212 research outputs found
Special Lagrangian conifolds, I: Moduli spaces
No full textWe discuss the deformation theory of special Lagrangian (SL) conifolds in C^m. Conifolds are a key ingredient in the compactification problem for moduli spaces of compact SLs in Calabi-Yau manifolds. This category
allows for the simultaneous presence of conical singularities and of non-compact, asymptotically conical, ends.
Our main theorem is the natural next step in the chain of results
initiated by McLean and continued by the author
and Joyce. We emphasize a unifying framework for studying the
various
cases and discuss analogies and differences between them. This paper also lays down the geometric foundations for
our paper "Special Lagrangian conifolds, II" concerning gluing constructions for SL conifolds in C^m
“Insights in Contemporary Franco-America in Rhea Côté-Robins and Gregoire Chabot: Reevaluating Memory, Identity and Place"
No full textInternational audienceDr. Peggy Pacini’s paper “Insights into Contemporary Franco-America in Rhéa Côté-Robbins and Gregoire Chabot: Reevaluating Memory, Identity and Place” extends the discussion of Franco-American identity-formation and the role of a specific place (Maine) in this act by examining the paratexts of two contemporary Franco-American writers from Maine, Rhea Côté-Robbins and Gregoire Chabot. Pacini explores how each author has tried to create “a newer and more appropriate” identity, neither Franco nor American, but Franco-American from Maine. While it may be true that Côté-Robbins and Chabot have, through their writing, found their unique voices and a way to tell their unique stories, their works always start from memory, collective and personal, deeply rooted in place and time either to achieve piecing together a fragmented identity for the former, or interrogating it for the latter
Permanent draft genome sequence of Vibrio tubiashii strain NCIMB 1337 (ATCC19106)
No full textVibrio tubiashii NCIMB 1337 is a major and increasingly prevalent pathogen of bivalve mollusks, and shares a close phylogenetic relationship with both V. orientalis and V. coralliilyticus. It is a Gram-negative, curved rod-shaped bacterium, originally isolated from a moribund juvenile oyster, and is both oxidase and catalase positive. It is capable of growth under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Here we describe the features of this organism, together with the draft genome and annotation. The genome is 5,353,266 bp long, consisting of two chromosomes, and contains 4,864 protein-coding and 86 RNA genes
Indicatore per l’analisi dei costi della sicurezza nei luoghi di lavoro
No full textInvestire correttamente in prevenzione rappresenta un ottimo impiego delle risorse aziendali e comporta rientri relativamente veloci a tassi del tutto competitivi con i normali investimenti produttivi. L’investimento in sicurezza non può però prescindere da un’attenta analisi dei costi legati alla mancata prevenzione. Il costo della non sicurezza, infatti, si esplicita in una serie di voci che vanno ben oltre i semplici costi assicurativi sostenuti dall’INAIL per risarcire l’evento infortunistico: vi sono i costi che ricadono direttamente sull’impresa e che comprendono ad esempio la perdita di produzione, comprendendo anche i fermi di produzione connessi all’attività giudiziaria, i risarcimenti complementari ed i relativi costi legali, eventuali danni materiali connessi all’incidente, l’aumento dei premi assicurativi, le implicazioni sulle gare di appalto, ecc... Alcuni studi mostrano infatti come i costi assicurativi siano soltanto la punta di un iceberg, in quanto, connesso all’infortunio, esiste un costo difficilmente visibile che supera di gran lunga quello assicurativo, con un rapporto dell’ordine di 1 a 11. Inail, con riferimento al 2010, anno nel quale ha censito circa 800 mila infortuni sul lavoro, ha stimato che gli infortuni occorsi hanno avuto conseguenze sul sistema previdenziale, d'impresa, sanitario e, in generale, economico per il Paese, pari a 24 miliardi di euro (dato in calo rispetto a periodi precedenti). Il singolo infortunio sul lavoro ha quindi dei costi sul 'sistema Italia' pari a circa 30 mila euro/evento. Di questo rilevante costo il 60% ricade direttamente sulle aziende, mentre il restante 40% è sostenuto dalla collettività
Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia
No full textUnconjugated hyperbilirubinemia is a common condition in the first week of postnatal life. Low levels of bilirubin exert antioxidant effects, but some neonates may develop very high levels of unconjugated bilirubin (UCB), with an increase of the unbound free fraction (Bf), able to diffuse through the blood brain barrier.
Amount and duration of hyperbilirubinemia and the neurodevelopmental age (preterm neonates) at the time of insult exposition is supposed to influence the location of selective brain damage, as well as the severity of consequences [1]. The clinical manifestations range from the less severe Bilirubin-Induced Neurological Damage (BIND) to a more severe chronic kernicterus, while the regional selectivity of damage may elicit to motor disorders and athetosis (basal ganglia and cerebellum), auditory dysfunction (inferior colliculus), memory and learning impairment (hippocampus) [2].
To avoid neurological consequences, the Clinical Practice Guideline of the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend total bilirubin determination (TSB) on every jaundice infant, both during hospital stay and post discharge follow-up. To this goal, Bilistik [3], a new minimally invasive method for measuring TSB, may improve substantially the triage of jaundice newborns with potential risk of brain damage and kernicterus to be addressed to phototherapy. Moreover, recent studies have raised concerns about the potential toxicity of intensive phototherapy in preterm neonates, and no information about its effectiveness in quickly reducing brain bilirubin concentration are yet available [4].
Early neuronal accumulation of bilirubin in damaged regions and its brain metabolism may have a role in the marked regional differences observed in kernicterus impairment. This hypothesis is supported by the role of brain cytochrome P-450 (Cyp), known to oxidize UCB. In the brain of Gunn rats, an early upregulation of Cyp mRNAs was observed in the unaffected brain regions, cortex and superior colliculus, in contrast to the delayed and slight upregulation observed in the affected regions, inferior colliculus and cerebellum [6], where UCB alters the cell cycle inducing apoptosis [7].
Clarification of pathophysiology of UCB neurotoxicity, that continues to be an important risk among newborns worldwide, may open new perspectives for therapeutic approaches, focused in protecting directly the brain, the final target of bilirubin toxicity. To this aim the development of new research models, appear of particular relevance. Among them the organotypic brain cultures, living slices of the CSN that can be cultured in vitro and challenged with bilirubin in controlled (concentration/timing) manner, strictly modelling different histopathological aspects of neurological conditions
Experimental Characterization of a New Benchmark Structure for Prediction of Damping Nonlinearity
No full textSpacecraft, airplanes, automobiles, machines and civil structures are all constructed from multiple parts joined by bolts, rivets or other fasteners and these joints lead to large uncertainties in the structural stiffness, damping and can even introduce nonlinearity. Even with the best available simulation tools, it is still difficult to predict the effective stiffness and damping of bolted interfaces, and so these parameters are often assumed and updated after tests have been performed. Damping estimates are critical to limit the resonant vibration response of a structure and thus prevent failure. Even so, it remains poorly understood and available methods for modeling damping are inaccurate and computationally expensive. A new benchmark structure has been created that is designed so as to be predictable with current simulation tools. This paper presents a thorough experimental characterization of this new benchmark structure using the Hilbert transform method applied to modally filtered time data. The nonlinear frequency and damping of each mode is characterized for various levels of bolt preload and excitation amplitude. The interfaces of the bolted structure are also characterized in detail by measuring the contact pressure distribution using pressure sensitive film. The resulting data presents a set of well characterized tests that can be used to validate numerical methods that seek to predict the nonlinear behavior of bolted interfaces
Studies on Italy 1943-1975. Select bibliography of American and British materials in Political Science, Economics, Sociology and Anthropology
No full textBibliografia di studi sull'Italia da fonti documentali di scienze economiche e politico-sociali britanniche e americane.- Foreward, Marcello Pacini #11- Introduction, Alessandro Bruschi #12- Preface, Peter Lange #15- Selection criteria #17- Table of contents #19- I. Political #25- 1. Domestic Politics #27- 2. Foreign Relations and Policy #72- II. Sociology and Cultural Anthropology #91- 1. Population #93- 2. Social class structure #95- 3. Culture #98- 4. The Family #102- 5. Women #103- 6. Urban Sociology #104- 7. Education #104- 8. Religion #106- 9. Foreign Groups in Italy #106- III. Economics #107- 1. Conditions and development #109- 2. Particular periods and events #116- 3. Economical structure #119- 4. Labor conditions #123- 5. International relations #127- Research Information #137- Author Index #14
Pollination drop withdrawal in Juniperus communis: response to deposited material
No full textBackground and Aims: The pollination drop is a liquid secretion produced by the ovule and exposed outside the micropyle. In many gymnosperms, pollen lands on the surface of the pollination drop, rehydrates and enters the ovule as the drop retracts. The objective of this work was to study the formation of the pollination drop in Juniperus communis, its carbohydrate composition and the response to deposition of conspecific pollen, foreign pollen and other particulate material, in an attempt to clarify the mechanism of pollination drop retraction. • Methods: Branches with female cones close to pollination drop secretion were collected. On the first day of pollination drop exposure, an eyelash mounted on a wooden stick with paraffin was used to collect pollen or silica gel particles, which were then deposited by contact with the drop. Volume changes in pollination drops were measured by using a stereomicroscope with a micrometer eyepiece 3 h after deposition. The volume of non-pollinated control drops was also recorded. On the first day of secretion, drops were also collected for sugar analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography. • Key Results: The pollination drop persisted for about 12 d if not pollinated, and formed again after removal for up to four consecutive days. After pollination with viable conspecific pollen, the drop retracted quickly and did not form again. Partial withdrawal occurred after deposition of other biological and non-biological material. Fructose was the dominant sugar; glucose was also present but at a much lower percentage. • Conclusions: Sugar analysis confirmed the general trend of fructose dominance in gymnosperm pollination drops. Complete pollination drop withdrawal appears to be triggered by a biochemical mechanism resulting from interaction between pollen and drop constituents. The results of particle deposition suggest the existence of a non-specific, particle-size-dependent mechanism that induces partial pollination drop withdrawal. These results suggest that the non-specific response may decrease the probability of pollen landing on the drop, reducing pollination efficiency. © The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved
Una lettera inedita di Liszt a Sophie Menter (con un accenno a Maria Giuli)
No full textIl contributo presenta una lettera inedita di Liszt alla sua migliore allieva, Sophie Menter, con tutta probabilità risalente al 16 gennaio 1881, e ricostruisce il contesto di riferimento. In essa si citano tre persone: Liberato Aureli, cameriere di Liszt, il ben noto musicografo Francesco Florimo e Maria Giuli, altra allieva di Liszt e nipote di Giovanni Pacini, sulla quale l’autore aveva pubblicato già documenti inedit
Sarah Siddons: La musa tragica sulla scena romantica
No full textIl saggio si concentra sulla recitazione di Sarah Siddons in relazione all'estetica romantica. Considerata sia isolatamente che in rapporto alle altre figure fondamentali del periodo, John Philip Kemble ed Edmund Kean, emerge come non solo l'attrice vada ben oltre i canoni dell'estetica neoclassica entro la quale inizia la propria carriera (ed è glorificata, soprattutto mediante la sua rappresentazione come "musa tragica" da parte di Sir Joshua Reynolds), per diventare una figura di cui l'estetica romantica inglese si riappropria e pone come modello recitativo ideale
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