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We present the preparation and characterization of pure lead monoxide obtained through recycling of the lead paste recovered from exhausted lead acid batteries. The recycling is based on a hydrometallurgical procedure reported in a STC Patent, that includes simple chemical operations (desulphurisation, leaching, precipitation, filtration) and a final thermal conversion. Materials obtained by treatment at 600 °C consist predominantly of β-PbO. The electrochemical behaviour of Positive Active Mass (PAM) prepared from different materials (or mixtures) is then investigated and compared. An optimized oxide material, obtained by prolonged (8 h) thermal treatment at 600 °C, consists of pure β-PbO and appears suitable for preparation of battery elements, alone or in mixture with a small fraction (10%–30%) of traditional industrial leady oxide. The resulting battery performances are similar to those obtained from pure leady oxide. In comparison with traditional recycling processes, the proposed method guarantees lower energy consumption, limited environmental impact and reduced operating risk for industry workers.

Musculoskeletal injuries, a public health priority also in the military context, are ascribed to several risk factors, including: increased reaction forces; low/reduced muscle strength, endurance, body mass, Vitamin D level, and bone density; inadequate lifestyles and environment. The MOVIDA Project–funded by the Italian Ministry of Defence—aims at developing a transportable toolkit (assessment instrumentation, assessment protocols and reference/risk thresholds) which integrates motor function assessment with biological, environmental and behavioural factors to help characterizing the risk of stress fracture, stress injury or muscle fatigue due to mechanical overload. The MOVIDA study has been designed following the STROBE guidelines for observational cross-sectional studies addressing healthy adults, both militaries and civilians, with varying levels of physical fitness (sedentary people, recreational athletes, and competitive athletes). The protocol of the study has been designed and validated and is hereby reported. It allows to collect and analyse anamnestic, diagnostic and lifestyle-related data, environmental parameters, and functional parameters measured through portable and wearable instrumentation during adapted 6 minutes walking test. The t-test, one and two-way ANOVA with post-hoc corrections, and ANCOVA tests will be used to investigate relevant differences among the groups with respect to biomechanical parameters; non-parametric statistics will be rather used for non-normal continuous variables and for quantitative discrete variables. Generalized linear models will be used to account for risk and confounding factors.

This Expression of Concern relates to [J. Cell Sci. (2006) 119, 744-752 (doi:10.1242/jcs.02784)][1]. Journal of Cell Science was informed that several bands in each of the ERK1/2, P-AKT, AKT and p70S6K blots in Fig. 5 look very similar. After discussions with the first author, Raffaella Guerriero

Chronic treatment with aspirin in healthy volunteers (HVs) is associated with recovery of adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-induced platelet activation. The purinergic P2Y1 receptor exerts its effects via a Gq-protein, which is the same biochemical pathway activated by thromboxane-A2 receptor. We hypothesized that recovery of ADP-induced platelet activation could be attributed to increased P2Y1 expression induced by chronic aspirin exposure. We performed a multi-phase investigation which embraced both in vitro and in vivo experiments conducted in (1) human megakaryoblastic DAMI cells, (2) human megakaryocytic progenitor cell cultures, (3) platelets obtained from HVs treated with aspirin and (4) platelets obtained from aspirin-treated patients. DAMI cells treated with aspirin or WY14643 (PPARα agonist) had a significant up-regulation of P2Y1 mRNA, which was shown to be a PPARα-dependent process. In human megakaryocytic progenitors, in the presence of aspirin or WY14643, P2Y1 mRNA expression was higher than in mock culture. P2Y1 expression increased in platelets obtained from HVs treated with aspirin for 8 weeks. Platelets obtained from patients who were on aspirin for more than 2 months had increased P2Y1 expression and ADP-induced aggregation compared with patients on aspirin treatment for less than a month. Overall, our results suggest that aspirin induces genomic changes in megakaryocytes leading to P2Y1 up-regulation and that PPARα is the nuclear receptor involved in this regulation. Since P2Y1 is coupled to the same Gq-protein of thromboxane-A2 receptor, platelet adaptation in response to pharmacological inhibition seems not to be receptor specific, but may involve other receptors with the same biochemical pathway.

Current climate change negatively impacts on key seasonal biological processes of perennial plants causing erratic productions and, consequently, significant yield reductions. Being flowering time of fruit crops one of the most widely used indicators for climate change studies, the present research aimed to assess, over a long-term period (1973–2016), the climatic trend and its influence on blooming date and intensity of 40 apricot cultivars (Prunus armeniaca L.) grown in central Italy. Over the autumn-spring seasons, the main climatic parameters (temperature, rainfall) were acquired, and calculation of chill accumulation according to the Chilling Units model (CU) was performed. Results showed significant trends in warming of autumn-winter monthly minimum and average temperatures, particularly since the 1990s. During the critical period for overcoming of flower bud endodormancy, a dramatic loss of CUs was recorded. Most of the examined cultivars, belonging to Italian and foreign germplasm and opportunely selected for different flowering time, showed important blooming delays and blooming intensity decreases. In particular, the early-blooming cultivars showed the highest average shift of around 12 days and a loss in blooming intensity score which fell to levels of around 50% with respect to previous periods. The CUs, negatively correlated with blooming time and positively correlated with blooming intensity, seem to be crucial for apricot floral biology. The irregular autumn-winter cold rate of recent years may mean that substantial impacts can be expected in the future with possible geographic shifts of the apricot cultivation areas towards more potentially suitable areas located in the northern Italian and European regions, with considerable socioeconomic inference.

Introduction Sleep is well-conserved across phylogeny, yet the function of sleep and its underlying mechanisms are currently poorly understood. Novel-sleep related genes were previously identified by our lab in part of the Knockout Mouse Phenotyping Program (KOMP2). This international effort generated single-gene knockouts on a Mus musculus C57BL6/NJ background and proceeded to gather data on over 200 phenotypes, including five days of baseline sleep and wake parameters. Sleep data was gathered using the non-invasive, high-throughput PiezoSleep System (Signal Solutions, LLC) which uses a piezoelectric film to gather movement data which then can be assigned to be wake or sleep. These data identified 122 novel genes that influence sleep phenotypes such as sleep duration and bout length. Methods Homologous proteins were identified and a subset of these genes are under investigation in Drosophila melanogaster, including myosin heavy chain (Mhc) and spinophillin (Spn). Using both genetic mutants and RNAi knockdowns, the effect of gene reduction on activity profiles and sleep are being analyzed. Sleep and activity data is recorded using DAM2 monitors (TriKinetics Inc.) while being maintained on a 12:12 light:dark cycle. Results Preliminary data analysis show that aberrations in Mhc and Spn impact sleep percentage. Both Mhc and Spn are known to be involved in structure and development of synapses. Spn is involved in the neurexin scaffolding of presynaptic neurons and also help with maintaining these synapses once formed. Synaptic reorganization and regulation is known to take place during sleep, showing a potential connection of these proteins and sleep. Conclusion These genes that show effects on sleep in both D. melanogaster and M. musculus show a conservation of the underlying sleep machinery. Support

Background A mechanism involved in high on‐aspirin treatment residual platelet reactivity is platelet multidrug resistance protein 4 (MRP4) overexpression. Aspirin enhances platelet MRP4 expression with a PPARα‐dependent mechanism and reduces miR‐21 expression that, in turn, downregulates PPARα expression. Objective The aim of our study was to verify the relationship between miR‐21 and MRP4‐PPARα levels induced by aspirin treatment. Methods We evaluated the changes in MRP4‐PPARα, mRNA, MRP4 protein, and miR‐21 expression induced by aspirin in: (i) in vitro–treated megakaryoblastic cell line (DAMI), (ii) primary megakaryocytes cultures and derived platelets, (iii) healthy volunteers’ platelets treated with aspirin, and (iv) aspirinated patients (aspirin‐treated patients) and in a control population (control). Results We observed an aspirin‐induced reverse relationship between the expression of miR‐21 and PPARα‐MRP4. In DAMI cells the miR‐21 mimic transfection reduces PPARα and MRP4 expression, even if cells were treated with aspirin after transfection. MiR‐21 inhibitor transfection induces PPARα and MRP4 expression that are not enhanced by aspirin treatment. In human megakaryocytes, aspirin treatment lead to a miR‐21 downregulation and a MRP4 upregulation and this trend is confirmed in derived platelets. In aspirin‐treated volunteers, an inverse relationship between miR‐21 and MRP4 platelet expression was found after aspirin treatment. A similar negative relationship was found in aspirin‐treated patients vs the control population. Conclusion The results reported in this study provide information that aspirin induces the modulation of platelet miR‐21 expression levels and this modulation can be responsible for MRP4 enhancement in circulating platelets.

Background Sensory tricks such as touching the face with fingertips often improve cervical dystonia [CD]. This study is to determine whether sensory tricks modulate motor cortex excitability, assessed by paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation [p-pTMS]. Methods Eight patients with rotational CD underwent p-pTMS, at rest and when the sensory trick was applied. To test intracortical inhibition [ICI] and facilitation [ICF], the amplitude ratio between conditioned and unconditioned cortical motor evoked potentials was measured at several interstimulus intervals (ISI 1, 3, 15, and 20 ms) and compared with controls mimicking patients' sensory tricks. Results At rest, a significant ICF enhancement was found at ISIs 15 through 20 in patients compared with controls, whereas no significant ICI changes were observed. Sensory tricks significantly reduced the abnormal ICF in patients and did not induce any change in controls. Conclusions In our CD patients, sensory tricks seem to improve dystonia through an inhibitory effect on motor cortex excitability. © 2014 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society

Intraoperative neuromonitoring (IOM) allow the assessment of spinal integrity during thoracoabdominal aneurysm (TAAA) surgery, giving the opportunity to predict or help to prevent spinal ischemia (SCI). The reliability of IOM depends on excluding confounding factors and on warning criteria. Our aims were to investigate the sensitivity and specificity of IOM for SCI and to verify if the study of compound motor action potential (CMAP) is reliable in the identification of limb ischemia and improve IOM sensitivity for SCI. One-hundred consecutive patients (mean 64.3 yrs) undergoing TAAAs surgery between February 2016 and March 2018 were studied prospectively. IOM included motor evoked potentials (MEPs), somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs), popliteal potentials and CMAPs. MEPs and SEPs were recordable in 99% of cases. MEPs showed transient changes in 49.5% and persistent decrease in 16.2% (3% unilateral). All of 4 patients with persistent bilateral MEPs deterioration and without alteration of peripheral potentials or arm MEPs developed paraplegia. Persistent bilateral MEPs changes, especially without concurrent peripheral alterations, are at high risk of SCI and justify prompt interventions for maximize spinal perfusion. The improvement of the accuracy in the identification of peripheral ischemia could help to clarify which MEPs alterations correlate with neurologic deficits.

Botulinum toxin type A (BT-A) is known to be effective in improving focal spasticity; a few data are available on BT-A efficacy in improving function and quality of life in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). To evaluate in MS patients presenting with focal spasticity the grade of achievement of the predefined goals through the treatment with BT-A and physiotherapy a longitudinal prospective study was drawn in 11 patients; for each patient it was fixed an individualized rehabilitative program and BT-A was administered depending on spasticity pattern. The evaluation of the adequate achievement of the target was done at week 4 using the Goal Attainment Scale (GAS). Specific scales were applied depending on the function or disability domain involved. All of them had a progressive form of MS; EDSS was 6.5 mean (4–8). 8 patients had as target gait improvement, 2 postural changes and 1 posture improving. 9 out of 11 reached the fixed target, 6 of them with gait improvement as target. Our data suggest that an integrated, multidisciplinary approach in treating focal spasticity is effective for reaching the individualized objective targeted on actual needs of single patient. This is the first step for a subsequent evaluation of a real impact of our intervention in reducing global disability of MS patients.

Onabotulinum toxin A (BT-A) is now one of the authorized prophylaxis treatments for chronic migraine (CM) thanks to previous clinical trials, which usually required a pharmacologic washout as a precondition for demonstrating its efficacy. Aim of our study was to assess the efficacy in daily clinical practice of BT-A injections in refractory CM patients, regardless of medication overuse without any standardized withdrawal protocol and without stopping the ongoing prophylaxis treatment as well. We treated 44 refractory CM patients (37 females and 7 males) trimonthly without any modification in symptomatic, or prophylactic drug therapy. Main efficacy variables included number of headache, or migraine days and episodes, total cumulative headache hours, MIDAS and HIT-6 scores; all items were assessed at baseline and at the 12-, 24-, and 36-week follow-up. All variables showed a statistically significant improvement at week 36. In general, more than 50 % of patients had a good clinical outcome (including all improved patients, either partial or full responder) and that the percentage of drug abuser patients significantly decreased from 75 to 50 %, thanks to a spontaneous reduction of the symptomatic drug intake. Adverse events were uncommon and did not require treatment discontinuation. Onabotulinum toxin A treatment in refractory CM patients with unsatisfactory prophylactic drug treatments and pharmacological abuse is effective in improving clinical outcome and quality of life. This result may be achieved through a flexible pharmacologic approach tailored to each patient's needs; moreover, the patient himself can be often expected to reduce drug consumption spontaneously.

Botulinum toxin type-A is currently thought to be effective and safe for hemifacial spasm (HFS). The pre-synaptic block of acetylcholine release at the neuromuscular junction induces depression of orbicularis oculi muscle compound motor action potential (CMAP). The aim of our study was to evaluate at what extent end-plate functional recovery is possible even in botulinum toxin treatments lasting up to 15 years. We examined 81 outpatients with primary HFS (mean treatment duration = 7.2 ± 4.2 years) who underwent neurophysiologic study, once clinical effect of the previous treatment had vanished. The mean CMAP amplitude, mean rectified amplitude of response 1 (R1) of the blink reflex and area of response 2 (R2) of treated orbicularis oculi muscle were measured in comparison to the controlateral side. Mean amplitude of the above mentioned parameters was slightly lower (about 20%; p < 0.001) in the treated side at the end of the follow-up period (4.7 ± 1.7 months). The CMAP amplitude reduction weakly correlated with the interval from last treatment, while other neurophysiologic parameters did not change due to treatment duration or total toxin amount. Our study demonstrates that botulinum toxin affects compound motor action potential and blink-reflex responses for at least 4-5 months in HFS patients. The residual block is slight and does not increase with repeated injections after several years of treatment. Our study, beside confirming the long-term efficacy of botulinum toxin treatment for HFS, provides neurophysiologic evidence that therapeutic effect may be obtained without hindering the regenerative potential of the nerve-muscle complex.

Over the past twenty years, the winter climate has shown a tendency to become progressively milder. We asked ourselves how a collection of apricot varieties, growing in a Mediterranean Tuscan coastal area, reacts to a strong reduction in the Chilling Unit accumulation as recorded during the last autumn-winter season. In the following spring, between March 1 st and April 10 th , on more than 200 apricot adult accessions, observations were conducted on the bud phenological stage evolution, amount of flowering and fruit set. The climatic trend for the year 2006-2007 allowed classifying the genotypes based on their yield response. Some genotypes coming from the southern Mediterranean area show the ability to heavy crop also under unusually mild winter conditions.

En: XII International Symposium on Apricot Culture and Decline, Avignon (France). Editor: J.M. Audergon.

We tested cortical motor evoked potentials (cMEPs) as a quantitative marker for in vivo monitoring of corticospinal tract damage in a murine multiple sclerosis model (experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, EAE). The cMEPs, previously standardized in naive C57BL/6 developing and adult mice, were studied longitudinally in adult EAE mice. Central conduction times (CCTs) increased significantly shortly before the earliest clinical signs developed (10 days postimmunization, dpi), with peak delay in acute EAE (20-40 dpi). In clinically stable disease (80 dpi), CCTs did not increase further, but cMEP amplitude declined progressively, with complete loss in >80% of mice at 120 dpi. Increase in CCT correlated with presence of inflammatory infiltrates and demyelination in acute EAE, whereas small or absent cMEPs were associated with continuing axonal damage in clinically-stabilized disease and beyond (>80 dpi). These results demonstrate that cMEPs are a useful method for monitoring corticospinal tract function in chronic-progressive EAE, and provide insight into the pathological substrate of the condition.

A new probe-compensated near-field - far-field (NF-FF) transformation with helicoidal scanning for aperture antennas is presented. Such a technique takes the advantage of the NF data acquisition made according to a very efficient sampling strategy along a helix and exploits a proper aperture field expansion based on the use of the prolate spheroidal wave functions, accounting for the a priori information on shape and size of the antenna under test. Experimental results on a disconnected radiating aperture antenna show the effectiveness of the approach, and how it enables a serious reduction of the measurement points without impairing the FF estimation accuracy.

A large multicentre clinical trial (PREEMPT) demonstrated the efficacy and safety of onabotulinumtoxin A for prophylactic treatment of chronic migraine (CM) in prophylactic drug-free patients. This study aimed to verify the efficacy of repetitive injections of onabotulinumtoxin A in CM patients with ineffective chronic poly-therapy. Patients and methods: we studied 45 CM patients (36 females and 9 males) taking multiple prophylactic/symptomatic medications who were treated with onabotulinumtoxin-A for a follow up period of 9 months. The overall dose ranged between 155 and 180 U administered in 31–36 sites following PREEMPT protocol, repeated at 12 weeks intervals. The main evaluated variables to establish drug efficacy included number of headache/migraine days and episodes, total cumulative headache hours, MIDAS and HIT-6 scores; all items were assessed at baseline and after 12–24–36 weeks during follow-up. Results: all variables showed statistically significant changes after 36-weeks time-point. We observed a responder rate (partially responder plus completely responder patients) of about 40% after the first treatment; the rate reached 90% after the third treatment. Adverse events were uncommon and did not require treatment discontinuation. Conclusions: repeated treatments with onabotulinumtoxin A in CM patients with unsatisfactory prophylactic drug treatments, was very effective in improving all variables examined, determining a measurable positive impact on quality of life.

A classic hallmark of cervical dystonia (CD) is the improvement of dystonic symptoms during a specific maneuver, defined ‘sensory trick’ (ST). Even if the mechanism by which ST improves dystonia is not well understood, it is likely that cortical sensorimotor integration processes are involved. In a previous preliminary study, we evaluated the short latency afferent inhibition (SAI) in a group of CD patients and the effects of ST on the SAI profile. To date, we have increased our sample including 28 patients with primary CD (18 with ST, CD+, and 10 without ST, CD-) and 11 controls. The analysis of variance showed no significant differences between CD- patients and controls. On the contrary, a remarkable trend toward a reduced SAI was observed in CD+ patients when they did not perform ST. Interestingly, SAI was further reduced in CD+ patients when they performed ST, reaching a strong statistical relevance. Our results show the presence of an abnormal sensorimotor integration in CD+ patients. Furthermore, they prove that ST acts by modulating the abnormal link between sensory input and motor output.

I This paper will trace the evolution of the attitudes expressed by the Scottish Clerks' Association (SCA) towards women in clerical work in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. For women trying to establish careers in office work it was necessary to be accepted as colleagues by men in organisations like the SCA. But, as Sylvia Walby noted, explanations of the increasing presence of women in clerical work in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century have emphasised the role of employers as the main actors in the feminisation of clerical work, while the resistance (or acceptance) by male clerks has been given less attention.' The evolution of the SCA's attitudes illustrates such resistance and then the growth of a kind of acceptance of women clerks in the early twentieth century; but this acceptance was within the context of male clerks' attempts to restructure their occupational group in order to preserve the better jobs for themselves. Clerical work as an occupation was ripe for restructuring due to the changes it was undergoing by the late nineteenth century. Earlier in that century, clerical work had been work mainly for men, in small offices, in close proximity to the owner of the firm. Men in clerical work would expect to support their families through that work, possibly to rise to become businessmen themselves, and to feel secure in their masculinity throughout their working lives. But by the end of the nineteenth century, the intimate, secure, small offices so often portrayed by Dickens were changing dramatically. Expanding enterprises in large-scale manufacturing, finance and transport required much larger offices and many more clerks than Dombey or Scrooge ever required. Even in small enterprises, increasing competitive pressures prompted greater attention to business decisions like costing and purchasing, and thus more thorough and careful record keeping and reporting were needed. In addition, a greater interest by the state in profitability and employment also created the need for increased record keeping and reporting. All of