Self-Deployable pulsating heat pipe concept based on a shape memory alloy actuator

The concept of a self-deployable Pulsating Heat Pipe (PHP) actuated by Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) is shown in the present paper. The system exploits the heat source to activate both the two-phase flow in the PHP and the shape memory effect in the actuator to passively fold and unfold the device. The PHP acts as a torsional spring in the adiabatic section, and a shape memory wire unfolds it. The authors propose a mechanical model that outlines the size/material (spring/Al6063) and number of coils (3.5) to design the PHP adiabatic section and the actuator (7 Nickel-Titanium parallel wires). Two strategies are adopted to simulate active (Joule effect) and passive (heat conduction) heating. Joule heating uniformly warms the SMA wire to 120 °C, allowing the device to deploy up to 80 deg. Despite, under the passive heating, the shape memory effect is limited (deployment 16.5 deg) due to poor heat conduction, this is a breakthrough starting point for further implementation. For such purpose, the shape memory effect at non-uniform heating is simulated and predicted via a thermomechanical analytical model. Simulations are then validated with good accuracy with the experimental results obtained (error between 12 %-15 %)

Analyzing Autochthonous Dengue Transmission in Temperate Regions: Insights from the 2024 Marche Outbreak

As a consequence of climate change, mosquito-borne diseases are progressively expanding into temperate regions, posing new public health challenges. In 2024, the town of Fano, located in the Marche region of Italy, experienced a Dengue outbreak primarily driven by autochthonous transmission [1,2]. This study aims to analyze the outbreak’s dynamics using a stochastic model that incorporates both human infection and vector dynamics. The model is specifically parametrized based on data from the Marche region, providing quantitative insights into local Dengue transmission in temperate areas. Additionally, it compares these dynamics with other non-endemic contexts, where outbreaks are predominantly driven by imported cases

Retinal gene therapy for Stargardt disease with dual AAV intein vectors is both safe and effective in large animal models

: Retinal gene therapy using dual adeno-associated viral (AAV) intein vectors can be applied to genetic forms of blindness caused by mutations in genes with coding sequences that exceed single AAV cargo capacity, such as Stargardt disease (STGD1), the most common inherited macular dystrophy. In view of clinical translation of dual AAV intein vectors, here we set to evaluate both the efficiency and safety of their subretinal administration in relevant large animal models. Accordingly, we have developed the first pig model of STGD1, which we found to accumulate lipofuscin similarly to patients. This accumulation is significantly reduced upon subretinal administration of dual AAV intein vectors whose safety and pharmacodynamics we then tested in nonhuman primates, which showed modest and reversible inflammation as well as high levels of photoreceptor transduction. This bodes well for further clinical translation of dual AAV intein vectors in patients with STGD1 as well as for other blinding diseases that require the delivery of large genes

Evaluating the technology acceptance of MundoCRA: a virtual learning environment for primary education

Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) are present in all educational modalities and levels, but their adoption in primary education remains limited. This article evaluates the acceptance of MundoCRA, a VLE that enriches traditional classrooms through a virtual world where students perform educational tasks in an engaging way. Gamified activities with rewards, points, and certificates promote motivation through quizzes, challenges, and collaborative projects. MundoCRA also includes a management module that allows teachers to create and monitor tasks easily. The evaluation, based on an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), considers constructs such as perceived enjoyment, satisfaction, and gender differences. A survey of 20 teachers and 30 students from the Rural Grouped School (CRA) Sierra de Alcaraz (Spain) revealed that MundoCRA increased motivation, satisfaction, and enjoyment. Furthermore, structural equation modeling showed that perceived enjoyment and ease of use significantly influenced positive attitudes toward the platform, explaining over 70% of the variance in user attitudes

Branching fraction measurement of the decay B+ →ψ (2S)φ (1020)K+

The branching fraction of the decay B+→ψ(2S)φ(1020)K+, relative to the topologically similar decay B+→J/ψφ(1020)K+, is measured using proton-proton collision data collected by the LHCb experiment at center-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9 fb-1. The ratio is found to be 0.061±0.004±0.009, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. Using the world-average branching fraction for B+→J/ψφ(1020)K+, the branching fraction for the decay B+→ψ(2S)φ(1020)K+ is found to be (3.0±0.2±0.5±0.2)×10-6, where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second systematic, and the third is due to the branching fraction of the normalization channel

Human Physiologic Responses to Insulin in Indigenous Americans Identify a Metabolic Susceptibility Profile Linked to Diabetes

Objective: To identify metabolic signatures of insulin action/secretion in Indigenous Americans (IAs) and their association with diabetes. Research design and methods: We defined circulating metabolomic signatures of insulin action/secretion in 446 IAs, including glucose disposal rate during low-dose insulin clamp (Mlow) and endogenous glucose production (EGP) during insulin infusion (suppression of hepatic glucose production). We then determined associations of these metabolic scores with glucose tolerance (in a separate set of ∼700 IAs) and diabetes/metabolic risk in ∼2,000 individuals (from Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults [CARDIA] study). We used tissue-specific gene-metabolite mapping to pinpoint genetic pathways of type 2 diabetes (T2D) implicated by metabolomic signatures. Results: In young IAs (mean age 29 years; mean BMI 34.9 kg/m2) without diabetes, phenotype-metabolome associations across multiple insulin action phenotypes were linked to mechanisms of fatty acid and amino acid metabolism and inflammation (among others). Metabolite-based scores of insulin action were strongly related to incident diabetes in our discovery IA population (Mlow; 49 metabolites; standardized hazard ratio [HR] 0.49; 95% CI 0.35-0.69; P < 0.0001) and also associated with measures of insulin resistance in a distinct IA population (|ρ| ∼0.3-0.5 correlation) and in the CARDIA group (median age 33 years). At ∼20 years of follow-up in CARDIA, we observed a strong BMI- and glucose-independent association of the metabolite profile of Mlow (HR 0.65; 95% CI 0.56-0.74; P < 0.0001) and EGP suppression (HR 0.66; 95% CI 0.57-0.76; P < 0.0001) with incident diabetes, directionally opposed to BMI and glucose. Genes implicated by the metabolomic signatures were strongly linked to T2D. Conclusions: Metabolic signatures of clamp-determined insulin action are strongly associated with incident diabetes, suggesting causal-functional pathways of T2D

Il semipresidenzialismo in Romania tra teoria e prassi: dalla Costituzione del 1991 agli accordi di rotazione del Primo ministro, fino all’anno elettorale 2024

Semi-Presidentialism in Romania Between Theory and Practice: From the 1991 Constitution to Recent Prime Minister Rotation Agreements (up to the 2024 Election Year). This essay deals with the form of government in Romania by analyzing the normative framework and constitutional practice of recent decades, with particular attention to the powers of the President. The role of the presidential figure (similarly to the situation in France) is indicative of the flexibility inherent in semi-presidential systems, which alternate between phases of strengthening the presidential character and phases of reaffirming the parliament-government circuit. In the Romanian experience, this evolution results from institutional reforms and conventions, with a significant role played by the Constitutional Court (as observed in the aftermath of the first round of the presidential elections in November 2024)

Body Mass Index and Sporadic Medullary Thyroid Cancer: Insights from a Large Series

Excess adipose tissue has been linked to increased prevalence and aggressiveness in many cancers, but its role in medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) remains unclear. This study analyzed anthropometric and clinical data of a large series of patients with sporadic MTC to assess the impact of excess adipose tissue on MTC prevalence, aggressiveness, and outcome. Patients with obesity presented a less aggressive MTC compared to patients with normal weight or overweight, smaller tumors, lower T and N stages, and lower preoperative calcitonin levels. Somatic mutations occurring in RET and RAS genes did not differ across BMI categories. At the end of follow-up, patients with obesity showed less structural disease, resulting in a lower need for further surgical treatments. These findings suggest that patients with obesity experience less aggressive MTC, potentially due to increased medical examinations in this population