Subion Scale Turbulence Driven by Magnetic Reconnection

The interplay between plasma turbulence and magnetic reconnection remains an unsettled question in astrophysical and laboratory plasmas. Here we report the first observational evidence that magnetic reconnection drives subion scale turbulence in magnetospheric plasmas by transferring energy to small scales. We employ a spatial coarse-grained model of Hall magnetohydrodynamics, enabling us to measure the nonlinear energy transfer rate across scale $\ell$ at position $x$. Its application to Magnetospheric Multiscale mission data shows that magnetic reconnection drives intense energy transfer to subion scales. This observational evidence is remarkably supported by the results from Hybrid Vlasov-Maxwell simulations of turbulence to which the coarse-grained model is also applied. These results can potentially answer some open questions on plasma turbulence in planetary environments

Local cascade and dissipation in incompressible Hall magnetohydrodynamic turbulence: the Coarse-Graining approach

We derive the coarse-graining (CG) equations of incompressible Hall Magnetohydrodynamics (HMHD) turbulence to investigate the {\it local (in space)} energy cascade rate as a function of the filtering scale $\ell$. First, the CG equations are space averaged to obtain the analytical expression of the mean cascade rate. Its application to 3 dimensional (3D) simulations of (weakly compressible) HMHD shows a cascade rate consistent with the value of the mean dissipation rate in the simulations and with the classical estimates based on the "third-order" law. Furthermore, we developed an anisotropic version of CG that allows us to study the magnitude of the cascade rate along different directions with respect to the mean magnetic field. Its implementation on the numerical data with moderate background magnetic field shows a weaker cascade along the magnetic field than in the perpendicular plane, while an isotropic cascade is recovered in the absence of a background field. The strength of the CG approach is further revealed when considering the {\it local-in-space} energy transfer, which is shown theoretically and numerically to match at a given position $\bm{x}$, when locally averaged over a neighboring region, the (quasi-)local dissipation. Prospects of exploiting this new model to investigate local dissipation in spacecraft data are discussed.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures, submitted to Physical Review

When IPPMs reduce uncertainty

The Intellectual Property (IP) management in Open Innovation (OI) is one of the most interesting topic in the literature: several authors have highlighted that IP protection mechanisms IPPMs can be useful in order to cope with uncertainty regarding the control over critical know-how, the management of both the background and the foreground knowledge, the property rights and the rights to use innovations, as well as the resolution of possible legal disputes. Our purpose is to identify how IPPMs should be combined along the collaboration phases in order to reduce uncertainty and if IPPMs should be differentiated depending on the different types of partners. On the basis of two case studies in two Italian companies, it emerges the importance to regulate the IP management since the early stages of the collaboration through contractual tools such as Non-Disclosure Agreement, Memorandum of Understanding, Joint Development Agreement, and Rights to Use. Hence, differently from the literature, case studies suggest that the Right to Use and the agreements governing the joint development should be defined in the exploration phase, in order to produce immediate effects in terms of uncertainty reduction. Once in the development phase, each partner will mostly monitor the other partners’ respect of such agreements

Technological Strategy, Open Innovation and Performance: Evidences by a Structural- Equation-Model Approach

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to shed further light on determinants of the openness degree to give a more conclusive evidence to the research in the field. In particular, the influence exerted by the technological strategy is still debated, in that evidence on the relationship between the technological strategy and openness is conflicting. Design/methodology/approach – The authors put forward a structural equation model which enriches the state-of-the-art literature by explicitly testing the interplay among technological strategy, openness (innovatively measured in terms of partner intensity, phase intensity and variety in terms of partners, phases and contents) and innovation performance. Our study relies on data from 415 firms based on a research survey developed in Finland, Italy and Sweden. Findings – Findings show that openness, if measured in terms of partner intensity and phase intensity, fully mediates the relationship between technological strategy and innovation performance, by suggesting that the effectiveness of a firm’s technologically aggressive behavior is strongly related to the intensification of collaboration with the partners along the innovation funnel. Conversely, openness variety seems to play an opposite role and is influenced differently by partner and phase intensity. This result likely emphasizes how the cost-side of open behavior becomes harder to manage, and thus costly, when it involves too many different types of partners, phases and contents. Practical implications – Firms that adopt a technologically aggressive strategy are recommended to deeply open their innovation process to foster innovation performance. However, because of the fact that a high level of openness variety could generate some drawbacks, managers should be very careful in the management of different phases, sources and content. Therefore, what clearly emerges is a call to find adequate strategies for effectively managing the collaboration process to avoid the waste of resources and initiatives. Originality/value – Originality and the value of the paper reside in a more fine-grained definition of the openness concept, which takes into consideration other facets of openness compared to those usually analyzed in the literature, and a powerful statistical model, such as structural equation modeling, offering great advantages and flexibility in matching the theoretical model with the data

Predictive value of preoperative albumin-bilirubin score and other risk factors for short-term outcomes after open pancreatoduodenectomy

Background: Pancreatoduodenectomy represents a complex procedure involving extensive organ resection and multiple alimentary reconstructions. It is still associated with high morbidity, even in high-volume centres. Prediction tools including preoperative patient-related factors to preoperatively identify patients at high risk for postoperative complications could enable tailored perioperative management and improve patient outcomes. Aim: To evaluate the clinical significance of preoperative albumin-bilirubin score and other risk factors in relation to short-term postoperative outcomes in patients after open pancreatoduodenectomy. Methods: This retrospective study included all patients who underwent open pancreatic head resection (pylorus-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy or Whipple resection) for various pathologies during a five-year period (2017-2021) in a tertiary care setting at University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Slovenia and Cattinara Hospital, Trieste, Italy. Short-term postoperative outcomes, namely, postoperative complications, postoperative pancreatic fistula, reoperation, and mortality, were evaluated in association with albumin-bilirubin score and other risk factors. Multiple logistic regression models were built to identify risk factors associated with these short-term postoperative outcomes. Results: Data from 347 patients were collected. Postoperative complications, major postoperative complications, postoperative pancreatic fistula, reoperation, and mortality were observed in 52.7%, 22.2%, 23.9%, 21.3%, and 5.2% of patients, respectively. There was no statistically significant association between the albumin-bilirubin score and any of these short-term postoperative complications based on univariate analysis. When controlling for other predictor variables in a logistic regression model, soft pancreatic texture was statistically significantly associated with postoperative complications [odds ratio (OR): 2.09; 95% confidence interval (95%CI): 1.19-3.67]; male gender (OR: 2.12; 95%CI: 1.15-3.93), soft pancreatic texture (OR: 3.06; 95%CI: 1.56-5.97), and blood loss (OR: 1.07; 95%CI: 1.00-1.14) were statistically significantly associated with major postoperative complications; soft pancreatic texture was statistically significantly associated with the development of postoperative pancreatic fistula (OR: 5.11; 95%CI: 2.38-10.95); male gender (OR: 1.97; 95%CI: 1.01-3.83), soft pancreatic texture (OR: 2.95; 95%CI: 1.42-6.11), blood loss (OR: 1.08; 95%CI: 1.01-1.16), and resection due to duodenal carcinoma (OR: 6.58; 95%CI: 1.20-36.15) were statistically significantly associated with reoperation. Conclusion: The albumin-bilirubin score failed to predict short-term postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy. However, other risk factors seem to influence postoperative outcomes, including male sex, soft pancreatic texture, blood loss, and resection due to duodenal carcinoma

Patients over 65 years with Acute Complicated Calculous Biliary Disease are Treated Differently - Results and Insights from the ESTES Snapshot Audit

Background: Accrued comorbidities are perceived to increase operative risk. Surgeons may offer operative treatments less often to their older patients with acute complicated calculous biliary disease (ACCBD). We set out to capture ACCBD incidence in older patients across Europe and the currently used treatment algorithms. Methods: The European Society of Trauma and Emergency Surgery (ESTES) undertook a snapshot audit of patients undergoing emergency hospital admission for ACCBD between October 1 and 31 2018, comparing patients under and C 65 years. Mortality, postoperative complications, time to operative intervention, post-acute disposition, and length of hospital stay (LOS) were compared between groups. Within the C 65 cohort, comorbidity burden,mortality, LOS, and disposition outcomes were further compared between patients undergoing operative and non-operative management. Results: The median age of the 338 admitted patients was 67 years; 185 patients (54.7%) of these were the age of 65 or over. Significantly fewer patients C 65 underwent surgical treatment (37.8% vs. 64.7%, p\0.001). Surgical complications were more frequent in the C 65 cohort than younger patients, and the mean postoperative LOS was significantly longer. Postoperative mortality was seen in 2.2% of patients C 65 (vs. 0.7%, p = 0.253). However, operated elderly patients did not differ from non-operated in terms of comorbidity burden, mortality, LOS, or postdischarge rehabilitation need. Conclusions: Few elderly patients receive surgical treatment for ACCBD. Expectedly, postoperative morbidity, LOS, and the requirement for post-discharge rehabilitation are higher in the elderly than younger patients but do not differ from elderly patients managed non-operatively. With multidisciplinary perioperative optimization, elderly patients may be safely offered optimal treatment. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov (Trial # NCT03610308)

Nondestructive Raman investigation on wall paintings at Sala Vaccarini in Catania (Sicily)

In this work, the results of a Raman campaign for studying seventeenth-century Sicilian frescoes, by using two portable Raman systems, equipped with different excitation sources (785 and 1064 nm), are proposed. The measurements were performed with the aim to provide an in situ diagnostic analysis of the wall paintings (in terms of colorants and preparation layer) and to support the conservators in the framework of the ongoing restoration. The combined use of the two Raman spectrometers has given a complete overview on the artist palette and on the state of preservation of frescoes, also informing us about the technique employed by the painter. Natural pigments as hematite, vermillion, goethite, lead red, lead white and carbon-based black pigments have been identified. Additionally, the application of a transitional Romanesque-Renaissance frescoes method has been noticed by the systematic combined presence of calcite and gypsum in the substrate. Finally, the analyses have highlighted the presence of degradation products, mainly related to alteration of lead-based pigments

The Culturable Mycobiota of Sediments and Associated Microplastics: From a Harbor to a Marine Protected Area, a Comparative Study

Fungi are an essential component of marine ecosystems, although little is known about their global distribution and underwater diversity, especially in sediments. Microplastics (MPs) are widespread contaminants worldwide and threaten the organisms present in the oceans. In this study, we investigated the fungal abundance and diversity in sediments, as well as the MPs, of three sites with different anthropogenic impacts in the Mediterranean Sea: the harbor of Livorno, the marine protected area "Secche della Meloria"; and an intermediate point, respectively. A total of 1526 isolates were cultured and identified using a polyphasic approach. For many of the fungal species this is the first record in a marine environment. A comparison with the mycobiota associated with the sediments and MPs underlined a "substrate specificity", highlighting the complexity of MP-associated fungal assemblages, potentially leading to altered microbial activities and hence changes in ecosystem functions. A further driving force that acts on the fungal communities associated with sediments and MPs is sampling sites with different anthropogenic impacts

Magnetospheric Venus Space Explorers (MVSE) Mission: A Proposal for Understanding the Dynamics of Induced Magnetospheres

Induced magnetospheres form around planetary bodies with atmospheres through the interaction of the solar wind with their ionosphere. Induced magnetospheres are highly dependent on the solar wind conditions and have only been studied with single spacecraft missions in the past. This gap in knowledge could be addressed by a multi-spacecraft plasma mission, optimized for studying global spatial and temporal variations in the magnetospheric system around Venus, which hosts the most prominent example of an induced magnetosphere in our solar system. The MVSE mission comprises four satellites, of which three are identical scientific spacecraft, carrying the same suite of instruments probing different regions of the induced magnetosphere and the solar wind simultaneously. The fourth spacecraft is the transfer vehicle which acts as a relay satellite for communications at Venus. In this way, changes in the solar wind conditions and extreme solar events can be observed, and their effects can be quantified as they propagate through the Venusian induced magnetosphere. Additionally, energy transfer in the Venusian induced magnetosphere can be investigated. The scientific payload includes instrumentation to measure the magnetic field, electric field, and ion-electron velocity distributions. This study presents the scientific motivation for the mission as well as requirements and the resulting mission design. Concretely, a mission timeline along with a complete spacecraft design, including mass, power, communication, propulsion and thermal budgets are given. This mission was initially conceived at the Alpbach Summer School 2022 and refined during a week-long study at ESAs Concurrent Design Facility in Redu, BelgiumComment: 23 pages, 5 figures, Submitted to Acta Astronautic

Hypoxia Modifies the Transcriptome of Human NK Cells, Modulates Their Immunoregulatory Profile, and Influences NK Cell Subset Migration

Hypoxia, which characterizes most tumor tissues, can alter the function of different immune cell types, favoring tumor escape mechanisms. In this study, we show that hypoxia profoundly acts on NK cells by influencing their transcriptome, affecting their immunoregulatory functions, and changing the chemotactic responses of different NK cell subsets. Exposure of human peripheral blood NK cells to hypoxia for 16 or 96 h caused significant changes in the expression of 729 or 1,100 genes, respectively. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis demonstrated that these changes followed a consensus hypoxia transcriptional profile. As assessed by Gene Ontology annotation, hypoxia-targeted genes were implicated in several biological processes: metabolism, cell cycle, differentiation, apoptosis, cell stress, and cytoskeleton organization. The hypoxic transcriptome also showed changes in genes with immunological relevance including those coding for proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and chemokine-receptors. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis confirmed the modulation of several immune-related genes, prompting further immunophenotypic and functional studies. Multiplex ELISA demonstrated that hypoxia could variably reduce NK cell ability to release IFNγ, TNFα, GM-CSF, CCL3, and CCL5 following PMA+Ionomycin or IL15+IL18 stimulation, while it poorly affected the response to IL12+IL18. Cytofluorimetric analysis showed that hypoxia could influence NK chemokine receptor pattern by sustaining the expression of CCR7 and CXCR4. Remarkably, this effect occurred selectively (CCR7) or preferentially (CXCR4) on CD56bright NK cells, which indeed showed higher chemotaxis to CCL19, CCL21, or CXCL12. Collectively, our data suggest that the hypoxic environment may profoundly influence the nature of the NK cell infiltrate and its effects on immune-mediated responses within tumor tissues