Synthesis and solution properties of poly(p,α dimethylstyrene-co-maleic anhydride):The use of a monomer potentially obtained from renewable sources as a substitute of styrene in amphiphilic copolymers

The use of p,α-dimethylstyrene, potentially obtainable from renewable sources, as a substitute for styrene in the synthesis of amphiphilic copolymers is reported in this work. A series of novel poly(p,α-dimethylstyrene-co-maleic anhydride) (SMA) copolymers was synthesized, characterized, and studied as potential polymeric surfactants. After hydrolysis, the copolymers solution properties were compared to the similar and very well-known styrene-maleic acid copolymers. Both series of copolymers were synthesized using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer-mediated polymerization (RAFT), and a sample of poly(p,α-dimethylstyrene-co-maleic anhydride) was synthesized via classical free radical polymerization. The synthesized copolymers were studied from the point of view of their solution properties, with particular attention to the influence of the macromolecular and chemical structure on the surface tension of their aqueous solutions. Our results suggest that p,α-dimethylstyrene can be employed in copolymers with maleic anhydride, the resulting material being a valid alternative to SMA copolymers for various applications, such as emulsifiers and dispersants. Furthermore, the DMSMA series seems to be slightly more surface active than SMA

Hepatitis B virus DNA integration in tumour tissue of a non-cirrhotic HFE-haemochromatosis patient with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Co-existence of multiple causes of liver injury increases the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. HCC usually develops in patients with cirrhosis although it may also occur in individuals with no or mild liver disease, in particular in cases with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Here we report the case of a 43year-old man with HFE-haemochromatosis, seronegative for hepatitis B and C infections, who developed HCC in the absence of severe liver damage. Both tumoural and non-tumoural liver DNA extracts were tested by nested-PCR and primers specific for four different HBV genomic regions in order to evaluate the presence of occult HBV infection. Only X gene sequences were detected in tumour (but not in non-tumour) DNA extracts. HBV-Alu PCR showed a HBV integration involving a 5'-deleted X gene with an intact enhancer-II/basal-core promoter region. The viral-host junction sequencing revealed that this integrant was located upstream of the partitioning-defective-6-homolog-gamma gene (PARD6G) and real time-PCR quantification demonstrated that PARD6G was overexpressed in tumour compared to non-tumour liver tissues. In conclusion, the combination of HFE-haemochromatosis and occult HBV infection in this patient might have led to a sequel of cellular events that determined the development of HCC even in the absence of cirrhosis

Effects of spin-phonon interaction on the properties of in high-TC_C superconductors

The mechanism of spin-phonon coupling in high-T$_C$ copper oxides is explored from band calculations on La$_{(2-x)}$Sr$_x$CuO$_4$ and HgBa$_2$CuO$_4$ systems. The LMTO band calculations, based on the local density approximation, are made for cells containing frozen phonon displacements and/or spin waves within the CuO plane. The virtual crystal approximation is used for studies of hole doped systems. The main result is that phonons are favorable for spin waves and vice-versa, and that pseudogaps appear naturally in the band structures of striped materials with strong SPC. The qualitative results are compatible with many observations showing that the properties of high-T$_C$ superconductors depend both on lattice interactions and magnetic fluctuations. The band results are used to model various properties, mainly of the normal state, such as isotope effects, pseudogaps, Fermi surface broadening, T-dependence of the pseudogap, phonon softening and some aspects of superconductivity. The possibility of perpendicular SPC is investigated, partly by the use of a nearly free electron model.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figure

Virtual inspection based on 3D survey supporting risks detachment analysis in Pietraforte stone built heritage

The paper presents the first results of a multidisciplinary research project launched to support the conservation and restoration of the stone façades of the Pitti Palace in Florence with innovative techniques from the fields of geomatics and diagnostic analysis. Monitoring campaigns are periodically conducted on the façades of the palace to identify stone elements in critical conditions; such surveys primarily require close and careful observation of the façade, for which a crane basket is required. The paper proposes first attempt to compare results obtained through a traditional workflow with those coming from a deeper use of the high-resolution 3D model to conduct a virtual inspection and to map elements of vulnerability on a GIS. On a test area, the analysis of the factors considered relevant to the risk of detachment was carried out on the digital model and compared with what the experts observed on-site by carrying out Non-Destructive diagnostic tests. Traditionally conducted monitoring and diagnostic surveys are assumed to validate the proposed method, which, following a simple data analysis, remotely identifies all blocks detected as vulnerable by the in-situ inspection, potentially drastically reducing fieldwork. It is therefore proposed as a preliminary screening useful to better address further analysis

Operação Bororos: vivências de saúde, educação e cultura na Chapada dos Guimarães

Trabalho apresentado no II Congresso Nacional do PROJETO RONDON, realizado em Florianópolis, SC, no período de 23 a 25 de setembro de 2015 - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina.Introdução: O Projeto Rondon é um programa interministerial, coordenado pelo Ministério da Defesa, que visa integrar e desenvolver ações comunitárias em regiões com maiores índices de pobreza e exclusão social, bem como áreas isoladas do território nacional necessitadas de maior aporte de bens e serviços. Em parceira com as universidades, o projeto pretende contribuir com a formação do universitário como cidadão, integrá-lo ao processo de desenvolvimento nacional por meio de ações participativas sobre a realidade do país. Além disso, visa consolidar no universitário o sentido de responsabilidade social coletiva, em prol da cidadania estimulando a produção de projetos coletivos locais, em parceria com as comunidades, com foco na capacitação de agentes multiplicadores, estimulando ações que valorizem o cidadão, a cultura local e promovam o intercâmbio de informações. Com esse espírito, a Instituição de Ensino Superior (IES) desenvolveu um plano de trabalho, aprovado para execução no município de Chapada dos Guimarães, estado do Mato Grosso, durante a Operação Bororos, no período de 10 a 26 de julho de 2015. Objetivo: Descrever as atividades realizadas no município, direcionadas aos profissionais de saúde, educação, assistência social e à comunidade em geral. Metodologia: A descrição se dará a partir do registro documental e fotográfico das atividades desenvolvidas e das avaliações feitas pelos participantes. Resultados: Foram realizadas 22 atividades de cultura, comunicação, saúde e educação, por meio de oficinas teórico-práticas, simpósios, mutirão de saúde e rodas de conversa, com participação de 293 pessoas. A maior parte das atividades foi concentrada na área urbana do município, em escolas, creches, centros culturais, praças e feiras ao ar livre. Observaram-se benefícios à comunidade com a troca de saberes e informações ofertadas pelos universitários, uma vez que agregaram novos subsídios para o trabalho cotidiano, seja dos multiplicadores ou dos cidadãos em geral que tiveram acesso às atividades desenvolvidas. Conclusão: O Projeto Rondon consolida-se como oportunidade única para os universitários colocarem em prática os conhecimentos adquiridos ao longo de suas vivências acadêmicas em prol da sociedade. Observou-se a necessidade de adequação das atividades priorizando-se as populações rurais caracterizadas como mais vulneráveis

Isotope dependence of the spin gap in YBa2Cu4O8 as determined by Cu NQR relaxation

We performed high accuracy 63Cu NQR spin-lattice relaxation and SQUID magnetization measurements on 16O and 18O exchanged YBa2Cu4O8 to determine the isotope shift of the temperature of the opening of the spin gap, T*, and the superconducting transition temperature, Tc. The corresponding isotope exponents are αT = 0.061(8) and αT, = 0.056(12) which are the same within the error bars and suggest a common origin for the superconducting and the spin gap

Patterns of ascending aortic dilatation and predictors of surgical replacement of the aorta: A comparison of bicuspid and tricuspid aortic valve patients over eight years of follow-up

Background: Predictors of thoracic aorta growth and early cardiac surgery in patients with bicuspid aortic valve are undefined. Our aim was to identify predictors of ascending aorta dilatation and cardiac surgery in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). Methods: Forty-one patients with BAV were compared with 165 patients with tricuspid aortic valve (TAV). All patients had LV EF > 50%, normal LV dimensions, and similar degree of aortic root or ascending aorta dilatation at enrollment. Patients with more than mild aortic stenosis or regurgitation were excluded. A CT-scan was available on 76% of the population, and an echocardiogram was repeated every year for a median time of 4 years (range: 2 to 8 years). Patterns of aortic expansion in BAV and TAV groups were analyzed by a mixed-effects longitudinal linear model. In the time-to-event analysis, the primary end point was elective or emergent surgery for aorta replacement. Results: BAV patients were younger, while the TAV group had greater LV wall thickness, arterial hypertension, and dyslipidemia than BAV patients. Growth rate was 0.46 ± 0.04 mm/year, similar in BAV and TAV groups (p = 0.70). Predictors of cardiac surgery were aorta dimensions at baseline (HR 1.23, p = 0.01), severe aortic regurgitation developed during follow-up (HR 3.49, p 0.04), family history of aortic aneurysm (HR 4.16, p 1.73), and history of STEMI (HR 3.64, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Classic baseline risk factors were more commonly observed in TAV aortopathy compared with BAV aortopathy. However, it is reassuring that, though diagnosed with aneurysm on average 10 years earlier and in the absence of arterial hypertension, BAV patients had a relatively low growth rate, similar to patients with a tricuspid valve. Irrespective of aortic valve morphology, patients with a family history of aortic aneurysm, history of coronary artery disease, and those who developed severe aortic regurgitation at follow-up, had the highest chances of being referred for surgery

Oxygen Isotope Effect Resulting from Polaron-induced Superconductivity in Cuprates

The planar oxygen isotope effect coefficient measured as a function of hole doping in the Pr- and La-doped YBa2Cu3O7 (YBCO) and the Ni-doped La1.85Sr0.15CuO4 (LSCO) superconductors quantitatively and qualitatively follows the form originally proposed by Kresin and Wolf, which was derived for polarons perpendicular to the superconducting planes. Interestingly, the inverse oxygen isotope effect coefficient at the pseudogap temperature also follows the same formula. These findings allow the conclusion that the superconductivity in YBCO and LSCO results from polarons or rather bipolarons in the CuO2 plane. The original formula, proposed for the perpendicular direction only, is obviously more generally valid and accounts for the superconductivity in the CuO2 planes.Comment: Dedicated to Alex M\"uller on the occasion of his 90th birthda

Novel ACTA1 mutation causes late-presenting nemaline myopathy with unusual dark cores

ACTA1 gene encodes the skeletal muscle alpha-actin, the core of thin filaments of the sarcomere. ACTA1 mutations are responsible of several muscle disorders including nemaline, cores, actin aggregate myopathies and fiber-type disproportion. We report clinical, muscle imaging, histopatological and genetic data of an Italian family carrying a novel ACTA1 mutation. All affected members showed a late-presenting, diffuse muscle weakness with sternocleidomastoideus and temporalis atrophy. Mild dysmorphic features were also detected. The most affected muscles by muscle MRI were rectus abdominis, gluteus minimus, vastus intermedius and both gastrocnemii. Muscle biopsy showed the presence of nemaline bodies with several unusual dark areas at Gomori Trichrome, corresponding to unstructured cores with abundant electrodense material by electron microscopy. The molecular analysis revealed missense variant c.148G>A; p.(Gly50Ser) in the exon 3 of ACTA1, segregating with affected members in the family. We performed a functional essay of fibre contractility showing a higher pCa50 (a measure of the calcium sensitivity of force) of type 1 fibers compared to control subjects’ type 1 muscle fibers. Our findings expand the clinico-pathological spectrum of ACTA1-related congenital myopathies and the genetic spectrum of core-rod myopathies