Influence of gas environment on the dynamics of wetting transition of laser-textured stainless steel meshes

2021

We analyze the role of surrounding gas and aging in ambient air in the wettability behavior of laser-processed stainless steel meshes. Laser texturing of meshes was carried out in the presence of different gases (N2, O2, CO2, Ar, and SF6) in ambient atmospheric air and under different vacuum conditions. The influence of each gas on the evolution of the wettability properties after aging in ambient air is analyzed. The effects of low-pressure and vacuum aging allowed transforming the initial superhydrophilic characteristics of the laser-structured meshes to an almost superhydrophobic state.

Nanoemulsions for synthesis of biomedical nanocarriers

2021

Nanoemulsions are kinetically stabilized emulsions with droplet sizes in the nanometer scale. These nanodroplets are able to confine spaces in which reactions of polymerization or precipitation can take place, leading to the formation of particles and capsules that can act as nanocarriers for biomedical applications. This review discusses the different possibilities of using nanoemulsions for preparing biomedical nanocarriers. According to the chemical nature, nanocarriers prepared in nanoemulsions are classified in polymeric, inorganic, or hybrid. The main synthetic strategies for each type are revised, including miniemulsion polymerization, nanoemulsion-solvent evaporation, spontaneous em…

Corrigendum to “Bipolar disorder: An evolutionary psychoneuroimmunological approach”

2021

Current Wildland Fire Patterns and Challenges in Europe: A Synthesis of National Perspectives

2021

Changes in climate, land use, and land management impact the occurrence and severity of wildland fires in many parts of the world. This is particularly evident in Europe, where ongoing changes in land use have strongly modified fire patterns over the last decades. Although satellite data by the European Forest Fire Information System provide large-scale wildland fire statistics across European countries, there is still a crucial need to collect and summarize in-depth local analysis and understanding of the wildland fire condition and associated challenges across Europe. This article aims to provide a general overview of the current wildland fire patterns and challenges as perceived by natio…

NR1H4 rs35724 G>C variant modulates liver damage in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

2021

Background and Aims: Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) plays a key role in bile acid and lipid homeostasis. Experimental evidence suggests that it can modulate liver damage related to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We examined the impact of the NR1H4 rs35724 G>C, encoding for FXR, on liver damage in a large cohort of patients at risk of steatohepatitis. Methods: We considered 2,660 consecutive individuals at risk of steatohepatitis with liver histology. The rs35724 G>C polymorphisms were genotyped by TaqMan assays. Gene expression was evaluated by RNASeq in a subset of patients (n = 124). Results: The NR1H4 rs35724 CC genotype, after adjusting for clinic-metabolic and genetic conf…

Dimorare con le voci degli antichi. La biblioteca nel Malpiglio secondo di Torquato Tasso

2021

In the dialogue Il Malpiglio secondo overo del fuggir la moltitudine, Tasso stages the dialogue between Forestiero Napolitano and Giovanlorenzo Malpiglio, son of Vincenzo Malpiglio, a gentleman of the court of Ferrara. The dialogue focuses on the function of the oratories, poets and of philosophers. The library of the young Malpiglio, located at the highest point of the house, in the most central place of the city, in fact it is not only the emblematic space of the identity recognition of the courteous gentleman and of his erudite education; it becomes the space of an uninterrupted dialogue with the voices of the authors, with which the reader entertains himself, appreciating order and vagu…

Smart and resilient manufacturing in the wake of COVID-19.

2021

Since 2020, manufacturers have been facing unprecedented and extraordinary challenges with the COVID-19 outbreak, which severely disrupted manufacturing operations around the world. Some manufac- turers have shifted gears to help address dire shortages during the coronavirus pandemic. Others were thrown into deep unknowns and faced with the grim prospect of being closed down. We have seen a sprawling network of multinationals and local businesses step in to fill a void by using 3D printers to make personal protective equipment (PPE) such as face shields, respirator masks, nasal swabs and even ventilator parts. Large manufacturers attempted to rejig parts of their production lines to mass-pr…

New Clones and Old Varieties: Quality of Sicilian Hillside Apple Cultivation

2021

Aims: The aim of this study is to evaluate the qualitative characteristics of the new clones according to the Mediterranean hillside growing environment and, at the same time, to highlight the qualitative peculiarities of the old varieties in order to avoid genetic loss. Introduction: Several apple varieties are constantly selected for improved quality traits and introduced for cultivation and marketing in addition to a few traditional and affirmed varieties. On the other side, local genotype and ancient varieties are still valorised due to the request of a niche market. Methods: We have studied the physico-chemical quality and the sensory traits of the fruit obtained in this particular en…

LBA-5 Phase Ib study of the anti-TIGIT antibody tiragolumab in combination with atezolizumab in patients with metastatic esophageal cancer

2021

Claudio Panzera, Il diritto all’asilo. Profili costituzionali

2021

El Doctor Claudio Panzera, Profesor Titular de Derecho Constitucional en la Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria (Italia), nos ofrece una monografía sólida y de lectura imprescindible para acercarse al régimen jurídico del derecho de asilo en el ordenamiento constitucional italiano. Y ello lo lleva a cabo teniendo presente, como no puede ser de otro modo, un enfoque de constitucionalismo multinivel, dado que inserta las claves constitucionales italianas del derecho de asilo en el contexto de la protección internacional, tanto universal como europea.

Secondary metabolites and eco-friendly techniques for agricultural weed/pest management

2021

In agro-ecosystems, pests (insects, weeds, and other plant’s parasites) compete with crops for edaphic resources, negatively affecting quality and crop yields [1]. Nowadays, synthetic pesticides, easy to apply and accessible to farmers, are the most common and effective methods for pest management [2]. Nevertheless, the negative impact of these chemicals on the environment, human health, and the development of herbicides/pesticides-resistance are shifting the attention to alternative pest control technologies based on natural compounds [3–6]. Therefore, new eco-friendly agronomic techniques and the use of natural or natural-like molecules might represent a valid alternative strategy for pes…

Escala de percepción ante crisis y pandemias : desarrollo y validación de una escala pedagógica

2021

Objetivos: Abordar la metodología de estudio con respecto a epidemia/pandemia requiere involucrar pensamiento complejo frente a los retos que denota esta situación. El objetivo de este estudio es validar un cuestionario de percepción y creencias dirigido a estudiantes de medicina y enfermería sobre el uso del cine ante la complejidad de un evento pandémico, con el propósito de potenciar las estrategias de enseñanza. Metodología: Se encuestó a 131 estudiantes. La evaluación de la confiabilidad se realizó a través del análisis de consistencia interna. La valoración de los 19 ítems se evaluó mediante análisis de correlación de Pearson y la validez de constructo mediante análisis factorial expl…

Population as the body of society

2021

International audience

D-dimer testing after anticoagulant discontinuation to predict recurrent venous thromboembolism

2021

Transcriptional Changes after Enniatins A, A1, B and B1 Ingestion in Rat Stomach, Liver, Kidney and Lower Intestine

2021

Enniatins (ENs) are depsipeptide mycotoxins produced by Fusarium fungi. They are known for their capacity to modulate cell membrane permeability and disruption of ionic gradients, affecting cell homeostasis and initiating oxidative stress mechanisms. The effect of the acute toxicity of ENs A, A1, B and B1 at two different concentrations after 8 h of exposure was analysed in Wistar rats by a transcriptional approach. The following key mitochondrial and nuclear codified genes related to the electron transport chain were considered for gene expression analysis in stomach, liver, kidney and lower intestine by quantitative Real-Time PCR: mitochondrially encoded NADH dehydrogenase 1 (MT-ND1), mit…

P–298 High prevalence of depression and anxiety in patients with endometriosis during the SARS-CoV–2 pandemic in Germany

2021

Abstract Study question The aim was to assess the prevalence of self-reported symptoms of depression and anxiety and the moderating factors influencing mental symptoms during the COVID–19 pandemic. Summary answer Endometriosis patients were at risk of developing mental disorders during the pandemic. Associated risk factors were: reduction of the social network and the employment status. What is known already Endometriosis is a disease affecting up to 10% of women of fertile age. The leading symptoms are sub- or infertility and chronic pain. Additionally, the psychological impact on womeńs life is enormous. Women with endometriosis show higher rates of depression, anxiety and emotional distr…

Changes in Violence and Clinical Distress Among Men in Individual Psychotherapy for Violence Against Their Female Partner: An Explorative Study

2021

Most interventions for men who have acted violently toward their partner have been conducted as group interventions within a criminal justice context. Therefore, few studies have examined individual psychotherapy and how such interventions may reduce partner violence. In this study, we aimed to describe changes in violence, and changes in clinical distress in men undergoing individual psychotherapy targeting their use of partner violence, at a clinic organized within a psychosocial health care context. This is a naturalistic prospective study of men voluntarily receiving individual psychotherapy for their use of violence against their female partner. Participants were 84 male clients, and d…

Triple-negative breast lobular carcinoma: a luminal androgen receptor carcinoma with specific ESRRA mutations.

2021

Primary triple-negative invasive lobular breast carcinomas (TN-ILCs), which do not express hormone receptors and HER2 at diagnosis, are rare and poorly known. In this study, we analyzed the largest TN-ILC series ever reported in the literature, in comparison to phenotypically similar breast tumor subtypes: triple-negative invasive ductal carcinoma (TN-IDC) and hormone receptor-positive invasive lobular carcinoma (HR + ILC). All primary TN-ILCs registered in our database between 2000 and 2018 (n = 38) were compared to tumors from control groups, matched by stage and Elston/Ellis grade, with regard to clinical, pathologic, and immunohistochemical characteristics. A comparative molecular analy…

Environmental drivers and abrupt changes of phytoplankton community in temperate lake Lielais Svētiņu, Eastern Latvia, over the last Post-Glacial per…

2021

Understanding the long-term dynamics of ecological communities on the centuries-to-millennia scale is important for explaining the emergence of present-day biodiversity patterns and for predicting possible future scenarios. Fossil pigments and ancient DNA present in various sedimentary deposits can be analysed to study long-term changes in ecological communities. We analysed recent compilations of data, including fossil pigments, microfossils, and molecular inventories from the sedimentary archives, to understand the impact of gradual versus abrupt climate changes on the ecosystem status of a regional model lake over the last ~14.5 kyr. Such long and complete paleo-archives are scarce in No…

Tra bisogni individuali e fruizione collettiva. Spazi delle biblioteche e pratiche di lettura in una prospettiva diacronica

2021

Over the centuries, libraries have profoundly transformed their spaces, their physical appearance, their organization, but they have always remained faithful to their dual mission: a) to support lifelong learning and individual creativity, and b) to foster community development, that is, the growth of all social groups and age groups. The evolution of libraries has seen a steady acceleration especially since the mid-19th century, when the industrial processes of book production definitely expanded the availability and accessibility of content for a largest audience. The improved socio-economic conditions were best suited to the birth and development of public libraries, acting as democratic…

Adjuvant Effect of Titanium Brushes in Peri-Implant Surgical Treatment: A Systematic Review

2021

Background: the prognosis of peri-implant surgery can be affected by poor decontamination of the implant surface, which could be improved with the use of titanium brushes. The objectives of this systematic review were to evaluate the effectiveness of titanium brushes in the decontamination of the implant surface in terms of plaque index, probing depth, bleeding on probing and bone loss/gain; as well as its effectiveness according to the type of peri-implant bone defect. Methods: an electronic search was carried out in the PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane and Embase databases, as well as a manual search. The search strategy included four keywords: “Peri-implantitis”, “Periimplantitis”, “Implant Surf…

Autochthonous organic matter promotes DNRA and suppresses N2O production in sediments of the coastal Baltic Sea

2021

Coastal environments are nitrogen (N) removal hot spots, which regulate the amount of land-derived N reaching the open sea. However, mixing between freshwater and seawater creates gradients of inorganic N and bioavailable organic matter, which affect N cycling. In this study, we compare nitrate reduction processes between estuary and offshore archipelago environments in the coastal Baltic Sea. Denitrification rates were similar in both environments, despite lower nitrate and carbon concentrations in the offshore archipelago. However, DNRA (dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium) rates were higher at the offshore archipelago stations, with a higher proportion of autochthonous carbon. Th…

Cardiovascular Issues in Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Treatments for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: A Review

2021

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm driven by a fusion gene, encoding for the chimeric protein BCR-ABL, with constitutive tyrosine kinase activity. The use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) has drastically improved survival, but there are significant concerns about cardiovascular toxicity. Cardiovascular risk can be lowered with appropriate baseline evaluation, accurate choice of TKI therapy, improvement of modifiable cardiovascular risk factors through lifestyle modifications, and prescription of drugs for primary or secondary prevention. Which examinations are necessary, and when do they have to be scheduled? How often should a TKI-treated patient undergo wh…

Uomini e alberi. Tre indagini storico-religiose. Nota introduttiva

2021

In this introductory note I present three essays on the relationship between trees and rituals in ancient Mediterranean civilisations and in Vedic India.

Encephalitis with Autoantibodies against the Glutamate Kainate Receptors GluK2

2021

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to report the identification of antibodies against the glutamate kainate receptor subunit 2 (GluK2-abs) in patients with autoimmune encephalitis, and describe the clinical-immunological features and antibody effects. METHODS: Two sera from 8 patients with similar rat brain immunostaining were used to precipitate the antigen from neuronal cultures. A cell-based assay (CBA) with GluK2-expressing HEK293 cells was used to assess 596 patients with different neurological disorders, and 23 healthy controls. GluK2-ab effects were determined by confocal microscopy in cultured neurons and electrophysiology in GluK2-expressing HEK293 cells. RESULTS: Patients'…

Anatomie du syndicalisme

2021

Railway workers' movements, demonstrations against the reform of the Labour Code, strikes against the new pension system... Collective action by employees regularly polarises social news in France. However, it is not limited to these media phenomena and the disruption of daily life that they cause. It primarily concerns everyday life at work, the participation of employees in the management of companies and administrations and, more broadly, in that of the social protection system. Trade unions have a key role to play in this collective action. This book analyses the evolution of these organisations as vectors of collective action: their successes and failures, their relations with employee…

Evaluation of the coupled high-resolution atmospheric chemistry model system MECO(n) using in situ and MAX-DOAS NO2 measurements

2021

We present high spatial resolution (up to 2.2×2.2 km2) simulations focussed over south-west Germany using the online coupled regional atmospheric chemistry model system MECO(n) (MESSy-fied ECHAM and COSMO models nested n times). Numerical simulation of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) surface volume mixing ratios (VMRs) are compared to in situ measurements from a network with 193 locations including background, traffic-adjacent and industrial stations to investigate the model's performance in simulating the spatial and temporal variability of short-lived chemical species. We show that the use of a high-resolution and up-to-date emission inventory is crucial for reproducing the spatial variability and…

Constructing Antidictionaries of Long Texts in Output-Sensitive Space

2021

AbstractA wordxthat is absent from a wordyis calledminimalif all its proper factors occur iny. Given a collection ofkwordsy1, … ,ykover an alphabetΣ, we are asked to compute the set$\mathrm {M}^{\ell }_{\{y_1,\ldots ,y_k\}}$M{y1,…,yk}ℓof minimal absent words of length at mostℓof the collection {y1, … ,yk}. The set$\mathrm {M}^{\ell }_{\{y_1,\ldots ,y_k\}}$M{y1,…,yk}ℓcontains all the wordsxsuch thatxis absent from all the words of the collection while there existi,j, such that the maximal proper suffix ofxis a factor ofyiand the maximal proper prefix ofxis a factor ofyj. In data compression, this corresponds to computing the antidictionary ofkdocuments. In bioinformatics, it corresponds to c…

Strong etching formulation (time and rate) for PADC with deep depth bulk etch rate study

2021

Abstract Aqueous NaOH with ethanol (strong) etchant is widely used. It shortens etching time effectively compared to normal etching conditions (6.25N NaOH at 70 °C). Two equations have been proposed to calculate the etching time with NaOH molarity and ethanol volume. Another two empirical equations were introduced for estimating the bulk etch rates of PADC etched in strong etchant. Up to now, there were no such equations available in the literature that can predict etching time and V b of PADC with etchant molarity and ethanol volumes. The proposed equations were compared to fundamental V b models stemming from literature. Fast etching enables the follow-up of bulk etch rate variation versu…

Challenges in Geographically Distributed Information System Development : A Case Study

2021

Geographically distributed information system development (ISD) projects are more and more common, especially among organisations operating in global markets. Distributed ISD yields potential competitive advantages by developing new products near the target markets, utilizing global labour markets, and exposing the organisation to innovations, ideas and new paradigms. However, distributed ISD also presents challenges and problems which organisations must take into consideration. The pivotal challenge is usually communication. People working on the same project in different locations find it difficult to communicate due to lack of formal and informal face-to-face communication, different wor…

Spatial Cognition 2020/1: Book of abstracts : August 2-4, 2021, University of Latvia

2021

Spatial Cognition is concerned with the acquisition, development, representation, organization, and use of knowledge about spatial objects in real, virtual or hybrid environments and processed by human or artificial agents. Spatial Cognition includes research from different fields insofar as they are concerned with cognitive agents and space, such as cognitive and developmental psychology, linguistics, computer science, geography, cartography, philosophy, neuroscience, and education. Research issues in the field range from the investigation of human spatial cognition to mobile robot navigation, including topics such as wayfinding, spatial planning, spatial learning, internal and external re…

Evaluation of the ERA5 reanalysis-based Universal Thermal Climate Index on mortality data in Europe

2021

Air temperature has been the most commonly used exposure metric in assessing relationships between thermal stress and mortality. Lack of the high-quality meteorological station data necessary to adequately characterize the thermal environment has been one of the main limitations for the use of more complex thermal indices. Global climate reanalyses may provide an ideal platform to overcome this limitation and define complex heat and cold stress conditions anywhere in the world. In this study, we explored the potential of the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) based on ERA5 – the latest global climate reanalysis from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) – as a h…

Measurement of the absolute branching fraction of inclusive semielectronic $D_s^+$ decays

2021

We measure the inclusive semielectronic decay branching fraction of the $D_s^+$ meson. A double-tag technique is applied to $e^+e^-$ annihilation data collected by the BESIII experiment at the BEPCII collider, operating in the center-of-mass energy range $4.178 - 4.230$ GeV. We select positrons from $D_s^+\rightarrow Xe^{+}\nu_e$ with momenta greater than 200 MeV/$c$, and determine the laboratory momentum spectrum, accounting for the effects of detector efficiency and resolution. The total positron yield and semielectronic branching fraction are determined by extrapolating this spectrum below the momentum cutoff. We measure the $D_s^+$ semielectronic branching fraction to be $\mathcal{B}\le…

Bacterial metal nanoparticles to develop new weapons against bacterial biofilms and infections

2021

The widespread use of antibiotics has resulted in the outbreak and spread of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Bacterial antibiotic resistance may develop at cellular and community levels. In the latter case, it is based on tolerance which implicates the shift from a free-living form of life (i.e., planktonic) to a sessile multi-stratified community (i.e., biofilm). Metal nanoparticles (MNPs) have been shown to be promising candidates as antimicrobial agents. MNPs are able to interact with and penetrate bacterial biofilms, thus, resulting effective antibiofilm compounds. Another interesting aspect is the possibility of using plants, fungi, yeasts, and bacteria to obtain biogenic MNPs (BMNP). …

Ledelse, organisering og nådegaver i menigheter

2021

Published version of an article in the journal: Scandinavian Journal for Leadership & Theology. Also available from the publisher at: http://sjlt-journal.com/ Open Access In this article, we discuss whether leadership and organisational structure can influence and facilitate the use of spiritual gifts in congregations. The purpose is to substantiate a link and give some examples of what this relationship may be like. We argue that leaders contribute to the design of organisational structures and that they apply different leadership styles, which may have implications for the development of spiritual gifts. For instance, we try to show that proactive construction of various arenas; the size …

Qu’est-ce que la culture ?

2021

International audience