Light Scattering by Cholesteric Skyrmions

We study the light scattering by localized quasi planar excitations of a Cholesteric Liquid Crystal known as spherulites. Due to the anisotropic optical properties of the medium and the peculiar shape of the excitations, we quantitatively evaluate the cross section of the axis-rotation of polarized light. Because of the complexity of the system under consideration, first we give a simplified, but analytical, description of the spherulite and we compare the Born approximation results in this setting with those obtained by resorting to a numerical exact solution. The effects of changing values of the driving external static electric (or magnetic) field is considered. Possible applications of the phenomenon are envisaged.Comment: 18 pages, 14 figure

Mapping the co-benefits of climate change action to issues of public concern in the UK: a narrative review

To avoid a 1·5°C rise in global temperatures above preindustrial levels, the next phase of reductions in greenhouse gas emissions will need to be comparatively rapid. Linking the co-benefits of climate action to wider issues that the public are concerned about can help decision makers to prioritise decarbonisation options that increase the chance of public support for such changes, while ensuring that a just transition is delivered. We identified key issues of concern to the UK public by use of Ipsos MORI public opinion data from 2007 to 2020 and used these data to guide a narrative review of academic and grey literature on the co-benefits of climate change action for the UK. Correspondence with civil servants, third sector organisations, and relevant academics allowed us to identify omissions and to ensure policy relevance of the recommendations. This evidence-based Review of the various co-benefits of climate change action for the UK identifies four main areas: health and the National Health Service; security; economy and unemployment; and poverty, housing, and inequality. Associated trade-offs are also discussed. City-level and regional-level governments are particularly well placed to incorporate co-benefits into their decision making because it is at this scale that co-benefits most clearly manifest, and where interventions can have the most immediate effects

Exploring the low temperature tempering range of low alloy quenched and tempered steels

Abstract It is well known that quenched and tempered alloy steel components with ultimate tensile strength in excess of 1400 MPa are seldom employed as mechanical components, due to their not adequate ductility, as ascertained by multiple researches performed during World War II and soon after. Nevertheless, use of low temperature tempered steels in some niche applications, as well as researches performed on surface heat treated high carbon steels and on their behavior upon tempering in the vicinity of 200°C have stemmed into renewed interest in quenched and low temperature tempered low alloy steels. Application to 36NiCrMo16 steel bars is examined here, by means of tensile and hardness tests and fractographic and metallographic examinations after quenching and tempering in the 160 to 440 °C temperature range

Optimal tuning of adaptive augmenting controller for launch vehicles in atmospheric flight

In this Note, two novel and effective tuning methodologies for an adaptive augmenting control (AAC) system, realized to consistently improve performance and robustness of a standard launch vehicle single-axis attitude controller in atmospheric flight, have been presented. To this end, a methodology for AAC parameter tuning is presented where a robust design optimization (RDO) problem is formulated, and the goal is to maximize a statistical metric that describes FCS performance measured over a set of representative simulations of LV flight. In more detail, adaptive law parameters are tuned with the aim of minimizing attitude error and traversal aerodynamic loads. As major advantages, the occurrence of Loss of vehicle (LOV) events and the issues and burden of the manual trial-and-error procedures currently adopted for the design of the adaption law may be reduced

Cell biology:Collagen secretion explained

Cells package proteins into vesicles for secretion to the extracellular milieu. A study shows that an enzyme modifies the packaging machinery to encapsulate unusually large proteins such as collagen

Medical responsibility, insurance policies, new laws and European directives. Is it time to reform the status of Italian medical residents?

In Italy there is an ongoing debate on the need to clarify the legal aspects related to the clinical activities of medical residents. While residents attend university medical schools, specific policies should be implemented to guarantee their proper utilization in health organizations also for the direct and indirect legal responsibilities of patients health and safety. It seems necessary to create an uniform and clearer legal framework to surmount criticism of the utilization of residents. We recommend Ministries of University and Health to change the current training contract into a job-training one, in line with experiences for residents of other European countries. This initiative could promote a no-blame culture and also help Italian specialist doctors of future generations to be trained in order to move and be competitive across European country borders and finally promote the sustainability of the Italian public NHS through a patient-centred and inter-professional integrated approach

The impact of peri-natal stress on psychosis risk: Results from the Bo-FEP incidence study

Objective: According to the gene-environment interaction model the pathogenesis of psychosis relies on an adverse neuro-socio-developmental pathway. Perinatal stress represents an important risk factor for the development of psychosis because of the increasingly evident interference with socio-neuro-development in the earlier phases of life. We aim to investigate the correlation of perinatal risk factors with the onset of psychosis with a case-control-incidence study. Results: Patients (and their mothers) were eligible if they presented with first-episode psychosis at the Bologna West Community Mental Health Centre (Bo-West CMHC) between 2002 and 2012. The Bo-West CMHC serves a catchment area of about 200,000 people. The controls were recruited in the same catchment area and study period. 42 patients, 26 controls and their mothers were included. We collected the history of peri-natal stress and calculated crude and adjusted Odds Ratios for onset of first-episode psychosis. Adjusted logistic regression showed that psychosis onset was significantly associated with stressful situations during pregnancy, lower level of maternal physical health before or during pregnancy, use of anti-inflammatory drugs during pregnancy, and low level of maternal education. The results of our study suggest that stress during perinatal period increases the risk of developing psychosis

Impact of an asbestos cement factory on mesothelioma incidence: Global assessment of effects of occupational, familial, and environmental exposure

Few studies have examined the incidence of malignant mesothelioma (MM) associated with distinct sources of asbestos exposure (occupational, familial, or environmental). We assessed the impact of asbestos exposure—global and by source—on the incidence of MM in Broni, an Italian town in which an asbestos cement factory once operated (1932–1993). Based on data collected by the Lombardy Mesothelioma Registry, we calculated the number of observed and expected MM cases among workers, their cohabitants, and people living in the area in 2000–2011. We identified 147 MM cases (17.45 expected), 138 pleural and nine peritoneal, attributable to exposure to asbestos from the factory. Thirty-eight cases had past occupational exposure at the factory (2.33 expected), numbering 32 men (26 pleural, six peritoneal) and six women (four pleural, two peritoneal). In the families of the workers, there were 37 MM cases (4.23 expected), numbering five men (all pleural) and 32 women (31 pleural, one peritoneal). Among residents in Broni or in the adjacent/surrounding towns, there were 72 cases of pleural MM (10.89 expected), numbering 23 men and 49 women. The largest MM excess was found in the towns of Broni (48 observed, 3.68 expected) and Stradella (16 observed, 1.85 expected). This study documents the large impact of the asbestos cement factory, with about 130 excess MM cases in a 12-year period. The largest MM burden was among women, from non-occupational exposure. Almost half of the MM cases were attributable to environmental exposure. Keywords: Asbestos, Mesothelioma, Cancer incidence, Occupational exposure, Familial exposure, Environmental exposur

Sinonasal cancer and occupational exposure in a population-based registry.

We examined occupational exposures among subjects with sinonasal cancer (SNC) recorded in a population-based registry in the Lombardy Region, the most populated and industrialized Italian region. The registry collects complete clinical information and exposure to carcinogens regarding all SNC cases occurring in the population of the region. In the period 2008-2011, we recorded 210 SNC cases (137 men, 73 women). The most frequent occupational exposures were to wood (44 cases, 21.0%) and leather dust (29 cases, 13.8%), especially among men: 39 cases (28.5%) to wood and 23 cases (16.8%) to leather dust. Exposure to other agents was infrequent (<2%). Among 62 subjects with adenocarcinoma, 50% had been exposed to wood dust and 30.7% to leather dust. The proportions were around 10% in subjects with squamous cell carcinoma and about 20% for tumors with another histology. The age-standardized rates (×100,000 person-years) were 0.7 in men and 0.3 in women. Complete collection of cases and their occupational history through a specialized cancer registry is fundamental to accurately monitor SNC occurrence in a population and to uncover exposure to carcinogens in different industrial sectors, even those not considered as posing a high risk of SNC, and also in extraoccupational settings