Navigating the Precarious Path: Understanding the Dualisation of the Italian Labour Market through the Lens of Involuntary Part-Time Employment

This paper investigates the surge in Involuntary Part-Time (IPT) employment in Italy from 2004 to 2019, exploring its impact on various socio-economic groups and adopting a spatial perspective. Our study tests the hypothesis that technological shifts, specifically routine biased technological change (RBTC), and the expansion of household substitution services contribute to IPT growth. We uncover a widening negative gap in IPT prevalence among marginalized groups- women, young, and less skilled workers. After controlling for sector and occupation, the higher IPT propensity diminishes but remains significant, hinting at persistent discrimination. Additionally, segregation into more exposed occupations and sectors intensifies over time. Leveraging province-level indicators, and using a Partial Adjustment model, we find support for RBTC’s correlation with IPT, especially among women. The impact of household substitution services is notably pronounced for women, highlighting sector segregation and gender norms’ influence

Gas–Solid Heterogeneous Postsynthetic Modification of Imine-Based Covalent Organic Frameworks

This is the peer-reviewed version of the following article: Martín-Illian, J. A., Royuela, S., Ramos, M. M., Segura, J. L., & Zamora, F. (2020). Gas‐Solid Heterogeneous Post‐Synthetic Modification of Imine‐based Covalent Organic Frameworks. Chemistry–A European Journal. 26 (29), 6495-6498, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202000224. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley-VCH Terms and Conditions for Self-ArchivingThe copper-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) click reaction is among the most extensively used strategies for the post-polymerization modification of COFs. This work shows a new procedure for the postsynthetic functionalization of imine-based COFs by using a heterogeneous solid–gas reaction between alkyne-functionalized COFs and azides in the absence of a copper catalyst. This new alternative represents a step forward towards a greener postsynthetic modification of COFs opening a high potential for the development of new applicationsThis work was financially supported by MINECO (MAT2016‐77608‐C3‐1‐P and 2‐P

A minireview on covalent organic frameworks as stationary phases in chromatography

Advances in the design of novel porous materials open new avenues for the development of chromatographic solid stationary phases. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are promising candidates in this context due to their remarkable structural versatility and exceptional chemical and textural properties. In this minireview, we summarize the main strategies followed in recent years to apply these materials as stationary phases for chromatographic separations. We also comment on the perspectives of this new research field and potential directions to expand the applicability and implementation of COF stationary phases in analytical systems

Catalytically Active Imine-based Covalent Organic Frameworks for Detoxification of Nerve Agent Simulants in Aqueous Media

A series of imine-based covalent organic frameworks decorated in their cavities with di erent alkynyl, pyrrolidine, and N-methylpyrrolidine functional groups have been synthetized. These materials exhibit catalytic activity in aqueous media for the hydrolytic detoxification of nerve agents, as exemplified with nerve gas simulant diisopropylfluorophosphate (DIFP). These preliminary results suggest imine-based covalent organic frameworks (COFs) as promising materials for detoxification of highly toxic molecules.MINECO (MAT2016-77608-C3-1-P and 2-P, CTQ2017-84692-R) and EU FEDER fundin

Post-Synthetic Modification of Aerogels Made of Covalent Cross-linked Metal-Organic Polyhedra

Aerogels are porous ultralight materials known for their high porosity, wide range of pore sizes, low density, and good macroscopic mechanical properties, all of which make them promising candidates for shaped adsorbents, catalysts, and insulators, among other applications. Here, this work reports a new approach that enables both the formation of modular aerogels, via dynamic covalent chemistry, and their post-synthetic modification, via coordination chemistry. To demonstrate this strategy, this work first polymerizes porous amino-functionalized Rh(II)-based metal-organic polyhedra (MOPs) with aldehydes, which afforded robust imine-gel networks that is then converted into aerogels. Next, this work functionalizes these aerogels through the coordination of ligands on the axial site of Rh(II) paddlewheels of the MOP. Interestingly, in this chemistry, the local changes in the coordination site of the MOPs are transferred to the overall aerogel, thereby altering its macroscopic physicochemical properties. Importantly, this feature enables the synthesis of optimized adsorbents tailored to specific guests, as this work demonstrates through a series of experiments using ligands of different electrostatic and hydrophobic charactersThis work was supported by the Spanish MINECO (project RTI2018-095622-B-I00, PID2019-106268GB-C32, and TED2021-129886B-C42)), and the Catalan AGAUR (project 2021 SGR 00458). It was also funded by the CERCA program/Generalitat de Catalunya. ICN2 is supported by the Severo Ochoa Centres of Excellence program, Grant CEX2021-001214-S, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039.501100011033. A.C.S. is indebted to the Ramón y Cajal Program (RYC2020-029749-I Fellowship) and the Europa Excelencia grant (EUR2021-121997). K.R. gratefully acknowledges the support of the National Science Centre (NCN), Poland (Grants no. 2020/36/C/ST4/00534

Uracil grafted imine-based covalent organic framework for nucleobase recognition

An imine-based covalent organic framework (COF) decorated in its cavities with uracil groups has shown selective recognition towards adenine in water. These results show how the confinement of the base-pair inside the COF's pores allows a remarkable selective recognition in aqueous mediaThis work was financially supported by MINECO (MAT2016-77608-C3-1-P and 2-P, SAF2017-87305-R). IMDEA Nanociencia acknowledges support from the ‘Severo Ochoa’ Programme for Centres of Excellence in R&D (MINECO, Grant SEV-2016-0686). Funding from the European Research Council (ERC-StG 279548) and MINECO (CTQ2014-27729-P and CTQ2017-84727-P) is gratefully acknowledged (DGR

3D printing of covalent organic frameworks: a microfluidic-based system to manufacture binder-free macroscopic monoliths

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have witnessed outstanding developments in the past 15 years, particularly in optimizing their pore structures, linkages, and variety of monomers used in their synthesis. Yet, a significant challenge remains unaddressed: the processability of COFs into macroscopic architectures with arbitrary shapes, as they are typically obtained as unprocessable powders. This study presents a novel strategy to address this issue by developing a 3D printable ink comprising a colloidal water suspension of COF nanoparticles. A microfluidic device is engineered that provides precise control over the gelation process of the COF-based ink, allowing for a layer-by-layer fabrication. As a result, the direct production of large-scale binder-free COF architectures from digital designs is achieved at room temperature and atmospheric pressure while eliminating the use of toxic organic solventsThis work had been supported by the Spanish MINECO (PID2019- 106268GB-C32, PID2022-138908NB-C31, TED2021-129886B-C42, PDC2022-133498-I00, and PID2020-116612RB-C33). The authors acknowledge the service from the MiNa Laboratory at IMN and funding from CM (project S2018/NMT-4291 TEC2SPACE), MINECO (project CSIC13-4E-1794) and EU (FEDER, FSE). F.Z. acknowledges financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, through the “María de Maeztu” Programme for Units of Excellence in R&D (CEX2018- 000805-M). S.P., J.P.-L., and F. Z. also acknowledge support from the European Innovation Council under grant Agreement 101047081 (EVA). The authors acknowledge the support from the “(MAD2D-CM)-UAM” project funded by Comunidad de Madrid, by the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, and by NextGenerationEU from the European Unio

Oxygen reduction using a metal-free naphthalene diimide-based covalent organic framework electrocatalyst

A novel naphthalene diimide-based covalent organic framework (NDI-COF) has been synthesized and successfully exfoliated into COF nanosheets (CONs). Electrochemical measurements reveal that the naphthalene diimide units incorporated into NDI-CONs act as efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction in alkaline media, showing its potential for the development of metal-free fuel cellsFinancial support from the Spanish Government (projects MAT2016-77608-C3-1-P, MAT2016-77608-C3-2-P, CTQ2017-84309-C2-1-R, MAT2017-85089-C2-1-R, FJCI-2017-33536 and RYC-2015-17730), the UCM (INV.GR.00.1819.10759) and the Madrid Regional Government (TRANSNANOAVANSENS-CM (S2018/NMT-4349)) is acknowledge

Protein kinase GCN2 mediates responses to glyphosate in Arabidopsis

Background: The increased selection pressure of the herbicide glyphosate has played a role in the evolution of glyphosate-resistance in weedy species, an issue that is becoming a threat to global agriculture. The molecular components involved in the cellular toxicity response to this herbicide at the expression level are still unidentified. Results: In this study, we identify the protein kinase GCN2 as a cellular component that fosters the action of glyphosate in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Comparative studies using wild-type and gcn2 knock-out mutant seedlings show that the molecular programme that the plant deploys after the treatment with the herbicide, is compromised in gcn2. Moreover, gcn2 adult plants show a lower inhibition of photosynthesis, and both seedlings and adult gcn2 plants accumulate less shikimic acid than wild-type after treatment with glyphosate. Conclusions: These results points to an unknown GCN2-dependent factor involved in the cascade of events triggered by glyphosate in plants. Data suggest either that the herbicide does not equally reach the target-enzyme in a gcn2 background, or that a decreased flux in the shikimate pathway in a gcn2 plants minimize the impact of enzyme inhibition.p This work was mainly supported by the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia (PAID2011-16) and the Ministerio Espanol de Ciencia y Tecnologia (BFU2011-22526). The work was partially supported through a grant from the Ministerio Espanol de Ciencia y Tecnologia (AGL-2010-18621).Faus, I.; Zabalza Ostos, AM.; Santiago, J.; González Nebauer, S.; Royuela, M.; Serrano, R.; Gadea, J. (2015). Protein kinase GCN2 mediates responses to glyphosate in Arabidopsis. BMC Plant Biology. 15(14). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-014-0378-0S1514Basu, C., Halfhill, M. D., Mueller, T. C., & Stewart, C. N. (2004). Weed genomics: new tools to understand weed biology. 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Pest Management Science, 64(4), 319-325. doi:10.1002/ps.1518De María, N., Becerril, J. M., García-Plazaola, J. I., Hernández, A., de Felipe, M. R., & Fernández-Pascual, M. (2006). New Insights on Glyphosate Mode of Action in Nodular Metabolism:  Role of Shikimate Accumulation. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 54(7), 2621-2628. doi:10.1021/jf058166cZulet, A., Gil-Monreal, M., Villamor, J. G., Zabalza, A., van der Hoorn, R. A. L., & Royuela, M. (2013). Proteolytic Pathways Induced by Herbicides That Inhibit Amino Acid Biosynthesis. PLoS ONE, 8(9), e73847. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0073847Ahsan, N., Lee, D.-G., Lee, K.-W., Alam, I., Lee, S.-H., Bahk, J. D., & Lee, B.-H. (2008). Glyphosate-induced oxidative stress in rice leaves revealed by proteomic approach. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, 46(12), 1062-1070. doi:10.1016/j.plaphy.2008.07.002Lu, W., Li, L., Chen, M., Zhou, Z., Zhang, W., Ping, S., … Lin, M. (2013). Genome-wide transcriptional responses of Escherichia coli to glyphosate, a potent inhibitor of the shikimate pathway enzyme 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase. Mol. BioSyst., 9(3), 522-530. doi:10.1039/c2mb25374gServaites, J. C., Tucci, M. A., & Geiger, D. R. (1987). Glyphosate Effects on Carbon Assimilation, Ribulose Bisphosphate Carboxylase Activity, and Metabolite Levels in Sugar Beet Leaves. Plant Physiology, 85(2), 370-374. doi:10.1104/pp.85.2.370Zhu, J., Patzoldt, W. L., Shealy, R. T., Vodkin, L. O., Clough, S. J., & Tranel, P. J. (2008). Transcriptome Response to Glyphosate in Sensitive and Resistant Soybean. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 56(15), 6355-6363. doi:10.1021/jf801254eMarc, J., Mulner-Lorillon, O., & Bellé, R. (2004). Glyphosate-based pesticides affect cell cycle regulation. Biology of the Cell, 96(3), 245-249. doi:10.1016/j.biolcel.2003.11.010Wek, R. C., Jiang, H.-Y., & Anthony, T. G. (2006). Coping with stress: eIF2 kinases and translational control. Biochemical Society Transactions, 34(1), 7-11. doi:10.1042/bst0340007Hinnebusch, A. G. (2005). TRANSLATIONAL REGULATION OFGCN4AND THE GENERAL AMINO ACID CONTROL OF YEAST. Annual Review of Microbiology, 59(1), 407-450. doi:10.1146/annurev.micro.59.031805.133833Zhang, Y., Dickinson, J. R., Paul, M. J., & Halford, N. G. (2003). Molecular cloning of an arabidopsis homologue of GCN2, a protein kinase involved in co-ordinated response to amino acid starvation. Planta, 217(4), 668-675. doi:10.1007/s00425-003-1025-4Zhang, Y., Wang, Y., Kanyuka, K., Parry, M. A. J., Powers, S. J., & Halford, N. G. (2008). GCN2-dependent phosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor-2α in Arabidopsis. Journal of Experimental Botany, 59(11), 3131-3141. doi:10.1093/jxb/ern169Lageix, S., Lanet, E., Pouch-Pélissier, M.-N., Espagnol, M.-C., Robaglia, C., Deragon, J.-M., & Pélissier, T. (2008). Arabidopsis eIF2α kinase GCN2 is essential for growth in stress conditions and is activated by wounding. BMC Plant Biology, 8(1), 134. doi:10.1186/1471-2229-8-134Shaikhin, S. M., Smailov, S. K., Lee, A. V., Kozhanov, E. V., & Iskakov, B. K. (1992). Interaction of wheat germ translation initiation factor 2 with GDP and GTP. Biochimie, 74(5), 447-454. doi:10.1016/0300-9084(92)90085-sKrishna, V. M., Janaki, N., & Ramaiah, K. V. A. (1997). Wheat Germ Initiation Factor 2 (WG·eIF2) Decreases the Inhibition in Protein Synthesis and eIF2B Activity of Reticulocyte Lysates Mediated by eIF2α Phosphorylation. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics, 346(1), 28-36. doi:10.1006/abbi.1997.0263Immanuel, T. M., Greenwood, D. R., & MacDiarmid, R. M. (2012). A critical review of translation initiation factor eIF2α kinases in plants - regulating protein synthesis during stress. Functional Plant Biology, 39(9), 717. doi:10.1071/fp12116Byrne, E. H., Prosser, I., Muttucumaru, N., Curtis, T. Y., Wingler, A., Powers, S., & Halford, N. G. (2011). Overexpression of GCN2-type protein kinase in wheat has profound effects on free amino acid concentration and gene expression. Plant Biotechnology Journal, 10(3), 328-340. doi:10.1111/j.1467-7652.2011.00665.xDas, M., Reichman, J. R., Haberer, G., Welzl, G., Aceituno, F. F., Mader, M. T., … Olszyk, D. M. (2009). A composite transcriptional signature differentiates responses towards closely related herbicides in Arabidopsis thaliana and Brassica napus. Plant Molecular Biology, 72(4-5), 545-556. doi:10.1007/s11103-009-9590-yYuan, J. S., Tranel, P. J., & Stewart, C. N. (2007). Non-target-site herbicide resistance: a family business. Trends in Plant Science, 12(1), 6-13. doi:10.1016/j.tplants.2006.11.001Peng, Y., Abercrombie, L. L., Yuan, J. S., Riggins, C. W., Sammons, R. D., Tranel, P. J., & Stewart, C. N. (2010). Characterization of the horseweed (Conyza canadensis) transcriptome using GS-FLX 454 pyrosequencing and its application for expression analysis of candidate non-target herbicide resistance genes. Pest Management Science, 66(10), 1053-1062. doi:10.1002/ps.2004Baena-González, E. (2010). Energy Signaling in the Regulation of Gene Expression during Stress. Molecular Plant, 3(2), 300-313. doi:10.1093/mp/ssp113Vivancos, P. D., Driscoll, S. P., Bulman, C. A., Ying, L., Emami, K., Treumann, A., … Foyer, C. H. (2011). Perturbations of Amino Acid Metabolism Associated with Glyphosate-Dependent Inhibition of Shikimic Acid Metabolism Affect Cellular Redox Homeostasis and Alter the Abundance of Proteins Involved in Photosynthesis and Photorespiration. Plant Physiology, 157(1), 256-268. doi:10.1104/pp.111.181024Daudi, A., Cheng, Z., O’Brien, J. A., Mammarella, N., Khan, S., Ausubel, F. M., & Bolwell, G. P. (2012). The Apoplastic Oxidative Burst Peroxidase in Arabidopsis Is a Major Component of Pattern-Triggered Immunity. The Plant Cell, 24(1), 275-287. doi:10.1105/tpc.111.093039Denis, M.-H., & Delrot, S. (1993). Carrier-mediated uptake of glyphosate in broad bean (Vicia faba) via a phosphate transporter. Physiologia Plantarum, 87(4), 569-575. doi:10.1111/j.1399-3054.1993.tb02508.xHetherington, P. R., Marshall, G., Kirkwood, R. C., & Warner, J. M. (1998). Absorption and efflux of glyphosate by cell suspensions. Journal of Experimental Botany, 49(320), 527-533. doi:10.1093/jxb/49.320.527Goossens, A., Dever, T. E., Pascual-Ahuir, A., & Serrano, R. (2001). The Protein Kinase Gcn2p Mediates Sodium Toxicity in Yeast. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 276(33), 30753-30760. doi:10.1074/jbc.m102960200Muaddi, H., Majumder, M., Peidis, P., Papadakis, A. I., Holcik, M., Scheuner, D., … Koromilas, A. E. (2010). 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Comprehensive cross-platform comparison of methods for non-invasive EGFR mutation testing : results of the RING observational trial.

Abstract Several platforms for noninvasive EGFR testing are currently used in the clinical setting with sensitivities ranging from 30% to 100%. Prospective studies evaluating agreement and sources for discordant results remain lacking. Herein, seven methodologies including two next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based methods, three high-sensitivity PCR-based platforms, and two FDA-approved methods were compared using 72 plasma samples, from EGFR-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients progressing on a first-line tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). NGS platforms as well as high-sensitivity PCR-based methodologies showed excellent agreement for EGFR-sensitizing mutations (K = 0.80-0.89) and substantial agreement for T790M testing (K = 0.77 and 0.68, respectively). Mutant allele frequencies (MAFs) obtained by different quantitative methods showed an excellent reproducibility (intraclass correlation coefficients 0.86-0.98). Among other technical factors, discordant calls mostly occurred at mutant allele frequencies (MAFs) ≤ 0.5%. Agreement significantly improved when discarding samples with MAF ≤ 0.5%. EGFR mutations were detected at significantly lower MAFs in patients with brain metastases, suggesting that these patients risk for a false-positive result. Our results support the use of liquid biopsies for noninvasive EGFR testing and highlight the need to systematically report MAFs. Keywords: NGS; circulating free DNA; epidermal growth factor receptor; non-small-cell lung cancer; osimertinib; tyrosine kinase inhibitor