INFLUENCE OF RDI, MULCHING AND THEIR COMBINATIONS ON NUTRIENT CONTENT OF YOUNG "WILLIAM" PEAR STORED IN BASEMENT

The aim of this research was to determine the content of macro- and micro-elements in pear fruits stored in basement after the application of regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) combined with mulching. Using a water budged methodology, four levels of irrigation, specifically 100% of ET (control) and deficits of 80%, 60% and 40%, were applied to 10 trees, 5 of which were mulched by a 10 cm layer. The experiment was conducted in Kosovo (Dukagjini Plain) during 2013 on a pear orchard of 10 ha on third year using a nested experimental design. Using ANOVA two-way with post hoc testing we found significant changes in a series of nutrient elements. Irrigation levels significantly influenced pH, acids, brix, carbohydrates, dry matter, organic matter, ash, Ca and Na, while mulch has influenced brix, dry matter, pH, Cu, P, Fe, Mg and Na. The combination of irrigation and mulching have influenced pH, acids, brix, carbohydrates, dry matter, organic matter, proteins and Na while changes were not significant for fat, K, Pb and Zn. Young age of trees especially first year of production and long-term plant responses to RDI are more accurate than short-term responses so experiment is continuing

Chest wall and intrathoracic desmoid tumors: surgical experience and review of the literature

Desmoid tumors are fibroblastic/myofibroblastic neoplasms, which originate from musculo-aponeurotic structures and are classified as deep fibromatoses. Despite their benign histologic appearance and lack of metastatic potential, desmoid tumors may cause aggressive local infiltrations and compression of surrounding structures. They are often associated with female gender, familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and sporadically may occur at sites of previous trauma, scars or irradiation. Molecular studies have demonstrated that these patients are associated with a bi-allelic APC mutation in the affected tissue. Radical tumor resection with free margins remains the first therapy of choice. In cases with anatomical or technical limitations for a wide excision, radiation therapy represents a proven and effective alternative or supplementary treatment

Prognostic Relevance of Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) in Luminal Breast Cancer: A Retrospective Analysis in the Neoadjuvant Setting

The neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a promising predictive and prognostic factor in breast cancer. We investigated its ability to predict disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with luminal A- or luminal B-HER2-negative breast cancer who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). Pre-treatment complete blood cell counts from 168 consecutive patients with luminal breast cancer were evaluated to assess NLR. The study population was stratified into NLRlow or NLRhigh according to a cut-off value established by receiving operator curve (ROC) analysis. Data on additional pre- and post-treatment clinical-pathological characteristics were also collected. Kaplan-Meier curves, log-rank tests, and Cox proportional hazards models were used for statistical analyses. Patients with pre-treatment NLRlow showed a significantly shorter DFS (HR: 6.97, 95% CI: 1.65-10.55, p = 0.002) and OS (HR: 7.79, 95% CI: 1.25-15.07, p = 0.021) compared to those with NLRhigh. Non-ductal histology, luminal B subtype, and post-treatment Ki67 ≥ 14% were also associated with worse DFS (p = 0.016, p = 0.002, and p = 0.001, respectively). In a multivariate analysis, luminal B subtype, post-treatment Ki67 ≥ 14%, and NLRlow remained independent prognostic factors for DFS, while only post-treatment Ki67 ≥ 14% and NLRlow affected OS. The present study provides evidence that pre-treatment NLRlow helps identify women at higher risk of recurrence and death among patients affected by luminal breast cancer treated with NACT

Claimed Co-ethnics and Kin-State Citizenship in Southeastern Europe

The paper introduces the often neglected concept of 'claimed co-ethnics' in the analysis of citizenship policies. It argues that this is an interstitial category that further complicates the triadic nexus between national minorities, nationalising states and kin-states. The 'claimed co-ethnics' are defined as people who are recognised by the citizenship (or ethnizenship) conferring state as belonging to its main ethnic group, although they themselves do not embrace that definition. In addition to bringing the issue of claimed co-ethnics into focus, the paper elucidates how citizenship policies can affect groups that challenge the exact fit between ethnicity and nation, showing how national governments through particular citizenship policies and categorisation practices engage in the construction of these groups. The paper shows that the triadic nexus framework, which has had a strong influence on citizenship and minorities scholarship, needs to be revised to include unidirectional relations between the elements of the triadic nexus. The paper is based on the comparison between the cases of ethnic Vlachs (in the context of Albania and Greece) and Bunjevci (in the context of Serbia and Croatia).European Commission - Seventh Framework Programme (FP7

Neoadjuvant immune-checkpoint blockade in triple-negative breast cancer: current evidence and literature-based meta-analysis of randomized trials

Chemotherapy based on the sequential use of anthracyclines and taxanes has long represented the most efficacious approach in the management of early-stage, triple-negative breast cancer, whose aggressive behavior is widely renowned. This standard chemotherapy backbone was subsequently enriched by the use of carboplatin, based on its association with increased pathologic complete response and efficacy in the metastatic setting. Following the results from the IMpassion130 trial, the recent approval of the immunotherapic agent atezolizumab in combination with chemotherapy as first-line treatment for programmed-death ligand 1-positive, unresectable locally advanced, or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer increasingly fueled the flourishing of trials of immune-checkpoint inhibitors in the early setting. In this work, we review the most recent inherent literature in light of key methodological issues and provide a quantitative summary of the results from phase II–III randomized trials of immunotherapic agents combined with chemotherapy in the setting of interest. Hints regarding future directions are also discussed

Imaging Molecular Structure through Femtosecond Photoelectron Diffraction on Aligned and Oriented Gas-Phase Molecules

This paper gives an account of our progress towards performing femtosecond time-resolved photoelectron diffraction on gas-phase molecules in a pump-probe setup combining optical lasers and an X-ray Free-Electron Laser. We present results of two experiments aimed at measuring photoelectron angular distributions of laser-aligned 1-ethynyl-4-fluorobenzene (C8H5F) and dissociating, laseraligned 1,4-dibromobenzene (C6H4Br2) molecules and discuss them in the larger context of photoelectron diffraction on gas-phase molecules. We also show how the strong nanosecond laser pulse used for adiabatically laser-aligning the molecules influences the measured electron and ion spectra and angular distributions, and discuss how this may affect the outcome of future time-resolved photoelectron diffraction experiments.Comment: 24 pages, 10 figures, Faraday Discussions 17

On the Performance of a Photonic Reconfigurable Electromagnetic Band Gap Antenna Array for 5G Applications

In this paper, a reconfigurable Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) antenna array is presented for 5G portable devices. The proposed array consists of four radiating elements and an Electromagnetic Band Gap (EBG) structure. Planar monopole radiating elements are employed in the array with Coplanar Waveguide Ports (CWPs). Each CWP is grounded on one side to a reflecting L-shaped structure that has an effect of improving the antenna’s directivity. It is shown that by inductively connecting Minkowski fractal structure of 1st order to the radiating element, the impedance matching is improved that results in enhancement in the array’s bandwidth performance. The EBG structure is used to provide the isolation between antenna elements in the MIMO array. The fractal structure is connected to the L-shaped reflector through four photosensitive light dependent resistor (LDR) switches. The effect of various LDR switching configurations on the performance of the antenna is investigated. The proposed array provides a novel performance in terms of S-parameters with enhancements in the radiation properties. Such enhancements are achieved with low separation gaps between antenna elements (about λo/16 at 3.5 GHz). It is shown that the array’s operational bands centered at 3.5 GHz and 4.65 GHz can be selected by activating certain LDR switches. The electromagnetic exposure of the array on the human body is investigated by determining the specific absorption rate (SAR). It is found that the proposed antenna shows lower SAR values compared to other antennas reported in literature. With the proposed EBG structure, the gain of the array is increased 7.5 dB (from -3.5 dBi to +4 dBi) at 3.5 GHz and by 14.3 dB (from -8.7 dBi to + 5.6 dBi) at 4.65 GHz. The average radiation efficiency between 3.5 GHz and 5.5 GHz increased by 42% from 20% to 62%. Excellent radiation characteristics of the EBG the array makes it suitable for 5G portable devices such as tablets

Nanoscale depth-resolved coherent femtosecond motion in laser-excited bismuth

We employ grazing-incidence femtosecond x-ray diffraction to characterize the coherent, femtosecond laser-induced lattice motion of a bismuth crystal as a function of depth from the surface with a temporal resolution of 193 +/- 8 fs. The data show direct consequences on the lattice motion from carrier diffusion and electron-hole interaction, allowing us to estimate an effective diffusion rate of D=2.3 +/- 0.3 cm(2)/s for the highly excited carriers and an electron-hole interaction time of 260 +/- 20 fs

Second-line eribulin in triple negative metastatic breast cancer patients. Multicentre retrospective study: The tetris trial

Introduction: Large and consistent evidence supports the use of eribulin mesylate in clinical practice in third or later line treatment of metastatic triple negative breast cancer (mTNBC). Conversely, there is paucity of data on eribulin efficacy in second line treatment. Methods: We investigated outcomes of 44 mTNBC patients treated from 2013 through 2019 with second line eribulin mesylate in a multicentre retrospective study involving 14 Italian oncologic centres. Results: Median age was 51 years, with 11.4% of these patients being metastatic at diagnosis. Median overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) from eribulin starting were 11.9 (95%CI: 8.4-15.5) and 3.5 months (95%CI: 1.7-5.3), respectively. We observed 8 (18.2%) partial responses and 10 (22.7%) patients had stable disease as best response. A longer PFS on previous first line treatment predicted a better OS (HR=0.87, 95%CI: 0.77-0.99, p= 0.038) and a longer PFS on eribulin treatment (HR=0.92, 95%CI: 0.85-0.98, p=0.018). Progression free survival to eribulin was also favorably influenced by prior adjuvant chemotherapy (HR=0.44, 95%CI: 0.22-0.88, p=0.02). Eribulin was generally well tolerated, with grade 3-4 adverse events being recorded in 15.9% of patients. Conclusions: The outcomes described for our cohort are consistent with those reported in the pivotal Study301 and subsequent observational studies. Further data from adequately-sized, ad hoc trials on eribulin use in second line for mTNBC are warranted to confirm our findings