Protonated CO2 in massive star-forming clumps

Interstellar CO2 is an important reservoir of carbon and oxygen, and one of the major constituents of the icy mantles of dust grains, but it is not observable directly in the cold gas because has no permanent dipole moment. Its protonated form, HOCO+, is believed to be a good proxy for gaseous CO2. However, it has been detected in only a few star-forming regions so far, so that its interstellar chemistry is not well understood. We present new detections of HOCO+ lines in 11 high-mass star-forming clumps. Our observations increase by more than three times the number of detections in star-forming regions so far. We have derived beam-averaged abundances relative to H2 in between 0.3 and 3.8 x 10^{-11}. We have compared these values with the abundances of H13CO+, a possible gas-phase precursor of HOCO+, and CH3OH, a product of surface chemistry. We have found a positive correlation with H13CO+, while with CH3OH there is no correlation. We suggest that the gas-phase formation route starting from HCO+ plays an important role in the formation of HOCO+, perhaps more relevant than protonation of CO2 (upon evaporation of this latter from icy dust mantles).Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in MNRA

Bacterial Inoculation Strategies for the Achievement of Malolactic Fermentation in High-alcohol Wines

The purpose of this work was to study the induction of malolactic fermentation (MLF) in a wine that does not oftensupport malic acid deacidification because of its high alcohol content. Amarone wine, known for its high alcoholcontent, served as a model. Simultaneous and sequential alcoholic and malolactic fermentation (AF/MLF) wereconducted by direct inoculation of bacteria, which resulted in successful MLF in wines containing approximately16% (v/v) alcohol. At higher ethanol contents, stuck MLF occurred because of growth inhibition. To overcomethis technological problem, the performance of bacteria was tested in wine containing approximately 17% (v/v)ethanol using a starter preparation consisting of cells acclimatised in a wine-water solution (1:1) for 24 h and 48h respectively. Total l-malic acid depletion was recorded when the bacterial cells that had been acclimatised for48 h were inoculated simultaneously with yeast to conduct AF. The method by which the bacterial cultures areprepared and the time of inoculation affects the efficacy of MLF in high-alcohol wines. The inoculation of yeastswith acclimatised bacteria before AF seems to be a valid strategy to obtain complete MLF in high-alcohol wines

Railway bridge fault detection using Bayesian belief network

Bridges are one of the most critical structures of the railway system. External loads may affect the bridge health state, and consequently their safety, availability and reliability can be improved by monitoring their condition and planning maintenance accordingly. In this paper, a Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) fault detection methodology for a truss steel railway bridge is proposed. The BBN is developed to assess the health state of the whole bridge using evidence about the behaviour of the bridge. In this initial study, the evidence is provided in terms of the values of displacement computed by a Finite Element model

Modulation of wine sensory profile by lactic bacterial activity in a global warming scenario by different malolactic fermentation strategies

Aim. Incoming global warming imposing strategies to adapt wine chemical profile at an unknown scenario. In this sense malolactic fermentation (MLF), the biological deacidification of wines, must become a conscious choice to optimize the content in organic acids and the sensory profile of the wine. The authors present different works to understand how modulate the oenological activity of strains of Oenococcus oeni. The effect of different strategies of bacterial inoculum and correction of acidity were considered. Method. Simultaneous fermentation is an alternative strategy for managing MLF, which involves the inoculation of lactic bacteria into the grape must, instead into the wine at the end of alcoholic fermentation as traditionally practiced in winemaking. This approach has been tested in southern red wines with a high ethanol potential, withe aromatic wines, and sparkling-base wines. Furthermore, on a population of strains of O. oeni was verified the effect of the correction of grape must/wine acidity by different organic acids, in terms of MLF kinetics, cell viability and diacetyl production. Results. In the last years the focus of the selection of bacterial strains for malolactic fermentation was re-oriented from the mere ability to accomplish malic acid degradation, to the adaptability at different winemaking protocols. In this sense, simultaneous inoculum of bacteria and yeast in grape must seems to achieve different goals. In southern, high ethanol and low acidity wines bacteria results more active respect to tests performed by traditional post-alcoholic inoculum, accomplishing MLF without spoilage effects, such as volatile acidity increase. In the case of tests performed in winemaking if aromatic or sparkling base wines the simultaneous inoculum results in a higher varietal character. Tartaric, malic, and citric acid were tested to correct the low acidity of grape must/wine before MLF. Malic acid over the 2.5 g/L affected evolution of MLF, while citric acid stimulates bacterial activity and diacetyl production. The addition of tartaric acid results counterproductive at the higher value. Bacterial activity in grape must is more efficient than in wine in terms of rate and completeness of MLF. Conclusion. The acidic profile of wine is one of the key aspects in a global warming scenario, for longevity and organoleptic quality. This work offers useful information to modulate the activity of lactic acid bacteri

Improving the Aromatic Profiles of Catarratto Wines: Impact of Metschnikowia pulcherrima and Glutathione-Rich Inactivated Yeasts

Catarratto is one of the most widely cultivated grape varieties in Sicily. It is an indigenous non-aromatic white grape variety. Despite its widespread use in winemaking, knowledge of the aroma and chemical and microbiological properties of Catarratto wines is quite limited. The influence of Metschnikowia pulcherrima combined with Saccharomyces cerevisiae on the aromatic expression of Catarratto wines was investigated with and without the addition of glutathione-rich inactivated yeast. The substance is a natural specific inactivated yeast with a guaranteed glutathione level used to limit oxidative processes. The aromatic profiles of the final wines were determined through analysis of the volatile organic compounds using a solid-phase microextraction technique that identified 26 aromatic compounds. The addition of M. pulcherrima in combination with the natural antioxidant undoubtedly increased the aromatic complexity of the wines. Dodecanal was exclusively detected in the wines processed with glutathione-rich inactivated yeasts. Furthermore, the presence of this natural antioxidant increased the concentration of six esters above the perception threshold. Sensory analysis was also performed with a panel of trained judges who confirmed the aromatic differences among the wines. These results suggest the suitability of glutathione-rich inactivated yeasts for determining the oxidative stability of Catarratto wines, thus preserving its aromatic compounds and colour

STOP Pain Project—Opioid Response in Pediatric Cancer Patients and Gene Polymorphisms of Cytokine Pathways

Moderate to severe cancer pain treatment in children is based on the use of weak and strong opioids. Pharmacogenetics play a central role in developing personalized pain therapies, as well as avoiding treatment failure and/or intolerable adverse drug reactions. This observational study aimed to investigate the association between IL-6, IL-8, and TNFα genetic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and response to opioid therapy in a cohort of pediatric cancer patients. Pain intensity before treatment (PI(t0)) significantly differed according to IL-6 rs1800797 SNP, with a higher PI for A/G and G/G individuals (p = 0.017), who required a higher dose of opioids (p = 0.047). Moreover, compared to G/G subjects, heterozygous or homozygous individuals for the A allele of IL-6 rs1800797 SNP had a lower risk of having a PI(t0) > 4. Dose(24h) and Dose(tot) were both higher in G/G individuals for TNFα rs1800629 (p = 0.010 and p = 0.031, respectively), while risk of having a PI(t0) > 4 and a ∆(VAS) > 2 was higher for G/G subjects for IL-6 rs1800795 SNP compared to carriers of the C allele. No statistically significant association between genotypes and safety outcomes was found. Thus, IL-6 and TNFα SNPs could be potential markers of baseline pain intensity and opioid dose requirements in pediatric cancer patients

A systematic review of the risk factors for clinical response to opioids for all-age patients with cancer-related pain and presentation of the paediatric STOP pain study

Inter-patient variability in response to opioids is well known but a comprehensive definition of its pathophysiological mechanism is still lacking and, more importantly, no studies have focused on children. The STOP Pain project aimed to evaluate the risk factors that contribute to clinical response and adverse drug reactions to opioids by means of a systematic review and a clinical investigation on paediatric oncological patients

Magical attachment: Children in magical relations with hospital clowns

The aim of the present study was to achieve a theoretical understanding of several different-age children's experiences of magic relations with hospital clowns in the context of medical care, and to do so using psychological theory and a child perspective. The method used was qualitative and focused on nine children. The results showed that age was important to consider in better understanding how the children experienced the relation with the hospital clowns, how they described the magical aspects of the encounter and how they viewed the importance of clown encounters to their own well-being. The present theoretical interpretation characterized the encounter with hospital clowns as a magical safe area, an intermediate area between fantasy and reality. The discussion presented a line of reasoning concerning a magical attachment between the child and the hospital clowns, stating that this attachment: a) comprised a temporary relation; b) gave anonymity; c) entailed reversed roles; and d) created an emotional experience of boundary-transcending opportunities

Joy without demands: Hospital clowns in the world of ailing children

The aim of the present study was to achieve, using an affect theory approach (Tomkins, 1962; 1963; 1991), a deeper theoretical understanding of the psychological significance of hospital clowns' work in caring for ailing children viewed from a care-giver perspective. The methodological approach was qualitative and based on 20 interviews with healthcare staff: 3 men and 17 women. The result showed how the staff emphasized a psychological quality of care alongside the physical quality of care. The hospital clowns' “unexpected possibility” provided a safe area for recovery, for both the children and the staff. The theoretical interpretation showed the presence of the affects surprise/startle, interest/excitement, and enjoyment/joy as well as specifically how “joy without demands” often had a lingering effect in the form of vitality. Joy without demands is discussed in relation to psychological theory with emphasis on: a confirmation of the body's possibilities, a magical attachment, a chance to transcend boundaries, and a non-demanding situation