Assessing SDG indicator 6.4.2 ‘level of water stress’ at major basins level

This paper describes a method to disaggregate indicator 6.4.2 (level of water stress) by major river basins. The analysis was performed using the GlobWat soil water balance model and global geospatial data consistent with national statistics published in AQUASTAT, the FAO’s global information system on water and agriculture. When a river basin spans across more than one country, the water stress calculated by country can be very different from that calculated by the river basin as the counting of the renewable freshwater resources from one country to another is highly dependent on the official agreement and treaties that regulate the flow of those resources between countries. This problem is solved hydrologically once the accounting of the water resources is done on the major river basin as a whole. The disaggregation by the river basin allows the identification of hotspots where actions should be prioritised and reveals that the area affected by a high or critical water stress spans across all continents with the exception of Oceania. It also offers the possibility of an analysis of freshwater withdrawals by sector, which may become crucial for the definition of water management policies in the context of the economic development of a country

Synthetic cathinones related fatalities: an update

Synthetic cathinones, more commonly known as "bath salts", are synthetic drugs chemically related to cathinone, a psychostimulant found in the khat plant. They are the first most consumed products among new psychoactive substances, which cause psychostimulant and hallucinogenic effects determining a number of fatalities worldwide.  In this paper, we have systematically reviewed cases of synthetic cathinones-related fatalities analytically confirmed, which have occurred in the last few years.OBJECTIVE: Synthetic cathinones, more commonly known as “bath salts”, are synthetic drugs chemically related to cathinone, a psychostimulant found in the khat plant. They are the first most consumed products among new psychoactive substances, which cause psychostimulant and hallucinogenic effects determining a number of fatalities worldwide. In this paper, we have systematically reviewed cases of synthetic cathinones-related fatalities analytically confirmed, which have occurred in the last few years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Relevant scientific articles were identified in Medline, Cochrane Central, Scopus, Web of Science and Institutional/ government websites up to November 2017 using the following keywords: synthetic cathinones, mephedrone, methylenedioxypyrovalerone, MDPV, methylone, ethylone, buthylone, fatal intoxication, fatalities and death. RESULTS: In total, 20 citations met the criteria for inclusion, representing several fatal cases with analytically confirmed synthetic cathinones in biological sample/s of the deceased. The death was attributed to hyperthermia, hypertension, cardiac arrest and more in general to the classic serotonin syndrome. Only rarely did the concentration of the parent drug causing fatality overcome the value of 1 mg/L in post-mortem biological fluids. CONCLUSIONS: Abuse of synthetic cathinones still represents a serious public health issue. Systematic clinical studies on both the animal and human model are lacking; therefore, the only available data are from the users who experience the possible hazardous consequences. Analytical methodologies for the identification of parent compounds and eventual metabolites both in ante-mortem and post-mortem cases need to be developed and validated. Analytical data should be shared through different communication platforms with the aim of stopping this serious health threat for drug users

Teams in New Ventures: Gender, Human Capital and Motivation

Purpose- This paper dismantles the idea that sex per se explains entrepreneurial outcomes and demonstrates the influence of a gendered motivation on forging and shaping new venture teams, which is a disruptive choice affecting the future of start-ups. Methods- A two-level research model is validated on data from the PSED II, with a system of simultaneous equations. Firstly, we test if team features affect the performance of new ventures; then, we investigate determinants of team features with a focus on sex and motivation of nascent entrepreneurs. Findings- Human capital (HC) in terms of education and experience of team members consistently explains venture evolution only when considering the larger team of affiliates. The HC gathered by nascent entrepreneurs is not due to the simplistic sex condition, but rather to a gendered motivation related to the inferior need of achievement of women. Research limitations- Limitations of discretionary scoring assigned to items of the PSED II survey are present, but unavoidable when processing qualitative data. Social and Practical implications- Women need to be (culturally) educated on how to re-balance their personal motivation towards entrepreneurship by fostering their incentives for achievement. Political and educational programs could trigger success in the creation of new businesses led by women. Originality/value- This paper contributes to the literature on nascent entrepreneurship, focusing on the entrepreneurial teams in the initial phase of business creation, and provides the basis for further studies aimed at eradicating the stereotypes of gender roles that lead women to self-exclusion and organizational errors

New trends of substance abuse during COVID-19 pandemic: an international perspective

In the late 2019, an epidemic of cases with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2) has spread from China to the rest of the world, resulting in a global pandemic (COronaVIrus Disease 19, COVID-19 pandemic). Starting from the first months of 2020, several restrictions have been imposed by governments to face the public health threat, impacting the usual patterns of drug abuse throughout the world (1). The temporary border closure affected the usual illicit drug route of shipping from country to country, resulting in scarcity of classic street drugs (2). Moreover, restrictive measures internationally adopted by several countries made necessary to close all the usual recreational settings in which stimulants drugs are commonly abused. On the contrary, since in house drugs abuse became the most feasible option, other private encounters might have caught on, such as chemsex (3). In particular this phenomenon, which originated mainly in the large cities of Northern Europe, has gradually spread across the continent and is now a worrying reality in western European countries. Other rising trends of substance abuse include cognitive enhancers and new psychoactive substances (4, 5). Furthermore, the consequent social isolation and the likely limited access to detoxification centers caused additional psychological distress, pushing drug addicts toward alternative psychotropic drugs, possibly through illegal online marketplaces. An international overview of the new trends of drug abuse during the current COVID-19 pandemic and the related health risks are hereby discussed, taking into consideration different points of view

Orbital magnetism in axially deformed sodium clusters: From scissors mode to dia-para magnetic anisotropy

Low-energy orbital magnetic dipole excitations, known as scissors mode (SM), are studied in alkali metal clusters. Subsequent dynamic and static effects are explored. The treatment is based on a self-consistent microscopic approach using the jellium approximation for the ionic background and the Kohn-Sham mean field for the electrons. The microscopic origin of SM and its main features (structure of the mode in light and medium clusters, separation into low- and high-energy plasmons, coupling high-energy M1 scissors and E2 quadrupole plasmons, contributions of shape isomers, etc) are discussed. The scissors M1 strength acquires large values with increasing cluster size. The mode is responsible for the van Vleck paramagnetism of spin-saturated clusters. Quantum shell effects induce a fragile interplay between Langevin diamagnetism and van Vleck paramagnetism and lead to a remarkable dia-para anisotropy in magnetic susceptibility of particular light clusters. Finally, several routes for observing the SM experimentally are discussed.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figure

Aerothermodynamic radiation studies

We have built and made operational a 6 in. electric arc driven shock tube which alloys us to study the non-equilibrium radiation and kinetics of low pressure (0.1 to 1 torr) gases processed by 6 to 12 km/s shock waves. The diagnostic system allows simultaneous monitoring of shock radiation temporal histories by a bank of up to six radiometers, and spectral histories with two optical multi-channel analyzers. A data set of eight shots was assembled, comprising shocks in N2 and air at pressures between 0.1 and 1 torr and velocities of 6 to 12 km/s. Spectrally resolved data was taken in both the non-equilibrium and equilibrium shock regions on all shots. The present data appear to be the first spectrally resolved shock radiation measurements in N2 performed at 12 km/s. The data base was partially analyzed with salient features identified

Electric charge quantization without anomalies?

In gauge theories like the standard model, the electric charges of the fermions can be heavily constrained from the classical structure of the theory and from the cancellation of anomalies. We argue that the anomaly conditions are not quite as well motivated as the classical constraints, since it is possible that new fermions could exist which cancel potential anomalies. For this reason we examine the classically allowed electric charges of the known fermions and we point out that the electric charge of the tau neutrino is classically allowed to be non-zero. The experimental bound on the electric charge of the tau neutrino is many orders of magnitude weaker than for any other known neutrino. We discuss possible modifications of the minimal standard model such that electric charge is quantized classically.Comment: 10 McGill/93-3

Transitions between bursting modes in the integrated oscillator model for pancreatic β-cells

Insulin-secreting $\beta$-cells of pancreatic islets of Langerhans produce bursts of electrical impulses, resulting in intracellular Ca$^{2+}$ oscillations and pulsatile insulin secretion. The mechanism for this bursting activity has been the focus of mathematical modeling for more than three decades, and as new data are acquired old models are modified and new models are developed. Comprehensive models must now account for the various modes of bursting observed in islet $\beta$-cells, which include fast bursting, slow bursting, and compound bursting. One such model is the Integrated Oscillator Model (IOM), in which $\beta$-cell electrical activity, intracellular Ca$^{2+}$ , and glucose metabolism interact via numerous feedforward and feedback pathways. These interactions can produce metabolic oscillations with a sawtooth time course or a pulsatile time course, reflecting very different oscillation mechanisms. In this report, we determine conditions favorable to one form of oscillations or the other, and examine the transitions between modes of bursting and the relationship of the transitions to the patterns of metabolic oscillations. Importantly, this work clarifies what can be expected in experimental measurements of $\beta$-cell oscillatory activity, and suggests pathways through which oscillations of one type can be converted to oscillations of another type.R. Bertram was supported by grant number DMS-1612193 from the National Science Foundatio

Cognitive enhancing drugs: a future challenge for the workplace?

In medical practice, cognitive enhancers (also called nootropics) are defined as therapeutic drugs treating specific cognition impairments in patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke schizophrenia or aging. However, the non-medical use of cognitive enhancers with the aim of increasing mental alertness and concentration, improving memory, fighting wakefulness and boosting energy has been spreading worldwide2. In this concern, scarce investigations have been carried out on the possible risks of chronic non-medical use of nootropics, and these risks seem to be largely overlooked, especially among students3. Considering the ever more competitive nature of modern societies, which also reverberates into workplaces, cognitive enhancers are reasonably expected to become even more common over time4. Nonetheless, long-term consequences are as yet unknown. Cognitive enhancers, used by healthy individuals, are widely known as nootropics: they consist of drugs, supplements and other substances that are allegedly known to improve cognitive function, particularly executive functions, and to strengthen memory, creativity or even motivation. Pharmaceutical substances and compounds known as ‘cognitive-enhancers’ allegedly boost mental performance and the ability to focus and keep concentration. In broader terms, such drugs are often claimed to heighten and foster the acquisition of motor capabilities and affective skills (i.e., one’s ability to deal with anxiety stemming from performing certain work tasks or eliciting feelings of trust and affiliation). It is worth noting, however, that no drugs are licensed by medical authorities to be recommended and prescribed as ‘cognitive enhancers’. Thus, the definition of ‘performance-enhancing drug’ is usually linked to the off-label use of drugs prescribed for specific medical conditions. These substances are usually stimulants that preferentially target the catecholamines of the prefrontal cortex of the brain to induce their effects5. Historically, amphetamines have been the first drugs used off-label for the purpose of fostering memory consolidation and increasing concentration6. Since these substances are legally controlled as drugs of abuse, they can only be obtained on illegal markets. This purchase channel is also used to obtain methylphenidate, which is undoubtedly the most misused drug as cognitive enhancer5,7. Mostly prescribed for treating Attention Deficit Hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy, methylphenidate has been scheduled as an illegal drug in many countries for its abuse liability and side effects, resulting in a rapid expansion of methylphenidate legal analogs onto the drug market. Alternative prescription drugs for the treatment of narcolepsy and ADHD, such as modafinil and armodafinil, are also used as cognitive enhancers8. Finally, two last drugs should be mentioned among nootropics: atomoxetine, a selective nor-adrenaline reuptake inhibitor licensed for the treatment of children with methylphenidate-resistant ADHD or undergoing methylphenidate side effects9, and donepezil, a second-generation acetylcholinesterase inhibitor licensed for the treatment of mild to moderately severe symptoms of Alzheimer-related dementia10. At the same time, there has been renewed interest in older prescription drugs (e.g., beta blockers, to decrease performance anxiety) and illicit psychostimulants (e.g., cocaine, amphetamines), sometimes in different forms or doses. Whereas there is still little consensus on the actual effectiveness and nature of the cognitive benefits of the above-mentioned drugs in healthy subjects13, their use to enhance the level of performance in specific workplaces has been reported for decades14. In fact, cognitive enhancement has been a mainstay of military research in the US since the Second World War with the use of amphetamines, modafinil and other cognitive enhancers in the most recent military operations (e.g., Vietnam war, Korean war, operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in Iraq, later sustained military operations in the Middle East)15,16. Whereas the military use of cognitive enhancers has been known for many years, not only in the US but internationally. More recent studies reported that other occupations present a high prevalence of use: medical doctors and health professionals (e.g., surgeons, surgical technicians’ anesthetists), transportation workers (e.g., truck drivers, car drivers, taxi drivers), financial traders, clinical investigators, research managers and lawyers. Finally, the increase of precarious and part-time home works has been recently associated to psychological discomfort and an increase in prescriptions of psychotropic drugs, and a rise in the misuse of cognitive enhancers can be hypothesized17-19. Another important factor to be taken into account is the role of the internet as a source of information through web forums and as a way of obtaining those substances. Such dynamics also constitute a cultural shift in the way drugs are obtained and consumed: they are anonymously received and safer than street drugs trafficking, although the actual composition and nature of the substances cannot be precisely ascertained. This latter fact creates a gap of information on the diagnosis of misuse in cases of possible intoxications and fatalities, since neither analytical screening nor confirmation methodologies are currently available for documenting exposure to those profuse and chemically diverse substances. In addition, apart from intoxications and fatalities, it has to be reminded that several of these substances present a potential for abuse liability and abstinence symptoms, which, instead of improving work pressure and overload, can worsen the environmental situation. In conclusion, we wish to draw the attention of the whole scientific community and policy makers to the increasing importance of the misuse of cognitive enhancers, and to improve public awareness of the phenomenon and contextual political strategies to stop this incoming threat for the health of current and future worker

Discovery of molecular subtypes in leiomyosarcoma through integrative molecular profiling.

Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) is a soft tissue tumor with a significant degree of morphologic and molecular heterogeneity. We used integrative molecular profiling to discover and characterize molecular subtypes of LMS. Gene expression profiling was performed on 51 LMS samples. Unsupervised clustering showed three reproducible LMS clusters. Array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) was performed on 20 LMS samples and showed that the molecular subtypes defined by gene expression showed distinct genomic changes. Tumors from the muscle-enriched cluster showed significantly increased copy number changes (P=0.04). A majority of the muscle-enriched cases showed loss at 16q24, which contains Fanconi anemia, complementation group A, known to have an important role in DNA repair, and loss at 1p36, which contains PRDM16, of which loss promotes muscle differentiation. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed on LMS tissue microarrays (n=377) for five markers with high levels of messenger RNA in the muscle-enriched cluster (ACTG2, CASQ2, SLMAP, CFL2 and MYLK) and showed significantly correlated expression of the five proteins (all pairwise P<0.005). Expression of the five markers was associated with improved disease-specific survival in a multivariate Cox regression analysis (P<0.04). In this analysis that combined gene expression profiling, aCGH and IHC, we characterized distinct molecular LMS subtypes, provided insight into their pathogenesis, and identified prognostic biomarkers