6,422 research outputs found

    Dynamical fluctuations in an exactly solvable model of spin glasses

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    In this work we calculate the dynamical fluctuations at O(1/N) in the low temperature phase of the p=2p=2 spherical spin glass model. We study the large-times asymptotic regimes and we find, in a short time-differences regime, a fluctuation dissipation relation for the four-point correlation functions. This relation can be extended to the out of equilibrium regimes introducing a function XtX_{t} which, for large time tt, we find scales as t1/2t^{-1/2} as in the case of the two-point functions.Comment: Latex, 8 page

    Extracorporeal CO2 removal in hypercapnic patients who fail noni nvasive ventialtion and refuse endotracheal intubation. a case series

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    Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) represents the standard of care for patients with exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. However, NIV fails in almost 40% of the most severe forms of acute hypercapnic respiratory failure and patients must undergo endotracheal intubation and invasive ventilation. Such transition from NIV to invasive ventilation is associated to increased mortality. Under these circumstances, patients may express a clear intention not to be intubated

    WHO Takes Action to Promote the Health of Refugees and Migrants

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    Migration is a defining issue of our time, with 1 billion migrants globally, of whom 258 million have crossed borders. Climate change and political instability propel ever-greater displacement, with major detriments to health. Policies that fail to prevent human trafficking or guarantee essential services undermine Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the global pledge to “leave no one behind.” The World Health Assembly should robustly implement WHO’s Global Action Plan (GAP) on the Health of Refugees and Migrants.ugees and Migrants

    Antioxidative defence mechanisms in two grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) cultivars grown under boron excess in the irrigation water

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    The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of B excess on the antioxidative defence system in two grapevine cultivars differently sensitive to B, in order to evaluate in which way the different sensitivity was correlated to the activation of defence mechanisms. Two-year-old Vitis vinifera L. plants (‘Merlot’ and ‘Sangiovese’), grafted on the same rootstock, were subjected to B treatment as potted vines, and biochemical determinations were employed to evaluate the antioxidative response. Compared to ‘Sangiovese’, ‘Merlot’ showed a much higher B accumulation and both leaf and peroxidative damages. In B-treated ‘Sangiovese’ the activity of superoxide dismutase did not change compared to control leaves, whereas in ‘Merlot’ a dramatic decrease in the enzyme activity was observed. B increased reduced ascorbate pools in both cultivars, but ascorbate peroxidase activity was enhanced only in ‘Merlot’. In this latter cv. an enhancement of total phenols was also observed. ‘Merlot’ showed a lower ability to contrast B accumulation in leaves than ‘Sangiovese’ evidencing a higher oxidative stress. Even if defence mechanisms were generally activated in ‘Merlot’, they did not counteract efficiently metabolic damages likely due to the dramatic decrease in superoxide dismutase, the first enzyme involved in the detoxification of oxygen radicals

    Long term therapeutic efficacy of a soft monobloc mandibular advancement device in adults with obstructive sleep apnea

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    To evaluate the long term (48 months) therapeutic efficacy of a soft monobloc mandibular advancement device in adult patients with mild or moderate obstructive sleep apnea

    Invasive intraneural interfaces: foreign body reaction issues

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    Intraneural interfaces are stimulation/registration devices designed to couple the peripheral nervous system (PNS) with the environment. Over the last years, their use has increased in a wide range of applications, such as the control of a new generation of neural-interfaced prostheses. At present, the success of this technology is limited by an electrical impedance increase, due to an inflammatory response called foreign body reaction (FBR), which leads to the formation of a fibrotic tissue around the interface, eventually causing an inefficient transduction of the electrical signal. Based on recent developments in biomaterials and inflammatory/fibrotic pathologies, we explore and select the biological solutions that might be adopted in the neural interfaces FBR context: modifications of the interface surface, such as organic and synthetic coatings; the use of specific drugs or molecular biology tools to target the microenvironment around the interface; the development of bio-engineered-scaffold to reduce immune response and promote interface-tissue integration. By linking what we believe are the major crucial steps of the FBR process with related solutions, we point out the main issues that future research has to focus on: biocompatibility without losing signal conduction properties, good reproducible in vitro/in vivo models, drugs exhaustion and undesired side effects. The underlined pros and cons of proposed solutions show clearly the importance of a better understanding of all the molecular and cellular pathways involved and the need of a multi-target action based on a bio-engineered combination approach

    The aberrant expression in epithelial cells of the mesenchymal isoform of FGFR2 controls the negative crosstalk between EMT and autophagy

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    Signalling of the epithelial splicing variant of fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2b) triggers both differentiation and autophagy, while the aberrant expression of the mesenchymal FGFR2c isoform in epithelial cells induces impaired differentiation, inhibition of autophagy as well as the induction of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). In light of the widely proposed negative loop linking autophagy and EMT in the early steps of carcinogenesis, here we investigated the possible involvement of FGFR2c aberrant expression and signalling in orchestrating this crosstalk in human keratinocytes. Biochemical, molecular, quantitative immunofluorescence analysis and in vitro invasion assays, coupled to the use of specific substrate inhibitors and transient or stable silencing approaches, showed that AKT/MTOR and PKCε are the two hub signalling pathways, downstream FGFR2c, intersecting with each other in the control of both the inhibition of autophagy and the induction of EMT and invasive behaviour. These results indicate that the expression of FGFR2c, possibly resulting from FGFR2 isoform switch, could represent a key upstream event responsible for the establishment of a negative interplay between autophagy and EMT, which contributes to the assessment of a pathological oncogenic profile in epithelial cells

    EFFECTS OF RECLAIMED ASPHALT, WAX ADDITIVE, AND COMPACTION TEMPERATURE ON CHARACTERISTICS AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF POROUS ASPHALT

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    This paper describes physical and mechanical properties of porous asphalt mixtures with various RAP amount (0%, 10%, 20%, 30%) containing one WMA additive (organic wax). The samples were prepared using the Marshall compactor at two different temperatures (125 °C, 145 °C) by fabricating six series of porous mixtures. Air void content, particle loss, stiffness modulus, indirect tensile strength, and indirect tensile strength ratio were measured and the effects of RAP, wax, and compaction temperatures were evaluated, considering the results of statistical analyses. Based on the performed tests, it has been concluded that high RAP contents (30%) in WMA-RAP PAs result in decreased porosity, permeability, and moisture resistance, and in increased cohesiveness, stiffness, and indirect tensile strength compared to the reference PAs. On the other hand, for low RAP contents (10%), WMA-RAP PAs show lower cohesiveness and indirect tensile strength, at the same time demonstrating an increase in porosity, permeability, moisture resistance, and stiffness. Reduced compaction temperatures (125 °C) particularly affect the cracking resistance
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