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There is a growing incidence of heat-related illnesses due to rising global temperatures. Heat-related illnesses range from mild to severe, with heat stroke being the most critical. The wet bulb global temperature index considers humidity and solar intensity; its use is recommended to estimate heat stress on an individual and mitigate risk. Efficient cooling methods, such as cold water immersion, are essential in severe cases. Prevention is through hydration, appropriate clothing, recognition of high risk medications, and awareness of environmental conditions. Recognizing heat-related illnesses early in the clinical course and implementing rapid cooling strategies reduces morbidity and mortality.

Amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) occurs as a precursor to geological and biogenic calcium carbonate (CaCO3), yet its transformation pathways and reaction mechanisms remain inconsistent and controversial. In this study, we investigated the transformation of ACC to calcite under both solution and dry conditions, in the presence and absence of impurity ions, utilizing operando time-resolved synchrotron X-ray diffraction (TRXRD) and reactive transport modeling. Results demonstrate that TRXRD techniques allow us to differentiate dissolution-reprecipitation versus solid-state transformation mechanisms for amorphous to crystalline phase transitions. Specifically, we observe that in environments with abundant water, ACC transforms to calcite through a dissolution-reprecipitation mechanism. This features an activation energy of 63 ± 2 kJ/mol and unit cell volume contraction during calcite crystal growth. Conversely, under water-limited conditions, ACC to calcite transformation proceeds via a solid-state transformation mechanism, with an activation energy of 210 ± 2 kJ/mol, three times greater than the dissolution-reprecipitation route, and a unit cell expansion during crystalline calcite growth. To illustrate the magnitude of these effects, the rates of calcite growth were similar during dissolution-reprecipitation at 3 °C [0.00207(35) s–1] and solid-state transformation at 280 °C [0.00134(11) s–1]. Moreover, the incorporation of an impurity, strontium, significantly retards the rate of calcite growth while expanding its unit cell but whose incorporation is history dependent. Reactive transport modeling of the dissolution–precipitation kinetics suggests that ACC must be dissolving as compact aggregates. These various transformation mechanisms drive diverse geological and biological carbonate formations, impacting their use as paleoenvironmental markers and functional materials synthesis.

The lecture discussed whether an European Union (‘EU’) Member State’s national court’s refusal to recognize and/or enforce a valid claim in the form of a final intra-EU arbitration award on the basis of the Court of Justice of the EU’s (CJEU’s) decision in Slowakische Republik v. Achmea BV and its progeny may infringe the right to the peaceful enjoyment of possessions, guaranteed by Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 of the European Convention Human Rights (ECHR). It sets out the legal analysis that the European Court of Human Rights might apply in assessing that issue, and the interaction between EU Member States’ obligations under the ECHR, EU law and the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes between states and Nationals of Other States.

The lecture discussed whether an European Union (‘EU’) Member State’s national court’s refusal to recognize and/or enforce a valid claim in the form of a final intra-EU arbitration award on the basis of the Court of Justice of the EU’s (CJEU’s) decision in Slowakische Republik v. Achmea BV and its progeny may infringe the right to the peaceful enjoyment of possessions, guaranteed by Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 of the European Convention Human Rights (ECHR). It sets out the legal analysis that the European Court of Human Rights might apply in assessing that issue, and the interaction between EU Member States’ obligations under the ECHR, EU law and the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes between states and Nationals of Other States.

Uranyl sulfates are important constituents of uranium ores and represent a significant fraction of U(VI) minerals discovered in recent years owing to their propensity to form in mine tailings and legacy sites related to uranium exploration. Recently, we surveyed all published Raman spectra for uranium minerals and found significantly less easily accessible data available for uranyl sulfates relative to other groups of uranium minerals (Spano et al. 2023). In that work, we described average spectra for groups of uranyl minerals to understand common vibrational spectroscopic features attributable to similarities in oxyanion chemistry among U(VI) minerals, but only data for three uranyl sulfate minerals were included in the study. The present work reports on Raman spectra collected for 18 additional uranyl sulfate minerals. To better understand underlying structural and chemical features that give rise to spectroscopic observables, we relate differences in structural topology, charge-balancing cations, and locality of origin to features observed in the Raman spectra of selected natural uranyl sulfates.

Le Collège national des enseignants de cancérologie (CNEC) a été créé en septembre 1986. Il a pour missions de développer l’enseignement de la cancérologie, de promouvoir les actions pédagogiques de la discipline, de participer à l’élaboration du contenu des enseignements et de la définition des cursus et du contrôle des connaissances pour la formation des étudiants en médecine et des spécialistes, d’élaborer et valider des documents pédagogiques relatifs aux enseignements ci-dessus, d’assurer la représentation de l’enseignement de l’oncologie auprès du Conseil National Universitaire (CNU) et des autorités administratives, d’assurer et coordonner les relations avec les autres disciplines universitaires, les sociétés savantes, les groupes professionnels nationaux, européens et internationaux, et de contribuer au développement de la recherche dans la discipline. Le bureau actuel a été élu en septembre 2022 pour trois ans.

The relationship between symmetry-breaking charge separation (SB-CS) and null aggregate (NA) formation in molecular dimer complexes is investigated theoretically, with applications mainly to dimers based on PDI chromophores. Both processes derive from null points, which are defined by degeneracies in either the upper or lower adiabatic exciton bands. The Hamiltonian contains intermolecular coupling derived from the interacting molecular transition dipole moments (Coulomb coupling), which gives rise to Frenkel excitons, as well as the coupling between the Frenkel excitons and charge-transfer (CT) excitons, driven by the electron (te) and hole (th) hopping integrals. A recipe for efficient SB-CS is presented, which, beyond the Weller condition─which holds that the solvent-stabilized CT state should appear below the optical gap -includes two additional conditions: the presence of a null point and, just as important, lopsided electron and hole transfer integrals, |te| ≫ |th| or |th| ≫ |te|. When such conditions are met, the developing charge asymmetry is optimized in response to small fluctuations in the polar solvent-induced electric field, which eventually leads to the solvent-stabilized charge-separated state. It is shown that SB-CS can also occur in H-dimers with significant cofacial overlap, consistent with the observations made by several groups.

The powder bed fusion of metals using a laser beam enables the additive manufacturing of topology-optimized parts involving structural transitions and rapid cross-sectional changes. Both geometry features can cause shrink lines, which reduce the dimensional accuracy and the fatigue resistance of the manufactured part. To provide reduction measures, their point of origin needs to be located in advance. This work presents an algorithm capable of automatically predicting the shrink line location for arbitrary discretized geometries. The results demonstrate the reliable detection and layer-wise characterization of the shrink-line-causing geometry features. Suitable discretization parameters were derived and the dependence of the computational time on the part complexity was quantified.

This study provides the first experimental polarized intermolecular and intramolecular optical absorption components of field-induced polarons in regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl), rr-P3HT, a polymer semiconductor. Highly aligned rr-P3HT thin films were prepared by a high temperature shear-alignment process that orients polymer backbones along the shearing direction. rr-P3HT in-plane molecular orientation was measured by electron diffraction, and out-of-plane orientation was measured through series of synchrotron X-ray scattering techniques. Then, with molecular orientation quantified, polarized charge modulation spectroscopy was used to probe mid-IR polaron absorption in the ω= 0.075 − 0.75 eV range and unambiguously assign intermolecular and intramolecular optical absorption components of hole polarons in rr-P3HT. This data represents the first experimental quantification of these polarized components and allowed long-standing theoretical predictions to be compared to experimental results. The experimental data is discrepant with predictions of polaron absorption based on an adiabatic framework that works under the Born–Oppenheimer approximation, but the data is entirely consistent with a more recent nonadiabatic treatment of absorption based on a modified Holstein Hamiltonian. This nonadiabatic treatment was used to show that both intermolecular and intramolecular polaron coherence break down at length scales significantly smaller than estimated structural coherence in either direction. This strongly suggests that polaron delocalization is fundamentally limited by energetic disorder in rr-P3HT.

Structural characterization is crucial to understanding protein function. Compared with X-ray diffraction methods, electron crystallography can be performed on nanometer-sized crystals and can provide additional information from the resulting Coulomb potential map. Whereas electron crystallography has successfully resolved three-dimensional structures of vitrified protein crystals, its widespread use as a structural biology tool has been limited. One main reason is the fragility of such crystals. Protein crystals can be easily damaged by mechanical stress, change in temperature, or buffer conditions as well as by electron irradiation. This work demonstrates a methodology to preserve these nanocrystals in their natural environment at room temperature for electron diffraction experiments as an alternative to existing cryogenic techniques. Lysozyme crystals in their crystallization solution are hermetically sealed viagraphene-coated grids, and their radiation damage is minimized by employing a low-dose data collection strategy in combination with a hybrid-pixel direct electron detector. Diffraction patterns with reflections of up to 3 Å are obtained and successfully indexed using a template-matching algorithm. These results demonstrate the feasibility of in situprotein electron diffraction. The method described will also be applicable to structural studies of hydrated nanocrystals important in many research and technological developments.

Identification of radioactive materials is a critical goal of resource exploration, basic actinide science, and nuclear forensics, and we provide here new insights toward rapid, nondestructive analysis of uranium-containing minerals and technogenic phases. Raman and infrared spectroscopic data are powerful indicators of solid-phase U(VI) coordination chemistry. In addition, U(VI) minerals exhibit high chemical and structural diversity as artifacts of geochemical processes leading to ore formation. Spectral signals of axial UO22+U−Oyl$\mathrm{UO}_{2}^{2+}\left(\mathrm{U}-\mathrm{O}_{\mathrm{yl}}\right)$bond lengths and the influences of additional oxyanions on these values are well documented for uranium oxide and oxysalt minerals and technogenic phases. Additional insight regarding the underlying crystallographic structure and chemical composition of uranium materials can be extracted through a survey of all available Raman spectroscopic data for these phases. To this end, we have developed the Compendium of Uranium Raman and Infrared Experimental Spectra (CURIES). CURIES was compiled via a thorough review of literature and databases, and for mineral species that lack measured and recorded spectra, data were obtained either from museum and academic collections or by direct syntheses. Characteristic Raman spectroscopic features for subgroups of uranyl minerals within CURIES were elucidated using multivariate statistical analyses. In addition, average spectra for groups of uranyl minerals were determined, providing insight into common spectroscopic characteristics that are indicative of the structural origins from which they arise. As of publication, 275 mineral species and technogenic phases have been entered in CURIES, and of these, 83 phases have published spectra that have been included in the CURIES database. Data collection is ongoing, and we have triaged missing data sets to assess CURIES for completion and to identify mineral groups that lack representation and should therefore be prioritized for data acquisition and inclusion in the database.

Kingdon’s Multiple Streams Approach (MSA) and Jones and Baumgartner’s Punctuated Equilibrium Theory (PET) are public policy frameworks that have existed for many years. Given their long-term popularity, it is important for readers to have a strong working knowledge on how said frameworks function, and be able to compare and contrast them. It has also been put forth that PET only serves as an updated version of MSA, but this paper argues that said assertion is inaccurate, as PET is a useful framework in its own right. By inspecting this paper, readers will learn about MSA, PET, how they are similar and different, how they can be operationalized or used in real life circumstances, how they have been tested, and it is ultimately concluded that PET is not just a reworking of MSA.

Avec plus de 60 000 nouveaux cas de cancer du sein en France métropolitaine en 2023 et 8 % de l'ensemble des décès par cancer tous sexes confondus, le cancer du sein se situe au 1errang des cancers chez la femme par l'incidence et la mortalité. Si le nombre de nouveaux cas a presque doublé en 30 ans, le pourcentage de patientes, tout stade confondu, en vie à cinq ans (87 %) et dix ans (76 %), témoigne des progrès majeurs réalisés en termes de dépistage, caractérisation et traitements. Toutefois, ces progrès aussi rapides soient-ils, nécessitent d’être évalués et intégrés dans une stratégie globale, tenant compte les caractéristiques de la maladie (stade et biologie), mais également de celles des patients pris en charge. Tels sont les objectifs des recommandations pour la pratique clinique (RPC) de St Paul de Vence. Nous rapportons ici le résumé des votes, des discussions et des conclusions des RPC de Saint-Paul-de-Vence 2022-2023.

ABSTRACTEuropean systems have long had rules in place to secure pluralism in media ownership and to ensure that audiences are exposed to diverse content. The role of those regulations has come under increased scrutiny in recent years, as a result of political polarisation and access to international media sources. In NIT Srl v Republic of Moldova (2022), the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights considered the compatibility of rules requiring political impartiality and neutrality in broadcast media coverage with Article 10. In its decision, the Court considered the balance to be struck between two important components of media freedom: pluralism in media content and editorial freedom. Drawing on the decision in NIT, and making a comparison with the decision of the EU General Court in RT v Council of the European Union, this article examines the evolving Article 10 jurisprudence and the role of the ECHR in promoting media pluralism.

The compositions of sweat and blood are related. Therefore, sweat is an ideal noninvasive test body fluid that could replace blood for linear detection of many biomarkers, especially blood glucose. However, access to sweat samples remains limited to physical exercise, thermal stimulation, or electrical stimulation. Despite intensive research, a continuous, innocuous, and stable method for sweat stimulation and detection has not yet been developed. In this study, a nanomaterial for a sweat-stimulating gel based on the transdermal drug delivery system is presented, which transports acetylcholine chloride into the receptors of sweat glands to achieve the function of biological stimulation of skin sweating. The nanomaterial was applied to a suitable integrated sweat glucose detection device for noninvasive blood glucose monitoring. The total amount of evaporated sweat enabled by the nanomaterial is up to 35 μL·cm–2for 24 h, and the device detects up to 17.65 μM glucose under optimal conditions, showing stable performance regardless of the user’s activity level. In addition, the in vivo test was performed and compared with several studies and products, which showed excellent detection performance and osmotic relationship. The nanomaterial and associated integrated device represent a significant advance in continuous passive sweat stimulation and noninvasive sweat glucose measurement for point-of-care applications.

Institutional and Chaos Theory are frameworks in organizational behavior that have existed for many years. Given their long-term popularity in said field, it is important to have a strong working knowledge of each theory and be able to compare and contrast them. Both theories are wholly applicable to current world happenings, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. By inspecting this paper, readers will learn about Institutional and Chaos Theory, be able to identify how they relate to timely world occurrences, discover their implications in regard to public policy and public administrations, and reflect upon how they can be useful in respect to other organizational and global matters.

Multipolaron complexes in p-doped poly(3-hexylthiophene) films are investigated theoretically for polaron-anion configurations in which stationary dopant anions are positioned on both sides of the polymer chain, within the lamellar region. Complexes as large as tetrapolarons, consisting of four anions and an equal number of mobile holes, are considered. It is found that the mid-IR absorption band (P1) red-shifts and the hole ionization potential decreases as the complex grows in size, from a single polaron to a tetrapolaron. Such behavior is shown to arise mainly from enhanced hole delocalization due to hole–hole repulsion and has important implications for charge transport in organic materials.

Reducing treatment burden is a priority for people with cystic fibrosis, whose health has benefited from using new modulators that substantially increase CFTR protein function. The SIMPLIFY study aimed to assess the effects of discontinuing nebulised hypertonic saline or dornase alfa in individuals using the CFTR modulator elexacaftor plus tezacaftor plus ivacaftor (ETI).

In the last fifteen years, scholars have challenged the neoclassical definition of the market. The debate is not closed. The plurality of definitions suggests a need for an understanding of the different approaches that are emerging, and their degrees of development. The research method is based on a series of bibliometric analyses; mainly, the co-occurrence network of keywords and the development of a thematic map. The paper provides three conceptual contributions. First, it provides evidence of an intensification in the conversation on the understanding of the market. Second, it elicits five clusters: performance, marketing systems, market shaping, institutions and market practices. Finally, adopting Sawyer’s (Social emergence: societies as complex systems, Cambridge University Press, 2005) social emergence model, it suggests a positioning of the clusters within the five ontological levels of emergence.

Finchite (IMA2017-052), Sr(UO2)2(V2O8)·5H2O, is the first uranium mineral known to contain essential Sr. The new mineral occurs as yellow-green blades up to ~10 μm in length in surface outcrops of the calcrete-type uranium deposit at Sulfur Springs Draw, Martin County, Texas, U.S.A. Crystals of finchite were subsequently discovered underground in the Pandora mine, La Sal, San Juan County, Utah, U.S.A., as diamond-shaped golden-yellow crystals reaching up to 1 mm. The crystal structure of finchite from both localities was determined using single-crystal X‑ray diffraction and is orthorhombic, Pcan,with a= 10.363(6) Å, b= 8.498(5) Å, c= 16.250(9) Å, V= 1431.0(13) Å3, Z= 4 (R1= 0.0555) from Sulfur Springs Draw; and a= 10.3898(16), b= 8.5326(14), c= 16.3765(3) Å, V= 1451.8(4) Å3, Z= 4 (R1= 0.0600) from the Pandora mine. Electron-probe microanalysis provided the empirical formula (Sr0.88K0.17Ca0.10Mg0.07Al0.03Fe0.02)Σ1.20(UO2)2(V2.08O8)·5H2O for crystals from Sulfur Springs Draw, and (Sr0.50Ca0.28Ba0.22K0.05)Σ0.94(U0.99O2)2(V2.01O8)·5H2O for crystals from the Pandora mine, based on 17 O atoms per formula unit. The structure of finchite contains uranyl vanadate sheets based upon the francevillite topology. Finchite is a possible immobilization species for both uranium and the dangerous radionuclide 90Sr because of the relative insolubility of uranyl vanadate minerals in water.

La thrombose associée au cancer est une complication fréquente résultant de divers mécanismes vasculaires liés au cancer, au traitement antitumoral et au patient, et qui est associée à un mauvais pronostic. L’anticoagulation recommandée, en prévention ou en traitement curatif, repose essentiellement sur les héparines de bas poids moléculaire (HBPM) ou les anticoagulants oraux directs. L’enjeu de la thromboprophylaxie, pour laquelle les HBPM sont privilégiées en raison d’un moindre risque hémorragique notamment en cas de tumeur digestive endoluminale ou urothéliale en place, demeure l’identification des patients à risque. La question majeure concernant la prise en charge des thromboses avérées est le choix de l’anticoagulant. Du fait de la simplicité de leur administration, les anticoagulants oraux directs apparaissent comme attractifs, et les études randomisées les ayant évalués ont montré leur efficacité. Cependant, ces études sont limitées par le profil des patients inclus qui ne sont pas toujours représentatifs des situations en vraie vie, notamment concernant les cancers à risque hémorragique et certains traitements antitumoraux, inhibiteurs de tyrosine kinase notamment, qui peuvent interagir avec les anticoagulants oraux directs et en modifier potentiellement la biodisponibilité. Les recommandations disponibles soulignent ces précautions et renvoient in fineà des décisions au cas par cas. Cet article a pour but de guider l’oncologue dans son choix d’anticoagulation à travers une série de réponses documentées et pragmatiques aux questions qui se posent face à un patient pris en charge pour une tumeur solide et potentiellement à risque de thrombose ou avec une thrombose établie.

Clean pump oil is critical to the performance and longevity of oil-sealed vacuum pumps. Cold traps charged with cryogens can protect pump oil from solvent contamination but are subject to operator error. Notably, cold traps with evaporated or warmed cryogens do not protect the vacuum pump. Here, we report an open source device to automatically protect oil-sealed vacuum pumps from cold trap warming and facilitate the daily maintenance of cold traps.

In this brief, we propose a FPGA implementation of a novel Variable Fractional Delay (VFD) filter architecture for digital wideband (hundred of MHz or more) beamforming applications. The proposed architecture is based on a multirate structure that allows reaching high performance in terms of amplitude and group delay with a significant reduction in design complexity. Usually, the antenna’s beams are modified by introducing precise delays that can be multiples or fractions of the sampling period. The most used structures for realizing this operation are Farrow filters but, for wideband applications, the classical Farrow structure may require a huge amount of resources. A common solution to simplify the Farrow filter architecture is interpolation. However, this solution requires an increase of the clock frequency which is not always possible. In this context, our multirate approach mitigates the limitations in terms of computational complexity avoiding the requirement to increase of the clock frequency, while still exhibiting great performance. A comparison between a reference design based on the proposed approach and the literature is also provided. The experimental results confirm that the proposed architecture, characterized by a computational complexity similar to other works, exhibits better performance without the need to increase the clock frequency.

Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia, accounting for 50% to 60% of cases and affecting nearly 6 million people in the United States. Definitive diagnosis requires either antemortem brain biopsy or postmortem autopsy. However, clinical neuroimaging has been playing a greater role in the diagnosis and management of AD, and several PET tracers approach the sensitivity of tissue diagnosis in identifying AD pathologic condition. This review will focus on the utility of PET imaging in the setting of cognitive impairment, with an emphasis on its role in the diagnosis of AD.

Monitoring-based preventive medicine relies heavily on minimal or noninvasive, portable, and cost-effective measurement solutions. In this study, we present a handheld multiwavelength fluorescence measurement system for detection of dermally injected fluorescent tracers. The circular detection area of the device is positioned on the sample containing the fluorescent marker. The marker is excited at regular intervals by a pulse of light. The optical output power is controlled by a laser diode driver, which receives direct feedback on the emitted light intensity from the monitor photodiode integrated into the laser diode package. An optical diffuser is located in front of each laser diode to ensure uniform illumination of the measurement area. Pulsed excitation of the fluorescent tracer allows alternate measurement of foreground and background light intensity. By subtracting the background from the foreground and using a switched-input photocurrent measurement technique, the measured photocurrent represents the actual light emission from the marker. The instrument has interchangeable modules that contain the excitation electronics and emission filter. These modules allow the instrument to be configured for a variety of different fluorescent markers. In vitro measurements show that the device is capable of performing fluorescence measurements for its intended use as a point-of-care device in preventive medicine.

Synthetic efforts have delivered a library of organic mixed ionic–electronic conductors (OMIECs) with high performance in electrochemical transistors. The most promising materials are redox-active conjugated polymers with hydrophilic side chains that reach high transconductances in aqueous electrolytes due to volumetric electrochemical charging. Current approaches to improve transconductance and device stability focus mostly on materials chemistry including backbone and side chain design. However, other parameters such as the initial microstructure and microstructural rearrangements during electrochemical charging are equally important and are influenced by backbone and side chain chemistry. In this study, we employ a polymer system to investigate the fundamental electrochemical charging mechanisms of OMIECs. We couple in situelectronic charge transport measurements and spectroelectrochemistry with ex situX-ray scattering electrochemical charging experiments and find that polymer chains planarize during electrochemical charging. Our work shows that the most effective conductivity modulation is related to electrochemical accessibility of well-ordered, interconnected aggregates that host high mobility electronic charge carriers. Electrochemical stress cycling induces microstructural changes, but we find that these aggregates can largely maintain order, providing insights on the structural stability and reversibility of electrochemical charging in these systems. This work shows the importance of material design for creating OMIECs that undergo structural rearrangements to accommodate ions and electronic charge carriers during which percolating networks are formed for efficient electronic charge transport.

New Public Management (NPM) is a business-oriented approach to public administration that has existed for many years. While there are mixed opinions on NPM’s level of effectiveness, I believe that the more pressing question is if it is ethical. This paper seeks to answer said question by utilizing Terry Cooper’s insights on ethics. By discussing various matters and providing multiple illustrations, such as NPM’s relationship to privatization, contrasting out, elites, and everyday citizens, this work concludes that NPM is not an ethical methodology to public administration.

A vibronic exciton model is developed to describe low-energy electronic excitations in slip-stack aggregates of donor–acceptor–donor (DAD) chromophores with substantial overlap between the neighboring donor and acceptor fragments. In such stacks, J- and H-aggregate behavior is driven by intermolecular charge transfer (ICT) and not Coulomb coupling as is assumed in the Kasha model. In-phase (out-of-phase) intermolecular charge transfer integrals result in J-aggregate (H-aggregate) behavior, as unambiguously determined by the vibronic spectral signatures. Interestingly, both J- and H-aggregates are red-shifted, in contrast to the predictions of the Kasha model. Simulated spectral line shapes agree well with recent experiments on two derivatives of the bithiophene diketopyrrolopyrrole chromophore, 2T-DPP-2T, with different terminal groups.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) still has a poor response to therapies, partly due to their cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). Here, we investigate the synergistic impact of a combinatory approach between a known chemotherapy agent, such as gemcitabine (GEM), and gene-modified human mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) secreting the pro-apoptotic soluble (s)TRAIL (sTRAIL MSCs) on both PDAC cells and CAFs. The combo significantly impacts on PDAC survival in 2D and 3D models. In orthotopic xenograft models, GEM and sTRAIL MSCs induce tumor architecture shredding with a reduction of CK7- and CK8/18-positive cancer cells and the abrogation of spleen metastases. A cytotoxic effect on primary human CAFs is also observed along with an alteration of their transcriptome and a reduction of the related desmoplasia. Collectively, we demonstrate a promising therapeutic profile of combining GEM and sTRAIL MSCs to target both tumoral and stromal compartments in PDAC.

We investigate through atomistic calculation the electronic structure and transport properties of 3-phenylethynylene (OPE3), 7-phenylvynylene (OPV7), and [3, 3]paraCyclophane (pCp)-based molecules. We reveal and analyze the Destructive Quantum Interference (DQI) phenomenon for the pCp single-molecule junction. The provided explanation of DQI via the dominant concurrence of inter-orbital and intra-orbital interference may support DQI engineering through the chemical synthesis of ad hoc molecular channel. Furthermore, we propose a Back gate Biasing-based method for the ON/OFF CUrrent Ratio Enhancement of the single-molecule Field-Effect transistor via the control of DQI (BBB-CURE-DQI). As an important outcome of the proposed method, an ON/OFF current ratio of 103 is achieved for pCp single-molecule FET. This value is orders of magnitude larger than typical values presented in the literature. The benefit of the DQI and the effectiveness of the BBB-CURE-DQI method are finally demonstrated at the circuital level by SPICE simulations of digital inverters implemented with the investigated molecules. Our analysis and results motivate the importance of future research investment for DQI manipulation via chemical synthesis and successive control to enable single-molecule FET-based nanocomputing applications.

Uranium tetrafluoride is an important intermediate in the nuclear fuel cycle. Facile synthesis of its hydrate, uranium tetrafluoride hydrate (UF4·2.5H2O), has recently been reported. The hydrate forms by contacting anhydrous UF4with neat H2O at room temperature for 24 h or by exposing anhydrous UF4to high relative humidity (>90%) conditions for several weeks. These pathways are of clear environmental relevance. Further understanding of the structure and optical spectra of UF4·2.5H2O, especially of the water molecules, is therefore necessary. Herein, the structure of UF4·2.5H2O was probed using time-of-flight neutron powder diffraction to improve understanding of the crystalline water environments in the structure. The complete structure was elucidated and compared to a previously reported partial structure for UF4·2.5H2O and a predicted complete structure from density functional theory. The crystalline structure exhibits three distinct water environments: two of the three water sites are bound to uranium, and the third water is unbound or “free”. Furthermore, the completed structure reveals an extensive hydrogen bonding network involving water–fluorine and water–water interactions. One bound water site participates in hydrogen bonding with nearby fluoride ligands (O–H···F–U), and the second bound water site participates in hydrogen bonding with the unbound water (O–H···O) and a nearby fluoride ligand (O–H···F–U); the unbound water participates in hydrogen bonding with bound water (O–H···O–U). Low-temperature experiments and thermal analysis indicate UF4·2.5H2O is thermally stable from 10 to 358 K, undergoes dehydration at higher temperatures, and is nearly dehydrated at 473 K. Structural measurements provide foundational understanding and will inform future investigations of the thermal and environmental stability of UF4·2.5H2O.

The amounts of four well-recognized markers of the floral origin of strawberry tree honey (i.e., 2,5-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, homogentisic acid; (±)-2-cis,4-trans-abscisic acid, c,t-ABA; (±)-2-trans,4-trans-abscisic acid, t,t-ABA, and 2-(1,2-dihydroxypropyl)-4,8,8-trimethyl-1-oxaspiro[2.5]oct-4-en-6-one, unedone) were measured in the nectar of the strawberry tree throughout the flowering periods of two years and at various sampling sites. The concentration of these compounds was also measured in reference to strawberry tree honey samples from the same geographical origin in order to establish correlations and verify the possibility that one (or more) of them may act as marker(s) of the purity level, i.e., of the amount of nectar by strawberry tree flowers that has been transferred to the relevant honey. The data obtained show that despite the existence of a good correlation level between the markers, none of them at the moment can be proposed as a marker of purity of this honey, due to very complex interactions between contamination by foreign nectars in strawberry tree honey and spatial (geographical origin of the samples) and temporal (year and flowering period) parameters. Among these compounds, homogentisic acid appears to be the most reliable marker of botanical origin of strawberry tree honey due to its higher concentration with respect to those measured for isomers of abscisic acid and unedone.

This study examined the effects of ohmic heating pasteurization on probiotic fermented sheep milk compared to conventional heating by analyzing microbial viability, volatile compounds, riboflavin content, and bioactive peptides in the resulting dairy product. Four batches of milk were processed using conventional heating (CH) and three different ohmic heating (OH). Microbiological analysis demonstrated the safety of OH-processed milk. Probiotic viability remained consistent during fermentation and storage, and the simultaneous inoculation of bacteria reduced fermentation time, indicating cooperation interplays. OH-processed probiotic fermented sheep milk showed a substantial increase in antioxidant, antidiabetic, antihypertensive activities, and riboflavin content. Moreover, the flavor profile was characterized by specific volatile compounds. Multiple-factor analysis was performed to identify relationships between samples and various parameters, offering insights into the impact of processing methods. In conclusion, OH enhanced the health-promoting and flavor-related compounds of probiotic fermented sheep milk, suggesting its application to produce functional dairy products.

In this article, novel machine-learnt transition and turbulence models are applied to the prediction of boundary-layer transition and wake mixing in a low-pressure turbine (LPT) cascade, including unsteady inflow cases with incoming wakes. A laminar kinetic energy (LKE) transport approach is employed as baseline transition framework. The application of the machine-learnt explicit algebraic Reynolds stress models (EARSMs) takes advantage of a zonal strategy based on a newly developed sensing function that allows automated wake demarcation. This work compares the performance of several approaches that are based on the application of improved transition models without machine learnt EARSMs, baseline transition model with EARSMs trained for improved wake mixing, and new transition and turbulence closures that are simultaneously developed in a fully coupled way and aimed at improving both transition and wake mixing predictions in LPTs. The investigation is carried out on a cascade of industrial footprint, representative of modern LPT bladings. First, the various modeling frameworks are evaluated, without bar wakes (steady conditions), over a wide range of Reynolds number values. Unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) analyses have also been carried out to investigate the predictive capabilities of machine-learnt closures in the presence of incoming bar wakes. Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS)/URANS results are scrutinized against large eddy simulation (LES) calculations and experimental data. It will be demonstrated that machine-learnt EARSMs are capable of producing realistic wake mixing when simply applied on top of the baseline transition models. However, the most accurate predictions will be shown to be provided by fully integrated machine-learnt transition/turbulence closures.

ABSTRACTIn the present article, I discuss Husserl’s analysis of the genesis of action in the Husserliana edition Studien zur Struktur des Bewusstseins. My aim is to clarify how a “voluntary action” has its genetic phenomenological origin in a “non-voluntary doing”, and, in turn, clarify how this latter activity has its genetic phenomenological origin in a passive “tendency” of the will. In order to achieve this aim, I first present the characterization of voluntary action as a “volitional process”. Then, I delimit the full scope of voluntary actions by analysing Husserl’s descriptions of the different degrees of “voluntariness”. After that, I explicate how voluntary actions phenomenologically originate from non-voluntary doings by examining the “consciousness of the I can”. Finally, I disclose the genetic phenomenological origin of non-voluntary doings by addressing the experience of tendency in the sphere of “passivity of the will”.

The presence of excimers, as revealed by broad, structureless, and red-shifted emission, is quite common in a great many organic solution- and solid-phase systems. A fundamental theoretical account of excimer creation and relaxation has generated enormous interest over the years. Here, a model based on a Holstein–Peierls Hamiltonian is presented to account for absorption and photoluminescence in molecular dimers. The model extends the Frenkel-charge transfer (CT)-Holstein model in order to account for both local and nonlocal coupling to a slow intermolecular vibrational mode. The model shows that excimer emission can be induced either through (1) local intermolecular coupling to the dimer CT states or through (2) the nonlocal Frenkel-CT coupling terms. Finally, by incorporating boththe local and nonlocal intermolecular coupling, the measured absorption and excimer emission spectra for a set of two different bis(perylene diimide) covalently linked dimers are successfully reproduced. The evolution from structured to unstructured excimer emission likely occurs via an increase in the nonlocal coupling, but it can also be induced by the stabilization of the diabatic CT state.

Depuis l’instauration de la réforme du troisième cycle en 2017, les deux premiers semestres d’internat définissent la « phase socle » dont l’objectif est d’apporter les connaissances de base de la spécialité. Nous avons réalisé un sondage en 2020 auprès de l’ensemble des internes inscrits au diplôme d’études spécialisées (DES) d’Oncologie en France, dont la phase socle s’était déroulée lors des trois premières années de la réforme. Ce sondage avait comme objectifs principaux l’évaluation des enseignements théoriques d’oncologie dispensés pendant la phase socle ainsi que de la formation pratique hospitalière durant cette phase. Le taux de réponse était de 44 % (155 internes répondeurs sur 355). Sur le plan de la formation théorique, le niveau de satisfaction des cours nationaux du Collège national des enseignants en cancérologie et des cours en distanciel sur la plateforme SIDES-NG était jugé satisfaisant (échelle visuelle analogique moyenne à 6,7/10 et 5,7/10, respectivement). On observait une plus grande hétérogénéité dans l’organisation des cours locaux, dont seuls 50 % des internes de phase socle bénéficiaient. Sur le plan de la formation pratique, la valeur formatrice des stages en oncologie médicale et en oncologie-radiothérapie était bonne (échelle visuelle analogique à 7,9/10 et 6,7/10, respectivement), avec des objectifs pédagogiques adaptés aux phases socles, et une charge de travail toutefois plus importante pour l’oncologie médicale. Cette étude constitue un retour d’expérience qui témoigne du succès de cette réforme en oncologie. Elle offre des pistes d’amélioration et pourra être le support de réflexions sur le perfectionnement de la formation des internes inscrits en DES oncologie.

L’Association d’enseignement et de recherche des internes en oncologie (AERIO) a mené une enquête nationale auprès des internes en « phase socle » de la promotion 2020 du diplôme d’études spécialisées d’oncologie. L’objectif était de recueillir et décrire leurs motivations, ainsi que les objectifs et les obstacles de vie et de carrière de ces internes, lors de cette première année de leur cursus.

The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic accuracy and reader confidence for late-gadolinium enhancement (LGE) detection of a novel free-breathing, image-based navigated 3D whole-heart LGE sequence with fat–water separation, compared to a free-breathing motion-corrected 2D LGE sequence in patients with ischemic and non-ischemic cardiomyopathy. Cardiac MRI patients including the respective sequences were retrospectively included. Two independent, blinded readers rated image quality, depiction of segmental LGE and documented acquisition time, SNR, CNR and amount of LGE. Results were compared using the Friedman or the Kruskal–Wallis test. For LGE rating, a jackknife free-response receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed with a figure of merit (FOM) calculation. Forty-two patients were included, thirty-two were examined with a 1.5 T-scanner and ten patients with a 3 T-scanner. The mean acquisition time of the 2D sequence was significantly shorter compared to the 3D sequence (07:12 min vs. 09:24 min; p < 0.001). The 3D scan time was significantly shorter when performed at 3 T compared to 1.5 T (07:47 min vs. 09:50 min; p < 0.001). There were no differences regarding SNR, CNR or amount of LGE. 3D imaging had a significantly higher FOM (0.89 vs. 0.78; p < 0.001). Overall image quality ratings were similar, but 3D sequence ratings were higher for fine anatomical structures. Free-breathing motion-corrected 3D LGE with high isotropic resolution results in enhanced LGE-detection with higher confidence and better delineation of fine structures. The acquisition time for 3D imaging was longer, but may be reduced by performing on a 3 T-scanner.

Evaluation of the energy savings potential of Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs) technologies necessitates a representative baseline that accounts for the inherent variability due to route, terrain, traffic, traffic lights, etc., in real-world driving conditions. While considerable work has been done in the field of optimal energy management, eco-driving and eco-routing of CAVs, few contributions have addressed the creation of a representative baseline to realistically evaluate the energy savings potential of these technologies. This work proposes a route generation methodology based on leveraging a high-dimension driving dataset to construct diverse subset of synthetic driving trips and synthetic routes for large scale evaluation of energy consumption of CAVs. The generated synthetic routes can then be used to extract real-world routes from open-source mapping platforms, which have similar characteristics as the generated synthetic routes.

An automated microextraction method coupled to an inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) was developed for the direct analysis of solid uranium particulates on the surface of cotton swipes. The microextraction probe extracts particulates from the sample surface, in a flowing solvent, and directs the removed analyte to an ICP-MS for isotopic determination. The automated system utilizes a mechanical XY stage that is software controlled with the capability of saving and returning to specific locations and a camera focused to the swipe surface for optimal viewing of the extracted locations (i.e., material present). Here, particulates (n= 135) were extracted and measured by ICP-MS, including 35 depleted uranyl nitrate hexahydrate (UN) (used for mass bias corrections), 50 uranyl fluoride (UO2F2), and 50 uranyl acetate (UAc) particulates. Blank extractions were performed on the cotton swipes between triplicate sample analyses. Between each swipe extraction, the probe was sent between two wells containing 10% and 5% HNO3to clean the probe head and to eliminate any analyte carryover between particulates. The measured 235U/238U and 234U/238U isotope ratios for the UO2F2particulates were 0.00725(8) and 0.000054(4), a percent relative difference (% RD) of −0.041% and −1.7% from the reference isotope ratios determined in-lab through multi-collector ICP-MS analysis of dissolved aliquots of the U material. The UAc samples had a measured 235U/238U isotope ratio of 0.00206(7), a −0.96% relative difference from the reference value of 0.00208(1). The 234U/238U and 236U/238U isotope ratios were 0.000008(1) and 0.000031(4), −5.1% RD and −4.3% RD, respectively. The automated sample stage enabled seamless and rapid particle analysis, leading to a significant increase in throughput versuswhat was previously possible. Additionally, the saved location capability reduced user sampling error as sampling locations were easily stored and recalled. Analysis of U particles on the swipe surface – including blanks, mass bias, and triplicate extractions – was completed in less than an hour without any sample preparation necessary.

Over the past several decades, empirical and theoretical work has focused on the question of whether it is possible to purposefully improve cognitive functioning through behavioral interventions. Accordingly, a field is emerging around cognitive training, be it through executive function training, video game play, music training, aerobic exercise, or mindfulness meditation. One concern that has been raised regarding the results of this field centers on the potential impact of participants’ expectations. Suggestions have been raised that participants may, at least in some cases, show improvements in performance because they expect to improve, rather than because of any mechanisms inherent in the behavioral interventions per se. The present paper discusses the latest views on expectations and the new methodological challenges they raise when considering the effectiveness of behavioral interventions on human behavior, and in particular cognition.

ABSTRACTVaccination is a key protective factor against COVID-19. Some vaccines have already received emergency authorization from Health Agencies, but growing skepticism and vaccine hesitancy will probably affect COVID-19 vaccination campaigns. In the attempt to shed light on this issue, we conducted an online survey in a population of parents referring to 4 pediatric practices in Naples, Italy in whom we evaluated potential vaccine acceptability in relation to socio-demographic characteristics, perception of personal health and of the impact of COVID-19, and attitudes toward general vaccination practices. Vaccination rates were analyzed also in the corresponding pediatric population.Almost 27% of participants declared they were in favor of vaccinations, and in fact real life vaccination rates in children exceeded the national mean. Only 26.5% of respondents declared they would receive COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccine refusal was attributed to safety concerns in 76% of parents. Specific vaccine attributes further reduced the acceptance rate. Female gender, younger age and lower education level were associated with non-adherence to vaccination. Among extrinsic factors of COVID-19 vaccination, only information from National Health Authorities was significantly associated to vaccine acceptance.The rate of potential COVID-19 vaccine acceptability was very poor in our population of parents. Vaccine hesitancy was mainly due to safety concerns. Demographic and educational factors were correlated to vaccine acceptability. Health education and communication strategies are needed to achieve large-scale vaccine acceptability and finally herd immunity.

The concepts of bureaucracy and leadership must align with the circumstances in the public or private sectors to be optimal in any given situation. This paper will grant readers with a deep dive into this concept. More specifically, this paper will compare bureaucracy, leadership, and groupthink by using author’s experiences in two private banking organizations and one public bureau. The purpose of this paper is to persuade readers that these frameworks can be auspicious, but only under the appropriate conditions.