Measurement of electromagnetic waves from runaway electrons.

Electromagnetic waves emitted during a tokamak discharge can be partially ascribed to coupling with plasma waves. In particular, in the presence of runaway electrons, the electromagnetic waves deliver information, otherwise inaccessible, about kinetic instabilities excited by the fast particles. Experiments aimed at studying radio frequency emissions from runaway electron scenarios during different stages of plasma discharge have been carried out at the Frascati Tokamak Upgrade. Frequencies in the range of lower hybrid and whistler waves have been explored, in the presence of relativistic electrons with different energies, ranging from a few to tens of MeV. A pronounced sensitivity of the radio frequency measurements in detecting driven instabilities is observed, providing the possibility to exploit this kind of technique as a monitor of the instability processes and for studies of the fast electron activity. In particular, in this work, we propose a simplified analysis of the frequency scaling of a specific family of kinetic instabilities arising at the lower hybrid frequency range during the current ramp-up stage. The study is performed with respect to the density profile and the wave vector coupling conditions and is aimed at obtaining a rough estimate of the most likely radial location of the interaction between the runaway electron beam and plasma waves at the emission times of the observed signals.

First Intrashot Observation of Runaway-Electron-Driven Instabilities at the Lower-Hybrid Frequency Range under ITER-Relevant Plasma-Wave Dispersion Conditions.

Kinetic instabilities driven by runaway electrons (REs) have recently received attention in the fusion community as a means to control and diagnose REs in a tokamak. Experiments aimed at studying such kinetic instabilities have been performed at the Frascati Tokamak Upgrade (FTU), where different families of waves have been identified, from wide-band bursting emissions to quasi-monochromatic waves and sharp lines, in the presence of REs with energies from a few to tens of MeV. A specific family of waves with intense kinetic drive was directly observed for the first time, during both the early Ohmic plasma start-up and the current ramp-up. A clear wave frequency scaling with respect to the electron density was demonstrated. This scaling, with the complementary analysis of signals observed at different magnetic fields, allowed the identification of these instabilities as lower-hybrid waves. The relevant analysis shown in this Letter is based on a continuous intrashot detection of the RE-driven wave, which is reported for the first time for this kind of instability. We demonstrated that unstable waves are excited already at the very beginning of a tokamak discharge, opening the way to new possible research on the exploitation of this kind of measurement for monitoring seed REs formation at the early plasma stage, while most diagnostics still have limited capabilities. The conditions for plasma wave dispersion at the early phase of the FTU discharge are very similar to the ones expected during the ITER start-up, when analogous instabilities might, hence, come to light, in case of formation of suprathermal populations.

Psycho-social characteristics in patients with discopathy: Quality of Life, coping strategy and mood state.

The pathologies of the musculoskeletal apparatus are the most common cause of chronic diseases, with a huge impact on people and society. Scientific literature has discovered how experiencing chronic pain directly affects peoples' well-being, lifestyle, social relationships and can also cause psychological distress. The present study aims to investigate pain experience in patients with hernias or protrusions of the cervical and lumbosacral tract on a sample of 120 patients, recruited from patients of Poliambulatorio Oberdan, medical centre in Brescia (Italy) specialized in physical rehabilitation and CT-guided oxygen ozone therapy. In a bio-psychosocial perspective, the research aimed to investigate how the perception of pain, the mood state associated with it, the coping strategies adopted and the quality of life differ according to each patient's gender and to the more or less prolonged use of pain medication. The data were collected by means of medical and psychological anamnestic interviews and self-report tests (WHOQOL-BREF, COPE-NVI, POMS). The quantitative analysis, carried out through SPSS 25 (2017) software, showed how functional impairment of one's autonomy (walking, driving) affects mood states. In particular, the female sample expressed a more deflected mood, despite the greater use of relational and/or transcendent support (coping strategies) compared to men. The study suggests that the greater impairment of the moods of women can be attributed both to the caregiving role they play, which often results in a greater fatigue and difficulties in redefining this role following the algic condition, and more general differences in the expression of suffering, which, on a cultural level, sees men emotionally coerced. The analysis also shows how taking pain medication for a long period of time has a negative impact on the quality of life. The results suggest that the patients treated with analgesic therapy tend to adopt avoidant coping styles, which usually escalate into postponement of the time when dealing with a stressful situation and, if used in the long run, may lead to worsening health condition.

Enhanced recovery pathways in colorectal surgery: a consensus paper by the Associazione Chirurghi Ospedalieri Italiani (ACOI) and the PeriOperative Italian Society (POIS).

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) pathway is a multi-disciplinary, patient-centered protocol relying on the implementation of the best evidence-based perioperative practice. In the field of colorectal surgery, the application of ERAS programs is associated with up to 50% reduction of morbidity rates and up to 2.5 days reduction of postoperative hospital stay. However, widespread adoption of ERAS pathways is still yet to come, mainly because of the lack of proper information and communication. Purpose of this paper is to support the diffusion of ERAS pathways through a critical review of the existing evidence by members of the two national societies dealing with ERAS pathways in Italy, the PeriOperative Italian Society (POIS) and the Associazione Italiana Chirurghi Ospedalieri (ACOI), showing the results of a consensus development conference held at Matera, Italy, during the national ACOI Congress on June 10, 2019.

Radio-frequency current drive for thermonuclear fusion reactors.

Principal research on energy from thermonuclear fusion uses Deuterium-Tritium plasmas magnetically trapped in toroidal devices. As major scientific problem for an economic (i.e., really feasible) reactor, we must understand how to lead strongly heated plasmas to sustain a high fusion gain while large fraction of current is self-produced via the presence of strong pressure gradient. To suppress turbulent eddies that impair thermal insulation and pressure tight of the plasma, current drive (CD) is necessary. However, tools envisaged so far in ITER (International Thermonuclear Experiment Rector) are unable accomplishing this task that requires efficiently and flexibly matching the natural current profiles of plasma. Consequently, viability of a thermonuclear reactor should be problematic. Multi-megawatt radio-frequency (RF) power coupled to plasma would produce the necessary CD, but modelling results based on previous understanding found difficult the extrapolation of this CD concept to reactor conditions of high temperature plasma, and greater flexibility of method would also be required. Here we present new model results based on standard quasilinear (QL) theory that allow establish conditions to drive efficiently and flexibly the RF-driven current at large radii of the plasma column, as necessary for the goal of a reactor.

Influence of in vitro digestion process on polyphenolic profile of skin grape (cv. Italia) and on antioxidant activity in basal or stressed conditions of human intestinal cell line (HT-29).

White table grape cv. Italia is a typical component of the Mediterranean diet and a source of phenolic compounds, particularly abundant in the skin portion. The aim of this study was to characterize the phenolic profile of the table grape skin and to assess its stability after the in vitro digestion process. The main phenolic compounds identified by the HPLC-DAD analysis were: procyanidin B1, caftaric acid, catechin, coutaric acid, quercetin 3-glucuronide and quercetin 3-glucoside. All compounds showed a good stability after in vitro digestion (from 43 to 80%). Moreover, the influence of grape skin polyphenols on the modulation of ROS and GSH levels was evaluated in basal and in stressed conditions on human intestinal cells (HT-29). In basal conditions, a higher polyphenol concentrations exerted pro-oxidant effect corresponding to high ROS level and low GSH content. This effect was probably due to the polyphenolic oxidation in cell culture condition with consequent production of hydrogen peroxide. Otherwise, in stressed conditions, grape skin polyphenols exerted antioxidant effects up to 1.3 × 10-6 µg/g and restored the stress-related GSH reduction. The in vitro digestion process attenuated the biological effect of grape skin polyphenols on intestinal cell line (HT-29). In conclusion, grape skin polyphenols showed different behavior in relation to their concentrations and to the intracellular ROS levels.

Prooxidant effects of verbascoside, a bioactive compound from olive oil mill wastewater, on in vitro developmental potential of ovine prepubertal oocytes and bioenergetic/oxidative stress parameters of fresh and vitrified oocytes.

Verbascoside (VB) is a bioactive polyphenol from olive oil mill wastewater with known antioxidant activity. Oxidative stress is an emerging problem in assisted reproductive technology (ART). Juvenile ART is a promising topic because, in farm animals, it reduces the generation gap and, in human reproductive medicine, it helps to overcome premature ovarian failure. The aim of this study was to test the effects of VB on the developmental competence of ovine prepubertal oocytes and the bioenergetic/oxidative stress status of fresh and vitrified oocytes. In fresh oocytes, VB exerted prooxidant short-term effects, that is, catalase activity increase and uncoupled increases of mitochondria and reactive oxygen species (ROS) fluorescence signals, and long-term effects, that is, reduced blastocyst formation rate. In vitrified oocytes, VB increased ROS levels. Prooxidant VB effects in ovine prepubertal oocytes could be related to higher VB accumulation, which was found as almost one thousand times higher than that reported in other cell systems in previous studies. Also, long exposure times of oocytes to VB, throughout the duration of in vitro maturation culture, may have contributed to significant increase of oocyte oxidation. Further studies are needed to identify lower concentrations and/or shorter exposure times to figure out VB antioxidant effects in juvenile ARTs.

Current drive at plasma densities required for thermonuclear reactors.

Progress in thermonuclear fusion energy research based on deuterium plasmas magnetically confined in toroidal tokamak devices requires the development of efficient current drive methods. Previous experiments have shown that plasma current can be driven effectively by externally launched radio frequency power coupled to lower hybrid plasma waves. However, at the high plasma densities required for fusion power plants, the coupled radio frequency power does not penetrate into the plasma core, possibly because of strong wave interactions with the plasma edge. Here we show experiments performed on FTU (Frascati Tokamak Upgrade) based on theoretical predictions that nonlinear interactions diminish when the peripheral plasma electron temperature is high, allowing significant wave penetration at high density. The results show that the coupled radio frequency power can penetrate into high-density plasmas due to weaker plasma edge effects, thus extending the effective range of lower hybrid current drive towards the domain relevant for fusion reactors.

High resolution fast wave reflectometry: JET design and implications for ITER.

The measurement of the fuel mixture remains a very difficult task in thermonuclear plasmas, where the hydrogen isotopes are fully stripped and do not emit line radiation. On the other hand, direct determination of the ion species mix will be essential in the reactor to keep the mixture close to 50/50 and maximize the fusion output. In this paper, the design of fast wave reflectometry for JET is reviewed to show the potential of such a method in the perspective of ITER. The main design elements of the antenna and the detection system, based on vectorial measurements, are reported. The main challenges to such a diagnostic, mainly the intrinsic ion cyclotron emission from the plasma and the extensive use of ion cyclotron radiofrequencies as additional heating, are addressed in detail. The overall design indicates that the proposed system would be able to provide a measurement of the fuel ratio with spatial resolution in the range of few centimeters and temporal resolution in the range of 1 ms in the vast majority of JET scenarios.

Modeling of a lower-hybrid current drive by including spectral broadening induced by parametric instability in tokamak plasmas.

By incorporating parametric instabilities of lower hybrid (LH) waves into a ray-tracing Fokker-Planck code, accurate simulations of the LH deposition profiles are provided, which are useful for interpreting the long-lasting internal transport barriers (ITBs) sustained by lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) on JET (Joint European Torus). Utilizing the new model, the simulation of the q-profile evolution results in agreement with that provided by the motional Stark effect reconstructed equilibria. Low magnetic shear (s approximately equal to 0) is produced by LHCD in a layer close to the ITB radial foot.

Role of endogenous flavonoids in resistance mechanism of Vigna to aphids.

Cultivated and wild species of the genus Vigna were screened for their flavonoid content. Flavonoid HPLC analyses clearly showed that cultivated lines of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) are very similar from a qualitative point of view, always showing three flavonoid aglycons: quercetin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin. In addition, a positive relationship between resistance/susceptibility characteristics against aphids and flavonoid glycoside content of cowpea lines was found. The resistant lines showed a flavonoid content higher than that of susceptible ones. In vitro bioassays proved that, among endogenous flavonoids, quercetin and isorhamnetin possess a good inhibitory aphid reproduction rate. Flavonoid HPLC analyses of wild Vigna species supported evidence for the existence of different flavonoid chemotypes in some species of section Vigna. There are kaempferol chemotypes, kaempferol being the main aglycon detected, quercetin chemotypes, containing quercetin glycosides only, and two isorhamnetin chemotypes. When the resistance characteristics to aphids in different chemotypes of the same species were tested, it became evident that quercetin or isorhamnetin chemotypes showed a higher level of resistance compared to kaempferol chemotypes in the same species, thus demonstrating a direct involvement of quercetin or isorhamnetin in the resistance mechanism. These results can provide useful information for further studies on gene expression of resistance factors.

Dynamics of tearing modes during strong electron cyclotron heating on the FTU tokamak.

The localized electron cyclotron resonance heating power that can suppress sawteeth reconnection often drives m = 2 tearing modes in a tokamak operating at constant current. The dynamics of mode onset and coupled mode evolution is described in detail and compared with a nonlinear theoretical model that identifies the effects of mode coupling, finite inertia of the rotating islands, and wall braking.

Purification and characterization of a moderately thermostable xylanase from Bacillus sp. strain SPS-0.

A Bacillus spp. strain SPS-0, isolated from a hot spring in Portugal, produced an extracellular xylanase upon growth on wheat bran arabinoxylan. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation, anion exchange, gel filtration, and affinity chromatography. The optimum temperature and pH for activity was 75 degrees C and 6.0. Xylanase was stable up to 70 degrees C for 4 h at pH 6.0 in the presence of xylane. Xylanase was completely inhibited by the Hg(2+) ions. beta-Mercaptoethanol, dithiothreitol, and Mn(2+) stimulated the xylanase activity. The products of birchwood xylan hydrolysis were xylose, xylobiose, xylotriose, and xylotetraose. Kinetic experiments at 60 degrees C and pH 6.0 gave V(max) and K(m)values of 2420 nkat/mg and 0.7 mg/ml.

Nuclear bodies are usual constituents in tissues of hibernating dormice.

In previous studies we demonstrated in several tissues of the hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius that during hibernation cell nuclei contain particular structural constituents absent in euthermia. In the present study we examine the same tissues in euthermic and hibernating individuals of the edible dormouse Glis glis in order to investigate possible modifications of nuclear structural constituents occurring during hibernation in this species. Edible dormice were captured in the wild and maintained in an external animal house. Samples of liver, pancreas, brown adipose tissue and adrenal cortex were taken from three hibernating and three euthermic animals and processed for resin embedding. Ultrastructural and immunocytochemical studies were carried out on cell nuclei of these tissues. The most evident feature of cell nuclei of hibernating dormice was the presence of several nuclear bodies, namely fibro-granular material, amorphous bodies, coiled bodies, perichromatin granule-like granules and nucleoplasmic fibrils, the distribution of which was peculiar to each tissue. No one of these constituents was detectable during euthermia. Immunocytochemical analyses revealed that they contain some splicing factors. Apart from some differences, maybe due to the different characteristics of lethargy, the nuclear bodies found in edible dormice were morphologically and immunocytochemically similar to those previously described in the same tissues of hazel dormice. They therefore seem to be strictly correlated to the hibernating state. If they represent storage and/or assembly sites of splicing factors to be rapidly used upon arousal, they could represent a usual structural feature in cells of hibernating species.

Ultrastructural, morphometrical and immunocytochemical analyses of the exocrine pancreas in a hibernating dormouse.

Pancreatic acinar cells of euthermic, hibernating and arousing individuals of the hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius (Gliridae) have been observed at the electron-microscopic level and analysed by means of ultrastructural morphometry and immunocytochemistry in order to investigate possible fine structural changes of cellular components during periods of strikingly different degrees of metabolic activity. During hibernation, the cisternae of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) flatten assuming a parallel pattern, the Golgi apparatus is extremely reduced and the mitochondria contain many electron-dense particles. The cell nuclei appear irregularly shaped, with deep indentations containing small zymogen granules. They also contain abundant coiled bodies and unusual constituents, such as amorphous bodies and dense granular bodies. Large numbers of zymogen granules occur in all animals. However, the acinar lumina are open and filled with zymogen only in euthermic animals, whereas, in hibernating and arousing individuals, they appear to be closed. Morphometrical analyses indicate that, in pancreatic acinar cells, nuclei and zymogen granules significantly decrease in size from euthermia to hibernation, probably reflecting a drastic decrease of metabolic activities, mainly protein synthesis and processing. In all the studied animals, immunocytochemistry with specific antibodies has revealed an increasing gradient in alpha-amylase content along the RER-Golgi-zymogen granule pathway, reflecting the protein concentration along the secretory pathway. Moreover, during deep hibernation, significantly larger amounts of alpha-amylase accumulate in RER and zymogen granules in comparison to the other seasonal phases analysed. Upon arousal, all cytoplasmic and nuclear constituents restore their euthermic aspect and all morphometrical and immunocytochemical parameters exhibit the euthermic values, thereby indicating a rapid resumption of metabolic activities.

Ultrastructural characterization and biochemical profile of human gross cystic breast disease.

Human gross cystic breast disease is a benign condition affecting about 7-10% of adult women occurring with the highest incidence in the premenopausal decade. Although breast cysts do not represent a preneoplastic condition per se, several studies indicate an increased breast cancer risk in women affected by this pathology. In this report we study 115 breast cystic fluid samples obtained by needle-aspiration from women with gross cystic breast disease. The samples were analysed biochemically and the cells contained therein were observed at the electron microscope. According to their biochemical profiles, the cysts were subdivided into three types: Type I, showing a Na/K ratio < 0.5 and a typical protein content; Type II, showing a Na/K ratio >10 and a protein content quite similar to plasma; Type III, showing a Na/K ratio between 1 and 7 and an intermediate protein content. The electron microscopic examination demonstrated that Type I cystic fluid cells exhibit morphological features typical of actively synthesising and secreting cells, while the characteristics of Type II cells indicate a low metabolic activity. Type III cells have characteristics typical of both Type I and Type II cells, thereby confirming the intermediate nature of this cyst type. We hypothesise that these cyst types could represent different developmental stages of a structural evolution pathway, during which the biosynthetically active 'apocrine stage' would be the key step to cell neoplastic transformation.

Identification of a 105 kilodalton Cryptococcus neoformans mannoprotein involved in human cell-mediated immune response.

In the present study, using sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blot techniques, the patterns of proteins extracted from C. neoformans yeast cells were analysed. A major 105 kilodalton (kDa) antigen that binds to Concanavalin A and cross-reacts with anti-mannan antibodies was identified. The 105 kDa mannoprotein, highly expressed in the acapsular mutant of C. neoformans with respect to the encapsulated strain, is involved in the lymphoproliferative response of T lymphocytes to Cryptococcus-sensitized monocytes.