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The soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) is the bioactive form of uPAR, a membrane-bound glycoprotein, and it is primarily expressed on the surface of immunologically active cells. Mirroring local inflammation and immune activation, suPAR has gained interest as a potential prognostic biomarker in several inflammatory diseases. Indeed, in many diseases, including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases, and inflammatory disorders, higher suPAR concentrations have been associated with disease severity, disease relapse, and mortality. Our review describes and discusses the supporting literature concerning the promising role of suPAR as a biomarker in different autoimmune rheumatic and non-rheumatic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to establish whether a resistance exercise for the upper body may generate a postactivation performance enhancement (PAPE) in the lower body. Thirteen resistance-trained men (age = 26.4 ± 3.3 years, body mass = 76.9 ± 6.3 kg, and height = 177.6 ± 5.2 cm) participated in the present investigation and were tested for upper-body and lower-body power (bench press throw and countermovement jump power [CMJP] tests). Subjects were also tested for maximum force and electromyographic (EMG) activation of quadriceps muscles while performing an isometric leg extension. All assessments were performed before and 8 minutes after a high-intensity (HI: 5 sets of 1 rep at 90% of 1 repetition maximum [1RM]) bench press protocol, a high-power protocol (POW: 5 sets of 1 rep at 30% of 1RM with maximum explosive intent), and a control trial (CON). Subjects performed all trials in a randomized order and on different days. A significant trial × time interaction was detected for CMJP (p = 0.049). This parameter was significantly increased following the HI protocol only (p = 0.024). A significant interaction was also noted for EMG with a significant improvement following the HI protocol (p = 0.032) and a significant decrease following the POW protocol (p = 0.020). No other significant effects were detected (p > 0.05). The results of this investigation indicate that a HI bench press protocol may produce a PAPE in the lower-body power and increase the neuromuscular activation of leg extensor muscles. The POW bench press protocol did not show any positive effects on lower-body performance. Athletes and practitioners may take advantage from the inclusion of upper-body HI resistance exercises throughout complex resistance workouts to improve lower-body power output. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the high performance exhibited by tungsten (W), no material would be able to withstand the huge loads expected with extreme plasma transients in EU-DEMO and future reactors, where the installation of sacrificial first wall limiters is essential to prevent excessive wall degradation. The integration of W lattices in the architecture of such components can allow for meeting their conflictual requirements: indeed, they must ensure the effective exhaust of the nominal thermal load during stationary operation; when transients occur, they must thermally insulate and decouple the surface from the heat sink, promoting prompt vapour shielding formation. Starting from the optimised layouts highlighted in a previous study, in this work, a detailed 3D finite element model was developed to analyse in depth the influence of the actual features of the latticed metamaterial on the overall performance of the EU-DEMO limiter PFC on the basis of a flat tile configuration. Its main goal is to help in identifying the most promising layout as a preconceptual design for the fabrication of a small-scale mock-up. For this purpose, the complex geometry of a W-based lattice armour was faithfully reproduced in the model and analysed. This allowed for a detailed assessment of the thermally induced stresses that develop in the component because of the temperature field in response to a number of plasma scenarios—above all, normal operation and ramp down. Structural integrity was verified through the acceptance criteria established for ITER. The two optimised layouts proposed for the PFC were able to effectively meet the requirements under normal reactor operating conditions, while they missed some requirements in the ramp-down case. However, the first HHF tests will be performed in order to benchmark the analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outdoor biofuel production from microalgae is a complex dynamical process submitted to climatic variations. Controlling and optimizing such a nonlinear process strongly influenced by weather conditions is therefore tricky, but it is crucial to make this process economically sustainable. The strategy investigated in this study uses weather forecast coupled to a detailed predictive model of algal productivity for online optimization of the rates of fresh medium injection and culture removal into and from the pond. This optimization strategy was applied at various climatic conditions and significantly increased productivity compared to a standard operation with constant pond depth and dilution rate, by up to a factor of 2.2 in a Mediterranean climate in summer. A thorough analysis of the optimizer strategy revealed that the increase of productivity in summer was achieved by finding a trade-off between algal concentration to optimally distribute light and pond temperature to get closer to optimal growth temperature. This study also revealed that maintaining the temperature as high as possible is the best strategy to maximize productivity in cold climatic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of mathematical models describing the photosynthetic apparatus of microalgae is paramount to gain deeper knowledge of the involved biological process and enable optimisation of cultivation conditions. This paper presents a dynamic model of the entire photosynthetic apparatus including the photosystems I (PSI) and II (PSII), the electron carriers between the two photosystems (plastoquinone, cytochrome b6f and cytochrome c6) and the final electron acceptor complex, the ferredoxin. In vivo measurements of PSI oxidation dynamics at different light intensities for the microalga Nannochloropsis gaditana have been exploited to develop and calibrate the model. The model has been experimentally identified and proved to be capable of accurate predictions of both linear and cyclic electron flows dependence on light intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Assessed the effectiveness of dense phase CO2 treatment to inactivate different bacterial strains on solid food matrices. [•] Investigated the impact of operating conditions on the time evolution of bacterial concentration. [•] Mathematical models developed and identified against experimental inactivation data. [•] Proposed operational maps illustrating the time required to achieve an assigned inactivation degree. [•] Demonstrated the potential of relatively simple models to represent the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is the objective assessment of gait abnormalities in diabetic patients and the quantification of the benefits of physical activity in improving gait quality. Patients were equipped with foot-switches and knee goniometers and were asked to walk at their natural pace for 2.5 min. A statistical gait analysis was performed extracting from hundreds of strides the "atypical" cycles, i.e., the cycles which do not show the usual sequence of gait phases (heel contact, flat foot contact, push off, swing), the duration of the heel contact phase, and the knee kinematics in the sagittal plane. A sample population of 27 non-neuropathic type 2 diabetic patients was examined before and after attending a light-intensity physical activity program that lasted for four months. A fuzzy classifier was used to assign a score to the gait abnormalities of each patient in baseline conditions and after the program completion. More than 50% of the subjects showed a significant reduction in their gait abnormalities and on average, the most frequent improvements were the reduction of atypical cycles and heel contact duration. Furthermore, we found that in basal conditions, the left side is more affected by gait abnormalities than the right (P < 0.003). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]