Quality of Life and Job Loss during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Mediation by Hopelessness and Moderation by Trait Emotional Intelligence

This study contributes to the knowledge on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic by examining a moderated mediation model in which the impact of job loss over quality of life (QoL) is mediated by hopelessness and moderated by trait emotional intelligence (trait EI). Data were collected from a large nationally representative Italian sample of adult workers (N = 1610), who completed a series of anonymous online questionnaires. Total, direct and indirect effects were estimated through bootstrapped mediated moderation analyses providing 95% bias corrected bootstrap confidence intervals. After controlling for the effects of gender and age range, job loss was found to be negatively associated with QoL, and hopelessness partially mediated such relationship. These relationships were in turn moderated by trait EI. Our study suggests that trait EI levels act as protective factor for a good QoL, mitigating the impact of both job loss and hopelessness over QoL levels during the COVID-19 pandemic. Identifying psychological protective and/or risk factors for a better QoL is crucial for the development of interventions aimed at reducing the emotional impact of the pandemic and of its negative real-life consequences

Sulfate attack and reinforcement corrosion in concrete with recycled concrete aggregates and supplementary cementing materials

As strategies to contribute to the concrete industry sustainability, reinforced concrete was fabricated using recycled concrete coarse aggregate and replacing partially portland cement with supplementary cementing materials as fly ash and silica fume. On test specimens, partially immersed in 3.5% Na2SO4 aqueous solution, the effect of the recycled and supplementary materials against sulfate attack and reinforcement corrosion was evaluated. For such aim, weight loss of concrete and corrosion potentials, corrosion current density of reinforcement were determined by means of electrochemical techniques as open circuit potential and linear polarization resistance, respectivelyPostprint (published version

Clinical And Neuropsychological Correlation In Patients With Rolandic Epilepsy [correlação Entre Achados Clínicos E Neuropsicológicos Em Pacientes Com Epilepsia Rolândica]

Objectives: To evaluate the presence of neurological soft signs (NSS) and to correlate them with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC III) in patients with rolandic epilepsy (RE). Methods: Forty children and adolescents aged between 9 and 15 years were studied. They were divided into two groups: G1 - patients with RE (n=20) - and G2 - healthy controls without epilepsy (n=20). They were assessed with the Quick Neurological Screening Test (QNST II) - clinical trial to search for NSS -, and the WISC III - neuropsychological test. Results: No statistical difference between groups was found in WISC III and QNST II. However, children with poorer motor skills had worse performance in the QNST II and also in the execution intelligence quotient - IQ (p=0.001) and in total IQ (p=0.004), thus showing a positive correlation between them. Conclusions: The QNST II is a good screening tool for the neurologist to detect abnormalities in fine motor skills.709691693Berg, A.T., Berkovic, S.F., Brodie, M.J., Revised terminology and concepts for organization of seizures and epilepsies: Report of the ILAE Commission on Classification and Terminology, 2005-2009 (2010) Epilepsia, 51, pp. 676-685Lerman, P., Kivity, S., Benign focal epilepsy of childhood. A follow-up study of 100 recovered patients (1975) Arch Neurol, 32, pp. 261-264Bouma, P.A., Bovenkerk, A.C., Westendorp, R.G., Brouwer, O.F., The course of benign partial epilepsy of childhood with centrotemporal spikes: A meta-analysis (1997) Neurology, 48 (2), pp. 430-437Hommet, C., Billard, C., Motte, J., Cognitive function in adolescents and young adults in complete remission from benign childhood epilepsy with centro-temporal spikes (2001) Epileptic Disord, 3, pp. 207-216D'Alessandro, P., Piccirilli, M., Tiacci, C., Neuropsychological features of benign partial epilepsy in children (1990) Ital J Neurol Sci, 11, pp. 265-269Binnie, C.D., Marston, D., Cognitive correlates of interictal discharges (1992) Epilepsia, 33 (SUPPL. 6), pp. S11-S17Fonseca, L.C., Tedrus, G.M., Pacheco, E.M., Epileptiform EEG discharges in benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes: Reactivity and transitory cognitive impairment (2007) Epilepsy Behav, 11, pp. 65-70Baglietto, M.G., Battaglia, F.M., Nobili, N., Neuropsychological disorders related to interictal epileptic discharges during sleep in benign epilepsy of childhood with centrotemporal or rolandic spikes (2001) Dev Med Child Neurol, 43, pp. 407-412Hermann, B.P., Jones, J., Sheth, R., Seidenberg, M., Cognitive and magnetic resonance volumetric abnormalities in new-onset pediatric epilepsy (2007) Semin Pediatri Neurol, 14, pp. 173-180Panayiotopoulos, C.P., Benign childhood partial epilepsies: Benign childhood seizures susceptibility syndromes (1993) J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry, 56, pp. 2-5Lindgren, A., Kihlgren, M., Melin, L., Croona, C., Development of cognitive functions in children with rolandic epilepsy (2004) Epilepsy Behav, 5, pp. 903-910Weglage, J., Demsky, A., Pietsh, M., Kurlemann, G., Neuropsychological, intellectual, and behavioral findings in patients with centrotemporal spikes with and without seizure (1997) Dev Med Child Neurol, 39, pp. 645-651Deonna, T., Rolandic epilepsy: Neuropsychology of the active epilepsy phase (2000) Epileptic Disord, 2 (SUPPL. 1), pp. S59-S61Deonna, T., Zesiger, P., Davidoff, V., Benign partial epilepsy of childhood: A longitudinal neuropsychological and EEG study of cognitive function (2000) Dev Med Child Neurol, 42, pp. 595-60

Dielectric and electrochemical properties of sustainable concrete

It is planned to improve the durability of reinforced concrete structures and the total or partial replacement of their components by the use of recyclable materials; as strategies to contribute to the concrete industry sustainability. The electrical resistivity and its relationship with the microstructure and electrochemical corrosion resistance in reinforced concrete manufactured with sustainable characteristics, that is, with recycled aggregates and supplementary cementitious materials; was evaluated in this study. The electrical resistivity in reinforced concretes is closely related to the microstructure of the cementitious matrix, and with the pore structure and distribution. As a consequence of the their components nature, it is assumed that the proposed sustainable concretes present different microstructure and porosity than the conventional concretes; because of this, the electrical and electrochemical response of those systems was analyzed with the help of the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy technique.Postprint (published version

Chloride ion penetrability and corrosion behavior of steel in concrete with sustainability characteristics

Postprint (published version

Ultrasonography and atypical sites of endometriosis

In the present pictorial we show the ultrasonographic appearances of endometriosis in atypical sites. Scar endometriosis may present as a hypoechoic solid nodule with hyperechoic spots while umbilical endometriosis may appear as solid or partially cystic areas with ill-defined margins. In the case of endometriosis of the rectus muscle, ultrasonography usually demonstrates a heterogeneous hypoechogenic formation with indistinct edges. Inguinal endometriosis is quite variable in its ultrasonographic presentation showing a completely solid mass or a mixed solid and cystic mass. The typical ultrasonographic finding associated with perineal endometriosis is the presence of a solid lesion near to the episiotomy scar. Under ultrasonography, appendiceal endometriosis is characterized by a solid lesion in the wall of the small bowel, usually well defined. Superficial hepatic endometriosis is characterized by a small hypoechoic lesion interrupting the hepatic capsula, usually hyperechoic. Ultrasound endometriosis of the pancreas is characterized by a small hypoechoic lesion while endometriosis of the kidney is characterized by a hyperechoic small nodule. Diaphragmatic endometriosis showed typically small hypoechoic lesions. Only peripheral nerves can be investigated using ultrasound, with a typical solid appearance. In conclusion, ultrasonography seems to have a fundamental role in the majority of endometriosis cases in “atypical” sites, in all the cases where “typical” clinical findings are present

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Therapeutic vulnerability of multiple myeloma to MIR17PTi, a first-in-class inhibitor of pri-mir-17-92

The microRNA cluster miR-17-92 is oncogenic and represents a valuable therapeutic target in c-MYC (MYC)-driven malignancies. Here, we developed novel LNA gapmeR antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) to induce RNase H-mediated degradation of MIR17HG primary transcripts and, consequently, to prevent biogenesis of miR-17-92 microRNAs (miR-17-92s). The leading LNA-ASO, named MIR17PTi, impaired proliferation of several cancer cell lines (n=48) established from both solid and hematologic tumors by on-target antisense activity, and more effectively as compared to miR-17-92s inhibitors. By focusing on multiple myeloma (MM), we found that MIR17PTi triggers apoptosis via impairment of homeostatic MYC/miR-17-92 feed-forward loops (FFLs) in patient-derived MM cells; and induced MYC-dependent synthetic lethality. We show that alteration of a BIM-centered FFL is instrumental for MIR17PTi to induce cytotoxicity in MM cells. MIR17PTi exerts strong in vivo anti-tumor activity in NOD-SCID mice bearing clinically relevant models of MM, with advantageous safety and pharmacokinetics profiles in non-human primates. Altogether, MIR17PTi is a novel pharmacological tool to be tested in early-phase clinical trials against MM and other MYC-driven malignancies

The ribonuclease DIS3 promotes let-7 miRNA maturation by degrading the pluripotency factor LIN28B mRNA

Multiple myeloma, the second most frequent hematologic tumor after lymphomas, is an incurable cancer. Recent sequencing efforts have identified the ribonuclease DIS3 as one of the most frequently mutated genes in this disease. DIS3 represents the catalytic subunit of the exosome, a macromolecular complex central to the processing, maturation and surveillance of various RNAs. miRNAs are an evolutionarily conserved class of small noncoding RNAs, regulating gene expression at post-transcriptional level. Ribonucleases, including Drosha, Dicer and XRN2, are involved in the processing and stability of miRNAs. However, the role of DIS3 on the regulation of miRNAs remains largely unknown. Here we found that DIS3 regulates the levels of the tumor suppressor let-7 miRNAs without affecting other miRNA families. DIS3 facilitates the maturation of let-7 miRNAs by reducing in the cytoplasm the RNA stability of the pluripotency factor LIN28B, a inhibitor of let-7 processing. DIS3 inactivation, through the increase of LIN28B and the reduction of mature let-7, enhances the translation of let-7 targets such as MYC and RAS leading to enhanced tumorigenesis. Our study establishes that the ribonuclease DIS3, targeting LIN28B, sustains the maturation of let-7 miRNAs and suggests the increased translation of critical oncogenes as one of the biological outcomes of DIS3 inactivation

Time-integrated luminosity recorded by the BABAR detector at the PEP-II e+e- collider

This article is the Preprint version of the final published artcile which can be accessed at the link below.We describe a measurement of the time-integrated luminosity of the data collected by the BABAR experiment at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy e+e- collider at the ϒ(4S), ϒ(3S), and ϒ(2S) resonances and in a continuum region below each resonance. We measure the time-integrated luminosity by counting e+e-→e+e- and (for the ϒ(4S) only) e+e-→μ+μ- candidate events, allowing additional photons in the final state. We use data-corrected simulation to determine the cross-sections and reconstruction efficiencies for these processes, as well as the major backgrounds. Due to the large cross-sections of e+e-→e+e- and e+e-→μ+μ-, the statistical uncertainties of the measurement are substantially smaller than the systematic uncertainties. The dominant systematic uncertainties are due to observed differences between data and simulation, as well as uncertainties on the cross-sections. For data collected on the ϒ(3S) and ϒ(2S) resonances, an additional uncertainty arises due to ϒ→e+e-X background. For data collected off the ϒ resonances, we estimate an additional uncertainty due to time dependent efficiency variations, which can affect the short off-resonance runs. The relative uncertainties on the luminosities of the on-resonance (off-resonance) samples are 0.43% (0.43%) for the ϒ(4S), 0.58% (0.72%) for the ϒ(3S), and 0.68% (0.88%) for the ϒ(2S).This work is supported by the US Department of Energy and National Science Foundation, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (Canada), the Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique and Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physiquedes Particules (France), the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Germany), the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (Italy), the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (The Netherlands), the Research Council of Norway, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Spain), and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (United Kingdom). Individuals have received support from the Marie-Curie IEF program (European Union) and the A.P. Sloan Foundation (USA)