Review of Power Converter Topologies for Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy of Lithium-Ion Batteries

Frequency domain impedance of Li-ion batteries contains valuable information about the state of charge (SOC) and state of health (SOH). Normally, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is performed during the relaxation of battery cells. However, performing EIS during the batteries operation has been achieved through switching power converters. This paper reviews the power converter topologies for both online and offline Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) characterization of batteries. The information that can be extracted from EIS Nyquist plots are discussed. Comparative analysis between converter topologies is presented. Finally, challenges are identified and new converter topologies are proposed for further consideration in online/offline EIS characterization

Heterojunction bipolar transistor technology for data acquisition and communication

Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor (HBT) technology has emerged as one of the most promising technologies for ultrahigh-speed integrated circuits. HBT circuits for digital and analog applications, data conversion, and power amplification have been realized, with speed performance well above 20 GHz. At Rockwell, a baseline AlGaAs/GaAs HBT technology has been established in a manufacturing facility. This paper describes the HBT technology, transistor characteristics, and HBT circuits for data acquisition and communication

Are we ready for scaling up restoration actions? An insight from Mediterranean macroalgal canopies

Extensive loss of macroalgal forests advocates for large-scale restoration interventions, to compensate habitat degradation and recover the associated ecological functions and services. Yet, restoration attempts have generally been limited to small spatial extensions, with the principal aim of developing efficient restoration techniques. Here, the success of outplanting Cystoseira amentacea v. stricta germlings cultured in aquaria was experimentally explored at a scale of tens of kms, by means of a multifactorial experimental design. In the intertidal rocky shores of SE Italy, locations with a continuous distribution for hundreds of meters or with few thalli forming patches of few centimeters of C. amentacea canopy were selected. In each location, the effects of adult conspecifics and the exclusion of macrograzers (salema fish and sea urchins) on the survival of germlings were tested. We evaluated the most critical determinants of mortality for germlings, including the overlooked pressure of mesograzers (e.g. amphipods, small mollusks, polychaetes). Despite the high mortality observed during outplanting and early settlement stages, survival of C. amentacea germlings was consistently favored by the exclusion of macrograzers, while the presence of adult conspecifics had no effects. In addition, the cost analysis of the interventions showed the feasibility of the ex-situ method, representing an essential tool for preserving Cystoseira forests. Large scale restoration is possible but requires baseline information with an in-depth knowledge of the species ecology and of the areas to be restored, together with the development of specific cultivation protocols to make consistently efficient restoration interventions

Unfolding jellyfish bloom dynamics along the mediterranean basin by transnational citizen science initiatives

Science is addressing global societal challenges, and due to limitations in research financing, scientists are turning to the public at large to jointly tackle specific environmental issues. Citizens are therefore increasingly involved in monitoring programs, appointed as citizen scientists with potential to delivering key data at near to no cost to address environmental challenges, therein fostering scientific knowledge and advising policy- and decision-makers. One of the first and most successful examples of marine citizen science in the Mediterranean is represented by the integrative and collaborative implementation of several jellyfish-spotting campaigns in Italy, Spain, Malta, and Tunisia starting in 2009. Altogether, in terms of time coverage, geographic extent, and number of citizen records, these represent the most effective marine citizen science campaigns thus far implemented in the Mediterranean Sea. Here, we analyzed a collective database merging records over the above four countries, featuring more than 100,000 records containing almost 25,000 observations of jellyfish specimens collected over a period of 3 to 7 years (from 2009 to 2015) by citizen scientists participating in any of the national citizen science programs included in this analysis. Such a wide citizen science exercise demonstrates a valuable and cost-effective tool to understanding ecological drivers of jellyfish proliferation over the Western and Central Mediterranean basins, as well as a powerful contribution to developing tailored adaptation and management strategies; mitigating jellyfish impacts on human activities in coastal zones; and supporting implementation of marine spatial planning, Blue Growth, and conservation strategies

Unfolding jellyfish bloom dynamics along the Mediterranean basin by transnational citizen science initiatives

Science is addressing global societal challenges, and due to limitations in research financing, scientists are turning to the public at large to jointly tackle specific environmental issues. Citizens are therefore increasingly involved in monitoring programs, appointed as citizen scientists with potential to delivering key data at near to no cost to address environmental challenges, therein fostering scientific knowledge and advising policy- and decision-makers. One of the first and most successful examples of marine citizen science in the Mediterranean is represented by the integrative and collaborative implementation of several jellyfish-spotting campaigns in Italy, Spain, Malta, and Tunisia starting in 2009. Altogether, in terms of time coverage, geographic extent, and number of citizen records, these represent the most effective marine citizen science campaigns thus far implemented in the Mediterranean Sea. Here, we analyzed a collective database merging records over the above four countries, featuring more than 100,000 records containing almost 25,000 observations of jellyfish specimens collected over a period of 3 to 7 years (from 2009 to 2015) by citizen scientists participating in any of the national citizen science programs included in this analysis. Such a wide citizen science exercise demonstrates a valuable and cost-effective tool to understanding ecological drivers of jellyfish proliferation over the Western and Central Mediterranean basins, as well as a powerful contribution to developing tailored adaptation and management strategies; mitigating jellyfish impacts on human activities in coastal zones; and supporting implementation of marine spatial planning, Blue Growth, and conservation strategies.peer-reviewe

Dissecting the role of heme oxygenase-1 in the immunosuppressive activity of macrophages

reservedI macrofagi associati ai tumori (TAM) rappresentano il principale tipo di cellule immunitarie che infiltrano il microambiente di diversi tipi di tumori, dove svolgono un ruolo chiave nel favorire un ambiente immunitario soppressivo che sostiene la crescita del tumore e conferisce resistenza a varie terapie. Studi recenti condotti dal nostro gruppo di ricerca sul glioblastoma (GBM) hanno rivelato una notevole infiltrazione del tumore da parte di macrofagi derivati dal midollo osseo (BMDM) caratterizzati da considerevoli capacità di soppressione immunitaria e un fenotipo associato al riciclo del ferro. Ulteriori studi sono stati condotti per valutare l’importanza del metabolismo del ferro nelle funzioni di immunosoppressione di tali cellule mieloidi, rivelando un ruolo fondamentale per eme ossigenasi-1 (HO-1), l’enzima coinvolto nell’ossidazione catalitica dell’eme, nella messa in atto di tale programma. In base all’osservazione della sua attività enzimatica nelle frazioni microsomiali, HO-1 è stata ampiamente riconosciuta come una proteina associata al reticolo endoplasmatico (RE). Tuttavia, studi recenti hanno mostrato che HO-1 è presente anche in altre localizzazioni subcellulari. In particolare, la forma da 32 kDa di questo enzima può essere tagliata dalla membrana del RE e migrare nel nucleo come forma troncata da 28 kDa, dove svolge funzioni non canoniche. A questo proposito, uno degli stimoli principali per la traslocazione di HO-1 nel nucleo sembra essere l’ipossia, nota per svolgere un ruolo importante nell’accumulo e nella riprogrammazione dei macrofagi nel microambiente tumorale. Sulla base di questi risultati ottenuti da noi e dagli altri, il mio progetto di tesi mira a dimostrare la correlazione tra la localizzazione subcellulare di HO-1 e l’attività immunosoppressiva dei macrofagi. Utilizzando un modello in vitro di macrofagi immunosoppressivi, abbiamo valutato la localizzazione delle forme troncate e a lunghezza intera di HO-1 mediante citofluorimetria multispettrale per immagini e Western Blot. Abbiamo anche indagato mediante citofluorimetria se l’esposizione dei macrofagi all’ipossia fosse sufficiente a indurre una riprogrammazione del loro fenotipo e dell’attività funzionale sulle cellule T attivate. Inoltre, al fine di comprendere se la forma nucleare di HO-1 possa regolare l’espressione genica dei macrofagi, abbiamo analizzato il loro profilo trascrizionale mediante RNA-seq e valutato le modifiche indotte dal trattamento con zinco protoporfirina IX (ZnPPIX), un inibitore di HO-1 precedentemente risultato efficace nel ripristinare la proliferazione delle cellule T in saggi in vitro.Tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) represent the main type of immune cells infiltrating the microenvironment of several types of tumours, where they play a key role in fostering an immunosuppressive environment which sustains tumour growth and confers resistance to various therapeutic interventions. Recent studies from our research group in glioblastoma (GBM) have disclosed a notable tumour infiltration by bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) characterized by robust immune suppressive abilities and a sustained commitment to an iron-recycling phenotype. Further studies were carried out to assess the significance of iron metabolism in the immune suppressive functions of such myeloid cells, revealing a pivotal role for heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), the rate-limiting enzyme in the oxidative catabolism of heme, in orchestrating this immune suppressive program. Based on the observation of its enzymatic activity in microsomal fractions, HO-1 has been widely recognized as a protein associated with the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER). However, recent studies showed that HO-1 is present also in other subcellular localisations. In particular, the 32-kDa HO-1 protein can be cleaved from the ER membrane and migrate to the nucleus as a 28-kDa truncated form, where it plays non-canonical functions. In this regard, hypoxia appears to be a major stimulus for HO-1 translocation to the nucleus, which is also known to play a remarkable role in macrophage accumulation and reprogramming in the tumour microenvironment. Based on these results by us and others, my thesis project aims to demonstrate the correlation between HO-1 subcellular localisation and the immune suppressive activity of macrophages. Using an in vitro model of immunosuppressive macrophages, we evaluated the localization of the truncated and full-length forms of HO-1 by multispectral imaging flow cytometry and Western Blot analysis. We also investigated by flow cytometry if the exposure of macrophages to hypoxia is sufficient to induce a reprogramming of their phenotype and functional activity on activated T cells. Furthermore, in order to comprehend if the nuclear HO-1 can regulate macrophage gene expression, we analysed macrophage transcriptomic profile by RNA sequencing and evaluated the modifications induced by the treatment with zinc protoporphyrin IX (ZnPPIX), an inhibitor of HO-1 previously found to be effective in restoring T cell proliferation in in vitro assays

NEW JERSEY SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS AND CONTEMPORARY ISSUES OF RECORDS ACCESS.

Abstract not availabl