A multi-epoch spectroscopic study of the BAL quasar APM 08279+5255: I. C IV absorption variability

Broad Absorption Lines indicate gas outflows with velocities from thousands km/s to about 0.2 the speed of light, which may be present in all quasars and may play a major role in the evolution of the host galaxy. The variability of absorption patterns can provide informations on changes of the density and velocity distributions of the absorbing gas and its ionization status. We collected 23 photometrical and spectro-photometrical observations at the 1.82m Telescope of the Asiago Observatory since 2003, plus other 5 spectra from the literature. We analysed the evolution in time of the equivalent width of the broad absorption feature and two narrow absorption systems, the correlation among them and with the R band magnitude. We performed a structure function analysis of the equivalent width variations. We present an unprecedented monitoring of a broad absorption line quasar based on 28 epochs in 14 years. The shape of broad absorption feature shows a relative stability, while its equivalent width slowly declines until it sharply increases during 2011. In the same time the R magnitude stays almost constant until it sharply increases during 2011. The equivalent width of the narrow absorption redwards of the systemic redshift only shows a decline. The broad absorption behaviour suggests changes of the ionisation status as the main cause of variability. We show for the first time a correlation of this variability with the R band flux. The different behaviour of the narrow absorption system might be due to recombination time delay. The structure function of the absorption variability has a slope comparable with typical optical variability of quasars. This is consistent with variations of the 200 A ionising flux originating in the inner part of the accretion disk.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, to appear on Astronomy & Astrophysic

Design of a large span-distributed load flying-wing cargo airplane with laminar flow control

A design study was conducted to add laminar flow control to a previously design span-distributed load airplane while maintaining constant range and payload. With laminar flow control applied to 100 percent of the wing and vertical tail chords, the empty weight increased by 4.2 percent, the drag decreased by 27.4 percent, the required engine thrust decreased by 14.8 percent, and the fuel consumption decreased by 21.8 percent. When laminar flow control was applied to a lesser extent of the chord (approximately 80 percent), the empty weight increased by 3.4 percent, the drag decreased by 20.0 percent, the required engine thrust decreased by 13.0 percent, and the fuel consumption decreased by 16.2 percent. In both cases the required take-off gross weight of the aircraft was less than the original turbulent aircraft

Preliminary design characteristics of a subsonic business jet concept employing laminar flow control

Aircraft configurations were developed with laminar flow control (LFC) and without LFC. The LFC configuration had approximately eleven percent less parasite drag and a seven percent increase in the maximum lift-to drag ratio. Although these aerodynamic advantages were partially offset by the additional weight of the LFC system, the LFC aircraft burned from six to eight percent less fuel for comparable missions. For the trans-atlantic design mission with the gross weight fixed, the LFC configuration would carry a greater payload for ten percent fuel per passenger mile

Preliminary design characteristics of a subsonic business jet concept employing an aspect ratio 25 strut braced wing

The advantages of replacing the conventional wing on a transatlantic business jet with a larger, strut braced wing of aspect ratio 25 were evaluated. The lifting struts reduce both the induced drag and structural weight of the heavier, high aspect ratio wing. Compared to the conventional airplane, the strut braced wing design offers significantly higher lift to drag ratios achieved at higher lift coefficients and, consequently, a combination of lower speeds and higher altitudes. The strut braced wing airplane provides fuel savings with an attendant increase in construction costs

MicroRNA-29 family expression and its relation to antiviral immune response and viro-immunological markers in HIV-1-infected patients

Abstract BACKGROUND: Several in vitro studies suggested the microRNA-29 (miRNA-29) family is involved in regulating HIV-1 and modulating the expression of interleukin (IL)-32, an anti-HIV-1 cytokine. METHODS: To investigate the contribution of the miRNA-29 family to HIV-1 infection in vivo, we compared miRNA-29 expression in PBMC collected from 58 HIV-1-infected patients, naïve for antiretroviral therapy, and 21 gender- and age-matched HIV-1 seronegative healthy donors, using RT-Taqman assays. The relation between miRNA-29 levels and HIV-1 viro-immunological markers and the activation rate of antiviral immune response were also evaluated. In addition, we profiled miRNA-29 expression in CD4+ T lymphocytes and CD14+ monocytes collected from 5 antiretroviral treated HIV-1 infected patients. RESULTS: miRNA-29b levels were higher in HIV-1-infected patients than in the control group (p < 0.001). There were no correlations with either HIV-1 RNA levels or CD4+ T count, whereas a significant correlation was found between miRNA-29-a/c levels and integrated HIV-1 DNA (miRNA-29a: p = 0.009, r = -0.448; miRNA-29c: p = 0.029; r = -0.381). When the HIV-1-infected patients were grouped on the basis of their plasma HIV-1 RNA and CD4+ T cell count, we also found that patients expressing the lowest levels of miRNA-29c showed high viraemia, low CD4+ T cell count and high levels of integrated HIV-1 DNA. Moreover, miRNA-29b levels were correlated with those of IL-32nonα (p = 0.028; r = -0.298). Patients expressing higher levels of miRNA-29b showed lower levels of MxA, an interferon-stimulated gene, also induced by IL-32 (p = 0.006 r = -0.397). Lastly, we found that CD4+ T lymphocytes and CD14+ monocytes shared similar miRNA-29a/b/c expression patterns but the amount of miRNA-29a/b/c, IL-32 isoforms and MxA were highly variable in these two cellular subsets. CONCLUSIONS: The miRNA-29 family could influence the clinical progression of HIV-1 infection, the HIV-1 proviral load and the innate immune response against HIV-1

Impact of perceived stress and immune status on decision-making abilities during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown

The ability to make risky decisions in stressful contexts has been largely investigated in experimental settings. We examined this ability during the first months of COVID-19 pandemic, when in Italy people were exposed to a prolonged stress condition, mainly caused by a rigid lockdown. Participants among the general population completed two cognitive tasks, an Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), which measures individual risk/reward decision-making tendencies, and a Go/No-Go task (GNG), to test impulsivity, together with two questionnaires, the Perceived Stress Scale and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales. The Immune Status Questionnaire was additionally administered to explore the impact of the individual health status on decision making. The effect of the questionnaires scores on task performance was examined. The results showed that higher levels of perceived stress and a more self-reported vulnerable immune status were associated, separately, with less risky/more advantageous choices in the IGT in young male participants but with more risky/less advantageous choices in older male participants. These effects were not found in female participants. Impulsivity errors in the GNG were associated with more anxiety symptoms. These findings bring attention to the necessity of taking into account decision-making processes during stressful conditions, especially in the older and more physically vulnerable male population

Detection of SARS-COV N2 Gene: Very low amounts of viral RNA or false positive?

Background: The detection of a low amount of viral RNA is crucial to identify a SARS-CoV-2 positive individual harboring a low level of virus, especially during the convalescent period. However, the detection of one gene at high Cycle threshold (Ct) has to be interpreted with caution. In this study we address this specific issue and report our real-life experience. Study design: A total of 1639 nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) were analyzed with Xpert® Xpress SARS-CoV-2. Positive samples showing high Ct values (Ct&gt;35) were concentrated by centrifugation and re-tested with Cepheid or other methods (RealStar SARS-CoV2 RT-PCR, Altona Diagnostics; GeneFinder COVID-19 Plus RealAmp Kit, Elitech). Results: 1599 (97.5%) negative samples, 36 (2.3%) positive samples and 4 (0.2%) presumptive positive samples were detected. In 17 out of 36 positive patients, very low viral RNA copies were suspected since positivity was detected at high Ct. We confirmed positivity for patients who showed both E and N genes detected and for patients with only N detected but with Ct &lt;39. On the contrary, samples with only gene N detected with Ct values &gt;39 were found negative. NPS taken 24 hours after the first collection confirmed the negativity of the 12 samples. Clinical data sustained these results since only 2 of these 12 patients showed COVID-19-like symptoms. Conclusions: These data support our consideration that detection of the N2 gene at high Ct needs to be interpreted with caution, suggesting that collaboration between virologists and clinicians is important for better understanding of results

Drug resistance in B and non-B subtypes amongst subjects recently diagnosed as primary/recent or chronic HIV-infected over the period 2013–2016: Impact on susceptibility to first-line strategies including integrase strand-transfer inhibitors

Objectives To characterize the prevalence of transmitted drug resistance mutations (TDRMs) by plasma analysis of 750 patients at the time of HIV diagnosis from January 1, 2013 to November 16, 2016 in the Veneto region (Italy), where all drugs included in the recommended first line therapies were prescribed, included integrase strand transfer inhibitors (InNSTI). Methods TDRMs were defined according to the Stanford HIV database algorithm. Results Subtype B was the most prevalent HIV clade (67.3%). A total of 92 patients (12.3%) were expected to be resistant to one drug at least, most with a single class mutation (60/68–88.2% in subtype B infected subjectsand 23/24–95.8% in non-B subjects) and affecting mainly NNRTIs. No significant differences were observed between the prevalence rates of TDRMs involving one or more drugs, except for the presence of E138A quite only in patients with B subtype and other NNRTI in subjects with non-B infection. The diagnosis of primary/recent infection was made in 73 patients (9.7%): they had almost only TDRMs involving a single class. Resistance to InSTI was studied in 484 subjects (53 with primary-recent infection), one patient had 143C in 2016, a total of thirteen 157Q mutations were detected (only one in primary/recent infection). Conclusions Only one major InSTI-TDRM was identified but monitoring of TDRMs should continue in the light of continuing presence of NNRTI-related mutation amongst newly diagnosed subjects, sometime impacting also to modern NNRTI drugs recommended in first-line therapy

Clinical care conditions and needs of palliative care patients from five italian regions: Preliminary data of the demetra project

In order to plan the right palliative care for patients and their families, it is essential to have detailed information about patients’ needs. To gain insight into these needs, we analyzed five Italian local palliative care networks and assessed the clinical care conditions of patients facing the complexities of advanced and chronic disease. A longitudinal, observational, noninterventional study was carried out in five Italian regions from May 2017 to November 2018. Patients who accessed the palliative care networks were monitored for 12 months. Sociodemographic, clinical, and symptom information was collected with several tools, including the Necesidades Paliativas CCOMS-ICO (NECPAL) tool, the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS), and interRAI Palliative Care (interRAI-PC). There were 1013 patients in the study. The majority (51.7%) were recruited at home palliative care units. Cancer was the most frequent diagnosis (85.4%), and most patients had at least one comorbidity (58.8%). Cancer patients reported emotional stress with severe symptoms (38.7% vs. 24.3% in noncancer patients; p = 0.001) and were less likely to have clinical frailty (13.3% vs. 43.9%; p < 0.001). Our study confirms that many patients face the last few months of life with comorbidities or extreme frailty. This study contributes to increasing the general knowledge on palliative care needs in a high-income country