How to prioritize bridge maintenance using a functional priority index

The progressive aging of civil infrastructures makes it essential to develop managerial tools and instrument for planning maintenance activities. As public entities, typically in charge of the management of infrastructures, have limited resources, it is crucial to define clear prioritization criteria. Addressing this need, this work introduces the usage of a functional priority index for ranking infrastructures on the basis of the impact of their closure. The impact is expressed in terms of induced travel delay for people due to path detour. To estimate this delay an analytical strategy is introduced and applied to assess the priority index on a sample of 290 bridges in Lombardy. Relevant information are gathered integrating two data sources providing information on the transportation network and on the travel demand, i.e. road network data and Origin Destination matrices. The results of this application show that the method enables the identification of the most critical infrastructures and the detection, for each bridge closure, of the most impacted areas of the region and the most impacted hours of the day

A biostimulant based on seaweed (Ascophyllum Nodosum and Laminaria digitata) and yeast extracts mitigateswater stress effects on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum l.)

Water deficit is one of the most problematic stressors worldwide. In this context, the use of biostimulants represents an increasingly ecological practice aimed to improve crop tolerance and mitigate the negative effects on the productivity. Here, the effect derived from the foliar application of ERANTHIS®®, a biostimulant based on seaweed (Ascophyllum nodosum and Laminaria digitata) and yeast extracts, was tested on tomato plants grown under mild water-stress conditions. The potential stress mitigation action was evaluated by monitoring morphometric (fresh weight and dry matter content), physiological (stem water potential) and biochemical (ROS scavenger enzymes activity, proline, abscisic acid, hydrogen peroxide and photosynthetic pigment content) parameters closely related to the occurrence and response to stress at both flowering and fruit-set timing. In general, we observed that plants grown under drought conditions and treated with the biostimulant had a lower amount of ABA, and MDA and proline correlated to a lower activity of ROS scavenger enzymes compared to untreated plants. These data, together with the higher stem water potential and photosynthetic pigment levels recorded for the treated plants, suggest that ERANTHIS®® may mitigate water stress effects on tomato

Macrospin dynamics in antiferromagnets triggered by sub-20 femtosecond injection of nanomagnons

The understanding of how the sub-nanoscale exchange interaction evolves in macroscale correlations and ordered phases of matter, such as magnetism and superconductivity, requires to bridging the quantum and classical worlds. This monumental challenge has so far only been achieved for systems close to their thermodynamical equilibrium. Here we follow in real time the ultrafast dynamics of the macroscale magnetic order parameter in the Heisenberg antiferromagnet KNiF 3 triggered by the impulsive optical generation of spin excitations with the shortest possible nanometre wavelength and femtosecond period. Our magneto-optical pump-probe experiments also demonstrate the coherent manipulation of the phase and amplitude of these femtosecond nanomagnons, whose frequencies are defined by the exchange energy. These findings open up opportunities for fundamental research on the role of short-wavelength spin excitations in magnetism and strongly correlated materials; they also suggest that nanospintronics and nanomagnonics can employ coherently controllable spin waves with frequencies in the 20 THz domain

Properties and nature of Be stars: 29. Orbital and long-term spectral variations of \gamma\ Cassiopei\ae

A detailed analysis of more than 800 electronic high-resolution spectra of gamma Cas, which were obtained during a time interval of over 6000 days (16.84 yrs) at several observatories, documents the smooth variations in the density and/or extend of its circumstellar envelope. We found a clear anticorrelation between the peak intensity and FWHM of the H alpha emission, which seems to agree with recent models of such emission lines. The main result of this study is a confirmation of the binary nature of the object, determination of a reliable linear ephemeris T_{min.RV} = HJD (2452081.9$\pm$0.6) + (203.52$\pm$0.08)*E, and a rather definitive set of orbital elements. We clearly demonstrated that the orbit is circular within the limits of accuracy of our measurements and has a semi-amplitude of radial-velocity curve of 4.30$\pm$0.09 (km/s). No trace of the low-mass secondary was found. The time distribution of our spectra does not allow a reliable investigation of rapid spectral variations, which are undoubtedly present in the spectra. We postpone this investigation for a future study, based on series of dedicated whole-night spectral observations

Maternal exposure to di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) promotes the transgenerational inheritance of adult-onset reproductive dysfunctions through the female germline in mice

Endocrine disruptors (EDS) are compounds known to promote transgenerational inheritance of adult-onset disease in subsequent generations after maternal exposure during fetal gonadal development. This study was designed to establish whether gestational and lactational exposure to the plasticizer di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) at environmental doses promotes transgenerational effects on reproductive health in female offspring, as adults, over three generations in the mouse. Gestating F0 mouse dams were exposed to 0, 0.05, 5 mg/kg/day DEHP in the diet from gestational day 0.5 until the end of lactation. The incidence of adult-onset disease in reproductive function was recorded in F1, F2 and F3 female offspring. In adult Fl females, DEHP exposure induced reproductive adverse effects with: i) altered ovarian follicular dynamics with reduced primordial follicular reserve and a larger growing pre-antral follicle population, suggesting accelerated follicular recruitment; ii) reduced oocyte quality and embryonic developmental competence; iii) dysregulation of the expression profile of a panel of selected ovarian and pre-implantation embryonic genes. F2 and F3 female offspring displayed the same altered reproductive morphological phenotype and gene expression profiles as Fl, thus showing transgenerational transmission of reproductive adverse effects along the female lineage. These findings indicate that in mice exposure to DEHP at doses relevant to human exposure during gonadal sex determination significantly perturbs the reproductive indices of female adult offspring and subsequent generations. Evidence of transgenerational transmission has important implications for the reproductive health and fertility of animals and humans, significantly increasing the potential biohazards of this toxicant

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Abstract:  Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the eighth most prevalent cancer in the world, it has high morbidity and a low survival rate. The identification of biological markers allows increasing the sensitivity or specificity in the early detection or prognosis of malignancy in the population. The aim of this work was to determine the expression pattern of connexin 43 (Cx43) and Ki-67 in OSCC biopsies and control samples. Retrospective study of 24 samples of <18 years old, both genders, patients treated by spontaneous demand between 2014 and 2017 (approved by IRB Protocol No. 1379).OSCCs were diagnosed following the ICD10 classification code C00-C14. The controls were samples of normal gingival epithelium after dental extraction not associated with malignant or premalignant lesions.The expression levels of tumorigenic biomarkers were evaluated by immunohistochemical staining (IHQ). IHQ was analyzed in digital photomicrographs in 3 fields of 10-3 mm2using Image Pro Plus v13 software.Immunostainingwas classified according to the criteria of Tanaka et al. o y col. (2016) for Cx43 as low, medium and high expression, and positive-negative for Ki67 according to Schermaet al.(2017). The comparison between OSCC samples and controls was carried out using the Mann-Whitney test. The correlation was analyzed using the Spearman Coefficient (CS). A p-value <0.05 was set for statistical significance.Cx43 immunostaining was positive in 70% of control samples. Meanwhile, 90% of the cells presented low or null Cx43 immunostaining in OSCC samples (p = 0.0001). Ki67 labelling showed an elevated number of positive cells in CBCE samples concerning controls (p = 0.0007). Likely, in the process of malignant transformation, one of the first alterations in the epithelium of the buccal mucosa is the loss of Cx43 in the membrane, which modifies cell differentiation. In addition, the increase in cyclin Ki67 could be associated with the increase in cell proliferation. Both markers could be useful to identify the early stages of OSCC. (Work funded by FONCYT PICT2016–2358).Resumen:  El carcinoma bucal a células escamosas (CBCE) es el octavo cáncer más prevalente en el mundo, presenta una elevada tasa de morbilidad y baja tasa de supervivencia. La identificación de marcadores biológicos permite aumentar la sensibilidad o especificidad de la detección precoz o pronóstico de malignidad en la población. El objetivo del trabajo fue determinar el patrón de expresión de conexina 43 (Cx43) y Ki-67 en biopsias de CBCEy controles. Estudio retrospectivo de 24 muestras de pacientes mayores de 18 años de ambos géneros atendidos por demanda espontánea entre el año 2014 a 2017 (aprobado por Protocolo IRB No. 1379). LosCBCEfueron diagnosticados siguiendo la clasificación CIE10 código C00-C14. Los controles fueron muestras de epitelio gingival normal post-extracción dentaria no asociadas a lesiones malignas o premalignas. Los niveles de expresión de los biomarcadores tumorigénicos se evaluaron mediante tinción inmunohistoquímica. La inmunomarcación se evaluó en microfotografías digitales en 3 campos de 10-3mm2utilizando el software Image Pro Plus v13. Se clasificó como expresión baja, media y alta según criterios de Tanaka el al (2016) para Cx43, y en positiva-negativa para Ki67 según Scherma et al (2017). La comparación entre muestras CBCE y controles se realizó mediante la Prueba Mann-Whitney. La correlación se analizó mediante el Coeficiente Spearman (CS). Se fijó un p<0,05 para significación estadística. En muestras controles se observó un 70% de inmunomarcación positiva Cx43; mientras que enmuestrasCBCEel 90% de las células presentó inmunomarcaciónbajaonula (p=0,0001).La marcación con Ki67 mostró un elevado número de células positivas en muestras de CBCE en relación a los controles (p=0,0007). Se observó una correlación positiva entre marcación positiva Ki67 y marcación nula o baja de Cx43 en membrana (CS=0,62).Posiblemente, en el proceso de transformación maligna, una de las primeras alteraciones en el epitelio de la mucosa bucal sea la pérdida de Cx43 de membrana, lo cual modifica la diferenciación celular. Además, el aumento de la ciclina Ki67 estaría asociado a un aumento de la proliferación celular. La detección de ambos marcadores podría ser útil para identificar etapas tempranas de CBCE. (Trabajo financiado por FONCYT PICT2016–2358).