The Adriatic Sea surface temperature historical record from Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer data (1981–1999)

A long-term time series of Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) (1981–1999) data has been used to assess the main physical features in the Adriatic Sea. Individual images were processed to estimate Sea Surface Temperature (SST) values, to create long-term composite fields (weekly, monthly, seasonal scales), and to derive basic statistics for the Northern, Central and Southern regions, each split again into an Eastern and a Western section. At the basin scale, an apparent general warming trend can be recognized in the time series. The linear fit to the seasonal cycles suggests an increase of about 2°C in 20 years, essentially due to a steady rise of summer values. A general north–south gradient can be found during winter, the Northern sections being colder than the Southern ones. An east–west gradient appears during summer, the Western sections being warmer then their Eastern ones. The Northern Adriatic exhibits substantial fluctuations, possibly linked to the cycle of winter cooling and summer warming in the relatively shallow sub-basin. The North Western section shows larger fluctuations than the North Eastern one, with lower winter SST, probably due to the freshwater inflow from the Po River delta. The Southern Adriatic exhibits less variability, possibly influenced by the periodic water exchanges with the Ionian Sea. The South Eastern section shows somewhat larger fluctuations than the South Western one, with higher winter SST, probably due to the inflow of warmer waters from the south. The two Central sections reveal patterns similar to the ones of the whole basin. The observed temperature patterns appear to follow the classical Adriatic cyclonic circulation scheme.     

Trends and interactions of physical and bio-geo-chemical features in the Adriatic Sea as derived from satellite observations

Time series of satellite data, generated by the AVHRR (1981-1999), CZCS (1979-1985) and SeaWiFS (1998-2002), have been used to assess trends and interactions of physical and bio-geo-chemical features in the Adriatic Sea. The images were processed to estimate Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and Chlorophyll-like Pigment Concentration (CPC). Long-term composites and climatologies were derived, using fixed geographical grids and projections. The AVHRR data show an apparent warming trend, when plotting the sequence of seasonal cycles (monthly mean SST, averaged over the whole basin) against time, due to a steady rise of summer values. Considering 3 regions (north, central and south), split into east and west sections, the northern Adriatic shows high SST fluctuations (possibly associated with the cycle of winter cooling and summer warming, typical of the relatively shallow sub-basin), while the southern Adriatic exhibits a lower variability (possibly influenced by the periodic water incoming from, and outflowing to the Ionian Sea). During summer, an east-west gradient prevails, while during winter only a general north-south gradient can be found. The SeaWiFS-derived CPC values, distributions and trends appear to be consistent with the historical CZCS record. Persistent differences in the quantitative assessment of CPC for coastal waters is due to the use of improved algorithms, less influenced by the presence of dissolved organics and suspended sediments in the water column, for the processing of SeaWiFS data. Apparent incongruities of the space and time patterns in the SeaWiFS record with respect to the reference climatology, obtained by CZCS more than a decade before, occur chiefly when considering the spring bloom in the southern Adriatic and the summer development of the north Adriatic front. The comparison of the long-term times series of satellite data shows that there is a high correlation between patterns in the thermal field and in the colour field. This suggests that different surface waters, identified by the SST index, are also traced by different ecological features, identified by the CPC index. Both indices also show a high correlation with the classical cyclonic circulation scheme of the Adriatic Sea, proposing once again an intimate relationship between the water dynamics and its bio-geo-chemistry.     

Optically Inspired Nanomagnonics with Nonreciprocal Spin Waves in Synthetic Antiferromagnets

Integrated optically inspired wave-based processing is envisioned to outperform digital architectures in specific tasks, such as image processing and speech recognition. In this view, spin waves represent a promising route due to their nanoscale wavelength in the gigahertz frequency range and rich phenomenology. Here, a versatile, optically inspired platform using spin waves is realized, demonstrating the wavefront engineering, focusing, and robust interference of spin waves with nanoscale wavelength. In particular, magnonic nanoantennas based on tailored spin textures are used for launching spatially shaped coherent wavefronts, diffraction-limited spin-wave beams, and generating robust multi-beam interference patterns, which spatially extend for several times the spin-wave wavelength. Furthermore, it is shown that intriguing features, such as resilience to back reflection, naturally arise from the spin-wave nonreciprocity in synthetic antiferromagnets, preserving the high quality of the interference patterns from spurious counterpropagating modes. This work represents a fundamental step toward the realization of nanoscale optically inspired devices based on spin waves.     

Magnetic Normal Modes in Squared Antidot Array With Circular Holes: A Combined Brillouin Light Scattering and Broadband Ferromagnetic Resonance Study

We present a combined experimental investigation of magnetic normal modes in an antidot lattice using both Brillouin light scattering and broadband ferromagnetic resonance. It was fabricated on a silicon substrate using optical ultraviolet lithography. The sample consisted of a 30-nm-thick ${rm Ni}_{80}{rm Fe}_{20}$ squared antidot array with circular holes whose diameter and edge-to-edge spacing are 250 and 150 nm, respectively. Experiments were performed as a function of the applied magnetic field $mu_{0}{rm H}_{rm ext}$ in the range from $-$100 to 100 mT, with ${rm H}_{rm ext}$ applied along both the square lattice axis and its diagonal. Several peaks were observed in both the Brillouin light scattering and ferromagnetic resonance spectra, and their evolution with the intensity and the direction of the applied field ${rm H}_{rm ext}$ was measured. Micromagnetic simulations enabled us to identify the modes in terms of their symmetry obtaining a good quantitative agreement with the measured frequencies. In addition, we show how the inhomogeneity of the internal field affected the properties of the magnetic eigenmodes and their localization in different regions of the antidot lattice.      

Effect of Variable Biquadratic Exchange Coupling on the Magnetic Hysteresis of Uniaxial Antiferromagnetic Co/Ru/Co Films

We investigated biquadratic exchange coupling strength in sputtered uniaxial antiferromagnetic Co/Ru/Co trilayers, which can be tuned by applying a magnetic field perpendicular to the sample surface during deposition. The perpendicular field induces a columnar grain structure that results in a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy for single Co layers. The perpendicular magnetic anisotropy is detected by combined magnetization and Brillouin light scattering measurements. In trilayers, increasing the perpendicular field during deposition results in a monotonic increase of the biquadratic exchange coupling strength, so these samples provide an experimental realization of the effect of variable biquadratic coupling strength on magnetic hysteresis behavior. The hard-axis remanence is a direct measure of biquadratic exchange coupling strength, which we demonstrated both by experiment and by a Stoner-Wohlfarth model that includes the relevant magnetic parameters.     

Direct observation of a propagating spin wave induced by spin-transfer torque

Spin torque oscillators with nanoscale electrical contacts are able to produce coherent spin waves in extended magnetic films, and offer an attractive combination of electrical and magnetic field control, broadband operation, fast spin-wave frequency modulation, and the possibility of synchronizing multiple spin-wave injection sites. However, many potential applications rely on propagating (as opposed to localized) spin waves, and direct evidence for propagation has been lacking. Here, we directly observe a propagating spin wave launched from a spin torque oscillator with a nanoscale electrical contact into an extended Permalloy (nickel iron) film through the spin transfer torque effect. The data, obtained by wave-vector-resolved micro-focused Brillouin light scattering, show that spin waves with tunable frequencies can propagate for several micrometres. Micromagnetic simulations provide the theoretical support to quantitatively reproduce the results.     

Organ blood flow redistribution in response to hypoxemia in neonatal piglets

This study was designed to determine the effects of severe hypoxemia on newborn piglet visceral blood flow. While the hemodynamic effects of a severe hypoxemic insult are well characterized in newborn animals, its impact on organ perfusion in premature infants is not well characterized. Cannulas were placed in the femoral vessels and left atrium of term (1-14 days old) and prematurely delivered (cesarean section at 90% of term gestation) piglets. After stabilization, some animals were subjected to 1 h of ventilator-controlled hypoxia (yielding PaO2 approximately = 30-40 torr) followed by 30 min of reoxygenation; the remaining animals served as unchallenged controls. Radiolabeled microspheres were injected in all animals at times 0 min (baseline), 5 and 60 min (hypoxia), and 90 min (reoxygenation). Blood flows (mL/min/g tissue) to organs were determined using reference organ techniques. Control animals displayed no alterations in any of the variables monitored. Throughout the experimental period, organ blood flows were almost uniformly lower (p<.05, ANOVA) in premature versus term animals. The trend toward increased cerebral and cardiac blood flows during hypoxia observed in the premature piglets was similar to that of term animals, but of lower magnitude. In term piglets, hypoxia produced an immediate and significant (*p<.05) decline in small-intestinal blood flow followed by autoregulatory escape (2.02+/-0.17 mL/min/g at time 0, 1.56+/-0.15 mL/min/g at 5 min hypoxia, 1.88+/-0.18 mL/min/g at 60 min hypoxia, 2.26+/-0.19 mL/min/g at 30 min reoxygenation), an effect not readily observed in the premature piglets (0.48+/-0.10 mL/min/g at time 0, 0.44+/-0.07 mL/min/g at 5 min hypoxia, 0.46+/-0.10 mL/min/g at 60 min hypoxia, 0.42+/-0.08 mL/min/g at 30 min reoxygenation). However, mucosal blood flows measured in these younger animals declined throughout the experimental period to almost 50% of baseline, compared to a complete restoration to baseline blood flow observed following reoxygenation of term piglets. Intestinal blood flow in premature infants is small when compared to term animals, and alterations in small intestinal blood mucosal flow induced by hypoxia appear less well tolerated by the premature animals. Taken together, this may in part account for the increased risk of developing intestinal ischemic diseases in premature infants who are even temporarily exposed to a severe hypoxic challenge.     

Angiotensin-(1-7) Prevents Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Autophagy via the Mas Receptor in Skeletal Muscle

Skeletal muscle atrophy, which occurs in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced sepsis, causes a severe muscle function reduction. The increased autophagy contributes to sepsis-induced skeletal muscle atrophy in a model of LPS injection, increasing LC3II/LC3I ratio, autophagy flux, and autophagosomes. Angiotensin-(1-7) (Ang-(1-7)) has anti-atrophic effects via the Mas receptor in skeletal muscle. However, the impact of Ang-(1-7) on LPS-induced autophagy is unknown. In this study, we determined the effect of Ang-(1-7) on sepsis-induced muscle autophagy. C57BL6 wild-type (WT) mice and mice lacking the Mas receptor (KO Mas) were injected with LPS together with the systemic administration of Ang-(1-7) to determine autophagy in skeletal muscle. We also evaluated autophagy and p38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)activation. Our results show that Ang-(1-7) prevents LPS-induced autophagy in the diaphragm, tibialis anterior, and gastrocnemius of WT mice, which is demonstrated by a decrease in the LC3II/LC3I ratio and mRNA levels of lc3b and ctsl. This effect was lost in KO Mas mice, suggesting the role of the Mas receptor. The results in C2C12 cells show that Ang-(1-7) reduces several LPS-dependent effects, such as autophagy (LC3II/LC3I ratio, autophagic flux, and autophagosomes), activation of p38 and JNK, B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL2) phosphorylation, and disassembly of the Beclin1/BCL2 complex. In conclusion, Ang-(1-7)/Mas receptor reduces LPS-induced autophagy in skeletal muscle. In vitro assays indicate that Ang-(1-7) prevents LPS-induced autophagy and modifies the MAPK signaling and the disassembly of a complex involved at the beginning of autophagy.     

Spin Modes in Elliptical Nanorings in the Vortex State: Two-Dimensional Mapping by Micro-Focused Brillouin Light Scattering

Micro-focused and conventional Brillouin light scattering techniques have been exploited to investigate the spectrum of magnetic excitations (eigenmodes) of elliptical permalloy nanorings in the vortex ground state. The interpretation of the experimental data has been achieved using the dynamical matrix method. A careful comparison of the calculated frequency and profiles of magnetic modes with the experimental data, allowed us to identify the character of the different modes in terms of spatial symmetry and localization. In particular, the spatial extent of each mode was directly visualized by measurement of two-dimensional maps of the mode intensity over the ring surface.