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The reception and taking care of forced migrants with mental health issues is undoubtedly a very complex task. The literature shows that reception systems are characterized by a high level of fragmentation due to poor collaboration among services that are required to respond to complex and multidimensional needs brought by forced migrants. Starting from the need to deepen what elements support or hinder the implementation of the services' networks for the care and management of forced migrants, qualitative research was conducted within a constructivist paradigm. As the literature reveals a lack of studies considering the perspective of practitioners, we decided to explore the representations of professionals working with migrants in northern Italy in four different service areas (health and psychological well-being, reception, family, and legal areas). A total of 24 professionals (13 F and 11 M) with an average age of 42.4 years were involved in four focus groups according to the four areas. A paper-pencil content analysis was conducted following IPA guidelines. The results show strengths, weaknesses, and elements of improvement for service network implementation. The needs of forced migrants seem to be effectively met only through a service network that takes shape in the interweaving of social, organizational, group, and individual levels.

Wildfires are key not only to landscape transformation and vegetation succession, but also to socio-ecological values loss. Fire risk mapping can help to manage the most vulnerable and relevant ecosystems impacted by wildfires. However, few studies provide accessible daily dynamic results at different spatio-temporal scales. We develop a fire risk model for Sicily (Italy), an iconic case of the Mediterranean Basin, integrating a fire hazard model with an exposure and vulnerability analysis under present and future conditions. The integrated model is data-driven but can run dynamically at a daily time step, providing spatially and temporally explicit results through the k.LAB (Knowledge Laboratory) software. This software provides an environment for input data integration, combining methods and data such as geographic information systems, remote sensing and Bayesian network algorithms. All data and models are semantically annotated, open and downloadable in agreement with the FAIR principles (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable). The fire risk analysis reveals that 45 % of vulnerable areas of Sicily have a high probability of fire occurrence in 2050. The risk model outputs also include qualitative risk indexes, which can make the results more understandable for non-technical stakeholders. We argue that this approach is well suited to aiding in landscape and fire risk management, under both current and climate change conditions.

Resonance fluorescence from a quantum emitter is an ideal source to extract indistinguishable photons. By using the cross-polarization to suppress the laser scattering, we observed resonance fluorescence from GeV color centers in diamond at cryogenic temperature. The Fourier-transform-limited line width emission with T2/2T1 ∼ 0.86 allows for two-photon interference based on single GeV color center. Under pulsed excitation, the separated photons exhibit a Hong-Ou-Mandel quantum interference above classical limit, whereas the continuous-wave excitation leads to a coalescence time window of 1.05 radiative lifetime. In addition, we demonstrated a single-shot readout of spin states with a fidelity of 74%. Our experiments lay down the foundation for building a quantum network with GeV color centers in diamond.

Resonance fluorescence from a quantum emitter is an ideal source to extract indistinguishable photons. By using the cross-polarization to suppress the laser scattering, we observed resonance fluorescence from GeV color centers in diamond at cryogenic temperature. The Fourier-transform-limited line width emission with T2/2T1 ∼ 0.86 allows for two-photon interference based on single GeV color center. Under pulsed excitation, the separated photons exhibit a Hong-Ou-Mandel quantum interference above classical limit, whereas the continuous-wave excitation leads to a coalescence time window of 1.05 radiative lifetime. In addition, we demonstrated a single-shot readout of spin states with a fidelity of 74%. Our experiments lay down the foundation for building a quantum network with GeV color centers in diamond.

Objective: We estimated the cost consequence of Italian National Health System (NHS) investment in direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy according to hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment access policies in Italy. Methods: A multistate, 20-year time horizon Markov model of HCV liver disease progression was developed. Fibrosis stage, age and genotype distributions were derived from the Italian Platform for the Study of Viral Hepatitis Therapies (PITER) cohort. The treatment efficacy, disease progression probabilities and direct costs in each health state were obtained from the literature. The break-even point in time (BPT) was defined as the period of time required for the cumulative costs saved to recover the Italian NHS investment in DAA treatment. Three different PITER enrolment periods, which covered the full DAA access evolution in Italy, were considered. Results: The disease stages of 2657 patients who consecutively underwent DAA therapy from January 2015 to December 2017 at 30 PITER clinical centres were standardized for 1000 patients. The investment in DAAs was considered to equal €25 million, €15 million, and €9 million in 2015, 2016, and 2017, respectively. For patients treated in 2015, the BPT was not achieved, because of the disease severity of the treated patients and high DAA prices. For 2016 and 2017, the estimated BPTs were 6.6 and 6.2 years, respectively. The total cost savings after 20 years were €50.13 and €55.50 million for 1000 patients treated in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Conclusions: This study may be a useful tool for public decision makers to understand how HCV clinical and epidemiological profiles influence the economic burden of HCV.

Objective: We estimated the cost consequence of Italian National Health System (NHS) investment in direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy according to hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment access policies in Italy. Methods: A multistate, 20-year time horizon Markov model of HCV liver disease progression was developed. Fibrosis stage, age and genotype distributions were derived from the Italian Platform for the Study of Viral Hepatitis Therapies (PITER) cohort. The treatment efficacy, disease progression probabilities and direct costs in each health state were obtained from the literature. The break-even point in time (BPT) was defined as the period of time required for the cumulative costs saved to recover the Italian NHS investment in DAA treatment. Three different PITER enrolment periods, which covered the full DAA access evolution in Italy, were considered. Results: The disease stages of 2657 patients who consecutively underwent DAA therapy from January 2015 to December 2017 at 30 PITER clinical centres were standardized for 1000 patients. The investment in DAAs was considered to equal €25 million, €15 million, and €9 million in 2015, 2016, and 2017, respectively. For patients treated in 2015, the BPT was not achieved, because of the disease severity of the treated patients and high DAA prices. For 2016 and 2017, the estimated BPTs were 6.6 and 6.2 years, respectively. The total cost savings after 20 years were €50.13 and €55.50 million for 1000 patients treated in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Conclusions: This study may be a useful tool for public decision makers to understand how HCV clinical and epidemiological profiles influence the economic burden of HCV.

AIM: To check the safety and efficacy of boceprevir/ telaprevir with peginterferon/ribavirin for hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 in the real-world settings. METHODS: This study was a non-randomized, observational, prospective, multicenter. This study involved 47 centers in Italy. A database was prepared for the homogenous collection of the data, was used by all of the centers for data collection, and was updated continuously. All of the patients enrolled in this study were older than 18 years of age and were diagnosed with chronic infection due to HCV genotype 1. The HCV RNA testing was performed using COBAS-TaqMan2.0 (Roche, LLQ 25 IU/mL). RESULTS: All consecutively treated patients were included. Forty-seven centers enrolled 834 patients as follows: Male 64%; median age 57 (range 18-78), of whom 18.3% were over 65; mean body mass index 25.6 (range 16-39); genotype 1b (79.4%); diagnosis of cirrhosis (38.2%); and fibrosis F3/4 (71.2%). The following drugs were used: Telaprevir (66.2%) and PEG-IFN-alpha2a (67.6%). Patients were naïve (24.4%), relapsers (30.5%), partial responders (14.8%) and null responders (30.3%). Overall, adverse events (AEs) occurred in 617 patients (73.9%) during the treatment. Anemia was the most frequent AE (52.9% of cases), especially in cirrhotic. The therapy was stopped for 14.6% of the patients because of adverse events or virological failure (15%). Sustained virological response was achieved in 62.7% of the cases, but was 43.8% in cirrhotic patients over 65 years of age. CONCLUSION: In everyday practice, triple therapy is safe but has moderate efficacy, especially for patients over 65 years of age, with advanced fibrosis, nonresponders to peginterferon + ribavirin.

On-demand, single-photon emitters (SPEs) play a key role across a broad range of quantum technologies. In quantum networks and quantum key distribution protocols, where photons are used as flying qubits, telecom wavelength operation is preferred because of the reduced fiber loss. However, despite the tremendous efforts to develop various triggered SPE platforms, a robust source of triggered SPEs operating at room temperature and the telecom wavelength is still missing. We report a triggered, optically stable, room temperature solid-state SPE operating at telecom wavelengths. The emitters exhibit high photon purity (~5% multiphoton events) and a record-high brightness of ~1.5 MHz. The emission is attributed to localized defects in a gallium nitride (GaN) crystal. The high-performance SPEs embedded in a technologically mature semiconductor are promising for on-chip quantum simulators and practical quantum communication technologies.

No abstract, non disponibile

No abstract, non disponibile

© 2018 The Author(s). Color centers in diamond are promising solid-state qubits for scalable quantum photonics applications. Amongst many defects, those with inversion symmetry are of an interest due to their promising optical properties. In this work, we demonstrate a maskless implantation of an array of bright, single germanium vacancy (GeV) centers in diamond. Employing the direct focused ion beam technique, single GeV emitters are engineered with the spatial accuracy of tens of nanometers. The single GeV creation ratio reaches as high as 53% with the dose of 200 Ge + ions per spot. The presented fabrication method is promising for future nanofabrication of integrated photonic structures with GeV emitters as a leading platform for spin-spin interactions.

© 2018 The Author(s). Color centers in diamond are promising solid-state qubits for scalable quantum photonics applications. Amongst many defects, those with inversion symmetry are of an interest due to their promising optical properties. In this work, we demonstrate a maskless implantation of an array of bright, single germanium vacancy (GeV) centers in diamond. Employing the direct focused ion beam technique, single GeV emitters are engineered with the spatial accuracy of tens of nanometers. The single GeV creation ratio reaches as high as 53% with the dose of 200 Ge + ions per spot. The presented fabrication method is promising for future nanofabrication of integrated photonic structures with GeV emitters as a leading platform for spin-spin interactions.

INTRODUZIONEVaccinarsi in Lazio è uno dei portali web regionali che ruotano intorno al sito VaccinarSì. Nato dalla collaborazione tra enti, regioni, università, aziende sanitarie locali e società scientifiche, questo sito unisce gli esperti attivi a livello regionale sul tema della protezione vaccinale. Obiettivo di questa iniziativa è fornire ai cittadini e agli operatori sanitari, in particolare della Regione Lazio, un’informazione completa, comprensibile e verificabile, tale da facilitare le decisioni e il confronto su questo tema oltre i luoghi comuni, i miti e la falsa scienza. MATERIALI E METODIIl sito Vaccinarsi in Lazio contiene cinque sezioni principali (Le Vaccinazioni nel Lazio, Scienza e Conoscenza, Info utili, In Evidenza, Contattaci). Il portale si avvale del lavoro di uno staff tecnico (composto prevalentemente da medici in formazione specialistica in Igiene e Medicina Preventiva) e un comitato tecnico-scientifico, oltre alla collaborazione di un panel di esperti di alto valore scientifico. Inoltre, sono state predisposte le pagine facebookTM e twitterTM che rilanciano sui social media i contenuti presenti sul sito.RISULTATISebbene sia in rete solo dall’aprile del 2018, il portale ha pubblicato oltre 100 pagine web su vari aspetti legati alle vaccinazioni. Sono presenti sul sito: una scheda informativa per ogni malattia prevenibile da vaccino e per ogni rispettivo vaccino, una sottosezione vantaggi e rischi reali delle vaccinazioni, una contro la disinformazione e una sui viaggi internazionali. Inoltre nella sezione “Info utili” si trova la pagina sugli ambulatori vaccinali presenti sul territorio, che è stata la pagina web più visitata dopo l’homepage. Infine, il sito aggiorna gli utenti su eventi e notizie di rilevanza nazionale e regionale sul tema vaccinale. CONCLUSIONIVaccinarsi in Lazio s’inserisce nel mondo della corretta informazione sul tema delle vaccinazioni che ha visto impegnati enti, istituzioni ed esperti in un’azione di presidio

© 2018 The Authors. On-demand, single-photon emitters (SPEs) play a key role across a broad range of quantum technologies. In quantum networks and quantum key distribution protocols, where photons are used as flying qubits, telecom wavelength operation is preferred because of the reduced fiber loss. However, despite the tremendous efforts to develop various triggered SPE platforms, a robust source of triggered SPEs operating at room temperature and the telecom wavelength is still missing. We report a triggered, optically stable, room temperature solid-state SPE operating at telecom wavelengths. The emitters exhibit high photon purity (∼5% multiphoton events) and a record-high brightness of ∼1.5 MHz. The emission is attributed to localized defects in a gallium nitride (GaN) crystal. The high-performance SPEs embedded in a technologically mature semiconductor are promising for on-chip quantum simulators and practical quantum communication technologies.

© 2018 The Authors. On-demand, single-photon emitters (SPEs) play a key role across a broad range of quantum technologies. In quantum networks and quantum key distribution protocols, where photons are used as flying qubits, telecom wavelength operation is preferred because of the reduced fiber loss. However, despite the tremendous efforts to develop various triggered SPE platforms, a robust source of triggered SPEs operating at room temperature and the telecom wavelength is still missing. We report a triggered, optically stable, room temperature solid-state SPE operating at telecom wavelengths. The emitters exhibit high photon purity (∼5% multiphoton events) and a record-high brightness of ∼1.5 MHz. The emission is attributed to localized defects in a gallium nitride (GaN) crystal. The high-performance SPEs embedded in a technologically mature semiconductor are promising for on-chip quantum simulators and practical quantum communication technologies.

No abstract, non disponibile

Zygosaccharomyces bailii is a non-Saccharomyces budding yeast known as one of the most aggressive food spoilage microorganisms, often isolated as a contaminant during wine fermentation, as well as from many acidic, high-sugar and canned foods. The spoilage ability relies on the yeast's unique feature of tolerating the most common preservatives such as sulphite, dimethyl dicarbonate, acetic acid and sorbic acid. Therefore, many studies have focused on the description of this peculiar tolerance with the aim of developing preventative measures against Z. bailii food spoilage. These studies demonstrated the involvement of diverse molecular and physiological mechanisms in the yeast resistance, comprising detoxification of preservatives, adaptation of the cytoplasmic pH and modulation of the cell wall/membrane composition. At the same time, the described traits unveiled Z. bailii as a novel potential workhorse for industrial bioprocesses. Here we present the yeast Z. bailii starting from important aspects of its robustness and concluding with the exploitation of its potential in biotechnology. Overall, the article describes Z. bailii from different perspectives, converging in presenting it as one of the most interesting species of the Saccharomycotina subphylum. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is one of the most employed cell factories for the production of bioproducts. Although monomeric hexose sugars constitute the preferential carbon source, this yeast can grow on a wide variety of nitrogen sources that are catabolized through central nitrogen metabolism (CNM). To evaluate the effects of internal perturbations on nitrogen utilization, we characterized strains deleted or overexpressed in GLT1, encoding for one of the key enzymes of the CNM node, the glutamate synthase. These strains, together with the parental strain as control, have been cultivated in minimal medium formulated with ammonium sulfate, glutamate, or glutamine as nitrogen source. Growth kinetics, together with the determination of protein content, viability, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation at the single cell level, revealed that GLT1 modulations do not significantly influence the cellular physiology, whereas the nitrogen source does. As important exceptions, GLT1 deletion negatively affected the scavenging activity of glutamate against ROS accumulation, when cells were treated with H2O2, whereas Glt1p overproduction led to lower viability in glutamine medium. Overall, this confirms the robustness of the CNM node against internal perturbations, but, at the same time, highlights its plasticity in respect to the environment. Considering that side-stream protein-rich waste materials are emerging as substrates to be used in an integrated biorefinery, these results underline the importance of preliminarily evaluating the best nitrogen source not only for media formulation, but also for the overall economics of the process.

L’Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) è condizionata da sorgenti di inquinamento interne ed esterne, che possono costituire un rischio per la salute delle categorie più suscettibili quali i bambini, che negli ambienti scolastici trascorrono la maggior parte del loro tempo. Il Dipartimento di Prevenzione dell’ASL RM/B ha attivato un progetto per valutare la IAQ nelle scuole del territorio; promuovere iniziative di tipo educativo, comunicativo e formativo; definire interventi di prevenzione realizzabili e sostenibili con il concorso di tutti i soggetti interessati. Obiettivo generale: Conoscenza e valutazione degli agenti inquinanti indoor/outdoor nelle scuole primarie e secondarie di 1° grado e promozione di iniziative per la prevenzione dei rischi correlati. Obiettivi specifici:1. Censimento delle scuole del territorio ed identificazione del campione di studio. 2. Analisi di sorgenti ed inquinanti nei campioni scelti ed indagine per rilevare la percezione dell’inquinamento indoor. 3. Valutazione quantitativa dell’agente inquinante sul campione identificato e analisi dei risultati. 4. Definizione di raccomandazioni e/o protocolli operativi specifici per la gestione del rischio indoor. Metodi/Azioni. Elaborazione di un questionario per rilevare elementi ambientali, antropici, morfologico-edilizi, impiantistici quali possibili sorgenti di inquinamento indoor. Campionamento stratificato per la scelta delle scuole da sottoporre allo studio. I campioni scelti saranno esaminati per individuare e/o verificare sorgenti inquinanti sia nell’ambiente outdoor che in quello indoor, nonché le aule da sottoporre ad indagini strumentali. Esecuzione a partire da novembre 2013 di indagini strumentali ambientali nelle aule prescelte. Somministrazione del questionario di percezione ad insegnanti ed alunni. Conclusioni. Sono stati finora censiti 56 Istituti Comprensivi con il 70% di adesioni. Restituiti 100 questionari dai quali è stato estratto un campione di 12 scuole. Effettuati sopralluoghi

L’Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) è condizionata da sorgenti di inquinamento interne ed esterne, che possono costituire un rischio per la salute delle categorie più suscettibili quali i bambini, che negli ambienti scolastici trascorrono la maggior parte del loro tempo. Il Dipartimento di Prevenzione dell’ASL RM/B ha attivato un progetto per valutare la IAQ nelle scuole del territorio; promuovere iniziative di tipo educativo, comunicativo e formativo; definire interventi di prevenzione realizzabili e sostenibili con il concorso di tutti i soggetti interessati. Obiettivo generale: Conoscenza e valutazione degli agenti inquinanti indoor/outdoor nelle scuole primarie e secondarie di 1° grado e promozione di iniziative per la prevenzione dei rischi correlati. Obiettivi specifici:1. Censimento delle scuole del territorio ed identificazione del campione di studio. 2. Analisi di sorgenti ed inquinanti nei campioni scelti ed indagine per rilevare la percezione dell’inquinamento indoor. 3. Valutazione quantitativa dell’agente inquinante sul campione identificato e analisi dei risultati. 4. Definizione di raccomandazioni e/o protocolli operativi specifici per la gestione del rischio indoor. Metodi/Azioni. Elaborazione di un questionario per rilevare elementi ambientali, antropici, morfologico-edilizi, impiantistici quali possibili sorgenti di inquinamento indoor. Campionamento stratificato per la scelta delle scuole da sottoporre allo studio. I campioni scelti saranno esaminati per individuare e/o verificare sorgenti inquinanti sia nell’ambiente outdoor che in quello indoor, nonché le aule da sottoporre ad indagini strumentali. Esecuzione a partire da novembre 2013 di indagini strumentali ambientali nelle aule prescelte. Somministrazione del questionario di percezione ad insegnanti ed alunni. Conclusioni. Sono stati finora censiti 56 Istituti Comprensivi con il 70% di adesioni. Restituiti 100 questionari dai quali è stato estratto un campione di 12 scuole. Effettuati sopralluoghi con

L’Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) è condizionata da sorgenti di inquinamento interne ed esterne, che possono costituire un rischio per la salute delle categorie più suscettibili quali i bambini, che negli ambienti scolastici trascorrono la maggior parte del loro tempo. Il Dipartimento di Prevenzione dell’ASL RM/B ha attivato un progetto per valutare la IAQ nelle scuole del territorio; promuovere iniziative di tipo educativo, comunicativo e formativo; definire interventi di prevenzione realizzabili e sostenibili con il concorso di tutti i soggetti interessati. Obiettivo generale: Conoscenza e valutazione degli agenti inquinanti indoor/outdoor nelle scuole primarie e secondarie di 1° grado e promozione di iniziative per la prevenzione dei rischi correlati. Obiettivi specifici:1. Censimento delle scuole del territorio ed identificazione del campione di studio. 2. Analisi di sorgenti ed inquinanti nei campioni scelti ed indagine per rilevare la percezione dell’inquinamento indoor. 3. Valutazione quantitativa dell’agente inquinante sul campione identificato e analisi dei risultati. 4. Definizione di raccomandazioni e/o protocolli operativi specifici per la gestione del rischio indoor. Metodi/Azioni. Elaborazione di un questionario per rilevare elementi ambientali, antropici, morfologico-edilizi, impiantistici quali possibili sorgenti di inquinamento indoor. Campionamento stratificato per la scelta delle scuole da sottoporre allo studio. I campioni scelti saranno esaminati per individuare e/o verificare sorgenti inquinanti sia nell’ambiente outdoor che in quello indoor, nonché le aule da sottoporre ad indagini strumentali. Esecuzione a partire da novembre 2013 di indagini strumentali ambientali nelle aule prescelte. Somministrazione del questionario di percezione ad insegnanti ed alunni. Conclusioni. Sono stati finora censiti 56 Istituti Comprensivi con il 70% di adesioni. Restituiti 100 questionari dai quali è stato estratto un campione di 12 scuole. Effettuati sopralluoghi con

Il saggio prende in esame le modalità di rappresentazione dello sport nei libri di Meneghello (registri espressivi, procedimenti narrativi e stilistici) e i significati che l’autore allo sport attribuisce: occasione per saggiare la volontà, occasione per l’io di misurare se stesso e gli altri; rivelatore di una civiltà; metafora per veicolare riflessioni esistenziali, sulla conoscenza, sulla formazione. L’intervento è completato dall’analisi del progetto di un libro, intitolato “Spor”, inedito, conservato fra le carte dello scrittore

Introduction. A cross-sectional study was undertaken to deter- mine the prevalence of Giardia and Cryptosporidium in calves of Palermo area (Sicily) and to evaluate the occupational risk associated with occurrence of zoonotic genotypes. Methods. A total of 217 faecal samples, from 149 calves (between 2 and 240 days of age) and 68 farmers, were collected in 19 cattle- farms of Palermo area. A questionnaire regarding demographic characteristics and personal hygienic measures was submitted to all farmers. All faecal samples were analyzed by Immunoflu- orescence assay and Polimerase Chain Reaction (PCR); geno- types were determined by DNA sequencing of Triose Phosphate Isomerase gene for Giardia and Small Subunit Ribosomal RNA gene for Cryptosporidium. Results. None farmer tested was positive for Giardia and Cryptosporidium, whereas these protozoa were respectively detected in 53 (including 5 with zoonotic G. duodenalis geno- type A) and 17 (of which 1 with zoonotic C. ubiquitum) of the examined calves. Discussion. The results indicate that the risk of transmitting both protozoa to farmers in Palermo area is negligible although it can- not be considered null because of identification of human geno- types/species in calves.

Kawasaki syndrome (KS) typically strikes children younger than age 5 and presents with persistent high fever for at least 5 days combined with a heterogeneous polymorphous rash, extremity abnormalities, oropharyngitis, non-exudative conjunctivitis and cervical lymphadenitis. Treatment with high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin reduces substantially the risk of potential cardiovascular complications. For the first time, we report a child presenting all the clinical symptoms of KS, which recurred for 4 times in a period of 33 months. Each relapse was characterized by obstinate high fever combined with mucocutaneous signs and was each time successfully treated with intravenous immunoglobulin without the occurrence of any cardiovascular damage.

Introduction. A cross-sectional study was undertaken to deter- mine the prevalence of Giardia and Cryptosporidium in calves of Palermo area (Sicily) and to evaluate the occupational risk associated with occurrence of zoonotic genotypes. Methods. A total of 217 faecal samples, from 149 calves (between 2 and 240 days of age) and 68 farmers, were collected in 19 cattle- farms of Palermo area. A questionnaire regarding demographic characteristics and personal hygienic measures was submitted to all farmers. All faecal samples were analyzed by Immunoflu- orescence assay and Polimerase Chain Reaction (PCR); geno- types were determined by DNA sequencing of Triose Phosphate Isomerase gene for Giardia and Small Subunit Ribosomal RNA gene for Cryptosporidium. Results. None farmer tested was positive for Giardia and Cryptosporidium, whereas these protozoa were respectively detected in 53 (including 5 with zoonotic G. duodenalis geno- type A) and 17 (of which 1 with zoonotic C. ubiquitum) of the examined calves. Discussion. The results indicate that the risk of transmitting both protozoa to farmers in Palermo area is negligible although it can- not be considered null because of identification of human geno- types/species in calves.

We report on a fundamentally new radiation phenomenon in nanostructures: emission of spatially coherent and spectrally narrow-band light driven by localized injection of free electrons into a planar plasmonic metamaterial. In 'coherent' metamaterials, where interactions among the meta-molecules are strong, an electron beam can generate a synchronized, in-phase response across a large number of meta-molecules leading to threshold-free emission of spatially coherent light propagating perpendicular to the metamaterial.In a laser coherence is derived from the bosonic statistics of photons, the resonant properties of the laser cavity and the collective nature of stimulated emission in the gain medium, and a threshold level of input energy is required to maintain the gain and overcome losses. Here we show experimentally that a scalable low-divergence, threshold-free optical source can be constructed on the basis of a collectively oscillating optical nano-antenna array formed by the metamaterial wherein coherence is provided not by the feed (as in conventional microwave antenna arrays) but via the strong mutual interactions among the nano-antennas.

We report on a fundamentally new radiation phenomenon in nanostructures: emission of spatially coherent and spectrally narrow-band light driven by localized injection of free electrons into a planar plasmonic metamaterial. In 'coherent' metamaterials, where interactions among the meta-molecules are strong, an electron beam can generate a synchronized, in-phase response across a large number of meta-molecules leading to threshold-free emission of spatially coherent light propagating perpendicular to the metamaterial.In a laser coherence is derived from the bosonic statistics of photons, the resonant properties of the laser cavity and the collective nature of stimulated emission in the gain medium, and a threshold level of input energy is required to maintain the gain and overcome losses. Here we show experimentally that a scalable low-divergence, threshold-free optical source can be constructed on the basis of a collectively oscillating optical nano-antenna array formed by the metamaterial wherein coherence is provided not by the feed (as in conventional microwave antenna arrays) but via the strong mutual interactions among the nano-antennas.

For all living organisms, copper (Cu) is an essential micronutrient taking part, with its redox chemistry, to several metabolic and regulatory cellular events. However, the same redox properties that make Cu essential are responsible for its toxicity. Indeed, Cu participates in reactions that generate Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). ROS target main cellular macromolecules (proteins, lipids, DNA and RNA), leading to cellular dysfunctions and in the extreme case, to cell death. All living organisms evolved molecular mechanisms for Cu homeostasis. Indeed, uptake, transport and detoxification systems that actively prevent both Cu deficiency and poisoning are well conserved along the phylogenetic tree. Among eukaryotes, these mechanisms have been mainly investigated in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae used as a model organism. Evolutionary engineering is a rational approach that uses the evolutionary principles to direct the selection of organisms with a desired set of phenotypes, allowing for the improvement of microbial properties. This approach can be exploited to obtain Cu-tolerant and Cu-accumulating yeast cells, with potential application in nutraceutics, as nutritional supplements, as well as in bioremediation, for the removal or recovery of metal ions. At the same time, evolutionary engineering is a valuable strategy to gain more insight into the molecular aspects of Cu tolerance in microbial cells. In the present work is described an evolutionary engineering strategy to improve Cu tolerance of natural yeasts. Strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and of Candida humilis originally endowed with different sensitivity and tolerance toward Cu have been exposed to increasing concentrations of Cu during cell cultivation in liquid medium. This treatment stably improved Cu tolerance of all strains. One evolved strain for each yeast species was then chosen to analyze in detail the physiological response to Cu. Compared with the original Cu-sensitive strains the two evolved

In living organisms, copper (Cu) contributes to essential functions but at high concentrations it may elicit toxic effects. Cu-tolerant yeast strains are of relevance for both biotechnological applications and studying physiological and molecular mechanisms involved in stress resistance. One way to obtain tolerant strains is to exploit experimental methods that rely on the principles of natural evolution (evolutionary engineering) and allow for the development of complex phenotypic traits. However, in most cases, the molecular and physiological basis of the phenotypic changes produced have not yet been unravelled. We investigated the determinants of Cu resistance in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain that was evolved to tolerate up to 2.5 g CuSO4 l”1 in the culture medium. We found that the content of intracellular Cu and the expression levels of several genes encoding proteins involved in Cu metabolism and oxidative stress response were similar in the Cu-tolerant (evolved ) and the Cu-sensitive (non-evolved ) strain. The major difference detected in the two strains was the copy number of the gene CUP1, which encodes a metallothionein. In evolved cells, a sevenfold amplification of CUP1 was observed, accounting for its strongly and steadily increased expression. Our results implicate CUP1 in protection of the evolved S. cerevisiae cells against Cu toxicity. In these cells, robustness towards Cu is stably inheritable and can be reproducibly selected by controlling environmental conditions. This finding corroborates the effectiveness of laboratory evolution of whole cells as a tool to develop microbial strains for biotechnological applications

Background: Yeast strains endowed with robustness towards copper and/or enriched in intracellular Cu might find application in biotechnology processes, among others in the production of functional foods. Moreover, they can contribute to the study of human diseases related to impairments of copper metabolism. In this study, we investigated the molecular and physiological factors that confer copper tolerance to strains of baker's yeasts. Results: We characterized the effects elicited in natural strains of Candida humilis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae by the exposure to copper in the culture broth. We observed that, whereas the growth of Saccharomyces cells was inhibited already at low Cu concentration, C. humilis was naturally robust and tolerated up to 1 g . L-1 CuSO4 in the medium. This resistant strain accumulated over 7 mg of Cu per gram of biomass and escaped severe oxidative stress thanks to high constitutive levels of superoxide dismutase and catalase. Both yeasts were then "evolved" to obtain hyper-resistant cells able to proliferate in high copper medium. While in S. cerevisiae the evolution of robustness towards Cu was paralleled by the increase of antioxidative enzymes, these same activities decreased in evolved hyper-resistant Candida cells. We also characterized in some detail changes in the profile of copper binding proteins, that appeared to be modified by evolution but, again, in a different way in the two yeasts. Conclusions: Following evolution, both Candida and Saccharomyces cells were able to proliferate up to 2.5 g .L-1 CuSO4 and to accumulate high amounts of intracellular copper. The comparison of yeasts differing in their robustness, allowed highlighting physiological and molecular determinants of natural and acquired copper tolerance. We observed that different mechanisms contribute to confer metal tolerance: the control of copper uptake, changes in the levels of enzymes involved in oxidative stress response and changes in the copper-binding pro

Imaging localized plasmon modes in noble-metal nanoparticles is of fundamental importance for applications such as ultrasensitive molecular detection. Here, we demonstrate the combined use of optical dark-field microscopy (DFM), cathodoluminescence (CL), and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) to study localized surface plasmons on individual gold nanodecahedra. By exciting surface plasmons with either external light or an electron beam, we experimentally resolve a prominent dipole-active plasmon band in the far-field radiation acquired via DFM and CL, whereas EELS reveals an additional plasmon mode associated with a weak dipole moment. We present measured spectra and intensity maps of plasmon modes in individual nanodecahedra in excellent agreement with boundary-element method simulations, including the effect of the substrate. A simple tight-binding model is formulated to successfully explain the rich plasmon structure in these particles encompasing bright and dark modes, which we predict to be fully observable in less lossy silver decahedra. Our work provides useful insight into the complex nature of plasmon resonances in nanoparticles with pentagonal symmetry. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

A pair of coupled gold nanorods excited by a beam of free electrons acts as a transmitting Hertzian antenna in the optical part of the spectrum. Significantly enhanced resonant emission is observed from the antenna when the electron beam is injected around the junction between the rods, where the local density of electromagnetic states is elevated. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

A pair of coupled gold nanorods excited by a beam of free electrons acts as a transmitting Hertzian antenna in the optical part of the spectrum. Significantly enhanced resonant emission is observed from the antenna when the electron beam is injected around the junction between the rods, where the local density of electromagnetic states is elevated. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

A pair of coupled gold nanorods excited by a beam of free electrons acts as a transmitting Hertzian antenna in the optical part of the spectrum. Significantly enhanced resonant emission is observed from the antenna when the electron beam is injected around the junction between the rods, where the local density of electromagnetic states is elevated. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

The passage of a free-electron beam through a nanohole in a periodically layered metal-dielectric structure creates a new type of tunable, nanoscale radiation source-a >light well>. In the reported demonstration, tunable light is generated at an intensity of ∼200W/cm2 as electrons with energies in the 20-40keV range are injected into gold-silica well structures with a lateral size of just a few hundred nanometers. © 2009 The American Physical Society.