Entropic localization in non-unitary Newtonian gravity

The localizing properties and the entropy production of the Newtonian limit of a nonunitary version of fourth order gravity are analyzed. It is argued that pure highly unlocalized states of the center of mass motion of macroscopic bodies rapidly evolve into unlocalized ensembles of highly localized states. The localization time and the final entropy are estimated

Metal Content in Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) Leaves: Influence of Vehicular Traffic and Safety upon Consumption as Food

The widespread distribution of the common dandelion, that is, Taraxacum officinale, along with its ability to tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions, makes this plant a good candidate as biological monitor of environmental metal contamination. Taraxacum officinale leaves growing spontaneously in meadows and along the streets are traditionally picked up and eaten in Italy as salad, so it is important to know the concentrations of potentially toxic elements contained in them from the point of view of food safety. For these reasons the concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn were determined in dandelion leaf and underlying soil samples collected at 12 sites in the province of Cuneo (Piedmont, Italy) in the vicinity of streets or roundabouts. The concentrations were compared with reference values for plant and soils and with maximum allowable concentrations in edible vegetables. Neither dandelion nor soil samples were found to be polluted by metals, but the comparison with limits for vegetables suggests that caution should be used in consuming spontaneously growing vegetables

Relativistic generalizations of gravity-induced localization models

Nonunitary versions of Newtonian gravity leading to wavefunction localization admit natural special-relativistic generalizations. They include the first consistent relativistic localization models. At variance with the unified model of localization and gravity, the purely localizing version requires negative energy fields, which however are less harmful than usual and can be used to build ultraviolet-finite theories.Comment: RevTex, 10 page

Metal Content in Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) Leaves: Influence of Vehicular Traffic and Safety upon Consumption as Food

The widespread distribution of the common dandelion, that is, Taraxacum officinale, along with its ability to tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions, makes this plant a good candidate as biological monitor of environmental metal contamination. Taraxacum officinale leaves growing spontaneously in meadows and along the streets are traditionally picked up and eaten in Italy as salad, so it is important to know the concentrations of potentially toxic elements contained in them from the point of view of food safety. For these reasons the concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn were determined in dandelion leaf and underlying soil samples collected at 12 sites in the province of Cuneo (Piedmont, Italy) in the vicinity of streets or roundabouts. The concentrations were compared with reference values for plant and soils and with maximum allowable concentrations in edible vegetables. Neither dandelion nor soil samples were found to be polluted by metals, but the comparison with limits for vegetables suggests that caution should be used in consuming spontaneously growing vegetables

Serum Albumin Is Inversely Associated With Portal Vein Thrombosis in Cirrhosis

We analyzed whether serum albumin is independently associated with portal vein thrombosis (PVT) in liver cirrhosis (LC) and if a biologic plausibility exists. This study was divided into three parts. In part 1 (retrospective analysis), 753 consecutive patients with LC with ultrasound-detected PVT were retrospectively analyzed. In part 2, 112 patients with LC and 56 matched controls were entered in the cross-sectional study. In part 3, 5 patients with cirrhosis were entered in the in vivo study and 4 healthy subjects (HSs) were entered in the in vitro study to explore if albumin may affect platelet activation by modulating oxidative stress. In the 753 patients with LC, the prevalence of PVT was 16.7%; logistic analysis showed that only age (odds ratio [OR], 1.024; P = 0.012) and serum albumin (OR, -0.422; P = 0.0001) significantly predicted patients with PVT. Analyzing the 112 patients with LC and controls, soluble clusters of differentiation (CD)40-ligand (P = 0.0238), soluble Nox2-derived peptide (sNox2-dp; P < 0.0001), and urinary excretion of isoprostanes (P = 0.0078) were higher in patients with LC. In LC, albumin was correlated with sCD4OL (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient [r(s)], -0.33; P < 0.001), sNox2-dp (r(s), -0.57; P < 0.0001), and urinary excretion of isoprostanes (r(s), -0.48; P < 0.0001) levels. The in vivo study showed a progressive decrease in platelet aggregation, sNox2-dp, and urinary 8-iso prostaglandin F2 alpha-III formation 2 hours and 3 days after albumin infusion. Finally, platelet aggregation, sNox2-dp, and isoprostane formation significantly decreased in platelets from HSs incubated with scalar concentrations of albumin. Conclusion: Low serum albumin in LC is associated with PVT, suggesting that albumin could be a modulator of the hemostatic system through interference with mechanisms regulating platelet activation

Caracterización del óxido de titanio obtenido mediante tratamiento térmico y anodizado electroquímico

El óxido de titanio (TiO2) es un semiconductor tipo n de gran interés por sus propiedades fotocatalíticas y fotoconductoras, asociado entre otros a las características morfológicas y estructurales de las fases que lo constituye. Este se caracteriza por presentar dos polimorfos principales: la anatasa, fase metaestable, que puede sufrir una transición de fase irreversible, y el rutilo, fase termodinámicamente estable. Por lo tanto, es de gran interés conocer la morfología y crecimiento de este óxido, considerando la presencia de estas fases cuando se someten a tratamientos físicos y químicos. En el presente trabajo se sintetizaron películas planas de TiO2 sobre un substrato de titanio–cp inducidas con la aplicación de tratamientos térmicos (TT) a diferentes temperaturas y tiempos, y mediante anodizado electroquímico con posterior tratamiento térmico (ATT). Las muestras fueron caracterizadas a través de microscopia óptica (MO) y microscopia electrónica de barrido (MEB) con espectroscopia de rayos X por dispersión de la energía (EDS), para determinar los cambios microestructurales y morfológicos de la capa formada, considerando principalmente la difusión del oxígeno a través de esta. Además, se evaluó el comportamiento fotoelectroquímico de la película de TiO2 obtenida, mediante métodos electroquímicos. La capa de TiO2 en muestras TT presentó una morfología granular, uniforme, densa, creciendo por un proceso difusional directamente proporcional a las condiciones de tratamiento térmico. A 800 °C la capa presentó fragilidad y un desprendimiento parcial, producto de la dilatación térmica y la relación de volumen para el rutilo. La capa de óxido formada por anodizado electroquímico se presentó densa y uniforme, replicando la microestructura de la muestra y variando su espesor con el tratamiento térmico aplicado. La proporción de anatasa/rutilo alcanzada en muestras TT a 600 °C por 8 h, presentó el mayor flujo de fotocorriente, favorecido por la menor tasa de recombinación del par electrón-hueco. En las muestras TT la temperatura presentó la mayor incidencia en la tasa de crecimiento de la capa de TiO2 por difusión, mientras que en las muestras anodizadas correspondió al potencial aplicado en la síntesis en la capa primaria