Cycling stability of a hybrid activated carbon//poly(3- methylthiophene) supercapacitor with N-butyl-Nmethylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ionic liquid as electrolyte

A long cycle-life, high-voltage supercapacitor featuring an activated carbon//poly(3-methylthiophene) hybrid configuration with N-butyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ionic liquid, a solvent-free green electrolyte, was developed. The cyclability of a laboratory scale cell with electrode mass loading sized for practical uses was tested at 60 °C over 16,000 galvanostatic charge–discharge cycles at 10 mA cm−2 in the 1.5 and 3.6 V voltage range. The reported average and maximum specific energy and power, specific capacitance and capacity, equivalent series resistance and coulombic efficiency over cycling demonstrate the long-term viability of this ionic liquid as green electrolyte for high-voltage hybrid supercapacitors

ZIP9: un nuovo trasportatore di pioppo (Populus x euroamericana clone I-214) appartenente alla famiglia dei trasportatori ZIP.

Il fine di questa tesi è stato il clonaggio del gene codificante per la proteina ZIP9 di Populus x euroamericana clone I-214, lo studio di espressione in condizioni di stress da Cd e l'analisi di una sua eventuale azione compartimento-specifica mediante la localizzazione subcellulare. La proteina in questione è stata presa in considerazione poiché, in un precedente studio, è risultata sovra espressa a livello delle radici in condizioni di stress da Zn (Ariani A et al., 2015). A tale scopo, la proteina ZIP9 è stata clonata in frame con la proteina fluorescente YFP e messa sotto il controllo del promotore 35S per formare un costrutto con cui trasformare i protoplasti di Arabidopsis. Infine, per valutare una possibile risposta del gene zip9 a stress da Cadmio, sono state effettuate qPCR su cDNA di Populus alba prodotto da piante cresciute in terreni a concentrazione crescente di Cd, rispettivamente pari a 0 μM, 50 μM e 100 μ

Comparing nursery behavior, field plant yield and fruit quality of in vitro and in vivo propagated strawberry mother plants

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A Smo/Gli multitarget hedgehog pathway inhibitor impairs tumor growth

Pharmacological Hedgehog (Hh) pathway inhibition has emerged as a valuable anticancer strategy. A number of small molecules able to block the pathway at the upstream receptor Smoothened (Smo) or the downstream effector glioma-associated oncogene 1 (Gli1) has been designed and developed. In a recent study, we exploited the high versatility of the natural isoflavone scaffold for targeting the Hh signaling pathway at multiple levels showing that the simultaneous targeting of Smo and Gli1 provided synergistic Hh pathway inhibition stronger than single administration. This approach seems to effectively overcome the drug resistance, particularly at the level of Smo. Here, we combined the pharmacophores targeting Smo and Gli1 into a single and individual isoflavone, compound 22, which inhibits the Hh pathway at both upstream and downstream level. We demonstrate that this multitarget agent suppresses medulloblastoma growth in vitro and in vivo through antagonism of Smo and Gli1, which is a novel mechanism of action in Hh inhibition

Disaster waste management after flood events

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Minority stress and mental health among LGBT populations: an update on the evidence

INTRODUCTION: In the past five years, researchers have increasingly turned to the study of mental health outcomes in LGBT populations. The present paper summarizes recent literature on the relationship between minority stress experienced by sexual minorities and mental health. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: PsycINFO, PubMed, and the EBSCO Psychology and Behavioral Science Collection were searched for papers concerning minority stress and mental health disparities in LGBT populations, published between 1 January 2014 and 30 June 2018. All collected papers were screened using the following criteria: study involving >50 individuals; written in English; focusing on clinical outcomes of depression, suicidality, and substance use in relation to experienced minority stress. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Sixty-two papers were included in this review. Findings are reported under three main headings: studies primarily focused on depression, studies concerning suicidality and suicide attempts, and papers analyzing the correlation between substance use and minority stress in LGBT populations. The included studies supported the minority stress model as a framework to better explain disparities in mental health outcomes in sexual minority populations. Higher rates of depression, suicidality, and substance use are reported in LGBT populations, as are the related minority stressors analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: Sexual minorities still face numerous mental health disparities. Research indicates that the levels of minority stressors positively predict mental health outcomes. Specific policies designed to support the civil rights of sexual minorities may help to overcome such inequalities

Growth and Yield of Strawberry Cultivars under Low Nitrogen Supply in Italy

Nitrogen plays a vital role in plants' biochemical and physiological functions, and it contributes significantly to increasing plant yield and fruit quality. Plants that efficiently absorb and utilize nitrogen enhance the efficiency of fertilizers, reducing their input costs and preventing ecosystem damage. Thus, an adequate nitrogen supply can significantly improve plant growth, fruit quality, and nutritional value. This research focused on evaluating the plant vegetative and productive performance and fruit quality of three short-day strawberry genotypes ("Cristina", "Romina", and "Sibilla") that were fertilized with different amounts of nitrogen, in a crop that was protected under a plastic tunnel. The trial was conducted during two cultivation cycles. The nitrogen rates were 113, 90, and 68 kg/ha for the first year, and 118, 97, and 76 kg/ha for the second. Reduced nitrogen inputs did not significantly affect plant height, indicating that decreased nutritional intake does not harm plant development. The fruit sugar content value remained stable across all nitrogen supplies, as did the fruit titratable acidity. The cultivars maintained a medium fruit firmness at a 60% nitrogen supply, and the Chroma index was not affected. This study found that reducing nitrogen inputs did not have a significant negative impact on the three tested cultivars, making them suitable for cultivation with reduced nitrogen inputs to reduce the environmental impact and save growers' inputs

dose administration maneuvers and patient care in tobramycin dry powder inhalation therapy

Abstract The purpose of this work was to study a new dry powder inhaler (DPI) of tobramycin capable to simplify the dose administration maneuvers to maximize the cystic fibrosis (CF) patient care in antibiotic inhalation therapy. For the purpose, tobramycin/sodium stearate powder (TobraPS) having a high drug content, was produced by spray drying, characterized and the aerodynamic behavior was investigated in vitro using different RS01 DPI inhalers. The aerosols produced with 28, 56 or 112 mg of tobramycin in TobraPS powder using capsules size #3, #2 or #0 showed that there was quasi linear relationship between the amount loaded in the device and the FPD. An in vivo study in healthy human volunteers showed that 3–6 inhalation acts were requested by the volunteers to inhale 120 mg of TobraPS powder loaded in a size #0 capsule aerosolized with a prototype RS01 device, according to their capability to inhale. The amount of powder emitted at 4 kPa pressure drop at constant air flow well correlated with the in vivo emission at dynamic flow, when the same volume of air passed through the device. The novel approach for the administration of 112 mg of tobramycin in one capsule could improve the convenience and adherence of the CF patient to the antibiotic therapy

Neuro-Oncology Multidisciplinary Tumor Board: The Point of View of the Neuroradiologist

Background: The multi-disciplinary tumor board (MTB) is essential to quality cancer care and currently recommended to offer the best personalized clinical approach, but little has been published regarding MTBs in neuro-oncology (nMTBs). The aim of the present paper is to describe our nMTB, to evaluate its impact on clinical management decisions, and to assess the role of neuroradiologists. Methods: The retrospective evaluation of the cases discussed at our nMTB from March 2017 to March 2020. From the electronic records, we extracted epidemiological, clinical and other specific data of nMTB. From the radiological records, we calculated data relating to the number, time for revision, and other specifications of MRI re-evaluation. Statistical analysis was performed. Results: a total of 447 discussions were analyzed, representing 342 patients. The requests for case evaluations came from radiation oncologists (58.8%) and neurosurgeons (40.5%), and were mainly addressed to the neuroradiologist (73.8%). The most frequent questions were about the treatment's changes (64.4%). The change in patient treatment was reported in 40.5% of cases, 76.8% of these were based on the neuroradiologic assessment. A total of 1514 MRI examinations were re-evaluated, employing approximately 67 h overall. The median of the MRI exams reviewed per patient was 3 (min-max 1-12). Conclusions: Our study supported that the multidisciplinary approach to patient care can be particularly effective in managing brain tumors. A review by an expert neuroradiologist impacts patient management in the context of nMTBs, but has costs in terms of the time and effort spent preparing for it