Reflection High-Energy Electron Diffraction oscillations during epitaxial growth of artificially layered films of (BaCuOx)m /(CaCuO2)n

Pulsed Laser Deposition in molecular-beam epitaxy environment (Laser-MBE) has been used to grow high quality BaCuOx/CaCuO2 superlattices. In situ Reflection High Energy Electron Diffraction (RHEED) shows that the growth mechanism is 2-dimensional. Furthermore, weak but reproducible RHEED intensity oscillations have been monitored during the growth. Ex-situ x-ray diffraction spectra confirmed the growth rate deduced from RHEED oscillations. Such results demonstrate that RHEED oscillations can be used, even for (BaCuOx)2/(CaCuO2)2 superlattices, for phase locking of the growth.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures. Corresponding author: Dr. A. Tebano: [email protected]

Further insights on predictors of environmental tobacco smoke exposure during the pediatric age

Background: The smoking ban in public places has reduced Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) exposure for non-smokers, but despite this, domestic environments still remain places at high risk of exposure, and, today, about 40% of children worldwide are exposed to ETS at home. The aims of the study are to investigate the contribution of several factors on ETS exposure among a group of Italian children and to evaluate the changes in smoking precautions adopted at home when the smoker is the mother, the father, or both parents, respectively. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed on a sample of 519 Italian schoolchildren. Information was collected via a questionnaire. Results: 41.4% of the participants lived with at least one smoker. Almost half of the children exposed to ETS lived with one or more smokers who do not observe any home smoking ban. Lower maternal or paternal educational levels significantly increase the risk of ETS exposure at home and the “worst case” is represented by both parents who smoke. Conclusions: More effective preventive interventions are needed to protect children from ETS exposure. Some interventions should be specifically dedicated to smokers with a low educational level and to mothers that smoke

NetCausality: A time-delayed neural network tool for causality detection and analysis

The analysis of causality between systems is still an important research activity, which finds application in several fields of science. The software presented is a new tool for causality detection and analysis between time series. The proposed technique is based on time-delayed neural networks (TDNN). The tool is developed in MATLAB and it comprises three main functions. The first one returns the total causality between two or more systems of equations. The second tool is used to find the ‘‘time horizon’’, id est the time delay at which the influence between the systems occurs. The last function is a causality feature detection to determine the time intervals, in which the mutual coupling is sufficiently strong to have a real influence on the target

Energy and Environmental Refurbishment of the Hygiene Institute within the Sapienza University of Rome campus

Starting from the definition of sustainable development introduced by the 2030 Agenda, and the most recent European implementation tools such as above all the New Green Deal, three goals have been highlighted as pilot objectives of this research: Goal 13 “Climate Action” to strengthen the resilience and adaptability of our building stock to climate-related risks, Goal 7 “Affordable and Clean Energy” by increasing the share of renewable energy and improving the energy efficiency of the existing building stock and Goal 6 “Clean Water and Sanitation”, aimed, in this specific case, at a sustainable management of water resources and technologies for recycling and reuse. In particular, the research work focused on the energy and environmental redevelopment, from a green perspective, of the “Sanarelli” Institute of Hygiene within the “Sapienza” University of Rome campus. The building was built in 1935 and, following a series of changes over the years, currently has a total volume of 37,700 m3 and an area of 9,475 m2. After an in-depth study of the status quo thanks to inspections, surveys, non- invasive investigations and environmental analyses, the work has focused on the definition of specific objectives with the ultimate aim of the energy and environmental refurbishment intervention by tracing 7 strategies thanks to which it has been possible to identify 9 technical solutions to be applied to the Institute. The design choices highlight a close synergy between active and passive devices which together contribute to achieving a circular use of water resources on site, with systems for capturing and collecting rainwater and treating wastewater, as well as achieving a significant improvement in the energy behaviour of the building. This improvement has been possible not only thanks to the updating, with respect to nowadays uses and standards, of the characteristics of the building envelope and of the active systems, but also thanks to the close collaboration between the active and passive technological solutions that have led to satisfactory results with a view to reducing CO2 emissions

Tracheocutaneous fistula in patients undergoing supracricoid partial laryngectomy: the role of chronic aspiration

The aim of the present retrospective controlled study was to analyse and compare risk factors for tracheocutaneous fistula in patients who received tracheostomy after supracricoid partial laryngectomy with those who received tracheostomy for other causes. We enrolled 39 patients with tracheocutaneous fistulas who were divided into two groups. The first received temporary tracheostomy for supracricoid partial laryngectomies (n = 21), while the control group consisted of patients who received temporary tracheostomy for other causes (n = 18). Risk factors believed to play a role in the pathogenesis of tracheocutaneous fistula were examined including advanced age, cardiopathy, local infections, radiotherapy, elevated body mass index, malnutrition, decannulation time and aspiration grade. The Leipzig and Pearson scale score was significantly higher in the supracricoid partial laryngectomy group (p = 0.006 and 0.031 for univariate and multivariate analyses, respectively). The penetration/aspiration scale score was significantly higher in the supracricoid partial laryngectomy group as determined by univariate analysis (p = 0.014). The decannulation time was significantly lower in the supracricoid partial laryngectomy group (p = 0.004 and 0.0004 for univariate and multivariate analyses, respectively). The number of surgical closures for tracheocutaneous fistula was significantly higher in the supracricoid partial laryngectomy group by univariate analysis (p = 0.027). These results suggest that chronic aspiration and related cough may be important pathogenic factors for tracheocutaneous fistula and could be responsible for the significantly higher rates of closure failure in patients after supracricoid partial laryngectomy

Extracellular vesicles. New endogenous shuttles for mirnas in cancer diagnosis and therapy?

Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) represent a heterogeneous population of membranous cell-derived structures, including cargo-oriented exosomes and microvesicles. EVs are functionally associated with intercellular communication and play an essential role in multiple physiopathological conditions. Shedding of EVs is frequently increased in malignancies and their content, including proteins and nucleic acids, altered during carcinogenesis and cancer progression. EVs-mediated intercellular communication between tumor cells and between tumor and stromal cells can modulate, through cargo miRNA, the survival, progression, and drug resistance in cancer conditions. These consolidated suggestions and EVs’ stability in bodily fluids have led to extensive investigations on the potential employment of circulating EVs-derived miRNAs as tumor biomarkers and potential therapeutic vehicles. In this review, we highlight the current knowledge about circulating EVs-miRNAs in human cancer and the application limits of these tools, discussing their clinical utility and challenges in functions such as in biomarkers and instruments for diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy

Identification of rainy periods from ground based microwave radiometry

AbstractIn this paper the authors present the results of a study aiming at detecting rainy data in measurements collected by a dual band ground-based radiometer.The proposed criterion is based on the ratio of the brightness temperatures observed in the 20–30 GHz band without need of any ancillary information. A major result obtained from the probability density of the ratio computed over one month of data is the identification of threshold values between clear sky, cloudy sky and rainy sky, respectively. A linear fit performed by using radiometric data and concurrent rain gauge measurements shows a correlation coefficient equal to 0.56 between the temperature ratio and the observed precipitation

Laryngotracheal stenosis treated with multiple surgeries: experience, results and prognostic factors in 70 patients

Laryngotracheal stenosis is a complex condition that usually requires multiple procedures to restore physiological respiration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the percentage of decannulation compared to different or multiple surgical treatments. We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 70 patients treated between 1990 and 2005 for laryngotracheal stenosis of various aetiology: iatrogenic stenosis (n = 55), post-traumatic stenosis (n = 11) or other causes (autoimmune disease, n = 3; diphtheria, n = 1). In order to maintain laryngotracheal patency, a Montgomery Safe-T tube was used in all patients as a single dilation treatment or associated with endoscopic and/or open-neck surgery. Fifty-four of the 70 patients (77.1%) were eventually decannulated; 39 of these (72.2%) underwent 3 or fewer surgical procedures, showing a significant difference compared to patients who underwent more than 3 surgeries (p = 0.00002). A total of 257 surgeries were performed. Only seven of 54 patients (13%) were decannulated after more than 5 surgical procedures. Patients over 60 years of age and with a higher grade of stenosis showed a significantly lower success rate (p = 0.0017 and p = 0.007, respectively). There was no significant correlation between the rate of decannulation and gender, aetiology, site of stenosis or surgery. Patients undergoing dilation for laryngotracheal stenosis usually require multiple procedures. The T tube plays an important role in the treatment of this pathology. However, if the tracheostomy is not removed within 3 surgical interventions, the odds of decannulating the patient decrease significantly, and additional surgeries may be of questionable therapeutic benefit