Search

Abstract Background Only a few cases of bilateral traumatic sternoclavicular dislocations have been reported in the literature. This injury is considered one of the rarest injuries of the human musculoskeletal system. Therefore, we present the first documented case of a cyclist with a third-degree open thoracic trauma (Gustilo–Anderson 3a) associated with a dislocated manubrium sterni fracture in the upper thoracic aperture, bilateral anterior dislocations of the sternoclavicular joints, rib fractures, and pleural ruptures. Case presentation The patient, a 27-year-old Caucasian male, incurred this injury while participating in a professional cycling race at Nürburgring, Germany and received immediate interdisciplinary surgical treatment and has encountered no complications. We conducted a 1-year follow-up and present the clinical findings of this follow up. Additionally, we conducted a comprehensive review of the existing literature on this injury. Conclusions Immediate interdisciplinary intervention, including surgical repair and meticulous postoperative care, facilitated successful patient recovery. This underscores the critical role of comprehensive trauma management in complex polytrauma cases. In conclusion, this case report highlights the rarity and complexity of a traumatic injury involving bilateral sternoclavicular dislocation, with this case being the first case reported with concomitant open thorax trauma. Our patient benefited greatly from immediate air-bound transportation to an interdisciplinary care provider, which houses both thoracic and trauma surgery departments.

To effectively monitor highly heterogeneous urban CO2 emissions using atmospheric observations, there is a need to deploy cost-effective CO2 sensors at multiple locations within the city with sufficient accuracy to capture the concentration gradients in urban environments. These dense measurements could be used as input of an atmospheric inversion system for the quantification of emissions at the sub-city scale or to separate specific sectors. Such quantification would offer valuable insights into the efficacy of local initiatives and could also identify unknown emission hotspots that require attention. Here we present the development and evaluation of a mid-cost CO2 instrument designed for continuous monitoring of atmospheric CO2 concentrations with a target accuracy of 1 ppm for hourly mean measurements. We assess the sensor sensitivity in relation to environmental factors such as humidity, pressure, temperature and CO2 signal, which leads to the development of an effective calibration algorithm. Since July 2020, eight mid-cost instruments have been installed within the city of Paris and its vicinity to provide continuous CO2 measurements, complementing the seven high-precision cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) stations that have been in operation since 2016. A data processing system, called CO2calqual, has been implemented to automatically handle data quality control, calibration and storage, which enables the management of extensive real-time CO2 measurements from the monitoring network. Colocation assessments with the high-precision instrument show that the accuracies of the eight mid-cost instruments are within the range of 1.0 to 2.4 ppm for hourly afternoon (12:00–17:00 UTC) measurements. The long-term stability issues require manual data checks and instrument maintenance. The analyses show that CO2 measurements can provide evidence for underestimations of CO2 emissions in the Paris region and a lack of several emission point sources in the emission inventory. Our study demonstrates promising prospects for integrating mid-cost measurements along with high-precision data into the subsequent atmospheric inverse modeling to improve the accuracy of quantifying the fine-scale CO2 emissions in the Paris metropolitan area.

Abstract Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) underpin a range of emerging technologies, from bioelectronics to neuromorphic computing, owing to their unique coupling of electronic and ionic charge carriers. In this context, various OECT systems exhibit significant hysteresis in their transfer curve, which is frequently leveraged to achieve non-volatility. Meanwhile, a general understanding of its physical origin is missing. Here, we introduce a thermodynamic framework that readily explains the emergence of bistable OECT operation via the interplay of enthalpy and entropy. We validate this model through temperature-resolved characterizations, material manipulation, and thermal imaging. Further, we reveal deviations from Boltzmann statistics for the subthreshold swing and reinterpret existing literature. Capitalizing on these findings, we finally demonstrate a single-OECT Schmitt trigger, thus compacting a multi-component circuit into a single device. These insights provide a fundamental advance for OECT physics and its application in non-conventional computing, where symmetry-breaking phenomena are pivotal to unlock new paradigms of information processing.

AA.VV. (2021-2024). Collana Comics&Science. Feltrinelli Comics. www.comicsandscience.it

Objectives During 2015–2018, a randomised controlled trial (RCT) evaluated eRAPID, an eHealth intervention designed to capture patient-reported symptoms online during cancer treatment. eRAPID provides patients with advice on when to self-manage or seek medical support. Clinicians accessed symptom reports within electronic patient records. 508 participants starting systemic cancer treatment were recruited and followed for 18 weeks. The intervention group (n=256) was asked to access eRAPID and complete weekly online symptom reports. Clinicians received training on accessing and interpreting symptom reports. Overall, eRAPID had a positive impact on patients’ symptoms, quality of life and self-efficacy, particularly early in treatment and for patients with early-stage disease. Using mixed methods, we aimed to gather insight from patients and clinicians on how eRAPID worked to facilitate the interpretation of RCT findings.Methods Following a concurrent triangulation design, patient experiences of eRAPID were gathered via end-of-study interviews (n=45) and questionnaires (n=186). Clinician experiences were obtained by end-of-study interviews (n=18) and completion, throughout the trial, of feedback questionnaires (n=787 from n=55 clinicians). Framework analysis was applied to examine qualitative data and close-ended questions were descriptively summarised. Findings were mapped against results from the RCT.Setting Medical oncology services, UK cancer centre.Results Patient feedback indicated eRAPID was easy to use. Adherence to weekly reporting was influenced by health status, reminders, perceived value and clinical use. Patient-reported benefits of eRAPID included an enhanced connection with the hospital, provision of practical advice and personal monitoring, which provided reassurance and empowerment. Clinicians were positive about the potential for online symptom monitoring but had mixed levels of direct experience with using eRAPID during the trial. Patients echoed this and recommended more explicit clinician use of symptom data.Conclusions The mixed-method approach to capturing patient and clinician opinions provided valuable insight into the eRAPID intervention and complementary information on how the intervention was received and functioned.

With corrections transmitted through the E6 signal, the Galileo High Accuracy Service (HAS) provides the information necessary to execute a stand-alone precise point positioning algorithm in real time. Once fully operational, the service aims to deliver an accuracy of 20 cm and 40 cm (at the 95% confidence level) in the horizontal and vertical channels, respectively. While most of the current literature focuses on analyzing the performance of HAS in static and open-sky signal reception scenarios, this study presents the results of tests conducted in both static and dynamic conditions, including open-sky and urban canyon scenarios. The tests clearly demonstrate that utilizing HAS corrections leads to a significant reduction in positioning error across all tested environments. Furthermore, a specific analysis of HAS message availability in a harsh environment indicates that the corrections obtained from the signal in space are available approximately 95% of the time during dynamic scenario tests.

Among domestic species, pigs experienced the greatest brain size reduction, but the extent and factors of this reduction remain unclear. Here, we used the brain endocast volume collected from 92 adult skulls of wild, captive, feral and domestic Sus scrofa to explore the effects of domestication, feralization and captivity over the brain size variation of this species. We found a constant brain volume increase over 24 months, while body growth slowed down from month 20. We observed an 18% brain size reduction between wild boars and pigs, disagreeing with the 30%–40% reduction previously mentioned. We did not find significant sexual differences in brain volume, refuting the theory of the attenuation of male secondary sexual characteristics through the selection for reduced male aggression. Feralization in Australia led to brain size reduction—probably as an adaptation to food scarcity and drought, refuting the reversal to wild ancestral brain size. Finally, free-born wild boars raised in captivity showed a slight increase in brain size, potentially due to a constant and high-quality food supply as well as new allospecific interactions. These results support the need to further explore the influence of diet, environment and experience on brain size evolution during animal domestication.

Scuola di nudo (1994) è uno dei romanzi più significativi degli anni Novanta, sia perché segna l’esordio romanzesco di uno scrittore lucido e impietoso come Walter Siti, aprendo la strada ad un genere, quello autofinzionale, in Italia non ancora praticato, sia perché è un’opera in grado di cogliere e rappresentare il particolare momento storico in cui viene scritto. Questo articolo si propone di interpretare Scuola di nudo come romanzo di una doppia mutazione: quella personale che segna per Walter Siti il passaggio dalla scrittura in versi a quella in prosa; e quella collettiva (antropologica) che investe la società italiana tra la fine degli anni Ottanta e gli anni Novanta, e che si accompagna a un radicale cambiamento di postura dell’intellettuale verso la realtà, pienamente incarnato dal protagonista del romanzo.

Questo articolo si propone di analizzare La noia (1960) di Alberto Moravia, Un amore (1963) di Dino Buzzati e La bambolona (1967) di Alba de Céspedes, come tre opere che, ponendo al centro della narrazione l’ossessione erotica di un personaggio borghese, riescono a rendere conto della crisi della mascolinità (Gunsberg) che si sviluppa durante gli anni Sessanta e che trova nella figura dell’inetto (sessuale) la sua più vivida espressione. In primo luogo ci concentreremo sulle le modalità di rappresentazione del desiderio dei tre protagonisti, per poi focalizzarci sulla centralità del tema del possesso e sulle sue forme – borghesi – di espressione (denaro e matrimonio). Infine, studieremo l’evoluzione dei tre personaggi femminili (Cecilia, Laide e Ivana), da cui i protagonisti sono attratti, che da oggetti di desiderio si smarcano dal male gaze e si affermano come soggetti di desiderio.

Abstract CD19‐targeting treatments have shown promise in relapsed/refractory (R/R) diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Loncastuximab tesirine (loncastuximab tesirine‐lpyl [Lonca]) is a CD19‐targeting antibody‐drug conjugate indicated for R/R DLBCL after at least two systemic treatments. CD19 expression was evaluated in patients receiving Lonca in the LOTIS‐2 clinical trial with available tissue samples obtained after last systemic therapy/before Lonca treatment. Lonca cytotoxicity was evaluated in a panel of six lymphoma cell lines with various CD19 expression levels. Quantitative systems pharmacology (QSP) modelling was used to predict Lonca responses. Lonca responses were seen in patients across all CD19 expression levels, including patients with low/no detectable CD19 expression and H‐scores at baseline. Similarly, Lonca induced cytotoxicity in cell lines with different levels of CD19 expression, including one with very low expression. QSP modelling predicted that CD19 expression by immunohistochemistry alone does not predict Lonca response, whereas inclusion of CD19 surface density improved response prediction. Virtual patients responded to Lonca with estimated CD19 as low as 1000 molecules/cell of CD19, normally below the immunohistochemistry detection level. We found Lonca is an effective treatment for R/R DLBCL regardless of CD19 expression by immunohistochemistry. These results provide the basis for future studies addressing CD19‐targeted agent sequencing.

This study aims to quantify enteric methane (CH4) emission and dry matter intake (DMI) in beef steers under two rotational grazing systems: (i) a mixture of cover crops (vetch + ryegrass + forage radish) (CC) and (ii) alfalfa and fescue pasture (AFP). Eighteen Hereford steers were divided into two groups (nine steers per group), assigned to either the CC or AFP. Methane emissions were measured using the SF6 tracer technique. The results showed that steers grazing CC produced 29% less CH4 in g/d compared to those on the AFP (119.1 vs. 167.1 g/d for CC and AFP, p < 0.05) and 36% less CH4 yield (4.3 vs. 6.7% of gross energy intake). However, average daily gain (ADG), DMI, and CH4 intensity (gCH4/kg ADG) did not significantly differ between treatments. The integration of CC in a cattle grazing system has the potential to reduce CH4 emissions by improving forage quality.

Objectives: Preliminary studies suggested that the high rates of stress are increasingly prevalent in students in tertiary education in the Arabian Gulf countries and that their emotional eating is often triggered by stress. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of studies on this topic and Oman is no exception. In this study, we intended to examine the prevalence of emotional eating and perceived stress in Omani college students and to clarify the relationship between their emotional eating and sociodemographic and risk factors among the population in the college students in Oman. Methods: We used Salzburg Emotional Eating Scale and Perceived Stress Scale to assess emotional eating and variations in perceived stress, respectively. We also study their sociodemographic and risk factors. Results: A total of 422 students took part in the study, with the age of 20.6 ± 1.8 (mean ± standard deviation) years. Of all students, 85.8% (n = 362) were reported to have emotional eating and 78.7% of the sample were reported to experience stress. The multivariate logistic analysis showed that body mass index (BMI) and the student's major subjects were the significant risk factors. Students who majored in science/engineering/agriculture (odds ratio [OR] = 0.926, p < 0.001) and arts/business/law were 3.1 times (OR = 3.115, p < 0.05) and 2.3 times (OR = 2.347, p < 0.05) were significantly engaged in emotional eating as compared to those majoring in medicine/nursing. Students who are underweight (BMI < 18) were 3.9 times (OR = 3.984, p < 0.05) were also significantly more to engage in emotional eating than those students who were overweight/obese (BMI 25+). Conclusion: In this study, we found that both rates of emotional eating and stress were high among college students in Oman. Contrary to international trends, underweight students (BMI < 18) were more prone to engaging in emotional eating than overweight/obese students (BMI 25+) in our study sample. This suggests that there is likely to be subcultural diversity or artifacts that are intimately tied to emotional eating. More studies on this discrepant finding are warranted.

Objective: A troublesome implication of the COVID-19 pandemic has been an increased incidence of antimicrobial resistance. Implementation of containment measures, surveillance and monitoring of multiresistant microorganisms and/or alert organisms (MDROs_AL) should be strengthened. Here, we present the results of our observational study in which the isolation trend of MDROs_AL was compared over several quarters before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic (2019-2020). Results: Although in our hospital the number of hospital admissions decreased significantly during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic (due to the conversion of our hospital to a COVID hospital), the incidence rate of MDRO_AL infection increased from 18.0–34.6. (incidence rate) Among the MDROs_AL, A. baumannii, carbapenem-resistant enterobacteria, staphylococci/streptococci-MLSB, intermediate/glycopeptide-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci and vancomycin-resistant enterococci were the most represented.

Abstract Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) based on Poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonic acid) (PEDOT:PSS) are a benchmark system in organic bioelectronics. In particular, the superior mechanical properties and the ionic‐electronic transduction yield excellent potential for the field of implantable or wearable sensing technology. However, depletion‐mode operation PEDOT:PSS‐based OECTs cause high static power dissipation in electronic circuits, limiting their application in electronic systems. Hence, having control over the threshold voltage is of utmost technological importance. Here, PEDOT:PSS‐based dual‐gate OECTs with solid‐state electrolyte where the threshold voltage is seamlessly adjustable during operation are demonstrated. It is shown that the degree of threshold voltage tuning linearly depends on the gate capacitance, which is a straightforward approach for circuit designers to adjust the threshold voltage only by the device dimensions. The PEDOT:PSS‐based dual‐gate OECTs show excellent device performance and can be pushed to accumulation‐mode operation, resulting in a simplified and relaxed design of complementary inverters.

Climate exerts complex influences on leptospirosis transmission, affecting human behavior, zoonotic host population dynamics, and survival of the pathogen in the environment. Here, we describe the spatiotemporal distribution of leptospirosis incidence reported to China’s National Infectious Disease Surveillance System from 2004–2014 in an endemic region in western China, and employ distributed lag models at annual and sub-annual scales to analyze its association with hydroclimatic risk factors and explore evidence for the potential role of a soil reservoir in the transmission of Leptospira spp. More than 97% of the 2,934 reported leptospirosis cases occurred during the harvest season between August and October, and most commonly affected farmers (83%). Using a distributed lag Poisson regression framework, we characterized incidence rate ratios (IRRs) associated with interquartile range increases in precipitation of 3.45 (95% confidence interval 2.57–4.64) over 0-1-year lags, and 1.90 (1.18–3.06) over 0-15-week lags. Adjusting for soil moisture decreased IRRs for precipitation at both timescales (yearly adjusted IRR: 1.05, 0.74–1.49; weekly adjusted IRR: 1.36, 0.72–2.57), suggesting precipitation effects may be mediated through soil moisture. Increased soil moisture was positively associated with leptospirosis at both timescales, suggesting that the survival of pathogenic Leptospira spp. in moist soils may be a critical control on harvest-associated leptospirosis transmission in the study region. These results support the hypothesis that soils may serve as an environmental reservoir and may play a significant yet underrecognized role in leptospirosis transmission.

Though models describing the operating mechanism of organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) have been developed, these models are unable to accurately reproduce OECT electrical characteristics. Here, the authors report a thermodynamic-based framework that accurately models OECT operation.

Abstract A new paradigm of electronic devices with bio-inspired features is aiming to mimic the brain’s fundamental mechanisms to achieve recognition of very complex patterns and more efficient computational tasks. Networks of electropolymerized dendritic fibers are attracting much interest because of their ability to achieve advanced learning capabilities, form neural networks, and emulate synaptic and plastic processes typical of human neurons. Despite their potential for brain-inspired computation, the roles of the single parameters associated with the growth of the fiber are still unclear, and the intrinsic randomness governing the growth of the dendrites prevents the development of devices with stable and reproducible properties. In this manuscript, we provide a systematic study on the physical parameters influencing the growth, defining cause-effect relationships for direction, symmetry, thickness, and branching of the fibers. We build an electrochemical model of the phenomenon and we validate it in silico using Montecarlo simulations. This work shows the possibility of designing dendritic polymer fibers with controllable physical properties, providing a tool to engineer polymeric networks with desired neuromorphic features.

Introduction: We estimated the health and economic impacts of chronic exposure to air pollution for the Swiss part of the Greater Geneva area from 2016 to 2018. Materials and methods: We extracted from fine-scale modelled concentration maps for two pollutant indicators, particulate matter PM2.5 and nitrogen dioxide. Then, we performed a quantitative health impact assessment of the health burden attributable to anthropogenic-origin air pollution, and estimated the benefits of compliance with the federal Ordinance on Air Pollution Control (OAPC) limit values. Finally, we computed the economic impacts of these health effects. Results: Exposure to fine particles of anthropogenic origin was responsible for 7.5% of annual mortality (280 deaths or 5,900 life years lost), for 14 lung cancers and for 68 strokes annually in the Canton of Geneva. Compliance with the OAPC limit value of 10 µg/m3 as an annual average would reduce annual mortality by 1.5% (62 deaths avoided or 1,300 life years gained). Exposure to anthropogenic-origin NO2 was associated with 5.3% of annual deaths (approximately 200 deaths per year). The estimated total negative economic impacts of anthropogenic-origin fine particles were at least CHF2017 1.3 billion per year, whereas compliance with the OAPC limit values would result in annual economic benefits of at least CHF2017 290 million. Conclusion: We confirmed that air quality remains a health issue on which stakeholder mobilisation is vital. Action plans should tackle emissions from freight and personal mobility, heating, industry and agriculture, while seeking to improve knowledge on health risks from air pollution exposure.

Societal actors across scales and geographies increasingly demand visual applications of systems thinking – the process of understanding and changing the reality of a system by considering its whole set of interdependencies – to address complex problems affecting food and agriculture. Yet, despite the wide offer of systems mapping tools, there is still little guidance for managers, policy-makers, civil society and changemakers in food and agriculture on how to choose, combine and use these tools on the basis of a sufficiently deep understanding of socio-ecological systems. Unfortunately, actors seeking to address complex problems with inadequate understandings of systems often have limited influence on the socio-ecological systems they inhabit, and sometimes even generate unintended negative consequences. Hence, we first review, discuss and exemplify seven key features of systems that should be – but rarely have been – incorporated in strategic decisions in the agri-food sector: interdependency, level-multiplicity, dynamism, path dependency, self-organization, non-linearity and complex causality. Second, on the basis of these features, we propose a collective process to systems mapping that grounds on the notion that the configuration of problems (i.e., how multiple issues entangle with each other) and the configuration of actors (i.e., how multiple actors relate to each other and share resources) represent two sides of the same coin. Third, we provide implications for societal actors - including decision-makers, trainers and facilitators - using systems mapping to trigger or accelerate systems change in five purposive ways: targeting multiple goals; generating ripple effects; mitigating unintended consequences; tackling systemic constraints, and collaborating with unconventional partners.

‘Archaeogenetic analysis of black rat remains reveals that this species was introduced into temperate Europe twice, in the Roman and medieval periods. This population turnover was likely associated with multiple historical and environmental factors.’