Assessment of an Adaptive Efficient Thermal/Electric Skipping Control Strategy for the Management of a Parallel Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle

In the current scenario, where environmental concern determines the evolution of passenger cars, hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) represent a hub in the automotive sector to reach net-zero CO2 emissions. To fully exploit the energy conversion potential of advanced powertrains, proper energy management strategies are mandatory. In this work, a simulation study is presented, aiming at developing a new control strategy for a P3 parallel plug-in HEV (PHEV). The simulation model is built on MATLAB/Simulink. The proposed strategy is based on an alternative utilization of the thermal engine and electric motor to provide the vehicle power demand (efficient thermal/electric skipping strategy (ETESS)). An adaptive function is then introduced to develop a charge-blended control strategy. Fuel consumption along different driving cycles is evaluated by applying the novel adaptive-ETESS (A-ETESS). To have a proper comparison, the same adaptive function is built on the equivalent consumption minimization strategy (ECMS). Processor-in-the-loop (PIL) simulations are performed to benchmark the A-ETESS. Simulation results highlighted that the proposed strategy provides for a fuel economy similar to ECMS (worse of about 2.5% on average) and a computational effort reduced by 99% on average, opening the possibility of real-time on-vehicle applications

Immune and glial cell alterations in the rat brain after repeated exposure to the synthetic cannabinoid JWH-018

The use of synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) poses major psychiatric risks. We previously showed that repeated exposure to the prototypical SCRA JWH-018 induces alterations in dopamine (DA) transmission, abnormalities in the emotional state, and glial cell activation in the mesocorticolimbic DA circuits of rats. Despite growing evidence suggesting the relationship between substance use disorders (SUD) and neuroinflammation, little is known about the impact of SCRAs on the neuroimmune system. Here, we investigated whether repeated JWH-018 exposure altered neuroimmune signaling, which could be linked with previously reported central effects. Adult male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were exposed to JWH-018 (0.25 mg/kg, i.p.) for fourteen consecutive days, and the expression of cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors was measured seven days after treatment discontinuation in the striatum, cortex, and hippocampus. Moreover, microglial (ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1, IBA-1) and astrocyte (glial fibrillary acidic protein, GFAP) activation markers were evaluated in the caudate-putamen (CPu). Repeated JWH-018 exposure induces a perturbation of neuroimmune signaling specifically in the striatum, as shown by increased levels of cytokines [interleukins (IL) -2, -4, -12p70, -13, interferon (IFN) γ], chemokines [macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP) -1α, -3α], and growth factors [macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)], together with increased IBA-1 and GFAP expression in the CPu. JWH-018 exposure induces persistant brain region-specific immune alterations up to seven days after drug discontinuation, which may contribute to the behavioral and neurochemical dysregulations in striatal areas that play a role in the reward-related processes that are frequently impaired in SUD

Characterization Of The Neurochemical And Behavioral Effects Of The Phenethylamine 2-Cl-4,5-Mdma In Adolescent And Adult Male Rats

Background: The proliferation of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) in the drug market raises concerns about uncertainty on their pharmacological profile and the health hazard linked to their use. Within the category of synthetic stimulant NPS, the phenethylamine 2-Cl-4,5-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (2-Cl-4,5-MDMA) has been linked to severe intoxication requiring hospitalization. Thereby, the characterization of its pharmacological profile is urgently warranted. Methods: By in vivo brain microdialysis in adolescent and adult male rats we investigated the effects of 2-Cl-4,5-MDMA on dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) neurotransmission in two brain areas critical for the motivational and rewarding properties of drugs, the nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Moreover, we evaluated the locomotor and stereotyped activity induced by 2-Cl-4,5-MDMA and the emission of 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) to characterize its affective properties. Results: 2-Cl-4,5-MDMA increased dialysate DA and 5-HT in a dose-, brain area-, and age-dependent manner. Notably, 2-Cl-4,5-MDMA more markedly increased dialysate DA in the NAc shell and mPFC of adult than adolescent rats, while the opposite was observed on dialysate 5-HT in the NAc shell, with adolescent rats being more responsive. Furthermore, 2-Cl-4,5-MDMA stimulated locomotion and stereotyped activity in both adolescent and adult rats, although to a greater extent in adolescents. Finally, 2-Cl-4,5-MDMA did not stimulate the emission of 50-kHz USVs. Conclusions: This is the first pharmacological characterization of 2-Cl-4,5-MDMA demonstrating that its neurochemical and behavioral effects may differ between adolescence and adulthood. These preclinical data could help understanding the central effects of 2-Cl-4,5-MDMA by increasing awareness on possible health damage in users

Clinical global impression-severity score as a reliable measure for routine evaluation of remission in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders

Aims: This study aimed to compare the performance of Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) symptom severity criteria established by the Remission in Schizophrenia Working Group (RSWG) with criteria based on Clinical Global Impression (CGI) severity score. The 6-month duration criterion was not taken into consideration. Methods: A convenience sample of 112 chronic psychotic outpatients was examined. Symptomatic remission was evaluated according to RSWG severity criterion and to a severity criterion indicated by the overall score obtained at CGI-Schizophrenia (CGI-SCH) rating scale (≤3) (CGI-S). Results: Clinical remission rates of 50% and 49.1%, respectively, were given by RSWG and CGI-S, with a significant level of agreement between the two criteria in identifying remitted and non-remitted cases. Mean scores at CGI-SCH and PANSS scales were significantly higher among remitters, independent of the remission criteria adopted. Measures of cognitive functioning were largely independent of clinical remission evaluated according to both RSWG and CGI-S. When applying RSWG and CGI-S criteria, the rates of overall good functioning yielded by Personal and Social Performance scale (PSP) were 32.1% and 32.7%, respectively, while the mean scores at PSP scale differed significantly between remitted and non-remitted patients, independent of criteria adopted. The proportion of patients judged to be in a state of well-being on Social Well-Being Under Neuroleptics-Short Version scale (SWN-K) were, respectively, 66.1% and 74.5% among remitters according to RSWG and CGI-S; the mean scores at the SWN scale were significantly higher only among remitters according to CGI-S criteria. Conclusions: CGI severity criteria may represent a valid and user-friendly alternative for use in identifying patients in remission, particularly in routine clinical practic

Multimodel assessment of climate change-induced hydrologic impacts for a Mediterranean catchment

This work addresses the impact of climate change on the hydrology of a catchment in the Mediterranean, a region that is highly susceptible to variations in rainfall and other components of the water budget. The assessment is based on a comparison of responses obtained from five hydrologic models implemented for the Rio Mannu catchment in southern Sardinia (Italy). The examined models - CATchment HYdrology (CATHY), Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), TOPographic Kinematic APproximation and Integration (TOPKAPI), TIN-based Real time Integrated Basin Simulator (tRIBS), and WAter balance SImulation Model (WASIM) - are all distributed hydrologic models but differ greatly in their representation of terrain features and physical processes and in their numerical complexity. After calibration and validation, the models were forced with biascorrected, downscaled outputs of four combinations of global and regional climate models in a reference (1971-2000) and future (2041-2070) period under a single emission scenario. Climate forcing variations and the structure of the hydrologic models influence the different components of the catchment response. Three water availability response variables - discharge, soil water content, and actual evapotranspiration - are analyzed. Simulation results from all five hydrologic models show for the future period decreasing mean annual streamflow and soil water content at 1m depth. Actual evapotranspiration in the future will diminish according to four of the five models due to drier soil conditions. Despite their significant differences, the five hydrologic models responded similarly to the reduced precipitation and increased temperatures predicted by the climate models, and lend strong support to a future scenario of increased water shortages for this region of the Mediterranean basin. The multimodel framework adopted for this study allows estimation of the agreement between the five hydrologic models and between the four climate models. Pairwise comparison of the climate and hydrologic models is shown for the reference and future periods using a recently proposed metric that scales the Pearson correlation coefficient with a factor that accounts for systematic differences between datasets. The results from this analysis reflect the key structural differences between the hydrologic models, such as a representation of both vertical and lateral subsurface flow (CATHY, TOPKAPI, and tRIBS) and a detailed treatment of vegetation processes (SWAT and WASIM)

Oil Essential Mouthwashes Antibacterial Activity against Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans: A Comparison between Antibiofilm and Antiplanktonic Effects

The aim of this work is to determine the antibacterial activity of three marketed mouthwashes on suspended and sessile states of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans. The efficacy of two commonly used products in clinical practice, containing essential oils as active ingredients (menthol, thymol, methyl salicylate, and eucalyptol) in association with or without alcohol, has been evaluated in comparison with a chlorhexidine-based mouthwash. The microtiter plate assay, in order to obtain a spectrophotometric measurement of bacterial responses at growing dilutions of each antiseptic, was used for the study. The analysis revealed that a good antibacterial activity is reached when the abovementioned mouthwashes were used at concentration over a 1/24 dilution and after an exposure time of 30 seconds at least. In conclusion, the alcoholic mouthwash appears to have a better biofilm inhibition than its antiplanktonic activity while the nonalcoholic product demonstrates an opposite effect with a better antiplanktonic behavior

Cure indicators and prevalence by stage at diagnosis for breast and colorectal cancer patients: A population‐based study in Italy

People alive many years after breast (BC) or colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnoses are increasing. This paper aimed to estimate the indicators of cancer cure and complete prevalence for Italian patients with BC and CRC by stage and age. A total of 31 Italian Cancer Registries (47% of the population) data until 2017 were included. Mixture cure models allowed estimation of net survival (NS); cure fraction (CF); time to cure (TTC, 5-year conditional NS >95%); cure prevalence (who will not die of cancer); and already cured (prevalent patients living longer than TTC). 2.6% of all Italian women (806,410) were alive in 2018 after BC and 88% will not die of BC. For those diagnosed in 2010, CF was 73%, 99% when diagnosed at stage I, 81% at stage II, and 36% at stages III-IV. For all stages combined, TTC was >10 years under 45 and over 65 years and for women with advanced stages, but <= 1 year for all BC patients at stage I. The proportion of already cured prevalent BC women was 75% (94% at stage I). Prevalent CRC cases were 422,407 (0.7% of the Italian population), 90% will not die of CRC. For CRC patients, CF was 56%, 92% at stage I, 71% at stage II, and 35% at stages III-IV. TTC was <= 10 years for all age groups and stages. Already cured were 59% of all prevalent CRC patients (93% at stage I). Cancer cure indicators by stage may contribute to appropriate follow-up in the years after diagnosis, thus avoiding patients' discrimination

Global disparities in surgeons’ workloads, academic engagement and rest periods: the on-calL shIft fOr geNEral SurgeonS (LIONESS) study

: The workload of general surgeons is multifaceted, encompassing not only surgical procedures but also a myriad of other responsibilities. From April to May 2023, we conducted a CHERRIES-compliant internet-based survey analyzing clinical practice, academic engagement, and post-on-call rest. The questionnaire featured six sections with 35 questions. Statistical analysis used Chi-square tests, ANOVA, and logistic regression (SPSS® v. 28). The survey received a total of 1.046 responses (65.4%). Over 78.0% of responders came from Europe, 65.1% came from a general surgery unit; 92.8% of European and 87.5% of North American respondents were involved in research, compared to 71.7% in Africa. Europe led in publishing research studies (6.6 ± 8.6 yearly). Teaching involvement was high in North America (100%) and Africa (91.7%). Surgeons reported an average of 6.7 ± 4.9 on-call shifts per month, with European and North American surgeons experiencing 6.5 ± 4.9 and 7.8 ± 4.1 on-calls monthly, respectively. African surgeons had the highest on-call frequency (8.7 ± 6.1). Post-on-call, only 35.1% of respondents received a day off. Europeans were most likely (40%) to have a day off, while African surgeons were least likely (6.7%). On the adjusted multivariable analysis HDI (Human Development Index) (aOR 1.993) hospital capacity > 400 beds (aOR 2.423), working in a specialty surgery unit (aOR 2.087), and making the on-call in-house (aOR 5.446), significantly predicted the likelihood of having a day off after an on-call shift. Our study revealed critical insights into the disparities in workload, access to research, and professional opportunities for surgeons across different continents, underscored by the HDI

Thermodynamic properties of binary mixtures containing oxaalkanes: Part V. Monoethers, acetals, polyethers, cyclic mono- and di-ethers+benzene

A flow microcalorimeter has been used to determine excess enthalpies, H (E), at 298.15 K of binary mixtures of dipentylether, dihexylether, 1,2-dimethoxyethane and 1,2-diethoxyethane (1)+benzene (2). These data along with the data available in the literature on H (E), molar excess Gibbs energies, G (E) and liquid-vapour equilibria (LVE) of non-cyclic monoethers, acetals, polyethers and of cyclic mono- and di-ethers+benzene are examined on the basis of the DISQUAC group contribution model. Using a set of adjusted interchange energies parameters, structure dependent, the model provides a fairly consistent description of the thermodynamic properties as a function of concentration. The interaction parameters, dispersive and quasichemical, depend on the intramolecular environment of the O atom. There is clear evidence for the steric and inductive effects exerted by the alkyl groups adjacent to the O atom, for -O-C-O- proximity effect and for a ring strain effect. The steric effect results in a regular decrease of the dispersive interaction parameters of the oxygen/benzene (e,b) contact; The proximity effect of the O atoms produces a regular decrease and the ring strain a regular increase of the dispersive interaction parameters; the quasi-chemical remain constant