Neutronic comparison of liquid breeders for ARC-like reactor blankets

The proposed blanket for Affordable Robust Compact (ARC) reactor is one of the simplest blanket concepts. It is a bulk tank filled with a lithium and beryllium fluorides molten salt. The fluid effectively works as tritium breeder, vessel coolant and neutron moderator and shield. However, despite the simplicity of the concept, the compactness of the reactor constitutes a novelty in the fusion field. It is thus necessary to evaluate all the possible solutions for an effective blanket component. This work analyses different liquid blanket identifying the most suitable for a compact fusion reactor. More specifically, the study addresses the capability of breeding tritium in a compact solution, actively shielding the coils and reducing the radioactive waste. Findings are that FLiBe optimizes the most the system in terms of applicability, tritium breeding, compactness and activation. Nonetheless, there is no lack of backup choices. For instance, there are hints that lithium-zirconium fluoride salts could accomplish the blanket main tasks in a compact reactor too. Leaving PbLi as inefficient, but cheap and still virtually viable solution

Targeting a phospho-STAT3-miRNAs pathway improves vesicular hepatic steatosis in an in vitro and in vivo model

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a leading cause of chronic liver disease. Although genetic predisposition and epigenetic factors contribute to the development of NAFLD, our understanding of the molecular mechanism involved in the pathogenesis of the disease is still emerging. Here we investigated a possible role of a microRNAs-STAT3 pathway in the induction of hepatic steatosis. Differentiated HepaRG cells treated with the fatty acid sodium oleate (fatty dHepaRG) recapitulated features of liver vesicular steatosis and activated a cell-autonomous inflammatory response, inducing STAT3-Tyrosine-phosphorylation. With a genome-wide approach (Chromatin Immunoprecipitation Sequencing), many phospho-STAT3 binding sites were identified in fatty dHepaRG cells and several STAT3 and/or NAFLD-regulated microRNAs showed increased expression levels, including miR-21. Innovative CARS (Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering) microscopy revealed that chemical inhibition of STAT3 activity decreased lipid accumulation and deregulated STAT3-responsive microRNAs, including miR-21, in lipid overloaded dHepaRG cells. We were able to show in vivo that reducing phospho-STAT3-miR-21 levels in C57/BL6 mice liver, by long-term treatment with metformin, protected mice from aging-dependent hepatic vesicular steatosis. Our results identified a microRNAs-phosphoSTAT3 pathway involved in the development of hepatic steatosis, which may represent a molecular marker for both diagnosis and therapeutic targeting

Defining and Measuring Subjective Wellbeing for Sport Policy

This paper makes the case for assessing the value of sport based on people’s reports of subjective wellbeing (SWB), i.e. how they feel. We compare SWB to conventional definitions of wellbeing. We discuss how SWB is measured, distinguishing between evaluations (e.g., life-satisfaction) and experiences (feelings held moment to moment). We then consider evidence on the impact of sport on both evaluations and experiences of SWB, showing that the two give rise to different insights. We argue that measures that focus on how people feel as they go about their lives are better suited to accounting for the value of sport. We conclude by encouraging the measurement of experiences of SWB in sport policy

Guest editorial: special issue on vision-based human activity recognition

sem informação301585

Multidisciplinary Conservative Treatment of Difficult Bile Duct Stones: A Real Alternative to Surgery

56 patients with large CBD or intrahepatic stones underwent endoscopic and/or percutaneous treatment followed by extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy. Percutaneous access to the biliary tract was chosen when an endoscopic approach was not possible (hepaticojejunostomy in 5 patients, 1 juxtapapillary diverticulum and I inflammatory bile duct stricture). Visualization of stones was achieved radiologically in 32 patients and by ultrasound in 24. The procedure was successful in 47 of 56 treated patients (83.9%). Clearance of the biliary tract was obtained in 25 cases (53%), whereas in 22 cases (47%) complete clearing of biliary tract was obtained only after endoscopic extraction of fragments (17 cases) or percutaneous (5 cases). The median number of shock waves in each session was 1725 (range 300–3166), which were applied during one (n=30), two (n=22) or three sessions (n=4). The only complications were 1 case of symptomatic hyperamylasemia and 3 cases of macrohematuria. In conclusion, extracorporeal lithotripsy combined with endoscopic and/or percutaneous treatment is a real alternative to surgery for difficult stones

Systemic sclerosis cutaneous expression: Management of skin fibrosis and digital ulcers

Systemic sclerosis is a connective tissue disease with cutaneous involvement. Clinical manifestations result from the balance of inflammations/autoimmunity process and fibrogenesis. Patients suffer from skin ulcers, non-ulcerative lesions including digital pitting scars, telangiectasias, subungual hyperkeratosis, abrasions, fissures, and subcutaneous calcinosis. A review about the pathophysiology of the disease, the physical examination of the patients, the instrumental assessment, and possible treatments is performed