disorder that is characterized by intra-articular bleeding (hemarthrosis). The aim of the study was to evaluate the state of the satellite tendons of the target joints in the patient with hemophilic arthropathy and propose rehabilitation treatment with eccentric exercises. Methods: The tendons of the joints mainly affected by hemophilic arthropathy were evaluated by ultrasound. The ultrasound evaluation is associated with the use of evaluation clinical scales, such as the Hemophilia Joint Health Score (HJHS), the Functional Independence Score in Hemophilia (FISH), the Hemophilia Activity List (HAL), the DASH, the VISA-A, the VISA-P, and the VAS scale. Results: In 20 patients with hemophilic arthropathy, the thickness of the tendons that were examined was normal. In six subjects with severe joint damage, echostructural alterations were present, and signs of hyperemia and neo-vascularization were detected on color Doppler, as well as the presence of intratendinous calcifications. Conclusions: The tendons of the target joints in patients with hemophilic arthropathy are compromised by the indirect biomechanical damage caused by the joint disease, and rehabilitation treatment with eccentric exercises can be considered safe and effective in improving the tenso-elastic properties of the tendons