UNFOLDING THE ULTRAFAST INTERPLAY BETWEEN DELOCALIZED WAVEFUNCTIONS AND LOCALIZED ELECTRONIC INTERACTIONS IN QUANTUM CORRELATED MATERIALS

The complex phase diagram of strongly correlated materials is regulated by the delicate interplay between the low-energy electronic excitations and those involving higher energy scales. Here we combine time-resolved optical spectroscopy, conventional laser photoemission (tr-ARPES) and XUV-laser photoemission (XUV-ARPES) to investigate, with an out-of-equilibrium approach, the high-energy electron dynamics in two families of superconducting copper oxides: the single-layer Bi2Sr2-xLaxCuO6+d (Bi2201) and double-layer Bi2Sr2Ca0.92Y0.08Cu2O8+d (Bi2212). We focused on the pump induced modification of the charge-transfer (CT) transition at >2 eV, that strongly reflects the correlation degree of the electronic wavefunction. We observe a qualitative change of the dynamics of the CT transition at T=300 K and hole doping p_cr=0.17+-0.02. We argue that the observed change at p_cr is intimately connected to the quantum critical point at T=0, from which different charge and spin ordering tendencies emerge. Furthermore, time-resolved XUV angle-resolved-photoemission experiments allowed us to track the transient occupation of both the conduction and the oxygen bands during the relaxation dynamics. Our results unveiled the different nature (bonding, non-bonding) of the oxygen bands at 1.5 eV binding energy. This is reflected in a strong bottleneck in the relaxation of the holes photoexcited in the O-2p-pi band at (pi,pi) which is non-bonding with the 3dx^2-y^2 Cu states.These results challenge the state-of-the-art models that describe the relaxation dynamics in copper oxides

LCA to Estimate the Environmental Impact of Dairy Farms: A Case Study

Intensive farming is responsible for extreme environmental impacts under different aspects, among which global warming represents a major reason of concern. This is a quantitative problem linked to the farm size and a qualitative one, depending on farming methods and land management. The dairy sector is particularly relevant in terms of environmental impact, and new approaches to meeting sustainability goals at a global scale while meeting society's needs are necessary. The present study was carried out to assess the environmental impact of dairy cattle farms based on a life cycle assessment (LCA) model applied to a case study. These preliminary results show the possibility of identifying the most relevant impacts in terms of supplied products, such as animal feed and plastic packaging, accounting for 19% and 15% of impacts, respectively, and processes, in terms of energy and fuel consumption, accounting for 53% of impacts overall. In particular, the local consumption of fossil fuels for operations within the farm represents the most relevant item of impact, with a small margin for improvement. On the other hand, remarkable opportunities to reduce the impact can be outlined from the perspective of stronger partnerships with suppliers to promote the circularity of packaging and the sourcing of animal feed. Future studies may include the impact of drug administration and the analysis of social aspects of LCA

Natural Occurrence of Ochratoxin A in Blood and Milk Samples from Jennies and Their Foals after Delivery

An assessment of the natural ochratoxin A (OTA) exposure of seven Martina Franca jennies was carried out by analyzing blood and milk samples collected close to and after delivery. A total of 41 and 34 blood samples were collected from jennies and foals, respectively, and analyzed by ELISA. A total of 33 milk samples were collected from jennies and analyzed by the HPLC/FLD method based on IAC clean-up. Furthermore, 53 feed samples were collected from January to September and analyzed by a reference method (AOAC Official Method No. 2000.03) for OTA content. Feed samples showed OTA levels up to 2.7 ng/g with an incidence of 32%, while the OTA incidence rate in jennies' blood samples was 73%, with a median value of 97 ng/L and concentrations ranging fro

Collapse of superconductivity in cuprates via ultrafast quenching of phase coherence

The possibility of driving phase transitions in low-density condensates through the loss of phase coherence alone has far-reaching implications for the study of quantum phases of matter. This has inspired the development of tools to control and explore the collective properties of condensate phases via phase fluctuations. Electrically-gated oxide interfaces, ultracold Fermi atoms, and cuprate superconductors, which are characterized by an intrinsically small phase-stiffness, are paradigmatic examples where these tools are having a dramatic impact. Here we use light pulses shorter than the internal thermalization time to drive and probe the phase fragility of the Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+\delta}$ cuprate superconductor, completely melting the superconducting condensate without affecting the pairing strength. The resulting ultrafast dynamics of phase fluctuations and charge excitations are captured and disentangled by time-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. This work demonstrates the dominant role of phase coherence in the superconductor-to-normal state phase transition and offers a benchmark for non-equilibrium spectroscopic investigations of the cuprate phase diagram.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figures, Main Text and Supplementary Informatio

Neurocognitive impact of metal exposure and social stressors among schoolchildren in Taranto, Italy

BACKGROUND: Metal exposure is a public health hazard due to neurocognitive effects starting in early life. Poor socio-economic status, adverse home and family environment can enhance the neurodevelopmental toxicity due to chemical exposure. Disadvantaged socio-economic conditions are generally higher in environmentally impacted areas although the combined effect of these two factors has not been sufficiently studied. METHODS: The effect of co-exposure to neurotoxic metals including arsenic, cadmium, manganese, mercury, lead, selenium, and to socio-economic stressors was assessed in a group of 299 children aged 6-12\u2009years, residing at incremental distance from industrial emissions in Taranto, Italy. Exposure was assessed with biological monitoring and the distance between the home address and the exposure point source. Children's cognitive functions were examined using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) and the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). Linear mixed models were chosen to assess the association between metal exposure, socio-economic status and neurocognitive outcomes. RESULTS: Urinary arsenic, cadmium and hair manganese resulted inversely related to the distance from the industrial emission source (\u3b2 -\u20090.04; 95% CI -0.06, -\u20090.01; \u3b2 -\u20090.02; 95% CI -0.05, -\u20090.001; \u3b2 -\u20090.02 95% CI -0.05, -\u20090.003) while the WISC intellectual quotient and its sub-scores (except processing speed index) showed a positive association with distance. Blood lead and urinary cadmium were negatively associated with the IQ total score and all sub-scores, although not reaching the significance level. Hair manganese and blood lead was positively associated with the CANTAB between errors of spatial working memory (\u3b2 2.2; 95% CI 0.3, 3.9) and the reaction time of stop signal task (\u3b2 0.05; 95% CI 0.02, 0.1) respectively. All the other CANTAB neurocognitive tests did not show to be significantly influenced by metal exposure. The highest socio-economic status showed about five points intellectual quotient more than the lowest level on average (\u3b2 4.8; 95% CI 0.3, 9.6); the interaction term between blood lead and the socio-economic status showed a significant negative impact of lead on working memory at the lowest socio-economic status level (\u3b2 -\u20094.0; 95% CI -6.9, -\u20091.1). CONCLUSIONS: Metal exposure and the distance from industrial emission was associated with negative cognitive impacts in these children. Lead exposure had neurocognitive effect even at very low levels of blood lead concentration when socio-economic status is low, and this should further address the importance and prioritize preventive and regulatory interventions

MEK1/2 regulate normal BCR and ABL1 tumor-suppressor functions to dictate ATO response in TKI-resistant Ph+ leukemia

Resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) remains a clinical challenge in Ph-positive variants of chronic myeloid leukemia. We provide mechanistic insights into a previously undisclosed MEK1/2/BCR::ABL1/BCR/ABL1-driven signaling loop that may determine the efficacy of arsenic trioxide (ATO) in TKI-resistant leukemic patients. We find that activated MEK1/2 assemble into a pentameric complex with BCR::ABL1, BCR and ABL1 to induce phosphorylation of BCR and BCR::ABL1 at Tyr360 and Tyr177, and ABL1, at Thr735 and Tyr412 residues thus provoking loss of BCR's tumor-suppression functions, enhanced oncogenic activity of BCR::ABL1, cytoplasmic retention of ABL1 and consequently drug resistance. Coherently, pharmacological blockade of MEK1/2 induces dissociation of the pentameric MEK1/2/BCR::ABL1/BCR/ABL1 complex and causes a concurrent BCRY360/Y177, BCR::ABL1(Y360/Y177) and cytoplasmic ABL1(Y412/T735) dephosphorylation thereby provoking the rescue of the BCR's anti-oncogenic activities, nuclear accumulation of ABL1 with tumor-suppressive functions and consequently, growth inhibition of the leukemic cells and an ATO sensitization via BCR-MYC and ABL1-p73 signaling axes activation. Additionally, the allosteric activation of nuclear ABL1 was consistently found to enhance the anti-leukemic effects of the MEK1/2 inhibitor Mirdametinib, which when combined with ATO, significantly prolonged the survival of mice bearing BCR::ABL1-T315I-induced leukemia. These findings highlight the therapeutic potential of MEK1/2-inhibitors/ATO combination for the treatment of TKI-resistant leukemia