Design of the first Italian roundabout with jointed plain concrete pavement

This work presents the results of the overall design of the first Italian roundabout with jointed plain concrete pavement. The examined case study complies with current international standards and practices for geometry of roundabouts and road pavements. The construction of a concrete pavement in an urban roundabout will better manage and slow down fast vehicular flows, and increase traffic fluidity in an important junction, trafficked by heavy vehicles, where maintenance works should be reduced to avoid queues. The design of the roundabout involved several competences for: defining the geometry of the four-arm junction, designing the thickness of the jointed plain concrete pavement both on the circular crown and the arms, studying the mix design of a high resistance concrete. As regard to the pavement, the result of the study was an un-dowelled concrete pavement composed of square slabs laid on a cement concrete subbase and a granular layer. The shape of the slabs has been designed to optimize the structural performance of their material, which is a high strength concrete mix derived from an extensive laboratory test work. In general, the results summarized approaches typical of different design conditions: urban ones for traffic flow and safety needs; high-traffic ones for the chosen pavement type; airport ones for the absence of dowel and tie bars at the joints. Indeed, the article has highlighted that the design process of a concrete roundabout requires multiple analyses to consider various features and correctly re-design anexistingurbanjunction. Its geometrical design,the structural design of the concrete pavement and the theoretical and experimental design of the concrete mix were the main phases of this process and they needed different competences to conduct comprehensive and appropriate analyses

Feline gastrointestinal eosinophilic sclerosing fibroplasia presenting as a rectal mass.

Case summary A 9-year-old neutered male cat was referred owing to dyschezia and weight loss. Abdominal CT revealed a heterogeneous mass in the rectum and thickening of one caudal mesenteric lymph node. The mass induced a focal rectal obstruction. Cytological evaluation of fine-needle aspirates showed signs of mixed inflammation for the rectal mass and a reactive lymph node. Because a definite diagnosis was not achieved, complete resection of the mass via a dorsal approach to the rectum was attempted. Histopathology confirmed complete removal and diagnosed feline gastrointestinal eosinophilic sclerosing fibroplasia (FGESF). The cat was treated with psyllium husks and lactulose after surgery. In the postoperative year, the owner reported normal behaviour, food intake and defecation of the patient. Dyschezia reoccurred 14 months after surgery. Imaging revealed recurrence of a rectal mass. Owing to clinical deterioration, the owner elected for euthanasia. Relevance and novel information This is the first report of rectal FGESF with dyschezia and weight loss as the main clinical signs. The case demonstrates an acceptable outcome for more than 1 year without additional immunosuppressive therapy, and emphasises that FGESF must be considered as a differential diagnosis for rectal masses in cats

Electrodynamics of Conductive Oxides: Intensity-dependent anisotropy, reconstruction of the effective dielectric constant, and harmonic generation

We study electromagnetic pulse propagation in an indium tin oxide nanolayer in the linear and nonlinear regimes. We use the constitutive relations to reconstruct the effective dielectric constant of the medium, and show that nonlocal effects induce additional absorption resonances and anisotropic dielectric response: longitudinal and transverse effective dielectric functions are modulated differently along the propagation direction, and display different epsilon-near-zero crossing points with a discrepancy that increases with increasing intensity. We predict that hot carriers induce a dynamic redshift of the plasma frequency and a corresponding translation of the effective nonlinear dispersion curves that can be used to predict and quantify nonlinear refractive index changes as a function of incident laser peak power density. Our results suggest that large, nonlinear refractive index changes can occur without the need for epsilon-near-zero modes to couple with plasmonic resonators. At sufficiently large laser pulse intensities, we predict the onset of optical bistability, while the presence of additional pump absorption resonances that arise from longitudinal oscillations of the free electron gas give way to corresponding resonances in the second and third harmonic spectra. A realistic propagation model is key to unraveling the basic physical mechanisms that play a fundamental role in the dynamics

Body mass index and sperm quality: effects of overweight and underweight

2 p.We previously reported a negative association between body mass index (BMI) and sperm motility and seminal alpha-glucosidase concentrations (NAG), suggesting that epididymis may be a target organ for weight-linked alterations. In this study, we analyzed a possible association between BMI and semen quality in 4876 patients with no genitourinary diseases or toxin exposure, including morbidly-obese and underweight patients. We performed multivariate regression analysis using BMI,, age and abstinence as independent variables and demonstrated that BMI was inversely and significantly associated with semen volume, total sperm count, motility and NAG (slopes: -0.01, -1.33, -0.18, -0.75; p<0.05); in addition, we found a significant negative associations between BMI and viability, morphology and HOST.Fil: Martini, Ana. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Cátedra de Fisiología Humana; ArgentinaFil: Martini, Ana. Centro Integral de Ginecología, Obstetricia y Reproducción (CIGOR); ArgentinaFil: Martini, Ana. Laboratorio de Andrología y Reproducción (LAR); ArgentinaFil: Tissera, Andrea. Laboratorio de Andrología y Reproducción (LAR)Fil: Tissera, Andrea. Centro Integral de Ginecología, Obstetricia y Reproducción (CIGOR); ArgentinaFil: Tissera, Andrea. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Cátedra de Fisiología Humana. ArgentinaFil; Vincenti, Laura. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Cátedra de Fisología Humana; ArgentinaFil: Vincenti, Laura. Laboratorio de Andrología y Reproducción (LAR); ArgeninaFil: Vincenti, Laura. Centro Integral de Ginecología, Obstetricia y Reproducción (CIGOR); ArgentinaFil: Beltramone, Fernando. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Cátedra de Fisiología Humana; ArgentinaFil: Beltramone, Fernando. Centro Integral de Ginecología, Obstetricia y Reproducción (CIGOR); ArgentinaFil: Beltramone, Fernando. Laboratorio de Andrología y Reproducción (LAR); ArgentinaFil: Sad, José. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Cátedra de Fisiología Humana; ArgentinaFil: Sad, José. Laboratorio de Andrología y Reproducción (LAR); ArgentinaFil: Sad, José. Centro Integral de Ginecología, Obstetricia y Reproducción (CIGOR); ArgentinaFil: Ruíz, Rubén. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Cátedra de Fisiología Humana; ArgentinaFil: Ruíz, Rubén. Centro Integral de Ginecología, Obstetricia y Reproducción (CIGOR); ArgentinaFil: Ruíz, Rubén. Laboratorio de Andrología y Reproducción (LAR); ArgentinaFil: Fiol de Cuneo, Marta. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Cátedra de Fisiología Humana; ArgentinaFil: Fiol de Cuneo. Laboratorio de Andrología y Reproducción (LAR); ArgentinaFil: Fiol de Cúneo. Centro Integral de Ginecología, Obstetricia y Reproducción (CIGOR); ArgentinaOtras Ciencias de la Salu

Social isolation impairs active avoidance performance and decreases neurogenesis in the dorsomedial telencephalon of rainbow trout

Alterations in the social environment, such as isolating an individual that would normally live in a social group, can generate physiological responses that compromise an individual's capacity to learn. To investigate this, we tested whether social isolation impairs learning skills in the rainbow trout. We show that rainbow trout can achieve an active avoidance (AA) learning program with inter-individual variability. Moreover, c-Fos expression in dorsomedial telencephalon (Dm) correlates with the AA performance, indicating that this structure is involved in this cognitive task. Given that Dm participates in AA learning and this region is under plastic remodelling by addition of new-born neurons, we tested whether social isolation impinges on adult neurogenesis and, consequently, on the Dm cognitive outcome. Trout were reared for four weeks in control or isolated conditions. We found that social isolation diminished the percentage of adult-born neurons that are being incorporated into Dm network. Interestingly, the same isolation treatment also induced a severe deficit in the AA performance. Our results demonstrate a structure-to-function relationship between the Dm and the learning ability in an AA task, indicate that social isolation reduces the incorporation of adult-born neurons into Dm, and show that social isolation impairs the Dm-related cognitive function.Fil: Ausas, Maria Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Centro Atómico Bariloche; ArgentinaFil: Mazzitelli Fuentes, Laura Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Centro Atómico Bariloche; ArgentinaFil: Román, Fernanda Ruth. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Centro Atómico Bariloche; ArgentinaFil: Crichigno, Sonia Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto Andino Patagónico de Tecnologías Biológicas y Geoambientales. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Instituto Andino Patagónico de Tecnologías Biológicas y Geoambientales; ArgentinaFil: de Vincenti, Ana Paula. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia "Prof. Eduardo de Robertis". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia; ArgentinaFil: Mongiat, Lucas Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Centro Atómico Bariloche; Argentin

Harmonic generation from silicon membranes at visible and ultraviolet wavelengths

© 2023 Optica Publishing Group. Users may use, reuse, and build upon the article, or use the article for text or data mining, so long as such uses are for non-commercial purposes and appropriate attribution is maintained. All other rights are reserved.Nonlinear silicon photonics offers unique abilities to generate, manipulate and detect optical signals in nano-devices, with applications based on field localization and large third order nonlinearity. However, at the nanoscale, inefficient nonlinear processes, absorption, and the lack of realistic models limit the nano-engineering of silicon. Here we report measurements of second and third harmonic generation from undoped silicon membranes. Using experimental results and simulations we identify the effective mass of valence electrons, which determines second harmonic generation efficiency, and oscillator parameters that control third order processes. We can then accurately predict the nonlinear optical properties of complex structures, without introducing and artificially separating the effective ¿(2) into surface and volume contributions, and by simultaneously including effects of linear and nonlinear dispersions. Our results suggest that judicious exploitation of the nonlinear dispersion of ordinary semiconductors can provide reasonable nonlinear efficiencies and transformational device physics well into the UV range.The authors thank Zack Coppens and Dana Dement for useful discussions and help with the sample. LRS, JT, and CC acknowledge to US Army Research Laboratory Cooperative Agreement N° W911NF1920279 issued by US ARMY ACC-APG-RTP and Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigación (project no. PID2019-105089GBI00/AEI/10.130397501100011033). MAV was partially sponsored by the Army Research Laboratory under Cooperative Agreement N° W911NF2020078.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Intrahipotalamic ghrelin administration decreases sperm concentration and motility in mice

3pGhrelin (Ghr) is a peptide secreted primarily in the stomach and hypothalamus. However, Ghr and its receptors are synthesized also in many tissues of the reproductive tract. In situations of hiperghrelinemia (fasting or undernutrition), the peptide exerts predominantly inhibitory effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular function. Thus, it could be hypothesized that beyond the effects of the peptide on testosterone secretion, Ghr could directly affect other testicular processes such as spermatogenesis. In this study we investigated the effects of intrahypothalamic Ghr administration for 7 days (covering the period of sperm maturation in the epididymis) or 42 days (covering both period spermatogenesis and epididymal maturation) on sperm functional activity. Adult male Albino Swiss mice were implanted intrahipotalámicamente with osmotic pumps (Alzet) model 1007D (0.5 μl/h) or model 2006 (0.15 μl/h-42 days) and infused with different Ghr doses (0.3 or 3.0 nmol/μl) or the vehicle: sterile cerebrospinal fluid (CSF-control) or. Epididymal sperm functional activity was determined at the end of the treatment, evaluating: concentration, motility, maturation, viability, hypoosmotic shock response and acrosome integrity. The results show that none of the Ghr doses administered for 7 days induced significant changes in sperm functional activity. We did find a decrease in the sperm concentration and motility in animals treated with Ghr 3.0 nmol/μl for 42 days (sperm concentration (x106 /ml): Ghr 17.68 ± 2.98 vs. LCR 26.91 ± 1.52, p ≤ 0.05, sperm motility (%): Ghr 56.25 ± 1.80 vs. LCR 77.67 ± 1.33, p ≤ 0.05). No significant differences were observed in any of the other parameters tested, with any of the Ghr doses or infusion periods evaluated. Our results suggest that hypothalamic Ghr administration can affect sperm quality only when the treatment period includes both spermatogenesis and epididymal maturationhttp://www.revista.fcm.unc.edu.arFil: Poletti, María Belén. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Cátedra de Fisiología Humana; Argentina.Fil: Frautschi, Camila. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Cátedra de Fisiología Humana; Argentina.Fil: Martini, Ana Carolina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Cátedra de Fisiología Humana; Argentina.Fil: Luque, Eugenia. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Cátedra de Fisiología Humana; Argentina.Fil: Vincenti, María Laura. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Cátedra de Fisiología Humana; Argentina.Fil: Bianconi, Santiago. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Cátedra de Fisiología Humana; Argentina.Fil: Stutz, Graciela. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Cátedra de Fisiología Humana; Argentina.Fil: Carlini, Valeria Paola. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Cátedra de Fisiología Humana; Argentina.Fil: Carlini, Valeria Paola. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud; Argentina.Fil: Fiol de Cuneo, Marta. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Cátedra de Fisiología Humana; Argentina.Fil: Martini, Ana Carolina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud; Argentina.Fil: Fiol de Cuneo, Marta. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud; Argentina.Fisiología (incluye Citología

Effects of dietary omega-3 PUFAs on growth and development: Somatic, neurobiological and reproductive functions in a murine model

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFAs) are relevant to fetal and infant growth and development. Objective: to assess whether long-term exposure to dietary ω-3 PUFA imbalance alters pre- and/or postnatal pups' development and reproductive function later in life. Mice dams were fed with ω-3 PUFA Control (soybean oil, 7%), Deficient (sunflower oil, 7%) or Excess (blend oil; 4.2% cod-liver+2.8% soybean) diet before conception and throughout gestation-lactation and later on, their pups received the same diet from weaning to adulthood. Offspring somatic, neurobiological and reproductive parameters were evaluated. Excess pups were lighter during the preweaning period and shorter in length from postnatal day (PND) 7 to 49, compared to Control pups (P<.05). On PND14, the percentage of pups with eye opening in Excess group was lower than those from Control and Deficient groups (P<.05). In Excess female offspring, puberty onset (vaginal opening and first estrus) occurred significantly later and the percentage of parthenogenetic oocytes on PND63 was higher than Control and Deficient ones (P<.05). Deficient pups were shorter in length (males: on PND14, 21, 35 and 49; females: on PND14, 21 and 42) compared with Control pups (P<.05). Deficient offspring exhibited higher percentage of bending spermatozoa compared to Control and Excess offspring (P<.05). These results show that either an excessively high or insufficient ω-3 PUFA consumption prior to conception until adulthood seems inadvisable because of the potential risks of short-term adverse effects on growth and development of the progeny or long-lasting effects on their reproductive maturation and function.Fil: Bianconi, Santiago. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Medicina; ArgentinaFil: Santillan, Maria Emilia. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Medicina; ArgentinaFil: Solís, María del Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Medicina; ArgentinaFil: Martini, Ana Carolina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Medicina; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud; ArgentinaFil: Ponzio, Marina Flavia. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Medicina; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud; ArgentinaFil: Vincenti, Laura María. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Medicina; ArgentinaFil: Schiöth, Helgi B.. Uppsala University; SueciaFil: Carlini, Valeria Paola. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Medicina; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud; Argentina; ArgentinaFil: Stutz, Graciela. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Medicina; Argentin

Unearthed opium. Development of a UHPLC-MS/MS method for the determination of Papaver somniferum alkaloids in Daunian vessels

Introduction: The analysis of organic residue in ancient vessels to investigate early-age civilization habits is an important archeological application that needs advanced analytical methods. However, these procedures should meet inherent requisites such as low sampling invasiveness and high sensitivity for trace analysis. This study deals with the development of advanced analytical methods for the detection of opium alkaloids in ceramic vessels and its first application to the study of Daunian pots dating back to the VIII-IV sec BC.Methods: All the stages of the analytical procedure, from sampling to analysis, were carefully optimized. Concerning sampling, the traditional scraping approach was compared with a swabbing strategy which permitted minimizing sample encroachment. Extraction was based on pressurized liquid extraction or ultrasound-assisted liquid extraction, followed by dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction, which allowed concentration enrichment. On the other hand, a UHPLC-MS/MS method was specifically developed and validated to obtain reliable data. Some Daunian pots, belonging to the Ceci-Macrini private archeological collection, were selected for sample withdrawal as their iconography could suggest opium usage.Results: Several of the analyzed samples resulted positive to thebaine and less frequently to morphine and codeine; furthermore, 70% of the analyzed items tested positive for at least one opium alkaloid. Positive findings were common to all the samples collected in the pots, suggesting that scraping and swabbing provided comparable results and validating this unusual sampling strategy. All samples were additionally analyzed by UHPLC-HRMS to further improve the confidence level of the identified compounds. The obtained results shed new light on the hypothesis of opium usage by the ancient Daunian civilization. Furthermore, this study provided suitable analytical tools for further investigations on the same topic, with a good level of confidence in the quality of the results