Isotope effect on the E2g phonon and mesoscopic phase separation near the electronic topological transition in Mg1-xAlxB2

We report the boron isotope effect on the E2g phonon mode by micro-Raman spectroscopy on the ternary Mg1-xAlxB2 system, synthesized with pure isotopes 10B and 11B. The isotope coefficient on the phonon frequency is near 0.5 in the full range decreasing near x = 0. The intraband electron-phonon (e-ph) coupling, for the electrons in the sigma band, has been extracted from the E2g line-width and frequency softening. Tuning the Fermi energy near the electronic topological transition (ETT), where the sigma Fermi surface changes from 2D to 3D topology the E2g mode, shows the known Kohn anomaly on the 2D side of the ETT and a splitting of the E2g phonon frequency into a hard and soft component from x = 0 to x = 0.28. The results suggest a minor role of the intraband phonon mediated pairing in the control of the high critical temperature in Mg1-xAlxB2. The common physical features of diborides with the novel multigap FeAs-based superconductors and cuprates is discussed.Comment: 19 pages, 6 figure

Factor structure and psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Homosexuality scale of the Trueblood Sexual Attitudes Questionnaire

The aim of the present study was to translate the Homosexuality scale of the Trueblood Sexual Attitudes Questionnaire into the Italian language and to assess its factor structure and psychometric properties in Italian psychology students. The questionnaire was originally developed and validated in U.S. college students, and later in Turkish social work students, showing high internal consistency. It measures attitudes toward several sexual practices and behaviors, regarding self and others. Particularly, the Homosexuality scale measures attitudes toward different sexual and romantic practices with people of the same sex. A total of 199 Italian psychology students participated to the study, and they were administered the Italian translation of the scale. We applied exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Results showed that the scale has high internal consistency, and that the original two-factor model accounting for attitudes toward self and others fits the data well. Implications for education and assessment in student populations are discussed

Il Pooling-score (P-score): Variabilit\ue0 inter- e intra-individuale nella valutazione endoscopica della gravit\ue0 della disfagia

This study evaluated the intra- and inter-rater reliability of the Pooling score (P-score) in clinical endoscopic evaluation of severity of swal- lowing disorder, considering excess residue in the pharynx and larynx. The score (minimum 4 - maximum 11) is obtained by the sum of the scores given to the site of the bolus, the amount and ability to control residue/bolus pooling, the latter assessed on the basis of cough, raclage, number of dry voluntary or re ex swallowing acts ( 5). Four judges evaluated 30 short lms of pharyngeal transit of 10 solid (1/4 of a cracker), 11 creamy (1 tablespoon of jam) and 9 liquid (1 tablespoon of 5 cc of water coloured with methlyene blue, 1 ml in 100 ml) boluses in 23 subjects (10 M/13 F, age from 31 to 76 yrs, mean age 58.56\ub111.76 years) with different pathologies. The lms were randomly distributed on two CDs, which differed in terms of the sequence of the lms, and were given to judges (after an explanatory ses- sion) at time 0, 24 hours later (time 1) and after 7 days (time 2). The inter- and intra-rater reliability of the P-score was calculated using the intra-class correlation coef cient (ICC; 3,k). The possibility that consistency of boluses could affect the scoring of the lms was considered. The ICC for site, amount, management and the P-score total was found to be, respectively, 0.999, 0.997, 1.00 and 0.999. Clinical evaluation of a criterion of severity of a swallowing disorder remains a crucial point in the management of patients with pathologies that predispose to complications. The P-score, derived from static and dynamic parameters, yielded a very high correlation among the scores attributed by the four judges during observations carried out at different times. Bolus consistencies did not affect the outcome of the test: the analysis of variance, performed to verify if the scores attributed by the four judges to the parameters selected, might be in uenced by the different consistencies of the boluses, was not signi cant. These initial data validate the clinical use of the P-score in the management of patients with deglutition disorders by a multidisciplinary team

Bimagnon studies in cuprates with Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering at the O K edge. I - An assessment on La2CuO4 and a comparison with the excitation at Cu L3 and Cu K edges

We assess the capabilities of magnetic Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering (RIXS) at the O $K$ edge in undoped cuprates by taking La_{2}CuO_{4} as a benchmark case, based on a series of RIXS measurements that we present here. By combining the experimental results with basic theory we point out the fingerprints of bimagnon in the O $K$ edge RIXS spectra. These are a dominant peak around 450 meV, the almost complete absence of dispersion both with $\pi$ and $\sigma$ polarization and the almost constant intensity vs. the transferred momentum with $\sigma$ polarization. This behavior is quite different from Cu $L_3$ edge RIXS giving a strongly dispersing bimagnon tending to zero at the center of the Brillouin zone. This is clearly shown by RIXS measurements at the Cu $L_3$ edge that we present. The Cu $L_3$ bimagnon spectra and those at Cu $K$ edge - both from the literature and from our data - however, have the same shape. These similarities and differences are understood in terms of different sampling of the bimagnon continuum. This panorama points out the unique possibilities offered by O $K$ RIXS in the study of magnetic excitations in cuprates near the center of the BZ

Effects of A -site ordering on the Mn local structure and polar phases of R Ba Mn 2 O 6 ( R = La , Nd, Sm, and Y)

We have investigated the temperature dependence of the Mn local structure in A-site ordered RBaMn2O6 (R = La, Nd, Sm, and Y) perovskites, in parallel with their disordered counterparts, R0.5Ba0.5MnO3, by means of x-ray emission (XES) and x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) The end member LaBaMn2O6 shows a nearly regular MnO6 octahedron independent of temperature. With decreasing the R ionic radius in the ordered samples, the XAS results indicate that a local distortion develops in the MnO6 octahedron at the low-temperature charge-localized and polar phases. For NdBaMn2O6, this local distortion is tiny, indicating the absence of charge segregation at the Mn site. This is followed by a bigger local distortion anticipated for SmBaMn2O6 in its respective charge-localized and polar phase and finally, the biggest local distortion for the smallest A-site cation ordered compound, YBaMn2O6, for which it even persists above the polar charge-localization transition temperatures. The high-resolution XAS spectra confirm the presence of charge segregation between two nonequivalent Mn sites in the low-temperature polar phase of Sm and Y ordered samples. Thus, our XAS study suggests a displacive mechanism for the charge-localization and polar transitions in the Nd and Sm ordered samples while a combination of displacive and order-disorder contributions is revealed for YBaMn2O6. Besides, calorimetric measurements confirm the combination of the two mechanisms, order-disorder and displacive, for the ordered Sm and Y compounds. On the other hand, the A-site disordered R0.5Ba0.5MnO3 samples with R cations smaller than Nd present a significant static (temperature-independent) local disorder, which explains why polar charge-localization transitions are not developed in these samples. Finally, we correlate our results about the Mn local structure and character of the transitions with the macroscopic magnetic and electric behavior of both A-site ordered and disordered compounds

ERCP in Total Situs Viscerum Inversus

A 69-year-old cholecystectomized female with known total situs viscerum inversus presented recurrent colicky pain in the left upper abdominal quadrant and jaundice. Laboratory parameters showed increased neutrophils and coniugated bilirubin of 5.53 mg/dl. US and MRCP confirmed total situs viscerum inversus and a dilatation of the intra- and extrahepatic ducts with a peripapillary 13 mm stone. ERCP, sphincterotomy and successful common bile duct stone extraction were performed in the conventional way. ERCP was carried out successfully despite situs inversus maintaining the patient in the prone position with the endoscopist on the right side of the table. Some authors have reported similar cases in whom ERCP was performed in other positions, while this report shows that an experienced endoscopist can achieve the same results in the conventional way as it is possible when anatomical changes, Billroth II or Roux-en-Y, or different positions of the patient, supine or on the left side, are present

mismatch repair deficiency mmrd in glioma patients pts frequency and correlation with clinical histological and molecular characteristics

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Mismatch-repair protein expression in high-grade gliomas: A large retrospective multicenter study

Background: DNA mismatch repair (MMR) is a system for repairing errors in DNA replication. Cancer cells with MMR deficiency can have immunohistochemical loss of MMR protein expression leading to a hypermutable phenotype that may correlate with anti-PD1 efficacy. Scant data exist about immunohistochemical loss of MMR protein expression in high-grade gliomas (HGG). Materials and Methods: We performed a large multicenter retrospective study to investigate the frequency and the prognostic role of immunohistochemical loss of MMR protein expression in HGG patients; we nevertheless evaluated the association between this status and clinical or molecular characteristics. Immunohistochemical loss of MMR protein expression was recorded as partial or complete loss of at least 1 MMR protein. Results: We analyzed the expression of MMR proteins in tumor tissue of 355 consecutive patients. Partial and complete immunohistochemical loss of MMR proteins was found in 43/355 samples (12.1%) and among these, 15 cases (4.2%) showed a complete loss of at the least one MMR protein. Alteration of MSH2 expression was found in 55.8%, MSH6 in 46.5%, PMS2 in 34.9%, and MLH1 in 30.2%. Alteration of MMR protein expression was statistically more frequent in anaplastic gliomas, in recurrent disease, in patients treated with temozolomide, and in IDH-mut gliomas. Immunohistochemical loss of MMR proteins was not associated with survival, adjusting for clinically relevant confounders. Conclusions: MMR protein expression status did not affect survival in HGG patients. We identified clinical and molecular characteristics correlating with immunohistochemical loss of MMR proteins expression. A large study should be performed to analyze its predictive role of immune checkpoint inhibitor efficacy in these subgroups of patients

Altered resting-state functional connectivity in emotion-processing brain regions in adults who were born very preterm

Background. Very preterm birth (VPT; <32 weeks of gestation) has been associated with impairments in emotion regulation, social competence and communicative skills. However, the neuroanatomical mechanisms underlying such impairments have not been systematically studied. Here we investigated the functional integrity of the amygdala connectivity network in relation to the ability to recognize emotions from facial expressions in VPT adults. Method. Thirty-six VPT-born adults and 38 age-matched controls were scanned at rest in a 3-T MRI scanner. Restingstate functional connectivity (rs-fc) was assessed with SPM8. A seed-based analysis focusing on three amygdalar subregions (centro-medial/latero-basal/superficial) was performed. Participants’ ability to recognize emotions was assessed using dynamic stimuli of human faces expressing six emotions at different intensities with the Emotion Recognition Task (ERT). Results. VPT individuals compared to controls showed reduced rs-fc between the superficial subregion of the left amygdala, and the right posterior cingulate cortex (p = 0.017) and the left precuneus (p = 0.002). The VPT group further showed elevated rs-fc between the left superficial amygdala and the superior temporal sulcus (p = 0.008). Performance on the ERT showed that the VPT group was less able than controls to recognize anger at low levels of intensity. Anger scores were significantly associated with rs-fc between the superficial amygdala and the posterior cingulate cortex in controls but not in VPT individuals. Conclusions. These findings suggest that alterations in rs-fc between the amygdala, parietal and temporal cortices could represent the mechanism linking VPT birth and deficits in emotion processing

Effect of stocking density and use of environmental enrichment materials on the welfare and the performance of pigs in the growth and finishing phases

Aim of study: To evaluate the effects of stocking density and the use of environmental enrichment (EE) objects on the welfare and the performance of pigs in the growing and finishing phases.Area of study: The southern region of Brazil.Material and methods: A total of 240 pigs, 120 immunocastrated males and 120 females, with an initial weight of 22.38 ± 2.38 kg and mean age of 65 days, were submitted to two stocking densities conditions (0.85 and 1.28 m²pig) with and without EE for 117 days. The experimental design was a 2×2×2 factorial (two categories, two densities, and two EE conditions), with six replicates. Performance variables and behavior were evaluated.Main results: For stocking density, there was a significant difference in the finishing phase from 148 to 161 days of age for the final weight (FW), average daily weight gain (ADWG), and feed conversion rate (FCR). For the EE factor, there was no difference in any of the phases or in the overall period. In the overall period, the higher availability of space improved the results of FW (140.56 kg vs 136.63 kg), ADWG (1.005 kg vs 0.974 kg), and FCR (2.05 vs 2.10). There was no effect of EE, stocking densities, or their interaction on the frequency of different behaviors of the pigs in the growth and finishing phases.Research highlights: There was no effect of interactions between enriched environments, stocking densities, and sex for animal performance and behavioral frequencies; however, differences between the factors were observed separately. The higher availability of space improved the results of FW, ADWG, and FCR