Scattering lengths and universality in superdiffusive L\'evy materials

We study the effects of scattering lengths on L\'evy walks in quenched one-dimensional random and fractal quasi-lattices, with scatterers spaced according to a long-tailed distribution. By analyzing the scaling properties of the random-walk probability distribution, we show that the effect of the varying scattering length can be reabsorbed in the multiplicative coefficient of the scaling length. This leads to a superscaling behavior, where the dynamical exponents and also the scaling functions do not depend on the value of the scattering length. Within the scaling framework, we obtain an exact expression for the multiplicative coefficient as a function of the scattering length both in the annealed and in the quenched random and fractal cases. Our analytic results are compared with numerical simulations, with excellent agreement, and are supposed to hold also in higher dimensionsComment: 6 pages, 8 figure

How the mere desire for certainty can lead to a preference for men in authority (particularly among political liberals)

Women are harmed by stereotypes about their fit for positions of authority and changing these stereotypes is not a simple task. As stereotypes have strong epistemic properties, individuals with a high need for cognitive closure (NCC; i.e., the desire for epistemic certainty) can be more likely to accept these stereotypes and, consequently, to prefer men in positions of authority. Consistent with the reactive liberal hypothesis, this effect could be actually more visible among individuals with both a high NCC and left-wing political orientations. We supported these hypotheses in a series of three studies. In Study 1 (N = 217), we found that manipulated NCC predicted preference for men in authority through stereotypes of women as not being fit for authority in a measurement-of-mediation design. In Study 2 (N = 151), we supported this effect in a mediation-as-process design. In Study 3 (N = 391), we found the indirect NCC effect on preference for men in authority was more visible among political liberals. A major implication of this work is that ways of changing the effect of these stereotypes should take into account the NCC, but particularly among individuals with left-wing beliefs

Treatment of high strength industrial wastewater with membrane bioreactors for water reuse: Effect of pre-treatment with aerobic granular sludge on system performance and fouling tendency

In this study, the treatment of citrus wastewater with membrane bioreactors (MBRs) under different configurations was investigated for water reuse. In particular, one MBR and one aerobic granular sludge MBR (AGS+MBR) bench scale plants were operated for 60 days. The experimental campaign was divided into two periods. In Phase I, a conventional hollow fiber MBR was employed for the treatment of the raw high strength wastewater, whereas in Phase II a combination of in-series reactors (AGS plus MBR) was adopted for the treatment of the high strength citrus wastewater The results demonstrated that both plant configurations enabled very high COD removal, with average values close to 99%. Respirometric batch tests revealed a considerable high metabolic activity of the biomass in both plant configurations, with higher values in the AGS+MBR. It was speculated that the MBR reactor enriched in active biomass deriving from the erosion of the external granule layers in the upstream reactor. In terms of fouling tendency, higher resistance to filtration was observed in the AGS+MBR plant, also characterized by higher irremovable resistance increase compared to the MBR plant that might severely affect the membrane service life

The Mediational Role of Desire for Cultural Tightness on Concern With COVID-19 and Perceived Self-Control

When ecological threats are more severe or prevalent, societies are more likely to tighten their social norms and punishments. Moreover, when people follow clear and tight rules, they are more prone to regulate their behavior (i.e., self-control) in order to avoid punishment. Therefore, we examined the mediating role of people’s endorsement of cultural tightness (i.e., support and desire) on the relationship between concern with COVID-19 threat and personal self-control. Our hypothesis was tested through a mediation model in two studies with a sample of (N=315, 77.1% females, Mage=23.71) university students (Study 1) and with a heterogeneous sample of (N=239, 65.7% females, Mage=36.55) participants (Study 2). Empirical support for the proposed model was found in both studies. Implications of this research will be discussed. The main implication is related to the possibility that people’s desire for strong norms to cope with the COVID-19 threat could promote greater self-regulated preventive behavior in order to protect their health

Mechanistic insights into the release of doxorubicin from graphene oxide in cancer cells

Liposomal doxorubicin (L-DOX) is a popular drug formulation for the treatment of several cancer types (e.g., recurrent ovarian cancer, metastatic breast cancer, multiple myeloma, etc.), but poor nuclear internalization has hampered its clinical applicability so far. Therefore, novel drug-delivery nanosystems are actively researched in cancer chemotherapy. Here we demonstrate that DOX-loaded graphene oxide (GO), GO-DOX, exhibits much higher anticancer efficacy as compared to its L-DOX counterpart if administered to cellular models of breast cancer. Then, by a combination of live-cell confocal imaging and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM), we suggest that GO-DOX may realize its superior performances by inducing massive intracellular DOX release (and its subsequent nuclear accumulation) upon binding to the cell plasma membrane. Reported results lay the foundation for future exploitation of these new adducts as high-performance nanochemotherapeutic agents

EP-1165: Impact of nodal status on clinical outcome of breast cancer patients: a monoinstitutional experience

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Chitosan-tripolyphosphate nanoparticles designed to encapsulate polyphenolic compounds for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications - A Review

Plant-based polyphenols are natural compounds, present in fruits and vegetables. During recent years, polyphenols have gained special attention due to their nutraceutical and pharmacological activities for the prevention and treatment of human diseases. Nevertheless, their photosensitivity and low bioavailability, rapid metabolism and short biological half-life represent the major limitations for their use, which could be overcome by polyphenols encapsulation (flavonoids and non-flavonoids) into chitosan (CS)-tripolyphosphate (TPP) based nanoparticles (NP). In this review, we particularly focused on the ionic gelation method for the NP design. This contribution exhaustively discusses and compares results of scientific reports published in the last decade referring to ionic gelation applied for the protection, controlled and site-directed delivery of polyphenols. As a consequence, CS-TPP NP would constitute true platforms to transport polyphenols, or a combination of them, to be used for the designing of a new generation of drugs or nutraceuticals.Fil: Di Santo, Mariana Carolina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: D' Antoni, Cecilia Luciana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Domínguez Rubio, Ana Paula. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Alaimo, Agustina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Perez, Oscar Edgardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentin