Exceptional sea turtle nest records in 2011 suggest an underestimated nesting potential in Sicily (Italy)

We report seven nesting events by loggerhead sea turtles in Sicily (Italy) in 2011. In comparison to past records, this number is relatively high and may be at least in part due to an awareness campaign carried out in 2011 to solicit such reports. This suggests that Sicily may host a much higher nesting activity than previously thought and higher monitoring effort is recommended, especially in certain coastal tracts. Sand temperatures and incubation periods indicate that the beaches monitored so far in the southern coast are not optimal for development, resulting in low hatching success, and produce a majority of males. Five 2011 nests and two past nests from the same area had mtDNA haploty…

TRANS-CRANIAL MRI-GUIDED FOCUSED ULTRASOUND SURGERY (TCMRGFUS): PRELIMINARY ITALIAN (AND WORLD-FIRST) EXPERIENCE AT 1,5 TESLA (first 3 cases treated)

PURPOSE: We present our preliminary results achieved with the first Italian installation of a trans-cranial MRI-guided Focused Ultrasound Surgery (tcMRgFUS) certified system for functional neurosurgery. Moreover, to our knowledge, this is the world-first tcMRgFUS system ever installed on a 1.5T MRI unit. TcMRgFUS is a promising new technology for the non-invasive treatment of neurologic disorders such as Essential Tremor (ET), tremor dominant idiopathic Parkinson's Disease (PD) and Neuropathic Pain (NP). This is a new method for focal targeting and lesioning of specific regions in the brain through intact skull by using high intensity focused ultrasound beam to achieve thermal ablation and …

Stationary states of a two-state defect quadratically coupled to a few bosonic modes

Abstract A fully quantistic microscopic two-phonon interaction model between an active centre and localized modes of an irradiated insulating material is introduced. Its exact diagonalization is accomplished with the help of a suitable unitary operator. Explicit expressions for the eigenvalues and eigenvectors are reported. The possible relevance of such a model in the context of the material science area is briefly pointed out.

Trans-cranial Magnetic Resonance-guided Focused UltraSound (tcMRgFUS) system integrated with a 1.5T: an SNR study on DQA phantoms

Background: In recent years transcranial Magnetic Resonance-guided Focused Ultrasound Surgery (tcMRgFUS) treatments have been performed only using 3T units. Since following some internal analysis, planning images obtained using a 1.5T MRI’s body RF coil (as usually done with 3T systems) showed generally reasonable quality in terms of anatomy visualization and SNR but thermal images noise was above acceptable standard for treatments, a dedicated 2-channels head coil was developed (InSightec Ltd.) to ensure an adequate signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Hence, we present the imaging protocol and the technological methods successfully used with the world-first installation of a certified tcMRgFUS sy…

THALAMIC PARCELLATION FOR TARGET IDENTIFICATION INTRANS-CRANIAL MR-GUIDED FOCUSED ULTRASOUND (TCMRGFUS)THALAMOTOMIES: A PRELIMINARY PROBABILISTC TRACTOGRAPHYSTUDY

Analysis of signal-to-noise ratio for a 2-channels coil developed to enable transcranial Magnetic Resonance-guided Focused Ultrasound Surgery (tcMRgFUS) with 1.5 T MRI scanners

Thalamic parcellation for target identification in trans-cranial MR-guided Focused UltraSound (tcMRgFUS) thalamotomies: a preliminary probabilistc tractography study

Background: Trans-cranial MR-guided Focused UltraSound (tcMRgFUS) allows a neurofunctional exploration of thalamic nuclei to confirm and optimize the target before inducing a permanent brain lesion. However, the choice of the target is based on stereotactic coordinates that do not take into account the anatomical variability of each single patient. Thus, the optimization of the treatment target is based on the patient's feedback during lower power sonications. The aim of this work is to retrospectively evaluate the possible role of thalamic parcellation for the identification of the intermediate ventral nucleus (VIM) in patients undergoing tcMRgFUS. Materials and Methods: A 1.5T MR scanner …

Electrospray Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry of positively and negatively charged (1R,2S)-Dodecyl(2-hydroxy-1-methyl-2-phenyl-ethyl)dimethylammonium bromide aggregates

RATIONALE: Self-assembling processes of surfactants in the gas phase constitute a developing research field of interest since they allow information to be gained on the peculiar structural organization of these aggregates, on their ability to incorporate from small molecules up to proteins and on their possible use as carriers of drugs in the gas phase or as cleaning agents and exotic reaction media. METHODS: The mass spectra of charged aggregates of the chiral surfactant (1R,2S)-dodecyl(2-hydroxy-1-methyl-2- phenylethyl)dimethylammonium bromide (DMEB) in the gas phase have been recorded using a Synapt G2-Si mass spectrometer in the positive and negative ion mode. For comparison purposes, t…

Transcranial Magnetic Resonance-guided Focused Ultrasound Surgery (tcMRgFUS) at 1.5T: this is how we do it

Aims and objectives Methods and materials Results Conclusion Personal information References

Coupling of single atom with localized modes associated to defects in one-dimensional photonic crystals

Abstract The Hamiltonian model describing the interaction between a two-level atom with two electromagnetic localized modes in an imperfect one-dimensional photonic crystals is introduced. The possibility of generating Schroedinger-cat-like states of these defect modes is reported. The physical origin of this dynamical behaviour is pointed out.

Speciation of Cadmium - D-penicilamine, mercaptosuccinic acid and glutathione systems in NaNO3 ionic medium

Cadmium shows a high affinity towards most of the binding groups present in biologically active molecules. In particular, the thiol ligands present in the amino acid residues, are the main vectors through which transport and distribution of cadmium in the human body occur. In spite of the large number of investigations reported in the literature about the toxic effects of cadmium and its environmental impact, relatively few quantitative data are reported on the stability of species formed by the interaction between Cd2+ and S-donor ligands in aqueous solution. Therefore, it is difficult to define the speciation picture of this element in natural waters and biological fluids where thiol liga…

Trans-cranial MRI-guided Focused Ultrasound Surgery (tcMRgFUS): preliminary Italian (and world-first) experience at 1,5 Tesla (first 5 patient treated)

Trans-cranial MRI-guided Focused Ultrasound Surgery (tcMRgFUS): preliminary Italian (and world-first) experience at 1,5 Tesla.

PURPOSE: We present our preliminary results achieved with the first Italian installation of a trans-cranial MRI-guided Focused Ultrasound Surgery (tcMRgFUS) certified system for functional neurosurgery. Moreover, to our knowledge, this is the world-first tcMRgFUS system ever installed on a 1.5T MRI unit. Technical issues faced to achieve a safe and effective treatment will be discussed focusing on MR high-resolution live imaging and thermometry sequences optimization. METHOD AND MATERIALS: Patient enrollment was based on indication for functional neurosurgery and evidence of medication-refractory disease; a detailed medical history has been collected together with a complete clinical examin…

Chirurgia trans-cranica mediante ultrasuoni focalizzati ad alta intensità su guida RM: esperienza preliminare a 1,5T (prima paziente trattata)

Presentiamo i risultati preliminari ottenuti con la prima istallazione italiana di un’apparecchiatura per la neurochirurgia funzionale mediante ultrasuoni focalizzati ad alta intensità su guida RM (trans-cranial MRI-guided Focused Ultrasound Surgery, tcMRgFUS); si tratta tra l’altro della prima apparecchiatura tcMRgFUS al mondo mai installata su uno scanner RM da 1,5T. Tale apparecchiatura è destinata a trattamenti di neurochirurgia funzionale di pazienti con tremore essenziale (Essential Tremor, ET), Parkinson idiopatico (Parkinson Disease, PD) prevalentemente tremorigeno e dolore neuropatico (Neuropa- thic Pain, NP). Sanno presentati i risultati ottenuti con i primi pazienti sottoposti …

Quantum effects in the dynamics of intensity-dependent two-mode two-photon models of radiation—matter interaction

Abstract We study the two-photon interaction of a two-state localized system with two modes of a quantized electromagnetic or elastic field. Assuming the coupling strength and the atom-field detuning depending on the mode populations, we find that the quantum atomic dynamics manifests nonclassical features related to the specific nonlinear model investigated.

Non-Markovian master equation for the XX central spin model

The non-Markovian correlated projection operator technique is applied to the model of a central spin coupled to a spin bath through non uniform XX Heisenberg coupling. The second order results of the Nakajima-Zwanzig and of the time-convolutionless methods are compared with the exact solution considering a fully polarized initial bath state.