Glacial dynamics in pre-Alpine narrow valleys during the Last Glacial Maximum inferred by lowland fluvial records (northeast Italy)

During the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), most of the major glaciated basins of the European Southern Alps had piedmont lobes with large outwash plains; only a few glaciers remained within the valley. Piedmont glaciers have left well-preserved terminal moraines, which allow for investigations to be carried out and inferences to be made regarding their evolution and chronology. Valley glaciers\u2019 remnants, on the contrary, are often scantly preserved, and changes can only be detected through correlations with glaciofluvial deposits in downstream alluvial basins. The Brenta glacial system\u2019s dynamics in the glacier\u2019s terminal tract have been inferred through a wide range of sediment analysis techniques on an alluvial stratigraphic record of the Brenta megafan (northeast Italy), and via the mapping of in-valley glacial/glaciofluvial remnants. Glaciers flowing across narrow gorges could possibly be slowed/blocked by such morphology, and glacial/sediment fluxes may then be diverted to lateral valleys. Moreover, narrow valleys may induce glaciers to bulge and form icefalls at their front, preventing the formation of terminal moraines. The Brenta Glacier was probably slowed/blocked by the narrow Valsugana Gorge downstream of Primolano and was effectively diverted eastwards across a wind gap (Canal La Menor Valley), joining the Cismon/Piave glaciers near Rocca and ending 2 km downstream. The Cismon and Piave catchments started to contribute to the Brenta system just after 27 ka cal BP until at least 19:5 ka cal BP. After the glaciers collapsed, the Piave River once again flowed into its main valley, whilst the Cismon continued to merge with the Brenta. This investigation shows that glacial catchments may vary significantly over time during a single glaciation in rugged Alpine terrains. Sand petrography and the chemical/mineralogical composition of sediments are powerful proxies for tracing such variations, as they propagate through the glacial and glaciofluvial systems and can be recognized in the alluvial stratigraphic record far downstream from the glacier front

Metal abundances in extremely distant Galactic old open clusters. II. Berkeley 22 and Berkeley 66

We report on high resolution spectroscopy of four giant stars in the Galactic old open clusters Berkeley~22 and Berkeley~66 obtained with HIRES at the Keck telescope. We find that $[Fe/H]=-0.32\pm0.19$ and $[Fe/H]=-0.48\pm0.24$ for Berkeley~22 and Berkeley~66, respectively. Based on these data, we first revise the fundamental parameters of the clusters, and then discuss them in the context of the Galactic disk radial abundance gradient. We found that both clusters nicely obey the most updated estimate of the slope of the gradient from \citet{fri02} and are genuine Galactic disk objects.Comment: 20 pages, 6 eps figures, accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journa

Energy-efficient autonomous solar water-pumping system for permanent-magnet synchronous motors

This paper presents a novel stand–alone solar– powered water pumping system, especially suited for usage in rural or remote areas. The system is primarily designed to reduce both cost and complexity, while simultaneously guaranteeing opti¬mal utilisation of the photovoltaic generator. The use of standard hardware and control architectures ensures ease of installation, service and maintenance. The proposed solution consists of a water pump driven by a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM), controlled by a conventional field oriented control scheme. The photovoltaic array is directly connected to the DC bus of the inverter, with no intermediate power conversion stages. A perturbation based extremum–seeking controller adjusts the motor speed reference to attain the maximum power point opera-tion of the photovoltaic array. Both simulations and experimental results on a full-scale prototype support the effectiveness of the proposed system

Ozonation of Human Blood Induces a Remarkable Upregulation of Heme Oxygenase-1 and Heat Stress Protein-70

Heme oxygenase-I (HO-1) has emerged as one of the most protective enzymes and its pleiotropic activities have been demonstrated in a variety of human pathologies. Unpublished observations have shown that HO-1 is induced after the infusion of ozonated blood into the respective donors, and many other experimental observations have demonstrated the efficacy of oxidizing agents. It appeared worthwhile to evaluate whether we could better define the activity of potential inducers such as hydrogen peroxide and ozonated human plasma. Human vascular endothelial cells at confluence were challenged with different concentrations of these inducers and the simultaneous production of nitric oxide (NO); and HO-1 was measured by either measuring nitrite, or bilirubin formation, or/and the immune reactivity of the protein by Western blot using a rabbit antihuman HO-1 and Hsp-70. The results show that production of both NO and HO-1 is fairly dose dependent but is particularly elevated using human plasma after transient exposure to a medium ozone concentration. At this concentration, there is also induction of Hsp-70. The results clarify another positive effect achievable by the use of ozone therapy

Quantitative Spectroscopy of Blue Supergiants in Metal-Poor Dwarf Galaxy NGC 3109

We present a quantitative analysis of the low-resolution (4.5 A) spectra of 12 late-B and early-A blue supergiants (BSGs) in the metal-poor dwarf galaxy NGC 3109. A modified method of analysis is presented which does not require use of the Balmer jump as an independent temperature indicator, as used in previous studies. We determine stellar effective temperatures, gravities, metallicities, reddening, and luminosities, and combine our sample with the early-B type BSGs analyzed by Evans et al. (2007) to derive the distance to NGC 3109 using the Flux-weighted Gravity-Luminosity Relation (FGLR). Using primarily Fe-group elements, we find an average metallicity of [Z] = -0.67 +/- 0.13, and no evidence of a metallicity gradient in the galaxy. Our metallicities are higher than those found by Evans et al. (2007) based on the oxygen abundances of early-B supergiants ([Z] = -0.93 +/- 0.07), suggesting a low alpha/Fe ratio for the galaxy. We adjust the position of NGC 3109 on the BSG-determined galaxy mass-metallicity relation accordingly and compare it to metallicity studies of HII regions in star-forming galaxies. We derive an FGLR distance modulus of 25.55 +/- 0.09 (1.27 Mpc) that compares well with Cepheid and tip of the red giant branch (TRGB) distances. The FGLR itself is consistent with those found in other galaxies, demonstrating the reliability of this method as a measure of extragalactic distances.Comment: 50 pages, 23 figures; Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa

Chemometric-assisted cocrystallization: Supervised pattern recognition for predicting the formation of new functional cocrystals

Owing to the antimicrobial and insecticide properties, the use of natural compounds like essential oils and their active components has proven to be an effective alternative to synthetic chemicals in different fields ranging from drug delivery to agriculture and from nutrition to food preservation. Their limited application due to the high volatility and scarce water solubility can be expanded by using crystal engineering approaches to tune some properties of the active molecule by combining it with a suitable partner molecule (coformer). However, the selection of coformers and the experimental effort required for discovering cocrystals are the bottleneck of cocrystal engineering. This study explores the use of chemometrics to aid the discovery of cocrystals of active ingredients suitable for various applications. Partial Least Squares–Discriminant Analysis is used to discern cocrystals from binary mixtures based on the molecular features of the coformers. For the first time, by including failed cocrystallization data and considering a variety of chemically diverse compounds, the proposed method resulted in a successful prediction rate of 85% for the test set in the model validation phase and of 74% for the external test set

Avanço da telemedicina no Brasil no período de pandemia da COVID-19: uma revisão sistemática da literatura / Advancement of telemedicine in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic period: a systematic review of the literature

Tendo como objetivo identificar as publicações que mais diretamente trataram do crescimento da telemedicina no Brasil no período de dezembro de 2019 a fevereiro de 2002, durante a pandemia de Covid-19, utilizou-se o Google Scholar como base de pesquisa, empregando palavras-chave específicas para a busca desses documentos. Foram coletados 1.040 documentos que passaram pelo processo de seleção, descartando-se as duplicatas, os documentos que não se enquadravam como artigos acadêmico-científicos, as publicações em outras línguas que não a língua portuguesa e, sobretudo, a análise da consonância do objetivo de cada artigo com o objetivo desse estudo. Posto esse critério mais rigoroso, restaram apenas oito artigos que atenderam aos preceitos estabelecidos. De modo geral, as redações textuais das publicações demonstram avanço do segmento da telemedicina no Brasil, mormente a partir da decretação da pandemia, além do destaque para a importância do marco legal provisório, entre outros aspectos. Resulta dessa análise, também, a consensualidade da necessidade de se avançar no debate a respeito do uso das tecnologias como forma de ampliar o acesso ao tratamento médico de base, com a propositura de medidas jurídicas que assegurem a qualidade dos serviços prestados, a garantia do sigilo das informações, além da salvaguarda ao pleno exercício da profissão e dos direitos constitucionais

Can climate policy enhance sustainability?

Implementing an effective climate policy is one of the main challenges for the future. Curbing greenhouse gas emissions can prevent future irreversible impacts of climate change. Climate policy is therefore crucial for present and future generations. Nonetheless, one may wonder whether future economic and social development could be harmed by climate policy. This paper addresses this question by examining recent developments in international climate policy and considering different levels of cooperation that may arise in light of the outcomes of the Conference of the Parties held in Doha. The paper analyses how various climate policy scenarios would enhance sustainability and whether there is a trade-off between climate policy and economic development and social cohesion. This is done by using a new comprehensive indicator, the FEEM Sustainability Index (FEEM SI), which aggregates several economic, social, and environmental indicators. The FEEM SI is built into a recursive-dynamic computable general equilibrium model of the world economy, thus offering the possibility of projecting all indicators into the future and of delivering a perspective assessment of sustainability under different future climate policy scenarios. We find that the environmental component of sustainability improves at the regional and world level thanks to the implementation of climate policies. Overall sustainability increases in all scenarios since the economic and social components are affected negatively yet marginally. This analysis does not include explicitly climate change damages and this may lead to underestimating the benefits of policy actions. If the USA, Canada, Japan and Russia did not contribute to mitigating emissions, sustainability in these countries would decrease and the overall effectiveness of climate policy in enhancing global sustainability would be offset

Apolipoprotein E in idiopathic nephrotic syndrome and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis

Apolipoprotein E in idiopathic nephrotic syndrome and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.BackgroundHyperlipemia characterizes nephrotic syndrome (NS) and contributes to the progression of the underlying nephropathy. The data in the literature support an implication of apolipoprotein E (apoE) in both hyperlipemia and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a malignant condition associated with NS.MethodsThe apoE genotype was determined in 209 nephrotic patients, who were classified according to age and their response to steroids as resistant children (N = 96) and adults (43), and steroid dependent (33) and steroid responder (37) children. A total of 123 presented the histological features of FSGS. In a subgroup of 28 patients, serum and urinary levels of apoE and renal deposits were evaluated by immunofluorescence.ResultsThe allelic frequencies of the three major haplotypes γ2, γ3, and γ4 were the same in nephrotic patients versus controls, and homozygosity for γ3γ3 was comparably the most frequent genotype (70 vs. 71%) followed by γ3γ4, γ2γ3, γ2γ4, γ4γ4. Serum levels of apoE were fivefold higher in NS and in FSGS patients than in controls, with a direct correlation with hypercholesterolemia and proteinuria. ApoE genotypes did not influence serum levels. Urinary levels were 1/10,000 of serum with an increment in nephrotic urines. Finally, immunofluorescence demonstrated the absence of apoE in sclerotic glomeruli, while comparably nephrotic patients with membranous nephropathy had an increased glomerular expression of apoE.ConclusionsApoE is dysregulated in NS with a marked increment in serum, which is a part of the complex lipid metabolism. Down-regulation of glomerular apoE instead is a peculiarity of FSGS and may contribute to the pathogenesis of the disease. The normal distribution of apoE genotypes in nephrotic patients with FSGS excludes a pathogenetic role of genetic variants