Nonequilibrium readiness and precision of Gaussian quantum thermometers

The dimensionality of a thermometer is key in the design of quantum thermometry schemes. In general, the phenomenology that is typical of qubit-based quantum thermometry does not apply to infinite-dimensional ones. We analyze the dynamical and metrological features of nonequilibrium Gaussian quantum thermometers: On one hand, we highlight how quantum entanglement can enhance the readiness of composite Gaussian thermometers; on the other hand, we show that nonequilibrium conditions do not guarantee the best sensitivities in temperature estimation, thus suggesting the reassessment of some of the working principles underpinning quantum thermometry

Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging of prostate cancer

Purpose: To explore the feasibility of 3 T magnetic resonance (MR) diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and fiber tracking (FT) in patients with prostate cancer. Materials and methods: Thirty consecutive patients (mean age, 62.5 years) with biopsy proven prostate cancer underwent 3 T-MR imaging (MRI) and DTI using a 6-channel external phased-array coil before radical prostatectomy. Regions of interest of 14 pixels were defined in tumors and nonaffected areas in the peripheral zone (PZ) and central gland (CG), according to histopatology after radical prostatectomy. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) values were determined. Differences in mean ADC and FA values among prostate cancer, normal PZ and CG were compared by 2-sided Student t test. The predominant diffusion direction of the prostate anisotropy was color coded on a directionally encoded color (DEC) map. A 3D reconstruction of fiber tract orientations of the whole prostate was determined using the continuous tracking method. The overall image quality for tumor localization and local staging was assessed in retrospective matching with whole-mount section histopathology images. Nodules detected at MRI were classified as matched lesions if tumor presence and extension were evidenced at histopathology. Results: For all the patients, the DTI sequence images were suitable for the evaluation of the zonal anatomy of the prostate gland and the tumor localization. Quantitative evaluation of the regions of interest (ROIs) showed a mean ADC value significantly lower in the peripheral neoplastic area (1.06 0.37 10 3 mm2/s) than in the normal peripheral portion (1.95 0.38 10 3 mm2/s) (P 0.05). The mean FA values calculated in the normal peripheral (0.47 0.04) and central area (0.41 0.08) were very similar (P 0.05). The mean FA values in the neoplastic lesion (0.27 0.05) were significantly lower (P 0.05) than in the normal peripheral area and in the normal central and adenomyomatous area. DEC showed a top-bottom type preferential direction in the peripheral but not in the central area, with the tumor lesions reducing the diffusion coding direction represented as color zones tending toward gray. Tractographic analysis permitted good delineation of the prostate anatomy (capsule outline, peripheral and central area borders) and neoplastic lesion extension and capsule infiltration compared with histopathology. Conclusions: Three tesla DTI of the prostate gland is feasible and has the potential for providing improved diagnostic information

Assessing Vegetation Decline Due to Pollution from Solid Waste Management by a Multitemporal Remote Sensing Approach

Nowadays, the huge production of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is one of the most strongly felt environmental issues. Consequently, the European Union (EU) delivers laws and regulations for better waste management, identifying the essential requirements for waste disposal operations and the characteristics that make waste hazardous to human health and the envi-ronment. In Italy, environmental regulations define, among other things, the characteristics of sites to be classified as “potentially contaminated”. From this perspective, the Basilicata region is cur-rently one of the Italian regions with the highest number of potentially polluted sites in proportion to the number of inhabitants. This research aimed to identify the possible effects of potentially toxic element (PTE) pollution due to waste disposal activities in three “potentially contaminated” sites in southern Italy. The area was affected by a release of inorganic pollutants with values over the thresholds ruled by national/European legislation. Potential physiological efficiency variations of vegetation were analyzed through the multitemporal processing of satellite images. Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) and Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) images were used to calcu-late the trend in the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) over the years. The mul-titemporal trends were analyzed using the median of the non-parametric Theil–Sen estimator. Fi-nally, the Mann–Kendall test was applied to evaluate trend significance featuring areas according to the contamination effects on investigated vegetation. The applied procedure led to the exclu-sion of significant effects on vegetation due to PTEs. Thus, waste disposal activities during previ-ous years do not seem to have significantly affected vegetation around targeted sites

Bioelectrical impedance analysis in patients with posterior vitreous detachment

OBJECTIVE: the purpose of the study is to assess body hydration in patients with posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). PVD, one of the most common eye diseases, is associated in both research and the collective image with reduced daily water intake, but this finding is not supported by strong evidence in the literature. PATIENTS AND METHODS: based on spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) evaluation, different PVD stages are identified: absent posterior vitreous detachment, partial posterior vitreous detachment (P-PVD), or complete posterior vitreous detachment (C-PVD). BIA is a simple, non-invasive bedside method used to assess body composition. patients underwent BIA and completed a floaters symptoms. 30 patients were enrolled and divided into two groups according to the degree of vitreous detachment, in P-PVD (n=12) and C-PVD (n=18). patients underwent BIA and completed a floaters symptoms questionnaire. BIA measured the resistance (R), reactance (Xc), phase angle (PhA), total body water (TBW), extracellular water (ECW), fat mass (FM), fat-free mass (FFM), and body cell mass Index (BCMI). finally, patients received a test to assess adherence to the mediterranean diet (mediterranean diet test score, MDTS) with the addition of daily water intake. RESULTS: relevant data were obtained from the BIA evaluation: the values of R and Xc were lower in the P-PVD group than C-PVD group (respectively 417.08±58.12 Ω vs. 476.94±51.29 Ω p=0.006 and 41.33±8.23 Ω vs. 50.61±7.98 Ω p=0.004). instead, patients in the P-PVD group reported higher values of TBW and ECW than C-PVD group (respectively 44.13±7.57 L vs. 37.96±6.27 L p=0.021 and 21.03±4.06 L vs. 17.24±2.63 L p=0.004). CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, we reported a significant correlation between vitreous pathology and anthropometric and BIA measurements

Satisfactory mid-term outcomes of condylar-constrained knee implants in primary total knee arthroplasty: clinical and radiological follow-up

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate (1) the reoperation rates and survivorship for septic and aseptic causes, (2) radiographic outcomes, and (3) clinical outcomes of condylar-constrained knee (CCK) implants used in primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) with severe coronal deformity and/or intraoperative instability. Materials and methods: A consecutive series of CCK implants in primary TKA was retrospectively evaluated in patients with severe coronal deformities. Forty-nine patients (54 knees) were included with a mean follow-up of 9 years (range 6–12). All patients were treated with a single-design, second-generation CCK implant. The primary diagnosis was osteoarthritis in 36 knees, post-traumatic arthritis in 7 knees, and rheumatoid arthritis in 4 knees. Preoperatively, standing femorotibial alignment was varus in 22 knees and valgus in 20 knees. Results: At a mean follow-up of 9 years, overall survivorship was 93.6%. Two knees (4.3%) required revision for periprosthetic joint infection. One knee (2.1%) required subsequent arthroscopy due to patellar clunk syndrome. At final follow-up, no evidence of loosening or migration of any implant was reported, and the mean Knee Society knee scores improved from 43 to 86 points (p < 0.001). The mean Knee Society function scores improved to 59 points (p < 0.001). The average flexion contracture improved from 7° preoperatively to 2° postoperatively and the average flexion from 98° to 110°. No knees reported varus–valgus instability in flexion or extension. Conclusion: CCK implants in primary TKA with major coronal deformities and/or intraoperative instability provide good midterm survivorship, comparable with less constrained implants. In specific cases, CCK implants can be considered a viable option with good clinical and radiographic outcomes. However, a higher degree of constraint should be used cautiously, leaving the first choice to less constrained implants. Level of evidence Therapeutic study, level IV

Identification of <i>Salvia haenkei</i> as gerosuppressant agent by using an integrated senescence-screening assay.

Cellular senescence is a stable cell cycle arrest that is the causative process of aging. The PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway is implicated in the control of cellular senescence and inhibitors of this pathway have been successfully used for life span prolongation experiments in mammals. PTEN is the major regulator of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and loss of PTEN promotes a senescence response termed PICS. Here we report a novel-screening assay, for the identification of compounds that block different types of senescence response. By testing a library of more than 3000 natural and chemical compounds in PTEN deficient cells we have found that an extract from &lt;i&gt;Salvia haenkei&lt;/i&gt; (SH), a native plant of Bolivia is a potent inhibitor of PICS. SH also decreases replicative and UV-mediated senescence in human primary fibroblasts and in a model of &lt;i&gt;in vitro&lt;/i&gt; reconstructed human epidermis. Mechanistically, SH treatment affects senescence driven by UV by interfering with IL1-α signalling. Pre-clinical and clinical testing of this extract by performing toxicity and irritability evaluation &lt;i&gt;in vitro&lt;/i&gt; also demonstrate the safety of SH extract for clinical use as anti-aging skin treatment

HD344787: a true Polaris analogue?

Classical Cepheids (DCEPs) are the most important primary indicators for the extragalactic distance scale, but they are also important objects per se, allowing us to put constraints on the physics of intermediate-mass stars and the pulsation theories. We have investigated the peculiar DCEP HD 344787, which is known to exhibit the fastest positive period change among DCEPs along with a quenching amplitude of the light variation. We have used high-resolution spectra obtained with HARPS-N@TNG for HD 344787 and the more famous Polaris DCEP, to infer their detailed chemical abundances. Results from the analysis of new time-series photometry of HD 344787 obtained by the TESS satellite are also reported. The double mode nature of HD344787 pulsation is confirmed by analysis of the TESS light curve, although with rather tiny amplitudes of a few tens of millimag. This is an indication that HD344787 is on the verge of quenching the pulsation. Analysis of the HARPS-N@TNG spectra reveals an almost solar abundance and no depletion of carbon and oxygen. Hence, the star appears to have not gone through the first dredge-up. Similar results are obtained for Polaris. Polaris and HD344787 are confirmed to be both most likely at their first crossing of the instability strip (IS). The two stars are likely at the opposite borders of the IS for first overtone DCEPs with metal abundance Z=0.008. A comparison with other DCEPs which are also thought to be at their first crossing allows us to speculate that the differences we see in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram might be due to differences in the properties of the DCEP progenitors during the main sequence phase.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, Astronomy & Astrophysics in press. Version corrected by Language Edito

The SAVEMEDCOASTS-2 webGIS: The Online Platform for Relative Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge Scenarios up to 2100 for the Mediterranean Coasts

Here we show the SAVEMEDCOASTS-2 web-based geographic information system (webGIS) that supports land planners and decision makers in considering the ongoing impacts of Relative Sea Level Rise (RSLR) when formulating and prioritizing climate-resilient adaptive pathways for the Mediterranean coasts. The webGIS was developed within the framework of the SAVEMEDCOASTS and SAVEMEDCOASTS-2 projects, funded by the European Union, which respond to the need to protect people and assets from natural disasters along the Mediterranean coasts that are vulnerable to the combined effects of Sea Level Rise (SLR) and Vertical Land Movements (VLM). The geospatial data include available or new high-resolution Digital Terrain Models (DTM), bathymetric data, rates of VLM, and multi-temporal coastal flooding scenarios for 2030, 2050, and 2100 with respect to 2021, as a consequence of RSLR. The scenarios are derived from the 5th Assessment Report (AR5) provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and encompass different Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP2.6 and RCP8.5) for climate projections. The webGIS reports RSLR scenarios that incorporate the temporary contribution of both the highest astronomical tides (HAT) and storm surges (SS), which intensify risks to the coastal infrastructure, local community, and environment

The NANOG transcription factor induces type 2 deiodinase expression and regulates the intracellular activation of thyroid hormone in keratinocyte carcinomas

Type 2 deiodinase (D2), the principal activator of thyroid hormone (TH) signaling in target tissues, is expressed in cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) during late tumorigenesis, and its repression attenuates the invasiveness and metastatic spread of SCC. Although D2 plays multiple roles in cancer progression, nothing is known about the mechanisms regulating D2 in cancer. To address this issue, we investigated putative upstream regulators of D2 in keratinocyte carcinomas. We found that the expression of D2 in SCC cells is positively regulated by the NANOG transcription factor, whose expression, besides being causally linked to embryonic stemness, is associated with many human cancers. We also found that NANOG binds to the D2 promoter and enhances D2 transcription. Notably, blockage of D2 activity reduced NANOG-induced cell migration as well as the expression of key genes involved in epithelial–mesenchymal transition in SCC cells. In conclusion, our study reveals a link among endogenous endocrine regulators of cancer, thyroid hormone and its activating enzyme, and the NANOG regulator of cancer biology. These findings could provide the basis for the development of TH inhibitors as context-dependent anti-tumor agents