Inertial coalescence of droplets on a partially wetting substrate

We consider the growth rate of the height of the connecting bridge in rapid surface-tension-driven coalescence of two identical droplets attached on a partially wetting substrate. For a wide range of contact angle values, the height of the bridge grows with time following a power law with a universal exponent of 2/3, up to a threshold time, beyond which a 1/2 exponent results, that is known for coalescence of freely-suspended droplets. In a narrow range of contact angle values close to 90°, this threshold time rapidly vanishes and a 1/2 exponent results for a 90° contact angle. The argument is confirmed by three-dimensional numerical simulations based on a diffuse interface method with adaptive mesh refinement and a volume-of-fluid method

Lipoteichoic Acid from Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG Modulates Dendritic Cells and T Cells in the Gut

Lipoteichoic acid (LTA) from Gram-positive bacteria exerts different immune effects depending on the bacterial source from which it is isolated. Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG LTA (LGG-LTA) oral administration reduces UVB-induced immunosuppression and skin tumor development in mice. In the present work, we evaluate the immunomodulatory effect exerted by LGG-LTA in dendritic cells (DC) and T cells, both in vitro and in the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT). During cell culture, LTA-stimulated BMDC increased CD86 and MHC-II expression and secreted low levels of pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Moreover, LTA-treated BMDC increased T cell priming capacity, promoting the secretion of IL-17A. On the other hand, in orally LTA-treated mice, a decrease in mature DC (lamina propria and Peyer’s patches) was observed. Concomitantly, an increase in IL-12p35 and IFN-γ transcription was presented (lamina propria and Peyer’s Patches). Finally, an increase in the number of CD103+ DC was observed in Peyer’s patches. Together, our data demonstrate that LGG-LTA activates DC and T cells. Moreover, we show that a Th1-biased immune response is triggered in vivo after oral LTA administration. These effects justify the oral LTA activity previously observed.Fil: Friedrich, Adrián D.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Microbiología, Inmunología y Biotecnología. Cátedra de Inmunología; ArgentinaFil: Leoni, Juliana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni; ArgentinaFil: Paz, Mariela Laura. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Microbiología, Inmunología y Biotecnología. Cátedra de Inmunología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni; ArgentinaFil: Gonzalez Maglio, Daniel Horacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Microbiología, Inmunología y Biotecnología. Cátedra de Inmunología; Argentin

Two Approaches to the Study of a Controversial Relationship: Cutaneous Photosensitivity and Anti-Ro/SS-A Autoantibodies

Background: Autoantibodies (Aabs) are the hallmark of numerous systemic autoimmune pathologies (SAPs), for instance anti-Ro/SS-A Aabs are usually found in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and Sjogren’s Syndrome. Cutaneous photosensitivity (CP) is found in most forms and subsets of LE and consists of a skin rash as a result of unusual reaction to sunlight. There are many theories which relate specifically the presence of circulating anti-Ro/SS-A Aabs with the CP phenomenon, though there are several studies which are in disagreement. Results: In this study we analyzed the relationship between CP and anti-Ro Aabs by means of two approaches. The first one included an in vitro model where we evaluated by flow cytometry the binding capacity of affinity-purified Aabs to autoantigens relocalized on apoptotic keratinocyte’s surface. We found that there was no relationship between the binding capacity of serum from 10 selected patients or their corresponding purified anti-Ro52 and anti-Ro60 Aabs, and the presence or absence of CP, neither with the SAPs. The in vivo model consisted of Hairless SKH:1 mice which were induced to produce anti-murine Ro52 and/or Ro60 Aabs and were subsequently irradiated with UVB light. We evaluated the skin histology and also the epidermal production of TNF-α. We found no differences between the groups in neither of the parameters evaluated. Conclusions: These results agree with some studies on the role of the Aabs in CP, considering anti-Ro Aabs not as the only responsible for the manifestation; and disagree with many other authors, who believe in the strong association between these two events.Fil: Paz, Mariela Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientiâ­ficas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral "profesor R. A. Margni"; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; ArgentinaFil: Cela, Eliana Maiten. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientiâ­ficas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral "profesor R. A. Margni"; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; ArgentinaFil: Ferrari, Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientiâ­ficas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral "profesor R. A. Margni"; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; ArgentinaFil: Friedrich, Adrian D.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; ArgentinaFil: Leoni, Juliana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientiâ­ficas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral "profesor R. A. Margni"; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; ArgentinaFil: Gonzalez Maglio, Daniel Horacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientiâ­ficas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral "profesor R. A. Margni"; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; Argentin

Evaluation of the capacity to consent to treatment among patients with bipolar disorder: Comparison between the acute psychopathological episode and the stable mood phase

Objective: Treatment decision-making capacity (TDMC) is basic to therapeutic processes and can be measured with the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Treatment (MacCAT-T). TDMC may fluctuate in bipolar disorder (BD). We used the MacCAT-T to compare BD inpatients with an acute manic or depressive episode with euthymic BD outpatients on their TDMC. Methods: We used the MacCAT-T to cross-sectionally assessed from May 2018 through October 2019 the TDCM of adult BD patients with a Mini Mental State Examination score ≥ 18, a group of acutely ill hospitalized patients for a manic/hypomanic episode and another of euthymic outpatients during their regular visits at our outpatient clinic. Patients were assessed with other specific psychiatric rating scales. We also tested their TDCM to an alternative treatment. Results: The inpatient group consisted of 53 patients and the outpatient of 47. Inpatients scored worse than out- patients on the MacCAT-T understanding, reasoning and expressing a choice subscale, but not on the appreciating scale. Outpatients were more capable in understanding the characteristics of an alternative advance treatment. MacCAT-T subscales correlated directly with mental state scores, and inversely with mania and psychopathology scores, while only the appreciating subscale correlated inversely with depression scores. Limitations: The limitations include small sample size and cross-sectional design. Conclusions: TDCM is higher in BD patients at their euthymic state, hence this is the right time to obtain consent from a BD patient in view of possibly depositing psychiatric advance directives

Data-Driven Understanding of Smart Service Systems Through Text Mining

Smart service systems are everywhere, in homes and in the transportation, energy, and healthcare sectors. However, such systems have yet to be fully understood in the literature. Given the widespread applications of and research on smart service systems, we used text mining to develop a unified understanding of such systems in a data-driven way. Specifically, we used a combination of metrics and machine learning algorithms to preprocess and analyze text data related to smart service systems, including text from the scientific literature and news articles. By analyzing 5,378 scientific articles and 1,234 news articles, we identify important keywords, 16 research topics, 4 technology factors, and 13 application areas. We define ???smart service system??? based on the analytics results. Furthermore, we discuss the theoretical and methodological implications of our work, such as the 5Cs (connection, collection, computation, and communications for co-creation) of smart service systems and the text mining approach to understand service research topics. We believe this work, which aims to establish common ground for understanding these systems across multiple disciplinary perspectives, will encourage further research and development of modern service systems

Early Diffusion of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in the Inner Area of the Italian Sardinia Island

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which started as a severe pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Italy has been the first European country affected by the pandemic, registering a total of 300,363 cases and 35,741 deaths until September 24, 2020. The geographical distribution of SARS-CoV-2 in Italy during early 2020 has not been homogeneous, including regions severely affected as well as administrative areas being only slightly interested by the infection. Among the latter, Sardinia represents one of the lowest incidence areas likely due to its insular nature. Methods: Next-generation sequencing of a small number of complete viral genomes from clinical samples and their virologic and phylogenetic characterization was performed. Results: We provide a first overview of the SARS-CoV-2 genomic diversity in Sardinia in the early phase of the March–May 2020 pandemic based on viral genomes isolated in the most inner regional hospital of the island. Our analysis revealed a remarkable genetic diversity in local SARS-CoV-2 viral genomes, showing the presence of at least four different clusters that can be distinguished by specific amino acid substitutions. Based on epidemiological information, these sequences can be linked to at least eight different clusters of infection, four of which likely originates from imported cases. In addition, the presence of amino acid substitutions that were not previously reported in Italian patients has been observed, asking for further investigations in a wider population to assess their prevalence and dynamics of emergence during the pandemic. Conclusion: The present study provides a snapshot of the initial phases of the SARS-CoV-2 infection in inner area of the Sardinia Island, showing an unexpected genomic diversity

An Interdisciplinary Perspective on Education Service Systems

Part 3: Finance and Service ScienceInternational audienceThe increased complexity in education systems has given rise to a number of intersecting trends and calling for a discipline to integrate across academic silos. As the concept of service innovation advances more rapidly into education services; industry, government, and academy are awakened to the concept of embedding services innovation. This theoretical paper offers an integrated framework for education systems (IFES) covering two intersecting dimensions where service innovation and service science can take place. As an effort to contribute in the area of service innovation and service sciences, an interdisciplinary approach is applied, interconnecting an array of competences across the different stakeholders. It is hypothesized that to increase productivity in education industries, interconnecting knowledge and resources from diverse areas and across different stakeholders through the co-lineation of four dimensions: (1) information, communications and technology; (2) skills and tools; (3) people and attitudes; (4) systems, processes and management; are essential to creating service innovation. This paper contributes a perspective of interconnectivity balanced with harmony that are crucial for effective productivity and service innovation by adopting a service science approach

SIRT1 activity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells correlates with altered lung function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background. Oxidative stress is a recognized pathogenic mechanism in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Expression of the NAD+-dependent deacetylase Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), an antiaging molecule with a key role in oxidative stress response, has been described as decreased in the lung of COPD patients. No studies so far investigated whether systemic SIRT1 activity was associated to decreased lung function in this disease. Methods. We measured SIRT1 protein expression and activity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and total oxidative status (TOS), total antioxidant capacity (TEAC), and oxidative stress index (TOS/TEAC) in the plasma of 25 COPD patients, 20 healthy nonsmokers (HnS), and 20 healthy smokers (HS). Results. The activity of SIRT1 was significantly lower in COPD patients compared to both control groups while protein expression decreased progressively (HnS > HS > COPD). TOS levels were significantly lower in HnS than in smoke-associated subjects (COPD and HS), while TEAC levels were progressively lower according (HnS > HS > COPD). In COPD patients, SIRT1 activity, but not protein levels, correlated significantly with both lung function parameters (FEV1/FVC and FEV1) and TEAC. Conclusions. These findings suggest loss of SIRT1-driven antioxidant activity as relevant in COPD pathogenesis and identify SIRT1 activity as a potential convenient biomarker for identification of mild/moderate, stable COPD

A multi-center, real-life experience on liquid biopsy practice for EGFR testing in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients

Background: circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is a source of tumor genetic material for EGFR testing in NSCLC. Real-word data about liquid biopsy (LB) clinical practice are lacking. The aim of the study was to describe the LB practice for EGFR detection in North Eastern Italy. Methods: we conducted a multi-regional survey on ctDNA testing practices in lung cancer patients. Results: Median time from blood collection to plasma separation was 50 min (20\u2013120 min), median time from plasma extraction to ctDNA analysis was 24 h (30 min\u20135 days) and median turnaround time was 24 h (6 h\u20135 days). Four hundred and seventy five patients and 654 samples were tested. One hundred and ninety-two patients were tested at diagnosis, with 16% EGFR mutation rate. Among the 283 patients tested at disease progression, 35% were T790M+. Main differences in LB results between 2017 and 2018 were the number of LBs performed for each patient at disease progression (2.88 vs. 1.2, respectively) and the percentage of T790M+ patients (61% vs. 26%)