The DCDC2/intron 2 deletion increases the risk to Developmental Dyslexia (DD) and DD-related phenotypes, and it is associated with brain functional and structural measures that are important for fluent reading. Illusory motion perception is specifically processed by the magnocellulardorsal (M-D) pathway, which is impaired in individuals with DD. We tested the performance in two psychophysical tasks, tapping the M-D and the parvocellular-ventral (P-V) streams, in normal readers grouped according to the presence/absence of the DCDC2/intron 2 deletion (‘at-risk’ and ‘not at-risk’ groups, respectively). The M-D stream was tested by the Rotating-Tilted-Lines Illusion (RTLI) sensitivity; the P-V pathway, by a grating orientation identification task. Our data showed that the ‘at-risk’ group needed more contrast to process the illusory rotation in the RTLI task, while they perform similarly to the ‘not at-risk’ group in the grating orientation identification task. By showing that the DCDC2/intron 2 deletion influenced the inter-individual variation in the RTLI task, our data demonstrated that the function of the M-D, but not of the P-V, pathway is impaired by this genetic variant. Moreover, our data showed a link between the M-D pathway and the dorsal-phonological reading route; importantly, this correlation is not a consequence of reduced exposure to print, as it might be the case if it was found in subjects with DD, being that it has been found in normal-reading adults. Our findings demonstrated, for the first time, that a specific neurocognitive dysfunction tapping the M-D pathway is related with well-defined genetic susceptibility in normal-reading subjects.

Previous studies have suggested that vegetarianism can result in a reduction of vitamin B12 circulating levels. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of a 3-month dietary intervention with a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet (VD) on the levels of circulating vitamin B12 in a group of omnivores. We analysed fifty-four omnivorous subjects who followed a VD as a first dietary intervention within the CARDIVEG (Cardiovascular Prevention with Vegetarian Diet) study, a dietary intervention study. VD resulted in a significant reduction (P<0·001) of 51·2 % of vitamin B12 intake and in a significant reduction (P=0·005) of 6·2 % of the circulating levels of vitamin B12 (–24·5 pg/ml). Changes in vitamin B12 intake were significantly correlated with changes in circulating levels of vitamin B12 (R 0·61, P<0·001). Subgroup analyses showed that reduction in circulating vitamin B12 levels was more evident in participants who were younger, overweight, non-smokers and had hypercholesterolaemia. A logistic regression analysis showed that a reduction in vitamin B12 intake greater than the first quartile of the delta changes obtained in the study population (–28·5 %) conferred a significantly higher risk of experiencing a decrease in circulating vitamin B12 levels (OR 10·1; 95 % CI 1·3, 76·1). In conclusion, a 3-month VD period determined a significant reduction in circulating levels of vitamin B12, being significantly correlated with the reduction in vitamin B12 intake. Although a well-planned VD can provide adequate nutrition across all life stages, special care must be taken to ensure adequate vitamin B12 intake and to help prevent deficiency.

We determine Zr and Nb elemental abundances in barium stars to probe the operation temperature of the s-process that occurred in the companion asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. Along with Zr and Nb, we derive the abundances of a large number of heavy elements. They provide constraints on the s-process operation temperature and therefore on the s-process neutron source. The results are then compared with stellar evolution and nucleosynthesis models. We compare the nucleosynthetic profile of the present sample stars with those of CEMP-s, CEMP-rs and CEMP-r stars. One barium star of our sample is potentially identified as the highest-metallicity CEMP-rs star yet discovered.

A series of clinopyroxenes along the CaMgSi2O6–CaCoSi2O6 join was synthesized by quenching from melts at 1500°C and subsequent annealing at 1250°C (at 0.0001 GPa). This protocol proved to be the most effective to obtain homogenous, impurity-free and stoichiometric pyroxenes. Electron microprobe analyses in energy dispersive mode were conducted and single-crystal X-ray diffraction data were collected on Ca (Cox Mg1-x )Si2O6 pyroxenes with x = 0.2, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6. Effects of cation substitution at the M1 site are described. The experimental findings of this study allow us to extend the comparative analysis of the structural features of pyroxenes with divalent cations at the M1 and M2 sites.

The annual incidence of listeriosis in Italy is lower (0·19–0·27 per 100 000 inhabitants per year) than in Europe (0·34–0·52 per 100 000 inhabitants per year). Since the observed incidence of listeriosis may be biased downward for underdiagnosis or under-reporting, this work aims to estimate the real incidence of listeriosis during a 9-year period in the Lombardy region, Italy. Data on listeriosis cases were collected from national mandatory notification system (MAINF) and Laboratory-based Surveillance System (LabSS). The two sources were cross-matched and capture–recapture method was applied to estimate the number of undetected cases and the real incidence of invasive listeriosis. Five hundred and eighty invasive listeriosis cases were detected by the two sources between 2006 and 2014: 50·2% were identified only via MAINF, 16·7% were recorded only via LabSS, overlaps occurred in 192 cases (33·1%). The mean annual incidence detected only by MAINF was 0·56 per 100 000 inhabitants, which rose to 0·67 per 100 000 considering also the cases detected by LabSS. The capture–recapture method allowed to estimate an incidence of 0·84 per 100 000. The high incidence of listeriosis may be due to improved sensitivity of the surveillance system, but also reflect a real increase, associated with an increased population at risk.

We have recently developed a set of equations of state based on the nuclear energy density functional theory providing a unified description of the different regions constituting the interior of neutron stars and magnetars. The nuclear functionals, which were constructed from generalized Skyrme effective nucleon-nucleon interactions, yield not only an excellent fit to essentially all experimental atomic mass data but were also constrained to reproduce the neutron-matter equation of state as obtained from realistic many-body calculations.

We study the impact of a hadron-quark phase transition on the maximum neutron-star mass. The hadronic part of the equation of state relies on the most up-to-date Skyrme nuclear energy density functionals, fitted to essentially all experimental nuclear mass data and constrained to reproduce the properties of infinite nuclear matter as obtained from microscopic calculations using realistic forces. We show that the softening of the dense matter equation of state due to the phase transition is not necessarily incompatible with the existence of massive neutron stars like PSR J1614–2230.

The recent site testing pointed out the potential of Dome C for NextGeneration Optical Interferometer. KEOPS (Kilo parsec ExplorerOptical Planet Search) is proposed in a context which alsoconsidere the post VLTI perspectives. Thisinterferometer will be composed of 36 telescopes with a maximalbaseline of 1 km. This instrument will open new horizons: stellarimaging, circumstellar environment studies, extra solar planet detection, Earthlike planet search. The possibility of observations in doublefield mode takes advantage of the large isopistonic angle to give acces tofaint object (see Elhalkouj 2006). It allows active galactic nuclei and cosmological observations.The achievement of that project implies different steps. The firstone could be MYKERINOS, proposed by LUAN. This prototypeinterferometer, composed to 3 telescopes of 40 cm, demonstrate technological feasibility, complete the specific sitecharacterisation and contribute to validate the scientific program objectives.

IRAN is a method of beam-combination in thehypertelescope imaging technique recently introduced byLabeyrie in optical interferometry. We propose to observe the interferometric image in the pupil plane, performing multi-axial pupil plane interferometry. Imaging is performed in a combined pupil-plane where the point-source intensity distribution (PSID) tends towards apseudo Airy disc for a sufficiently large number of telescopes. The image is concentrated into the limited support of the output pupil of the individual telescopes, in which the object-image convolution relation is conserved. Specific deconvolution algorithms have been developped for IRAN hypertelescope imagery, based upon Lucy-like iterative techniques. We show that the classical (image plane) and IRAN (pupil plane) hypertelescope imaging techniques are equivalent if one uses optical fibers for beam transportation. An application to the VLT/VIDA concept is presented.

I discuss the current state of low-energy nuclear theory and the scientific questions that will be addressed over the next ten years as we move to the description of increasingly unstable nuclei. Much of our understanding of unstable nuclei will directly benefitastrophysics, particularly in the areas ofsupernova-core deleptonization, neutrino interactions with nuclei instellar environments, the nuclear equation of state at high temperaturesand densities, and nucleosynthesis. I will discuss the current statusof our understanding of one of these overlaps, namely electroncapture on nuclei. I will thenturn to a description of coupled-cluster theory, which is a technique of solving the nuclear many-body problem thatmay be useful for calculating selected nuclear propertiesrelevant to astrophysics.

Rotation and mass loss appear to resolve many problems remaining in the evolution of massive stars. But, we may wonder whether magnetic fields are important or not. Some first effects of the magnetic fields createdby the Tayler-Spruit dynamofor massive stars are shown. As it stands presently, the theory does not agree well with observations. Thus, either magnetic fields are of little importance in massive stars or the dynamo theory needs to be further improved.

Alcohol forms a significant component of many diets and it supplements rather than displaces daily energy intake. Surprisingly, alcohol intake does not systematically increase body weight. The present study assessed whether a higher level of habitual physical activity in the daily environment is associated with a higher alcohol intake. Alcohol intake as part of total food intake was measured with a 7 d dietary record while at the same time physical activity was monitored with a tri-axial accelerometer for movement registration. Subjects were twenty women and twenty-four men, aged 61±5 years, of BMI 27·1±4·6 kg/m2. Between subjects, there was a positive association between the level of habitual physical activity and alcohol intake (r 0·41; P<0·01). The subjects with higher alcohol intake had a higher activity level. On days with and days without alcohol consumption there was no difference in physical activity within subjects. In conclusion, it was shown that subjects with higher alcohol consumption are habitually more active. This may explain the lack of increasing body weight through additional energy intake from alcohol.

The key reaction 12C(α,γ)16O istaken as example and illustration for research on extremely slowand complicated reactions of astrophysical interest. Twosensitive experiments in the energy range Ec.m. = 890-2800 keV have been performed and the extrapolation to300 keV of the S-factors obtained by an R-matrix analysis are SE1300 =(77 ± 17)keV b; SE2300=(81±22)keV b; Stot300 = (162 ± 40) keV b. The astrophysicalreaction rate has been determined with ±25% precision inthe temperature range 0.001 ≤T9≤10. From 30years of research on this reaction, some problems related toexperimental nuclear astrophysics become evident and suggestionsfor improving future works are made.

The inclusion of rotation in massive star models improves the agreement between theory and observations on at leastthree important points: 1) rotational mixing allows to produce variations of the surface abundances already during the Main-Sequence phase as is observed. The changes of the surface abundances are more important when, for a giveninitial velocity, the initial masses are larger, and/or the metallicities are lower; 2) the observed numberof red supergiants at the metallicity of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) can be accounted for; 3) the observed variation of the number ratioof Wolf-Rayet to O-type stars as a function of the metallicity can be reproduced. For all these comparisonsnon-rotating models give unsatisfactory fits. Rotating models results also give interestinginsights on questions such as the origin of Be stars, the mechanisms responsible forthe huge mass loss rates undergone by the Luminous Blue Variables, the rotation ratesof pulsars, the progenitors of collapsarsand the sources of primary nitrogen at low metallicity.

We demonstrate the important role of anisotropic neutrino radiation on the mechanism of core-collapse supernova explosions. Through a newparameter study with a fixed radiation field of neutrinos, we show thatprolate explosions caused by globally anisotropic neutrino radiationrepresent the most effective mechanism of increasing the explosionenergy when the total neutrino luminosity is given. This is suggestive ofthe fact that the expanding materials of SN 1987A have a prolategeometry.

Two examples of stellar predictions from models of asymptotic giant branch (AGB)stars are presented to illustrate the difficulties associated withastronuclear studies. The first example is the dredge-up process by whichnuclei synthesized in the stellar interior are brought to thesurface; the second is the production of primary sodium. Those examplesillustrate the need for a good understanding of the detailsof model calculations from both a physical and a numerical stand point.They highlight as well some of the current limitations of AGB modelpredictions.