Deep-seated gravitational slope deformations in central Sardinia: insights into the geomorphological evolution

In this study, we analyse deep-seated gravitational slope deformations (DSGSDs) in central Sardinia. The area is characterised by plateaus with a prominent limestone scarp overlying metamorphites. A comprehensive mapping of structural, karst, fluvial, and slope morphologies in Pardu and Ulassai valleys is presented herein. The uplift linked to the Plio-Pleistocene tectonic activity leads to high-slope topography, which favours gravitational processes, such as DSGSDs and rock-avalanches. Although DSGSD is a common phenomenon in the relief of the central Mediterranean region, it has never been studied in Sardinia. We describe the kinematic models and geomorphological evolution of DSGSD in Sardinia for the first time. The application of light detection and ranging, high-resolution unmanned aerial vehicle photogrammetry, and geological, structural, and geomorphological surveys enabled a depth morphometric analysis and the development of interpretative three-dimensional models. The geo-structural setting and high relief energy associated with recent upliftment are the major controlling factors of DSGSDs

World diabetes day 2017 focus: antepartum hyperglycaemia (or gestational prediabetes) is more in women below 40 years

Prediabetes is a state of hyperglycaemia that is above normal, but below blood glucose threshold for diabetes mellitus. As part of the theme for World Diabetes Day of 2017, it has been articulated by the International Diabetes Federation, that up to 16% of births may be affected by this condition and it is estimated that 50% of the affected antenatal patients are under 30 years old. The notion of gestational prediabetes, hyperglycaemia in pregnancy as a clinical condition is yet to be seriously discussed in regards to prediabetes in pregnancy. Instead, it seems to be subsumed in the discourse of gestational diabetes mellitus. This subsuming position is evident in the fact that even in discussion of management challenges of the ‘hyperglycaemia in pregnancy’ condition, blood glucose thresholds for gestational diabetes refers to higher versus lower cut-offs, but never refers to prediabetes

High-Entropy Diborides—Silicon Carbide Composites by Reactive and Non-Reactive Spark Plasma Sintering: A Comparative Study

The reactive spark plasma sintering (R-SPS) method was compared in this work with the two-step SHS–SPS route, based on the combination of the self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) with the SPS process, for the fabrication of dense (Hf0.2Mo0.2Ti0.2Ta0.2Nb0.2)B2–SiC and (Hf0.2Mo0.2Ti0.2Ta0.2Zr0.2)B2–SiC ceramics. A multiphase and inhomogeneous product, containing various borides, was obtained at 2000 °C/20 min by R-SPS from transition metals, B4C, and Si. In contrast, if the same precursors were first reacted by SHS and then processed by SPS under the optimized condition of 1800 °C/20 min, the desired ceramics were successfully attained. The resulting sintered samples possessed relative densities above 97% and displayed uniform microstructures with residual oxide content <2.4 wt.%. The presence of SiC made the sintering temperature milder, i.e., 150 °C below that needed by the corresponding additive-free system. The fracture toughness was also markedly improved, particularly when considering the Nb-containing system processed at 1800 °C/20 min, whereas the fracture toughness progressively decreased (from 7.35 to 5.36 MPa m1/2) as the SPS conditions became more severe. SiC addition was found to inhibit the volatilization of metal oxides like MoO3 formed during oxidation experiments, thus avoiding mass loss in the ceramics. The benefits above also likely took advantage of the fact that the two composite constituents were synthesized in parallel, according to the SHS–SPS approach, rather than being produced separately and combined subsequently, so that strong interfaces between them were formed

Carotid beta stiffness association with thyroid function

Background: Thyroid hormone modulation of cardiovascular function has been associated with cardiovascular disease. Recent evidence suggests that free thyroxine (FT4) levels are associated with an increase in systemic arterial stiffness, but little is known about the effects of FT4 at the local level of the common carotid artery. β-stiffness index is a local elastic parameter usually determined by carotid ultrasound imaging. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis in the ProgeNIA cohort, including 4846 subjects across a broad age range. For the purpose of this study, we excluded subjects with increased thyrotropin (TSH) levels and those treated with levothyroxine or thyrostatic. We assessed β stiffness, strain, wall–lumen ratio, carotid cross-sectional area (CSA), and stress and flow in the right common carotid artery. We tested whether FT4, heart rate, and their interactions were associated with carotid parameters. Results: FT4 was positively and independently associated with β stiffness index (β = 0.026, p = 0.041), and had a negative association with strain (β = −0.025, p = 0.009). After adding heart rate and the interaction between FT4 and heart rate to the model, FT4 was still associated with the β stiffness index (β = 0.186, p = 0.06), heart rate was positively associated with the stiffness index (β = 0.389, p < 0.001) as well as their interaction (β = 0.271, p = 0.007). Conclusion: This study suggests that higher FT4 levels increase arterial stiffness at the common carotid level, consistent with a detrimental effect on elastic arteries. The effect of FT4 is likely to be primarily attributable to its effect on heart rate

Submarine Geomorphology of the Southwestern Sardinian Continental Shelf (Mediterranean Sea): Insights into the Last Glacial Maximum Sea-Level Changes and Related Environments

During the lowstand sea-level phase of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), a large part of the current Mediterranean continental shelf emerged. Erosional and depositional processes shaped the coastal strips, while inland areas were affected by aeolian and fluvial processes. Evidence of both the lowstand phase and the subsequent phases of eustatic sea level rise can be observed on the continental shelf of Sardinia (Italy), including submerged palaeo-shorelines and landforms, and indicators of relict coastal palaeo-environments. This paper shows the results of a high-resolution survey on the continental shelf off San Pietro Island (southwestern Sardinia). Multisensor and multiscale data\u2014obtained by means of seismic sparker, sub-bottom profiler chirp, multibeam, side scan sonar, diving, and uncrewed aerial vehicles\u2014made it possible to reconstruct the morphological features shaped during the LGM at depths between 125 and 135 m. In particular, tectonic controlled palaeo-cliffs affected by landslides, the mouth of a deep palaeo-valley fossilized by marine sediments and a palaeo-lagoon containing a peri-littoral thanatocenosis (18,983 \ub1 268 cal BP) were detected. The Younger Dryas palaeo-shorelines were reconstructed, highlighted by a very well preserved beachrock. The coastal paleo-landscape with lagoon-barrier systems and retro-littoral dunes frequented by the Mesolithic populations was reconstructed

The effect of prime-site occupancy on the hepatitis C virus NS3 protease structure.

We recently reported a new class of inhibitors of the chymotrypsin-like serine protease NS3 of the hepatitis C virus. These inhibitors exploit the binding potential of the S′ site of the protease, which is not generally used by the natural substrates. The effect of prime-site occupancy was analyzed by circular dichroism spectroscopy and limited proteolysis-mass spectrometry. Generally, nonprime inhibitors cause a structural change in NS3. Binding in the S′ site produces additional conformational changes with different binding modes, even in the case of the NS3/4A cofactor complex. Notably, inhibitor binding either in the S or S′ site also has profound effects on the stabilization of the protease. In addition, the stabilization propagates to regions not in direct contact with the inhibitor. In particular, the N-terminal region, which according to structural studies is endowed with low structural stability and is not stabilized by nonprime inhibitors, was now fully protected from proteolytic degradation. From the perspective of drug design, P-P′ inhibitors take advantage of binding pockets, which are not exploited by the natural HCV substrates; hence, they are an entry point for a novel class of NS3/4A inhibitors. Here we show that binding of each inhibitor is associated with a specific structural rearrangement. The development of a range of inhibitors belonging to different classes and an understanding of their interactions with the protease are required to address the issue of the most likely outcome of viral protease inhibitor therapy, that is, viral resistanc

Screening for gestational diabetes: evaluation of prevalence in age-stratified subgroups at Central hospital Warri Nigeria

Background: The prevalence of gestational diabetes depends on the method of diagnosis as well as ethnic background. Maternal age has also been identified as a factor, but has not been given much attention. The notion of gestational prediabetes has also speculated, but is equally yet to be a focus in discussion. Aim: This work aimed at evaluating the screening for gestational diabetes in Central Hospital, Warri; to determine prevalence of gestational diabetes in the general population and in stratified age groups. The other objective was to investigate the effectiveness and use of the methods of diagnosis. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective review of laboratory data of de-identified antenatal patients. Hospital records of gestational diabetes from 2013 to 2015 were obtained from the Central Hospital, Warri. Data collected included age of the de-identified patients, blood glucose results and whether the test was fasting or random. Other information was the month/year of test. A total of 3 589 results were analyzed. Results: Averaged prevalence of 5.85% is identified. Fasting blood sugar (FBS) measurement was used more and it also identified more positives (9%) compared to random blood sugar (<2%). On a dichotomous age group, prevalence of gestational diabetes appeared low in women below 25 years compared to those ≥26 years old. In a more stratification of age groups, potential antepartum prediabetes in pregnancy was lower in women above 40 years old relative to the younger age subpopulations (p < 0.000001). No significant variation was observed in level of usage of either method between months/years. Conclusion:  There is an ongoing good practice of using affordable screening test, which is FBS. The significant finding was that there may be up to 9% prevalence of GDM and that this number may erroneously be lower if random blood glucose measurement is used. Another worthy observation was that the prevalence in stratified age groups was non-directional, especially as prediabetes appears higher in the younger age subpopulation

Reconstructing individual responses to direct questions: a new method for reconstructing malingered responses

Introduction: The false consensus effect consists of an overestimation of how common a subject opinion is among other people. This research demonstrates that individual endorsement of questions may be predicted by estimating peers’ responses to the same question. Moreover, we aim to demonstrate how this prediction can be used to reconstruct the individual’s response to a single item as well as the overall response to all of the items, making the technique suitable and effective for malingering detection. Method: We have validated the procedure of reconstructing individual responses from peers’ estimation in two separate studies, one addressing anxiety-related questions and the other to the Dark Triad. The questionnaires, adapted to our scopes, were submitted to the groups of participants for a total of 187 subjects across both studies. Machine learning models were used to estimate the results. Results: According to the results, individual responses to a single question requiring a “yes” or “no” response are predicted with 70–80% accuracy. The overall participant-predicted score on all questions (total test score) is predicted with a correlation of 0.7–0.77 with actual results. Discussion: The application of the false consensus effect format is a promising procedure for reconstructing truthful responses in forensic settings when the respondent is highly likely to alter his true (genuine) response and true responses to the tests are missing

LOFAR discovery of a 700-kpc remnant radio galaxy at low redshift

Remnant radio galaxies represent the final dying phase of radio galaxy evolution, in which the jets are no longer active. Due to their rarity in flux limited samples and the difficulty of identification, this dying phase remains poorly understood and the luminosity evolution largely unconstrained. Here we present the discovery and detailed analysis of a large (700 kpc) remnant radio galaxy with a low surface brightness that has been identified in LOFAR images at 150 MHz. By combining LOFAR data with new follow-up Westerbork observations and archival data at higher frequencies, we investigated the source morphology and spectral properties from 116 to 4850 MHz. By modelling the radio spectrum we probed characteristic timescales of the radio activity. The source has a relatively smooth, diffuse, amorphous appearance together with a very weak central compact core which is associated with the host galaxy located at z=0.051. From our ageing and morphological analysis it is clear that the nuclear engine is currently switched off or, at most, active at a very low power state. The host galaxy is currently interacting with another galaxy located at a projected separation of 15 kpc and a radial velocity offset of 300 km/s. This interaction may have played a role in the triggering and/or shut down of the radio jets. The spectral shape of this remnant radio galaxy differs from the majority of the previously identified remnant sources, which show steep or curved spectra at low to intermediate frequencies. In light of this finding and in preparation for new-generation deep low-frequency surveys, we discuss the selection criteria to be used to select representative samples of these sources.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, 5 tables, A&A accepte

Dietary Supplementation of Hericium erinaceus Increases Mossy Fiber-CA3 Hippocampal Neurotransmission and Recognition Memory in Wild-Type Mice

Hericium erinaceus (Bull.) Pers. is a medicinal mushroom capable of inducing a large number of modulatory effects on human physiology ranging from the strengthening of the immune system to the improvement of cognitive functions. In mice, dietary supplementation with H. erinaceus prevents the impairment of spatial short-term and visual recognition memory in an Alzheimer model. Intriguingly other neurobiological effects have recently been reported like the effect on neurite outgrowth and differentiation in PC12 cells. Until now no investigations have been conducted to assess the impact of this dietary supplementation on brain function in healthy subjects. Therefore, we have faced the problem by considering the effect on cognitive skills and on hippocampal neurotransmission in wild-type mice. In wild-type mice the oral supplementation with H. erinaceus induces, in behaviour test, a significant improvement in the recognition memory and, in hippocampal slices, an increase in spontaneous and evoked excitatory synaptic current in mossy fiber-CA3 synapse. In conclusion, we have produced a series of findings in support of the concept that H. erinaceus induces a boost effect onto neuronal functions also in nonpathological conditions