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Radioactive nuclei with lifetimes on the order of millions of years can reveal the formation history of the Sun and active nucleosynthesis occurring at the time and place of its birth1,2. Among such nuclei whose decay signatures are found in the oldest meteorites, 205Pb is a powerful example, as it is produced exclusively by slow neutron captures (the sprocess), with most being synthesized in asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars3–5. However, making accurate abundance predictions for 205Pb has so far been impossible because the weak decay rates of 205Pb and 205Tl are very uncertain at stellar temperatures6,7. To constrain these decay rates, we measured for the first time the bound-state β−decay of fully ionized 205Tl81+, an exotic decay mode that only occurs in highly charged ions. The measured half-life is 4.7 times longer than the previous theoretical estimate8and our 10% experimental uncertainty has eliminated the main nuclear-physics limitation. With new, experimentally backed decay rates, we used AGB stellar models to calculate 205Pb yields. Propagating those yields with basic galactic chemical evolution (GCE) and comparing with the 205Pb/204Pb ratio from meteorites9–11, we determined the isolation time of solar material inside its parent molecular cloud. We find positive isolation times that are consistent with the other s-process short-lived radioactive nuclei found in the early Solar System. Our results reaffirm the site of the Sun’s birth as a long-lived, giant molecular cloud and support the use of the 205Pb–205Tl decay system as a chronometer in the early Solar System.

ABSTRACTIntroductionCell therapy development represents a critical challenge in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research. Despite more than 20 years of basic and clinical research, no definitive safety and efficacy results of cell-based therapies for ALS have been published.Areas coveredThis review summarizes advances using stem cells (SCs) in pre-clinical studies to promote clinical translation and in clinical trials to treat ALS. New technologies have been developed and new experimental in vitroand animal models are now available to facilitate pre-clinical research in this field and to determine the most promising approaches to pursue in patients. New clinical trial designs aimed at developing personalized SC-based treatment with biological endpoints are being defined.Expert opinionKnowledge of the basic biology of ALS and on the use of SCs to study and potentially treat ALS continues to grow. However, a consensus has yet to emerge on how best to translate these results into therapeutic applications. The selection and follow-up of patients should be based on clinical, biological, and molecular criteria. Planning of SC-based clinical trials should be coordinated with patient profiling genetically and molecularly to achieve personalized treatment. Much work within basic and clinical research is still needed to successfully transition SC therapy in ALS.

Purpose: Preliminary data suggested that bone mineral density (BMD) in transgender adults before initiating gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) is lower when compared to cisgender controls. In this study, we analyzed bone metabolism in a sample of transgender adults before GAHT, and its possible correlation with biochemical profile, body composition and lifestyle habits (i.e., tobacco smoke and physical activity). Methods: Medical data, smoking habits, phospho-calcic and hormonal blood tests and densitometric parameters were collected in a sample of 125 transgender adults, 78 Assigned Females At Birth (AFAB) and 47 Assigned Males At Birth (AMAB) before GAHT initiation and 146 cisgender controls (57 females and 89 males) matched by sex assigned at birth and age. 55 transgender and 46 cisgender controls also underwent a complete body composition evaluation and assessment of physical activity using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Results: 14.3% of transgender and 6.2% of cisgender sample, respectively, had z-score values < -2 (p= 0.04). We observed only lower vitamin D values in transgender sample regarding biochemical/hormonal profile. AFAB transgender people had more total fat mass, while AMAB transgender individuals had reduced total lean mass as compared to cisgender people (53.94 ± 7.74 vs 58.38 ± 6.91, p< 0.05). AFAB transgender adults were more likely to be active smokers and tend to spend more time indoor. Fat Mass Index (FMI) was correlated with lumbar and femur BMD both in transgender individuals, while no correlations were found between lean mass parameters and BMD in AMAB transgender people. Conclusions: Body composition and lifestyle factors could contribute to low BMD in transgender adults before GAHT.

Dietary intake to trace elements may represent the most relevant source of exposure for the general, non-occupationally population, but some of them have been rarely evaluated. We measured content of fifteen trace elements (antimony, barium, beryllium, boron, cobalt, lithium, molybdenum, nickel, silver, strontium, tellurium, thallium, titanium, uranium, and vanadium) in 908 food and beverage samples through inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. We estimated their dietary intake using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire collected from a population of the Emilia-Romagna Region in Northern Italy. We compared our estimates with tolerable upper intake levels reported by international agencies and we assessed the non-carcinogenic risk through calculation of total hazard quotient for each trace element according to the US-EPA approach. Overall, estimates of their dietary intake were substantially similar to those reported from other countries, and they fell below the tolerable upper intake levels provided by international agencies. The total hazard quotient for each trace element was below 1. Our findings provide updated estimates of food levels and dietary intake of trace elements far frequently evaluated in a sample of Italian adult consumers. They also suggest that any non-carcinogenic risk associated with intake of investigated trace elements may be ruled out in our population.

Laser-driven ion accelerators can deliver high-energy, high-peak current beams and are thus attracting attention as a compact alternative to conventional accelerators. However, achieving sufficiently high energy levels suitable for applications such as radiation therapy remains a challenge for laser-driven ion accelerators. Here we generate proton beams with a spectrally separated high-energy component of up to 150 MeV by irradiating solid-density plastic foil targets with ultrashort laser pulses from a repetitive petawatt laser. The preceding laser light heats the target, leading to the onset of relativistically induced transparency upon main pulse arrival. The laser peak then penetrates the initially opaque target and triggers proton acceleration through a cascade of different mechanisms, as revealed by three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. The transparency of the target can be used to identify the high-performance domain, making it a suitable feedback parameter for automated laser and target optimization to enhance stability of plasma accelerators in the future.

Kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs) have been proven as reliable systems for astrophysical observations, especially in the millimeter range. Their compact size enables them to optimally fill the focal plane, thus boosting sensitivity. The KIDs Interferometric Spectral Surveyor (KISS) instrument is a millimeter camera that consists of two KID arrays of 316 pixels each coupled to a Martin–Puplett interferometer (MPI). The addition of the MPI grants the KID camera the ability to provide spectral information in the 100 and 300 GHz range. In this paper, we report the main properties of the KISS instrument and its observations. We also describe the calibration and data analysis procedures used. We present a complete model of the observed data including the sky signal and several identified systematics. We have developed a full photometric and spectroscopic data analysis pipeline that translates our observations into science-ready products. We show examples of the results of this pipeline on selected sources: the Moon, Jupiter, and Venus. We note the presence of a deficit of response with respect to expectations and laboratory measurements. The detector's noise level is consistent with values obtained during laboratory measurements, pointing to a suboptimal coupling between the instrument and the telescope as the most probable origin for the problem. This deficit is large enough to prevent the detection of galaxy clusters, which were KISS's main scientific objective. Nevertheless, we have demonstrated the feasibility of this kind of instrument in the prospect of other KID interferometers (such as the CONCERTO instrument). In this regard, we have developed key instrumental technologies such as optical conception, readout electronics, and raw calibration procedures, as well as adapted data analysis procedures.

This paper aims to validate the performance capabilities of a Pressure Reducing Turbine (PRT) with respect to initial predictions based on analytic calculations. The designed equipment was installed in a beverage facility, located in Brazil. The validation procedure consists of analyzing the data collected in several periods of PRT’s operation, accessed remotely via an online server. The analysis of empirical data identifies the behavior of two key variables: generated power and effective efficiency. However, the observed boundary conditions differed significantly from expected values, forcing the turbine to operate in off-design conditions. The turbine model was hence refined and used to predict the PRT’s performance in such conditions. Results showed satisfactory accuracy for both power and efficiency predictions.

This paper is an introduction and overview of a Special Issue of EJIM on Family Business. All of the articles in this Special Issue use data from the 2018 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) that involved surveys from over 54 countries on entrepreneurial activity and family businesses. The articles span a wide range of topics that fall under three broad categories: context, organisation and outcomes. Articles covering context focus on the institutionalisation of family business in the cultural environment, rural and urban regions, and whether the pull of opportunity or the push of necessity may be related to governance of businesses by family or non-family members. Articles covering organisation focus on a variety of organisational features that differentiate between family and non-family businesses, notably survival, age, growth and familiness in forms of ownership, management and staffing. Articles covering outcomes examine family business endeavours, such as innovation, exporting and aspirations for growth.

With the rapid evolution of synchrotron x-ray sources, the demand for high-quality precision x-ray mirrors has greatly increased. Single nanometer shape accuracy is required to keep imaging capabilities at the diffraction limit. Ion beam figuring (IBF) has been used frequently for ultra-precision finishing of mirrors, but achieving the ultimate accuracy depends on three important points: careful alignment, accurate dwell time calculation and implementation, and accurate optical metrology. The Optical Metrology Group at National Synchrotron Light Source II has designed and built a position–velocity–time-modulated two-dimensional IBF system (PVT-IBF) with three novel characteristics: (1) a beam footprint on the mirror was used as a reference to align the coordinate systems between the metrology and the IBF hardware; (2) the robust iterative Fourier transform-based dwell time algorithm proposed by our group was applied to obtain an accurate dwell time map; and (3) the dwell time was then transformed to velocities and implemented with the PVT motion scheme. In this study, the technical aspects of the PVT-IBF systems are described in detail, followed by an experimental demonstration of the figuring results. In our first experiment, the 2D RMS in a $ 50\;{\rm mm} \times 5\;{\rm mm} $50mm×5mm clear aperture was reduced from 3.4 to 1.1 nm after one IBF run. In our second experiment, due to a 5 mm pinhole installed in front of the source, the 2D RMS in a $ 50\;{\rm mm} \times 5\;{\rm mm} $50mm×5mm clear aperture was reduced from 39.1 to 1.9 nm after three IBF runs, demonstrating that our PVT-IBF solution is an effective and deterministic figuring process.

Radiation hard thin-film solar cell technologies are necessary in order to achieve a step forward in the specific power of solar arrays for space applications. In this article, we analyze the degradation of nanowire (NW) solar cells under high energy particles. GaAs NW solar cells have been irradiated with protons of 100 and 350 keV at different fluences. The radiation hardness of the NW solar cells in all the cases is remarkable in comparison with GaAs planar solar cells and prior literature. Design guidelines to optimize the specific power of NW solar cells for space applications by jointly increasing their efficiency and radiation hardness are presented.

Space power systems require photovoltaics that are lightweight, efficient, reliable, and capable of operating for years or decades in space environment. Current solar panels use planar multijunction, III–V based solar cells with very high efficiency, but their specific power (power to weight ratio) is limited by the added mass of radiation shielding (e.g., coverglass) required to protect the cells from the high-energy particle radiation that occurs in space. Here, we demonstrate that III–V nanowire-array solar cells have dramatically superior radiation performance relative to planar solar cell designs and show this for multiple cell geometries and materials, including GaAs and InP. Nanowire cells exhibit damage thresholds ranging from ∼10–40 times higher than planar control solar cells when subjected to irradiation by 100–350 keV protons and 1 MeV electrons. Using Monte Carlo simulations, we show that this improvement is due in part to a reduction in the displacement density within the wires arising from their nanoscale dimensions. Radiation tolerance, combined with the efficient optical absorption and the improving performance of nanowire photovoltaics, indicates that nanowire arrays could provide a pathway to realize high-specific-power, substrate-free, III–V space solar cells with substantially reduced shielding requirements. More broadly, the exceptional reduction in radiation damage suggests that nanowire architectures may be useful in improving the radiation tolerance of other electronic and optoelectronic devices.

ABSTRACTThis study examined the relationships between internal and external load metrics with subjective wellness-recovery indices in female field hockey players. Specifically, to evaluate 1) morning wellness-recovery with the current day loads (same-day analysis), and 2) the current day loads with wellness-recovery the following morning (next-day analysis). Objective (total distance and training impulse) and subjective (session RPE) load metrics as well as subjective indices of recovery and wellness were monitored daily with a women’s U21 field hockey team (n = 16) during a 16-day European tour (8 matches and 7 training sessions). Linear-mixed models were used to quantify the relationship between load and wellness-recovery metrics. A unit rise in wellness was associated with a 37.8 m increase in total distance for the sessions that day (p = .038); otherwise there were no correlations observed between load and wellness-recovery metrics for same-day and next-day analysis. There was substantial intra-individual variation among players for these relationships. Over the course of a typical field hockey event player responses were not evident at a group-level. Therefore, it is important for coaches and support staff to monitor individual changes in the loads experienced along with wellness-recovery patterns. Subsequent adjustments could have implications regarding performance, fatigue management, and athlete well-being.

Cities can be observed through a broad set of sensing technologies, spanning from physical sensors in the streets, to socio-economic reports, to other kinds of sources that are able to represent the behaviour of the citizens and visitors, such as mobile phone records, social media posts, and other digital traces.

The main objective of this phase I trial was to assess the feasibility and safety of microtransplanting human neural stem cell (hNSC) lines into the spinal cord of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Eighteen patients with a definite diagnosis of ALS received microinjections of hNSCs into the gray matter tracts of the lumbar or cervical spinal cord. Patients were monitored before and after transplantation by clinical, psychological, neuroradiological, and neurophysiological assessment. For up to 60 months after surgery, none of the patients manifested severe adverse effects or increased disease progression because of the treatment. Eleven patients died, and two underwent tracheotomy as a result of the natural history of the disease. We detected a transitory decrease in progression of ALS Functional Rating Scale Revised, starting within the first month after surgery and up to 4 months after transplantation. Our results show that transplantation of hNSC is a safe procedure that causes no major deleterious effects over the short or long term. This study is the first example of medical transplantation of a highly standardized cell drug product, which can be reproducibly and stably expanded ex vivo, comprising hNSC that are not immortalized, and are derived from the forebrain of the same two donors throughout this entire study as well as across future trials. Our experimental design provides benefits in terms of enhancing both intra‐ and interstudy reproducibility and homogeneity. Given the potential therapeutic effects of the hNSCs, our observations support undertaking future phase II clinical studies in which increased cell dosages are studied in larger cohorts of patients. Stem Cells Translational Medicine2019;8:887&897 In this manuscript we present data from a phase I clinical trial on 18 ALS patients treated with human neural stem cells. Treatment has been performed transplanting cells directly into anterior horn of spinal cord. Results suggested that the procedure is feasible, safe and induce a transitory decline of ALS‐FRS‐R score progression.

We report the analysis of 1 year of data from the first cohort of 15 patients enrolled in an open-label, first-in-human, dose-escalation phase I study (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03282760, EudraCT2015-004855-37) to determine the feasibility, safety, and tolerability of the transplantation of allogeneic human neural stem/progenitor cells (hNSCs) for the treatment of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis.

Introduction:Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) exhibits diverse treatment requirements, with some patients receiving immediate treatment while others remain under observation. In 2008, the International Workshop on Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (IWCLL) established criteria for treatment indications, widely adopted in clinical practice and trials. The Brazilian Group of CLL (BGCLL) has been evaluating a more conservative approach to treatment indication performed in multiple centers, which avoids predefined cutoff levels for cytopenias and refrains from considering progressive lymphocytosis, extranodal involvement, or disease-related symptoms as isolated criteria. However, the safety and potential different outcomes of this conservative approach compared to the strict IWCLL criteria remain uncertain. Objective: This study aims to compare the outcomes of CLL patients without indication for treatment according to the BGCLL criteria, who were either treated or not based on the center's decision.

The penetration power of x rays allows one to image large objects, while their short wavelength allows for high spatial resolution. As a result, with synchrotron sources, one has the potential to obtain tomographic images of centimeter-sized specimens with sub-micrometer pixel sizes. However, limitations on beam and detector size make it difficult to acquire such data of this sort in a single take, necessitating strategies for combining data from multiple regions. One strategy is to acquire a tiled set of local tomograms by rotating the specimen around each of the local tomogram center positions. Another strategy, sinogram oriented acquisition, involves the collection of projections at multiple offset positions from the rotation axis followed by data merging and reconstruction. We have carried out a simulation study to compare these two approaches in terms of radiation dose applied to the specimen, and reconstructed image quality. Local tomography acquisition involves an easier data alignment problem, and immediate viewing of subregions before the entire dataset has been acquired. Sinogram oriented acquisition involves a more difficult data assembly and alignment procedure, and it is more sensitive to accumulative registration error. However, sinogram oriented acquisition is more dose efficient, involves fewer translation motions of the object, and avoids certain artifacts of local tomography.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive, incurable neurodegenerative disease that targets motoneurons. Cell-based therapies have generated widespread interest as a potential therapeutic approach but no conclusive results have yet been reported either from pre-clinical or clinical studies.Areas covered: This is an integrated review of pre-clinical and clinical studies focused on the development of cell-based therapies for ALS. We analyze the biology of stem cell treatments and results obtained from pre-clinical models of ALS and examine the methods and the results obtained to date from clinical trials. We discuss scientific, clinical, and ethical issues and propose some directions for future studies.Expert opinion: While data from individual studies are encouraging, stem-cell-based therapies do not yet represent a satisfactory, reliable clinical option. The field will critically benefit from the introduction of well-designed, randomized and reproducible, powered clinical trials. Comparative studies addressing key issues such as the nature, properties, and number of donor cells, the delivery mode and the selection of proper patient populations that may benefit the most from cell-based therapies are now of the essence. Multidisciplinary networks of experts should be established to empower effective translation of research into the clinic.

The northern Apennines of Italy are a classical site for studying fundamental issues in tectonic studies, such as ophiolite formation and emplacement, kinematics of thrust wedges, role of in‐sequence and out‐of‐sequence thrusting, and of along strike segmentation, synorogenic versus postorogenic extension, and interplay between tectonics, erosion, and sedimentation. Accordingly, the northern Apennines have been extensively studied since more than two centuries ago. Despite the huge amount of available data with different resolution, a 3‐D comprehensive regional view combining in a modern framework all available surface and subsurface information for contiguous sectors of the chain is still lacking. We performed such an attempt in the area framed between the Taro valley to the north and the northern termination of the Alpi Apuane to the south. The region includes the main morphostructural zones of the north‐west Apennines from the Tyrrhenian coast (SSW of La Spezia), through the main topographic divide of the Apennines, up to the foothills range of the chain to the north. The area has been investigated through a multidisciplinary approach that integrated surface geological data, collected during the last two decades of structural and stratigraphic field works, and subsurface geological data. The construction of two regional NE‐SW trending cross sections (the Levanto‐Pontremoli‐Parma to the north and the La Spezia‐ Sarzana‐North Apuane‐Cerreto to the south), intersected by a NW‐SE trending Taro‐Lunigiana‐Alpi Apuane composite section, allowed us to illustrate (i) the role of out‐of‐sequence blind thrusting in the basement and (ii) the presence of low‐angle normal faulting and its relationships with recent to active high‐angle normal faulting. Both extensional and contractional systems have relevant implications for the tectonics of the northern Apennines as well as the seismotectonics of the studied region. We present 3‐D frame for surface and subsurface structures of the North‐West ApenninesWe supply a more precise definition of the deep Apenninic tectonic structures focusing on the role of basementunits and their characterizationWe emphasize the role of blind basement thrusts, the architecture of LANF systems, and overprint relationships with recent‐to‐active HANFs

AbstractThe country of origin (COO) represents one of the main topics in the marketing literature and a large body of knowledge about it has already been published. This commentary essay tries to explain why it seems to be a never-ending subject for marketing scholars and the reason why the paper we published in this Journal few years ago contributed to the literature and has achieved the Google i-10 high citation-impact ranking. Analysing the effect of COO on a specific factor such as brand associations, the use of a methodology that cope with the critics of some scholars about the overstressed of COO in the past research, and the selection of an emerging market – the Chinese one – as country in which testing the COO have helped our paper to be cited. Based on these elements, some future research topics are also suggested.

ABSTRACTThe Copernicus data Quality Control (CQC) is a service supporting the quality and harmonisation of satellite data offered to the Copernicus community. The CQC Team has recognised that there is variability of technical terms and definitions in the Earth Observation (EO) products in the context of the applied geometric corrections. A comparison among products from different missions suggests the need for a strong, co-ordinated harmonisation effort. This paper describes an activity of the CQC Team to encourage harmonisation among Copernicus data providers. For the time being this activity addresses only Optical imagery. Firstly, the paper clarifies a set of terms and relevant definitions for use within the paper itself and the published documentation at large. The choice of each term is driven by the fact that it is more broadly accepted by the scientific community than others. Then the paper describes the grouping (harmonization) of the products which have undergone the same (or similar) corrections into broad harmonised categories. Five classes are defined, i.e., Raw, Basic, Georeferenced, Georectified and Orthorectified: these can be considered as harmonised product types for all optical products offered on the EO market.

Mechanical loading during exercise has been shown to promote tissue remodeling. Safe and accessible exercise may be beneficial to populations at risk of diminished bone and joint health. We examined the effect of drop height and instruction on knee loading during a drop-landing task and proposed a task that makes use of drop heights that may be appropriate for rehabilitation purposes and functional in daily life to examine transient knee joint loads. Twenty males (22.0 ± 2.8 years) performed drop landings from 22 cm (low) and 44 cm (high) heights, each under three instructions: “land naturally” (natural), “softly” (soft), and “stiffly” (stiff). Knee compression force and external flexion moment were estimated using three-dimensional inverse dynamics and normalized to body mass. Peak knee compression force was larger (p< 0.001) for high (17.8 ± 0.63 N/kg) than low (14.8 ± 0.61 N/kg) heights. There was an increase (p< 0.001) in the knee compression force across soft (11.8 ± 0.40 N/kg), natural (17.0 ± 0.62 N/kg), and stiff (20.2 ± 0.67 N/kg) instructions. Peak knee flexion moment in high-natural (2.12 ± 0.08 Nm/kg) was larger (p< 0.001) than in high-soft (1.88 ± 0.08 Nm/kg), but lower than in high-stiff (2.23 ± 0.08 Nm/kg). No differences in peak knee flexion moment were observed across instructions for the low height. We propose a drop-landing task that creates a scalable increase in knee compression loading. The absence of increased knee flexion moment with drop from the low height, compared to high, suggests that individuals could perform the task without incremental risk of knee injury. This task could be used in future studies to examine the effect of acute bouts of mechanical loading on bone and cartilage metabolism.

Boundary conditions for the slip velocity of inelastic, frictionless spheres interacting with bumpy walls are derived via discrete element method simulations of Couette granular flows. The bumpiness is created by gluing spheres identical to those flowing in a regular hexagonal array to a flat plane. Depending on the particle inelasticity and bumpiness, the characteristics of the flow range from simple shearing to plug flow. At low bumpiness—small distance between the wall-particles—the ratio of particle shear stress to pressure is a non-linear function of the slip velocity and presents a maximum. At high bumpiness, the bumpy plane behaves as a flat, frictional surface and the stress ratio saturates to a constant value for large slip velocity.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane particles involved in the exchange of a broad range of bioactive molecules between cells and the microenvironment. Although it has been shown that cells can traffic metabolic enzymes via EVs, much remains to be elucidated with regard to their intrinsic metabolic activity. Accordingly, herein we assessed the ability of neural stem/progenitor cell (NSC)-derived EVs to consume and produce metabolites. Our metabolomics and functional analyses both revealed that EVs harbor L-asparaginase activity, catalyzed by the enzyme asparaginase-like protein 1 (Asrgl1). Critically, we show that Asrgl1 activity is selective for asparagine and is devoid of glutaminase activity. We found that mouse and human NSC EVs traffic Asrgl1. Our results demonstrate, for the first time, that NSC EVs function as independent metabolic units that are able to modify the concentrations of critical nutrients, with the potential to affect the physiology of their microenvironment.

A long-standing historiographic tradition has explained the twelfth-century portal of Saint-Pierre at Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne through the lens of the struggle against heresy, connecting its monumental imagery with the writings of the abbot of Cluny, Peter the Venerable, specifically his treatises Liber adversus Iudeorumand Contra Petrobrusianos. In this article, the unusual program of the portal is explored in light of Cluniac liturgical readings transmitted by the late eleventh-century lectionary used at Cluny (Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS nouv. acq. lat. 2246) and other coeval sources. I argue that the portal, informed by these texts, was not only conceived as a visual progression from Lent to Easter but also possibly intended as a mirror, in which the liturgy performed in front of it resonated and was amplified to unveil its deep eschatological meaning.

Abstract:The plot of Amitav Ghosh’s The Calcutta Chromosomeis so complex that there is little consensus among scholars on what actually happens in the novel. Following in the footsteps of Rabindranath Tagore, Satyajit Ray, Renu, and J. P. S. Uberoi, Ghosh dramatizes the encounter between Western science, with its accompanying epistemology, and Indian tradition. The novel challenges the relentless West-driven search for knowledge, epitomized by the supercomputer named Ava, and suggests that only different epistemological premises, based on silence, can counteract Western rationalism. The novel’s literary technique mirrors this preoccupation in that it tells a story from two different viewpoints, one of which remains silent throughout. Narrating the viewpoint of a silent agent raises a number of problems as to the reliability of the narrator, who properly speaking is only a “guesser.” The whole narrative revolves around a foundational mystery that remains unknown to all characters. In order to do so, the implied author must write about something of which he too remains ignorant. This paradoxical condition calls for a revision of the traditional writing agents as described by Wayne C. Booth, so that it is necessary to include the figure of the archiauthor behind the traditional implied author. This may explain a reticent narrative that relies heavily on the reader’s intelligence. Furthermore, my narratological reading highlights two themes formerly neglected by scholars, namely that subalterns’ cosmopolitanism in the future is rooted in our colonial past and that the interpersonal transference envisaged by the novel merges different people in one body, thus challenging the Western obsession with individualism.

AbstractLaser–plasma accelerated (LPA) proton bunches are now applied for research fields ranging from ultra-high-dose-rate radiobiology to material science. Yet, the capabilities to characterize the spectrally and angularly broad LPA bunches lag behind the rapidly evolving applications. The OCTOPOD translates the angularly resolved spectral characterization of LPA proton bunches into the spatially resolved detection of the volumetric dose distribution deposited in a liquid scintillator. Up to 24 multi-pinhole arrays record projections of the scintillation light distribution and allow for tomographic reconstruction of the volumetric dose deposition pattern, from which proton spectra may be retrieved. Applying the OCTOPOD at a cyclotron, we show the reliable retrieval of various spatial dose deposition patterns and detector sensitivity over a broad dose range. Moreover, the OCTOPOD was installed at an LPA proton source, providing real-time data on proton acceleration performance and attesting the system optimal performance in the harsh laser–plasma environment.

Circadian rhythm impairment may play a role in Parkinson's disease (PD) pathophysiology. Recent literature associated circadian rhythm features to the risk of developing Parkinson and to its progression through stages. The association between the chronotype and the phenotype should be verified on a clinical and biological point of view. Herein we investigate the chronotype of a sample of 50 PD patients with the Morningness Eveningness Questionnaire and monitor their daily activity with a motion sensor embedded in a smartphone. Fibroblasts were collected from PD patients (n = 5) and from sex/age matched controls (n = 3) and tested for the circadian expression of clock genes (CLOCK, BMAL1, PER1, CRY1), and for cell morphology, proliferation, and death. Our results show an association between the chronotype and the PD phenotype. The most representative clinical chronotypes were “moderate morning” (56%), the “intermediate” (24%) and, in a minor part, the “definite morning” (16%). They differed for axial motor impairment, presence of motor fluctuations and quality of life (p < 0.05). Patients with visuospatial dysfunction and patients with a higher PIGD score had a blunted motor daily activity (p = 0.006 and p = 0.001, respectively), independently by the influence of age and other motor scores. Fibroblasts obtained by PD patients (n = 5) had an impaired BMAL1 cycle compared to controls (n = 3, p = 0.01). Moreover, a PD flat BMAL1 profile was associated with the lowest cell proliferation and the largest cell morphology. This study contributes to the growing literature on CR abnormalities in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease providing a link between the clinical and biological patient chronotype and the disease phenomenology.

This manuscript describes the behavior of impedance of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) electrode over time in a cohort of children with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.

To evaluate the use of retrograde endovascular internal iliac artery preservation (REIIAP) technique for treating aortoiliac aneurysms.

This prospective study sequentially assessed the rate and clinical impact of viremia as detected by polymerase chain reaction for all 8 known human herpes viruses over the first 100 days following hematopoietic stem cell transplant with a median follow-up of 2 years.

Il presente articolo descrive la tecnica di immunofluorescenza diretta (IFD) come ausilio diagnostico in numerose patologie immunomediate del cavo orale.

A GaAs nanowire array solar cell with an independently verified solar energy conversion efficiency of 15.3% and open-circuit voltage of 0.906 V under AM1.5g solar illumination at 1-sun intensity has been fabricated. This is the highest published efficiency for nanowire array solar cells and is twice the prior record for GaAs nanowire array solar cells. The solar cell has been fabricated by substrate-based epitaxy but is structurally compatible with substrate-less aerotaxy fabrication, providing a path to high-volume manufacturing. The short-circuit current of 21.3 mA/cm2 was generated with axial p-n junction GaAs cores covering 13% of the surface area, which is a volume of GaAs equivalent to a 370-nm-thick planar layer.

Powerful detectors at modern experimental facilities routinely collect data at multiple GB/s. Online analysis methods are needed to enable the collection of only interesting subsets of such massive data streams, such as by explicitly discarding some data elements or by directing instruments to relevant areas of experimental space. Thus, methods are required for configuring and running distributed computing pipelines—what we call flows—that link instruments, computers (e.g., for analysis, simulation, artificial intelligence [AI] model training), edge computing (e.g., for analysis), data stores, metadata catalogs, and high-speed networks. We review common patterns associated with such flows and describe methods for instantiating these patterns. We present experiences with the application of these methods to the processing of data from five different scientific instruments, each of which engages powerful computers for data inversion,model training, or other purposes. We also discuss implications of such methods for operators and users of scientific facilities.

Lo scopo di questo lavoro è dimostrare i vantaggi per l’odontostomatologia derivanti dall’utilizzo del laser a bassa intensità (Low-Level Laser Therapy, LLLT).

Osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) associated with the use of bisphosphonates has been rarely reported in metastatic renal cell cancer (RCC) patients. Since the introduction of combined therapies consisting of nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates (NBPs) and targeted agents, an increasing number of RCC patients were reported to develop ONJ, suggesting that therapeutic angiogenesis suppression might increase the risk of ONJ in NBPs users. We performed a multicenter retrospective study and reviewed literature data to assess the occurrence and to investigate the nature of ONJ in RCC patients taking NBPs and targeted agents. Nine Italian Centers contributed to the data collection. Patients with exposed and nonexposed ONJ were eligible for the study if they had been taking NBPs and were receiving targeted agents at the time of ONJ diagnosis. Forty-four RCC patients were studied. Patients were mostly male (82%), with a median age of 63 years (range, 45-85 years). Zoledronic acid (93%) and sunitinib (80%) were the most frequently used NBP and antiangiogenic agent, respectively. Other agents included Pamidronate, ibandronate, sorafenib, bevacizumab, mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors. Forty-nine sites of ONJ were encountered, with the mandible being the preferred site of ONJ (52%); both jaws were affected in 5 cases (12%). The most common precipitating event was dental/periodontal infection (34%), followed by tooth extraction (30%). Oral triggers of ONJ were missing in 10 cases (23%). This unexpectedly high number of ONJ cases, in comparison with literature data, suggests that frequency of ONJ in RCC patients might be largely underestimated and suggests a potential role for targeted agents in the incremental risk of ONJ.

X-ray nanobeams are unique nondestructive probes that allow direct measurements of the nanoscale strain distribution and composition inside the micrometer thick layered structures that are found in most electronic device architectures. However, the method is usually extremely time-consuming, and as a result, data sets are often constrained to a few or even single objects. Here we demonstrate that by special design of a nanofocused X-ray beam diffraction experiment we can (in a single 2D scan with no sample rotation) measure the individual strain and composition profiles of many structures in an array of upright standing nanowires. We make use of the observation that in the generic nanowire device configuration, which is found in high-speed transistors, solar cells, and light-emitting diodes, each wire exhibits very small degrees of random tilts and twists toward the substrate. Although the tilt and twist are very small, they give a new contrast mechanism between different wires. In the present case, we image complex nanowires for nanoLED fabrication and compare to theoretical simulations, demonstrating that this fast method is suitable for real nanostructured devices.

Trauma during dental surgery is a predisposing factor for medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (MRONJ). There are no specific guidelines for the management of dental extractions in patients under bisphosphonate therapy (BPT).