Quantum and Classical Glass Transitions in LiHoxY1−xF4Li Ho_x Y_{1-x} F_4

When performed in the proper low field, low frequency limits, measurements of the dynamics and the nonlinear susceptibility in the model Ising magnet in transverse field, $\text{LiHo}_x\text{Y}_{1-x}\text{F}_4$, prove the existence of a spin glass transition for $x$ = 0.167 and 0.198. The classical behavior tracks for the two concentrations, but the behavior in the quantum regime at large transverse fields differs because of the competing effects of quantum entanglement and random fields.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures. Updated figure 3 with corrected calibration information for thermometr

Laser fabrication of anti-icing surfaces: A review

In numerous fields such as aerospace, the environment, and energy supply, ice generation and accretion represent a severe issue. For this reason, numerous methods have been developed for ice formation to be delayed and/or to inhibit ice adhesion to the substrates. Among them, laser micro/nanostructuring of surfaces aiming to obtain superhydrophobic behavior has been taken as a starting point for engineering substrates with anti-icing properties. In this review article, the key concept of surface wettability and its relationship with anti-icing is discussed. Furthermore, a comprehensive overview of the laser strategies to obtain superhydrophobic surfaces with anti-icing behavior is provided, from direct laser writing (DLW) to laser-induced periodic surface structuring (LIPSS), and direct laser interference patterning (DLIP). Micro-/nano-texturing of several materials is reviewed, from aluminum alloys to polymeric substrates

Sorting of particles using inertial focusing and laminar vortex technology: A review

The capability of isolating and sorting specific types of cells is crucial in life science, particularly for the early diagnosis of lethal diseases and monitoring of medical treatments. Among all the micro-fluidics techniques for cell sorting, inertial focusing combined with the laminar vortex technology is a powerful method to isolate cells from flowing samples in an efficient manner. This label-free method does not require any external force to be applied, and allows high throughput and continuous sample separation, thus offering a high filtration efficiency over a wide range of particle sizes. Although rather recent, this technology and its applications are rapidly growing, thanks to the development of new chip designs, the employment of new materials and microfabrication technologies. In this review, a comprehensive overview is provided on the most relevant works which employ inertial focusing and laminar vortex technology to sort particles. After briefly summarizing the other cells sorting techniques, highlighting their limitations, the physical mechanisms involved in particle trapping and sorting are described. Then, the materials and microfabrication methods used to implement this technology on miniaturized devices are illustrated. The most relevant evolution steps in the chips design are discussed, and their performances critically analyzed to suggest future developments of this technology

A comparative study of Gaussian Graphical Model approaches for genomic data

The inference of networks of dependencies by Gaussian Graphical models on high-throughput data is an open issue in modern molecular biology. In this paper we provide a comparative study of three methods to obtain small sample and high dimension estimates of partial correlation coefficients: the Moore-Penrose pseudoinverse (PINV), residual correlation (RCM) and covariance-regularized method $(\ell_{2C})$. We first compare them on simulated datasets and we find that PINV is less stable in terms of AUC performance when the number of variables changes. The two regularized methods have comparable performances but $\ell_{2C}$ is much faster than RCM. Finally, we present the results of an application of $\ell_{2C}$ for the inference of a gene network for isoprenoid biosynthesis pathways in Arabidopsis thaliana.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure, RevTex4, version to appear in the proceedings of 1st International Workshop on Pattern Recognition, Proteomics, Structural Biology and Bioinformatics: PR PS BB 2011, Ravenna, Italy, 13 September 201

Biomarkers of aging in HIV: inflammation and the microbiome

Purpose: HIV-infected subjects present increased levels of inflammatory cytokines and T cell activation in the peripheral blood despite suppressive combination antiretroviral therapy which renders them susceptible to premature aging. The purpose of the present work was to review existing evidence on the ways in which the anatomical and microbiological abnormalities of the gastrointestinal tract can represent a major cause of organ disease in HIV infection. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of the Pubmed database for articles published from 2014 to 2018. We included studies on inflammatory/activation biomarkers associated with cardiovascular and bone disease, neurocognitive impairment and serious non-AIDS events in HIV-infected subjects. We also included researches which linked peripheral inflammation/activation to the anatomical, immune and microbiological alterations of the gastrointestinal tract. Results: Recent literature data confirm the association between non-infectious comorbidities and inflammation in HIV infection which may be driven by gastrointestinal tract abnormalities, specifically microbial translocation and dysbiosis. Furthermore, there is mounting evidence on the possible role of metabolic functions of the microbiota in the pathogenesis of premature aging in the HIV-infected population. Conclusions: Biomarkers need to be validated for their use in the management of HIV infection. Compounds which counteract microbial translocation, inflammation and dysbiosis have been investigated as alternative therapeutic strategies in viro-suppressed HIV-infected individuals, but appear to have limited efficacy, probably due to the multifactorial pathogenesis of non-infectious comorbidities in this setting

Metadoxine in the treatment of acute and chronic alcoholism: a review.

Alcohol abuse and alcoholism are responsible for a wide variety of medical problems. The pharmacotherapeutic aspect of alcoholism includes the use of drugs, with different actions and objectives. Among them, metadoxine seems to be of interest. Metadoxine is able to accelerate the elimination of alcohol from the blood and tissues, to help restore the functional structure of the liver and to relieve neuro-psychological disorders associated with alcohol intoxication. Metadoxine also seems to be safe; in more than 15 years of post-marketing surveillance only minor aspecific and reversible events were monitored in patients exposed to the treatment. In this review the preclinical and clinical results obtained using metadoxine in acute and chronic alcohol intoxication are reported

Micropropagation supports reintroduction of an apulian artichoke landrace in sustainable cropping systems

Artichoke (Cynara cardunculus L. var. scolymus (L.) Fiori) is a perennial plant of the Aster-aceae’s family native to the Mediterranean basin. Italy has rich artichoke biodiversity, but many landraces are subjected to genetic erosion caused by increasing use of commercial varieties that are more homogenous in production. An Apulian landrace ‘Troianella’ was established in vitro to valorize and provide high-quality material for propagation in nurseries and, subsequently, for cultivation in production fields. The shoot proliferation was tested on four different growth media, adding cytokinin (-6-benzylamminopurine (BAP-0.05 mg L−1 ). Among these, the best results were achieved on MS519-A and BM media in which MS macronutrients were supplemented with additional doses of CaCl2 and MgSO4 (plus 120 mg L−1 and 190 mg L−1, respectively). In vitro root induction was obtained with 10 mg L−1 of Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and 30 g L−1 of sucrose. Plants derived from tissue culture were acclimatized in greenhouse using mycorrhizal symbiosis to increase survival during the acclimatization phase and to improve their performance after transplanting in field. Three arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi (Septoglomus viscosum, Funelliformis mosseae, and Symbivit, a commercial mix) were added to a sterile substrate and compared to a sterile control without any AM fungal inocula. After 3 months, the best growth and plant appearance were on substrates with S. viscosum fungus or the commercial mycorrhizal fungi mix. The results supported a development of an efficient micropropagation protocol and a production of high quality plant material for sustainable farming of the endangered ’Troianella’ landrace

Dynamic rotor mode in antiferromagnetic nanoparticles

We present experimental, numerical, and theoretical evidence for a new mode of antiferromagnetic dynamics in nanoparticles. Elastic neutron scattering experiments on 8 nm particles of hematite display a loss of diffraction intensity with temperature, the intensity vanishing around 150 K. However, the signal from inelastic neutron scattering remains above that temperature, indicating a magnetic system in constant motion. In addition, the precession frequency of the inelastic magnetic signal shows an increase above 100 K. Numerical Langevin simulations of spin dynamics reproduce all measured neutron data and reveal that thermally activated spin canting gives rise to a new type of coherent magnetic precession mode. This "rotor" mode can be seen as a high-temperature version of superparamagnetism and is driven by exchange interactions between the two magnetic sublattices. The frequency of the rotor mode behaves in fair agreement with a simple analytical model, based on a high temperature approximation of the generally accepted Hamiltonian of the system. The extracted model parameters, as the magnetic interaction and the axial anisotropy, are in excellent agreement with results from Mossbauer spectroscopy

Role of surgical setting and patients-related factors in predicting the occurrence of postoperative pulmonary complications after abdominal surgery

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the role of surgical setting (urgent vs. elective) and approach (open vs. laparoscopic) in affecting postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) prevalence in patients undergoing abdominal surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: After local Ethical Committee approval, 409 patients who had undergone abdominal surgery between January and December 2014 were included in the final analysis. PPCs were defined as the development of one of the following new findings: respiratory failure, pulmonary infection, aspiration pneumonia, pleural effusion, pneumothorax, atelectasis on chest X-ray, bronchospasm or un-planned urgent re-intubation. RESULTS: PPCs prevalence was greater in urgent (33%) vs. elective setting (7%) (chi(2) with Yates correction: 44; p=0.0001) and in open (6%) vs. laparoscopic approach (1.9%) (chi(2) with Yates correction: 12; p=0.0006). PPCs occurrence was positively correlated with in-hospital mortality (Biserial Correlation r=0.37; p=0.0001). Logistic regression showed that urgent setting (p=0.000), Ariscat (Assess Respiratory Risk in Surgical Patients in Catalonia) score (p=0.004), and age (p=0.01) were predictors of PPCs. A cutoff of 23 for Ariscat score was also identified as determining factor for PPCs occurrence with 94% sensitivity and 29% specificity. CONCLUSIONS: Patients undergoing abdominal surgery in an urgent setting were exposed to a higher risk of PPCs compared to patients scheduled for elective procedures. Ariscat score fitted with PPCs prevalence and older patients were exposed to a higher risk of PPCs. Prospective studies are needed to confirm these result

Laser microtextured surfaces for friction reduction: Does the pattern matter?

Frictional performances of different textures, including axisymmetric and directional patterns, have been tested in the mixed and the hydrodynamic lubrication regimes. Experimental results, corroborated by numerical simulations, show that the leading parameter is the geometrical pattern void ratio since a large number of dimples offers, at low speed, a trap for debris whereas, at high speed, due to the flow expansion in each micro-hole, fosters a fluid pressure drop, the consequent insurgence of micro-cavitation and, ultimately, the reductions of the shear stresses. Furthermore, in this paper, it is shown that, by means of directional textures, equivalent hydrodynamic wedges can be built up, thus establishing different friction performances depending on the flow direction