Determination of the thermodynamic temperature between 236 K and 430 K from speed of sound measurements in helium

We report speed of sound measurements in helium at 273.16 K and at eight temperatures in the range between 236 K and 430 K. These results determine the difference (T  −  T 90) between the thermodynamic temperature T and its approximation T 90 by the International Temperature Scale of 1990 (ITS-90). The uncertainty of our measurements of (T  −  T 90) spans between a minimum of 0.25 mK near 247 K and a maximum of 0.89 mK at the freezing point of indium (429.75 K) with comparable contributions from the uncertainty of our acoustic determination of T and from the uncertainty of our laboratory realization of ITS-90. On the overlapping temperature ranges these results are consistent with other recent acoustic determinations of (T  −  T 90). We also present evidence that (T  −  T 90) can be determined with comparably small uncertainties by the alternative, time-saving procedure of measuring the speed-of-sound in helium using only a single, judiciously-chosen, pressure on each isotherm

Gays in AA: How Do They Benefit from the Program of Alcoholics Anonymous?

Objective: Recovering gay alcoholics report that, although the experience of AA is beneficial for them, they have needs different from that of heterosexuals and place dissimilar demands on the program of Alcoholics Anonymous (Ratner, 1988, Paul, Stall, & Bloomfield, 1991). Some of these needs and demands are evidenced in the ways gay alcoholics make use of sponsors, meetings, and gay meetings (Kus, 1987, 1994, Hall, 1994). The present study examines the incidence of relapse and three aspects of recovery: sponsorship, meeting attendance, and attendance at gay meetings during the first year of recovery. Method: A group of gay recovering alcoholics (N = 32) at a gay Twelve-Step recovery clubhouse completed a 36-item questionnaire that examined the features of AA that were most useful for them during their first year of recovery. Results: A significantly higher proportion of Non-relapsers (NR) compared to Relapsers (R) acquired and used sponsors during the first year. This did not hold true for meeting attendance and attendance at gay meetings. Seventeen of the NR\u27s had acquired and used a sponsor during the first year. The same was true for only nine of the R\u27s. Conclusions: The findings support the idea that, for gay recovering alcoholics, the sponsor plays a significant role in the first year of sobriety. Those who work with recovering gay alcoholics or gay alcoholics interested in recovery should urge their clients to acquire and use a sponsor during the first year. Meeting attendance and attendance at gay meetings will probably not be enough to obtain and maintain sobriety

Moving across scales: a quantitative assessment of X-ray CT to measure the porosity of rocks

We apply multidimensional X-ray CT to quantify the porosity of Berea Sandstone by using both medical- and synchrotron-based X-ray radiation, so as to produce images of the same sample with mm- and micron-resolution, respectively. Three different samples are used and the obtained tomograms are compared by considering the spatial distribution of porosity values for the range of voxel sizes 0.25-16 mm3. The agreement between the two independent techniques is assessed by means of the concordance correlation coefficient. Statistically significant correlations are found for each sample up to the maximum resolution of the medical CT scanner, i.e. for images with a voxel size of (0.5x0.5x1) mm3. The direct comparison of images obtained by medical- and synchrotron-based X-ray radiation has a dual benefit. First, it objectively informs the segmentation step required for the binarization of the high-resolution synchrotron images that is otherwise prone to operator bias; in this context, the applicability of the proposed workflow is demonstrated with two widely applied locally adaptive thresholding algorithms, namely the hysteresis and the watershed methods. Secondly, once this calibration has occurred, the coupling of the two techniques allows analyzing porosity heterogeneity across a range of length-scales that spans over more than eight orders of magnitudes. We anticipate that the ability to perform a true multi-scale experiment may represent the required point of departure for developing up-scaling approaches that capture the inherently complex heterogeneity of rocks

Diabetic microangiopathy: Pathogenetic insights and novel therapeutic approaches

Diabetic microangiopathy, including retinopathy, is characterized by abnormal growth and leakage of small blood vessels, resulting in local edema and functional impairment of the depending tissues. Mechanisms leading to the impairment of microcirculation in diabetes are multiple and still largely unclear. However, a dysregulated vascular regeneration appears to play a key role. In addition, oxidative and hyperosmolar stress, as well as the activation of inflammatory pathways triggered by advanced glycation end-products and toll-like receptors, have been recognized as key underlying events. Here, we review recent knowledge on cellular and molecular pathways of microvascular disease in diabetes. We also highlight how new insights into pathogenic mechanisms of vascular damage in diabetes may indicate new targets for prevention and treatment

Toll-like receptor-4 signaling pathway in aorta aging and diseases: "its double nature"

Recent advances in the field of innate immunity have revealed a complex role of innate immune signaling pathways in both tissue homeostasis and disease. Among them, the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) pathways has been linked to various pathophysiological conditions, such as cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). This has been interrogated by developing multiple laboratory tools that have shown in animal models and clinical conditions, the involvement of the TLR-4 signaling pathway in the pathophysiology of different CVDs, such as atherosclerosis, ischemic heart disease, heart failure, ischemia-reperfusion injury and aorta aneurysm. Among these, aorta aneurysm, a very complex pathological condition with uncertain etiology and fatal complications (i.e. dissection and rupture), has been associated with the occurrence of high risk cardiovascular conditions, including thrombosis and embolism. In this review, we discuss the possible role of TLR-4signaling pathway in the development of aorta aneurysm, considering the emerging evidence from ongoing investigations. Our message is that emphasizing the role of TLR-4signaling pathway in aorta aneurysm may serve as a starting point for future studies, leading to a better understanding of the pathophysiological basis and perhaps the effective treatment of this difficult human disease

High glucose-induced hyperosmolarity contributes to COX-2 expression and angiogenesis: Implications for diabetic retinopathy

Background: We tested the hypothesis that glucose-induced hyperosmolarity, occurring in diabetic hyperglycemia, promotes retinal angiogenesis, and that interference with osmolarity signaling ameliorates excessive angiogenesis and retinopathy in vitro and in vivo. Methods and Results: We incubated human aortic (HAECs) and dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HMVECs) with glucose or mannitol for 24 h and tested them for protein levels and in vitro angiogenesis. We used the Ins2 Akita mice as a model of type 1 diabetes to test the in vivo relevance of in vitro observations. Compared to incubations with normal (5 mmol/L) glucose concentrations, cells exposed to both high glucose and high mannitol (at 30.5 or 50.5 mmol/L) increased expression of the water channel aquaporin-1 (AQP1) and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2. This was preceded by increased activity of the osmolarity-sensitive transcription factor Tonicity enhancer binding protein (TonEBP), and enhanced endothelial migration and tubulization in Matrigel, reverted by treatment with AQP1 and TonEBP siRNA. Retinas of Ins2 Akita mice showed increased levels of AQP1 and COX-2, as well as angiogenesis, all reverted by AQP1 siRNA intravitreal injections. Conclusions: Glucose-related hyperosmolarity seems to be able to promote angiogenesis and retinopathy through activation of TonEBP and possibly increasing expression of AQP1 and COX-2. Osmolarity signaling may be a target for therapy

High prevalence of anti-hepatitis e virus antibodies among blood donors in central Italy, february to march 2014

Prevalence of anti-hepatitis E virus (HEV) antibodies is highly variable in developed countries, which seems partly due to differences in assay sensitivity. Using validated sensitive assays, we tested 313 blood donors attending a hospital transfusion unit in central Italy in January and February 2014 for anti-HEV IgG and IgM and HEV RNA. Data on HEV exposure were collected from all donors. Overall anti-HEV IgG prevalence was 49% (153/313). Eating raw dried pig-liver sausage was the only independent predictor of HEV infection (adjusted prevalence rate ratio = 2.14; 95% confidence interval: 1.23–3.74). Three donors were positive for either anti-HEV IgM (n = 2; 0.6%) or HEV RNA (n = 2; 0.6%); they were completely asymptomatic, without alanine aminotransferase (ALT) abnormalities. Of the two HEV RNA-positive donors (both harbouring genotype 3), one was anti-HEV IgG- and IgM-positive, the other was anti-HEV IgG- and IgM-negative. The third donor was positive for anti-HEV IgG and IgM but HEV RNA-negative. HEV infection is therefore hyperendemic among blood donors (80% men 18–64 years-old) from central Italy and associated with local dietary habits. Nearly 1% of donors have acute or recent infection, implying potential transmission to blood recipients. Neither ALT nor anti-HEV IgM testing seems useful to prevent transfusion-transmitted HEV infection. © 2016, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control

Laboratory activity for a new procedure of MIVIS calibration and relative validation with test data

Remotely sensed data, recorded by means of the MIVIS hyperspectral scanner in the framework of the research activity of the CNR Institutes IIA-LARA and IMAA, have been calibrated to reflectance values and then quantitatively compared with ground data. A new procedure for radiometric calibration has been defined by utilizing the MIVIS test-bench and applying a wider radiance range with respect to the one provided by the manufacturing company. New calibration curves have been determined and applied in the pre-processing chain. For validation purpose ground spectra were measured during the campaign by means of a portable spectroradiometer. The atmospheric correction has been carried out by implementing an IDL procedure to manage MODTRAN4 input and output cards. MIVIS test data acquired over Passo Corese (Roma) have shown how the new calibration coefficients significantly improve the radiometric accuracy. In particular, in the VIS spectral region the percentage error, with respect to a ground truth spectrum, is about half of that occurring if the standard calibration coefficients are used

Stem Cell Aging and Age-Related Cardiovascular Disease: Perspectives of Treatment by Ex-vivo Stem Cell Rejuvenation.

Aging affects endogenous stem cells in terms of functionality and numbers. In particular, during aging, the stemness property can decrease because of enhanced apoptotic cell death and senescence. In addition, aging and aging-related co-morbidities affect the paracrine activity of stem cells and the efficiency of their transplantation. Collectively, this leads to a reduction of the capacity of organs to repair themselves, possibly due to a reduced functional capability of stem cells. Therefore, major efforts have been invested to improve the repair capability of stem cells in aged individuals by overexpressing antisenescence and antiapoptotic genes. In this review, we describe critical genes and signaling pathways in stem cell aging and discuss ex vivo genetic modification approaches aimed at stem cell rejuvenation that are of interest for the cardiovascular system