HEOS 1 helium observations in the solar wind

Results of alpha-particle observations performed by the European satellite HEOS 1, in the period from December 9, 1968, to April 13, 1969, and from September 6, 1969, to April 15, 1970, are presented. The average bulk velocities of protons V sub p and alpha-particles V sub alpha appear to be equal; however, due to an instrumental bias, the possibility of V sub alpha being lower than V sub p cannot be ruled out. Comparison with observations of Vela 3 and Explorer 34 satellites gives evidence of a dependence of helium abundance on the solar cycle. The problem of the stability of differences between the bulk velocities of protons and alpha-particles is investigated. The behavior of alpha-particles through interplanetary shock waves is illustrated in connection with magnetic field measurements

Calibrating chemical multisensory devices for real world applications: An in-depth comparison of quantitative Machine Learning approaches

Chemical multisensor devices need calibration algorithms to estimate gas concentrations. Their possible adoption as indicative air quality measurements devices poses new challenges due to the need to operate in continuous monitoring modes in uncontrolled environments. Several issues, including slow dynamics, continue to affect their real world performances. At the same time, the need for estimating pollutant concentrations on board the devices, espe- cially for wearables and IoT deployments, is becoming highly desirable. In this framework, several calibration approaches have been proposed and tested on a variety of proprietary devices and datasets; still, no thorough comparison is available to researchers. This work attempts a benchmarking of the most promising calibration algorithms according to recent literature with a focus on machine learning approaches. We test the techniques against absolute and dynamic performances, generalization capabilities and computational/storage needs using three different datasets sharing continuous monitoring operation methodology. Our results can guide researchers and engineers in the choice of optimal strategy. They show that non-linear multivariate techniques yield reproducible results, outperforming lin- ear approaches. Specifically, the Support Vector Regression method consistently shows good performances in all the considered scenarios. We highlight the enhanced suitability of shallow neural networks in a trade-off between performance and computational/storage needs. We confirm, on a much wider basis, the advantages of dynamic approaches with respect to static ones that only rely on instantaneous sensor array response. The latter have been shown to be best choice whenever prompt and precise response is needed

Large parallel and perpendicular electric fields on electron spatial scales in the terrestrial bow shock

Large parallel ($\leq$ 100 mV/m) and perpendicular ($\leq$ 600 mV/m) electric fields were measured in the Earth's bow shock by the vector electric field experiment on the Polar satellite. These are the first reported direct measurements of parallel electric fields in a collisionless shock. These fields exist on spatial scales comparable to or less than the electron skin depth (a few kilometers) and correspond to magnetic field-aligned potentials of tens of volts and perpendicular potentials up to a kilovolt. The perpendicular fields are amongst the largest ever measured in space, with energy densities of $\epsilon_0 E^2/ n k_b T_e$ of order 10%. The measured parallel electric field implies that the electrons can be demagnetized, which may result in stochastic (rather than coherent) electron heating

Large-scale seismic vulnerability and risk of masonry churches in seismic-prone areas: Two territorial case studies

In this paper, seismic vulnerability and risk assessment of two samples of churches, located in Teramo and Ischia island (Naples gulf), both affected by the most recent earthquakes that occurred in Italy, are presented. To this aim, we applied a simplified method particularly suitable for seismic evaluations at a territorial scale, providing a global resulting score to be compared among the cases analyzed. The data obtained allowed us to provide vulnerability maps and a seismic risk index for all the considered churches. In addition, the calculated indexes permit a preliminary health state evaluation of the inspected churches, for ranking the priorities and planning additional in-depth evaluations

Age-Related Impairment in Insulin Release The Essential Role of beta(2)-Adrenergic Receptor

In this study, we investigated the significance of β(2)-adrenergic receptor (β(2)AR) in age-related impaired insulin secretion and glucose homeostasis. We characterized the metabolic phenotype of β(2)AR-null C57Bl/6N mice (β(2)AR(-/-)) by performing in vivo and ex vivo experiments. In vitro assays in cultured INS-1E β-cells were carried out in order to clarify the mechanism by which β(2)AR deficiency affects glucose metabolism. Adult β(2)AR(-/-) mice featured glucose intolerance, and pancreatic islets isolated from these animals displayed impaired glucose-induced insulin release, accompanied by reduced expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)γ, pancreatic duodenal homeobox-1 (PDX-1), and GLUT2. Adenovirus-mediated gene transfer of human β(2)AR rescued these defects. Consistent effects were evoked in vitro both upon β(2)AR knockdown and pharmacologic treatment. Interestingly, with aging, wild-type (β(2)AR(+/+)) littermates developed impaired insulin secretion and glucose tolerance. Moreover, islets from 20-month-old β(2)AR(+/+) mice exhibited reduced density of β(2)AR compared with those from younger animals, paralleled by decreased levels of PPARγ, PDX-1, and GLUT2. Overexpression of β(2)AR in aged mice rescued glucose intolerance and insulin release both in vivo and ex vivo, restoring PPARγ/PDX-1/GLUT2 levels. Our data indicate that reduced β(2)AR expression contributes to the age-related decline of glucose tolerance in mice

Histone deacetylase 4 promotes ubiquitin-dependent proteasomal degradation of Sp3 in SH-SY5Y cells treated with di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), determining neuronal death.

Phthalates, phthalic acid esters, are widely used as plasticizers to produce polymeric materials in industrial production of plastics and daily consumable products. Animal studies have shown that di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) may cause toxic effects in the rat brain. In the present study, chronic exposure to DEHP (0.1–100 μM) caused dose-dependent cell death via the activation of caspase-3 in neuroblastoma cells. Intriguingly, this harmful effect was prevented by the pan-histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor trichostatin A, by the class II HDAC inhibitor MC-1568, but not by the class I HDAC inhibitor MS-275. Furthermore, DEHP reduced specificity protein 3 (Sp3) gene expression, but not Sp3 mRNA, after 24 and 48 h exposures. However, Sp3 protein reduction was prevented by pre-treatment with MC-1568, suggesting the involvement of class II HDACs in causing this effect. Then, we investigated the possible relationship between DEHP-induced neuronal death and the post-translational mechanisms responsible for the down-regulation of Sp3. Interestingly, DEHP-induced Sp3 reduction was associated to its deacetylation and polyubiquitination. Co-immunoprecipitation studies showed that Sp3 physically interacted with HDAC4 after DEHP exposure, while HDAC4 inhibition by antisense oligodeoxynucleotide reverted the DEHP-induced degradation of Sp3. Notably, Sp3 overexpression was able to counteract the detrimental effect induced by DEHP. Taken together, these results suggest that DEHP exerts its toxic effect by inducing deacetylation of Sp3 via HDAC4, and afterwards, Sp3-polyubiquitination

Headspace Volatile Composition of the Flowers of Caralluma europaea N.E.Br. (Apocynaceae)

The volatile constituents of the flowers of Caralluma (Apteranthes) europaea (Guss.) N.E. Br. (Apocynaceae - Asclepiadoideae) from Lampedusa Island were analyzed by headspace method. The analyses allowed the identification and quantification of 41 compounds. The main components were, among the monoterpenoids, terpinolene (23.3%), a-terpinene (19.1%) and linalool (18.4%), whereas, among the carbonylic compounds the major constituents were heptanal (2.0%), octanoic acid (2.4%) and hexanoic acid (1.7%). It is worth to mention the presence of a nitrogen containing compound, indole (0.8%) and of a sulphur containing compound, dimethylsulphide (t). The compounds found in the flowers of C. europea have been compared with data available in the literature as regard to their odor, presence in other sapromyiophilous taxa, possible role as semiochemicals, and presence in decaying organ matter. 89.3% of total constituents have been described in other sapromyiophilous taxa. Some of the compounds are present in several type of decaying organic matter (excrements, body in decomposition, and spoiled fish, etc). Several volatiles found in C. europea flowers are used as semiochemicals in Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera and other insects. Sixteen volatiles, accounting for 32.4% of the total constituents, are described as attractants of some Diptera families with a biology linked to decaying organic matters. Our data thus confirm that C. europea floral bouquet falls within the sapromyiophilous pollination syndrome