933 resultados para range-gated


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Estimators of home-range size require a large number of observations for estimation and sparse data typical of tropical studies often prohibit the use of such estimators. An alternative may be use of distance metrics as indexes of home range. However, tests of correlation between distance metrics and home-range estimators only exist for North American rodents. We evaluated the suitability of 3 distance metrics (mean distance between successive captures [SD], observed range length [ORL], and mean distance between all capture points [AD]) as indexes for home range for 2 Brazilian Atlantic forest rodents, Akodon montensis (montane grass mouse) and Delomys sublineatus (pallid Atlantic forest rat). Further, we investigated the robustness of distance metrics to low numbers of individuals and captures per individual. We observed a strong correlation between distance metrics and the home-range estimator. None of the metrics was influenced by the number of individuals. ORL presented a strong dependence on the number of captures per individual. Accuracy of SD and AD was not dependent on number of captures per individual, but precision of both metrics was low with numbers of captures below 10. We recommend the use of SD and AD instead of ORL and use of caution in interpretation of results based on trapping data with low captures per individual.

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Abstract Background Citrus bacterial canker is a disease that has severe economic impact on citrus industries worldwide and is caused by a few species and pathotypes of Xanthomonas. X. citri subsp. citri strain 306 (XccA306) is a type A (Asiatic) strain with a wide host range, whereas its variant X. citri subsp. citri strain Aw12879 (Xcaw12879, Wellington strain) is restricted to Mexican lime. Results To characterize the mechanism for the differences in host range of XccA and Xcaw, the genome of Xcaw12879 that was completed recently was compared with XccA306 genome. Effectors xopAF and avrGf1 are present in Xcaw12879, but were absent in XccA306. AvrGf1 was shown previously for Xcaw to cause hypersensitive response in Duncan grapefruit. Mutation analysis of xopAF indicates that the gene contributes to Xcaw growth in Mexican lime but does not contribute to the limited host range of Xcaw. RNA-Seq analysis was conducted to compare the expression profiles of Xcaw12879 and XccA306 in Nutrient Broth (NB) medium and XVM2 medium, which induces hrp gene expression. Two hundred ninety two and 281 genes showed differential expression in XVM2 compared to in NB for XccA306 and Xcaw12879, respectively. Twenty-five type 3 secretion system genes were up-regulated in XVM2 for both XccA and Xcaw. Among the 4,370 common genes of Xcaw12879 compared to XccA306, 603 genes in NB and 450 genes in XVM2 conditions were differentially regulated. Xcaw12879 showed higher protease activity than XccA306 whereas Xcaw12879 showed lower pectate lyase activity in comparison to XccA306. Conclusions Comparative genomic analysis of XccA306 and Xcaw12879 identified strain specific genes. Our study indicated that AvrGf1 contributes to the host range limitation of Xcaw12879 whereas XopAF contributes to virulence. Transcriptome analyses of XccA306 and Xcaw12879 presented insights into the expression of the two closely related strains of X. citri subsp. citri. Virulence genes including genes encoding T3SS components and effectors are induced in XVM2 medium. Numerous genes with differential expression in Xcaw12879 and XccA306 were identified. This study provided the foundation to further characterize the mechanisms for virulence and host range of pathotypes of X. citri subsp. citri.

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The striatum, the largest component of the basal ganglia, is usually subdivided into associative, motor and limbic components. However, the electrophysiological interactions between these three subsystems during behavior remain largely unknown. We hypothesized that the striatum might be particularly active during exploratory behavior, which is presumably associated with increased attention. We investigated the modulation of local field potentials (LFPs) in the striatum during attentive wakefulness in freely moving rats. To this end, we implanted microelectrodes into different parts of the striatum of Wistar rats, as well as into the motor, associative and limbic cortices. We then used electromyograms to identify motor activity and analyzed the instantaneous frequency, power spectra and partial directed coherence during exploratory behavior. We observed fine modulation in the theta frequency range of striatal LFPs in 92.5 ± 2.5% of all epochs of exploratory behavior. Concomitantly, the theta power spectrum increased in all striatal channels (P < 0.001), and coherence analysis revealed strong connectivity (coefficients >0.7) between the primary motor cortex and the rostral part of the caudatoputamen nucleus, as well as among all striatal channels (P < 0.001). Conclusively, we observed a pattern of strong theta band activation in the entire striatum during attentive wakefulness, as well as a strong coherence between the motor cortex and the entire striatum. We suggest that this activation reflects the integration of motor, cognitive and limbic systems during attentive wakefulness.

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The present study provided information extending the known geographical distribution of three species of majoid crabs, the epialtids Acanthonyx dissimulatus Coelho, 1993, Epialtus bituberculatus H. Milne Edwards, 1834, and E. brasiliensis Dana, 1852. Specimens of both genera from different carcinological collections were studied by comparing morphological characters. We provide new data that extends the geographical distributions of E. bituberculatus to the coast of the states of Paraná and Santa Catarina (Brazil), and offer new records from Belize and Costa Rica. Epialtus brasiliensis is recorded for the first time in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), and A. dissimulatus is reported from Quintana Roo, Mexico. The distribution of A. dissimulatus, previously known as endemic to Brazil, has a gap between the states of Espírito Santo and Rio de Janeiro. However, this restricted southern distribution is herein amplified by the Mexican specimens.

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In this thesis we focussed on the characterization of the reaction center (RC) protein purified from the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides. In particular, we discussed the effects of native and artificial environment on the light-induced electron transfer processes. The native environment consist of the inner antenna LH1 complex that copurifies with the RC forming the so called core complex, and the lipid phase tightly associated with it. In parallel, we analyzed the role of saccharidic glassy matrices on the interplay between electron transfer processes and internal protein dynamics. As a different artificial matrix, we incorporated the RC protein in a layer-by-layer structure with a twofold aim: to check the behaviour of the protein in such an unusual environment and to test the response of the system to herbicides. By examining the RC in its native environment, we found that the light-induced charge separated state P+QB - is markedly stabilized (by about 40 meV) in the core complex as compared to the RC-only system over a physiological pH range. We also verified that, as compared to the average composition of the membrane, the core complex copurifies with a tightly bound lipid complement of about 90 phospholipid molecules per RC, which is strongly enriched in cardiolipin. In parallel, a large ubiquinone pool was found in association with the core complex, giving rise to a quinone concentration about ten times larger than the average one in the membrane. Moreover, this quinone pool is fully functional, i.e. it is promptly available at the QB site during multiple turnover excitation of the RC. The latter two observations suggest important heterogeneities and anisotropies in the native membranes which can in principle account for the stabilization of the charge separated state in the core complex. The thermodynamic and kinetic parameters obtained in the RC-LH1 complex are very close to those measured in intact membranes, indicating that the electron transfer properties of the RC in vivo are essentially determined by its local environment. The studies performed by incorporating the RC into saccharidic matrices evidenced the relevance of solvent-protein interactions and dynamical coupling in determining the kinetics of electron transfer processes. The usual approach when studying the interplay between internal motions and protein function consists in freezing the degrees of freedom of the protein at cryogenic temperature. We proved that the “trehalose approach” offers distinct advantages with respect to this traditional methodology. We showed, in fact, that the RC conformational dynamics, coupled to specific electron transfer processes, can be modulated by varying the hydration level of the trehalose matrix at room temperature, thus allowing to disentangle solvent from temperature effects. The comparison between different saccharidic matrices has revealed that the structural and dynamical protein-matrix coupling depends strongly upon the sugar. The analyses performed in RCs embedded in polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEM) structures have shown that the electron transfer from QA - to QB, a conformationally gated process extremely sensitive to the RC environment, can be strongly modulated by the hydration level of the matrix, confirming analogous results obtained for this electron transfer reaction in sugar matrices. We found that PEM-RCs are a very stable system, particularly suitable to study the thermodynamics and kinetics of herbicide binding to the QB site. These features make PEM-RC structures quite promising in the development of herbicide biosensors. The studies discussed in the present thesis have shown that, although the effects on electron transfer induced by the native and artificial environments tested are markedly different, they can be described on the basis of a common kinetic model which takes into account the static conformational heterogeneity of the RC and the interconversion between conformational substates. Interestingly, the same distribution of rate constants (i.e. a Gamma distribution function) can describe charge recombination processes in solutions of purified RC, in RC-LH1 complexes, in wet and dry RC-PEM structures and in glassy saccharidic matrices over a wide range of hydration levels. In conclusion, the results obtained for RCs in different physico-chemical environments emphasize the relevance of the structure/dynamics solvent/protein coupling in determining the energetics and the kinetics of electron transfer processes in a membrane protein complex.

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Deutsch:In der vorliegenden Arbeit konnten neue Methoden zur Synthese anorganischer Materialien mit neuartiger Architektur im Mikrometer und Nanometer Maßstab beschrieben werden. Die zentrale Rolle der Formgebung basiert dabei auf der templatinduzierten Abscheidung der anorganischen Materialien auf selbstorganisierten Monoschichten. Als Substrate eignen sich goldbedampfte Glasträger und Goldkolloide, die eine Mittelstellung in der Welt der Atome bzw. Moleküle und der makroskopischen Welt der ausgedehnten Festkörper einnehmen. Auf diesen Substraten lassen sich Thiole zu einer monomolekularen Schicht adsorbieren und damit die Oberflächeneigenschaften des Substrates ändern. Ein besonderer Schwerpunkt bei dieser Arbeit stellt die Synthese speziell auf die Bedürfnisse der jeweiligen Anwendung ausgerichteten Thiole dar.Im ersten Teil der Arbeit wurden goldbedampfte Glasoberflächen als Template verwendet. Die Abscheidung von Calciumcarbonat wurde in Abhängigkeit der Schichtdicke der adsorbierten Monolage untersucht. Aragonit, eine der drei Hauptphasen des Calciumcarbonat Systems, wurde auf polyaromatischen Amid - Oberflächen mit Schichtdicken von 5 - 400 nm Dicke unter milden Bedingung abgeschieden. Die einstellbaren Parameter waren dabei die Kettenlänge des Polymers, der w-Substituent, die Bindung an die Goldoberfläche über Verwendung verschiedener Aminothiole und die Kristallisationstemperatur. Die Schichtdickeneinstellung der Polymerfilme erfolgte hierbei über einen automatisierten Synthesezyklus.Titanoxid Filme konnten auf Oberflächen strukturiert werden. Dabei kam ein speziell synthetisiertes Thiol zum Einsatz, das die Funktionalität einer Styroleinheit an der Oberflächen Grenze als auch eine Möglichkeit zur späteren Entfernung von der Oberfläche in sich vereinte. Die PDMS Stempeltechnik erzeugte dabei Mikrostrukturen auf der Goldoberfläche im Bereich von 5 bis 10 µm, die ihrerseits über die Polymerisation und Abscheidung des Polymers in den Titanoxid Film überführt werden konnten. Drei dimensionale Strukturen wurden über Goldkolloid Template erhalten. Tetraethylenglykol konnte mit einer Thiolgruppe im Austausch zu einer Hydroxylgruppe monofunktionalisiert werden. Das erhaltene Molekül wurde auf kolloidalem Gold selbstorganisiert; es entstand dabei ein wasserlösliches Goldkolloid. Die Darstellung erfolgte dabei in einer Einphasenreaktion. Die so erhaltenen Goldkolloide wurden als Krstallisationstemplate für die drei dimensionale Abscheidung von Calciumcarbonat verwendet. Es zeigte sich, dass Glykol die Kristallisation bzw. den Habitus des krsitalls bei niedrigem pH Wert modifiziert. Bei erhöhtem pH Wert (pH = 12) jedoch agieren die Glykol belegten Goldkolloide als Template und führen zu sphärisch Aggregaten. Werden Goldkolloide langkettigen Dithiolen ausgesetzt, so führt dies zu einer Aggregation und Ausfällung der Kolloide aufgrund der Vernetzung mehrer Goldkolloide mit den Thiolgruppen der Alkyldithiole. Zur Vermeidung konnte in dieser Arbeit ein halbseitig geschütztes Dithiol synthetisiert werden, mit dessen Hilfe die Aggregation unterbunden werden konnte. Das nachfolgende Entschützten der Thiolfunktion führte zu Goldkolloiden, deren Oberfläche Thiol funktionalisiert werden konnte. Die thiolaktiven Goldkolloide fungierten als template für die Abscheidung von Bleisulfid aus organisch/wässriger Lösung. Die Funktionsweise der Schutzgruppe und die Entschützung konnte mittels Plasmonenresonanz Spektroskopie verdeutlicht werden. Titanoxid / Gold / Polystyrol Komposite in Röhrenform konnten synthetisiert werden. Dazu wurde ein menschliches Haar als biologisches Templat für die Formgebung gewählt.. Durch Bedampfung des Haares mit Gold, Assemblierung eines Stryrolmonomers, welches zusätzlich eine Thiolfunktionalität trug, Polymerisation auf der Oberfläche, Abscheidung des Titanoxid Films und anschließendem Auflösen des biologischen Templates konnte eine Röhrenstruktur im Mikrometer Bereich dargestellt werden. Goldkolloide fungierten in dieser Arbeit nicht nur als Kristallisationstemplate und Formgeber, auch sie selbst wurden dahingehend modifiziert, dass sie drahtförmige Agglormerate im Nanometerbereich ausbilden. Dazu wurden Template aus Siliziumdioxid benutzt. Zum einen konnten Nanoröhren aus amorphen SiO2 in einer Sol Gel Methode dargestellt werden, zum anderen bediente sich diese Arbeit biologischer Siliziumoxid Hohlnadeln aus marinen Schwämmen isoliert. Goldkolloide wurden in die Hohlstrukturen eingebettet und die Struktur durch Ausbildung von Kolloid - Thiol Netzwerken mittels Dithiol Zugabe gefestigt. Die Gold-Nanodrähte im Bereich von 100 bis 500 nm wurden durch Auflösen des SiO2 - Templates freigelegt.

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Electronic devices based on organic semiconductors have gained increased attention in nanotechnology, especially applicable to the field of field-effect transistors and photovoltaic. A promising class of materials in this reseach field are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Alkyl substitution of these graphenes results in the selforganization into one-dimensional columnar superstructures and provides solubility and processibility. The nano-phase separation between the π-stacking aromatic cores and the disordered peripheral alkyl chains leads to the formation of thermotropic mesophases. Hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronenes (HBC), as an example for a PAH, exhibits some of the highest values for the charge carrier mobility for mesogens, which makes them promising candidates for electronic devices. Prerequisites for efficient charge carrier transport between electrodes are a high purity of the material to reduce possible trapping sites for charge carriers and a pronounced and defect-free, long-range order. Appropriate processing techniques are required to induce a high degree of aligned structures in the discotic material over macroscopic dimensions. Highly-ordered supramolecular structures of different discotics, in particular, of HBC derivatives have been obtained by solution processing using the zone-casting technique, zone-melting or simple extrusion. Simplicity and fabrication of highly oriented columnar structures over long-range are the most essential advantages of these zone-processing methods. A close relation between the molecular design, self-aggregation and the processing conditions has been revealed. The long-range order achieved by the zone-casting proved to be suitable for field effect transistors (FET).

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The electromagnetic form factors of the proton are fundamental quantities sensitive to the distribution of charge and magnetization inside the proton. Precise knowledge of the form factors, in particular of the charge and magnetization radii provide strong tests for theory in the non-perturbative regime of QCD. However, the existing data at Q^2 below 1 (GeV/c)^2 are not precise enough for a hard test of theoretical predictions.rnrnFor a more precise determination of the form factors, within this work more than 1400 cross sections of the reaction H(e,e′)p were measured at the Mainz Microtron MAMI using the 3-spectrometer-facility of the A1-collaboration. The data were taken in three periods in the years 2006 and 2007 using beam energies of 180, 315, 450, 585, 720 and 855 MeV. They cover the Q^2 region from 0.004 to 1 (GeV/c)^2 with counting rate uncertainties below 0.2% for most of the data points. The relative luminosity of the measurements was determined using one of the spectrometers as a luminosity monitor. The overlapping acceptances of the measurements maximize the internal redundancy of the data and allow, together with several additions to the standard experimental setup, for tight control of systematic uncertainties.rnTo account for the radiative processes, an event generator was developed and implemented in the simulation package of the analysis software which works without peaking approximation by explicitly calculating the Bethe-Heitler and Born Feynman diagrams for each event.rnTo separate the form factors and to determine the radii, the data were analyzed by fitting a wide selection of form factor models directly to the measured cross sections. These fits also determined the absolute normalization of the different data subsets. The validity of this method was tested with extensive simulations. The results were compared to an extraction via the standard Rosenbluth technique.rnrnThe dip structure in G_E that was seen in the analysis of the previous world data shows up in a modified form. When compared to the standard-dipole form factor as a smooth curve, the extracted G_E exhibits a strong change of the slope around 0.1 (GeV/c)^2, and in the magnetic form factor a dip around 0.2 (GeV/c)^2 is found. This may be taken as indications for a pion cloud. For higher Q^2, the fits yield larger values for G_M than previous measurements, in agreement with form factor ratios from recent precise polarized measurements in the Q2 region up to 0.6 (GeV/c)^2.rnrnThe charge and magnetic rms radii are determined as rn⟨r_e⟩=0.879 ± 0.005(stat.) ± 0.004(syst.) ± 0.002(model) ± 0.004(group) fm,rn⟨r_m⟩=0.777 ± 0.013(stat.) ± 0.009(syst.) ± 0.005(model) ± 0.002(group) fm.rnThis charge radius is significantly larger than theoretical predictions and than the radius of the standard dipole. However, it is in agreement with earlier results measured at the Mainz linear accelerator and with determinations from Hydrogen Lamb shift measurements. The extracted magnetic radius is smaller than previous determinations and than the standard-dipole value.

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Lo studio delle malattie che colpiscono i coralli rappresenta un campo di ricerca nuovo e poche sono le ricerche concentrate nell’Oceano Indo-Pacifico, in particolare nella Repubblica delle Maldive. Lo scopo di questa ricerca è stato approfondire le conoscenze riguardo distribuzione, prevalenza e host range della Skeleton Eroding Band (SEB) nell’atollo di Faafu. Durante il lavoro, svolto in campo tra il novembre e il dicembre 2013, sono state indagate le isole di: Magoodhoo, Filitheyo e Adangau al fine di rilevare differenze nei livelli di prevalenza della SEB in relazione ai diversi gradi di utilizzo da parte dell’uomo delle 3 isole. Il piano di campionamento ha previsto la scelta casuale, in ciascuna delle isole, di 4 siti in cui sono stati realizzati 3 belt transect e 3 point intercept transect a 2 profondità predefinite. La SEB è stata ritrovata con una prevalenza media totale di 0,27%. Dai risultati dell’analisi statistica le differenze fra le isole non sono apparse significative, facendo ipotizzare che i livelli di prevalenza differiscano a causa di oscillazioni casuali di carattere naturale e che quindi non siano dovute a dinamiche legate al diverso sfruttamento da parte dell’uomo. I generi Acropora e Pocillopora sono risultati quelli maggiormente colpiti con valori di prevalenza totale di 0,46% e 1,33%. Infine è stata rilevata una correlazione positiva tra il numero di colonie di madrepore affette dalla SEB e il numero di colonie in cui la malattia è associata alla presenza di lesioni provocate da danni meccanici. I dati di prevalenza ottenuti e le previsioni di cambiamenti climatici in grado di aumentare distribuzione, host range, abbondanza della patologia, pongono l’accento sulla necessità di chiarire il ruolo delle malattie dei coralli nel deterioramento, resilienza e recupero dei coral reefs, al fine di attuare politiche di gestione adatte alla protezione di questi fragili ecosistemi.

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In the first part of the thesis, we propose an exactly-solvable one-dimensional model for fermions with long-range p-wave pairing decaying with distance as a power law. We studied the phase diagram by analyzing the critical lines, the decay of correlation functions and the scaling of the von Neumann entropy with the system size. We found two gapped regimes, where correlation functions decay (i) exponentially at short range and algebraically at long range, (ii) purely algebraically. In the latter the entanglement entropy is found to diverge logarithmically. Most interestingly, along the critical lines, long-range pairing breaks also the conformal symmetry. This can be detected via the dynamics of entanglement following a quench. In the second part of the thesis we studied the evolution in time of the entanglement entropy for the Ising model in a transverse field varying linearly in time with different velocities. We found different regimes: an adiabatic one (small velocities) when the system evolves according the instantaneous ground state; a sudden quench (large velocities) when the system is essentially frozen to its initial state; and an intermediate one, where the entropy starts growing linearly but then displays oscillations (also as a function of the velocity). Finally, we discussed the Kibble-Zurek mechanism for the transition between the paramagnetic and the ordered phase.

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Light pseudoscalar bosons, such as the axion that was originally proposed as a solution of the strong CP problem, would cause a new spin-dependent short-range interaction. In this thesis, an experiment is presented to search for axion mediated short-range interaction between a nucleon and the spin of a polarized bound neutron. This interaction cause a shift in the precession frequency of nuclear spin-polarized gases in the presence of an unpolarized mass. To get rid of magnetic field drifts co-located, nuclear spin polarized 3He and 129Xe atoms were used. The free nuclear spin precession frequencies were measured in a homogeneous magnetic guiding field of about 350nT using LTc SQUID detectors. The whole setup was housed in a magnetically shielded room at the Physikalisch Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) in Berlin. With this setup long nuclear spin-coherence times, respectively, transverse relaxation times of 5h for 129Xe and 53h for 3He could be achieved. The results of the last run in September 2010 are presented which give new upper limits on the scalar-pseudoscalar coupling of axion-like particles in the axion-mass window from 10^(-2) eV to 10^(-6) eV. The laboratory upper bounds were improved by up to 4 orders of magnitude.

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Lo sviluppo di nuove tecnologie sempre più innovative e all’avanguardia ha portato ad un processo di costante rivisitazione e miglioramento di sistemi tecnologici già esistenti. L’esempio di Internet risulta, a questo proposito, interessante da analizzare: strumento quotidiano ormai diventato alla portata di tutti, il suo processo di rivisitazione ha portato allo sviluppo dell’Internet Of Things (IoT), neologismo utilizzato per descrivere l'estensione di Internet a tutto ciò che può essere trasformato in un sistema elettronico, controllato attraverso la rete mondiale che oggi può essere facilmente fruibile grazie all’utilizzo di Smartphone sempre più performanti. Lo scopo di questa grande trasformazione è quello di creare una rete ad-hoc (non necessariamente con un accesso diretto alla rete internet tramite protocolli wired o wireless standard) al fine di stabilire un maggior controllo ed una maggiore sicurezza, alla quale è possibile interfacciare oggetti dotati di opportuni sensori di diverso tipo, in maniera tale da condividere dati e ricevere comandi da un operatore esterno. Un possibile scenario applicativo della tecnologia IoT, è il campo dell'efficienza energetica e degli Smart Meter. La possibilità di modificare i vecchi contatori del gas e dell’acqua, tutt’oggi funzionanti grazie ad una tecnologia che possiamo definire obsoleta, trasformandoli in opportuni sistemi di metring che hanno la capacità di trasmettere alla centrale le letture o i dati del cliente, di eseguire operazioni di chiusura e di apertura del servizio, nonché operazioni sulla valutazione dei consumi, permetterebbe al cliente di avere sotto controllo i consumi giornalieri. Per costruire il sistema di comunicazione si è utilizzato il modem Semtech SX1276, che oltre ad essere low-power, possiede due caratteristiche rivoluzionarie e all’avanguardia: utilizza una modulazione del segnale da trasmettere innovativa e una grande capacità di rilevare segnali immersi in forti fonti di rumore ; la possibilità di utilizzare due frequenze di trasmissione diverse, 169 MHz e 868MHz.