Emotion Regulation and Parental Bonding in Families of Adolescents With Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms

Parental bonding and emotional regulation, while important to explain difficulties that may arise in child development, have mainly been studied at an individual level. The present study aims to examine alexithymia and parental bonding in families of adolescents with psychiatric disorders through different generations. The sample included a total of 102 adolescent patients with psychiatric disorders and their parents. In order to take a family level approach, a Latent Class Analysis was used to identify the latent relationships among alexithymia (Toronto Alexithymia Scale), perceived parental bonding (Parental Bonding Instrument) and the presence of adolescent internalizing or externalizing psychiatric symptoms (Youth Self-Report). Families of internalizing and externalizing adolescents present different and specific patterns of emotional regulation and parenting. High levels of adolescent alexithymia, along with a neglectful parenting style perceived by the adolescent and the father as well, characterized the families of patients with internalizing symptoms. On the other hand, in the families with externalizing adolescents, it was mainly the mother to remember an affectionless control parental style. These results suggest the existence of an intergenerational transmission of specific parental bonding, which may influence the emotional regulation and therefore the manifestation of psychiatric symptoms

The black hole X-ray binary MAXI J1348−-630 in quiescence

The properties of the disk/jet coupling in quiescent black hole low mass X-ray binaries (BH LMXBs) are still largely unknown. In this paper we present the first quasi-simultaneous radio and X-ray detection in quiescence of the BH LMXB MAXI J1348$-$630, which is known to display a hybrid disk/jet connection that depends on the accretion rate. We performed deep X-ray and radio observations using the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Australia Telescope Compact Array. MAXI J1348$-$630 is detected for the first time in quiescence at an X-ray luminosity $L_{\rm X} = (7.5 \pm 2.9) \times 10^{30} (D/2.2 \ {\rm kpc})^2$ erg s$^{-1}$: one of the lowest X-ray luminosities observed for a quiescent BH LMXB, possibly implying a short orbital period for the system. MAXI J1348$-$630 is also detected in radio at $L_{\rm R} = (4.3 \pm 0.9) \times 10^{26} (D/2.2 \ {\rm kpc})^2$ erg s$^{-1}$. These detections allow us to constrain the location of MAXI J1348$-$630 on the radio/X-ray diagram in quiescence, finding that the source belongs to the standard (radio-loud) track in this phase. This provides a strong confirmation that hybrid-correlation sources follow the standard track at low luminosities and down to quiescence, thus improving our knowledge of the disk/jet connection in BH LMXBs.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS Letter

HPMC Hydrogel Formation Mechanisms Unveiled by the Evaluation of the Activation Energy

Aqueous solutions of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) show inverse thermoreversible gelation, i.e., they respond to small temperature variations exhibiting sol–gel transition during heating, and reversibly gel–sol transition during cooling. According to the pertinent literature on HPMC aqueous systems, at room temperature, the loss modulus (G”) is higher than the storage modulus (G’). During the heating ramp, the viscoelastic response follows a peculiar path: initially, G” and G’ smoothly decrease, then drop to a minimum and finally increase. Eventually, G’ overcomes G”, indicating the gel formation. A recent explanation of this behaviour considers a two‐step mechanism: first, phase separation occurs, then fibrils form from a polymer-rich phase and entangle, leading to a three‐dimensional network. Based on this, our research focuses on the rheological analysis of the different steps of the sol–gel transition of an HPMC aqueous solution. We perform different viscoelastic tests: thermal ramps, time sweeps, and frequency sweeps at selected characteristic temperatures. We couple classical analysis of the SAOS experiments with an innovative approach based on the evaluation of the activation energy (Ea), made possible by the instrument intrinsic temperature oscillations around the target value. Results show that Ea can be a valid tool that contributes to further clarifying the peculiar microstructural evolution occurring in this kind of thermoreversible gel

Growth and remodeling in highly stressed solid tumors

Growing biological media develop residual stresses to make compatible elastic and inelastic growth-induced deformations, which in turn remodel the tissue properties modifying the actual elastic moduli and transforming an initially isotropic and homogeneous material into a spatially inhomogeneous and anisotropic one. This process is crucial in solid tumor growth mechanobiology, the residual stresses directly influencing tumor aggressiveness, nutrients walkway, necrosis and angiogenesis. With this in mind, we here analyze the problem of a hyperelastic sphere undergoing finite heterogeneous growth, in cases of different boundary conditions and spherical symmetry. By following an analytical approach, we obtain the explicit expression of the tangent elasticity tensor at any point of the material body as a function of the prescribed growth, by involving a small-on-large procedure and exploiting exact solutions for layered media. The results allowed to gain several new insights into how growth-guided mechanical stresses and remodeling processes can influence the solid tumor development. In particular, we highlight that— under hypotheses consistent with mechanical and physiological conditions—auxetic (negative Poisson ratio) transformations of the elastic response of selected growing mass districts could occur and contribute to explain some not yet completely understood phenomena associated to solid tumors. The general approach proposed in the present work could be also helpfully employed to conceive composite materials where ad hoc pre-stress distributions can be designed to obtain auxetic or other selected mechanical properties

Thermal and mechanical properties of polycaprolactone-based composites with diatomaceous earth and halloysite nanotubes

1. Introduction The biodegradable polymers have been attracted interest for the design of green composites in recent decades to face the urgent environmental issues. Polycaprolactone (PCL) is one of the most promising environmentally friendly polymers. Recent studies have reported that blending PCL with different types of fillers may affect its physic-chemical properties and crystallization rate. Halloysite nanotubes (HNT) and diatomaceous earth (DE) have been recently investigated for the preparation of PCL-based composites with appealing performances1,2. Both are naturally occurring materials with nanoscale dimensions and a structure that lend them also absorbent properties. Potentialities of such materials in polymer composites need to be further developed for environmental remediation applications3. For the study, binary blends of PCL with HNT and DE were prepared by melt mixing, starting from 5 w/t% of filler to the maximum miscible concentration to the polymer. The thermal and mechanical properties of the obtained composites were investigated. Thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis were employed for the research purposes. 2. Results and Discussion Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA): The measurements were carried out by using the Q5000 IR instrument (TA Instruments) under nitrogen flow of 25 cm3/min by heating the samples from 20° to 800 °C. with a rate of 1°C/min. The degradation temperature of the pristine materials and their composites were taken at the maximum of the first order derivative curves of mass percentage vs. temperature. It was observed that concentration of HNTs up to 15 w/t% did not affect the thermal stability of PCL. The recorded Tmax values show no significant variations compared to pristine PCL. Higher content of HNT, beyond these levels, leads to a significative decrease in the thermal stability of the PCL matrix, resulted in a lower onset decomposition temperature. The addition of DE did not significatively affect the thermal stability of the composites, with a similar onset temperature for all of composites as the DE content increased. Graphs of the residue vs filler concentration showed a good dispersion degree of the filler particles throughout the polymeric matrix. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC): The melting and crystallization behaviour testing of the composites and of pristine materials were carried out by using the differential scanning calorimeter TA Instrument DSC (2920 CE). Samples of approximately 5 mg were heated from 25°C to 80°C at a rate of 1 °C/min, under nitrogen atmosphere. The melting temperatures at the onset (Tmi), at the peak (Tmp) and the enthalpy of melting (ΔHm) per gram of PCL in the composites were calculated. The heating thermograms showed melting temperatures values constant for both PCL-based composites as compared to the neat PCL. The crystallinity degree (ꭓc) of PCL did not change for blends with DE while significant variations were observed in PCL/HNT nanocomposites. The results showed that, up to the filler concentration of 15 wt%, ꭓc increase, indicating that the well-dispersed HNT acted as nucleating agents in the PCL matrix. At higher concentrations, the crystallinity degree decreased, affected by the achievement of the percolation threshold of HNT and by the consequent decrease in molecular mobility of the PCL chains in the nanocomposites. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA): Dynamic mechanical measurements were performed by using the DMA Q800 (TA Instruments). The temperature range was 30° to 80°C with a scan rate of 2°C/min, at an applied oscillation frequency of 1 Hz and strain of 0.5%. The shear gear method with samples of a surface of 100 mm2 were employed to measure the elastic (storage modulus) and the viscous (loss modulus) components and tan delta parameters. For the study, the peak maximum of the loss modulus curves was considered. It was observed that these values reduced in the filled system as compared to the pristine counter parts, which is due to the reduction of viscous component of the polymer matrix by the presence of HNT and DE. 3. Conclusions Well-dispersed binary blends of PCL with HNT and DE were prepared by melt mixing. Composites with the maximum miscible concentration to the polymer were obtained since there is a lack of information in the literature on the evolution of crystallization rate in PCL composites containing high percentages of fillers. TGA and DSC analysis evidenced that the thermal properties of the polymer are mostly affected by the HNT addition and that the HNT concentration of 15 w/t% represents a sort of critical threshold after which a change in the behaviour of the composites occurs. Viscoelastic measurements showed that both fillers increase the capacity of PCL to store energy during mechanical stress as their content percentage increases. The reported data are the result of a preliminary characterization of sustainable composites whose potential for environmental remediation applications is currently being studied. References 1. Kassa, A.,et al. Effects of montmorillonite, sepiolite, and halloysite clays on the morphology and properties of polycaprolactone bionanocomposites. Polym.Compos. 28(2020) 2. Oun, A. A.,et al. Comparative study of oregano essential oil encapsulated in halloysite nanotubes and diatomaceous earth as antimicrobial and antioxidant composites. Appl. Clay Sci. 224(2022) 3. Cavallaro, G.,et al. Organic-nanoclay composite materials as removal agents for environmental decontamination. RSC Adv. 9(2019

Microzooplankton grazing and phytoplankton growth in marine mesocosms with increased CO2 levels

Microzooplankton grazing and algae growth responses to increasing pCO2 levels (350, 700 and 1050 μatm) were investigated in nitrate and phosphate fertilized mesocosms during the PeECE III experiment 2005. Grazing and growth rates were estimated by the dilution technique combined with taxon specific HPLC pigment analysis. Microzooplankton composition was determined by light microscopy. Despite a range of up to 3 times the present CO2 levels, there were no clear differences in any measured parameter between the different CO2 treatments. During days 3–9 of the experiment the algae community standing stock, measured as chlorophyll a (Chl-a), showed the highest instantaneous grow rates (k=0.37–0.99 d−1) and increased from ca. 2–3 to 6–12 μg l−1, in all mesocosms. Afterwards the phytoplankton standing stock decreased in all mesocosms until the end of the experiment. The microzooplankton standing stock, that was mainly constituted by dinoflagellates and ciliates, varied between 23 and 130 μg C l−1 (corresponding to 1.9 and 10.8 μmol C l−1), peaking on day 13–15, apparently responding to the phytoplankton development. Instantaneous Chl-a growth rates were generally higher than the grazing rates, indicating only a limited overall effect of microzooplankton grazing on the most dominant phytoplankton. Diatoms and prymnesiophytes were significantly grazed (12–43% of the standing stock d−1) only in the pre-bloom phase when they were in low numbers, and in the post-bloom phase when they were already affected by low nutrients and/or viral lysis. The cyanobacteria populations appeared more affected by microzooplankton grazing which generally removed 20–65% of the standing stock per day

Comparing home and parcel lockers’ delivery systems: a math-heuristic approach

E-commerce is a continuously growing sector worldwide, with important repercussions on the delivery system in urban area and especially in the Business to Consumer (B2C) sector. The delivery of a package to a consumer's address involves not only high costs for couriers (greater number of kilometres travelled), but also increased congestion and greater environmental pollution (greater volume of pollutants released into the air). To rationalize deliveries in urban areas the use of collection points, equipped with lockers, to store the goods that users have ordered has been considered in literature. This work compares two alternative delivery options: deliveries to the consumer's home versus to Lockers. To make this comparison we used a cluster first route second math-heuristic approach. In the clustering phase, we experimented a new clustering function, while the routing phase consists in solving an instance of the Traveling Salesman Problem for each generated cluster. Finally, we applied the math-heuristic to a real case (the Italian municipality of Dolo near Venice) and compared the two delivery alternatives. We evaluate the performance considering two different fleets of vehicles, with small and medium capacity. In addition, since additional trips might be performed by consumers to pick up parcels at Lockers, a sensitivity analysis was carried out to analyse the sustainability of the proposed city logistics scheme

Water Collection and Distribution Systems in the Palermo Plain During the Middle Ages

It has been said that Palermo is short of available water. However, nothing could be more wrong. Well-documented Arab sources and narrative chronicles reported an abundance of groundwater resources in Palermo Plain since the Middle Ages. The scarcity of sources and surface water in the Palermo Plain, compared to the groundwater abundance, led the inhabitants to use groundwater both for irrigation and domestic usage through a complex and sustainable hydraulic system. Vertical and horizontal (qanāts) wells, conveyed water towards gardens and public fountains making the Arabic Bal’harm (Palermo) a flourishing town. When visitors walk through the streets of Palermo’s historical center, among Arab ruins and Baroque architecture, they hardly imagine that there is a wide and varied cultural heritage of underground cavities hidden in the basements where water flows in intricate networks fed from a numerous springs. Only in recent years was a part of this system brought to light. Moreover, the city still has a wide and fascinating water distribution system consisting of irrigation basin (gebbie), ingenious hydraulic machines named senie, and distribution chessboard of irrigation (saje) and drinking water (catusi) canals. The medieval water collection and distribution systems and their various components in the Palermo Plain are reviewed together with the influence of the Arab water management on environment

Maca (Lepidium meyenii): In Vitro Evaluation of Rumen Fermentation and Oxidative Stress

The aim of this study was to investigate the chemical composition of three maca (Lepidium meyenii Walp.) ecotypes (yellow, black, and red) and their in vitro fermentation characteristics and antioxidant effects on cow rumen liquor. The three ecotypes were added to a total mixed ratio (TMR) in different doses (0, 150, and 300 mg/g) and incubated in vitro under anaerobic conditions for 120 h. Methane production was recorded after 24 h of incubation. Antioxidant status and degree of lipid peroxidation were also evaluated after 24 and 120 h of incubation with the fermentation liquor. An analysis of the chemical composition showed high concentrations of non-structural carbohydrates in all maca ecotypes, particularly in the yellow ecotypes. Moreover, despite an increase in gas production, it seems that the TMR supplemented with each maca ecotype, particularly at the highest dose, increases the amount of volatile fatty acids and reduces methane production. Finally, the addition of maca can induce an antioxidant effect. Our findings suggest that the three ecotypes of maca are rich in non-structural carbohydrates which affect the in vitro fermentation kinetics and reduce methane production