104,367 research outputs found
FSAI-based parallel mixed constraint preconditioners for saddle point problems arising in geomechanics
No full textIn this paper we propose and describe a parallel implementation of a block preconditioner for the solution of saddle point linear systems arising from Finite Element (FE) discretization of 3D coupled consolidation problems. The Mixed Constraint Preconditioner developed in [L. Bergamaschi, M. Ferronato, G. Gambolati, Mixed constraint preconditioners for the solution to FE coupled consolidation equations, J. Comput. Phys., 227(23) (2008)] is combined with the parallel FSAI preconditioner which is used here to approximate the inverses of both the structural (1, 1) block and an appropriate Schur complement matrix. The resulting preconditioner proves effective in the acceleration of the BiCGSTAB iterative solver. Numerical results on a number of test cases of size up to 2 million unknowns and 120 million nonzeros show the perfect scalability of the overall code up to 256 processors
M. Di Luzio, L. Bergamaschi, M. Santiano, M. Oddone, G. D’Agostino
No full textThe aim of this analysis is the quantification of As mass fraction in an organic matrix, performed by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) carried out with relative standardization. The sample to investigate consists of dried shrimp material and is provided by the Government Laboratory, Hong Kong, (GLHK) in the framework of the CCQM APMP.QM-S19 supplementary comparison. This document describes the detailed procedure adopted in the analysis together with the obtained results and a final discussion concerning the total uncertainty budget (i. e. the budget including information from all the replicates measured in the analysis)
Transferrin receptor expression in the human placenta.
No full textIron transport from the mother to the fetus is mediated by transferrin receptors located at the maternofetal interface of the placenta. Transferrin receptors bind iron-loaded transferrin molecules from the maternal plasma, thus allowing iron uptake by trophoblastic cells which then deliver the metal to the fetal plasma. We have measured the transferrin receptor content in the placentas from 16 normal-term pregnancies and investigated the relationships between transferrin receptor expression and non-haem iron content, as well as maternal and fetal iron status. Transferrin receptor content was evaluated indirectly by determining the transferrin binding capacity of a placenta extract. Transferrin receptor content of the placenta ranged from 20 to 154 micrograms/g of tissue, with a mean value of 96 +/- 37 micrograms/g. The mean non-haem iron content was 78 +/- 11 micrograms/g of tissue, corresponding to 47 +/- 10 mg for the whole placentas. The amount of transferrin receptors in the placenta was found to be inversely related to the amount of non-haem iron (r = 0.64; p less than 0.025). No significant relationship was observed between each of these two parameters and the iron status of either the mother or the fetus. We conclude that placental non-haem iron, which represents a storage form of this element, is likely to play a regulatory role in the expression of transferrin receptors, and consequently in the process of iron uptake by the placenta
Sopj: A scalable online provenance join for data integration
No full textData integration is a technique used to combine different sources of data together to provide an unified view among them. MOMIS[1] is an open-source data integration framework developed by the DBGroup1. The goal of our work is to make MOMIS be able to scale-out as the input data sources increase without introducing noticeable performance penalty. In particular, we present a full outer join method capable to efficiently integrate multiple sources at the same time by using data streams and provenance information. To evaluate the scalability of this innovative approach, we developed a join engine employing a distributed data processing framework. Our solution is able to process input data sources in the form of continuous stream, execute the join operation on-the-fly and produce outputs as soon as they are generated. In this way, the join can return partial results before the input streams have been completely received or processed optimizing the entire execution
Il processo di decentramento amministrativo e il riposizionamento strategico della Prefettura nel nuovo assetto di settore pubblico
No full textGovernance, Innovazione istituzionale e organizzativa nell’esperienza della Prefettura di Bergamo
No full text
Wide-band Nanoantenna for Optical and Infrared Energy Harvesting
No full textIn this paper, a novel design of Logarithmic Spiral Nanoantenna is introduced and numerically analyzed for energy harvesting applications. The proposed design consists of two arms spiral nanoantenna placed on a glass substrate. Full systematic analysis is carried out where the antenna impedance, return loss, field confinement are calculated using FDTD. In addition, studies show the power absorption of the antenna to calculate its harvesting capability
From milk to cheese: Evolution of flavor fingerprint of milk, cream, curd, whey, ricotta, scotta, and ripened cheese obtained during summer Alpine pasture
No full textThe role of each step of cheese and ricotta making in development of flavor of cheese and other dairy products is not yet well known. The objectives of this study were to characterize volatile organic compounds (VOC) in cheese and ricotta making with bulk milk from cows grazing in a highland area and to evaluate their evolution in the various dairy products and by-products obtained during the production processes. A group of 148 cows was grazed day and night on pasture from June to September. A total of 7 cheese-making sessions were carried out using the bulk milk collected every 2 wk during summer pasturing according to the artisanal procedure used for Malga cheese production. All milks, products, and by-products were sampled, and the VOC content of milk, cream, whey, ricotta, scotta (residual liquid), fresh cheeses, and cheeses ripened for 6 and 12 mo was determined by solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Forty-nine compounds were identified belonging to the following chemical families: alcohols (13), aldehydes (9), esters (8), free fatty acids (6), ketones (5), lactones (2), sulfurs (2), terpenes (2), phenol (1), and benzene (1). The results showed that the amounts of VOC in the various dairy products differed significantly. Comparisons between the VOC of 4 types of milk (whole evening, skim evening, whole morning, mixed in the vat) showed that the skimming process had the greatest effect, with about half of all the VOC analyzed affected, followed by time of milking (evening milking vs. morning milking) and mixing (skim evening milk mixed with whole morning milk). In general, among fresh products, cream had higher contents of fatty acids, sulfurs, and terpene volatile compounds than fresh cheese and ricotta, whereas ricotta showed a very high VOC amount compared with fresh cheese, probably due to its high processing temperature. The effects of the progressive nutrient depletion in milk during processing were investigated by comparing the amounts of VOC in vat milk, whey, and scotta. Although milk contained greater amounts of nutrients, whey and especially scotta had higher concentrations of VOC, with the exception of esters, sulfurs, terpenes, and phenolic compounds, as a result of physicochemical and microbial modifications during processing. Finally, the effect of ripening was tested by comparing the VOC of fresh and ripened cheeses (6 and 12 mo), revealing that VOC release increased dramatically during the first semester and further with increasing the ripening period to 1 yr. In particular, some alcohols (butan-2-ol), aldehydes (2-methylpropanal, hexanal, and heptanal), esters (ethyl butanoate and ethyl hexanoate), fatty acids (acetic, butanoic, and hexanoic acids), and ketones (butan-2-one, pentan-2-one, and heptan-2-one) showed a very large increase. In conclusion, according to the artisanal milk processing carried out for Malga cheese production, the quantity of VOC was shown to increase about 3 times during cheese making (from milk in vat to fresh cheese plus whey), almost 4 times during ricotta making (from whey to ricotta plus scotta), and about 16 times during 1 yr of ripening of cheese
X-linked Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome in a girl.
No full textComment on
X inactivation in females with X-linked disease. [N Engl J Med. 1998]
X-linked Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome in a girl. [N Engl J Med. 1998
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