Scanning tunneling microscopy and photoemission studies of self-organised Ag nanostructures on the N-modified Cu(001) surface

There has been a strong interest in methods of creating nanometer scale structures and in particular forming one and two-dimensional electron confinement structures. Self -organisation has been recognised as a promising way for growing large nanostructure domains with sufficiently regular size and spacing as required for the observation of quantum well states. We investigated the electronic properties and the morphology of Ag nano structures on c(2 x 2)-N/Cu(001) surface. This system is an example of epitaxial growth confined on nanoscale regions due to the occurrence of an adsorbate induced reconstruction. Using a combination of Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Angle Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy techniques we were able to determine the morphology and the growth mode of Ag on N -modified Cu(001) surface and the occurrence of quantum size effects in the electron properties of Ag nanostripes and nanoislands, evidenced in the observation of quantum well states

Giuseppe Jona, un clinico anatomopatologo veneziano del primo Novecento

Giuseppe Jona, Venetian doctor born in 1866, was a patho-logist first at the University of Padua and then at the Second Medical Division of the Civil Hospital of Venice. He intro-duced and increased the practice of autopsies according to the tradition always present in the Serenissima, which as-sumed an important didactic role with the establishment of a pathological Museum. He later taught in the course of To-pographical and Pathological Anatomy in the Practical School of Medicine and Surgery of Venice, always follo-wing a specially practical anatomo-clinical approach. He was a member of the “Istituto Veneto di scienze, lettere ed arti”, of which he became president. In 1936 he retired, ne-ver forgetting the poor and needy, being called “the doctor of the poor”. The racial laws of the 1938 first and the can-cellation from the Board of Medicine in 1940 which pre-vented him from any professional activity. However, his social commitment did not fail and he assumed the position of President of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Com-munity of Venice. After the armistice of September 8, 1943, Venice was occupied by German troops. To avoid collaborating with the Germans in order to provide the na-mes of the members of the Jewish community destined for extermination, Jona decided to commit suicide on Septem-ber 16, 1943. His last thought was for “faith in a day of justice”, that justice that had constantly inspired his life as a man and as a doctorGiuseppe Jona, medico veneziano nato nel 1866, fu anatomopatologo prima presso l’Università di Padova e successivamente presso la Seconda divisione medica dell’Ospedale Civile di Venezia, dove introdusse e ampliò la pratica autoptica secondo la tradizione già presente nella Serenissima, che assunse importante ruolo didattico con la costituzione di un Museo anatomopatologico. Insegnò nel corso di anatomia topografica e patologica nella Scuola pratica di medicina e chirurgia veneziana, sempre seguendo un approccio anatomo-clinico di tipo pratico. Fu socio dell’Istituto veneto di scienze, lettere ed arti; fu inoltre presidente dell’Ateneo veneto dal 1921 al 1925. Nel 1936 si ritirò in pensione, senza mai dimenticare i bisognosi, fedele alla qualifica guadagnata sul campo di “medico dei poveri”. Le leggi razziali del 1938 prima e la cancellazione dall’Albo dei medici nel 1940 poi gli impedirono qualsiasi attività professionale. Il suo impegno sociale tuttavia non venne meno e assunse l’incarico di Presidente del Consiglio di amministrazione della comunità ebraica di Venezia. Dopo l’armistizio dell’8 settembre 1943 Venezia venne occupata dalle truppe tedesche. Per evitare di dover collaborare e fornire i nominativi dei componenti della comunità ebraica destinati allo sterminio, Jona decise di togliersi la vita il 16 settembre 1943. Il suo ultimo pensiero fu per “la fede in un giorno di giustizia”, quella giustizia che aveva costantemente ispirato la sua vita di uomo e di medico

A reverse migration paradox? Policy liberalisation and new south-south migration to Latin America

In past decades, immigration policies in Latin America developed in stark contrast to other regions. Whereas most countries moved towards more restrictive policies, many Latin American countries liberalised their immigration policy frameworks and recently passed laws that expand individual rights in unprecedented ways. At the same time, migratory movements in Latin America are in flux, one of the most noteworthy recent developments being the increase in extra-continental immigration from Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. This PhD explores a reverse migration paradox inherent in the reciprocal causal relationship between immigration policy liberalisation and new south-south migration. The first paper uses a mixed approach of legal analysis and process tracing to show this paradox in the cases of Argentina, Brazil and Ecuador. It analyses the tension between liberal discourses and policies that invoke the universality of migrants’ rights and free human mobility, on the one hand, and the rejection of recently increasing irregular south–south migration on the other. Using a difference-in-difference design, the second paper tests the impact of Ecuador’s policy of visa freedom of 2008 on previously restricted countries in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, and shows that immigration from these regions more than doubled. Qualitative findings confirm that visa freedom was the main determinant of migrants’ decision to move to Ecuador and further show great variance of migrant characteristics. The third paper is based on 35 in-depth interviews, which collectively demonstrate that perceived security threats of domestic and international political actors, which led to the partial reintroduction of tourist visa requirements for ten African and Asian countries by 2010, were closely intertwined with racism. Taken together, the three papers have important implications for the study of immigration policies, south-south migration and the securitisation of migration

Magnetic Model Identification of Multi-Three-Phase Synchronous Motors

Multi-three-phase motor drives are experiencing a significant development among the multiphase solutions since they are configured as multiple three-phase units operating in parallel. Although the literature reports several torque controllers able to deal with multi-three-phase motors, most of them obtain high performance of torque regulation as long as flux and torque maps of the machine are known. The literature currently reports very few contributions dealing with the experimental identification of flux and torque maps of multi-three-phase synchronous motors operating in healthy and open-three-phase fault conditions. In addition, almost all these research contributions focus on dual-three-phase machines. This paper thus proposes an experimental test procedure to directly identify the flux and torque maps of a multi-three-phase synchronous motor featuring an arbitrary number of three-phase winding sets. The proposed identification procedure also allows an accurate machine analysis considering all potential open-three-phase fault scenarios. Experimental results obtained on a 12-phase interior permanent magnet synchronous motor using a quadruple-three-phase configuration of the stator winding are presented. Besides, flux and torque maps obtained in severe open-three-phase fault conditions are shown, fully validating the proposed identification procedure

Vitamin D supplementation in the prevention and management of major chronic diseases not related to mineral homeostasis in adults : research for evidence and a scientific statement from the European society for clinical and economic aspects of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis (ESCEO)

Introduction: Optimal vitamin D status promotes skeletal health and is recommended with specific treatment in individuals at high risk for fragility fractures. A growing body of literature has provided indirect and some direct evidence for possible extraskeletal vitamin D-related effects. Purpose and Methods: Members of the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis have reviewed the main evidence for possible proven benefits of vitamin D supplementation in adults at risk of or with overt chronic extra-skeletal diseases, providing recommendations and guidelines for future studies in this field. Results and conclusions: Robust mechanistic evidence is available from in vitro studies and in vivo animal studies, usually employing cholecalciferol, calcidiol or calcitriol in pharmacologic rather than physiologic doses. Although many cross-sectional and prospective association studies in humans have shown that low 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels (i.e., 50 nmol/L, did not simultaneously assess multiple outcomes, and did not report overall safety (e.g., falls). Thus, no recommendations can be made to date for the use of vitamin D supplementation in general, parental compounds, or non-hypercalcemic vitamin D analogs in the prevention and treatment of extra-skeletal chronic diseases. Moreover, attainment of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels well above the threshold desired for bone health cannot be recommended based on current evidence, since safety has yet to be confirmed. Finally, the promising findings from mechanistic studies, large cohort studies, and small clinical trials obtained for autoimmune diseases (including type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and systemic lupus erythematosus), cardiovascular disorders, and overall reduction in mortality require further confirmation

Bergamot essential oil nanoemulsions: antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity.

Abstract Bergamot essential oil (BEO) is well-known for its food preservation activity, as well as anticancer efficacy. However, the poor BEO water solubility and deriving low bioaccessibility have limited its wider applications. The incorporation in nanoemulsions of BEO and its refined fractions was investigated to enhance its dispersibility in water to promote its antimicrobial activity, tested against Escherichia coli, Lactobacillus delbrueckii, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and its cytotoxicity already at low concentrations. Different nanoemulsion formulations were tested based on food-grade ingredients, which were characterized in terms of hydrodynamic diameter and polydispersity index, and physical stability. The antimicrobial activity against all the tested micro-organisms was observed to be higher for BEO in its initial composition, than the light fraction, richer in d-limonene, ß-pinene, and γ-terpinene, or the heavy fraction, richer in linalyl acetate and linalool. Remarkably, the use of BEO nanoemulsions notably enhanced the antimicrobial activity for all the tested oils. BEO exhibited also a measurable cytotoxic activity against Caco-2 cells, which was also enhanced by the use of the different nanoemulsions tested, in comparison with free oil, which discourages the direct use of BEO nanoemulsions as a food preservative. Conversely, BEO nanoemulsions might find use in therapeutic applications as anticarcinogenic agents

O dispositivo das rodas de escuta no trabalho de educação infantil

Educators play a significant role in the constitution of subjectivity and child development. However, the literature points to the lack of attention given to these professionals when considering the relevance of their role in the care and education of children. Therefore, the present article aims to discuss the device of listening circles in practice with preschool educators from a research-extension project. As a methodology, a narrative literature review was assumed, which allowed the discussion about the crossovers of work between early childhood education. The listening wheels sustained by psychoanalysis constituted a powerful device for the circulation of the word and for the emergence of relations of alterity.Las educadoras desempeñan un papel significativo en la constitución de la subjetividad y el desarrollo infantil. Sin embargo, la literatura señala la falta de atención que se les da a estas profesionales al considerar la relevancia de su papel en el cuidado y la educación de los niños. Por ello, el presente artículo tiene como objetivo debatir el dispositivo de ruedas de escucha en la práctica con educadoras de una escuela de educación infantil a partir de un proyecto de investigación-extensión. Como metodología se asumió una revisión narrativa de la literatura que permitió la discusión sobre los cruces del trabajo con la educación infantil. Las ruedas de escucha sostenidas por el psicoanálisis se constituyeron como un dispositivo potente para la circulación de la palabra y para la emergencia de relaciones de alteridad.As educadoras desempenham um papel significativo na constituição da subjetividade e no desenvolvimento infantil. Contudo, a literatura aponta a carência da atenção voltada a essas profissionais ao considerar a relevância do seu papel no cuidado e educação de crianças. Por isso, o presente artigo tem como objetivo debater o dispositivo de rodas de escuta na prática com educadoras de uma escola de educação infantil a partir de um projeto de pesquisa-extensão. Como metodologia assumiu-se uma revisão narrativa de literatura que permitiu a discussão a respeito dos atravessamentos do trabalho com a educação infantil. As rodas de escuta sustentadas pela psicanálise, constituíram-se como um dispositivo potente de circulação da palavra e para a emergência de relações de alteridade.

Development and verification of an electron Monte Carlo engine for applications in intraoperative radiation therapy

Background: In preparation of future clinical trials employing the Mobetron electron linear accelerator to deliver FLASH Intraoperative Radiation Therapy (IORT), the development of a Monte Carlo (MC)-based framework for dose calculation was required. Purpose: To extend and validate the in-house developed fast MC dose engine MonteRay (MR) for future clinical applications in IORT. Methods: MR is a CPU MC dose calculation engine written in C++ that is capable of simulating therapeutic proton, helium, and carbon ion beams. In this work, development steps are taken to include electrons and photons in MR are presented. To assess MRs accuracy, MR generated simulation results were compared against FLUKA predictions in water,in presence of heterogeneities as well as in an anthropomorphic phantom. Additionally, dosimetric data has been acquired to evaluate MRs accuracy in predicting dose-distributions generated by the Mobetron accelerator. Runtimes of MR were evaluated against those of the general-purpose MC code FLUKA on standard benchmark problems. Results: MR generated dose distributions for electron beams incident on a water phantom match corresponding FLUKA calculated distributions within 2.3% with range values matching within 0.01 mm. In terms of dosimetric validation, differences between MR calculated and measured dose values were below 3% for almost all investigated positions within the water phantom. Gamma passing rate (1%/1 mm) for the scenarios with inhomogeneities and gamma passing rate (3%/2 mm) with the anthropomorphic phantom, were > 99.8% and 99.4

Changes in protein expression in two cholangiocarcinoma cell lines undergoing formation of multicellular tumor spheroids In vitro

Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) is relevant in malignant growth and frequently correlates with worsening disease progression due to its implications in metastases and re- sistance to therapeutic interventions. Although EMT is known to occur in several types of solid tumors, the information concerning tumors arising from the epithelia of the bile tract is still limited. In order to approach the problem of EMT in cholangiocarcinoma, we decided to investigate the changes in protein expression occurring in two cell lines under conditions leading to growth as adherent monolayers or to formation of multicellular tumor spheroids (MCTS), which are considered culture models that better mimic the growth characteristics of in-vivo solid tumors. In our system, changes in phenotypes occur with only a decrease in transmembrane E-cadherin and vimentin expression, minor changes in the transglutami- nase protein/activity but with significant differences in the proteome profiles, with declining and increasing expression in 6 and in 16 proteins identified by mass spectrometry. The aris- ing protein patterns were analyzed based on canonical pathways and network analysis. These results suggest that significant metabolic rearrangements occur during the conver- sion of cholangiocarcinomas cells to the MCTS phenotype, which most likely affect the car- bohydrate metabolism, protein folding, cytoskeletal activity, and tissue sensitivity to oxygen