Nucleosynthesis Calculations for the Ejecta of Neutron Star Coalescences

We present the results of fully dynamical r-process network calculations for the ejecta of neutron star mergers (NSMs). The late stages of the inspiral and the final violent coalescence of a neutron star binary have been calculated in detail using a 3D hydrodynamics code (Newtonian gravity plus backreaction forces emerging from the emission of gravitational waves) and a realistic nuclear equation of state. The found trajectories for the ejecta serve as input for dynamical r-process calculations where all relevant nuclear reactions (including beta-decays depositing nuclear energy in the expanding material) are followed. We find that all the ejected material undergoes r-process. For an initial Ye close to 0.1 the abundance distributions reproduce very accurately the solar r-process pattern for nuclei with A above 130. For lighter nuclei strongly underabundant (as compared to solar) distributions are encountered. We show that this behaviour is consistent with the latest observations of very old, metal-poor stars, despite simplistic arguments that have recently been raised against the possibility of NSM as possible sources of Galactic r-process material.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, proceedings of Nuclei in the Cosmos 2000, to be published in Nucl. Phys. A; minor correctio

The impact of malignant nipple discharge cytology (NDc) in surgical management of breast cancer patients

BACKGROUND: The role of nipple discharge cytology (NDc) in the surgical management of breast cancer patients is unclear. We aimed: (i) to evaluate the effect of malignant NDc on the surgical approach to the nipple-areola complex, and (ii) to verify the association between malignant NDc and nipple malignancy. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed a case series of 139 patients with NDc who underwent breast surgery. The clinical and histological findings, types of surgery with emphasis on nipple-areola complex amputation, immunohistochemical phenotypes of the carcinomas and measurements of the tumor-nipple distance were recorded. Additionally, in patients who showed HER2-positive lesions on definitive surgery, we evaluated the HER2 immunocytochemistry of the NDc smears. RESULTS: Thirty-two malignant and 107 benign/borderline NDc diagnoses were identified. All 32 malignant-NDc cases were histologically confirmed as malignant. Thirty borderline/benign-NDc cases were histologically diagnosed as malignant (sensitivity 58%). The majority of the patients with malignant NDc were treated with nipple-areola complex amputations in both the mastectomy and conservative surgery groups (P<0.001, chi251.77). Nipple involvement was strongly associated with HER2-positive ductal carcinoma in-situ (P<0.001, chi211.98). HER2 immunocytochemistry on the NDc revealed a 100% correlation with the immunocytochemistry performed on the surgical tissues. CONCLUSIONS: Malignant NDc influenced surgical management. The association of malignant NDc with nipple involvement is highly related to ductal carcinoma in-situ with HER2 overexpression. In case of HER2 positive NDc, nipple-areola complex involvement is more likely than in HER2 negative cases

Scuola e territorio: le città educative per la promozione della cittadinanza attiva e la coesione sociale

ItLa Costituzione della Repubblica italiana sancisce l'uguaglianza dei diritti e la pari dignità delle persone, «senza distinzione di sesso, di razza, di lingua, di religione, di opinioni politiche, di condizioni personali e sociali" (art. 2), e impegna la stessa Repubblica a rimuovere le cause e gli ostacoli che possono ledere la libertà e l'eguaglianza dei cittadini (art. 3). A garanzia del diritto all'istruzione, all'uguaglianza delle opportunità e al rispetto delle identità culturali di ciascuno, la scuola è, oggi, impegnata a costruire rapporti di collaborazione sinergica con gli attori extrascolastici che svolgono funzioni, a vario titolo, educative. (Indicazioni Nazionali 2012). In qualche modo si richiede ripensare l'istituzione scuola come luogo e spazio interdipendente non autoreferenziale, aperto al territorio e alle famiglie, che problematizza la sua funzione di comunità scolastica abbandonando la "concezione depositaria" del sapere (considerato nella sua esclusiva forma tecnico-nozionistica) per uscire dalle sue mura attraverso una progettazione educativa partecipata con e nel territorio, entro cui si colloca. "Infatti, le scuole - che sono presidi di legalità, sviluppo e coesione sociale oltre che di apprendimento e cittadinanza attiva - non possono essere lasciate sole nella assunzione di una responsabilità educativa, che oggi assume caratteri generali e non solo di alfabetizzazione, nei confronti dei bambini e degli adolescenti e questo vale a maggior ragione nei territori più deprivati" (Save the Children, 2017). In questa cornice, ai due sub-sistemi – quello della scuola e quello del territorio, si impone di condividere e rielaborare riflessivamente la funzione di comunità educante "affinché ogni persona sia sempre più in grado di esprimere, affermare e sviluppare il proprio potenziale umano fatto di unicità, di costruttività, di creatività e di responsabilità e possa nel contempo sentirsi parte di una comunità, capace quindi di dialogare, di confrontarsi e di cooperare" (Carta delle città educative di Barcellona, 1991). In tal modo, sembra realizzarsi il concetto di educazione in prospettiva freireriana, come senso di trasformazione creativa, di costante lavoro che impegna la persona nel processo di elaborazione e rielaborazione critica, analitica, problematizzante, liberatrice. (Freire, 1977). Nel progetto delle Città educative, l'adattamento fiacco e passivo a circostanze storicamente predeterminate vengono scongiurate e l'azione formativa non è immaginata come relegata in luoghi chiusi, circoscritti ed esclusivi ma piuttosto è diffusa nel territorio, vale a dire negli ambiti in cui tutti i cittadini, bambini e adulti, a partire dalla scuola, hanno potere di azione e possono sperimentare la partecipazione democratica ed il rispetto del bene comune. E' il preludio di una nuova idea di comunità educante e partecipata, che alimenta dinamiche resilienti e propositive, che promuove sviluppo umano, sociale e territoriale, perché come Freire (1968) afferma "nessuno educa nessuno, nessuno si educa da solo, gli uomini si educano insieme, con la mediazione del mondo". Nell'ottica lifewide learning, il progetto di "Siracusa Città educativa" ne è un proficuo esempio.EnThe constitution of the Italian Republic sets forth equal rights and dignity of the person, "without distinction as to sex, race, language, religion, political opinions, personal and social conditions" (art.2), and obligates the Republic to remove the causes and obstacles that can limit the freedom and equality of the citizens (art. 3). In order to guarantee the right to education, the equality of opportunities and the respect of cultural identity of every person, the school, today, is committed to establishing synergetic relationships with other extra-curricula actors which carry out various educational functions. (Indicazioni Nazionali 2012). In some way it is necessary to reconsider the role of the school as an inter-dependant institution and space, and not as a self-referential one, opened to the territory and families, which strengthens its function as an educational community by abandoning the "concept of knowledge depository" (exclusively referred to in its technical and factual form) so that it can develop outside its boundaries through shared educational planning with and within the territory where it is situated. "In fact, schools – which are not only places of learning and active citizenship, but also of legality, development and social cohesion – cannot be left alone in taking its own educational responsibility, which today involves more general commitments towards children and adolescents (especially those in disadvantaged territories) rather than just spreading literacy." (Save the Children, 2017). In this context, two sub-systems - school and territory- must share and re-elaborate the function of the educating community reciprocally, "in order to allow everyone to express, establish and develop their own human potentials, which are unique, productive, creative and responsible. At the same time, every person should feel part of the community, be able to dialogue, face and cooperate with others" (The Chart of Educational Cities, Barcelona 1991). In this way, the "Freirerian" prospective on the concept of education seems to be realized in a creative transformation way of consistent effort which engages the individual in the critical, analytic, problematic, liberating the elaboration and re-elaboration processes. (Freire, 1977. In the project of educational Cities, the weak and passive adaptation to the historically and predetermined circumstances is avoided and the action is not seen as relegated indoors, delimited and exclusive, but rather widespread over the territory. In other words, in those domains where all citizens, children and adults, starting from school, have the power to act and experience democratic participation and respect of the common good. This is the prelude to a new idea of an educational community, which fosters resilient and proactive dynamics and promotes human, social and territorial development, because as Freire states: "No one educates anyone else nor do we educate ourselves, we educate one another in the context of living together in this world". In a lifewide learning perspective, the "Siracusa, Educational City" project embodies a valuable example

The Transition from Middle School to High School: The Mediating Role of Perceived Peer Support in the Relationship between Family Functioning and School Satisfaction

The study focused on the transition from middle school to high school and aimed to verify the mediating role that perceived peer support may play in the relationship between family functioning in middle school and school satisfaction in high school. In middle school (Wave 1), participants were 208 adolescents (106 boys and 102 girls) aged 12–13 years (M=12.56; SD =.61), attending the last classes of two middle public schools located in Italy. One year later (Wave 2), 155 adolescents (76 boys and 79 girls) participated again in the study when they attended the first classes of high school (M=13.91; SD=.75). Participants completed the Italian Version of Family Assessment Device and the Social Support Questionnaire (short from) in Wave 1 and the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale in Wave 2. Results showed that among family functioning dimensions, only affective involvement positively predicted perceived peer support and school satisfaction. The mediation models showed that perceived peer support in middle school mediated the relationship between affective involvement in middle school and school satisfaction in high school. Our results confirm the role of subjective perception of peer support in contributing to the prediction of school satisfaction beyond good parental affective involvement

Ethnic prejudice and the perception of inclusion of immigrant children: the mediating role of teachers’ resilience

We aimed to investigate the relationship between ethnic prejudice and the perception of inclusion of immigrant children among primary and middle school teachers, focusing on the mediating role of resilience. Participants were 261 teachers, 233 women and 28 men, ages 34 to 66 (M = 51.67; SD = 8.27), recruited in primary and middle schools in Sicily (Italy). Participants completed the Classical and Modern Racial Prejudice Scale, the Resilience Process Questionnaire, and an ad hoc questionnaire for evaluating teachers’ perception of inclusion of immigrant children. The results showed an effect of ethnic prejudice on the perception of inclusion of immigrant children and on resilient reintegration. The mediation model showed that resilient reintegration partially mediated the relationship between ethnic prejudice and the perception of inclusion of immigrant children. Educational and practical implications are provided

Ethnic prejudice, resilience, and perception of inclusion of immigrant pupils among Italian and Catalan teachers

In the current study we investigated the relationship between ethnic prejudice and resilience and the perception of inclusion of immigrant students among primary and middle school teachers in two different countries (Italy and Spain). Participants were 315 teachers: 75 Catalan women, 25 Catalan men, 202 Italian women, and 13 Italian men. Participants completed the Classical and Modern Racial Prejudice Scale, the Resilience Process Questionnaire, and an ad hoc questionnaire evaluating teachers’ perceptions about immigrant students and their inclusive education process. The results showed two different models: The first one, referring to Italian teachers, suggested that the resilience component “return to homeostasis” helps teachers in the creation of positive perceptions and evaluations toward immigrant pupils and their inclusion process. The second model, referring to Catalan teachers, suggested that ethnic prejudice hinders the creation of positive attitudes and evaluations, but the resilience component “reintegration after loss” helps teachers in the creation of positive attitudes. Psychoeducational and practical implications are discussed

Curcumin Potentiates Antitumor Activity of Paclitaxel in Rat Glioma C6 Cells

Despite the low percentage of cases, cerebral glioma possesses high mortality and morbidity rate. Especially, glioblastoma is the most aggressive and malignant brain cancer with rapid development. Furthermore, glioma cells possess enhanced resistance to radiotherapy- and chemotherapy-induced death. Paclitaxel (PTX), a microtubule stabilizing agent with highly potent anticancer potential, is recommended as a first-line strategy chemotherapeutic agent against many kinds of cancers. However, the clinical efficacy of PTX in brain tumor is limited by drug resistance, besides serious several side effects, and limited bioavailability and cancer penetration. Current clinical practice for treating cancer includes the co-administration (usually sequentially) of more drugs acting with different mechanisms of action or on different molecular targets, to overcome cell resistance to chemotherapy. In this scenario, curcumin (Cur), a yellow pigment from the spice turmeric (Curcuma longa), has been reported for its potential chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic activity through influence on cell cycle arrest, differentiation, and apoptosis in different kinds of cancer, and there has been considerable interest in its ability to inhibit NF-κB pathway activity, playing a main role in the control of oncogenesis, tumor progression, and chemotherapy resistance of diverse types of malignances. Taken into account this background, in view of a possible employment of the two drugs, Cur and PTX, combined together to overcome PTX limitations, the present study was undertaken to investigate, through in vitro experiments on human glioma C6 cells, the capability of Cur to ameliorate the cytotoxicity of PTX by modulating the activity of specific cell signalling pathways. Our data confirmed the strong inhibition rate of PTX on glioma C6 cells (LC50 68 nM). Interestingly, combination with Cur increased cytotoxic effects of PTX in a dose-dependent way, so that a significant decrease of LC50 values was observed. PTX and Cur effects were also confirmed with the clonogenic assay. Furthermore, combination therapy most impressively activated caspase-3, the effector of extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis pathway, and reduced the expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 more than single drug treatment. Our data demonstrated also the involvement of p53-dependent p21 activation mechanism in cell growth arrest. Drugs combination significantly induced p53 and p21 when compared to single drug treatment. Since aberrant activation of NF-kB has been reported in glioblastoma biopsies, the effects of two drugs on this transcription factor were evaluated. PTX and Cur showed inhibitory activity on NF-kB (p65) nuclear translocation and reduced cytoplasmic p-IkB, while their combination totally inhibited NF-kB pathway as observed by the lack of p65 nuclear levels. In conclusion, the data of our research indicated that the combinational strategy exerted much higher efficacy in glioma growth delay than single administration of Cur or PTX, thus it may help in reducing dosage and in minimizing side effects of cytotoxic therapy

Dysfunctional Vasa Vasorum in Diabetic Peripheral Artery Obstructive Disease with Critical Lower Limb Ischaemia

AbstractObjectives and designTo establish whether in diabetic patients with peripheral artery obstructive disease (PAOD) vasa vasorum (vv) neoangiogenesis is altered with increased arterial damage.MaterialsThirty-three patients with PAOD and critical lower limb ischaemia, 22 with type II diabetes.MethodsImmunohistochemistry for endothelial cell markers (CD34 and von Willebrand Factor); real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to quantify arterial wall expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF); enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to assess blood VEGF; flow cytometry to detect circulating endothelial cells (CECs).ResultsPatients with PAOD and diabetes have a higher frequency (60% vs. 45%) of advanced atherosclerotic lesions and a significant reduction (p = 0.0003) in CD34+ capillaries in the arterial media. Adventitial neoangiogenesis was increased equally (CD34+ and vWF+) in all patients. Likewise, all patients have increased CEC and VEGF concentration in the blood as well as in-situ VEGF transcript expression.ConclusionsPatients with PAOD have remarkable arterial damage despite increased in-situ and circulating expression of the pro-angiogenic VEGF; a dysfunctional vv angiogenesis was seen in diabetics which also showed a higher frequency of parietal damage; it is suggested that in diabetic arterial wall, injury is worsened by vv inability to finalise an effective VEGF-driven arterial wall neoangiogenesis

Ultra-large tuning of photonic modes for efficient Er-doped silicon-based emitters

It is experimentally shown that a gentle gas adsorption technique can be used to achieve an optimal covering of silicon-based photonic crystal slabs, leading to an unexpectedly large (up to 42 nm) shift of the resonant modes wavelength, with possibility of fine tuning. Strong enhancement (up to 30 times) of the emission band of the Er3+ ion into such structures is obtained. Finally, we were able to balance the adsorption and desorption processes by controlling the sample temperature, thus yielding a stable mode at the desired wavelength

Normal neuropsychological development in children with congenital complete heart block who may or may not be exposed to high‐dose dexamethasone in utero

BACKGROUND: Antenatal and postnatal treatment with dexamethasone (DEX) may negatively affect the neuropsychological development in children. Maternal anti‐Ro/Sjögren's syndrome A (SSA) antibodies may also be associated with learning disabilities in offspring. OBJECTIVE: To assess neuropsychological development in babies exposed to very high dosages of DEX in utero, whose mothers were anti‐Ro/SSA positive. METHODS: 13 children with congenital complete heart block (CHB) (11 exposed and 2 not exposed to DEX) and 3 healthy siblings, all of anti‐Ro/SSA‐positive women, were evaluated. 11 preschool‐aged children (5 boys) were assessed using Griffiths Mental Development Scales. 5 school‐aged children (2 boys) were examined using Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised to check IQ and reading tests to explore the existence of learning disabilities or dyslexia. None of the children had had major neonatal complications, although those with CHB had to be paced at different intervals from birth. RESULTS: The children had been exposed in utero to a mean total dose of 186.6 mg DEX. IQ levels were always normal (mean IQ 105.1, standard deviation (SD) 9.5). Only one child had a learning disability, of borderline clinical significance, but this child had never been exposed to DEX. CONCLUSION: No negative effects were found on the neuropsychological development in this cohort of children, even if they had been exposed to maternal anti‐Ro/SSA antibodies and to very high dosages of DEX (much higher than those used to improve fetal lung maturity). These findings might be of interest in view of the large number of infants exposed in the past to repeated antenatal courses of steroids