Comparing Methods for the Analysis of δ 13C in Falanghina Grape Must from Different Pedoclimatic Conditions

Agroforestry applications in viticulture are considered a promising strategy to improve vine water status by mitigating the threats of increasing drought due to climate change. The analysis of δ13 C is often used in viticulture to understand vine water use. In this study, the analysis of δ13 C was performed on the must of Falanghina grapevines growing in different pedoclimatic conditions. The aim was to compare the results obtained by the application of two different methodologies, using the whole must or extracted sugars as the matrix. The results showed that the δ13 C values obtained by applying the two methodologies were comparable in all analyzed vineyards independently from the pedoclimatic conditions. Indeed, the proposed method of extraction of the δ13 C on the must as a whole can be both cost-and time-saving for the analysis. This is valuable, considering that the δ13 C of must is becoming more and more used as indicator of vines’ water use. Therefore, the possibility to utilize a simplified method of extraction would enhance the application of the δ13 C at a larger scale to evaluate vine adaptation in the context of climate-change-driven increases in drought

Video-assisted two-stage basilic vein transposition for creation of brachio-basilic arteriovenous fistulae

We report our experience in a mixed minimally-in- vasive technique for the two-stage transposition of basilic vein on a small series of eight patients. The operative tech- nique consisted of a modified endoscopic (1) approach for the two-stage transposition (2). The intervention was performed under Brachial Plexus Block (3)

Modulation of hepatic lipid metabolism by olive oil and its phenols in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) represents the most common chronic liver disease in western countries, being considered the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome. Cumulative lines of evidence suggest that olive oil, used as primary source of fat by Mediterranean populations, may play a key role in the observed health benefits on NAFLD. In this review, we summarize the state of the art of the knowledge on the protective role of both major and minor components of olive oil on lipid metabolism during NAFLD. In particular, the biochemical mechanisms responsible for the increase or decrease in hepatic lipid content are critically analyzed, taking into account that several studies have often provided different and/or conflicting results in animal models fed on olive oil-enriched diet. In addition, new findings that highlight the hypolipidemic and the antisteatotic actions of olive oil phenols are presented. As mitochondrial dysfunction plays a key role in the pathogenesis of NAFLD, the targeting of these organelles with olive oil phenols as a powerful therapeutic approach is also discussed

A few questions about curves on surfaces

In this note we address the following kind of question: let X be a smooth, irreducible, projective surface and D a divisor on X satisfying some sort of positivity hypothesis, then is there some multiple of D depending only on X which is effective or movable? We describe some examples, discuss some conjectures and prove some results that suggest that the answer should in general be negative, unless one puts some really strong hypotheses either on D or on X

A Hybrid Storage Systems for All Electric Aircraft

A hybrid energy storage system specifically designed for a fully electric aircraft is presented in the paper. The analysis of the time evolution of the power demand of the electric propulsion system during a test mission of Maxwell X-57, an all-electric aircraft developed by NASA, has pointed out the presence of significant peak power during take-off and air tack. Considered the issues related to weight and the volume of the energy storage systems (ESSs) in all-electric aircraft, a hybridization of aircraft ESS with a Supercapacitors (SCs) bank, devoted to smooth peak power demand, has been investigated. A comparison between the simulation results of an electrochemical battery and hybrid ESSs, designed on the test mission of Maxwell X-57 power demand, has been developed. The advantage of hybrid configuration with respect to battery-based one in term of volume and weight reduction is finally presented

Quercetin Reduces Lipid Accumulation in a Cell Model of NAFLD by Inhibiting De Novo Fatty Acid Synthesis through the Acetyl‐CoA Carboxylase 1/AMPK/PP2A Axis

none6noDysregulation of de novo lipogenesis (DNL) has recently gained strong attention as being one of the critical factors that contribute to the assessment of non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD is often diagnosed in patients with dyslipidemias and type 2 diabetes; thus, an interesting correlation can be deduced between high hematic free fatty acids and glucose excess in the DNL dysregulation. In the present study, we report that, in a cellular model of NAFLD, the coexistence of elevated glucose and FFA conditions caused the highest cellular lipid accumulation. Deepening the molecular mechanisms of the DNL dysregulation—RT‐qPCR and immunoblot analysis demonstrated increased expression of mitochondrial citrate carrier (CiC), cytosolic acetyl‐ CoA carboxylase 1 (ACACA), and diacylglycerol acyltransferase 2 (DGAT2) involved in fatty acids and triglycerides synthesis, respectively. XBP‐1, an endoplasmic reticulum stress marker, and SREBP‐1 were the transcription factors connected to the DNL activation. Quercetin (Que), a flavonoid with strong antioxidant properties, and noticeably reduced the lipid accumulation and the expression of SREBP‐1 and XBP‐1, as well as of their lipogenic gene targets in steatotic cells. The anti‐lipogenic action of Que mainly occurs through a strong phosphorylation of ACACA, which catalyzes the committing step in the DNL pathway. The high level of ACACA phosphorylation in Que‐treated cells was explained by the intervention of AMPK together with the reduction of enzymatic activity of PP2A phosphatase. Overall, our findings highlight a direct anti‐lipogenic effect of Que exerted through inhibition of the DNL pathway by acting on ACACA/AMPK/PP2A axis; thus, suggesting this flavonoid as a promising molecule for the NAFLD treatment.openGnoni A.; Di Chiara Stanca B.; Giannotti L.; Gnoni G.V.; Siculella L.; Damiano F.Gnoni, A.; Di Chiara Stanca, B.; Giannotti, L.; Gnoni, G. V.; Siculella, L.; Damiano, F

Renormalizable acausal theories of classical gravity coupled with interacting quantum fields

We prove the renormalizability of various theories of classical gravity coupled with interacting quantum fields. The models contain vertices with dimensionality greater than four, a finite number of matter operators and a finite or reduced number of independent couplings. An interesting class of models is obtained from ordinary power-counting renormalizable theories, letting the couplings depend on the scalar curvature R of spacetime. The divergences are removed without introducing higher-derivative kinetic terms in the gravitational sector. The metric tensor has a non-trivial running, even if it is not quantized. The results are proved applying a certain map that converts classical instabilities, due to higher derivatives, into classical violations of causality, whose effects become observable at sufficiently high energies. We study acausal Einstein-Yang-Mills theory with an R-dependent gauge coupling in detail. We derive all-order formulas for the beta functions of the dimensionality-six gravitational vertices induced by renormalization. Such beta functions are related to the trace-anomaly coefficients of the matter subsector.Comment: 36 pages; v2: CQG proof-corrected versio