Classification of "Pseudomonas azotocolligans" Anderson 1955, 132, in the genus Sphingomonas as Sphingomonas trueperi sp. nov

"Pseudomonas azotocolligans" ATCC 12417T (T = type strain), which was described as a diazotrophic bacterium, was reinvestigated to clarify its taxonomic position. 16S ribosomal DNA sequence comparisons demonstrated that this strain clusters phylogenetically with species of the genus Sphingomonas and represents a new species. The results of investigations of the fatty acid patterns, polar lipid profiles, and quinone system supported this placement. The substrate utilization profile and biochemical characteristics displayed no obvious similarity to the characteristics of any previously described species of the genus Sphingomonas. The new name Sphingomonas trueperi is proposed on the basis of these results and previously published data for the G + C content of the genomic DNA and the polyamine pattern.     

A mathematical approach to a forest-impact problem

In this article a mathematical model of forests impact on aquifers is proposed. This phenomenon is the lowering of the groundwater table under areas covered by trees. The model includes a boundary-value problem with contact and free-boundary conditions. A variational formulation of this problem, which is a quasi-variational inequality, is obtained. Its equivalence with the original problem is proved; existence and uniqueness results are obtained. A numerical example of the model is given.     

Indoor air quality at the Correr Museum, Venice, Italy.

Two multidisciplinary field surveys, one in winter and the other in summer have monitored the indoor microclimate, air pollution, deposition and origin of the suspended particulate matter and microorganisms of the Correr Museum, Venice. In addition, this study was focused to identify the problems caused by the heating and air conditioning system (HAC) and the effects due to the presence of carpets. Heating and air conditioning systems (HACs), when chiefly designed for human welfare, are not suitable for conservation and can cause dangerous temperature and humidity fluctuations. Improvements at the Correr Museum have been achieved with the assistance of environmental monitoring. The carpet has a negative influence as it retains particles and bacteria which are resuspended each time people walk on it. The indoor/outdoor pollutants ratio is greater in the summertime, when doors and windows are more frequently open to allow for better ventilation, illustrating that this ratio is mainly governed by the free exchange of the air masses. The chemical composition, size and origin of the suspended particulate matter have been identified, as well as the bacteria potentially dangerous to the paintings. Some general suggestions for improving indoor air quality are reported in the conclusions.     

Waveguide characterization of chiral material: experiments

This paper is devoted to waveguide experiments on chiral materials: the constitutive parameters are extracted from the measured response of two chiral slabs of different length. Practical aspects of the implementation are discussed. This includes the injection molding technique used to manufacture the chiral material. Preliminary investigations are performed to qualitatively assess the material properties. These are quantitatively confirmed by the extracted constitutive parameters. The measurements are validated by experiments on a reference material     

Invited Article A Theoretical Model for the Measurement of Fiber Orientation with Thermal Waves

It is an important task of nondestructive testing to determine the fiber orientation of reinforced polymers. One appropriate method, especially for carbon fibers, is phase-sensitive modulated thermography, where images of the phase angle and the amplitude of thermal waves at the surface of the sample are obtained. The anisotropy induced by the fibers results in elliptical contour lines whose direction and excentricity are correlated with the orientation of the fibers and the corresponding degree of thermal anisotropy, respectively. To correctly interpret the measurements one needs a theoretical model. Such a model is developed for layered media with different orientations in different depths. Using a Fourier transform one can reduce the heat conduction in three dimensions to a one-dimensional problem that can be solved analytically. Because the FFT algorithm is used for the numerical evaluation, the calculation of phase and amplitude images is very fast, with the computation time being approximately equal to the measurement time. The comparison with experiments for a test sample shows a good agreement between theory and measurement.     

Determination of plasma volume and total blood volume using indocyanine green: a short review

Rapid blood and plasma volume measurements gain increasing interest in order to avoid unnecessary blood transfusions. Only the indocyanine green method seems to satisfy the demand for a fast, safe and reproducible bedside method. We summarized older and newer experiences with this method, and also summarized the results for practical application.