Measurement of the

^{140}Ce(n,γ) is a key reaction for slow neutron-capture (s-process) nucleosynthesis due to being a bottleneck in the reaction flow. For this reason, it was measured with high accuracy (uncertainty ≈5%) at the n_TOF facility, with an unprecedented combination of a high purity sample and low neutron-sensitivity detectors. The measured Maxwellian averaged cross section is up to 40% higher than previously accepted values. Stellar model calculations indicate a reduction around 20% of the s-process contribution to the Galactic cerium abundance and smaller sizeable differences for most of the heavier elements. No variations are found in the nucleosynthesis from massive stars.

Neutron Capture on the s-Process Branching Point

The neutron capture cross sections of several unstable nuclides acting as branching points in the s process are crucial for stellar nucleosynthesis studies. The unstable ^{171}Tm (t_{1/2}=1.92 yr) is part of the branching around mass A∼170 but its neutron capture cross section as a function of the neutron energy is not known to date. In this work, following the production for the first time of more than 5 mg of ^{171}Tm at the high-flux reactor Institut Laue-Langevin in France, a sample was produced at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland. Two complementary experiments were carried out at the neutron time-of-flight facility (n_TOF) at CERN in Switzerland and at the SARAF liquid lithium target facility at Soreq Nuclear Research Center in Israel by time of flight and activation, respectively. The result of the time-of-flight experiment consists of the first ever set of resonance parameters and the corresponding average resonance parameters, allowing us to make an estimation of the Maxwellian-averaged cross sections (MACS) by extrapolation. The activation measurement provides a direct and more precise measurement of the MACS at 30 keV: 384(40) mb, with which the estimation from the n_TOF data agree at the limit of 1 standard deviation. This value is 2.6 times lower than the JEFF-3.3 and ENDF/B-VIII evaluations, 25% lower than that of the Bao et al. compilation, and 1.6 times larger than the value recommended in the KADoNiS (v1) database, based on the only previous experiment. Our result affects the nucleosynthesis at the A∼170 branching, namely, the ^{171}Yb abundance increases in the material lost by asymptotic giant branch stars, providing a better match to the available pre-solar SiC grain measurements compared to the calculations based on the current JEFF-3.3 model-based evaluation.

Increased pulmonary residual volume in patients with hyperlipoproteinemias.

A syndrome, characterized by pulmonary hyperdistension (increased residual volume, closing capacity and Motley index), was observed in patients with hyperlipoproteinemias without without other known causes of pulmonary disease. This syndrome is mostly asymptomatic;hyperdistension is of variable degree and not directly correlated to plasma lipid levels. It is partially reversible after reduction of lipidemia. The cause of this syndrome is not known. It may explain a decreased pulmonary working capacity in asymptomatic hyperlipidemic patients.

Clinical features of 24 patients on regular hemodialysis treatment (RDT) for 16-23 years in a single unit.

Careful investigation of the clinical conditions of patients on maintenance hemodialysis for about 20 years in a single dialysis unit was of great interest for evaluation of the pathological consequences in long-term survivors of insufficient correction of uremia and of the dialysis treatment "per se". We analyzed the outcomes for a cohort of 116 patients who started RDT before 1976 and the clinical conditions of the 24 patients still on RDT in our unit at the end of 1991 (average duration of treatment = 222 +/- 23 months). Actuarial survival was 72% at 10 years and 43% at 20 years. Rehabilitation of the 24 survivors was rather good: 13 were able to work, 8 were retired or unable to work, but able to care for most personal needs. Actual body weight, anthropometric parameters and biochemical parameters revealed a well-preserved nutritional status. Anemia improved from 23 +/- 7 at the start of RDT to 31 +/- 8 in the 21 patients never treated with erythropoietin. Blood pressure was normal without therapy in 18 patients and elevated in 6. Mild-to-moderate left ventricular hypertrophy was present in all the 6 patients with arterial hypertension and in only 6 of the 18 normotensive patients. The ratio of early diastolic filling to filling during atrial contraction (E/A ratio) was < 1 in 16 patients: it was 1.05 +/- 0.43 in 9 patients with stable intradialysis blood pressure and significantly lower (0.73 +/- 0.15) in 12 patients with recurrent intradialysis hypotension. Supraventricular arrhythmias were detected by Holter monitoring in 41% and ventricular arrhythmias in 35% of patients. Extensive vascular calcifications were present (in 100% of patients in the abdominal aorta), but only 4 patients showed clinical signs of peripheral vascular disease. Subperiosteal resorption was detected radiologically in the hands of 59% of patients. Bone histology, interpretable for only 20 patients, revealed no bone lesions in 1 case (5%), mild mixed osteodystrophy in 3 cases (15%), advanced mixed osteodystrophy in 5 cases (25%), osteodystrophy with predominant hyperparathyroidism in 2 cases (10%), osteodystrophy with predominant osteomalacia in 6 cases (30%), and aplastic bone disease in 3 cases (15%). Moderate aluminum staining was found in only 4 patients and was more marked in earlier biopsies taken before withdrawal of the aluminium-containing phosphate-binding drugs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Mitigating the environmental impacts of milk production via anaerobic digestion of manure: case study of a dairy farm in the Po Valley.

This work analyzes the environmental impacts of milk production in an intensive dairy farm situated in the Northern Italy region of the Po Valley. Three manure management scenarios are compared: in Scenario 1 the animal slurry is stored in an open tank and then used as fertilizer. In scenario 2 the manure is processed in an anaerobic digestion plant and the biogas produced is combusted in an internal combustion engine to produce heat (required by the digester) and electricity (exported). Scenario 3 is similar to scenario 2 but the digestate is stored in a gas-tight tank. In scenario 1 the GHG emissions are estimated to be equal to 1.21 kg CO2 eq.kg(-1) Fat and Protein Corrected Milk (FPCM) without allocation of the environmental burden to the by-product meat. With mass allocation, the GHG emissions associated to the milk are reduced to 1.18 kg CO2 eq.kg(-1) FPCM. Using an economic allocation approach the GHG emissions allocated to the milk are 1.13 kg CO2 eq.kg(-1) FPCM. In scenarios 2 and 3, without allocation, the GHG emissions are reduced respectively to 0.92 (-23.7%) and 0.77 (-36.5%) kg CO2 eq.kg(-1) FPCM. If land use change due to soybean production is accounted for, an additional emission of 0.53 kg CO2 eq. should be added, raising the GHG emissions to 1.74, 1.45 and 1.30 kg CO2 eq kg(-1) FPCM in scenarios 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Primary energy from non-renewable resources decreases by 36.2% and 40.6% in scenarios 2 and 3, respectively, with the valorization of the manure in the biogas plant. The other environmental impact mitigated is marine eutrophication that decreases by 8.1% in both scenarios 2 and 3, mostly because of the lower field emissions. There is, however, a trade-off between non-renewable energy and GHG savings and other environmental impacts: acidification (+6.1% and +5.5% in scenarios 2 and 3, respectively), particulate matter emissions (+1.4% and +0.7%) and photochemical ozone formation potential (+41.6% and +42.3%) increase with the adoption of a biogas plant. The cause of the increase is mostly emissions from the CHP engine. These impacts can be tackled by improving biogas combustion technologies to reduce methane and NOx emissions. Freshwater eutrophication slightly increases (+0.8% in both scenarios 2 and 3) because of the additional infrastructures needed. In conclusion, on-farm manure anaerobic digestion with the production of electricity is an effective technology to significantly reduce global environmental impacts of dairy farms (GHG emissions and non-renewable energy consumption), however local impacts may increase as a consequence (especially photochemical ozone formation).

[Early changes of respiratory function in mitral valve stenosis]. / Alterazioni precoci della funzione respiratoria nelle stenosi mitraliche

In order to detect early changes of respiratory function in patients affects by pure mitral valve stenosis, the authors selected 12 patients-non smokers, without symptoms of respiratory disease, of I and II NYHA class. In all subjects right and left cardiac catheterization and conventional spirometric measurements were performed. Then maximal mid-expiratory flow (MMEF), maximal expiratory flow at 50% of vital capacity (MEF 50%), maximal expiratory flow at 25% of vital capacity (MEF 25%), closing volume (CV) and closing capacity (CC) were determined, to find a small airways (bronchi of caliber inferior to 2 mm) disease. Whereas conventional spirometric measurements showed normal values, the small airways disease was proved by MEF 50% and MEF 25% measurements. The small airways obstruction observed by the authors may be due to: a) dilatation of pulmonary vessels because of venous congestion resulting in the compression of adjacent small airways; b) partial bronchiolar obstruction because of congestion of submucous venous plexus; c) interstitial oedema due to increase of extravascular pulmonary water because of pulmonary venous congestion.

Correlations between lung-transfer factor, ventilation, and cardiac output during exercise.

In nine healthy and young subject of either sex, undergoing three or four rounds of muscular exercise of increasing severity on a bicycle ergometer, the authors investigated the behavior of the lung transfer factor (Dlco), pulmonary ventilation (V), alveolar ventilation (Va), and cardiac output (Q). In all instances they found a positive linear correlation between DLCO and oxygen consumption (VO2), at least up to 70% of maximum oxygen consumption (Vo2max) (r=0.935;p less than 0.001). Dlco was found to increase linearly as a function of increasing V (R=0.898;P LESS THAN 0.001) AND EVEN MORE SO OF INCREASING Va (r=0.919; p less than 0.001). Also the relationship between Dlco and Q appeared linear in all subjects (r=0.926; p less than 0.001). On the other hand, individual Dlco values showed considerable scatter at equal Vo2, V, Va, and Q values. Among the factors responsible for the increase of Dlco during muscular exercise, in addition to increased ventilation and cardiac output, the authors suggest the possible role of the greater desaturation of mixed venous blood and variations of hemoglobin affinity for CO.

Bronchial responsiveness in patients on regular hemodialysis treatment of very long duration.

Several mechanisms (trapping of neutrophils, increased extravascular lung water, left ventricular hypertrophy, metastatic lung calcification, and iron deposition) may impair pulmonary function and alter bronchial responsiveness in patients on long-term regular dialysis treatment (RDT), but no studies have been published concerning patients on RDT for a very long time. To assess bronchial reactivity, a methacholine inhalation test was performed 2 to 24 hours after a dialysis session in 19 patients with RDT duration of almost 20 years (221 +/- 26 months) (group 1) and in 14 patients on RDT for a shorter time (24 +/- 22 months) (group 2); all patients had normal standard pulmonary function test results (group 1: forced vital capacity, 95% +/- 13% and forced expiratory volume in one second [FEV1]: 97% +/- 17%; group 2: forced vital capacity, 108% +/- 11% and FEV1, 108% +/- 9% of expected values). The methacholine provocation dose causing a 20% decrease in FEV1 was significantly lower than normal in seven (37%) group 1 patients and only in one (7%) group 2 patient; this difference was statistically significant (P = 0.049). There were no correlations between bronchial hyperresponsiveness and interdialysis weight gain, left ventricular hypertrophy, diastolic dysfunction expressed as the ratio between early diastolic filling and filling during atrial contraction, secondary hyperparathyroidism, and iron overload. Therefore, bronchial hyperresponsiveness is present in a substantial percentage of patients on RDT of very long duration, but the cause is unknown.

[Pulmonary involvement in scleroderma assessed with high-resolution computerized tomography and functional tests]. / Danno polmonare nella sclerodermia valutato con Tomografia Computerizzata con alta risoluzione e prove funzionali.

This study was aimed at investigating and analyzing lung involvement in scleroderma patients with different imaging methods, toward a rational diagnostic approach. Twenty-four patients with systemic sclerosis were examined with pulmonary function tests (PFT), spirometry and diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO), chest radiography and high-resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT). Abnormal findings were present in 42% of cases on X-ray films and in 71% of cases on HRCT images. PFT was abnormal in the spirometries of 42% of cases and in DLCO tests in 50% of cases. The most common findings at HRCT were the small reticular and the ground-glass patterns. HRCT emerged as the most effective method to evaluate lung involvement in systemic sclerosis. In our series, HRCT allowed possibly curable lung lesions to be differentiated from incurable ones. However, HRCT is suggested in the patients with impaired pulmonary function to allow treatment choice; on the contrary, in the patients with no functional impairment, HRCT adds little information to clinical findings, showing only limited focal lesions.