On the role of the incompressibility constraint in soft dielectrics

In this work we demonstrate that the incompressibility constraint customarily adopted in literature to model soft dielectric composites may lead to incorrect predictions. In fact, although in these composites each phase may individually be assumed to be incompressible, for high-phase contrast in terms of elastic moduli the volumetric deformation of the softest phase can provide a non-negligible contribution to the effective behaviour. To reach our goal, we determine the effective electric response of a two-phase Dielectric Laminated Composite (DLC) actuator, whose softest phase is described by a constitutive law admitting volumetric deformation. Our results, discussed in the light of the limit case in which the softest phase consists of void, are expected to aid the design of high-performance hierarchical DLCs

Simultaneous Contralateral Vestibular Schwannoma and Middle Ear Paraganglioma Tumor

To the best of our knowledge, only 2 cases of a simultaneous contralateral vestibular schwannoma (VS) and middle ear paraganglioma (MEP) have previously been reported in literature. We report the third case observed in a 43-year-old male, who presented with an 11-year history of right-sided hearing loss and a 1-year history of left-sided pulsatile tinnitus. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a VS on the right side and computer tomography (CT) identified a Fisch type A1 paraganglioma on the left side. The VS was treated using a translabyrinthine approach and the MEP was kept under radiological observation for 1 year. Due to the growth of the MEP (Fisch type A2), it was treated with excision via a retroauricular approach. Our case was very challenging because there was a different and important pathology on each side, both carrying a risk of deafness as a consequence of the disease and/or the treatments

On the Effect of the Volumetric Deformation in Soft Dielectric Composites with High Phase Contrast

Towards the accurate modelling of soft dielectric composites, this investigation aims at demonstrating that the incompressibility constraint customarily adopted in the literature may lead to largely inaccurate predictions. This claim is grounded on the premise that, even though in these composites each phase may individually be assumed to be incompressible, the volumetric deformation of the softest phase can provide a significant contribution to the effective behaviour if the phase contrast is high enough. To reach our goal, we determine the actuation response of two-phase dielectric laminated composites (DLCs) where the softest phase admits volumetric deformation. Our results, discussed in the light of the limit case in which the softest phase consists of vacuum, on the one hand, challenge the hypotheses usually assumed in the modelling of soft dielectric composites and, on the other hand, are expected to provide useful information for the design of high-performance hierarchical DLCs

GENÓTIPOS de Hpv em Espécimes Cervicais e Anais De mulheres Sem Lesão Cervical e Soropositivas para Hiv

A infecção pelo papilomavirus humano (HPV) é o principal fator de risco para o desenvolvimento de cânceres anogenitais. Alguns genótipos, denominados de alto risco (HR-HPV), e suas variantes gênicas estão mais associados ao desenvolvimento de lesões malignas, sendo o HPV16 o mais frequente. Fatores de risco, como a infecção pelo HIV, aumenta a propensão à infecção persistente pelo HPV e câncer. Metodologias moleculares para identificação e tipagem do HPV podem ser úteis para triagem de mulheres com citologia negativa, principalmente naquelas soropositivas para HIV. Este estudo teve como objetivo caracterizar os tipos de HPV e variantes de HPV16 em espécimes cervicais e anais de mulheres soropositivas para HIV, com citologia cervical normal, atendidas no Centro de Referência em DST/AIDS, Vitória-ES. DNA viral foi pesquisado por PCR com conjuntos de iniciadores PGMY09/11 a partir de ácido nucleico extraído com kit QIAamp DNA Mini Kit (QIAGEN). O genótipo foi determinado por Reverse Line Blot (RLB), Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) ou sequenciamento gênico e as variantes de HPV16, por sequenciamento gênico. DNA de HPV foi detectado em um total de 71,4% (90/126) das mulheres, sendo 38,9% (49/126) presentes em amostras cervicais e 60,3% (76/126), em anais; 38,9% (35/90), em ambos os sítios concomitantemente. Foram detectados 34 tipos distintos de HPV, sendo os HR-HPVs encontrados em 83,7% (41/49) e 77,6% (59/76) das amostras cervicais e anais, respectivamente. O HPV16 foi o tipo mais prevalente em ambos os sítios, seguido pelos tipos 45>31,35,44,69>18,52,66 na região cervical e pelos tipos 44>6>53 na região anal. Variante europeia de HPV16 esteve presente em 70,8% (17/24) dos casos e as não europeias, em 29,2% (7/24). Mesmo genótipo de HPV em ambos os sítios anatômicos esteve presente em 48,6% das amostras e destes, 76,5% eram HR-HPV. Infecção com pelo menos três tipos de HPV foi uma ocorrência comum, sendo na maioria dos casos, na região anal (78,6%). Dentre as variáveis estudadas, idade entre 18-35 anos, contagem de CD4 abaixo de 500 cél/mm3 e carga viral do HIV acima de 50 cópias/cél estiveram estatisticamente relacionadas à presença de HPV anal. A alta frequência de HR-HPV em mulheres de um grupo de risco e com citologia cervical normal contribui para que novas políticas de rastreio possam ser implementadas para o monitoramento dessa população. Palavras-chave: HPV. HIV. Genotipagem. Variantes

Psychometric properties of the FertiQoL questionnaire in Italian infertile women in different stages of treatment

Background: Reliable Fertility-specific QoL measures can be obtained through the FertiQoL, a questionnaire with six-subscales that consider different core aspects of the person’s wellbeing and way of behaving during treatment. Objective: Examine the psychometric properties of all six-subscales of the Italian FertiQoL in a sample of infertile women and explore the effects of the ART treatment phases. Method: 323 women, in three different treatment stages (Diagnostic, Stimulation, Transfer), completed the FertiQoL. Raw data were subject to Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and a structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to validate the hypothesised model. Results: CFA shows a good fit of the data to the FertiQoL hierarchical model (chi-square/df = 1.989, CFI = 0.88, RMSEA = 0.055). After the deletion of 2 items, all FertiQoL scales have good internal consistency. SEM showed that the ART treatment phase was positively associated with fertility-related QoL scores both in the Relational (β = 0.14, p < 0.05) and in the Tolerability (β = 0.17, p < 0.05) subscales. Conclusion: All scales of the Italian FertiQoL version maintain good psychometric characteristics; Tolerability and Relational subscales are sensitive to the treatment stage and thus providing relevant information for the medical staff

New 2,6,9-trisubstituted adenines as adenosine receptor antagonists: a preliminary SAR profile

A new series of 2,6,9-trisubstituted adenines (5–14) have been prepared and evaluated in radioligand binding studies for their affinity at the human A1, A2A and A3 adenosine receptors and in adenylyl cyclase experiments for their potency at the human A2B subtype. From this preliminary study the conclusion can be drawn that introduction of bulky chains at the N6 position of 9-propyladenine significantly increased binding affinity at the human A1 and A3 adenosine receptors, while the presence of a chlorine atom at the 2 position resulted in a not univocal effect, depending on the receptor subtype and/or on the substituent present in the N6 position. However, in all cases, the presence in the 2 position of a chlorine atom favoured the interaction with the A2A subtype. These results demonstrated that, although the synthesized compounds were found to be quite inactive at the human A2B subtype, adenine is a useful template for further development of simplified adenosine receptor antagonists with distinct receptor selectivity profiles

Nb3_3Sn conductor development and characterization for NED

The main purpose of Next European Dipole (NED) project is to design and to build an Nb$_{3}$Sn ~ 15 T dipole magnet. Due to budget constraints, NED is mainly focused on superconducting cable development and production. In this work, an update is given on the NED conductor development by Alstom-MSA and SMI, which uses, respectively, Internal-Tin-Diffusion and Powder-In-Tube methods, with the aim of reaching a non-copper critical current density of ~ 3000 A/mm2 at 12 T and 4.2 K. Characterization results, including critical current and magnetization data, are presented and discussed, as well, for conductors already developed by both companies for this project. SMI succeeded to produce a strand with 50 µm diameter filaments and with a critical current of ~ 1400 A at 4.2 K and 12 T, corresponding to a non-copper critical current density of ~ 2500 A/mm2. Cabling trials with this strand were successfully carried out at LBNL

Efecto de extractos de hojas y frutos de Schinus molle sobre la estabilidad oxidativa de aceites mediante oxidación acelerada

The most highly recommended oils for the diet are those which are rich in unsaturated fatty acids. However, the presence of these components in the oils is related to oxidation, which can be determined by the induction period. Further safety and the prolongation of the storage period for such oils can be achieved by the addition of efficient antioxidants, which today are preferably from natural sources. In order to contribute to the related research, the main objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Schinus molle extracts compared to synthetic antioxidants (BHT) in delaying the oxidation of some vegetable oils. The results of the present study showed that the fruit and leaf extracts of Schinus molle presented activities and potential for being used as antioxidants in vegetable oils based on the tested methods (DPPH and ABTS). The extracts were also characterized as containing phenolic compounds by the Folin Ciocalteau method and by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The action of the extracts as natural antioxidants was proven in the vegetal oils of chia (Salvia hispanica) and peanut (Arachis hypogaea) by the Rancimat method. It was observed that the oils increased their resistance to oxidation when incorporated with the extracts of Schinus molle, and the extract from the leaves increased the induction period of peanut oil by more than three hours (from 19.5 to 22.9 hours) with an extract concentration of 2.5%. The fruit extract was more efficient in delaying the oxidation of chia oil, prolonging its induction period by more than one hour with a concentration of 2.5% (from 3.1 to 4.3 hours). According to the results, the extracts of Schinus molle have favorable properties for possible use as an additive which inhibits the oxidation process of the tested vegetables oils.Los aceites más recomendados para la dieta son los ricos en ácidos grasos insa­turados. Sin embargo, la presencia de estos componentes está relacionada con la oxidación del aceite, que puede determinarse por el período de inducción. La seguridad adicional de tales aceites y la prolongación del almacenamiento se pueden lograr mediante la adición de antioxidantes eficientes, que hoy en día se prefieren los provenientes de fuentes naturales. Para contribuir con estas investigaciones, el objetivo principal de este estudio fue evaluar la eficacia de los extractos de Schinus molle en comparación con el antioxidante sintético BHT, para retrasar la oxidación de algunos aceites vegetales. Los resultados del presente estudio mostraron que los extractos de frutas y hojas de Schinus molle presentan potencial para ser utilizados como antioxidan­tes en aceites vegetales, presentando actividades basadas en métodos probados, DPPH y ABTS. Los extrac­tos también se caracterizaron por la presencia de compuestos fenólicos determinados mediante el método de Folin Ciocalteau y por cromatografía líquida de alta resolución (HPLC). La acción de los extractos como antioxidantes naturales se evidenció en aceites vegetales de chía (Salvia hispanica) y maní (Arachis hypogaea) por el método Rancimat. Se observó que los aceites aumentan la resistencia a la oxidación cuando se le incor­poran extractos de Schinus molle, aumentando el periodo de inducción en más de tres horas (de 19,5 a 22,9 horas) del aceite de cacahuete con una concentración de extracto del 2,5%. El extracto de fruta fue más efi­ciente en retrasar la oxidación del aceite de chia, prolongando el período de inducción de este aceite en más de una hora con una concentración del 2,5% (de 3,1 a 4,3 horas). De acuerdo con los resultados, los extractos de Schinus molle tienen propiedades favorables para un posible uso como un aditivo inhibidor del proceso de oxidación de los aceites vegetales ensayados