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The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) carried out preparatory work to inform an EU awareness-raising communication campaign on plant health risks. In a first phase, this included social science research and audience segmentation to inform appropriate choices regarding targeting and topics to be covered. Mixed methods research was carried out – including analysis of survey data, literature review and in-depth interviews –, to identify plant health awareness, knowledge, risk perception, preferred information sources and trust in different actors. Four “personas” were developed based on the results, representing four potential audience segments: “curious traveller” (P1), “home gardener and hobby farmer” (P2), “conscious young parent” (P3), and “adventurous and green foodie” (P4). The research also included an additional focus on stakeholders involved in plant health, agriculture, and related sectors since they can support the objectives and reach of a campaign. Then, in a second phase, the communication strategy for the 3-year campaign was designed, building on the social research as well as on situational analysis and a stakeholder mapping. The proposed strategy for the campaign foresees targeting of P1, P2 and P3, and entails using a progressive model aimed at raising target audiences’ awareness (Year 1), triggering critical thinking (Y2), and activating and creating advocacy (Y3). A crucial role will also be played by plant sector operators, who will be involved in dedicated activities and act as touchpoints and amplifiers for the campaign. The strategy provides a common framework allowing Member States (MSs) to fully localise the national implementation and to join the campaign throughout its 3-year course. The report outlines the objectives and topics defined for the different years of the campaign per target audience, as well as the tactics and the evaluation methodology. EFSA plans to launch the campaign in summer 2023 in collaboration with participating MSs.

Objective To standardize and assess the reliability of ultrasonographic assessment of inflammatory and structural lesions in patients with hand osteoarthritis (OA). Methods The Outcome Measures in Rheumatology Ultrasound Working Group selected synovial hypertrophy (SH), joint effusion (JE), and power Doppler (PD) signals as the main inflammatory lesions in hand OA, and suggested osteophytes in the scapho-trapezio-trapezoid (STT) and cartilage defects in the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints as novel additions to previous structural scoring systems. A complementary imaging atlas provided detailed examples of the scores. A reliability exercise of static images was performed for the inflammatory features, followed by a patient-based exercise with 6 sonographers testing inflammatory and structural features in 12 hand OA patients. We used Cohen's kappa for intrareader and Light's kappa for interreader reliability for all features except PD, in which prevalence-adjusted bias-adjusted kappa (PABAK) was applied. Percentage agreement was also assessed. Results The web-based reliability exercise demonstrated substantial intra- and interreader reliability for all inflammatory features (kappa > 0.64). In the patient-based exercise, intra- and interreader reliability, respectively, varied: SH kappa = 0.73 and 0.45; JE kappa = 0.70 and 0.55; PD PABAK = 0.90 and 0.88; PIP joint cartilage kappa = 0.56 and 0.45; and STT osteophytes kappa = 0.62 and 0.36. Percentage close agreement was high for all features (>85%). Conclusion With ultrasound, substantial to excellent intrareader reliability was found for inflammatory features of hand OA. Interreader reliability was moderate, but overall high close agreement between readers suggests that better reliability is achievable after further training. Assessment of osteophytes in the STT joint and cartilage in the PIP joints achieved less reliability and the latter is not endorsed.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Several scoring systems have been specifically developed for risk stratification in COVID-19 patients. DESIGN: We compared, in a cohort of confirmed COVID-19 older patients, three specifically developed scores with a previously established early warning score. Main endpoint was all causes in-hospital death. SETTING: This is a single-center, retrospective observational study, conducted in the Emergency Department (ED) of an urban teaching hospital, referral center for COVID-19. PARTICIPANTS: We reviewed the clinical records of the confirmed COVID-19 patients aged 60 years or more consecutively admitted to our ED over a 6-week period (March 1st to April 15th, 2020). A total of 210 patients, aged between 60 and 98 years were included in the study cohort. MEASUREMENTS: International Severe Acute Respiratory Infection Consortium Clinical Characterization Protocol-Coronavirus Clinical Characterization Consortium (ISARIC-4C) score, COVID-GRAM Critical Illness Risk Score (COVID-GRAM), quick COVID-19 Severity Index (qCSI), National Early Warning Score (NEWS). RESULTS: Median age was 74 (67-82) and 133 (63.3%) were males. Globally, 42 patients (20.0%) deceased. All the score evaluated showed a fairly good predictive value with respect to in-hospital death. The ISARIC-4C score had the highest area under ROC curve (AUROC) 0.799 (0.738-0.851), followed by the COVID-GRAM 0.785 (0.723-0.838), NEWS 0.764 (0.700-0.819), and qCSI 0.749 (0.685-0.806). However, these differences were not statistical significant. CONCLUSION: Among the evaluated scores, the ISARIC-4C and the COVID-GRAM, calculated at ED admission, had the best performance, although the qCSI had similar efficacy by evaluating only three items. However, the NEWS, already widely validated in clinical practice, had a similar performance and could be appropriate for older patients with COVID-19.

Special Issue: Cholangiocarcinoma; International audience; Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a deadly disease. While surgery may attain cure in a minor fraction of cases, therapeutic options in either the adjuvant or advanced setting are limited. The possibility of advancing the efficacy of therapeutic approaches to CCA relies on understanding its molecular pathogenesis and developing rational therapies aimed at interfering with oncogenic signalling networks that drive and sustain cholangiocarcinogenesis. These efforts are complicated by the intricate biology of CCA, which integrates not only the driving force of tumour cell-intrinsic alterations at the genetic and epigenetic level but also pro-tumorigenic cues conveyed to CCA cells by different cell types present in the rich tumour stroma. Herein, we review our current understanding of the mechanistic bases underpinning the activation of major oncogenic pathways causative of CCA pathogenesis. We subsequently discuss how this knowledge is being exploited to implement rationale-based and genotype-matched therapeutic approaches that predictably will radically transform CCA clinical management in the next decade. We conclude by highlighting the mechanisms of therapeutic resistance in CCA and reviewing innovative approaches to combat resistance at the preclinical and clinical level.

Increasing power system stability challenges are being witnessed worldwide, while transitioning toward low-carbon grids with a high-share of power electronic converter (PEC)-interfaced renewable energy sources (RESs) and distributed energy resources (DERs). Concurrently, new technologies and operational strategies are being implemented or proposed to tackle these challenges. Since electricity grids are deregulated in many jurisdictions, such technologies need to be integrated within a market framework, which is often a challenge in itself due to inevitable regulatory delays in updating grid codes and market rules. It is also highly desirable to ensure that an economically feasible optimal technology mix is integrated in the power system, without imposing additional burdens on electricity consumers. This article provides a comprehensive overview of emerging power system stability challenges posed by PEC-interfaced RES and DER, particularly related to low inertia and low system strength conditions, while also introducing new technologies that can help tackle these challenges and discussing the need for suitable techno-economic considerations to integrate them into system and market operation. As a key point, the importance of recognizing the complexity of system services to guarantee stability in low-carbon grids is emphasized, along with the need to carefully integrate new grid codes and market mechanisms in order to exploit the full benefits of emerging technologies in the transition toward ultra-low carbon futures. This article is categorized under: Energy Systems Economics > Economics and Policy Energy Systems Analysis > Systems and Infrastructure Energy and Development > Systems and Infrastructure.

The first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the Lombardy region of Italy was confirmed in February 20201 . Here, the outbreak resulted in the rapid overcrowding of several Emergency Departments (EDs), where physicians had little or no criteria to decide who needed hospitalization or could be discharged2 . Several studies described common patterns of symptoms3-6 (fever, cough, dyspnea, myalgia, fatigue) and chest radiological findings3,5 (consolidation, ground-glass opacity, bilateral infiltrations, interstitial abnormalities) in severe and non-severe COVID-19 patients.

The increased frequency of extreme events in recent years highlights the emerging need for the development of methods that could contribute to the mitigation of the impact of such events on critical infrastructures, as well as boost their resilience against them. This article proposes an online spatial risk analysis capable of providing an indication of the evolving risk of power systems regions subject to extreme events. A Severity Risk Index (SRI) with the support of real-time monitoring assesses the impact of the extreme events on the power system resilience, with application to the effect of windstorms on transmission networks. The index considers the spatial and temporal evolution of the extreme event, system operating conditions, and the degraded system performance during the event. SRI is based on probabilistic risk by condensing the probability and impact of possible failure scenarios while the event is spatially moving across a power system. Due to the large number of possible failures during an extreme event, a scenario generation and reduction algorithm is applied in order to reduce the computation time. SRI provides the operator with a probabilistic assessment that could lead to effective resilience-based decisions for risk mitigation. The IEEE 24-bus Reliability Test System has been used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed online risk analysis, which was embedded in a sequential Monte Carlo simulation for capturing the spatiotemporal effects of extreme events and evaluating the effectiveness of the proposed method.

LINKED CONTENT This article is linked to Tian et al and Tian and Rong papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15731 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15986

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a deadly disease. While surgery may attain cure in a minor fraction of cases, therapeutic options in either the adjuvant or advanced setting are limited. The possibility of advancing the efficacy of therapeutic approaches to CCA relies on understanding its molecular pathogenesis and developing rational therapies aimed at interfering with oncogenic signaling networks that drive and sustain cholangiocarcinogenesis. These efforts are complicated by the intricate biology of CCA, which integrates not only the driving force of tumor?cell?intrinsic alterations at the genetic and epigenetic level, but also pro?tumorigenic cues conveyed to CCA cells by different cell types present in the rich tumor stroma. Herein, we review our current understanding of the mechanistic bases underpinning the activation of major oncogenic pathways causative of CCA pathogenesis. We subsequently discuss how this knowledge is being exploited to implement rationale?based and genotype?matched therapeutic approaches that predictably will radically transform CCA clinical management in the next decade. We conclude by highlighting mechanisms of therapeutic resistance in CCA and reviewing innovative approaches to combat resistance at the pre?clinical and clinical level.

The new goal of anticancer agent research is the screening of natural origin drugs with lower systemic adverse effects than synthetic compounds. Here, we focus on curcumin, an important polyphenolic pigment classically used as spice in the Indian cuisine. The molecule has high pleiotropic activities including strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. However, its clinical potential is limited due its low solubility and bioavailability. We have developed a layer by layer functionalization of Fe3 O4 nanoparticles (nano-Fe3 O4 ) by coating biodegradable polyelectrolyte multilayers such as Dextran (DXS) and Poly(l-lysine) (PLL). Physico-chemical studies were performed to obtain a high upload of curcumin in Fe3 O4 nanoparticles. Nano-Fe3 O4 were then tested against an ovarian cancer cell line, SKOV-3, to demonstrate their therapeutic efficacy.

The Ca(2+)-sensing stromal interaction molecule (STIM) proteins are crucial Ca(2+) signal coordinators. Cre-lox technology was used to generate smooth muscle (sm)-targeted STIM1-, STIM2-, and double STIM1/STIM2-knockout (KO) mouse models, which reveal the essential role of STIM proteins in Ca(2+) homeostasis and their crucial role in controlling function, growth, and development of smooth muscle cells (SMCs). Compared to Cre(+/-) littermates, sm-STIM1-KO mice showed high mortality (50% by 30 d) and reduced bodyweight. While sm-STIM2-KO was without detectable phenotype, the STIM1/STIM double-KO was perinatally lethal, revealing an essential role of STIM1 partially rescued by STIM2. Vascular and intestinal smooth muscle tissues from sm-STIM1-KO mice developed abnormally with distended, thinned morphology. While depolarization-induced aortic contraction was unchanged in sm-STIM1-KO mice, α1-adrenergic-mediated contraction was 26% reduced, and store-dependent contraction almost eliminated. Neointimal formation induced by carotid artery ligation was suppressed by 54%, and in vitro PDGF-induced proliferation was greatly reduced (79%) in sm-STIM1-KO. Notably, the Ca(2+) store-refilling rate in STIM1-KO SMCs was substantially reduced, and sustained PDGF-induced Ca(2+) entry was abolished. This defective Ca(2+) homeostasis prevents PDGF-induced NFAT activation in both contractile and proliferating SMCs. We conclude that STIM1-regulated Ca(2+) homeostasis is crucial for NFAT-mediated transcriptional control required for induction of SMC proliferation, development, and growth responses to injury.-Mancarella, S., Potireddy, S., Wang, Y., Gao, H., Gandhirajan, K., Autieri, M., Scalia, R., Cheng, Z., Wang, H., Madesh, M., Houser, S. R., Gill, D. L. Targeted STIM deletion impairs calcium homeostasis, NFAT activation, and growth of smooth muscle.

Within a general Microgrid framework, this paper presents a model to simulate closed loop energy and ancillary services markets operated by a Microgrid Central Controller (MGCC) and to investigate the performance of such a market mechanism in managing disturbances both within and outside the Microgrid cell. The proposed approach can be seen as an alternative to a more traditional control approach in which the central operator optimises the dispatch of all generators taking into account their bids and then instructing them to produce their outputs at the specified prices according to merit order and network constraints. In the alternative approach discussed here, this dispatch decision is decentralised to each controllable unit. The central operator only influences the decision taken by each unit via price signals. The main advantage of the approach is to preserve the independency of the local controllers and to decentralise the operation decision, making the system more able to cope with a large number of generating units. The performance of the proposed market mechanism is examined via different case studies that simulate the control actions of MGCC, micro-sources and controllable loads in managing small and large disturbances within and outside the Microgrid cell. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This paper proposes a multi-objective optimization model to evaluate potential economic, technical and environmental benefits of Microgrid operation. Internalization of external costs such as induced by energy losses (network related) and CO2 emissions (environmentally related) is performed to address the interests of different agents within a single optimization framework. After presenting four reference operation strategies, a multi-layered scheduling algorithm based on genetic algorithm and linear/quadratic programming is introduced in detail. The algorithm is applied to a UK urban test grid with four different levels of penetration of distributed energy resources. The simulation results lead to the recommendation of a combined dispatch strategy that can simultaneously satisfy all constraints and provide a proper compromise for conflicting objectives of different stakeholders involved in energy supply chain. In particular, a Pareto front representation of the optimization results is also given to further illustrate the multi-objective nature of the problem.

Optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and small angle X-ray scattering techniques were used to study the influence of the crystallization conditions on morphology and thermal behavior of samples of binary blends constituted of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) and a novel graft copolymer of unsaturated propylene with styrene (uPP-g-PS) isothermally crystallized from melt, at relatively low undercooling, in a range of crystallization temperatures of the iPP phase. It was shown that, irrespective of composition, no fall in the crystallinity index of the iPP phase was observed. Notwithstanding, spherulitic texture and thermal behavior of the iPP phase in the iPP/uPP-g-PS materials were strongly modified by the presence of copolymer. Surprisingly, iPP spherulites crystallized from the blends showed size and regularity higher than that exhibited by plain iPP spherulites. Moreover, the amount of amorphous material located in the interspherulitic amorphous regions decreased with increasing crystallization temperature, and for a given crystallization temperature, with increasing uPP-g-PS content. Also, relevant thermodynamic parameters, related to the crystallization process of the iPP phase from iPP/uPP-g-PS melts, were found, composition dependent. The equilibrium melting temperature and the surface free energy of folding of the iPP lamellar crystals grown in the presence of uPP-g-PS content up to 5% (wt/wt) were, in fact, respectively slightly lower and higher than that found for the lamellar crystals of plain iPP. By further increase of the copolymer content, both the equilibrium melting temperature and surface free energy of folding values were, on the contrary, depressed dramatically. The obtained results were accounted for by assuming that the iPP crystallization process from iPP/uPP-g-PS melts could occur through molecular fractionation inducing a combination of morphological and thermodynamic effects. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 79: 2286–2298, 2001

A novel graft copolymer of unsaturated propylene with styrene (uPP-g-PS) was added to isotactic polypropylene (iPP) to investigate the state of mixing between uPP-g-PS and iPP phase and effects of the uPP-g-PS addition on iPP intrinsic phase structure, i.e., on iPP spherulitic texture and inner structure of the spherulites fibrillae. Thin films of iPP/uPP-g-PS blends containing 2, 5, and 10% (wt/wt) of graft copolymer were prepared by o-dichlorobenzene casting, according to the method we used previously to obtain samples of iPP/atactic polystyrene/uPP-g-PS ternary blends (D'Orazio et al. J Appl Polym Sci 1997, 65, 1539; D'Orazio et al. J Appl Polym Sci, 1999, 72, 1429). The variation of tan δ with temperature and differential scanning calorimetry thermograms showed respectively that, regardless of blend composition, a single glass transition temperature and a single apparent melting temperature were found for the iPP phase in the iPP/uPP-g-PS binary systems. Optical microscopy investigation revealed that, with increasing uPP-g-PS content, iPP spherulites become more open and coarse. On the other hand, both dimension and number per unit area of the amorphous interspherulitic contact regions decreased. The long period values of the iPP phase, calculated from the peak position of Lorentz-corrected desmeared small angle X-ray scattering profiles, increased markedly with increasing uPP-g-PS content; such an increase was due to an increase of both average crystalline lamellar thickness and interlamellar amorphous phase.

Optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and small angle X-ray scattering techniques were used to study the influence of crystallization conditions on the morphology and thermal behavior of samples of ternary blends constituted of isotactic polypropylene (iPP), atactic polymethylmethacrylate (aPMMA), and a novel graft copolymer of unsaturated propylene with methylmethacrylate (uPP-g-PMMA). The purpose was to assess the uPP-g-PMMA capability to act as compatibilizer for iPP/aPMMA materials. It was shown that the presence of uPP-g-PMMA copolymer affects the interfacial tension between the iPP and aPMMA phase in the melt state, the aPMMA particle size, and particle-size distribution is modified. After complete crystallization of the iPP phase at relatively low undercooling, in a range of crystallization temperatures, the presence of the uPP-g-PMMA phase was found to modify both mode and state of dispersion of minor component and spherulitic texture and inner structure of spherulites fibrillae. The extent of the induced modifications was dependent on a combination of composition and undercooling. Also, relevant thermodynamic parameters of the iPP phase, such as the equilibrium melting temperature and the surface free energy of folding, were strongly affected by the presence of the uPP-g-PMMA phase, opposite effects being observed depending on the uPP-g-PMMA content. The observed melting temperature and surface free energy of folding values were accounted for by the growth of iPP lamellar crystals with different perfection, thickness, and surface disorder.

Optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and small-angle X-ray scattering techniques were used to study the influence of crystallization conditions on the morphology and thermal behavior of samples of ternary blends constituted by isotactic polypropylene (iPP), atactic polystyrene (aPS), and a novel graft copolymer of unsaturated propylene with styrene (uPP-g-PS) with the purpose of assessing the uPP-g-PS capability to act as a compatibilizer for iPP/aPS materials. It was shown that the presence of the uPP-g-PS copolymer affects the interfacial tension between the iPP and aPS phases in the melt state, with the aPS particle size and the particle-size distribution being, in fact, strongly modified. In samples of iPP/aPS/uPP-g-PS blends, isothermally crystallized from the melt at a relatively low undercooling in a range of the crystallization temperature of the iPP phase, the addition of the uPP-g-PS copolymer induced a drastic change both in the aPS mode and the state of dispersion and in the iPP spherulitic texture and inner structure of the spherulite fibrils. In particular, the phase structure developed in the iPP/aPS/uPP-g-PS materials was characterized by a crystalline lamellar thickness of the iPP phase comparable to that shown by the plain iPP. The extent of the induced modifications, that is, the degree of compatibilization achieved, resulted in a combined effect of composition and undercooling. Also, relevant thermodynamic parameters of the iPP phase, such as the equilibrium melting temperature (Tm) and the folding surface free energy (ςe) of the lamellar crystals, were found to be influenced by the presence of the uPP-g-PS copolymer. A linear decrease of the Tm and ςe values with increasing uPP-g-PS content was, in fact, observed. Such results have been accounted for by an increase of the presence of defects along the iPP crystallizable sequences and by the very irregular and perturbed surface of the crystals with increasing copolymer content. The observed decrease in Tm values revealed, moreover, that, in the iPP/aPS/uPP-g-PS blends, the iPP crystal growth occurs under comparatively lower undercooling, in line with higher crystalline lamellar thickness shown by SAXS investigation. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 72: 1429–1442, 1999

Meltrheological behavior, phase morphology, and impact properties of isotactic-polypropylene (iPP)-based blends containing ethylene–propylene copolymer (EPR) synthesized by means of a titanium-based catalyst with very high stereospecific activity (EPRTi) were compared to those of iPP/EPR blends containing EPR copolymers synthesized by using a traditional vanadium-based catalyst (EPRV). The samples of EPR copolymers were synthesized ad hoc. They were characterized by comparable propylene content, average molecular masses, and molecular mass distribution in order to assess the effects of distribution of composition and sequence lengths of the structural units on the structure–properties correlations established in the melt and in the solid state while studying different iPP/EPR pairs.1–5 Differential scanning calorimetry, (DSC), wide-angle X-ray spectroscopy (WAXS), small-angle X-ray (SAXS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) investigations showed that the EPRTi chain is characterized by the presence of long ethylenic sequences with constitutional and configurational regularity required for crystallization of the polyethylene (PE) phase occurring, whereas a microstructure typical of a random ethylene–propylene copolymer was exhibited by the EPRV copolymer. The different intra- and intermolecular homogeneity shown by such EPR phases was found to affect their melt rheological behavior at the temperatures of 200 and 250°C; all the EPRTi dynamic–viscoelastic properties resulting were lower than that shown by the EPRV copolymer. As far as the melt rheological behavior of the iPP/EPRV and iPP/EPRTi blends was concerned, both the iPP/EPR pairs are to be classified as “negative deviation blends” with G′ and G" values higher than that shown by the plain components. The extent of the observed deviation in the viscosity values and of the increase in the amounts of stored and dissipated energy shown by such iPP/EPR pairs was found to be dependent on copolymer microstructure, being larger for the melts containing the EPRTi copolymer. The application of the Cross–Bueche equation also confirmed that, in absence of shear, the melt phase viscosity ratio is the main factor in determining the viscosity of iPP/EPR blends and their viscoelastic parameters. The general correlation established between EPR dispersion degree (range of particle size and number-average particle size), as determined in injection-molded samples, and melt phase viscosity ratio (μ) was ratified; the type of dependence of EPR size upon μ value was in qualitative agreement with the prediction of the Taylor–Tomotika theory. Contrary to expectation,1–5 for test temperature close to iPP Tg, EPRV particles ranging in size between 0.75 and 1.25 μm resulted and were more effective than EPRTi particles, ranging in size between 0.25 and 0.75 μm, in promoting multiple craze formation. Also taking into account the SAXS results, revealed that the molecular superstructure (i.e., crystalline lamellar thickness and amorphous interlayer) of the iPP matrix is unaffected by both the presence of EPRTi and EPRV phase. The above finding was related to the ethylenic crystallinity degree shown by the EPRTi copolymer. In particular, such a degree of crystallinity was supposed to deteriorate toughening by decreasing the tie molecules density in the EPRTi domains, notwithstanding the beneficial effect of the ethylenic lamellar buildup. For test temperature close to room temperature, the ductile behavior exhibited by the iPP/EPRTi blends was accounted for by a predominant shear yielding fracture mechanism probably promoted by a high concentration of interlamellar tie molecules among iPP crystallites in agreement with DSC results. Nonisothermal crystallization experiments showed, in fact, that the crystallization peak of the iPP phase from iPP/EPRTi melt is shifted to higher temperatures noticeably, thus indicating a material characterized by a comparatively higher number of spherulites per unit value grown at lower apparent undercooling values. Accordingly, WAXS analysis revealed comparatively higher iPP crystal growth in the directions perpendicular to the crystallographic planes (110) and (040) of the iPP. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 72: 701–719, 1999

A year after Mario Monicelli's suicide, the death of another famous person in Italy, Lucio Magri, reawakened the Italian debate on social, ethical and juridical issues in end-of-life decisions. Unlike Monicelli, Lucio Magri decided to end his own life in Switzerland with the help of a physician because his mental illness rendered his life unbearable. Both Monicelli and Magri suffered from a severe depression. The authors analyze the ethical issues regarding the right to die for mentally ill patients and neurological disabled patients, discussing the decision-making autonomy in persons suffering from severe depression. The role of the psychiatry in the management of end-of-life decision requests is considered along with pros and cons of suicide prevention and rationale suicide.

A novel graft copolymer of unsaturated propylene with methyl methacrylate (uPP-g-PMMA) was added to binary blends of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) and atactic poly(methyl methacrylate) (aPMMA) with a view to using such a copolymer as a compatibilizer for iPP/aPMMA materials. Optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy, wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS), and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) techniques showed that, contrary to expectation, the uPP-g-PMMA addition does not provide iPP/aPMMA compatibilized materials, irrespective of composition. As a matter of fact the degree of dispersion of the minor component achieved following the addition of uPP-g-PMMA copolymer remained quite comparable to that exhibited by binary blends of iPP and aPMMA with no relevant evidence of adhesion or interconnection between the phases. On the other hand the crystalline texture was deeply modified by the copolymer presence. With increasing uPP-g-PMMA content (w/w) the iPP spherulites were found to become more open and coarse and the dimensions and number per unit area of the amorphous interspherulitic contact regions were found to increase. According to such OM results the copolymer uncrystallizable sequences were assumed to be mainly located in interfibrillar and interspherulitic amorphous contact regions. SAXS analysis demonstrated that the phase structure developed in the iPP/aPMMA/uPP-g-PMMA blends is characterized by values of the long period increasing linearly with increasing copolymer content (w/w). Assuming a two phase model for the iPP spherulite fibrillae, constituted of alternating parallel crystalline lamellae and amorphous layers, the lamellar structure of the iPP phase in the ternary blends is characterized by crystalline lamellar thickness (Lc) and an interlamellar amorphous layer (La) higher than that shown by plain iPP and Lc and La values both increased with increasing uPP-g-PMMA content (w/w). Such SAXS results have been accounted for by assuming that a cocrystallization phenomenon between propylenic sequences of the uPP-g-PMMA copolymer and iPP occurs. The development of the iPP lamellar structure in the iPP/aPMMA/uPP-g-PMMA blends was thus modeled hypothesizing that during such a cocrystallization process copolymer PMMA chains with comparatively lower molecular mass remain entrapped into the iPP interlamellar amorphous layer forming their own domains. Moreover, evidence of strong correlations between the crystallization process of the uPP-g-PMMA copolymer and the iPP crystallization process was shown also by differential scanning calorimetry and WAXS experiments. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 66: 2377–2393, 1997

The phase morphology and structure of thermoplastic elastomers obtained from isotactic polypropylene (iPP) and ethylene—propylene random copolymer (EPR) blends by means of the dynamic curing of EPR rubbery component carried out during its melt mixing with iPP in a Banbury mixer at 180°C were investigated. Samples obtained by compression molding and by using isothermal crystallization conditions of the iPP phase were analyzed by means of differential scanning calorimetry, of optical, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy, and of wide-angle and small-angle X-ray diffraction. The influence of cooling below the melting point and of EPR molecular structure on the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters related to crystallization process of the iPP phase was also studied. It was found that the process of dynamic curing of the EPR component dramatically affects the development of the phase morphology and structure in the material. As a matter of fact, the blend containing the uncured EPR is characterized by the presence of iPP domains randomly distributed in the EPR rubbery matrix, whereas in the blend containing the cured EPR the iPP phase becomes the continuous phase crystallizing in a structure that resembles a cobweb tending to surround the EPR cured particles; moreover such an iPP cobweb appears to be contituted by row structures of stacked lamellae. It was found that the addition of EPR phase interferes dramatically with the crystallization process of the iPP, thus inducing drastic modification in its intrinsic morphology (size, neatness, regularity of spherulites, inner structure of spherulites, etc.). Such interference was found to be comparatively stronger when the iPP phase crystallizes in presence of cured EPR. The elastic behavior of the thermoplastic elastomer material was accounted for by applying the “leaf spring model” to the morphology and structure of the iPP phase crystallized in presence of cured EPR. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.