The role of oxygen vacancies on the structure and the density of states of iron doped zirconia

In this paper we study, both with theoretical and experimental approach, the effect of iron doping in zirconia. Combining density functional theory (DFT) simulations with the experimental characterization of thin films, we show that iron is in the Fe3+ oxidation state and accordingly that the films are rich in oxygen vacancies (VO). VO favor the formation of the tetragonal phase in doped zirconia (ZrO2:Fe) and affect the density of state at the Fermi level as well as the local magnetization of Fe atoms. We also show that the Fe(2p) and Fe(3p) energy levels can be used as a marker for the presence of vacancies in the doped system. In particular the computed position of the Fe(3p) peak is strongly sensitive to the VO to Fe atoms ratio. A comparison of the theoretical and experimental Fe(3p) peak position suggests that in our films this ratio is close to 0.5. Besides the interest in the material by itself, ZrO2:Fe constitutes a test case for the application of DFT on transition metals embedded in oxides. In ZrO2:Fe the inclusion of the Hubbard U correction significantly changes the electronic properties of the system. However the inclusion of this correction, at least for the value U = 3.3 eV chosen in the present work, worsen the agreement with the measured photo-emission valence band spectra.Comment: 24 pages, 8 figure

Optimization of PCL Polymeric Films as Potential Matrices for the Loading of Alpha-Tocopherol by a Combination of Innovative Green Processes

Active food packaging represents an innovative way to conceive food packages. The innovation lies in using natural-based and biodegradable materials to produce a system intended to interact with the food product to preserve its quality and shelf-life. Compared to traditional plastics, active packaging is designed and regulated to release substances in a controlled manner, mainly antimicrobial and antioxidant compounds. Conventional technologies are not suitable for treating these natural substances; therefore, the research for innovative and green techniques represents a challenge in this field. The aim of this work is to compare two different polymeric structures: nanofibrous films obtained by electrospinning and continuous films obtained by solvent casting, to identify the best solution and process conditions for subjecting the samples to the supercritical fluids impregnation process (SFI). The supports optimized were functionalized by impregnating alpha-tocopherol using the SFI process. In particular, the different morphologies of the samples both before and after the supercritical impregnation process were initially studied, identifying the limits and possible solutions to obtain an optimization of the constructs to be impregnated with this innovative green technology in the packaging field

Come posso camminare/nuotare/volare lontano con te?

L'intervista percorre la pratica di Yolande Harris attraverso le sue opere più recenti e l'idea di coscienza sonora come forma di rinnovato contatto con il mond

Failure of Miltefosine Treatment in Two Dogs with Natural Leishmania infantum Infection

Two dogs, with naturally acquired canine leishmaniasis, were treated orally with miltefosine (2 mg/kg q 24 hr) and allopurinol (10 mg/kg q 12 hr) for 28 days. Both dogs showed good initial response to therapy, with reduction in clinical signs and improvement of clinicopathological changes. However, in both dogs, clinical and clinicopathological abnormalities recurred 150 days after initial treatment and a second course of miltefosine and allopurinol was administered. One dog failed to respond to the 2nd cycle of miltefosine treatment and the other dog responded initially but suffered an early relapse. Treatment with meglumine antimoniate (100 mg/kg q 24 hr for a minimum of 4 weeks) was then started in both dogs. Both dogs showed rapid clinical and clinicopathological improvement and to date they have not received further treatment for 420 and 270 days, respectively. In view of the low number of antileishmanial drugs available and the fact that some of these are used in human as well as veterinary medicine, it is of paramount importance that drug resistance is monitored and documented

Zein and Spent Coffee Grounds Extract as a Green Combination for Sustainable Food Active Packaging Production: An Investigation on the Effects of the Production Processes

In this work, the effect of different production techniques was evaluated on the physical and antioxidant properties of bio-based packaging intended to prevent the premature oxidation of packaged foods. Spent coffee ground extract, rich in antioxidant molecules, obtained through high pressure and temperature extraction, was loaded on zein polymeric matrices. The techniques adopted in this work are particularly suitable due to their mild conditions to produce active packaging completely based on natural compounds: electrospinning, solvent casting, and spin coating. The novelty of this work lay in the investigation of the dependance of the properties of active packaging on the adopted production techniques; the results clearly indicated a strong dependence of the features of the films obtained by different production processes. Indeed, spin coated samples exhibited the best oxygen barrier properties, while a higher tensile strength was obtained for the casted samples, and the fastest release of active compounds was provided by electrospun mats. The films produced with different methods had different physical properties and the release of extract bioactive compounds can be tunable by varying the production technique, dependent on the variable to be considered. The products developed offer an alternative to traditional packaging solutions, being more eco-sustainable and promoting waste valorization

Ammonia concentration and bacterial evaluation of feline whole blood and packed red blood cell units stored for transfusion

Ammonia concentrations increase in human, canine and equine WB and PRBC units during storage. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of storage on ammonia concentration in feline WB and PRBC units stored in a veterinary blood bank and to evaluate possible correlations with bacterial contamination. Ammonia concentration was evaluated in 15 WB units and 2 PRBC units on day 1 and at the end of storage after 35 and 42 days, respectively. In an additional 5 WB units and 4 PRBC units ammonia concentrations were determined daily until the day the normal reference range was exceeded and then weekly to the end of storage. All units were evaluated for bacterial contamination. Ammonia increased markedly during storage as a linear function over time. On the 35th and 42th day of storage at 4±2°C mean±SD ammonia concentration reached 909±158 µg/dl and 1058±212 µg/dl in WB and PRBC units, respectively. Bacterial culture was negative in all units. High ammonia concentrations in stored WB and PRBC units could result in toxicity, particularly in feline recipients with liver failure, portosystemic shunts or those receiving large transfusion volumes. Clinical in vivo studies evaluating the effects on recipients should be performed

FELINE LEISHMANIASIS: SEROLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR DETECTION OF AN EMERGENT DISEASE IN A NON-ENDEMIC AREA OF NORTHERN ITALY

In recent decades feline leishmaniosis (FeL) has become an emerging disease, also in non-endemic areas for the canine infection. This study updates the epidemiological status for FeL in cats in northern Italy and compares results with previous studies of the same feline population. Co-infections with feline retroviruses FIV and Field were also investigated. Stray, shelter and owned cats from different cities in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, were prospectively randomly sampled between January 2020 and May 2021. A total of 255 cats were tested for L. infantum: 240/255 for antibodies by IFAT and 234/255 and 198/255 for Leishmania DNA by PCR on whole blood and lymph nodes, respectively. Rapid ELISA test was used to detect FIV or FeLV infection. Overall, 26/255 (10.2%) cats tested positive for L. infantum: in 8/26 cats Leishmania DNA was found in popliteal lymph nodes (Leishmania/ml range from 15 to 60), 6/26 were PCR positive on whole blood (Leishmania/ml range from 5 to 80) and 15/26 IFAT seropositive at titers ranging from 1:80 to 1:320. Two Leishmania infected cats were also FIV+FeLV coinfected, another was FIV positive and one was FeLV positive. A high prevalence of FeL was found in a non-endemic area of northern Italy, with an increasing trend in infection rates

Operating Parameters Optimization for the Production of Liposomes Loaded with Antibodies Using a Supercritical Fluid-Assisted Process

Encapsulation of antibodies represents a significant advance to protect and deliver these therapeutics in a controlled manner, increasing the stability requested to cover the temporal gap between particle production and their administration. Furthermore, using encapsulation, extracellular, cell surface, and intracellular targets can be reached. This work examines the feasibility of encapsulating mouse IgG isotype control antibodies within phosphatidylcholine-based liposomes using a supercritical fluid-based process called SuperLip (Supercritical-assisted Liposome formation). This process allows a continuous production of both nano- and micrometric liposomes with high encapsulation efficiency working under mild operative conditions. The effect of some operative parameters has been studied on liposome mean diameter, particle size distribution, and antibody entrapment efficiency, comparing these data with those collected working with liposomes obtained by the thin-layer hydration technique. In particular, the effect of water flow rate and of the antibody loading were studied. Antibody-loaded liposomes with mean diameters in the range between 205 and 501 nm have been obtained by using a supercritical fluid-assisted process. High entrapment efficiencies up to 94% have been calculated

Comparison of a clinic-based ELISA test kit with the immunofluorescence antibody test for assaying Leishmania infantum antibodies in dogs

This study compares a rapid Immunospecific Kalazar Canine Rapid Spot IF with the gold standard test (indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT)) for detection of Leishmania infantum specific IgG serum antibodies in naturally exposed dogs. Serum samples were obtained from 89 healthy dogs and dogs affected by canine leishmaniosis (CanL). IgG-IFAT titers ≥80 were considered positive. Anti-L. infantum IgG antibodies were found in 54 samples with titers ranging from 1 : 80 to 1 : 5120. The performance of the rapid Immunospecific Kalazar was evaluated using a ROC curve. The area under the ROC curve of 0.957 was significantly different from 0.5 ( < 0.0001), and therefore it can be concluded that the rapid Immunospecific Kalazar has the ability to distinguish canine sera with and without L. infantum IgG. The best performance of the test was at a cutoff >0 (sensitivity 92.6%, specificity 97%). The test can be used for disease screening if the cutoff is >0 (highest sensitivity, 92.6%) and is recommended as confirmatory test for the presence of L. infantum IgG antibodies if the cutoff is set >2 (highest specificity, 100%)

Frecuencia del grupo sanguíneo A, B y AB y riesgo de transfusión en gatos del Norte de Italia

Objetivos Datos epidemiol\uf3gicos sobre el tipo de sangre felina son importantes para prevenir reacciones de transfu- si\uf3n y para identificar los donantes de sangre ideales en programas de donantes de sangre felina. Tres eran los objetivos de este estudio: 1. Determinarlafrecuenciadelosgrupossangu\uedneos en una poblaci\uf3n de gatos con tipaje sangu\uedneo en la Universidad de Mil\ue1n 2. Analizar las caracter\uedsticas de la poblaci\uf3n y pro- bar la asociaci\uf3n entre el tipo de sangre A, B y AB y una serie de variables (sexo, raza y grupo filoge- n\ue9tico); 3. Calcular el riesgo de reacci\uf3n a la transfusi\uf3n menor y mayor despu\ue9s de la administraci\uf3n de sangre incompatible despu\ue9s de una transfusi\uf3n al azar en esta poblaci\uf3n. 4. Calcular el riesgo de una reacci\uf3n a latransfusi\uf3n mayor o menor despu\ue9s de una administraci\uf3n de sangre incompatible de forma aleatoria en esta poblaci\uf3n Material y m\ue9todos Un estudio retrospectivo se realiz\uf3 utilizando datos (recogidos entre 2010 y 2014) de la base de datos de la unidad de transfusi\uf3n veterinaria (REV) de la Universidad de Mil\ue1n, Italia. Los datos recogidos inclu\uedan: tipo de sangre, edad, sexo, raza, raz\uf3n y el m\ue9todo de determinaci\uf3n del grupo sangu\uedneo. Los resultados se analizaron por an\ue1lisis de frecuencia absoluta y relativa. Las frecuencias de los diferentes grupos sangu\uedneos y datos categ\uf3ricos (sexo, raza y grupo filogen\ue9tico) se compararon mediante tablas de contingencia y la prueba exacta de Fisher o prueba de chi cuadrado, seg\ufan el caso. Se seleccionaron Conclusiones 88 gatos como potenciales donantes de sangre, el grupo sangu\uedneo y otros factores (precruce, preoperatorio y receptor) fueron considerados aptos para el objetivo de los c\ue1lculos. La posibilidad de una reacci\uf3n mayor de transfusi\uf3n en gato con sangre del grupo B que recibe sangre del tipo A o AB, se calcul\uf3 de la siguiente manera: frecuencia del donante tipo A + frecuencia d\uf3nate tipo AB multiplicada ambas por frecuencia de receptor B. La posibilidad de una reacci\uf3n de transfusi\uf3n menor (la reacci\uf3n menor reduce la vida media de los eritrocitos transfundidos en sangre de gatos del grupo sangu\uedneo A que recibe sangre del grupo sangu\uedneo B o AB y gatos del grupo sangu\uedneo AB que reciben sangre de grupo B) fue calculada usando la f\uf3rmula: frecuencia del gato donante tipo B donante + frecuencia del donante tipo AB multiplicado por la frecuencia del receptor tipo A + frecuencia donante tipo B multiplicado por frecuencia receptor tipo AB (Juvet F et al 2011). Resultados 282 fueron incluidos en el estudio, el rango de edad fue desde 2 meses a 19 a\uf1os, 140 (50%) macho y 138 (49%) hembras, 151 (53%) gato com\ufan europeo de pelo corto, 59 (21%) Ragdoll, 29 (10%) Maine Coons. Los gatos se dividieron en tres grupos de acuerdo con su origen 55% de los gatos eran de la cuenca medite- rr\ue1nea, 44% del oeste de Europa, 1% de Asia y no se tipificaron gatos de \uc1frica oriental. La prevalencia de los grupos sangu\uedneos fue 91% (n= 257) tipo A, 4% (n=11) tipo B y 5% (n=14) tipo AB. Las razones para realizar el grupo sangu\uedneo fueron: precruce para pre- venir Isoeritrolisis neonatal en 92 gatos (33%), scree- ning preoperatorio en 55 gatos (19%), examen pre- transfusi\uf3n en 17 gatos (6%) y screening de potenciales donantes previo a la donaci\uf3n en 88 gatos (31%). No hubo asociaci\uf3n significativa entre el grupo sangu\uedneo y la variable analizada, excepto por una asociaci\uf3n entre gato Ragdoll y grupo sangu\uedneo A (83%) y AB (14%) (P=0,0335, OR=0,3 y P=0,0026, OR=5,6 respecti- vamente). Todos los gatos Maine Coon testado fueron grupo sangu\uedneo A. En una transfusi\uf3n de sangre sin testar la frecuencia estimada de una reacci\uf3n mayor y menor fue 3.8% y 9.3% respectivamente. Discusi\uf3n De acuerdo con los hallazgos de otros estudios europeos (Jensen AL et al, 1994; Knottembelt CM et al 1999; Ruiz de Gopegui R et al 2004; Marques C et al 2011; Juvet F et al, 2011), el grupo sangu\uedneo predominante en los gatos en este estudio fue de tipo A. La prevalencia del grupos sangu\uedneo var\ueda entre las diferentes razas felinas. El tipo de sangre AB es significativamente m\ue1s frecuente en los gatos de Ragdoll que en otras razas feli- nas y este hallazgo podr\ueda ser \ufatil cuando se consideran candidatos para la donaci\uf3n de plasma. Conclusiones Dado que el riesgo de una reacci\uf3n transfusional en los gatos que recibieron una transfusi\uf3n de sangre sin la comprobaci\uf3n de la compatibilidad sangu\uednea que resulto ser del 9% el grupo sangu\uedneo y las pruebas cruzadas de los donantes de sangre y el receptor son esenciales antes de la transfusi\uf3n felina para prevenir la potencial reacci\uf3n transfusional inmunol\uf3gica o la r\ue1pida destrucci\uf3n de los eritrocitos transfundidos. Bibliograf\ueda \u2022 jensen AL, Olesen AB, Arnbjerg J. Distribution of feli- ne blood types obtained in the Copenhagen area of Den- mark. Acta Vet Scand. 1994;35:121-4. \u2022 Knottenbelt CM, Addie DD, Day MJ, Mackin AJ. Deter- mination of the prevalence of feline blood types in the UK. J Small Anim Pract. 1999;40:115-8. \u2022 Ruiz de Gopegui R, Velasquez M, Espada Y. Survey of fe- line blood types in the Barcelona area of Spain. Vet Rec. 2004;154:794-5. \u2022 Marques C, Ferreira M, Gomes JF. Frequency of blood type A, B and AB in 515 domestic shorthair cats from the Lisbon area. Vet Clin Pathol. 2011;40:185-7. \u2022 Juvet F, Brennan S, Mooney CT. Assessment of feline blood for transfusion purposes in the Dublin area of Ireland. Vet Rec. 2011;168:352-4