Macro-Scale Underground Geomechanical and Thermal Mapping for Very Shallow Geothermal Applications

The document is an extended abstract presented at "GeoENV 2016", the 11th International Conference on Geostatistics for Environmental Application Conference, 6-8 July 2016, Lisbon, Portugal

Acquired Hemophilia in a Patient With Rheumatoid Arthritis: Case Report and Literature Review

Acquired hemophilia (AH) is a rare bleeding disorder caused by the spontaneous development of autoantibodies against coagulation factors, most commonly factor (F) VIII (acquired hemophilia A, AHA). The clinical manifestation of AHA includes mostly spontaneous hemorrhages into skin, mucous membranes, muscles, soft tissues, or joints. AHA should be suspected when a patient with no history of hemorrhages presents with bleeding and an unexplained prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time. The diagnosis is based on the clinical picture, the presence of low FVIII activity and evidence of FVIII inhibitor. In around half of patients, an underlying disorder (rheumatic diseases, malignancy, infections) or taking some drugs are associated with AHA; the remaining cases are idiopathic. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory condition, marked by swelling and tenderness of small joints; it is usually treated with steroid and immunosuppressive drugs such as methotrexate, TNF-alpha inhibitors, and other biologic therapies (abatacept, tocilizumab, rituximab).We presented a patient with rheumatoid arthritis who developed acquired hemophilia A with hemarthroses; starting from this case, we focused on the literature about AHA in rheumatic diseases. We found 35 cases, 15 in systemic lupus erythematosus and 12 in rheumatoid arthritis, while the remaining cases were reported in Sjögren's syndrome, polymyalgia rheumatica, systemic sclerosis, and psoriatic arthritis. Ecchymosis and cutaneous hematomas were the main clinical features while hemarthroses was quite a rare condition, shown in just three patients

Emerging role of Lon protease as a master regulator of mitochondrial functions

Lon protease is a nuclear-encoded, mitochondrial ATP-dependent protease highly conserved throughout the evolution, crucial for the maintenance of mitochondrial homeostasis. Lon acts as a chaperone of misfolded proteins, and is necessary for maintaining mitochondrial DNA. The impairment of these functions has a deep impact on mitochondrial functionality and morphology. An altered expression of Lon leads to a profound reprogramming of cell metabolism, with a switch from respiration to glycolysis, which is often observed in cancer cells. Mutations of Lon, which likely impair its chaperone properties, are at the basis of a genetic inherited disease named of the cerebral, ocular, dental, auricular, skeletal (CODAS) syndrome. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled 'EBEC 2016: 19th European Bioenergetics Conference, Riva del Garda, Italy, July 2-6, 2016', edited by Prof. Paolo Bernardi

Preoccupano le infestazioni della cimice asiatica

2015-Anno caldo delle cimici. Nel corso dell’estate le infestazioni di Halyomorpha halys hanno investito un territorio sempre più ampio, con gravi percentuali di danno su numerose colture. A esse si sono sovrapposti gli attacchi di altri pentatomidi, accomunati anch’essi dalla caratteristica di pungere e deprezzare i frutti. Il malessere degli agricoltori è crescente e la situazione in alcuni contesti ha assunto le dimensioni di un’autentica emergenza

Anti-drug antibody detection with label-free electrolyte-gated organic field-effect transistors

The efficacy of immunotherapy can be undermined by the development of an immune response against a drug/antibody mediated by anti-drug antibodies (ADAs) in treated patients. We present the first label-free EGOFET immunosensor that integrates a biological drug, Nivolumab (Opdivo©), as a specific recognition moiety to quantitatively and selectively detect ADAs against the drug. The limit of detection is 100 fM. This demonstration is a prelude to the detection of ADAs in a clinical setting in the treatment of different pathologies, and it also enables rapid screening of biological drugs for immunogenicity

Sequential coupled simulation of a dual source heat pump and shallow geothermal reservoir

The numerical simulation is an important tool for the assessment of exploiting geothermal energy. It can be used in shallow geothermal applications to evaluate the different production scenarios and the sustainability of the system (geothermal reservoir and heat pump) on long term. Moreover, in shallow geothermal projects, to simulate the real behaviour of the system, the load profiles of the end user and variations of the working mode of the heat pump should be taken into account. The present work introduces and describes a coupled numerical model, in which a dedicated Matlab\uae script has been realized to allow a sequential coupled simulation of a shallow geothermal reservoir exploited with a dual source heat pump. A mathematical model of a dual source heat pump that can work with the ground or the air as source/sink has been developed in Matlab\uae environment. Each component of the heat pump has been modelled considering the equations that govern the physical phenomena. The dynamic numerical simulator FEFLOW\uae has been used to simulate the behaviour of the geothermal reservoir, subjected to heat extraction/reinjection by a closed loop vertical heat exchangers field. This methodological approach is useful to evaluate the performance of the coupled system on the long term, and it is important for understanding the advantages and limits of the dual source heat pump in assuring the sustainability over time when heat is exchanged with the ground, avoiding the depletion of geothermal resources. The mathematical models have been validated with experimental data from a geothermal plant located in Tribano (Padova, IT). This is one of the four pilot sites realized within the framework of the H2020 GEOTeCH Project. It consists of eight coaxial borehole heat exchangers 30 m deep, connected to the 16 kW dual source heat pump prototype realized by HIREF S.p.A. The geothermal heat pump system has been working, and monitored, since October 2017 and it provides heating and air conditioning to an office area. Experimental results have been used to verify the new coupled model, and although the preliminary results are encouraging, further study and work are necessary to make it robust and stable for future routine work

On the purported "backbone fluorescence" in protein three-dimensional fluorescence spectra

In this study, several proteins (albumin, lysozyme, insulin) and model compounds (Trp, Tyr, homopolypeptides) were used to demonstrate the origin of the fluorescence observed upon their excitation at 220–230 nm. In the last 10 years we have observed a worrying increase in the number of articles claiming that this fluorescence originates from the protein backbone, contrary to the established knowledge that UV protein emission is due to aromatic amino acids only. Overall, our data clearly demonstrate that the observed emission upon excitation at 220–230 nm is due to the excitation of Tyr and/or Trp, with subsequent emission from the lowest excited state (i.e. the same as obtained with 280 nm excitation) in agreement with Kasha's rule. Therefore, this fluorescence peak does not provide any information on backbone conformation, but simply reports on the local environment around the aromatic side chains, just as any traditional protein emission spectrum. The many papers in reputable journals erroneously reporting this peak assignment, contradicting 5 decades of prior knowledge, have led to the creation of a new dogma, where many authors and reviewers now take the purported backbone fluorescence as an established fact. We hope the current paper helps counter this new situation and leads to a reassessment of those papers that make this erroneous claim

Borderline personality disorder and aggressive behavior: A study based on the DSM-5 alternative model

© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Introduction Unplanned reactive aggressive acts are a clinical feature of particular interest in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). The early identification of personality traits correlated to aggressive behavior is certainly desirable in BDP populations. This study analyzes a clinical sample of 122 adult outpatients with BPD referred to Adult Mental Health Services of the Department of Mental Health of Bologna, in Italy. Methods The study examines the relationship with personality facets of the DSM-5 alternative model for personality disorders (AMPD), Personality Inventory for DSM (PID-5), with respect to the four main components of aggression measured by the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ): hostility, anger, verbal and physical aggression. Using robust regression models, the relationships between PID-5 facets and domains and the aggression components under consideration were identified. Results Verbal and physical aggression in our sample of BPD outpatients is mainly associated to PID-5 antagonism domain. Physically aggressive behavior is also related to callousness facet. Conclusions The traits most consistently associated with aggression were the domain of Antagonism and the facet of Hostility. The study findings highlight the need for clinicians working with individuals with BPD to pay particular attention to traits of hostility, callousness, and hostility to understand aggression.Peer reviewe

GROUND TEMPERATURE MONITORING FOR A COAXIAL GEOTHERMAL HEAT EXCHANGERS FIELD: PRACTICAL ASPECTS AND MAIN ISSUES FROM THE FIRST YEAR OF MEASUREMENTS

Plitka, potpovršinska, temperatura (na dubinama plićim od 50 m) nije konstantna, niti u prostoru, niti vremenu. Takve promjene posljedica su utjecaja toplinskih „pulseva” različitoga podrijetla poput Sunčeva, geotermalnoga ili ljudskoga. Točna procjena temperature ključni je čimbenik kod planiranja energetskih sustava temeljenih na plitkoj geotermalnoj energiji. U takvim projektima, temeljenim na izmjenjivačima topline u plitkim bušotinama, potpovršinska je temperatura promjenjivija, što utječe na iznos pridobivanja topline, tj. utiskivanja fluida. Praćenje takvih promjena važno je stoga kod svih projekata toplinskih izmjenjivača vezanih uz plitka geotermalna ležišta. U radu je prikazan praktičan oblik toga, ali i glavni problemi koje je moguće susresti tijekom instaliranja, testiranja ili uporabe potrebne geotermalne opreme. Dan je primjer polja u kojemu je smješteno osam koaksijalnih izmjenjivača topline, 30 metara dugačkih te povezanih s prototipom uređaja dvostruke toplinske crpke (zračne i dubinske).Ground temperature at shallow depth (< 50 m) is not stable, nor in space, neither in time, and its behaviour is the result of superimposition of effects of heat pulses of different origin: solar, geothermal and anthropic. The correct assessment of ground temperature is a crucial point when designing a shallow geothermal energy system. In geothermal closed loop projects, more the borehole heat exchangers are short, more the contribution of the ground temperature variability on the heat exchange is prominent. Monitoring ground temperature can be very useful to correctly understand the behaviour of a shallow geothermal reservoir subjected to heat extraction and/or injection by a ground source heat pump system. The present work illustrates the practical aspects and main issues occurred in the installation, testing and working phases of a monitoring system realised to record ground temperature in a geothermal application. The case study is a field of eight coaxial borehole heat exchangers, 30 m long, connected to a novel prototype of dual source (air and ground) heat pump

Micro‑RNA‑21 (biomarker) and global longitudinal strain (functional marker) in detection of myocardial fibrotic burden in severe aortic valve stenosis: a pilot study

Aims: Myocardial fibrosis (MF) is a deleterious consequence of aortic valve stenosis (AVS). Global longitudinal strain (GLS) is a novel left ventricular (LV) functional parameter potentially useful to non-invasively estimate MF. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding small ribonucleic acids (RNA) modulating genes function, mainly through RNA degradation. miRNA-21 is a biomarker associated with MF in pressure overload. The aim of the present study was to find an integrated algorithm for detection of MF using a combined approach with both bio- and functional markers. Methods: Thirty-six patients (75.2±8 y.o.; 63% Female) with severe AVS and preserved LV ejection fraction (EF), candidate to surgical aortic valve replacement (sAVR) were enrolled. Clinical, bio-humoral evaluation (including plasmatic miRNA-21 collected using specific tubes, PAXgene, for stabilization of peripheral RNA) and a complete echocardiographic study, including GLS and septal strain, were performed before sAVR. Twenty-eight of those patients underwent sAVR and, in 23 of them, an inter-ventricular septum biopsy was performed. Tissues were fixed in formalin and embedded in paraffin. Sections were stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin for histological evaluation and with histochemical Masson trichrome for collagen fibers. The different components were calculated and expressed as micrometers2. To evaluate tissue miRNA components, sections2-μm thick were cut using a microtome blade for each slide. Regression analysis was performed to test association between dependent variable and various predictors included in the model. Results: Despite a preserved EF (66±11%), patients presented altered myocardial deformation parameters (GLS -14,02±3.8%; septal longitudinal strain, SSL -9.63±2.9%; septal longitudinal strain rate, SL-Sr -0.58±0.17 1/s; Septal Longitudinal early-diastolic strain rate, SL-SrE 0.62±0.32 1/s). The extent of MF showed an inverse association with both GLS and septal longitudinal deformation indices (GLS: R2=0.30; p=0.02; SSL: R2=0.36; p=0.01; SL-Sr: R2=0.39; p&lt;0.001; SL-SrE: R2=0.35; p=0.001). miRNA-21 was mainly expressed in fibrous tissue (p&lt;0.0001). A significant association between MF and plasmatic miRNA-21, alone and weighted for measures of structural (LVMi R2=0.50; p=0.0005) and functional (SSL R2=0.35; p=0.006) remodeling, was found. Conclusions: In AVS, MF is associated with alterations of regional and global strain. Plasmatic miRNA-21 is directly related to MF and associated with LV structural and functional impairment. © 2016 The Author(s)