An infrared thermography approach to evaluate the strength of a rock cliff

The mechanical strength is a fundamental characteristic of rock masses that can be empirically related to a number of properties and to the likelihood of instability phenomena. Direct field acquisition of mechanical information on tall cliffs, however, is challenging, particularly in coastal and alpine environments. Here, we propose a method to evaluate the compressive strength of rock blocks by monitoring their thermal behaviour over a 24-h period by infrared thermography. Using a drone-mounted thermal camera and a Schmidt (rebound) hammer, we surveyed granitoid and aphanitic blocks in a coastal cliff in south-east Sardinia, Italy. We observed a strong correlation between a simple cooling index, evaluated in the hours succeeding the temperature peak, and strength values estimated from rebound hammer test results. We also noticed different heatingcooling patterns in relation to the nature and structure of the rock blocks and to the size of the fractures. Although further validation is warranted in different morpho-lithological settings, we believe the proposed method may prove a valid tool for the characterisation of non-directly accessible rock faces, and may serve as a basis for the formulation, calibration, and validation of thermo-hydro-mechanical constitutive models

Trimethyl chitosan hydrogel nanoparticles for progesterone delivery in neurodegenerative disorders

Progesterone is a sex hormone which shows neuroprotective effects in different neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and Alzheimer’s disease. However, the pharmacokinetic limitations associated with the peripheral administration of this molecule highlight the need for more efficient delivery approaches to increase brain progesterone levels. Since the nose-to-brain administration of mucoadhesive hydrogel nanoparticles is a non-invasive and convenient strategy for the delivery of therapeutics to the central nervous system, in this work, progesterone-loaded hydrogel nanoparticle formulations have been prepared, characterized, and tested in vivo. Nanoparticles, loaded with different progesterone concentrations, have been obtained by polyelectrolyte complex formation between trimethyl chitosan and sodium alginate, followed by ionotropic gelation with sodium tripolyphosphate as a cross-linking agent. All formulations showed a mean diameter ranging from 200 nm to 236 nm, a polydispersity index smaller than 0.23, and a high progesterone encapsulation efficiency (83–95%). The zeta potential values were all positive and greater than 28 mV, thus ensuring nanoparticles stability against aggregation phenomena as well as interaction with negative sialic residues of the nasal mucosa. Finally, in vivo studies on Sprague–Dawley male rats demonstrated a 5-fold increase in brain progesterone concentrations compared to basal progesterone level after 30 min of hydrogel nanoparticle inhalation

Role of OPRM1, clinical and anthropometric variants in neonatal pain reduction

An increased awareness on neonatal pain-associated complications has led to the development of pain scales adequate to assess the level of pain experienced by newborns such as the ABC score. A commonly used analgesic procedure is to administer a 33% oral dextrose solution to newborns prior to the painful intervention. Although this procedure is very successful, not in all subjects it reaches complete efficacy. A possible explanation for the different response to the treatment could be genetic variability. We have investigated the genetic variability of the OPRM1 gene in 1077 newborns in relation to non-pharmacologic pain relief treatment. We observed that the procedure was successful in 966 individuals and there was no association between the genotypes and the analgesic efficacy when comparing individuals that had an ABC score = 0 and ABC score >0. However, considering only the individuals with ABC score>0, we found that the homozygous carriers of the G allele of the missense variant SNP rs1799971 (A118G) showed an interesting association with higher ABC score. We also observed that individuals fed with formula milk were more likely to not respond to the analgesic treatment compared to those that had been breastfed

Thermal remote sensing from UAVs: A review on methods in coastal cliffs prone to landslides

Coastal retreat is a non-recoverable phenomenon that-together with a relevant proneness to landslides-has economic, social and environmental impacts. Quantitative data on geological and geomorphologic features of such areas can help to predict and quantify the phenomena and to propose mitigation measures to reduce their impact. Coastal areas are often inaccessible for sampling and in situ surveys, in particular where steeply sloping cliffs are present. Uses and capability of infrared thermography (IRT) were reviewed, highlighting its suitability in geological and landslides hazard applications. Thanks to the high resolution of the cameras on the market, unmanned aerial vehicle-based IRT allows to acquire large amounts of data from inaccessible steep cliffs. Coupled structure-from-motion photogrammetry and coregistration of data can improve accuracy of IRT data. According to the strengths recognized in the reviewed literature, a three-step methodological approach to produce IRTs was proposed

Polymorphic variants in Sweet and Umami taste receptor genes and birthweight

The first thousand days of life from conception have a significant impact on the health status with short, and long-term effects. Among several anthropometric and maternal lifestyle parameters birth weight plays a crucial role on the growth and neurological development of infants. Recent genome wide association studies (GWAS) have demonstrated a robust foetal and maternal genetic background of birth weight, however only a small proportion of the genetic hereditability has been already identified. Considering the extensive number of phenotypes on which they are involved, we focused on identifying the possible effect of genetic variants belonging to taste receptor genes and birthweight. In the human genome there are two taste receptors family the bitter receptors (TAS2Rs) and the sweet and umami receptors (TAS1Rs). In particular sweet perception is due to a heterodimeric receptor encoded by the TAS1R2 and the TAS1R3 gene, while the umami taste receptor is encoded by the TAS1R1 and the TAS1R3 genes. We observed that carriers of the T allele of the TAS1R1-rs4908932 SNPs showed an increase in birthweight compared to GG homozygotes Coeff: 87.40 (35.13–139.68) p-value = 0.001. The association remained significant after correction for multiple testing. TAS1R1-rs4908932 is a potentially functional SNP and is in linkage disequilibrium with another polymorphism that has been associated with BMI in adults showing the importance of this variant from the early stages of conception through all the adult life

Evaluation of Antibody Response to Heterologous Prime-Boost Vaccination with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and BNT162b2: An Observational Study

In several countries, thrombotic events after vaccination with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 have led to heterologous messenger RNA (mRNA) boosting. We tested the antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein four weeks after heterologous priming with the ChAdOx1 (ChAd) vector vaccine fol-lowed by boosting with BNT162b2(ChAd/BNT), comparing data of homologous regimen (BNT/BNT, ChAd/ChAd) subjects positive for SARS-CoV-2 after the first dose of BNT162b2 (BNT1dose/CoV2) and convalescent COVID-19. Methods: healthy subjects naïve for SARS-CoV-2 infection were as-sessed for serum IgG anti-S-RBD response 21 days after priming (T1), 4 (TFULL) and 15 (T15W) weeks after booster dose. Results: The median IgG anti-S-RBD levels at TFULL of Chad/BNT group were significantly higher than the BNT/BNT group and ChAd/ChAd. Those of BNT/BNT group were significantly higher than ChAd/ChAd. IgG anti-S-RBD of BNT1dose/CoV2 group were similar to BNT/BNT, ChAd/BNT and ChAd/Chad group. The levels among COVID-19 convalescents were significantly lower than ChAd/BNT, BNT/BNT, ChAd/Chad and BNT1dose/CoV2. The proportion of subjects reaching an anti-S-RBD titer >75 AU/mL, correlated with high neutralizing titer, was 94% in ChAd/BNT and BNT/BNT, 60% in BNT1dose/CoV2, 25% in ChAd/ChAd and 4.2% in convales-cents. At T15W the titer of ChAd/BNT was still significantly higher than other vaccine schedules, while the anti-S-RBD decline was reduced for ChAd/ChAd and similar for other combinations. Conclusion: Our data highlight the magnitude of IgG anti-S-RBD response in ChAd/BNT dosing, supporting the current national guidelines for heterologous boosting

Knowledge ecologies and ecosystems? An empirically grounded reflection on recent developments in innovation systems theory

Recent academic and policy debate on innovation indicates that there has been some shift from a more traditional systems approach to ecologies and ecosystems. The latter are concepts transferred from the world of biology to the social world in order to explain the evolutionary nature of interrelations between different individuals, their innovative activities, and their environment. We evaluate the concept of knowledge ecology and the theory of innovation ecosystem on two fundamental grounds; firstly, on the grounds of theoretical plausibility and conceptual consistency; secondly, on empirical grounds of the case of public private interrelations of biotech innovation in Cambridge. The argument is that the concept of knowledge ecology and the theory of innovation ecosystems can lead to problems of reductionism and functionalism. This is due to their development in abstraction from more grounded analysis of historical processes of the social division of labour. Knowledge and innovation need to be looked at in the context of historically founded processes of socioeconomic development

Outcome variables in the evaluation of alcoholics' treatment: Lessons from the Italian Assessment of Alcoholism Treatment (ASSALT) project

The observational evaluation of alcoholics' treatments requires a combined analysis of alcoholic behaviour during treatment and of adherence to therapeutic programmes. The application of survival analysis techniques in this setting has been explored in this study. Two hundred and seventy alcoholics admitted to 15 Italian treatment units in a 1-year period were followed-up for 2 years, recording date and length of every recurrence episode and of definitive or transitory interruption of the planned treatment. An extensive use of several survival analysis techniques was made. The length of time between the start of the treatment and the first episode of relapse did not give a reliable measure of frequency of failures. Conversely, the length of time between the start of treatment and withdrawal appeared to be unbiased. The cumulative proportions of treatment-compliant patients (and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals) were 71% (66-76%), 63% (57-69%) and 53% (47-60%) after 6 months, 1 year and 2 years respectively from the start of treatment. Cumulative abstinence duration before withdrawal was significantly and positively associated with the risk of first, of definitive, and of every episode of treatment interruption. This first application of survival analysis techniques to the combined study of alcoholic behaviour and of adherence to treatment can improve our knowledge of treatment evaluation. Our results suggest that compliance to treatment is an objective and versatile outcome measure. Long-term follow-up studies aimed to elucidate the determinants of withdrawal should be performed