Media e immagine del corpo. Un approccio interculturale.

Il presente studio analizza gli effetti degli spots pubblicitari sull’immagine corporea di giovani donne americane. Viene ipotizzato che le immagini pubblicitarie, in quanto porzione specifica delle diverse immagini mediatiche, abbiano un’influenza particolarmente forte sull’immagine corporea a causa del ricorso a corpi magri e sportivi, o riferimenti ad essi, nelle strategie di marketing dei prodotti. Sulla base delle evidenze emergenti dai lavori di Matacin (2005), secondo cui le donne italiane sembrano meno insoddisfatte del loro corpo rispetto alle donne americane, i partecipanti sono stati esposti ad un campione rappresentativo di pubblicità sia italiane che americane. Sono state trovate differenze significative nell’insoddisfazione corporea tra i soggetti che hanno visionato gli spots americani e quanti hanno visionato gli spots italiani.Questo studio supporta la prospettiva per cui l’immagine corporea è suscettibile di cambiamento, piuttosto che essere un costrutto stabile. Inoltre, evidenzia come le caratteristiche relative alla “specificità culturale” delle immagini mediatiche rivestano un ruolo causale nella insoddisfazione corporea.* Presentato dal Dipartimento di Psicologia e del Territorio

Biological effects of a software-controlled voltage pulse generator (PhyBack PBK-2C) on the release of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)

Electrical stimulation (ES) may induce vascular permeability and physiological angiogenesis. ES of rat muscles significantly increases the microvessel density and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein levels. Thus, a pilot study was designed to analyze the effects of low-voltage electric impulses on VEGF levels in patients with dystrophic ulcers

Technical feasibility of microwave absorbers for straylight mitigation in the LiteBIRD MHFT telescopes

The LiteBIRD mission is dedicated to the search for primordial B modes in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) polarization. To achieve unprecedented sensitivity and accuracy in this measurement, the control of instrument systematics is paramount. In this context, we describe the development of microwave absorbers needed to mitigate the straylight within the telescope tubes of the LiteBIRD Mid- and High-Frequency Telescopes (MHFT). A baseline solution has been designed and validated using HFSS simulations, consistently demonstrating sub-percent level specular reflectance across the entire 90-448 GHz band of the MHFT under a broad variety of incidence conditions, representative of the actual optical environment predicted for the two telescopes. Leveraging consolidated technologies, a prototype has been manufactured and characterized in laboratory, demonstrating a promising reflectance mitigation despite the deviation from the nominal geometry. Ongoing parallel efforts involve a comprehensive investigation (both through simulations and laboratory measurements) of the requirements to be finalized in order to define the practical implementation of the baseline design. This activity will ultimately ensure the alignment with allocated thermo-mechanical requirements along with the compliance with the desired electromagnetic performance. The presented studies not only solidify the feasibility of the straylight mitigation approach, but also inform the finalization of the optical tube design, in view of the conclusion of the CNES Phase A study of LiteBIRD

Measuring CMB spectral distortions from Antarctica with COSMO: blackbody calibrator design and performance forecast

COSMO is a ground-based instrument to measure the spectral distortions (SD) of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). In this paper, we present preliminary results of electromagnetic simulations of its reference blackbody calibrator. HFSS simulations provide a calibrator reflection coefficient of R∼ 10 - 6, corresponding to an emissivity ϵ= 1 - R= 0.999999. We also provide a forecast for the instrument performance by using an ILC-based simulation. We show that COSMO can extract the isotropic Comptonization parameter (modeled as | y| = 1.77 · 10 - 6) as | y| = (1.79 ± 0.19) · 10 - 6, in the presence of the main Galactic foreground (thermal dust) and of CMB anisotropies, and assuming perfect atmospheric emission removal

Between and within-herd variation in blood and milk biomarkers in Holstein cows in early lactation

Both blood- and milk-based biomarkers have been analysed for decades in research settings, although often only in one herd, and without focus on the variation in the biomarkers that are specifically related to herd or diet. Biomarkers can be used to detect physiological imbalance and disease risk and may have a role in precision livestock farming (PLF). For use in PLF, it is important to quantify normal variation in specific biomarkers and the source of this variation. The objective of this study was to estimate the between- and within-herd variation in a number of blood metabolites (β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), non-esterified fatty acids, glucose and serum IGF-1), milk metabolites (free glucose, glucose-6-phosphate, urea, isocitrate, BHB and uric acid), milk enzymes (lactate dehydrogenase and N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAGase)) and composite indicators for metabolic imbalances (Physiological Imbalance-index and energy balance), to help facilitate their adoption within PLF. Blood and milk were sampled from 234 Holstein dairy cows from 6 experimental herds, each in a different European country, and offered a total of 10 different diets. Blood was sampled on 2 occasions at approximately 14 days-in-milk (DIM) and 35 DIM. Milk samples were collected twice weekly (in total 2750 samples) from DIM 1 to 50. Multilevel random regression models were used to estimate the variance components and to calculate the intraclass correlations (ICCs). The ICCs for the milk metabolites, when adjusted for parity and DIM at sampling, demonstrated that between 12% (glucose-6-phosphate) and 46% (urea) of the variation in the metabolites’ levels could be associated with the herd-diet combination. Intraclass Correlations related to the herd-diet combination were generally higher for blood metabolites, from 17% (cholesterol) to approximately 46% (BHB and urea). The high ICCs for urea suggest that this biomarker can be used for monitoring on herd level. The low variance within cow for NAGase indicates that few samples would be needed to describe the status and potentially a general reference value could be used. The low ICC for most of the biomarkers and larger within cow variation emphasises that multiple samples would be needed - most likely on the individual cows - for making the biomarkers useful for monitoring. The majority of biomarkers were influenced by parity and DIM which indicate that these should be accounted for if the biomarker should be used for monitoring

A second generation radiation hybrid map to aid the assembly of the bovine genome sequence

BACKGROUND: Several approaches can be used to determine the order of loci on chromosomes and hence develop maps of the genome. However, all mapping approaches are prone to errors either arising from technical deficiencies or lack of statistical support to distinguish between alternative orders of loci. The accuracy of the genome maps could be improved, in principle, if information from different sources was combined to produce integrated maps. The publicly available bovine genomic sequence assembly with 6× coverage (Btau_2.0) is based on whole genome shotgun sequence data and limited mapping data however, it is recognised that this assembly is a draft that contains errors. Correcting the sequence assembly requires extensive additional mapping information to improve the reliability of the ordering of sequence scaffolds on chromosomes. The radiation hybrid (RH) map described here has been contributed to the international sequencing project to aid this process. RESULTS: An RH map for the 30 bovine chromosomes is presented. The map was built using the Roslin 3000-rad RH panel (BovGen RH map) and contains 3966 markers including 2473 new loci in addition to 262 amplified fragment-length polymorphisms (AFLP) and 1231 markers previously published with the first generation RH map. Sequences of the mapped loci were aligned with published bovine genome maps to identify inconsistencies. In addition to differences in the order of loci, several cases were observed where the chromosomal assignment of loci differed between maps. All the chromosome maps were aligned with the current 6× bovine assembly (Btau_2.0) and 2898 loci were unambiguously located in the bovine sequence. The order of loci on the RH map for BTA 5, 7, 16, 22, 25 and 29 differed substantially from the assembled bovine sequence. From the 2898 loci unambiguously identified in the bovine sequence assembly, 131 mapped to different chromosomes in the BovGen RH map. CONCLUSION: Alignment of the BovGen RH map with other published RH and genetic maps showed higher consistency in marker order and chromosome assignment than with the current 6× sequence assembly. This suggests that the bovine sequence assembly could be significantly improved by incorporating additional independent mapping information

The LiteBIRD mission to explore cosmic inflation

LiteBIRD, the next-generation cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiment, aims for a launch in Japan’s fiscal year 2032, marking a major advancement in the exploration of primordial cosmology and fundamental physics. Orbiting the Sun-Earth Lagrangian point L2, this JAXA-led strategic L-class mission will conduct a comprehensive mapping of the CMB polarization across the entire sky. During its 3-year mission, LiteBIRD will employ three telescopes within 15 unique frequency bands (ranging from 34 through 448 GHz), targeting a sensitivity of 2.2 µK-arcmin and a resolution of 0.5◦ at 100 GHz. Its primary goal is to measure the tensor-to-scalar ratio r with an uncertainty δr = 0.001, including systematic errors and margin. If r ≥ 0.01, LiteBIRD expects to achieve a > 5σ detection in the ℓ = 2–10 and ℓ = 11–200 ranges separately, providing crucial insight into the early Universe. We describe LiteBIRD’s scientific objectives, the application of systems engineering to mission requirements, the anticipated scientific impact, and the operations and scanning strategies vital to minimizing systematic effects. We will also highlight LiteBIRD’s synergies with concurrent CMB projects

The COSmic Monopole Observer (COSMO)

The COSmic Monopole Observer (COSMO) is an experiment to measure low-level spectral distortions in the isotropic component of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). Deviations from a pure blackbody spectrum are expected at low level (< 1 ppm) due to several astrophysical and cosmological phenomena, and promise to provide important independent information on the early and late phases of the universe. They have not been detected yet, due to the extreme accuracy required, the best upper limits being still those from the COBE-FIRAS mission. COSMO is based on a cryogenic differential Fourier Transform Spectrometer, measuring the spectral brightness difference between the sky and an accurate cryogenic blackbody. The first implementation of COSMO, funded by the Italian PRIN and PNRA programs, will operate from the Concordia station at Dome-C, in Antarctica, and will take advantage of a fast sky-dip technique to get rid of atmospheric emission and its fluctuations, separating them from the monopole component of the sky brightness. Here we describe the instrument design, its capabilities, the current status. We also discuss its subsequent implementation in a balloon-flight, which has been studied within the COSMOS program of the Italian Space Agency

Measuring the CMB primordial B-modes with Bolometric Interferometry

The Q&amp;U Bolometric Interferometer for Cosmology (QUBIC) is the first bolometric interferometer designed to measure the primordial B-mode polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). Bolometric interferometry is a novel technique that combines the sensitivity of bolometric detectors with the control of systematic effects that is typical of interferometry, both key features in the quest for the faint signal of the primordial B-modes. A unique feature is the so-called "spectral imaging", i.e., the ability to recover the sky signal in several sub-bands within the physical band during data analysis. This feature provides an in-band spectral resolution of \Delta{\nu}/{\nu} \sim 0.04 that is unattainable by a traditional imager. This is a key tool for controlling the Galactic foregrounds contamination. In this paper, we describe the principles of bolometric interferometry, the current status of the QUBIC experiment and future prospects

The LiteBIRD mission to explore cosmic inflation

LiteBIRD, the next-generation cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiment, aims for a launch in Japan's fiscal year 2032, marking a major advancement in the exploration of primordial cosmology and fundamental physics. Orbiting the Sun-Earth Lagrangian point L2, this JAXA-led strategic L-class mission will conduct a comprehensive mapping of the CMB polarization across the entire sky. During its 3-year mission, LiteBIRD will employ three telescopes within 15 unique frequency bands (ranging from 34 through 448 GHz), targeting a sensitivity of 2.2\,$\mu$K-arcmin and a resolution of 0.5$^\circ$ at 100\,GHz. Its primary goal is to measure the tensor-to-scalar ratio $r$ with an uncertainty $\delta r = 0.001$, including systematic errors and margin. If $r \geq 0.01$, LiteBIRD expects to achieve a $>5\sigma$ detection in the $\ell=$2-10 and $\ell=$11-200 ranges separately, providing crucial insight into the early Universe. We describe LiteBIRD's scientific objectives, the application of systems engineering to mission requirements, the anticipated scientific impact, and the operations and scanning strategies vital to minimizing systematic effects. We will also highlight LiteBIRD's synergies with concurrent CMB projects.Comment: 23 pages, 9 figures, 1 table, SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation 202