90,065 research outputs found
Narrow-band multi-filter radiometer for total ozone content measurements: Mario Zucchelli Station (Antarctica) campaign
No full textThe importance of ground-based measurements of ultraviolet radiation has increased since the discovery of the stratospheric ozone layer depletion. Spectroradiometers are the most widely used class of instruments, although the requirement to work in attended stations is sometimes limiting. In this work we present a filter radiometer, named F-RAD, with good optical stability, very short sampling time (1 min), and proven reliability. The instrument is based on a stand-alone functioning, making it suitable for operation in hostile environments. The total ozone column (TOC) was estimated by the irradiance ratio at wavelengths where the ozone absorbs the solar radiation and where the radiation is not absorbed. Direct correlation between the TOC values estimated by F-RAD and by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) was found, and the standard deviations of the ratios between such values were calculated. Three wavelength ratios were identified to take into account the dependence of the measurements from the Solar Zenith Angle, AF-RAD (306.0 nm/325.3 nm) for SZA < 50°, BF-RAD (309.9 nm/325.3 nm) and CF-RAD (317.5 nm/325.3 nm) for SZA > 50°. Considering the OMI ozone data as the reference values, the accuracy of the filter radiometer is estimated to be ±4%. The data collected during the calibration campaign in Lampedusa (June-July 2009, Italy) and during the first Antarctica winter of the 2009-2013 measurement campaign at Mario Zucchelli Station (MZS) are reported. The TOC measured by the F-RAD instrument, by the OMI on board of EOS-Aura satellite (NASA), and by the NOAA UV Monitoring Station in McMurdo (USA) are compared to assess the appropriateness of F-RAD for a long-term measurement campaign. © 2017 Optical Society of America
Delamination localisation and length estimation in composite laminate beam by VSHM and pattern recognition methods
No full textThe focus of this work is to investigate the delamination damage in laminate composite beams, to fix a Vibration-based structural health monitoring (VSHM) method for the laminate structures. The analysis is concentrated on the vibration characteristics of the samples and, in particular, the attention is addressed on the first several natural frequencies of a composite laminate beam with a delamination damage. The core of this work is an experimental investigation on the vibration response of a composite laminate beam and its changes caused by delaminations with different sizes and in different locations of the beam. The study is divided in 3 sections: delamination detection, delamination localization, and delamination estimate. The aim is to determine how the first six harmonics frequencies change due to the delamination, and the results show that they can be successfully used to investigate the presence, the location and the dimensions of the delamination in a composite beam. A Pattern Recognition analysis is used to locate the damage, while the detection and the evaluation are done using the changes in the harmonic frequencies. A finite element analysis is performed, and the variations of the natural frequencies due to delamination are in good agreement with the experimental results
Protecting a Power-Laser diode from Retroreflections by means of a Fiber lambda/4 Retarder
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Probabilistic first-ply failure analysis of a symmetric-equilibrate laminate in composite material
No full textA general procedure to develop a probabilistic analysis of composite materials is presented. The second order of the Taylor series was used to determine the statistics of the first ply failure for a symmetric equilibrate composite. The Monte Carlo Method was used to validate the accuracy of the procedure
Ionospheric Observatory Development At Mario Zucchelli Station
No full textSince 1995 Italian Ionospheric Antarctic Observatory at Terra Nova Bay, now “MARIO ZUCCHELLI”, station (geographic coordinates: 74.70°S, 164.11°E) performs continuous and systematic ionospheric vertical soundings. Long time series of continuous and accurate ionospheric observations (more than one solar cycle) are necessary for a deeper understanding of the complex phenomena occurring in the upper atmosphere at high latitude; furthermore high rate soundings (at least four soundings per hour or more) contribute to the short-time prediction of the radiopropagation conditions and to the Space Weather.
During 2003–2004 Antarctic campaign a new digital ionosonde, recently developed at the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) in Rome, (Italy), has been installed the Ionospheric Observatory and preliminary tests have been carried out. This new Advanced Ionospheric Sounder-INGV, briefly AIS, is integrated in a stand alone system during winter time: the sounding, device settings and data sending to Rome are completely automatic and remote programmable. Ionograms are available on line at the INGV web and ftp server.
The new features of the Ionospheric Observatory are presented and preliminary statistics on the reliability and validation of the experimental observation are shown and discussed.Published1.7. Osservazioni di alta e media atmosfera3.9. Fisica della magnetosfera, ionosfera e meteorologia spazialeope
The RNA-binding protein ILF3 binds to transposable element sequences in SINEUP lncRNAs
No full textTransposable elements (TEs) compose about half of the mammalian genome and, as embedded sequences, up to 40% of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) transcripts. Embedded TEs may represent functional domains within lncRNAs, providing a structured RNA platform for protein interaction. Here we show the interactome profile of the mouse inverted short interspersed nuclear element (SINE) of subfamily B2 (invSINEB2) alone and embedded in antisense (AS) ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 (Uchl1), an lncRNA that is AS to Uchl1 gene. AS Uchl1 is the representative member of a functional class of AS lncRNAs, named SINEUPs, in which the invSINEB2 acts as effector domain (ED)–enhancing translation of sense protein-coding mRNAs. By using RNA-interacting domainome technology, we identify the IL enhancer-binding factor 3 (ILF3) as a protein partner of AS Uchl1 RNA. We determine that this interaction is mediated by the RNA-binding motif 2 of ILF3 and the invSINEB2. Furthermore, we show that ILF3 is able to bind a free right Arthrobacter luteus (Alu) monomer sequence, the embedded TE acting as ED in human SINEUPs. Bioinformatic analysis of Encyclopedia of DNA Elements–enhanced cross-linking immunoprecipitation data reveals that ILF3 binds transcribed human SINE sequences at transcriptome-wide levels. We then demonstrate that the embedded TEs modulate AS Uchl1 RNA nuclear localization to an extent moderately influenced by ILF3. This work unveils the existence of a specific interaction between embedded TEs and an RNA-binding protein, strengthening the model of TEs as functional modules in lncRNAs.—Fasolo, F., Patrucco, L., Volpe, M., Bon, C., Peano, C., Mignone, F., Carninci, P., Persichetti, F., Santoro, C., Zucchelli, S., Sblattero, D., Sanges, R., Cotella, D., Gustincich, S. The RNA-binding protein ILF3 binds to transposable element sequences in SINEUP lncRNAs
Influence of electrospun Nylon6,6 nanofibrous mats to the interlaminar strength of Carbon Fiber-Epoxy composite laminates: experimental and numerical analyses
No full textThe effect of Nylon 6,6 electrospun nanofibers interleaved in composite laminate material is numerically simulated to investigate the damage evolution a nanomodified laminate interface. DCB and ENF mechanical test results from a previous work of the authors are used as benchmark for numerical simulations: carbon fiber/epoxy matrix 0/90 prepreg laminate are simulated and mechanical properties are determined for both virgin and nanomodified configurations. Numerical simulation with finite element software Abaqus using implicit time integration were performed to build a numerical model to simulate both the tests taking into account the presence on nanofibers. Nanofibrous interlayer was simulated using a bilinear damage law corresponding to resin a nanofibrous materials behavior. Virgin and nanomodified configuration for experimental and numerical results are compared and it is shown that numerical results are in good agreement with experimental one
An integrated approach based on acoustic emission and mechanical information to evaluate the delamination fracture toughness at mode I in composite laminate
No full texthis paper addresses a new method based on the combination of mechanical behavior and acoustic emission (AE) information of composite materials during mode I delamination. The method is based on a special purpose function, called sentry function, which is defined as the logarithm of the ratio between mechanical energy and acoustic energy (f=Ln(Es/Ea)). The sentry function is used to study the delamination process and to evaluate the delamination fracture toughness in mode I. The relationship between cumulative fracture toughness energy release rate (GI) and the integral of the sentry function during crack propagation showed a transition point with two sensitive regions below and above it. This behavior can be followed to obtain the critical strain energy release rate value (GIc). Results obtained by means of the sentry function are compared with results obtained by a methodology proposed by other author
Photoinhibition in vivo and in vitro involves weakly coupled chlorophyll-protein complexes
No full textIn the present study the analysis of the relation between the excited state population in the photosystem 11 (PSII) antenna and photoinactivation has been extended from an in vitro system, isolated thylakoids, to an in vivo system, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cells. The results indicate that the excited state quenching by an added singlet quencher induces maximal protection against photoinhibition of about 30% of that expected on the basis of the observed light intensity-treatment time reciprocity rule. Similar results, obtained previously with thylakoids, have been interpreted in terms of damaged or incorrectly assembled complexes that play an important role in photoinhibition in the thylakoid membranes (Santabarbara, S., K. Neverov, F. M. Garlaschi, G. Zucchelli and R. C. Jennings [2001] Involvement of uncoupled antenna chlorophylls in photoinhibition in thylakoids. FEBS Lett. 491, 109-113.). In an attempt to better define this aspect, the photoinhibition action spectra were determined for mutant barley thylakoids, lacking the chlorophyll (Chl) a-b complexes of the outer antenna, and for its wild type. The results indicate that in both systems the action spectra are significantly blueshifted (2-4 nm) and are broader than the PSII absorption in the membranes. These data are interpreted in terms of a heterogeneous population of outer and inner antenna pigment-protein complexes that contain significant levels of uncoupled Chl
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