Glycans in nanomedicine, impact and perspectives

Glycans have been selected by nature for both structural and 'recognition' purposes. Taking inspiration from nature, nanomedicine exploits glycans not only as structural constituents of nanoparticles and nanostructured biomaterials but also as selective interactors of such glyco-nanotools. Surface glycosylation of nanoparticles finds application in targeting specific cells, whereas recent findings give evidence that the glycan content of cell microenvironment is able to induce the cell fate. This review will highlight the role of glycans in nanomedicine, schematizing the different uses and roles in drug-delivery systems and in biomaterials for regenerative medicine

A Wick rotation for EPRL spin foam models

We show that the Euclidean and Lorentzian EPRL vertex amplitudes of covariant Loop Quantum Gravity are related through a ``Wick rotation'' of the real Immirzi parameter to purely imaginary values. Our result follows from the simultaneous analytic continuation of the algebras, group elements and unitary irreducible representations of the gauge groups $Spin(4)$ and $SL(2,\mathbb{C})$, applied to the decomposition of the two models in terms of $SU(2)$ invariants and booster functions.Comment: 25 pages, 1 figur

ICS-29: The 29th International Carbohydrate Symposium

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Phage-displayed peptides targeting specific tissues and organs

AbstractPhage display is a powerful and widely used technique to find novel peptide ligands. A massive amount of peptide sequences have been identified for all kinds of materials, and peptides that..

Diazo transfer for azido-functional surfaces

Preparation of azido-functionalized polymers is gaining increasing attention. We wish to report an innovative, novel strategy for azido functionalization of polymeric materials, coupling plasma technology and solution processed diazo transfer reactions. This novel approach allows the azido group to be introduced downstream of the material preparation, thus preserving its physicochemical and mechanical characteristics, which can be tailored a priori according to the desired application. The whole process involves the surface plasma functionalization of a material with primary amino groups, followed by a diazo transfer reaction, which converts the amino functionalities into azido groups that can be exploited for further chemoselective reactions. The diazo transfer reaction is performed in a heterogeneous phase, where the azido group donor is in solution. Chemical reactivity of the azido functionalities was verified by subsequent copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition

3D Extracellular Matrix Mimics: Fundamental Concepts and Role of Materials Chemistry to Influence Stem Cell Fate

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Teacher Stress and burnout: a study using MIMIC modelling

A number of recent studies carried out in the education sector have revealed the incidence of burnout in school environments and have highlighted the principal psycho-social sources of burnout syndrome among teachers. This study attempts to look further at the results of a previous research carried out on a sample of 882 Italian teachers. Using advanced statistical techniques such as MIMIC modelling, it intends to verify whether the following psycho-social stress factors are significant as predictors: interpersonal relations, workload, organisational conflict, role ambiguity, perceived role image, work-home interface. Considering that in Italy the recent regulations regarding retirement are triggering new stressful conditions for teachers, this study also aims to assess the role played by age in relation to the sources of psycho-social stress and burnout. The scales we have adopted are the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-ES) and the Cooper’s Occupational Stress Indicator (OSI) specifically adapted for Italian schools. Results have shown the clear predictive role of factors such as interpersonal conflict and home-work interface in determining the onset of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization among teachers

Definition of the Chalcogen Bond (IUPAC Recommendations 2019)

This recommendation proposes a definition for the term “chalcogen bond”; it is recommended the term is used to designate the specific subset of inter- and intramolecular interactions formed by chalcogen atoms wherein the Group 16 element is the electrophilic site

Status of the Local Monitor and Control System of SKA Dishes

The Square Kilometer Array (SKA) project aims at building the world's largest radio observatory to observe the radio sky with unprecedented sensitivity and collecting area. In the SKA1 phase of the project, two dish arrays are to be built, one in South Africa (SKA1-Mid) and the other in Western Australia (SKA1-Survey). Each antenna will be provided with a local monitor and control system, enabling remote operations to engineers and to the Telescope Manager system. In this paper we present the current status of the software system being designed to monitor and control the dish subsystem. An overview of the dish instrumentation is reported, along with details concerning the software architecture, functional interfaces, prototyping and the evaluated technologies