Hydrogels for three-dimensional ionizing-radiation dosimetry

Radiation-sensitive gels are among the most recent and promising developments for radiation therapy (RT) dosimetry. RT dosimetry has the twofold goal of ensuring the quality of the treatment and the radiation protection of the patient. Benchmark dosimetry for acceptance testing and commissioning of RT systems is still based on ionization chambers. However, even the smallest chambers cannot resolve the steep dose gradients of up to 30–50% per mm generated with the most advanced techniques. While a multitude of systems based, e.g., on luminescence, silicon diodes and radiochromic materials have been developed, they do not allow the truly continuous 3D dose measurements offered by radiation-sensitive gels. The gels are tissue equivalent, so they also serve as phantoms, and their response is largely independent of radiation quality and dose rate. Some of them are infused with ferrous sulfate and rely on the radiation-induced oxidation of ferrous ions to ferric ions (Fricke-gels). Other formulations consist of monomers dispersed in a gelatinous medium (Polyacrylamide gels) and rely on radiation-induced polymerization, which creates a stable polymer structure. In both gel types, irradiation causes changes in proton relaxation rates that are proportional to locally absorbed dose and can be imaged using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Changes in color and/or opacification of the gels also occur upon irradiation, allowing the use of optical tomography techniques. In this work, we review both Fricke and polyacrylamide gels with emphasis on their chemical and physical properties and on their applications for radiation dosimetry

The economic burden of obesity in Italy: a cost‑of‑illness study

Background Obesity is a complex health disorder that significantly increases the risk of several chronic diseases, and it has been associated with a 5–20-year decrease in life expectancy. The prevalence of obesity is increasing steadily worldwide and Italy follows this trend with an increase of almost 30% in the adult obese population in the last 3 decades. Previous studies estimated that 2–4% of the total health expenditure in Europe is attributed to obesity and it is projected to double by 2050. Currently, there is a lack of sufficient knowledge on the burden of obesity in Italy and most relevant estimates are derived from international studies. The aim of this study is to estimate the direct and indirect costs of obesity in Italy, taking 2020 as the reference year. Methods Based on data collected from the literature, a quantitative cost-of-illness (COI) study was performed from a societal perspective focussing on the adult obese population (Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m2) in Italy. Results The study indicated that the total costs attributable to obesity in Italy amounted to €13.34 billion in 2020 (95% credible interval: €8.99 billion < μ < €17.80 billion). Direct costs were €7.89 billion, with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) having the highest impact on costs (€6.66 billion), followed by diabetes (€0.65 billion), cancer (€0.33 billion), and bariatric surgery (€0.24 billion). Indirect costs amounted to €5.45 billion, with almost equal contribution of absenteeism (€2.62 billion) and presenteeism (€2.83 billion). Conclusions Obesity is associated with high direct and indirect costs, and cost-effective prevention programmes are deemed fundamental to contain this public health threat in Italy

Collisional and molecular spectroscopy in an ultracold Bose-Bose mixture

The route toward a Bose-Einstein condensate of dipolar molecules requires the ability to efficiently associate dimers of different chemical species and transfer them to the stable rovibrational ground state. Here, we report on recent spectroscopic measurements of two weakly bound molecular levels and newly observed narrow d-wave Feshbach resonances. The data are used to improve the collisional model for the Bose-Bose mixture 41K87Rb, among the most promising candidates to create a molecular dipolar BEC.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figure

Effect of affective priming on prosocial orientation through mobile application: Differences between digital immigrants and natives

Digital revolution has drastically changed people’s lives in the last three decades inspiring scholars to deepen the role of technologies in thinking and information processing (Baranyi et al., 2015). Prensky (2001) has developed the notion of digital generation, differentiating between natives and immigrants. Digital natives are characterised by their highly automatic and quick response in hyper-textual environment. Digital immigrants are characterised by their main focus on textual elements and a greater proneness to reflection. The main goal of the present research is to investigate the effect of affective priming on prosocial orientation in natives and immigrants by using a mobile application. A quasi-experimental study has been conducted to test whether and how the manipulation of the priming, through positively and negatively connoted images, influences prosocial orientation. The results attested that negative affective priming elicited by app influences negatively prosocial orientation, while positive affective priming influences it positively prosocial orientation. However, this effect is true mainly for digital natives. Overall, findings underline the relevance of taking into account the effects of affective priming in technological environment, especially in the case of digital natives

An early instance of upper palaeolithic personal ornamentation from China: The freshwater shell bead from Shuidonggou 2.

We report the discovery and present a detailed analysis of a freshwater bivalve from Shuidonggou Locality 2, layer CL3. This layer is located c. 40 cm below layer CL2, which has yielded numerous ostrich eggshell beads. The shell is identified as the valve of a Corbicula fluminea. Data on the occurrence of this species in the Shuidonggou region during Marine Isotope Stage 3 and taphonomic analysis, conducted in the framework of this study, of a modern biocoenosis and thanatocoenosis suggest that the archeological specimen was collected at one of the numerous fossil or sub-fossil outcrops where valves of this species were available at the time of occupation of level CL3. Experimental grinding and microscopic analysis of modern shells of the same species indicate that the Shuidonggou shell was most probably ground on coarse sandstone to open a hole on its umbo, attach a thread, and use the valve as a personal ornament. Experimental engraving of freshwater shells and microscopic analysis identify an incision crossing the archaeological valve outer surface as possible deliberate engraving. Reappraisal of the site chronology in the light of available radiocarbon evidence suggests an age of at least 34-33 cal kyr BP for layer CL3. Such estimate makes the C. fluminea recovered from CL3 one of the earliest instances of personal ornamentation and the earliest example of a shell bead from China.This research was supported by the Sino-French collaborative Programme Cai Yuanpei, the Chinese Ministry of National Education, the Chinese Higher Education and Research Council (MENESR), the China Scholarship Council (CSC), and the Key Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KZZD-EW-15).SP201

Attachment Styles and Communication of Displeasing Truths

This work explores how humans manage the communication of a displeasing and face-threatening truth and how the communicative strategies of the sender and the reaction of the receiver are influenced by their attachment style. Two experimental studies demonstrate that the attachment styles of both senders and receivers can influence the communicative styles of the sender, the emotions that both senders and receivers feel or attribute to their interlocutor, and the reactions of the receivers. In Study 1, couples of participants played a bogus computer game, ostensibly to test their abilities. Subsequently, “the spokesperson” was given the task to communicate to the “the receiver” a bogus low score of the other and a high score of oneself. Finally, all participants completed an adult Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ). A content analysis of the verbal messages of the spokespersons showed two main communication styles: frankness and mitigation. The results suggest that the spokespersons’ attachment style influences these communication styles. Using a similar procedure, Study 2 showed that spokespersons with a high avoidant attachment more frequently used frankness when communicating low scores to the receivers. Furthermore, the emotions and impressions reported by anxious and avoidant spokespersons and receivers, respectively, confirm the negative model of the self or the other, typical, respectively, in anxious and avoidant attachment. The detection of communicative strategies stemming from different attachment styles might be of use in user modeling and the planning of personalized systems

Taphonomic analysis of the faunal assemblage associated with the hominins (Australopithecus sediba) from the early pleistocene cave deposits of Malapa, South Africa.

Here we present the results of a taphonomic study of the faunal assemblage associated with the hominin fossils (Australopithecus sediba) from the Malapa site. Results include estimation of body part representation, mortality profiles, type of fragmentation, identification of breakage patterns, and microscopic analysis of bone surfaces. The diversity of the faunal spectrum, presence of animals with climbing proclivities, abundance of complete and/or articulated specimens, occurrence of antimeric sets of elements, and lack of carnivore-modified bones, indicate that animals accumulated via a natural death trap leading to an area of the cave system with no access to mammalian scavengers. The co-occurrence of well preserved fossils, carnivore coprolites, deciduous teeth of brown hyaena, and some highly fragmented and poorly preserved remains supports the hypothesis of a mixing of sediments coming from distinct chambers, which collected at the bottom of the cave system through the action of periodic water flow. This combination of taphonomic features explains the remarkable state of preservation of the hominin fossils as well as some of the associated faunal material.This paper was funded by the National Geographic Society, Gauteng Provincial Government, National Research Foundation of South Africa,African Origins Program, Evolutionary Studies Institute (University of the Witwatersrand), Carstens Trust, and the Australian Research Foundation (ARC DP140104282)

Ultrasound-assisted casting of AZ91D-1.5%Ca – Shifting T4 paradigm for downstream processing

Available online 8 October 2022The effect of the as-cast microstructure on solution treatment of AZ91D-1.5%Ca was investigated. Ultrasound treatment was applied during the casted alloy's cooling, promoting the refinement of alpha-Mg and /9-Mg17Al12 phases. Fine and divorced /9-phase was found in the ultrasound-treated sample, resulting in a superior dissolution rate of this intermetallic during subsequent solution treatment. The results indicate that tailoring the as-cast microstructure may be a route for optimizing the solution treatment necessary for downstream plastic defor-mation processes. The solution treatment's duration and temperature may be decreased, making the process economically and ecologically sustainable.National funds supported this work through the research doctoral Grant PD/BD/140094/2018 and under R&D unit with reference project UIDB/04436/2020