Photoacoustic Sensing of Trapped Fluids in Nanoporous Thin Films: Device Engineering and Sensing Scheme

Accessing fluid infiltration in nanogranular coatings is an outstanding challenge, of relevance for applications ranging from nanomedicine to catalysis. A sensing platform, allowing to quantify the amount of fluid infiltrated in a nanogranular ultrathin coating, with thickness in the 10 to 40 nm range, is here proposed and theoretically investigated by multiscale modelling. The scheme relies on impulsive photoacoustic excitation of hypersonic mechanical breathing modes in engineered gas-phase synthesised nanogranular metallic ultathin films and time-resolved acousto-optical read-out of the breathing modes frequency shift upon liquid infiltration. A superior sensitivity, exceeding 26x103 cm^2/g, is predicted upon equivalent areal mass loading of a few ng/mm^2. The capability of the present scheme to discriminate among different infiltration patterns is discussed. The platform is an ideal tool to investigate nano fluidics in granular materials and naturally serves as a distributed nanogetter coating, integrating fluid sensing capabilities. The proposed scheme is readily extendable to other nanoscale and mesoscale porous materials.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure

New evidence of the Green Tuff deposits and post-caldera, recent explosive volcanic activity at Pantelleria volcano (Sicily Channel, Italy) recorded in near-vent marine areas

The record of the explosive activity of Pantelleria volcano is well documented by several distal tephra collected in various areas in and around the Mediterranean, while few tephrochronological studies exist on proximal marine areas. In this paper, we investigate three selected coring sites from the northern shoulder of the Pantelleria graben, about 15–30 km from the island, in near-vent position with respect to that volcanic source. Our multiproxy analyses revealed nine tephra layers, totally composed of juvenile materials, mostly ash and pumice fragments, as well as a coarse-grained tephra deposit at the bottom of one of the cores. The major element composition of glass shards indicates a very homogeneous geochemical composition for the tephra layers, suggesting their primary origin. Using litho-stratigraphic and paleoenvironmental proxies, we associated the tephra layers to the latest (<∼13.7 ka) explosive activity of Pantelleria. The coarse-grained deposit, instead, due to its distinctive composition is considered to represent the near-vent, marine equivalent of the distal Y-6 tephra layer, related to the ∼45 ka old co-ignimbrite fallout deposit of the Green Tuff event. The geochemical characterization of such deposit, mostly rhyolitic and partly trachytic, appears to enlarge the bimodal composition recorded in other distal tephra (Y-6) reported in the literature, highlighting the potential of near-vent record in providing additional information on the eruptive history

Signatures of an eruptive phase before the explosion of the peculiar core-collapse SN 2013gc

We present photometric and spectroscopic analysis of the peculiar core-collapse SN 2013gc, spanning seven years of observations. The light curve shows an early maximum followed by a fast decline and a phase of almost constant luminosity. At +200 days from maximum, a brightening of 1 mag is observed in all bands, followed by a steep linear luminosity decline after +300 d. In archival images taken between 1.5 and 2.5 years before the explosion, a weak source is visible at the supernova location, with mag$\approx$20. The early supernova spectra show Balmer lines, with a narrow ($\sim$560 km s$^{-1}$) P-Cygni absorption superimposed on a broad ($\sim$3400 km s$^{-1}$) component, typical of type IIn events. Through a comparison of colour curves, absolute light curves and spectra of SN 2013gc with a sample of supernovae IIn, we conclude that SN 2013gc is a member of the so-called type IId subgroup. The complex profile of the H$\alpha$ line suggests a composite circumstellar medium geometry, with a combination of lower velocity, spherically symmetric gas and a more rapidly expanding bilobed feature. This circumstellar medium distribution has been likely formed through major mass-loss events, that we directly observed from 3 years before the explosion. The modest luminosity ($M_I\sim-16.5$ near maximum) of SN 2013gc at all phases, the very small amount of ejected $^{56}$Ni (of the order of $10^{-3}$ M$_\odot$), the major pre-supernova stellar activity and the lack of prominent [O I] lines in late-time spectra support a fall-back core-collapse scenario for the massive progenitor of SN~2013gc.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figures, 8 tables, accepted by MNRA

Otimização da Extração de Compostos Fenólicos em uma Biofarinha de Maçã Enriquecida com Agaricus brasiliensis

Agaricus brasiliensis tem sido muito estudado por suas propriedades nutracêuticas. Como essas propriedades podem estar relacionadas a componentes fenólicos, o objetivo desse trabalho foi otimizar o preparo de amostra, para a determinação de compostos fenólicos totais em uma biofarinha de bagaço de maçã fermentada de forma submersa com A. brasiliensis. Utilizou-se um planejamento fatorial fracionado 24-1, com as variáveis: composição do liquido extrator, concentração do álcool no líquido extrator, tempo e método de extração, utilizando-se o método Folin-Denis. Outras otimizações foram realizadas com as variáveis significativas. O melhor método de extração utilizou etanol a 70%, em homogeneizador por 15 min. O teor de fenólicos totais, em amostras de biofarinhas de bagaço de maçã fermentadas com A. brasiliensis, foi menor (0,04852 ± 0,001458) que o teor encontrado na biofarinha sem fermentar (0,1098 ± 0,001246) (p=3,331.10-16). O sistema de planejamento fatorial foi eficaz para otimização dos resultados. A menor concentração de fenólicos encontrados na biofarinha fermentada é devido provavelmente ao fungo ter metabolizado esses compostos

Freqüência à escola por estudantes ensino médio: análises e percepções a partir de culturas juvenis

In this paper seeks to analyze the relationship between youth culture and school attendance. For such approaches to thematic youth culture, national curriculum guidelines for high school and pedagogical project of two schools of Santa Maria / RS. The general objective of the study is to understand the conceptions and intentions young students from high schools in Santa Maria, manifest in his speeches about the school institution. The research methodology focused on the perspective of the case study and data collection involved conducting interviews and creating and maintaining a profile on a social network called Facebook. The work started from the assumption that there is need for knowledge of the cultures and juvenile behavior, especially the conceptions that a group of young people have in relation to the school environment in which they participate, in order to promote greater involvement and mobilization for learning. After completion of the work can be concluded that the school offers distance social life of young people and unattractive compared to current technologies and that although the guidelines are based on full development of the students, sometimes students perceive the school away from their expectations.Key-words: youth cultures, schooling, Facebook, curriculum guidelines, pedagogical.Neste texto procura-se analisar as relações entre culturas juvenis e frequência à escola. Para tal, aborda-se a temática cultura juvenil, as diretrizes curriculares nacionais para o ensino médio e o projeto pedagógico de duas escolas de Santa Maria/RS. O objetivo geral do trabalho é compreender quais concepções e intenções jovens estudantes, de escolas de ensino médio de Santa Maria, manifestam em seus discursos acerca da instituição escolar. A metodologia de pesquisa centrou-se na perspectiva do estudo de caso e a coleta de dados envolveu a realização de entrevistas e a criação e manutenção de um perfil numa rede social denominada Facebook. O trabalho partiu do pressuposto de que há necessidade de conhecimento das culturas e comportamentos juvenis, em especial de quais as concepções que um grupo de jovens tem em relação ao ambiente escolar do qual participam, com vistas a promover maior envolvimento e mobilização para a aprendizagem. Após a realização do trabalho foi possível concluir que a escola apresenta distanciamento da vida social dos jovens e poucos atrativos em relação às tecnologias atuais e que, embora as diretrizes se fundamentem no pleno desenvolvimento do educando, algumas vezes os estudantes percebem a escola distante de suas expectativas.Palavras-chave: culturas juvenis, escolarização, Facebook, diretrizes curriculares, projeto pedagógico

Avaliação da Capacidade Antioxidante de uma Biofarinha de Maça Obtida com Agaricus brasiliensis Frente ao Complexo Fosfomolibdênico

O Agaricus brasiliensis tem sido muito estudado por suas propriedades nutracêuticas. Como essas propriedades podem estar relacionadas a componentes antioxidantes, o objetivo desse trabalho foi otimizar o método de extração de bagaço de maçã fermentado com Agaricus brasiliensis visando a determinação de capacidade antioxidante com complexo fosfomolibdênico. Realizou-se a otimização com auxílio de planejamento fatorial, com a análise da capacidade antioxidante por método fosfomolibdênico. O melhor método de extração utilizou metanol a 70% em vórtex por 15 min, na proporção de 50 mg de farinha para 1,5 mL de líquido extrator. A capacidade antioxidante pode ser expressa como 69,152 ± 0,0314 mmol de ácido ascórbico por 100 g de biofarinha, enquanto a da biofarinha fermentada com A. brasiliensis foi de 74,581 ± 0,0225 mmol de ácido ascórbico.100 g-1. O método de extração foi otimizado e comprovou-se que há capacidade antioxidante em biofarinhas de bagaço de maçã fermentada com A. brasiliensis

G protein–coupled receptor 21 in macrophages: An in vitro study

GPR21 is an orphan and constitutively active receptor belonging to the superfamily of G-Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCRs). GPR21 couples to the Gq family of G proteins and is markedly expressed in macrophages. Studies of GPR21 knock-out mice indicated that GPR21 may be involved in promoting macrophage migration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of GPR21 in human macrophages, analyzing (i) its involvement in cell migration and cytokine release and (ii) the consequence of its pharmacological inhibition by using the inverse agonist GRA2. THP-1 cells were activated and differentiated into either M1 or M2 macrophages. GPR21 expression was evaluated at gene and protein level, the signalling pathway was investigated by an IP1 assay, and cytokine release by ELISA. Cell migration was detected by the Boyden chamber migration assay, performed on macrophages derived from both the THP-1 cell line and human peripheral blood monocytes. In addition, we compared the effect of the pharmacological inhibition of GPR21 with the effect of the treatment with a specific GPR21 siRNA to downregulate the receptor expression, thus confirming that GRA2 acts as an inverse agonist of GPR21. GRA2 does not affect cell viability at the tested concentrations, but significantly reduces the release of TNF-α and IL-1β from M1 macrophages. The analysis of the migratory ability highlighted opposite effects of GRA2 on M1 and M2 macrophages since it decreased M1, while it promoted M2 cell migration. Therefore, the pharmacological inhibition of GPR21 could be of interest for pathological conditions characterized by low grade chronic inflammation

Cognitive decline and healthy aging: an online activities and psychoeducational program for older adults in the context of COVID-19 Pandemic: preliminary results

AbstractBackground: The preventive and compulsory social isolation regulations due to COVID-19 affected the entire population, but this became more emphasized in the group of older adults. Many older adults who attended workshops, retirement centers and clubs had to interrupt their activities. This has impacted negatively on their activity level, socialization, and emotional state. The aim of the present study is to present preliminary results of the implementation of an online activities and psychoeducational program to prevent cognitive decline and promote healthy aging habits on older adults who live in Argentina in the context of Covid-19 Pandemic.Method. Design: Descriptive study. Subjects: 396 self-validated older adults, male and female. Instruments: socio-demographic and social participation questionnaire. Procedure: The intervention consists of a series of workshops (yoga, meditation, gym, singing lessons, memory, preparation for retirement and reflection about grief) and monthly specialist ´s talks on different topics about healthy aging. All the activities where done through zoom platform. All participants where offer one to one capacitation and written material about how to use this platform. Older adults could choose in how many activities they would take part in.Results. Data of 396 older adults who have taken part in the on-line version of the program on 2020 indicate that median age was 70.66 years old (ds= 8,7) of which 86 % were women. 79 % took part in specialists talks and 68 % on workshops and talks.Discussion: These results provide empirical evidence regarding the need to implement online intervention programs for older adults. Participating in an online educational program could increase participant?s cognitive healthy habits literacy, empowerment and engagement in brain health promotion activities, which in turn could reduce their dementia risk and feeling of loneliness in pandemic context.Fil: Feldberg, Carolina. Instituto de Neurociencias Buenos Aires S. A.; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Tartaglini, María Florencia. Instituto de Neurociencias Buenos Aires S. A.; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Hermida, Paula Daniela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Cardiológicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Cardiológicas; ArgentinaFil: Somale, Maria Veronica. Instituto de Neurociencias Buenos Aires S. A.; ArgentinaFil: Orellano, Anabel. Instituto de Neurociencias Buenos Aires S. A.; ArgentinaFil: Ortiz, Juan Pablo. Instituto de Neurociencias Buenos Aires S. A.; ArgentinaFil: Teran, Claudio. Instituto de Neurociencias Buenos Aires S. A.; ArgentinaFil: Kasten, Sergio. Instituto de Neurociencias Buenos Aires S. A.; ArgentinaFil: De Cara, Josefina. Instituto de Neurociencias Buenos Aires S. A.; ArgentinaFil: Degtiar, Marina. Instituto de Neurociencias Buenos Aires S. A.; ArgentinaFil: Langer, Camilo. Instituto de Neurociencias Buenos Aires S. A.; ArgentinaFil: Benetti, Laureana. Instituto de Neurociencias Buenos Aires S. A.; ArgentinaFil: Redoni, Emiliano. Instituto de Neurociencias Buenos Aires S. A.; ArgentinaFil: Gracia, Claudia. Instituto de Neurociencias Buenos Aires S. A.; ArgentinaAlzheimer's Association International ConferenceDenverEstados UnidosAlzheimer's Associatio