The potential of Antheraea pernyi silk for spinal cord repair

This work was supported by the Institute of Medical Sciences of the University of Aberdeen, Scottish Rugby Union and RS McDonald Charitable Trust. We are grateful to Mr Nicholas Hawkins from Oxford University and Ms Annette Raffan from the University of Aberdeen for assistance with tensile testing. We thank Ms Michelle Gniβ for her help with the microglial response experiments. We also thank Mr Gianluca Limodio for assisting with the MATLAB script for automation of tensile testing’s data analysis.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Analysis of the seismic site effects along the ancient Via Laurentina (Rome)

This paper presents an evaluation of the Local Seismic Response (LSR) along the route of the ancient Roman road Via Laurentina, which has been exposed in several areas of southwest Rome over the last decade during the construction of new buildings and infrastructures. It is an example of LSR analysis applied to ancient and archaeological sites located in alluvial valleys with some methodological inferences for the design of infrastructure and urban planning. Since the ancient road does not cross the alluvial valley (namely the Fosso di Vallerano Valley) normal to its sides, it was not possible to directly perform 2D numerical modelling to evaluate the LSR along the road route. Therefore, outputs of 2D numerical models, obtained along three cross sections that were normal oriented respect to the valley, were projected along the route of the Via Laurentina within a reliable buffer attributed according to an available high-resolution geological model of the local subsoil. The modelled amplification functions consider physical effects due to both the 2D shape of the valley and the heterogeneities of the alluvial deposits. The 1D and 2D amplification functions were compared to output that non-negligible effects are related to the narrow shape of the fluvial valley and the lateral contacts between the lithotecnical units composing the alluvial fill. The here experienced methodology is suitable for applications to the numerical modelling of seismic response in case of linear infrastructures (i.e., roads, bridges, railways) that do not cross the natural system along physically characteristic directions (i.e. longitudinally or transversally)

Experimental Investigation on Thermal Diffusivity of PM Steels

The scanty literature data on thermal diffusivity of P/M steels seems contradictory, if the cooling speed on quenching is the evaluation parameter. Due to the basic importance of diffusivity on the response of P/M steels to heat-treating, an experimental survey has been carried out, to collect data on various P/M steels, based on prealloyed, or diffusion-bonded, or admixed powders. The study has also covered the influence of processing parameters, such as compaction pressure and sintering temperature. The flash method has been used to measure the thermal diffusivity of P/M steels. This method directly measures the thermal diffusivity of a sample in slab shape. A plane-parallel sample is inserted in the test apparatus and then a short light pulse, produced by a laser or a flash lamp, heats the front surface of the sample. The heat diffuses through the sample, leading to a temperature rise on the sample rear surface. An infrared detector measures this temperature rise, versus time, and thermal diffusivity is derived from the least square regression on the whole temperature trend, using the analytical solution of heat conduction. The results show that thermal diffusivity increases as density increases. This achievement can be justified by a simple theoretical analysis of the thermal conductivity on thermal diffusivity. The collected data also enable us to ascertain the influence of sintered material composition and carbon content on thermal diffusivity. The results should contribute to clarify some uncertainties and perplexities on the behavior of properly elaborated P/M steels, to be hardened by heat treatment, conventional – such as oil quenching – or innovative, such as sinter -hardening

TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants-determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits-almost complete coverage for 'plant growth form'. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait-environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

Covid-19: when health care resources run short, how to pick who should (not) get treated?

: The World Health Organization had long warned of the onset of a pandemic that could throw national health systems into a major crisis, even in wealthy developed nations. Nonetheless, almost a year and a half after its appearance, Covid-19 continues to make painful triage choices necessary in granting access intensive care. Based on the opinions of numerous ethics committees and scientific societies, the article aims to illustrate the difference between the utilitarian-collectivist approach and the ethical approach, which inspired the guidelines drawn up in Italy in 2021 by SIAARTI in collaboration with SIMLA. Only medical parameters should be evaluated to establish the prognosis through which to identify the patients to be treated as a priority. Otherwise, the patient's interest is subordinated to that of the community. But moral judgment cannot concern only the choices of doctors. According to the principle of beneficence, hospital directors and national and local health policy managers must also take action, in particular to eliminate waste of economic resources so as to allocate more of them to health protection, especially in consideration of the predictability with which infection rates increase, and in light of the fact that immunization through vaccination is only temporary

Posthumous sperm retrieval: A procreative revolution

Aim Postmortem sperm retrieval with consequent artificial insemination has become a technically possible option for future use in assisted reproductive technology (ART). The authors have set out to discuss the social and ethical significance of posthumous sperm retrieval, and the laws currently in force in Italy, the United States and elsewhere. Methods International literature from 1997 to 2020 has been reviewed from Pubmed database, Google Scholar and Scopus, drawn upon American, Italian and international sources (an ethically acceptable solution can only be achieved through an over-haul of the laws currently in effect). One of the most contentious issues was about donor consent. In Italy, a donor's will to retrieve his sperm in the event of premature disappearance can be proven according to the Law 219/2017, through advance health care directives. Results A substantial increase, both in requests and protocols, was documented in the United States. In Italy, over the last two years, three rulings were issued concerning posthumous insemination. However, no official standardized protocols, guidelines or targeted legislation exist at the national level to regulate medical activity in that realm, whereas established laws often set implicit limitations. Conclusion Current legal frameworks appear to be inadequate, because in most cases they were conceived under conditions that have radically changed. The need for newly-updated regulatory frameworks to promptly bridge that gap is increasingly clear, if current social needs related to reproductive rights are to be met in the foreseeable future

Lega eutettica Pb-Bi allo stato liquido: studio dell’ordine a breve raggio

La conoscenza delle modifiche strutturali che avvengono nella lega eutettica Pb-Bi (LBE) allo stato liquido èimportante sia da un punto di vista scientifico che applicativo. Questa lega è stata selezionata come liquidodi raffreddamento e come sorgente di neutroni di spallazione nello sviluppo di MYRRHA (ADS), quindi le sueproprietà termo-fisiche giocano un ruolo molto importante.Esperimenti di Spettroscopia Meccanica [1-2] evidenziano nella lega allo stato liquido la presenza di un ampiomassimo di frizione interna e una grossa variazione del modulo elastico tra 350 °C e 520 °C. Dopo fusione ilmodulo elastico della lega decresce in maniera costante fino a ~350 °C, poi a 400 °C si registra un brusco caloche copre un intervallo di temperatura di circa 170 °C, infine, sopra 520 °C il modulo continua a decrescere conuna pendenza molto simile a quella iniziale.Lo scopo di questo lavoro è stato quello di investigare mediante diffrazione X ad alta temperatura (HT-XRD)la struttura della lega LBE e la sua evoluzione in un esteso intervallo di temperatura (fino a 720 °C). I risultatimostrano che l’ordine a breve raggio della lega subito dopo fusione corrisponde a una struttura cubo-ottaedricache progressivamente evolve verso una struttura icosaedrica al crescere della temperatura. Tale trasformazione sicompleta intorno a 720 °C

Lymph node fine needle cytology, Epstein Barr virus infection and Hodgkin Lymphoma

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a double-strand DNA virus of the herpes family; it is one of the most common human viruses and it is associated with a wide spectrum of benign and malignant conditions. EBV is related to the development of several neoplasms, globally 1% of tumours, including lymphoproliferative, epithelial and mesenchymal neoplasm. Lymphoproliferative disorders include Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and B and T cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. HL is one of the most common lymphoma in the developed world, affecting both young people and adults. HL pathogenesis is complex and includes various and partially unknown mechanisms. EBV has been detected in some HL neoplastic cells and expresses genes with a potential oncogenic function, therefore many studies suggest that viral infections have a causative role in neoplastic transformation. Fine Needle Cytology (FNC) is extensively used in the first diagnosis of any lymph-nodal enlargement, including reactive lymphadeno - pathies and lymphoproliferative processes; therefore cytopathologists are likely to encounter EBVassociated malignancies in cytology samples, mainly HL, which is one of the most common lymphoma. This study focuses on the cytological features and ancillary studies required to diagnose EBV-related HL