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Melanins are notoriously difficult to study because they are amorphous, insoluble and often associated with other biological materials. Consequently, there is a dearth of structural techniques to study this enigmatic pigment. Current models of melanin structure envision the stacking of planar structures. X ray diffraction has historically been used to deduce stacking parameters. In this study we used X ray diffraction to analyze melanins derived from Cryptococcus neoformans, Aspergillus niger, Wangiella dermatitides and Coprinus comatus. Analysis of melanin in melanized C. neoformans encapsulated cells was precluded by the fortuitous finding that the capsular polysaccharide had a diffraction spectrum that was similar to that of isolated melanin. The capsular polysaccharide spectrum was dominated by a broad non-Bragg feature consistent with origin from a repeating structural motif that may arise from inter-molecular interactions and/or possibly gel organization. Hence, we isolated melanin from each fungal species and compared diffraction parameters. The results show that the inferred stacking distances of fungal melanins differ from that reported for synthetic melanin and neuromelanin, occupying intermediate position between these other melanins. These results suggest that all melanins have a fundamental diffracting unit composed of planar graphitic assemblies that can differ in stacking distance. The stacking peak appears to be a distinguishing universal feature of melanins that may be of use in characterizing these enigmatic pigments.

Syphilis has been increasing in incidence during the last few years and its early presentation may be the oral cavity, so it is increasingly becoming a differential diagnosis in routine oral pathology. A 29-year-old female with no major medical conditions was visited for painful erythematous areas on the cheeks and mandibular vestibules, painless a specific ulceration on right border and dorsum of the tongue and marginal painful gingivitis, recently treated with scaling and root planing, without purulent aspect. There were neither regional lymphadenopathy nor coutaneous manifestation.

The 3D wind and turbulence characteristics of the atmospheric boundary layer experiment (3D Wind) was conducted to evaluate innovative remote sensing and in situ platforms for measurements of wind and turbulence regimes. The experiment is part of a planned series that focuses on quantifying wind and turbulence characteristics at the scales of modern wind turbines and wind farms and was conducted in northern Indiana in May 2012. 3D Wind had the following specific objectives: (i) intercomparison experiments evaluating wind speed profiles across the wind turbine rotor plane from traditional cup anemometers and wind vanes on a meteorological mast and from a tethered balloon, sonic anemometers (mast mounted and on an unmanned aerial vehicle), three vertical-pointing (continuous wave) lidars and a pulsed scanning lidar, and (ii) integrate these measurements and output from 3-km-resolution (over the inner domain) simulations with the Weather Research and Forecasting Model to develop a detailed depiction of the atmospheric flow, upwind, within, and downwind of a large, irregularly spaced wind farm. This paper provides an overview of the measurement techniques, their advantages and disadvantages focusing on the integration of wind and turbulence characteristics that are necessary for wind farm development and operation. Analyses of the measurements are summarized to characterize instrument cross comparison, wind profiles, and spatial gradients and wind turbine wakes.

High quality CCD images obtained at two different observatories in North Italy allowed the identification of four morphological structures near the nuclear region of the comet Ikeya-Zhang (I-Z): haloes, jets, shells and spirals. The interpretation of the nature of these structures has been attempted by means of a comparison of different up-to-date image processing techniques, which led to a single common estimate of the rotation period (p=1.48±0.20 days).

A series of 49 patients diagnosed with osteonecrosis and all treated with latest-generation bisphosphonates was reviewed retrospectively to evaluate the use of erbium-doped: yttrium, aluminum, and garnet laser (Er:YAG) in terms of clinical outcome, and examine current trends from the clinical-therapeutic standpoint. Pathology reports on specimens submitted over the previous 7 years from either the mandible or the maxilla were reviewed; 49 patients were identified as having osteonecrosis of the jaws. For each of these cases, the medical history and profile were evaluated; 19 were treated with conservative therapy, 20 with radical surgery, and 10 with Er:YAG laser (2,940 nm). Of the 20 patients treated surgically (bone baquette, curettage, sequestrectomy of the necrotic bone), some required re-treatment, which resulted in bone fracturing. None of the patients were treated successfully. The 19 cases treated conservatively produced an improvement in symptoms, but not remission of the lesions. Of the ten patients treated with Er:YAG laser, six achieved total remission of signs and symptoms, four an improvement, and re-treatment was required in one case. Our present approach is to recommend intensive prophylactic care before the administration of bisphosphonates, and great caution is advised even in simple maneuvers like curettage, because this may exacerbate the avascular process. The use of Er:YAG laser appears to be promising (within the limits of our experience). It can be concluded that at 1 year of laser surgery, the treatment led to significant improvements in clinical parameters, and may represent a valid alternative, although studies on a larger scale are needed.

Bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw is a severe side effect of bisphosphonates therapy. An 84-year-old woman came to us with paresthesia/anesthesia of the left submental region and the presence of a fistula in the third quadrant. Despite the extraction of 3.7 was performed 3-months before, OPG showed the presence of non-healing extraction site associated with bone rarefaction, mimic classic osteomyelitis. The patient, affected by postmenopausal severe osteoporosis, had 1-year history of monthly orally administered ibandronate. Any story of radio or immunosoppressive therapy was reported. After antibiotic therapy and 0.2% chlorhexidine rinses administration, an Er:YAG laser 2940 nm was used to performed a mucoperiostal flap and then to remove the necrotic bone, under local anaesthesia with 3% carbocaine. A complete closure of the surgical wound was performed through 4/0 silk continuos sutures and the use of total denture was forbidden for 15 days. At 6 months follow-up, soft tissue healing was maintained without symptom recurrence and CT showed signs of trabecular bone reconstruction.

Hundreds of high quality CCD images obtained by the GAT group with the 33.5 cm reflector of the Sozzago Astronomical Observatory (SAS) provide a detailed insight into the temporal evolution of comet Hale-Bopp. The images cover the time period from May 1996 until May 1997 and allowed us to analyze various near nucleus phenomena. Among them are jet structures that were visible from August 1996 until May 1997 and shell structures that could be resolved from February 1997 to May 1997. We concentrate on the morphology of these phenomena during March 1997 and investigated them by radial masking techniques that reveal their precise shape and extent. In particular, polar coordinate representations could be used advantageously to derive numerical parameters of these features.

Context. Earlier work suggests that slowly rotating asteroids should have higher thermal inertias than faster rotators because the heat wave penetrates deeper into the sub-surface. However, thermal inertias have been determined mainly for fast rotators due to selection effects in the available photometry used to obtain shape models required for thermophysical modelling (TPM). Aims. Our aims are to mitigate these selection effects by producing shape models of slow rotators, to scale them and compute their thermal inertia with TPM, and to verify whether thermal inertia increases with the rotation period. Methods. To decrease the bias against slow rotators, we conducted a photometric observing campaign of main-belt asteroids with periods longer than 12 hours, from multiple stations worldwide, adding in some cases data from WISE and Kepler space telescopes. For spin and shape reconstruction we used the lightcurve inversion method, and to derive thermal inertias we applied a thermophysical model to fit available infrared data from IRAS, AKARI, and WISE. Results. We present new models of 11 slow rotators that provide a good fit to the thermal data. In two cases, the TPM analysis showed a clear preference for one of the two possible mirror solutions. We derived the diameters and albedos of our targets in addition to their thermal inertias, which ranged between 3\\(^{+33}_{-3}\\) and 45\\(^{+60}_{-30}\\) Jm\\(^{-2}\\)s\\(^{-1/2}\\)K\\(^{-1}\\). Conclusions. Together with our previous work, we have analysed 16 slow rotators from our dense survey with sizes between 30 and 150 km. The current sample thermal inertias vary widely, which does not confirm the earlier suggestion that slower rotators have higher thermal inertias.

Using a CCD camera attached to the 0.335 m and 0.20 m reflectors of S.A.S. Observatory (Novara, Italy), we followed the linear jets and shells of comet Hale–Bopp between May 1996 and May 1997. In addition to confirming the model of Sekanina and Bohenhardt (1997), the study of the linear jets provided indications concerning the orientation of the comet's axis of rotation over time. The study of the shells revealed that the speed at which they move away from the nucleus was not constant. A periodic variation of the shell expansion velocity may not be excluded : if so, a possible precessional effect on the axis of rotation of the comet's nucleus could explain this behavior.