Mechanical Metamaterials

Mechanical metamaterials are an emerging design strategy aimed at tailoring lattice structures to achieve specific properties such as negative Poisson’s ratios and guiding wave propagation. These metamaterials have received increasing attention from various application domains, including medical devices, aerospace, automobile, and infrastructure. The scope of this project is to vary a single lattice parameter and quantify its effect on the structural properties of the given 3D lattice

REDD+ on the rocks? Conflict over forest and politics of justice in Vietnam

In Vietnam, villagers involved in a REDD+ (reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation) pilot protect areas with rocks which have barely a tree on them. The apparent paradox indicates how actual practices differ from general ideas about REDD+ due to ongoing conflict over forest, and how contestations over the meaning of justice are a core element in negotiations over REDD+. We explore these politics of justice by examining how the actors involved in the REDD+ pilot negotiate the particular subjects, dimensions, and authority of justice considered relevant, and show how politics of justice are implicit to practical decisions in project implementation. Contestations over the meaning of justice are an important element in the practices and processes constituting REDD+ at global, national and local levels, challenging uniform definitions of forest justice and how forests ought to be managed

Differential characteristics of young and midlife adult users of psychotherapy, psychotropic medications, or both: information from a population representative sample in São Paulo, Brazil

Mutu pelayanan di rumah sakit tak lepas dari kinerja sumber daya manusia keperawatan. Setiap organisasi memiliki budaya yang merupakan faktor penting yang menentukan keberhasilan organisasi  dalam mencapai tujuannya. Penelitian yang bertujuan untuk mengidentifikasi hubungan antara persepsi perawat pelaksana tentang budaya organisasi dengan kinerjanya di ruang rawat inap sebuah RS di Bogor ini, merupakan penelitian cross sectional yang melibatkan 113 perawat. Instrumen yang digunakan adalah instrumen budaya organisasi dan kinerja yang telah dimodifikasi. Sebanyak 79.6% perawat pelaksana mempersepsikan kinerjanya baik dan 85% mempersepsikan budaya organisasinya baik. Perawat pelaksana yang berpersepsi baik terhadap organisasinya, mereka juga berkinerja lebih baik. Karakteristik perawat pelaksana dan persepsi perawat pelaksana terhadap budaya organisasi tidak berhubungan dengan kinerja. Budaya organisasi yang sudah baik dankinerja yang optimalperlu dipertahankan dengan selalu mengevaluasi tiap komponennya,baik oleh manajemen maupun individu keperawatan. Abstract The Nurse Practitioners’ Perception on OrganizationalCulture and Work Performance. The quality of hospital services is supported by several aspects, including the work performance of human resources in nursing. Every organization has a culture which is an important factor that determines the success of the organization in achieving its goals. The research aimed to identify the relationship between the perceptions of nurses about the organizational culture with theirwork performance in inpatient ward at a hospital in Bogor, a cross-sectional study involving 113 nurses. The instrument used was the modified instrument of organizational culture and work performance. A total of 79.6% of nurses perceiving good performance and 85% perceive the organizational culture good. Nurses who have good perception for the organizational cultura, they also perform better. Characteristics of nurses and nurses’ perceptions of the organizational culture is not related to the work performance.Good organizational and optimum work performance need to maintain with evaluating each its component. Keyword: nurse practitioners, organizational culture, work performanceMutu pelayanan di rumah sakit tak lepas dari kinerja sumber daya manusia keperawatan. Setiap organisasi memiliki budaya yang merupakan faktor penting yang menentukan keberhasilan organisasi dalam mencapai tujuannya. Penelitian yang bertujuan untuk mengidentifikasi hubungan antara persepsi perawat pelaksana tentang budaya organisasi dengan kinerjanya di ruang rawat inap sebuah Rumah Sakit di Bogor ini, merupakan penelitian cross sectional yang melibatkan 113 perawat. Instrumen yang digunakan adalah instrumen budaya organisasi dan kinerja yang telah dimodifikasi. Sebanyak 79.6% perawat pelaksana mempersepsikan kinerjanya baik dan 85% mempersepsikan budaya organisasinya baik. Perawat pelaksana yang berpersepsi baik terhadap organisasinya, mereka juga berkinerja lebih baik. Karakteristik perawat pelaksana dan persepsi perawat pelaksana terhadap budaya organisasi tidak berhubungan dengan kinerja. Budaya organisasi yang sudah baik dankinerja yang optimal perlu dipertahankan dengan selalu mengevaluasi tiap komponennya,baik oleh manajemen maupun individu keperawatan. Abstract The Nurse Practitioners’ Perception on Organizational Culture and Work Performance. The quality of hospital services is supported by several aspects, including the work performance of human resources in nursing. Every organization has a culture which is an important factor that determines the success of the organization in achieving its goals. The research aimed to identify the relationship between the perceptions of nurses about the organizational culture with theirwork performance in inpatient ward at a hospital in Bogor, a cross-sectional study involving 113 nurses. The instrument used was the modified instrument of organizational culture and work performance. A total of 79,6% of nurses perceiving good performance and 85% perceive the organizational culture good. Nurses who have good perception for the organizational cultura, they also perform better. Characteristics of nurses and nurses’ perceptions of the organizational culture is not related to the work performance. Good organizational and optimum work performance need to maintain with evaluating each its component. Keyword: nurse practitioners, organizational culture, work performanc

Long non-coding RNAs in regulation of adipogenesis and adipose tissue function

Complex interaction between genetics, epigenetics, environment, and nutrition affect the physiological activities of adipose tissues and their dysfunctions, which lead to several metabolic diseases including obesity or type 2 diabetes. Here, adipogenesis appears to be a process characterized by an intricate network that involves many transcription factors and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) that regulate gene expression. LncRNAs are being investigated to determine their contribution to adipose tissue development and function. LncRNAs possess multiple cellular functions, and they regulate chromatin remodeling, along with transcriptional and post-transcriptional events; in this way, they affect gene expression. New investigations have demonstrated the pivotal role of these molecules in modulating white and brown/beige adipogenic tissue development and activity. This review aims to provide an update on the role of lncRNAs in adipogenesis and adipose tissue function to promote identification of new drug targets for treating obesity and related metabolic diseases

Analisi di variabili climatiche in funzione della comprensione della variabilit? planctonica (caso di studio: Golfo di Trieste)

No abstract available in english.Con questo lavoro si presenta il confronto fra le rianalisi ERA-40 e i dati osservati alla stazione meteo di Trieste, finalizzato all\u27individuazione delle variabili pi? appropriate per lo studio degli effetti del clima sul plancton. Per quello che riguarda pressione a livello del mare, i primi risultati indicano un accordo quasi completo (r=0,99) fra rianalisi e osservazioni. Si riscontra invece una generale sottostima della velocit? del vento da parte degli ERA-40 rispetto ai dati locali. Le rianalisi ERA-40, per via della loro omogeneit? spazio-temporale, restano appropriate per la costruzione di mappe di regressione temporale rispetto alla serie planctoniche. Sono indicati gli anni anomali rispetto a queste due variabili e alla SST

Detection of Causal Relations in Time Series Affected by Noise in Tokamaks Using Geodesic Distance on Gaussian Manifolds

Modern experiments in Magnetic Confinement Nuclear Fusion can produce Gigabytes of data, mainly in form of time series. The acquired signals, composing massive databases, are typically affected by significant levels of noise. The interpretation of the time series can therefore become quite involved, particularly when tenuous causal relations have to be investigated. In the last years, synchronization experiments, to control potentially dangerous instabilities, have become a subject of intensive research. Their interpretation requires quite delicate causality analysis. In this paper, the approach of Information Geometry is applied to the problem of assessing the effectiveness of synchronization experiments on JET (Joint European Torus). In particular, the use of the Geodesic Distance on Gaussian Manifolds is shown to improve the results of advanced techniques such as Recurrent Plots and Complex Networks, when the noise level is not negligible. In cases affected by particularly high levels of noise, compromising the traditional treatments, the use of the Geodesic Distance on Gaussian Manifolds allows deriving quite encouraging results. In addition to consolidating conclusions previously quite uncertain, it has been demonstrated that the proposed approach permit to successfully analyze signals of discharges which were otherwise unusable, therefore salvaging the interpretation of those experiments.EURATOM 63305

Muse stem cells can be isolated from stromal compartment of mouse bone marrow, adipose tissue, and ear connective tissue: A comparative study of their in vitro properties

The cells present in the stromal compartment of many tissues are a heterogeneous population containing stem cells, progenitor cells, fibroblasts, and other stromal cells. A SSEA3(+) cell subpopulation isolated from human stromal compartments showed stem cell properties. These cells, known as multilineage-differentiating stress-enduring (MUSE) cells, are capable of resisting stress and possess an excellent ability to repair DNA damage. We isolated MUSE cells from different mouse stromal compartments, such as those present in bone marrow, subcutaneous white adipose tissue, and ear connective tissue. These cells showed overlapping in vitro biological properties. The mouse MUSE cells were positive for stemness markers such as SOX2, OCT3/4, and NANOG. They also expressed TERT, the catalytic telomerase subunit. The mouse MUSE cells showed spontaneous commitment to differentiation in meso/ecto/endodermal derivatives. The demonstration that mul-tilineage stem cells can be isolated from an animal model, such as the mouse, could offer a valid alternative to the use of other stem cells for disease studies and envisage of cellular therapies

Impact of lysosomal storage disorders on biology of mesenchymal stem cells: Evidences from in vitro silencing of glucocerebrosidase (GBA) and alpha-galactosidase A (GLA) enzymes.

Lysosomal storage disorders (LDS) comprise a group of rare multisystemic diseases resulting from inherited gene mutations that impair lysosomal homeostasis. The most common LSDs, Gaucher disease (GD), and Fabry disease (FD) are caused by deficiencies in the lysosomal glucocerebrosidase (GBA) and alpha-galactosidase A (GLA) enzymes, respectively. Given the systemic nature of enzyme deficiency, we hypothesized that the stem cell compartment of GD and FD patients might be also affected. Among stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a commonly investigated population given their role in hematopoiesis and the homeostatic maintenance of many organs and tissues. Since the impairment of MSC functions could pose profound consequences on body physiology, we evaluated whether GBA and GLA silencing could affect the biology of MSCs isolated from bone marrow and amniotic fluid. Those cell populations were chosen given the former's key role in organ physiology and the latter's intriguing potential as an alternative stem cell model for human genetic disease. Our results revealed that GBA and GLA deficiencies prompted cell cycle arrest along with the impairment of autophagic flux and an increase of apoptotic and senescent cell percentages. Moreover, an increase in ataxia-telangiectasia-mutated staining 1 hr after oxidative stress induction and a return to basal level at 48 hr, along with persistent gamma-H2AX staining, indicated that MSCs properly activated DNA repair signaling, though some damages remained unrepaired. Our data therefore suggest that MSCs with reduced GBA or GLA activity are prone to apoptosis and senescence due to impaired autophagy and DNA repair capacity