Nuclear quantum effects in water

In this work, a path integral Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics simulation of liquid water is performed. It is found that the inclusion of nuclear quantum effects systematically improves the agreement of first principles simulations of liquid water with experiment. In addition, the proton momentum distribution is computed utilizing a recently developed open path integral molecular dynamics methodology. It is shown that these results are in good agreement with neutron Compton scattering data for liquid water and ice.Comment: 4 page

Signal trends of microbial fuel cells fed with different food-industry residues

A microbial fuel cell (MFC) is an anaerobic bioreactor where soluble metabolites liberated by hydrolysis and fermentation of macromolecules are simultaneously available for anode respiring bacteria (ARB). ARB can be influenced by chemical imbalances in the liquid phase of the bioreactor. The objective of the work was to explore the trend of electric signals generated by MFCs, in relation to anaerobic biodegradation of four different solid food-industry residual substrates. Four sets of membraneless single-chamber MFCs were operated in batch mode, with solid waste substrates characterized by a different base component: i) mixed kitchen waste (fibers), ii) whey from dairy industries (sugar), iii) fisheries residues previously processed to recover oils (proteins), iv) pulp waste from citrus juice production (acidic). All the tested MFCs were able to produce an electric output with different trends, depending on the principal component of the solid substrate. MFC potential varied as function of the COD and the feeding cycle, as well as of the substrate. The pH variability during the fermentative process significantly affected the electric output. Citrus (acidic) pulp fed MFCs started to operate only when the pH raised up 6.5. MFCs fed with mix kitchen wastes had a relatively stable electric signal; fish based waste caused spiking in the MFC signal and an averaging in the COD degradation trend. This phenomenon was attributed to a pH instability induced by proteins degradation forming ammonia. The fermentation process was strongly predominant with respect the electrochemical process in MFCs and the coulombic efficiency (CE) was low, ranging between 2 and 10%. This result call for a deeper exploration of harvesting power from solid wastes and pointed also to the possibility of using a MFC to monitor important parameters of fermentation processes in biotech production plants

Assessment of sars-cov-2 infection through rapid serology testing in the homeless population in the city of rome, Italy. Preliminary results

Background: The development of COVID-19 pandemic has affected all segments of the population; however, it had a significant impact on vulnerable subjects, such as in people experiencing homelessness. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of COVID-19 spread in homeless persons in the city of Rome, Italy. Design and Methods: Patients included in the study underwent a clinical evaluation and rapid antibody analysis on capillary blood for the presence of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 virus. Symptomatic patients were not included in the screening and immediately referred to local hospitals for further evaluation. Results: One-hundred seventy-three patients of both sexes were tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection through rapid serological test. Age range was 10-80 years; people came from 35 different countries of origin and 4 continents. Test results were negative for most patients (170-98.2%); two patients had positive IgM (1.2%) and one patient had positive IgG (0.6%). Conclusions: Our study is the first to evaluate the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in people experiencing homelessness in the city of Rome, Italy. Most patients were negative for COVID-19, although several factors may have had an impact on this result, such as the exclusion of symptomatic patients, the limited sensitivity of rapid serological tests in the initial stage of infection and the prevention measures adopted in these populations. Larger studies on fragile populations are needed to prevent and intercept new clusters of infection in the upcoming months

Determinants of Sleepiness at Wheel and Missing Accidents in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Study Objectives: Motor-vehicle crashes are frequent in untreated OSA patients but there is still uncertainty on prevalence as well as physiological or clinical determinants of sleepiness at the wheel (SW) in OSA patients. We assessed determinants of SW or sleepiness related near-miss car accident (NMA) in a group of non-professional drivers with OSA. Methods: A 237 consecutive, treatment-naïve PSG-diagnosed OSA patients (161 males, 53.1 ± 12.6 years) were enrolled. Self-reported SW was assessed by positive answer to the question, “Have you had episodes of falling asleep while driving or episodes of drowsiness at wheel that could interfere with your driving skill in the last year?” Occurrence of NMA in the last 3 years was also individually recorded. Habitual self-reported average sleep time was collected. Results: SW was found in 41.3% of patients but one-quarter of patients with SW did not report excessive daytime sleepiness. Predictors of SW were the following subjective factors: Epworth sleepiness scale score (ESS-OR 1.26; IC 1.1–1.4; p < 0.0001), depressive symptoms (BDI-OR 1.2; IC 1.06–1.18; p < 0.0001) and level of risk exposure (annual mileage-OR 1.9; IC 1.15–3.1; p = 0.007). NMAs were reported by 9.7% of patients, but more frequently by SW+ than SW– (22.4% vs. 0.7%; χ2 31, p < 0.0001). The occurrence of NMAs was significantly associated to ESS, BDI, habitual sleep duration and ODI (R2 = 0.41). Conclusion: SW is not predicted by severity of OSA. Evaluation of risk exposure, assessment of depressive symptoms, and reported NMA should be included in the clinical evaluation, particularly in patients with reduced habitual sleep time and severe nocturnal hypoxia

SARS-CoV-2 infection prevalence in people experiencing homelessness

Objective: People experiencing homelessness have peculiar characteristics that make them more vulnerable to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission and to more serious forms of Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19). The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the homeless population assisted by the primary care services of the Eleemosynaria Apostolica, Vatican City. Patients and methods: Persons experiencing homelessness and the volunteers assisting them were tested for COVID-19 through PCR and antigen rapid test between October 1st, 2020, and June 5th, 2021, in the clinical facilities of the Eleemosynaria Apostolica. Results: A total of 1665 subjects from 96 different countries in five continents were included in the study; age range was 1-90 years. Overall, 2315 COVID-19 tests through nasopharyngeal swab were performed; 1052 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests and 1263 antigen rapid tests. Nearly 40% of the subjects underwent both tests (n=650, 39.04%), 402 were tested with PCR test only (24.14%) and 613 with antigen test only (36.8%). PCR tests were negative in 966 cases and positive in 86 (8.17%), while antigen tests were negative in 1205 cases and positive in 58 (4.59%). The number of positive cases varied over time, with a drastic increase during the winter months of 2020 and a progressive decrease over 2021. Among positive cases, 24.41% were symptomatic; symptoms included fever, breathing difficulties, anosmia/hyposmia, cough, headache, and diarrhea. Conclusions: This study reported an overall prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in our sample slightly above 8%. Additional data on viral genome through sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 in positive cases are of utmost importance to help identify variants and implement specific infection control measures

UVB radiation induced effects on cells studied by FTIR spectroscopy

We have made a preliminary analysis of the results about the eVects on tumoral cell line (lymphoid T cell line Jurkat) induced by UVB radiation (dose of 310 mJ/cm^2) with and without a vegetable mixture. In the present study, we have used two techniques: Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and flow cytometry. FTIR spectroscopy has the potential to provide the identiWcation of the vibrational modes of some of the major compounds (lipid, proteins and nucleic acids) without being invasive in the biomaterials. The second technique has allowed us to perform measurements of cytotoxicity and to assess the percentage of apoptosis. We already studied the induction of apoptotic process in the same cell line by UVB radiation; in particular, we looked for correspondences and correlations between FTIR spetroscopy and flow cytometry data finding three highly probable spectroscopic markers of apoptosis (Pozzi et al. in Radiat Res 168:698-705, 2007). In the present work, the results have shown significant changes in the absorbance and spectral pattern in the wavenumber protein and nucleic acids regions after the treatments

Urban geochemistry and potential human health risks in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires : PAHs and PCBs in soil, street dust, and bulk deposition

Soil, street dust, and bulk deposition (dry and wet deposition) were collected in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires (MABA), Argentina, to assess the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) pollution and the potential risks to human health. Compared with other countries, the mean concentration of PAHs and PCBs in surface soils, street dust and bulk deposition of MABA were at a low or moderate level. Average PAHs and PCBs concentrations in bulk deposition (5.7 ± 5.1 and 0.41 ± 0.25 µg g−1, respectively) were five and ten times higher than those of soil (1.08 ± 0.98 and 0.02 ± 0.01 µg g−1) and street dust (1.2 ± 0.95 and 0.04 ± 0.03 µg g−1), respectively. Different compositional profiles, observed in the three matrices for both groups of contaminants, could be attributed to dissimilar source contribution, partition processes between gas and particulate phases, and transformation. The most contaminated bulk deposition presented higher values for cancer and non-cancer risks relative to soil and street dust. In all matrices, non-carcinogenic risks were below the safety threshold (HI < 1). Regarding carcinogenic risks, exposure to both bulk deposition and soil indicated a moderated potential for cancerous development (Incremental lifetime cancer risk ~ 3.0 × 10−6).Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Spatial distribution of hardpans in the Dosso region of Niger A remote sensing approach

Hardpan A soil layer with physical characteristics that limit root penetration and restrict water movement. Soil crust A transient soil-surface layer, ranging in thickness from a few millimeters to a few centimeters, that is either denser, structurally different or more cemented than the material immediately beneath it, resulting in greater soil strength when dry as measured by penetration resistance or other indices of soil strength

La nefropatia in corso di malattia di Anderson-Fabry: nuove raccomandazioni sulla diagnosi, il follow up e la terapia

La malattia di Anderson-Fabry \ue8 una malattia ereditaria legata al cromosoma X che causa il deficit totale o parziale dell\u2019enzima alfa galattosidasi A con conseguente accumulo di glicosfingolipidi in vati tessuti ed organi. Ci\uf2 determina una malattia multi sistemica con prevalente interessamento renale, cardiaco e del sistema nervoso centrale e periferico. I numerosi studi eseguiti su tale malattia negli ultimi anni hanno consentito un notevole miglioramento delle conoscenze sui principali aspetti della malattia come la diagnosi, la gestione del paziente e la terapia. Allo stato attuale infatti la terapia enzimatica sostitutiva ha dimostrato di essere in grado di modificare il decorso naturale della malattia, in particolar modo tanto pi\uf9 la diagnosi \ue8 tempestiva e la terapia \ue8 impostata precocemente. Pur tuttavia, la malattia di Fabry rimane una malattia di difficile diagnosi, e in cui alcuni aspetti come la gestione del paziente affetto, della femmina eterozigote o l\u2019inizio della terapia enzimatica sono ancora controversi. Al fine quindi di aggiornare precedenti raccomandazioni nazionali si \ue8 costituito un gruppo di lavoro (Anderson-Fabry DiseaseItalian Board) con lo scopo di raggiungere un consensus multidisciplinare, coinvolgendo nefrologi, cardiologi, genetisti, pediatri e neurologi, sul tema del management clinico-terapeutico della malattia. Il gruppo di lavoro nefrologico in particolare, ha portato alla definizione di una serie di raccomandazioni che rappresentano l\u2019oggetto di tale pubblicazione e che possono rappresentare un valido strumento nelle mani sia di clinici esperti della malattia ma anche di medici con limitata esperienza per la definizione diagnostica, la gestione clinica e la terapia della malattia di Anderson-Fabry

Caso de estudio: control de ingreso de muestras para un laboratorio : Instituto de investigaciones tecnológicas

Se presenta en este trabajo el proceso de análisis y diseño de un proyecto de software, siguiendo una metodología en el marco de la asignatura Diseño de Software, de 4to Año de la carrera Licenciatura en Sistemas de Información, de la Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Para rendir y obtener la aprobación de la materia se debe presentar el diseño, siguiendo toda la metodología enseñada y aplicada en clases, de una situación real. El caso que se expone corresponde al Instituto de Investigaciones Tecnológicas del Ministerio de la Producción del Gobierno de San Juan, encargado de la recepción de las muestras y la información sobre las determinaciones a realizar y el laboratorio al que será derivado, para control y seguimiento de las mismas.Trabajos de CátedraSociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativa (SADIO